The study was carried out with research agency 2CV and 28 national advertiser associations and was based on responses from 683 senior marketers.

The research found that marketers need skills in nine areas, including marketing strategy, data ethics, business growth and sustainability.

Many of these areas were expected to grow in importance over the next five years, according to the study, specifically sustainability ( 80% of respondents), digital martech and platforms ( 77%) and data ethics ( 74%). 

Data analytics and customer experience or centricity were also viewed as areas that would become more vital to the work of marketers ( 73% and 72% of respondents respectively).

Marketers surveyed for the research also agreed that ‘general business acumen beyond marketing’ is an important skill ( 71%) and that cultural sensitivity is important ( 82%). Additionally, 91% of respondents cited the need for so-called ‘softer skills’ including curiosity and flexibility. One in five ( 20%) agreed that the role of the chief marketing officer would not exist by 2030.

Stephan Loerke, chief executive of the WFA, said: “The CMO is not dead, they are just being reborn in a new form. The truth is that the CMO is more important than ever as the conductor of the orchestra of marketing experts, both internal and external, both local and global. Soft skills are even more important than data understanding in ensuring the all elements of the team are working together for the common good.”