Tamzin, our Account Delivery Manager, has spent the last twelve months studying for her latest professional qualification: Certificate in Professional and Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).
The course, delivered by the London Marketing Set, is comprised of four modules – a mixture of core and chosen – tailored to small in-person and virtual sessions with reading lists, independent study and, of course, examination. It was a fantastic opportunity to network with other professionals at similar stages in their careers and from a diverse range of industries. The course, which is considered the gold standard for professional marketers, perfectly aligns with Conscient’s commitment to marketing excellence and upskilling. The largest draw, however, was the crucial addition of the latest module – MarTech.
The inclusion of a dedicated MarTech module highlights the shift in the marketing industry, caused by recent technological advancement. Technology that used to be seen as a niche specialism is now a fundamental requirement in a marketeer’s toolbox. MarTech has shifted marketeers’ capabilities across the board, a great tech stack can provide support for customer relations, content automation & personalisation and programmatic advertising. The course module provided a comprehensive historical overview before deep diving into the exponential growth of the last ten years. This change in industry has granted marketeers both greater creative freedom and more strategic support.
Of course, no conversation about tech advancement can happen without mentioning the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While the impact of AI for generating images and music has been felt the technology has a wider impact in advertising and promotion. There is a shift from Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Until recently promoting a company’s website and services depended on being found by a search engine, now increasingly it’s how you are picked up by AI. Potential customers now rely on AI-generated summaries. To appear in these summaries, GEO values citations and mentions to achieve brand visibility in a “zero-click” searching landscape with a decline in organic searches.
Programmatic advertising and ad bidding has also been revolutionised by AI, allowing marketeers to serve hyper-targeted, personalised ads to customers in real time.
We are also seeing major players in the MarTech space rolling out comprehensive AI integrations, such as HubSpot, Salesforce and Canva, promising to enhance customer engagement and retention with synergy across platforms.
However, CIM were not without warning for MarTech integration, highlighting the problems that can arise from overreliance on tech that may not integrate with your business and customer needs.
There is also the risk of ‘AI-Washing’, with companies merely repacking former products to attract higher rates and seem more advanced. Finally, there are ethical considerations: the risk of copyright infringement, the potential for inaccurate information, an over-reliance on technology that diminishes human creativity, and the danger of consumer burnout from overly saturated, impersonal content. While AI is a powerful tool, the human touch remains irreplaceable.
Applying the theories learnt from CIM to Conscient has been incredibly insightful. We’re seeing more clients actively experimenting with AI in their marketing and we’re adapting our strategies to incorporate GEO into our SEO website efforts. The way consumers make decisions is also changing, and there’s a noticeable thirst for personal, authentic content.
Our graphic design team has embraced these changes, leveraging AI tools to accelerate content creation while still injecting their unique human creativity.
The industry is evolving at an incredible pace, and staying ahead of the curve requires constant adaptation to new technology while not losing the drive for authentic creative work. The most important lesson from CIM is that MarTech tools are just that, tools. They are designed to emphasise and enhance our work. They are not replacement for strategy, authenticity or creativity.
Tamzin commented that “The entire process was great fun. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the process of learning and being in a room with creatives and marketeers from a huge range of industries was incredibly insightful. A huge thank you to both CIM and the London Marketing Set for a fantastic experience.”
