One recent study in the US suggested more than two thirds of marketers had zero formal marketing training or education. Zero!

We at Sapient also recently did a survey and asked marketers whether they thought too few people in marketing have strategic marketing competencies. An incredible 77 percent of those surveyed strongly agreed this was a problem.

This may not surprise you, but it disturbs me. Imagine if 70% of the folks in your finance department did not have a finance degree. Would it make you nervous if 70% of the folks in your legal department did not pass the BAR exam.

Marketing is a discipline like finance or law; it’s not a sensibility people are born with or a god given talent. Have you ever heard “She is a good person, very creative, and great with people, she would do well in marketing don’t you think? Next time you hear this, Run.

Now I'm not saying some degree in marketing deems you competent, my point is more around being a student of marketing. Someone who reads, pays attention to trends, appreciated good work and participates in new media.

People think Marketing is easy. It’s not. We have to work hard at it. A good doctor studies as much now as they did in medical school. There are new procedures to learn, new theories, new medicines etc.  A good marketer should have the same thirst for knowledge to stay on top of their game. Consumer behavior, media markets, channel mix, and technologies and analytics evolve every day.

Look around your marketing department. How many people have been doing the same thing the same way for over two years? How many marketing professionals are truly among you?