In my Advertising Age column this week I wrote about a new career path I see emerging. It exists both in PR/advertising agencies and on the client side as well - The Geek Marketer.
My thesis is this: it's very difficult for anyone in marketing to keep up with all the twists the digital space because technology changes so darn fast. It's like chasing a cheetah. Most marketers - be they clients or agency side - are heads-down running their business. Therefore, companies are creating a new role. They're hiring people who act as translators between the ultra geeks and the marketers, if you will, and shepherd the development of pilot programs. More follows in my column below.
This has sparked an interesting discussion (see posts by Stephanie, Jim, Teresa, Karl and others). Some disagree strongly, especially in the comments to the article.
More follows below. However, what I would really love to hear from you is: what kind of skills would you put in this person's job description? Do you agree or disagree that there is such a role in corporate America? I have a job description someone sent me for such a role and I may post it on a wiki to see what you come up with. As always, eager for your opinions.
As Technology Develops, So Does Role of Geek Marketers
These Cross-trained Specialists Are Fluent in Both Worlds
By Steve Rubel
Published: September 03, 2007
With the lazy days of summer officially behind us, now is when many start thinking seriously about their career plans. For those who are deeply interested in both technology and marketing, this is your time. A new kind of career is emerging: Enter the Geek Marketer.
While hard statistics are hard to come by, anecdotally I can tell you that dozens of Fortune 500 companies -- including some of our clients -- are recruiting Geek Marketers either from within or outside. That's not their specific title, of course. However, it is their role.
With CEOs demanding accountability and time spent online climbing, chief marketing officers are on a push to embed technology into every facet of their strategy. But marketers and technologists are not exactly two peas in a pod. They speak different languages. Marketers like GRPs (gross ratings points). Geeks like APIs (application protocol interfaces). Dilbert mercifully pokes at these differences. It's all very Mars and Venus.
Enter Geek Marketers. These cross-trained specialists are fluent in both worlds and bridge them. They are marketers by trade, yet they also have a hard-core interest in technology and social anthropology. As curious individuals, they are constantly studying how digital advances are changing our culture and media. Armed with these insights, they regularly apply them in a marketing context by working closely with brand teams to codify new best practices.
Geek Marketers create competitive advantage through rapid-fire testing and learning. The people I know in this role are shepherding the development, testing and measurement of all kinds of groundbreaking marketing programs. Their pilots span from the simple, such as building RSS feeds, to the complex, creating multifaceted community programs. Often they are paired with people like me, who are in a similar role on the agency side.
This may sound like the trendy occupation du jour, but something tells me the position has staying power. To be sure, the entire industry is innovating and everyone's technical acumen is slowly rising. Still, Geek Marketers are freed to live just a little bit further out on the edge than most. And with no end in sight for what technology can do to transform business, they can continue to play a key role.
