Marketing leadership survey – the results

A big thank you to everyone who completed our recent Marketing Leadership Survey. This anonymous survey was sent to our Heads of Marketing candidates, gathering information on their aspirations and opinions in order to advise clients and to improve our services. There was an incredible response that will certainly help when supporting the whole of our marketing community. 

In addition to our headline results, we looked at key areas, including what candidates expect from their roles, their marketing priorities for the foreseeable future, and which courses are in demand for their learning and development.   

So, firstly, what do candidates expect from their roles? 

As you can imagine, where they work was greatly down to personal preference but overwhelmingly, at 73%, candidates prefer to work on a hybrid basis. While many companies are keen for three days in the office each week, the majority of respondents (53%) would prefer to work in the office for two days each week. 

Despite a work/life balance understandably leaning in the candidates’ favour in these survey results, they certainly embraced the opportunity for office-working, for three clear reasons (in order of importance): 

1. Having the opportunity to collaborate 84% 

2. Feeling like part of a team 78% 

3. Organising more face-to-face meetings 66% 

For home-working, their reasons for doing so were (again, in order of importance): 

1. Having a greater work/life balance 91% 

2. Being able to focus more effectively 78% 

3. Achieving more 62% 

In terms of salary, the base salary for Heads-of candidates started at £80k, going as high as £140k. Of course, location, company size and sectors affect the level of salary, with London-based FTSE100 and large private equity-backed firms commanding the highest salaries, particularly in financial services and tech. This spread of results also reflects our client base because of our skill-specific focus, covering all sectors.

The most important benefits started with bonus, then pension, and private healthcare. However, the most important thing for candidates was company culture, listing this above salary and benefits, at 89%. 

Our previous survey results piece reported that 65% of candidates are considering interim/short term contracts, which is most definitely a trend we’re seeing in the marketing and digital/tech industry, but the reasons reported for this often come from a company perspective. For candidates, they’re looking at interim roles for greater flexibility (59%) and the opportunity to build a diverse portfolio (55%). 

The second area of focus in our survey were their marketing priorities for the foreseeable future…

…with 72% of respondents listing harnessing new technology as their primary focus, followed by attracting, developing and retaining talent at 65%, then managing and protecting budgets at 45%. An unsurprising 53% had already started using AI within their roles – 87% on content, 33% on customer experience, and 22% on design. 

With ESG being a clear focus for most organisations in recent years, 74% of respondent felt that diversity, inclusion and equality is now embedded within their organisations, and 66% felt that sustainability was embedded. 

Finally, learning and development is essential for the future of marketing and digital/tech…

…with skills gaps remaining an issue, and we will only see this increase with the pace of martech development. When we surveyed our candidates, 54% had started out in their careers following further education and 40% following on-the-job training. Since that time, 75% have completed courses to continue supporting their marketing careers and the most documented courses were the classic CIM Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Marketing, followed by Marketing Week’s Mini MBA in Marketing with Mark Ritson, and their Mini MBA in Brand Management. With the launch of their Mini MBA in Management this month, we see the course becoming just as popular for candidates and clients alike. 

Again, thank you to everyone who completed the survey. The lucky winner of our free prize draw received their £150 The White Company e-gift card - it was a real pleasure to help start their week in such a positive way.  

If you’re hiring, or if you’re ready to make your next career move, get in touch to see how we can help you or connect with Suzie and Kaylynn to send a message on LinkedIn. 

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Suzie Walker Executive Search is a firm of specialist headhunters with an expert team recruiting interim and permanent senior leaders for B2C and B2B marketing and digital/tech roles in FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies. Find out how we can support you by connecting with a Consultant below.