What skills open the door to a career in marketing today?

If you’re thinking about working in marketing, we have an essential message for you: what was considered “nice to have” on a CV just a few years ago has now become an absolute must-have. Why? Because marketing has entered an era where artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic add-on but an everyday work tool.

In the report “Opportunities and Threats of AI for Marketing”, developed as part of the “People and Algorithms in Organisations: Competences to Work in the Digital Environment” (DIGIT_People and algorithms) project, funded the NAWA – Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej (Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange), we point out that the marketer of the future is someone who can combine creativity with technology, and do it ethically.

Here are four areas worth investing your time and energy in:

• Data analytics – you don’t have to be a programmer to work with data. It’s enough to master no-code AI tools and cloud analytics that help you truly understand what your customers are “saying.”
• Technology-enhanced creativity – generative AI can become your creative partner. From personalized campaigns to original content formats – you bring the idea, and AI helps you bring it to life.
• Ethics and critical thinking – in a world where algorithms can create entire stories, our job is to evaluate whether what we publish is fair, transparent, and builds trust in the brand.
• Flexibility in hybrid work – in the marketing of the future, some tasks will be performed by AI, and others by people. We will succeed when we learn to combine both worlds and operate effectively in diverse teams.

Why is this so important?
Because working in Marketing 5.0 is not a race against the machine. It’s about using its power to deliver even more value to customers – faster, more accurately, and more creatively.

If you’re a student or graduate, start now:

• Take free courses on using AI tools.
• Create your first projects using data and generative content.
• Follow trends, but also stay up to date on privacy and ethical AI regulations.

You can read the full NAWA-DIGIT report here: https://osf.io/qtwub – if you’re serious about your career in marketing, read it from cover to cover.