Source: BBC
Over the last week the BBC has run a fantastic series on intelligent machines. This examines the emergence of robotics and artificial intelligence, and their potential to simulate human thinking and behaviour.
A big question raised is whether robots can eliminate the need for human employment. Boston Consulting Group predicts that by 2025, up to a quarter of jobs will be replaced by either smart software or robots, while a study from Oxford University has suggested that 35% of existing UK jobs are at risk of automation in the next 20 years.
So are we, as human marketers, at risk of extinction?
Fortunately, it appears the answer is no.
In fact, there’s only a 33% chance of the marketing role being automated. And this is because we’re required to:
- Think laterally
- Come up imaginative ideas
- Empathise and negotiate
“Roles requiring employees to think on their feet and come up with creative and original ideas, for example artists, designers or engineers, hold a significant advantage in the face of automation.” BBC
However – as shown by the rapid growth in the MarTech market – automation evidently holds a place in the working lives of marketers.
To get a view of the latest developments in this area Momentum recently tuned in to the #Flipmyfunnel webinar hosted by ad automation platform, Terminus. This provoked some interesting conversations on whether automation plays a role in ABM.
The upshot is yes, automation can help us scale campaigns and do the legwork of data analysis. But, to quote one delegate: ‘a fool with a tool is still a fool’.
Automation tools are only worthwhile if they’re in the hands of talented marketers who can think strategically and invent the best creative concepts. This not only makes our job hard to automate but also makes ABM one of the most rewarding aspects of B2B marketing.
This guest post was first published on 18th of September by Momentum ABM, Europe’s leading account-based marketing agency.
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