• by Karen Tripi , April 9, 2009

Times are challenging, for sure, but American business is not standing still. The good news is there still is action on the marketing job front. Companies still have product to sell and budget to sell it with. Agencies continue to serve clients whose products and services need good, creative sales messages, well-placed in the ever-expanding media universe.

Despite the almost daily news of mass layoffs, there still are jobs out there in the media, advertising, and marketing fields and companies are looking to hire.

The nature of marketing is changing, though, as consumers have unprecedented control over their media usage. Marketers face new challenges of steering their messages through many more media channels than ever. To do this, they need people who can see the big picture, analyze data, turn it into strategies to maximize ROI.

A quick glance at headlines of the past few weeks shows several major agencies in New York including Carat and TargetCast.com have hired new people in key research and strategic planning spots. The usual shuffle of clients from one agency to another continues, and each time that happens, it means the new shop has to staff up properly.

It certainly isn't business as usual. There are fewer job postings and more people chasing after them. What has gone largely unreported, however, is the shift in the type of positions that are now open and, ironically, often going unfilled for lack of qualified talent. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) projects that jobs in SEO, SEM, website development, mobile marketing and e-mail marketing will increase this year, even as other areas slide. The DMA says nearly two-thirds of marketers surveyed are having trouble finding qualified candidates for those kinds of open positions.

Companies are looking for people who can analyze information and develop and implement strategy. It can be media strategy, digital strategy, business strategy, marketing strategy, communications strategy. The key operative word these days is clearly "strategy."

A year ago, the typical mix of positions my recruiting firm was working to fill was evenly split between account management jobs and strategic executives. Now, the split has shifted dramatically toward jobs involving strategy. Fully three-quarters of the assignments we have today are for strategic people.

Because of the uncertain economy, fueled by the continuous negative news in the media, there's less job-hopping today. The best people - those who have demonstrated experience as strategic thinkers -- are in a position now to call their own shots.

What does this mean for employers and employees?

Much of the cutting back we've been seeing is a combination of digging in to weather the storm, as well as fat-trimming. And many companies are foregoing raises, bonuses and other incentives because most of us are happy just to be employed these days. If you have those strategic skills and experience, recognize your worth.

Titles are changing as job roles change and expand. The people surviving these changes are those who, have a real grasp of the new marketing channels and touchpoints, are very strategic, and have the ability to create an optimal marketing mix. And that marketing mix may very well be different in a month from now or a year from now. What is for certain? That things are changing and evolving rapidly.

Employers should be identifying employees they covet and those who show promise. Now is the time to make them feel appreciated so they don't get snatched away. Believe it or not, it may not be easy to find a good replacement.