As the year rapidly whittles away, October is always a fascinating time to analyse the market, and generally brings some spills and thrills with it.
The top headline in FMCG this month relates to the ongoing ACCC investigation into retailer conduct, contributing to a tough trading environment. E-Commerce and the pressures of keeping up with the Digital realm has also impacted the market, with changes to various functions and specific roles. And it appears that all businesses are still being affected by cost-of-living, with budgets tighter than ever, resulting in restructures and redundancies.
So, how is the market? Here’s our deep-dive.
Sales continues to be where we see the most demand for talent.
Businesses see the sales function as where they can get the most immediate return on investment and, when you overlay the difficult trading environment that suppliers are facing into, you can see why this is where most of their recruitment dollars are going. What’s in demand, specifically? Experienced Account and Business Managers with strong commercial acumen are never going to be short of opportunities. But the ones who really stand out are those who can develop true partnership with retailers, fostering relationships built on trust and collaboration, and building plans aligned to business and customer strategy. With cost-of-living pressure and heavily publicised ACCC investigations ongoing, there has never been a greater need for suppliers and retailers to come together and work in partnership to achieve the ‘triple win’ which not only drives commercial outcomes for both parties but puts shopper and consumer needs firmly at their heart.
The wild world of Marketing continues to confuse and confound.
Although there have been scores of interesting moves in Marketing across FMCG and Services businesses, many active candidates seem to be struggling to secure roles. We have seen an increase in Contracting roles, including mat-leave and project based or fractional roles. We’re also noticing a shift from generalist marketing to more specialised focuses such as CRM, Digital or Innovation, and it seems the “Senior Brand Manager” title is once again the neglected child of the FMCG family, being removed from several business structures. Finally, remuneration is either stagnant or regressing, with marketers being asked to take on more without the salary to match the increased responsibilities. The question is, is this a result of over-inflated salaries or a sign of consistently tighter budgets? We think, it’s both.
There are two factors driving the lack of movement in the Category function.
Firstly, many senior Category people have made it to the Head of Function level and don’t have an obvious next step; there are very few Category Director roles around, and even fewer available. The desire for more extensive customer management experience in the Sales function means that they face stiff competition for an SD role if they try to make a cross-functional move (internally or externally). So, because these people aren’t moving, their teams aren’t moving. Secondly, businesses are considering if, and how, their Category functions need to evolve to meet changing demands. Does RGM come into it, or sit in Finance, or separately? Would it make sense for Shopper to be integrated? These are the sorts of questions that are being pondered. And we’re unlikely to see much change within function until businesses make the decisions that are right for them. Our feeling is that 2025 may be a year of change and opportunity for Category stars!
We’re here to help
As we ride the slippery slope toward Christmas, there’s always a shift in momentum with people reflecting on 2024 and considering what the New Year could hold. If you need honest guidance, advice and feedback on career pathways or talent planning, reach out to our specialist (and very friendly) team today!
