Marketing is having a moment. Not the shiny, campaign-launch, applause-and-awards kind. The other kind. The one where the ground shifts under your feet: budgets tighten, expectations climb, channels multiply, and suddenly everyone has access to the same AI tools that can generate a “strategy” in seconds. 

So what actually separates great marketers from the rest now?


According to John Miles, CEO of the New Zealand Marketing Association, it’s not the tools. It’s the thinking. It’s the fundamentals. It’s community. And it’s leadership development that turns marketers into people who can drive real commercial outcomes, not just ship activity.

In Episode 27 of Can The Marketing Podcast, Ben from Human Digital and Steph from Cue Marketing sit down with John to talk about how the MA is evolving, what it has learned through disruption, and what it takes to prepare today’s marketers for the demands of 2026 and beyond.

From Direct Mail to Modern Marketing Leadership

Many assume the MA has always looked the way it does today. It hasn’t.

The organisation began more than five decades ago as the New Zealand Direct Mail Association. It was practical and functional, built around issues like postal costs and coordination. It later became the Direct Marketing Association of New Zealand before eventually transforming into the New Zealand Marketing Association in 2007.

That evolution mirrors the profession itself. Marketing moved from direct mail and tactical execution into a complex discipline spanning data, creativity, technology and leadership. The association had to evolve alongside it.

John stepped into the CEO role just over six years ago, bringing a background that spans FMCG, agencies and education. His career has included working in breweries, academia, polytechnics and leading a private business school with global campuses. That blend of commercial and educational experience shaped his view of what the MA needed to become.

In his words, the mission became clear: help marketers be brilliant.

It’s a deceptively simple line. But it reframes the organisation from an event host into a capability builder.

What the Marketing Association Actually Does

The MA is the professional association for marketers in New Zealand. Unlike lawyers or accountants, marketers are not required by law to join a professional body or maintain formal development credits. That means the MA has to prove its value every year.

Today, the association supports hundreds of companies and thousands of individual marketers, including a fast-growing base of student members. Corporate members range from major banks and FMCG players to smaller businesses investing in capability. In large organisations, entire teams can be covered under one membership tier.

The core offering spans education, networking, events and access to industry leaders. But what stands out in this conversation is that the MA is not positioning itself as a club. It’s positioning itself as a career accelerator.

When COVID Forced Reinvention

Three months after John joined the MA, COVID hit.

The organisation’s main income streams were events and learning and development programs. Both disappeared almost overnight.

The logical response would have been to cut costs and wait it out. Instead, John asked a different question: what can we do for our members right now that adds real value?

That question led to a rapid pivot into online education. It included reaching out to international experts and launching work-from-home programs that connected New Zealand marketers to global thinking during a time when isolation could have stalled growth.

What could have been a contraction became an innovation moment. Education went from being one pillar to becoming central to the organisation’s identity.

Bridging the Gap Between University and Industry

One of the most practical challenges discussed in the episode is the “graduate gap”. Many marketing graduates leave university without real exposure to the workplace. Employers often find that while graduates understand theory, they lack context, confidence and industry access.

The Top Talent Marketing School was designed to address exactly that.

Originally focused on supporting Māori and Pasifika students through professional certification, the initiative evolved into a structured program that identifies top-performing marketing students and gives them concentrated, practical preparation for the workforce.

It is deliberately intense. It connects students with businesses. It creates exposure that most university programs cannot provide on their own.

What makes the program powerful is not just the workshops, but the connection to real companies. Students gain insight into expectations, commercial realities and professional standards before they graduate. For many, it changes the trajectory of their early careers.

A Leadership Ladder for Every Stage

A key theme in the conversation is that marketers need development at different career stages. The MA has built a two-lane pathway to support that progression.

The Emerging Marketer Accelerator is designed for professionals with roughly two to five years of experience. At this stage, marketers are competent but still forming their judgement. They often don’t know what they don’t know. The program provides structure, exposure and leadership foundations that accelerate growth.

At the other end is the Advanced Marketing Leadership program. This flagship initiative is reserved for experienced marketers, typically with more than ten years in the field and leadership responsibility. It includes a rigorous selection process and focuses heavily on emotional intelligence, influence and strategic thinking.

One of the most powerful elements of the senior program is speed mentoring, where dozens of CMOs and senior executives gather to give direct feedback and guidance. It’s a rare opportunity for aspiring leaders to access the top of the profession in one room.

What emerges from this structure is not just education. It’s a pipeline. Students move into emerging roles. Emerging marketers move into leadership tracks. Leaders give back into the system.

80 Events a Year and a National Footprint

Beyond formal education, the MA runs an extraordinary number of events each year. The organisation has expanded well beyond Auckland, with active communities across Queenstown, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga and Hamilton.

This geographic spread matters. Marketing talent does not live in one city. Regional professionals need access to peers, insights and industry conversation just as much as those in large corporate headquarters.

Events are not simply social. They are touchpoints for capability, idea-sharing and visibility. For non-members, they often serve as an entry point. For members, they reinforce the sense of belonging to something larger than their own organisation.

ROI Pressure, AI and Channel Overload

Perhaps the most valuable part of the episode is the future-facing conversation.

Marketing has never had more delivery mechanisms. Channels are fragmented. Measurement is scrutinised. Budgets are tight. AI tools are ubiquitous.

John’s perspective is grounded rather than alarmist.

First, he argues that the fundamentals still matter. Understanding product, price, place and promotion is not optional. If anything, in a world of automation, foundational thinking becomes more important.

Second, AI changes efficiency but not responsibility. It can generate content quickly, but it cannot replace judgement. The marketers who will win are those who iterate, question and refine rather than accept the first output. Critical thinking becomes the differentiator.

Third, creativity is not dead. In fact, there are signs of a creative renaissance in markets like Europe. The principle remains timeless: if you can put a smile on someone’s face or make them feel something, you have a better chance of cutting through.

Finally, data and ROI accountability are only going to intensify. Marketers must be able to demonstrate impact. The idea that smaller businesses cannot afford advanced measurement is outdated. The real risk is not investing in capability and being left behind.

Lessons for Marketers at Every Stage

Several clear lessons emerge from this conversation.

Marketing is a craft, not a collection of tools. Platforms will change. The underlying thinking does not.

Capability beats hype. Long-term success depends on structured development, not trend-chasing.

Community is a competitive advantage. Access to peers, mentors and leaders accelerates growth in ways individual effort cannot replicate.

Education is continuous. The pace of change means marketers cannot rely on past experience alone.

The best marketers will be the best thinkers. In a world where AI can produce outputs for everyone, depth of insight becomes the real differentiator.

A Profession Built by Those Who Give Back

One of the most striking themes in the episode is generosity. Senior leaders show up to mentor. Companies invest in student pathways. Members support regional growth. The ecosystem strengthens because people contribute beyond their own job descriptions.

A strong marketing profession does not happen by accident. It is built intentionally through education, shared standards and a willingness to raise the bar together.

If you want to understand where marketing in New Zealand is heading, and how capability and leadership will shape the next decade, this episode is essential viewing.

Watch the full conversation with John Miles on Can The Marketing Podcast, and if you believe marketing deserves to be treated like a profession, not just a function, subscribe and share it with someone ready to level up.

Source: Canned The Marketing Podcast, 24th February 2026