In a recent AdvertisingAge article entitled, "What's Required of the Next Generation of Marketers," Maureen Morrison identifies several skills that can help aspiring brand technicians stand out from the rest of the pack.

"Tomorrow's marketers will have to be well-rounded multi-disciplinarians who understand not only creative, but also digital marketing, social media and new technologies -- and how those all complement one another -- as well as how to back up a plan with data and analytics."

Following, are what Maureen lists as the top skills required for Next Generation marketers:

Agility

Learners who have the ability to adapt quickly and handle the twists and turns which face marketers on a daily basis.

Digital Understanding

A fundamemtal awareness and keen understanding of what's happening in the digital arena including the always popular world of social media.

Integrated-Marketing Capabilities (My favorite for obvious reasons.)

Consumers are bombarded with information from various angles oftentimes left to deal with cluttered and competing messages. Integrated marketing communications bridge this gap by applying an important element of orchestration to the marketing mix.

Industry Specific Knowledge

Some industries involve a steep learning curve that can only be conquered through experience and first hand knowledge.

These are fantastic recommendations and very relevant skills needed for next generation marketing. However, I believe that we can also add the following:

Cultural Awareness

Audiences are more diverse than ever before. Growing populations such as the Latino market are comprised of cultural nuances that oftentimes determine the success or failure of a communications effort.

Investing in yourself should be an ongoing process.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

• Social media is not a catch all but rather a powerful extension of Marketing and Public Relations.
• Being conversational is still an element of driving authentic trust and affinity.
• Offering something of value is the most important dynamic regardless of channel.

Some business owners make the mistake of trying to appeal to the widest audience possible. That's a great way to lose everyone at once. When someone reads your headline, they need to feel an instant sense of recognition that you are speaking directly to them. Personalization of the message and a consumer's response to that message are all-important.

(Source: Web Marketing for Small Businesses)

Define your niche and then focus on being the best at what you do. Excellent insights for those wanting to start something great.

Apple is a cut above the rest in terms of branding and design. Their new iPhone4 commercial proves to be no different. Right off the back, their stunning imagery and music selection creates a desire to get your hands on one immediately. Well, isn't that the point when it comes to advertising? Of course. The ad simply does a great job of reverberating and speaking to the interests of their target audience.

• Reverberation
• Resonance
• Authenticity

Three aspects of the ad that make it stand out.