Mastering digital marketing whilst leading at the top-ranking Big Four Firm on the island, PwC. Meet Maurizio.
Maurizio Cortis leads digital marketing practices at the audit firm giant, PwC Malta. With a decade of experience in the field, today he shares how strengthening his skills with a Level 7 Digital Marketing Expert Course is enabling him to further up his game as a marketing leader.
I was lucky enough to kick off my career at PwC Malta whilst still reading for my degree in Graphic Design and Interactive Media. This was a decade ago (now I’m making myself feel old!), but it’s important to remember that digital marketing functions in a number of local companies, including audit firms, were mostly still in their infancy. I was actually the first full-time graphic designer employed within the Firm.
As the firm continued to grow over the years, so did the Marketing & Communications team and I also started climbing the corporate ladder. Although my main role was primarily that of a graphic designer, the breath of my work very much involved planning and executing all types of marketing strategies through a mix of channels, whilst learning about the local business landscape through the many professionals I’ve been working with. I moved into management 4 years ago, and as I continue to develop both professionally and personally, I am proud to be leading a team of multidisciplinary professionals, alongside the rest of the management team, and being an integral part of such a strong brand, both internationally and on the island.
I’ve always been interested in professional development, even if it’s just doing some self-learning study on the side. I feel it’s essential in today’s world, especially in the Digital Marketing sphere, where platforms, strategies and tactics are changing at such a fast pace and with no guarantee that what works today will also be effective tomorrow.
The basics of Digital Marketing and Advertising were something I gained from the various online resources such as Google Academy, online websites and forums, and of course, YouTube (now I can say that I feel younger again as this is considered an excellent learning tool by so many of us youngsters!) but since getting my degree, I must admit I’ve at the back of my mind, I’ve always been determined to read for a Masters. It took me 9 years and a pandemic to trigger starting off my Postgrad, but through the on-the-job experience I gained and self-study, I was able to continue my journey on a different path than what I graduated in, which I was well prepared for.
Why the change from Graphic Design? I feel that Digital Marketing encompasses so much of what marketing functions and professionals do nowadays – and in essence, it’s clearly outweighing traditional marketing in terms of global ad spend (by almost double)! I opted for the DMI Expert in Digital Marketing as it offers a deep dive into DM techniques and trends, whilst also offering a comparison to traditional marketing theory, all of which are required to stay ahead of the game and lead the conversation. Another major factor was also the flexibility of carrying this out in my own time, whilst continuing to work, and the availability of self-study modules which I’ve always been so accustomed to.
It was basically made up of 2 assignments and whilst the first assignment was research-based, the second was focused on developing a Digital Marketing strategy. What I really liked about these is that both were modelled on a company of my choice and I had the opportunity to explore various business and digital marketing components and was challenged with forecasting how best to implement a marketing strategy that withstands changes brought about by these moving parts.
Of course, a lot of research is involved, but with the help of Thought Leadership material made available through the Learning Management System, as well as online webinars and a multitude of video lectures, adequate context and perspective made this possible.
Well, it wasn’t a walk in the park, that’s for sure. And let’s be a bit more realistic, it’s not just work and studies – it’s family, friends and in my case, even 2 extremely demanding puppies thrown into the mix! It’s always a balancing act but can also very quickly become a leveled routine if you put your mind to it.
The fact that all the material was on-demand and I could pull late-nighters to my leisure (being the night owl that I am) helped a lot. And where in doubt, both ICE and the DMI’s support teams were there to help. And it gives you peace of mind to know that a query you send at midnight will be answered in a couple of days.
Of course, support from those around me has been extremely valuable here too – be it my patient wife, the Firm itself and understanding colleagues, all providing support in different ways. The flexible work environment is definitely another one to mention here, making it easy for me to focus on the deliverables for the programme whenever I needed to.
So apart from the theory side, which aids in becoming more knowledgeable and technical, there are a number of cognitive tools that one gains from adopting such a practical approach. You learn to conduct research the right way, interpret literature, understand and anticipate technology and trends, and think strategically, by following your own assumptions and theories.
This is essential in this line of work given the ever-evolving digital sphere and markets that we operate in on a daily basis, especially in the professional services industry. Other than that the mix of work and study definitely allowed me to continuously connect literature to my day-to-day marketing practices, and allowed me to contribute and innovate further in both.
I can think of a number of challenges:
- More specific targeting — let me explain myself better here. There is a perception that in a business such as ours, B2B by marketing strategies prevail. This is far from the truth as a larger number of B2C marketing strategies are actually deployed. Not just that, but also targeting both individuals and businesses has nowadays become much more granular and requires in-depth market research and an understanding of online and offline consumer behaviour, including extremely detailed demographics and psychographics.
- The newer generation — as Generation Z is entering the workforce and becoming a substantial part of the consumer market, digital marketing communications and strategies have been requiring a major shift. This is the first generation of digital natives, born and raised in a world where tech is always readily available and information is only one search away. This generation is always connected to the rest of the world through a smartphone and presents a new set of challenges to today’s marketers.
- One cannot go without mentioning dealing with a global pandemic such as COVID-19. Bringing along both challenges in terms of budgets and spend across the globe, and advantages such as increased exposure to online media, added to all the challenges that the different industries and businesses had to face, has drastically boosted the importance of firms’ digital marketing practises and strategies. Throughout COVID and also now in its aftermath, there has been a considerable increase in business demand and pressure from that is made on the various marketing functions.
- Technology — With digital tech becoming extinct one day and a global phenomenon the next, keeping up to date and ahead of competition is no easy feat for digital marketers. If one had to take stock of the various transformations and advancements seen in Social Platforms, CRMs, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence whilst also considering advancements in Marktech and FinTech alone, a full 8 hours a day can be spent reporting on the various challenges and implications that these present to the world of digital marketing.
- Education — Being still in its infancy, knowledge in the market is still somewhat limited. Over and above, it’s only natural that campaign effectiveness brings along increased demand and expectations from any business. Although the timing element is always an important factor in designing a campaign, a delicate balance with planning needs to be constantly assessed to ensure meeting business objectives and maximum return on investment.
I would love to say a long well-deserved break, however being passionate and determined to succeed in this area, I am actually already working on elevating my Level 7 Postgrad Diploma into a Master’s qualification. I’m glad to say I have already submitted my first 2 assignments which I’ve also received very positive feedback on, and will be working towards submitting my thesis soon enough.
From a professional perspective, being a digital marketer and the current environment literally has no bounds. It is an exciting time to be working in this field and to constantly strive to push boundaries and reach new heights, especially when taking into consideration that I am representing such a premium brand.
This is possibly the easiest of the questions you’ve asked! Digital marketing is very much a science where knowledge is built through being curious and experimental. I’ve said it once and I will say it again – what works today will probably not work tomorrow – so it is important to be able to think strategically whilst testing various methodologies and tactics and to be able to extract the relevant data that can be provided by the different platforms to interpret the insights and stories that the data is relaying back.
In order to be able to do so, one must embrace the aspect of learning, both on the job and on a personal level, regardless of how busy and stretched one might be, to be able to succeed and stay ahead in today’s global and competitive business, and professional environment.
The mix of work and study for the Digital Marketing Expert allowed me to continuously connect literature to my day-to-day marketing practices.
MAURIZIO CORTISMarketing Manager