NZMA and ADMA partnership introduces global marketing skills framework to New Zealand
The New Zealand Marketing Association (NZMA) has announced a significant partnership with Australia’s Association for Data-Driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA) to introduce the internationally recognised Capability Compass framework to marketers across Aotearoa. This collaboration aims to equip New Zealand marketers with an advanced skills assessment tool designed to benchmark their capabilities, identify gaps, and align their skills with global industry standards, thereby fostering professional growth and enabling more confident decision-making in an increasingly dynamic marketing environment.
The Capability Compass, developed by ADMA in consultation with industry leaders, evaluates 13 core marketing capabilities and 65 underlying skills spanning key domains such as strategy, execution, and analysis. This comprehensive framework provides marketing leaders, including Chief Marketing Officers and team managers, with data-driven insights that can inform strategic investments in team development and help build resilience within marketing teams. By adopting this tool, NZMA members gain access to a proven methodology that highlights strengths and weaknesses at all organisational levels, ensuring marketers stay ahead of industry changes.
John Miles, CEO of NZMA, emphasised the centrality of capability to the association’s mission. Speaking to the media, he noted that the endorsement of the Capability Compass offers Kiwi marketers a trusted framework to benchmark skills, identify areas for improvement, and plan confidently for future opportunities. Accorded significant importance is the alignment of NZMA’s training curriculum with ADMA’s 65-skill framework, a move that guarantees consistency with international standards and facilitates a seamless skills exchange between New Zealand and Australian marketing professionals.
ADMA’s CEO Andrea Martens expressed optimism about the partnership, highlighting that marketers across Australasia confront similar challenges in rapidly building marketing capability to keep pace with industry evolution. She underscored the Capability Compass’s role in delivering evidence-based clarity to marketers, empowering them to close skill gaps and make informed decisions about team development. Martens described the collaboration as a vital step towards establishing a shared standard for marketing capability that enables the profession to advance with greater clarity and impact.
The Capability Compass is available to marketing professionals individually at a cost of NZ$350 per person, providing an accessible route for marketers wishing to self-assess or for organisations seeking a holistic view of their team’s skills. By incorporating this framework into their professional development practices, New Zealand’s marketing community positions itself to respond agilely to market changes and technological advancements, fostering a culture of continuous improvement aligned with global best practices.
In sum, the partnership between NZMA and ADMA marks an important milestone in elevating marketing capability standards across the Tasman. It combines a data-driven, skills-based approach with strategic foresight, helping marketers in New Zealand prepare for the future landscape of their industry while maintaining alignment with their Australian counterparts.