A new research report from Coterie Connect highlights partner and field marketing teams are increasingly being merged, with valuable partner marketing skills at risk of being lost or diluted meaning urgent training is needed for partner success by 2030s.
As the structure of marketing teams across the channel fundamentally shifts, the report also warns that with only 15% of partner marketers now working in fully independent teams: this integration is not only diluting the specialist skills required to run effective partner marketing programmes but also that those in blended teams are less confident in their abilities to perform their role.
Launched at the recent Coterie Connect event in London, the report,The 2025 Partner Marketing Skills Report: Trends, Gaps and Opportunities highlights that without urgent investment in training and development, the channel risks losing the expertise it needs to drive future growth.
Jo Dunkley, Co-founder of Coterie, described the research as a wake-up call, particularly in how the blending of partner and field marketing teams is impacting confidence and capability.
“At the heart of this shift is a mix of budget pressure and misunderstanding. Many C-level executives assume that partner marketing can just piggyback on field marketing efforts, using the same content, campaigns and creative. And there’s also a belief that combining roles will create efficiency, but what’s being lost are the specialist skills that make partner marketing work.”
Attendees at the Connect event agreed that CMOs and senior executives must act to protect partner marketing skills, recognising their value to long-term channel performance.
The research, conducted in partnership with Sapio Research and augmented by quantitative interviews, also explores marketing budgets, spending patterns and strategic priorities. It highlights the skills partner marketers believe they’ll need to succeed in the next five years.
Martec and digital marketing are ranked highest among the skills needed today. However, AI and automation have surged, rising from 15% to 27% to become the second most important future skill, with data and analytics skills close behind, which more than doubled in importance from 12% to 27%.
Helen Curtis, Co-founder of Coterie, said the findings reflect the growing importance of AI and data to channel marketing. “Senior executives place a lot of value on data and the certainty that data provides. By using AI, data and analytics, channel marketers can better demonstrate ROI, something that could finally secure the budget increases that partner marketing has long needed.”
However, the research shows that partner marketers ranking AI as the top area where they need training to succeed by 2030. Strategic thinking followed, with data and analytics skills also emerging as key development priorities.
Interestingly, while traditional communications and negotiation skills have dropped down the list of perceived importance, adaptability has risen to being a critical skill required for success over the next five years.
Barnaby Wood, Director of Product Management at Arctera said: “The watering-down of focus on dedicated partner marketing means that those who do retain the skills are forced to widen their remit, driving the need for adaptability.
“Key skills of partner marketers, crucial in building strong relationships, and distinct from field marketing skills, become less highly valued. Ultimately, the loser in all of this is the relationships within our ecosystems.”
Image showsl Jo Dunkley, Co-founder, Coterie Connect
