Marketing to HR: Walk More in Our Shoes

Corporate Project Resources Inc. (CPPi) said in a news release that 58% of marketers do not feel like HR understands what the marketing department does and 36% of marketers believe HR can be more effective in working with marketing if HR staffers took the time to understand marketing’s role within the company.

The study found that more than 45% of marketing executives said that their biggest challenge with HR is having HR provide qualified candidates for open marketing positions, while 31% said their top obstacle with HR is having HR understand the urgency for new marketing hires.

Another big disconnect was found in the decision to use contingent marketers to fill gaps within marketing departments, according to the news release. Seventy-one percent of marketing executives said they would consider using contingent workers to fill gaps, while only 45% of HR executives said they would consider doing so.

“Since most marketing departments go through certain spikes throughout the year, whether it’s the launch of a new product or an event, interim marketers are a great way for marketing departments to fill gaps that are only needed for certain period of time,” said Sean Bisceglia, CEO of CPRi in the news release. “In order to be a strategic partner to marketing, HR must understand the marketing department’s workflow.”

A copy of the “Bridging the Gap Between HR and Marketing” study is available from Elizabeth Shaw elizabethshaw@cpri.com , by phone at 312-913-0550 ext. 229, or by visiting http://www.cpri.com .

The survey covered more than 500 HR executives and more than 1,000 marketing executives within Fortune 500 companies.