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Valuable partner marketing skills are at risk of being lost or diluted as the structure of marketing teams across the channel fundamentally shifts.
According to a new research report from ecosystem enabler Coterie, partner and field marketing teams are increasingly being merged, with only 15% of partner marketers now working in fully independent teams. The report warns that 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 to an audience of around 50 partner marketers, 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. “We’re seeing partner marketers in integrated teams feeling less confident in their ability to succeed, and that should raise alarm bells.
“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 because teams often share martech systems, there’s a belief that combining roles will create efficiency. But what’s being lost are the specialist skills that actually make partner marketing work.”
Attendees at the Connect event echoed concerns about this trend, agreeing 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.
Top of the list is martec and digital marketing, which also 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. Close behind are data and analytics capabilities, 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 feel unprepared for the shift towards AI, with respondents ranking it as the top area where they need training to succeed by 2030. Strategic thinking followed closely behind, 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 sharply, from one of the lowest ranked today to being among the six most critical skills 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 we're seeing in many organisations means that those who do retain the skills are forced to widen their remit, driving the need for adaptability.
“The corollary, of course, is that some of the 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.”
Coterie Connect holds regular partner and ecosystem events for marketers to connect, share and learn.
