[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font_size=”25px” header_3_font_size=”21px” custom_margin=”||39px|||” custom_padding=”1px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
What does a best-in-class marketing academy actually look like?<\/p>\n
To find out, we went straight to the experts. Our team interviewed the people behind the most admired academies in the industry \u2014 from Unilever, Reckitt and PepsiCo to Kering and beyond.<\/p>\n
We listened. We studied their models. We dug into what worked \u2014 and what didn\u2019t.
\nThen we layered in our own experience: from taking part in world-class academies ourselves, to managing teams through them at brands like Diageo and Coca-Cola.<\/p>\n
Because most teams are trapped in what we call the triple trap:
\ud83d\udd52 No time.
\ud83d\udcb8 No budget.
\ud83e\udee5 No trust.<\/p>\n
Overloaded calendars. Underfunded learning. And a culture too anxious for honest assessment. The very system that\u2019s supposed to fuel marketing growth is running on empty.<\/p>\n
Marketers want more \u2014 and they expect more. According to Magic Numbers<\/a>, 70% of marketing L&D is seen as irrelevant or disconnected from real work. No wonder there\u2019s skepticism!<\/p>\n The best academies break this cycle. They earn trust. They make the case for growth. And they offer a clear signal: this will move the needle \u2014 for your performance and your career.<\/p>\n Across dozens of interviews \u2014 and multiple co-design sessions with clients \u2014 seven principles kept surfacing.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve built our latest global programme around them. In truth, they\u2019ve become our own mental checklist. A filter for what separates a box-ticking academy from a culture-shaping one.<\/p>\n Here are seven field-tested principles to help you build a marketing academy that truly lands (and lasts).<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not an academy \u2014 it\u2019s transformation.\u201d Before you plan the syllabus or book the speakers, start with a belief.<\/p>\n The best academies begin by asking: Unilever called it a \u201ccreative effectiveness reset.\u201d Diageo had a \u201cbrand belief system.\u201d In our most recent build for a global drinks company, we co-authored a documented \u2018Way of Marketing\u2019 \u2014 a strategic playbook that defines what brilliant marketing looks like for their brands and culture.<\/p>\n It becomes the spine of the academy. Because without shared beliefs, skills don\u2019t stick.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t make it mandatory \u2014 we made it magnetic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 Sharon Barraclough, PepsiCo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The best academies don\u2019t feel like L&D. They feel like a movement.<\/p>\n There\u2019s anticipation. A launch moment. A buzz.<\/p>\n We took cues from Canva\u2019s flagship event, Canva Create<\/em>, when designing one of our launch experiences. Think: It\u2019s a shift from push to pull. From programme to platform. From admin to ambition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to serve the full marketing population \u2014 but one-size-fits-all won\u2019t work.\u201d The best academies don\u2019t just scale \u2014 they flex. That means building:<\/p>\n Foundation tracks for junior and mid-level marketers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Advanced tracks for senior leaders<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Local tailoring by market, category or role<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Flexible formats: live, virtual, on-demand, in-flow learning<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n In our current build, we mapped two distinct journeys \u2014 Foundation and Advanced \u2014 each with their own rhythm, language, and experience.<\/p>\n Relevance is everything.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should feel like something you\u2019re proud to be invited to.\u201d People don\u2019t just want learning. They want career value.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the best academies create moments of status: selection. Showcase. Recognition. Visibility. Certification.<\/p>\n In our latest programme, we\u2019re using things like:<\/p>\n Business-critical challenges for Advanced delegates<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u201cMaster Cut\u201d final showcases to senior leaders<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Peer voting, badges, and leadership comms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Learning is the reward \u2014 but it\u2019s framed as reputation-enhancing, not remedial.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need people who can do more than facilitate. They need to carry the culture.\u201d Outsourcing delivery often means outsourcing impact.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the best academies build internal capability<\/b> \u2014 by creating a faculty of coaches, not just facilitators.<\/p>\n We created a Facilitation Faculty: A hand-picked group of marketers trained to coach, challenge, and inspire.<\/p>\n We invest in both their content mastery and their ability to host transformational learning experiences.<\/p>\n What happens after is what really counts.\u201d Most learning programmes fade when the calendar ends. The best ones don\u2019t.<\/p>\n They:<\/p>\n In our latest programme, we\u2019re using Spotify-Wrapped-style data stories to celebrate progress and keep learning alive in the day-to-day.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has to link to something bigger than attendance.\u201d If you can\u2019t measure change, you can\u2019t prove value.<\/p>\n The best academies measure across three levels:<\/p>\n At LockSmith, we design every academy with KPIs in mind \u2014 not just to prove ROI, but to continuously improve the programme over time.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen what happens when capability is done well.<\/p>\n What separates the best academies isn\u2019t just the frameworks, the formats, or even the content. It\u2019s belief \u2014 and here\u2019s what that means:<\/p>\n Marketers believe this programme will stretch them. Crucially, they believe it matters to the business. When that belief is in place, everything changes.<\/p>\n Marketers show up \u2014 not because they have to, but because they want to.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what a best-in-class marketing academy unlocks.<\/p>\n You\u2019re not just transferring knowledge. \ud83d\udce9 knockknock@locksmith.works<\/a> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ use_manual_excerpt=”off” excerpt_length=”100″ show_more=”on” show_author=”off” show_categories=”off” show_pagination=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”20px” header_line_height=”1.1em” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019re building a global marketing academy for a major drinks business. And at the start of the project, one question kept coming up: What does a best-in-class marketing academy actually look like? To find out, we went straight to the experts. Our team interviewed the people behind the most admired academies in the industry \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1080","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,10,11],"tags":[53,21,57],"class_list":["post-27989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership","category-marketing-and-innovation","category-training","tag-brand-building","tag-capability","tag-marketingacademy"],"yoast_head":"\nThe best-in-class marketing academy blueprint<\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
1. Start with culture, not curriculum<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\u2013 Haley Eiser, Global Marketing Capability Lead, Reckitt<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
What kind of marketer are we trying to create?<\/strong><\/p>\n2. <\/span>Market your academy like a brand<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\u2013 Real marketer voxpops
\u2013 A big reveal of the solution
\u2013 A clear emotional hook: This is your moment<\/strong><\/p>\n3. <\/span>Design for difference<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\u2013 Regional Marketing Leader, Global FMCG<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
4. Create a career accelerator<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\u2013 Global Marketing Director, Spirits Brand<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
5. Build a facilitation faculty\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n\u2013 Kathryn Calder, Unilever<\/p>\n6. Focus on what happens next<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n\u2013 Kate Hearn, Unilever<\/p>\n\n
7. Make It measurable<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n\u2013 Capability Director, FMCG<\/p>\n\n
Final word<\/strong><\/h3>\n
That it\u2019s worth their time.
That it will open doors and sharpen their craft.
That it\u2019s led by people who get what great looks like.
And that it\u2019s designed for their real-world challenges, not a generic skill list.<\/p>\n
That it\u2019s tied to how marketing drives growth \u2014 not a side project or box-ticking exercise.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re instilling confidence.
You\u2019re building belief in the value of marketing \u2014 and the people who do it.<\/p>\nLet\u2019s talk Marketing Academies<\/h3>\n
\n\ud83d\udcc5 Or book a call\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to explore what a tailored Marketing Academy could look like for you.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”butler-bold||||||||” header_2_font=”butler-bold||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\nRelated thinking<\/h2>\n