For people wanting to enter the marketing industry today it can feel like an uphill battle. Many are met with various problems, from a lack of entry-level roles and fewer opportunities, to issues with recruitment processes. 

But one issue that’s perhaps been under-recognised for marketers at the start of their careers – or moving into the industry – is the confidence gap. 

This is the thinking behind The Dodds Legacy, a new initiative designed to support early-career marketers with training and mentorship “at the point where confidence and access often arrive too late” 

Is the marketing industry letting young talent down? 

The initiative is in memory of Mike and Clare Dodds, who passed away in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Mike Dodds was CEO of agencies OgilvyOne, Proximity and RAPP, while his wife Clare Dodds spent her career as a teacher before later working to support survivors of domestic abuse. 

The Dodds Legacy is supported by The Marketing Skills Trust, Ogilvy UK and Rapp UK. The scheme’s first full-day training event took place in London on 28 January, with plans in progress for more events across the UK.  

Does marketing have a confidence gap?

“It’s increasingly hard for young people to break into the industry,” explains Polly Jones, group head of digital at Odeon Cinemas and one of the key figures behind the initiative.  

The number of students studying marketing degrees has risen from 34,865 in the 2019/20 academic year to 41,905 in 2024/25, according to the Higher Educational Statistics Agency.

She notes the gap between graduates and early-career marketers from more privileged backgrounds, and those from underrepresented ones, which she believes has widened post-Covid.  

“The big gap is confidence and the way people present themselves. A lot of people, especially through Covid when communication went all online, they just haven’t had that opportunity to be face-to-face and learn how to present themselves, and communicate well,” Jones explains.  

Diageo on the ‘magic’ of supporting underrepresented talent

Entering the industry today is hard enough, but for some people they’re “already one step behind” those who’ve already experienced training in communicating and confidence, she adds.  

Chairman of The Marketing Skills Trust, Martin Troughton, is calling on more people to “give back” to the industry.  

“I’ve been really surprised when we’ve approached anyone for anything. Lots of people want to give back, but there isn’t the opportunity,” he suggests. “They don’t see the channels.”  

Marketers at the start of their careers “need to be listened to, to be heard, to be supported and to be believed in”, he adds.  

Fixing a horrible cycle

It’s tough going for marketers entering the industry today. Our 2025 Career & Salary Survey highlighted the scale of the issue within recruitment. We will be sharing our 2026 results in the coming weeks.  

At the junior level, ghosting was the most common problem (42.6%) for marketers, followed by lengthy tasks (41.6%), three-plus interview stages (40.6%), and psychometric and personality tests (32.7%).   

Long processes exceeding three months were also an issue for 23.8% of junior marketers, while 26.7% were offered a salary lower than advertised.   

For Maddie Harrison-Bell, a recent graduate looking to enter the marketing industry who attended The Dodds Legacy event, these recruitment problems resonate.

“Very rarely have I received feedback [following an interview],” she says.  

A few weeks ago, she received “the only long-form piece of feedback” since graduating last year.

“It just gave me a sense of clarity,” she says, helping her understand what she could build on. 

42% of marketers ghosted after interview

Harrison-Bell notes the issue with not hearing back from applications at all.

“Recruiters know what they’re looking for and if you’re not what they’re looking for then they should tell you, because you’re going down the path blindly and you don’t know if the job is the right fit for you,” she states.  

January’s event aimed to help graduates and early-career marketers build their confidence. For Daisy Offer, who began her career in hospitality before pivoting to marketing in 2021, the day helped her recognise why she should have more confidence in herself. The event included three hours of communication training from former BBC journalists Louisa Baldini and Lousia Preston of media training businesses Composure Media, and an hour session with Ogilvy UK vice chairman Rory Sutherland.  

“I realised I know more than I thought,” she explains.

People don’t have to bother getting back to you. You can click apply and they can click deny – it’s a horrible cycle.

Daisy Offer

Before applying to the initiative, Offer hit a low point with applying for jobs and badly run processes. One recent job interview, for example, failed to add her to the call while she was waiting to join. 

Regarding her approach to applications, Offer only applies when the role fully aligns, rather than applying for anything.  

“People don’t have to bother getting back to you. You can click apply and they can click deny – it’s a horrible cycle,” she says.  

Both Harrison-Bell and Offer are working on a freelance and project basis with clients, suggesting different entry points are possible for marketers at the start of their careers beyond working full-time at brands or agencies.  

For the team behind The Dodds Legacy, the hope is to help emerging talent feel better placed to enter the industry.  

“This is about learning how to look people in the eyes, shake their hands, present themselves. Have your personal pitch,” says Jones.