The launch of the two qualifications is recognition that B2B marketing is a distinct discipline and one that applies different techniques, tactics and strategies to those used in B2C marketing.
According to the IDM, over 75% of all IDM members are engaged in B2B in some form, but until now, no professional qualifications have been available.
The new IDM qualifications will offer B2B marketers the opportunity to gain a professional qualification that recognises their knowledge, skills and capability. It will also, for the first time, provide employers and clients with a benchmark by which they can verify the credentials of marketing professionals they seek to recruit.
The IDM Certificate in B2B Marketing covers everything from planning and budgeting, data to creative, and media to measurement. The inaugural intake takes place in March 2007 with exams in September 2007.
The second qualification on offer is the IDM Diploma in B2B Marketing. This is open to graduates of the B2B Certificate, or practitioners who have at least 10 years' relevant business-to-business marketing experience.
The diploma is based around a 15,000 word supervised dissertation and requires no further study or exam.
Applications for spring 2007 intake and to find out more about qualifications, visit the IDM website at .
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