What Is A CIM Membership? The Importance Of CIM In The Marketing Industry
Written by Lydia McKeown
A CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) membership connects marketing professionals to the world’s largest community of marketers. It provides access to industry-recognised training courses, CPD (Continuous Professional Development), networking opportunities, and a pathway to achieving “Chartered Marketer” status. In an unregulated industry, holding a CIM membership demonstrates a marketer’s commitment to ethical standards, continuous learning, and professional excellence.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) plays a crucial role in the marketing industry, especially in an era characterised by rapid technological advancements and a proliferation of marketing channels. As the industry becomes more complex with the advent of new platforms, algorithms, and artificial intelligence, the need for professionalism and ethical standards becomes increasingly important.
Learn from our team of marketers why the CIM is important to us, plus this article will cover:
What is CIM?
CIM stands for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
It is the world’s largest community of marketers, dedicated to helping businesspeople recognise the crucial importance and value that marketing can bring to their organisation, the economy, and wider society. Approximately 18,000 marketers in the UK are CIM marketers. Only 3,000 of these are Chartered Marketers. That is, respectively, less than 2% and 0.3% of the total number of marketers in the UK.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is committed to supporting, developing, and representing marketers globally, regardless of their level of experience. Their offerings contribute significantly to the long-term success of businesses.
What the CIM offers:
- Training courses
- Qualifications
- ‘Chartered Marketer Status’
- CPD
- CIM Membership
- Strategic partnerships
Different levels of CIM
There are four different levels of membership that you can gain throughout your marketing career. These are based on your level of experience and qualifications. These levels are:
- Affiliate Professional
- Associate (ACIM)
- Member (MCIM)
- Fellow (FCIM)
Becoming a Chartered Marketer is an additional step and demonstrates an individual’s continued commitment to CPD and development.
To progress your membership you should be doing regular CPD, this will help you to stay on top of industry trends, changes and key insights that will be important to helping businesses with their marketing.
The marketing industry isn’t regulated*
We mentioned it earlier, but marketing is not a regulated industry in the UK, per se. There are regulations that affect advertising to consumers and businesses. For example, ‘Unfair Trading Regulations’ are designed to protect consumers in the UK from unfair, misleading or aggressive business practices. They stop organisations from harassing consumers or sharing deliberately inaccurate or dishonest information.
Unlike many industries there are no required qualifications to implement or advise businesses on social media, websites, or any other marketing strategy.
Over half of marketers in the UK have no marketing qualification
A 2019 study conducted by Marketing Week found that over half of marketers, 53.8%, had yet to study a marketing-related academic or professional qualification of any kind. A 2026 study by Ipsos painted an even more worrying picture, reporting that just 35% of marketers meet the basic benchmark of foundational marketing knowledge.
Without clear progression pathways and regulated education – both of which are well-established in most other fields like accounting or HR – the marketing world features much greater variation in skill, experience and professional standards.
By offering qualifications, courses and resources for individuals to continuously update their knowledge and skills, the CIM sets a standard for everyone to work from. The resources level up marketers’ ability to make a genuine difference to the businesses they work with. Being a CIM member and progressing through the membership levels shows a marketers’ dedication to life-long learning and providing truly informed support services to clients or employers.
Choose your marketing team wisely.
Our team are dedicated to being the best marketers; with certifications, qualifications, CPD and years of real-world experience.
CIM and We Do Marketing
Marketing is continuously evolving. Social media is changing daily, technology is developing and people’s behaviours are evolving, so it’s crucial to stay up to date with the latest information and trends. To achieve all of this, and to showcase the quality standards we hold ourselves to, it is essential for us at We Do Marketing to be a part of the CIM. It keeps us accountable, maintains our training and gives our clients confidence in our ability to deliver on our promises. It also enables us to take a design and implement marketing strategies that align with our clients’ business objectives and help them drive tangible growth that they can actually measure over time.
Being a member of the CIM holds value for us both individually and as a team. Here’s why we believe our CIM memberships are crucial and why we encourage all marketers to be a part of it.
Lydia
“I am passionate about GOOD marketing; ensuring the fundamentals are right before we get started on any ‘tactical’ marketing activities. The CIM provides marketers a platform to learn and grow; I have been on my CIM journey for many years now, I’ve gained L6 and L7 qualifications, been awarded Chartered Status and hold an MCIM membership, It is important to me and for the WDM team to be part of CIM.”
Only 1% marketers are Chartered. There are only 3,000 registered Chartered Marketers in the UK.
Sophie
“Even after a decade in the industry, there are always new ideas to discover, digital solutions to explore and approaches to consider. CIM membership keeps my knowledge fresh, helping me develop tailored marketing strategies that deliver real results for clients. Having completed my CIM Level 6 qualification, I continue to use the CPD resources available to stay on top of emerging trends and bring the latest thinking to my everyday work.”
Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Mission
CIM’s mission to uphold high standards of professional skill, ability, and integrity is particularly valuable for several reasons:
- Professional Development: CIM offers a range of certifications and training programs that help marketers stay updated with the latest trends, tools, and best practices. This continuous learning is essential in an industry that is constantly evolving.
- Ethical Standards: With the marketing landscape often perceived as a “wild west” due to its lack of regulation, CIM’s emphasis on ethical behavior provides a framework for marketers to operate with integrity. This is crucial for building and maintaining trust with consumers, who are increasingly concerned about issues like data privacy and transparent advertising.
- Credibility and Trust: For businesses and individuals, being associated with CIM or holding its qualifications can enhance credibility. It signals a commitment to professionalism and a recognized standard of expertise, which can be a significant differentiator in a crowded marketplace.
- Networking and Community: CIM provides a platform for marketers to connect, share knowledge, and collaborate. This community aspect helps professionals stay connected and informed about the latest industry developments.
- Advocacy and Representation: As a representative body, CIM advocates for the marketing profession, influencing policy and setting standards that benefit both practitioners and consumers. This advocacy helps ensure that marketing practices evolve in a way that benefits society as a whole.
Global Professional Marketing Framework
As the chartered body for marketing, CIM has developed a skills and behaviours-based framework that sets the industry standard. This has been created by working with business leaders, recruitment agencies, and marketing professionals globally to identify the critical skills, behaviours, and attributes of an outstanding marketer.
These skills and behaviours are considered extremely important to us here at We Do Marketing and is something we review regularly to ensure we are staying on track and see if there are any areas which we could improve on for our clients.
