Future of Marketing Teams: Rethinking Talent in an AI Era

The marketing world is changing quickly. New technology enables marketers to do things that weren’t possible even 5 years ago. The influx of AI has everyone scrambling to determine how to use it to move their business forward. In fact, a recent edX study on AI indicates that:

“Executives believe nearly half of the skills that exist in today’s workforce won’t be relevant in 2025.”

This ties to other research that indicates what we learn today will become obsolete in 5 years. If we dig into these statistics, we are forced to rethink what this means to many aspects of our business:

·        What is the value of a bachelor's degree? What about advanced degrees?

·        What will the future of employee training look like?

·        How will the roles of entry level employees shift in a time that AI can handle entry tasks?

·        Do the roles of client and agency start to shift?

Our education systems, marketing teams, and agencies continue to hold on to structures and roles that were designed in the 1900s.  While new teams have been added (i.e. digital), the fundamental structure remains the same – business leaders, project managers, creative teams, strategy & analytics.

Ideas for the Future

The changes in education and roles at work will evolve. The question becomes how quickly an organization will change to match the pace of these evolutions.  To get started, there are a few ideas below to give a try.  Experiment and see what works for your organization.

Monthly “what if” Ideation Sessions – Each month could explore possibilities.  For example, “If AI could handle 20% of my workload, how would I use the found time?” or “How can our team stay at the leading edge of marketing innovation?” Respond to the prompt with “What if….”

Rethink the L&D Team – If learning needs to be a constant, how could you shift large scale training programs to more bespoke opportunities selected by employees for their own personal development?

“I don’t need to know everything, I just need to know where to find it, when I need it.” – Albert Einstein

Consider New Structures and Working Norms – If you could start with a clean slate, how might you structure the marketing team?  Does the structure today align with that vision?  Why or why not.

Summary

The world of marketing and employee development is shifting regardless of whether you want them to or not.  Those who embrace the change and develop new ways of working will lead the future.

The Evolution of Work Timeline