To explore this further and get a gauge on what the future holds, we spoke to several senior marketing professionals to get their opinions on how they have adjusted to the new environment, as well as the major challenges and opportunities that now lie in front of them.
Our research uncovered three prevailing themes in modern marketing.
We explore these challenges within this research and conclude with three handy resources for marketers.
The ability to do something with not a lot is becoming more important
Marketing teams continue to face intense economic pressure, with budgets often the first to be cut during downturns. Smaller teams are expected to deliver more with fewer resources, even as the costs of execution and measurement continue to rise. This environment places a constant focus on return on investment (ROI), forcing marketers to make difficult decisions about where to allocate limited funds while under significant resource strain.
Lazy use of AI risks saturating the marketplace with worthless, duplicated, inaccurate or unoriginal content
Artificial intelligence has become widely adopted in marketing functions such as copywriting, translation, reporting, and ideation. However, its rapid integration brings new challenges, including concerns about authenticity, originality, and the risk of “lazy AI use” flooding the market with generic content. As adoption accelerates, there is an urgent need for responsible and ethical use of AI tools. At the same time, many professionals feel anxious about job security, struggling to balance the efficiency AI provides with the irreplaceable value of human creativity.
Don’t follow the herd
It has never been harder for brands to cut through the noise of a crowded marketplace. Marketers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate quick ROI, often at the expense of long-term brand building. Content is frequently created with algorithms in mind rather than real human audiences, which risks undermining genuine connection. The central challenge lies in developing campaigns that not only satisfy performance metrics but also truly resonate with people.
It’s increasingly difficult to engage audiences meaningfully
Today’s consumers demand personalisation as a standard, not a bonus. At the same time, evolving privacy regulations – including a cookie-less future and restrictions on tracking – are reshaping how digital strategies are built and executed. Many marketers are also becoming more hesitant about over-reliance on social media platforms and digital channels in general – often citing digital fatigue – pushing them to find new ways to build trust and engagement across other channels.
There needs to be a unified approach to upskill the workforce of tomorrow and move forward in a more sustainable way
Modern marketing requires continuous learning and constant upskilling. Teams face a growing talent gap, as it becomes increasingly difficult to find individuals who possess both deep industry expertise and strong digital fluency. To succeed, marketers must be multi-skilled, adaptable, and creative, embracing a mindset of lifelong learning while navigating an ever-changing professional landscape. Some of the responses included the fact that marketers now need to wear many hats, having the ability to use analytics, digital tools, and AI effectively to inform strategy. Some mentioned the need to pivot quickly in response to tech, customer, and market changes. The most commonly used attributes respondents said are increasingly important for the modern marketer were:
Sustainability is now transitioning from a differentiator to a qualifier
Sustainability has become a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator. Consumers are quick to spot and challenge “greenwashing,” demanding genuine responsibility from brands. As a result, transparency and alignment with consumer values are no longer optional – they are critical for maintaining credibility and trust in the marketplace. If a brand says they are sustainable, eco-friendly, or ‘greener’ they must be able to back this up with figures. In the construction/manufacturing area specifically, while scope, 1 and 2 emissions have been commonplace for many years, reporting on scope 3 emissions is becoming increasingly necessary.
Marketing is also often blamed when things don’t go as planned and results are not as expected…
Despite its critical role, marketing work is often undervalued within organisations, especially by those outside the field. Brand-building initiatives, in particular, are sometimes dismissed as less important compared to immediate sales-driven activities, despite the fact that consistent brand building benefits a business over time. When business targets are missed, in was revealed that marketing teams are among the first to be blamed. This creates an ongoing challenge: proving marketing’s long-term value and securing recognition from stakeholders across the business.
prove value and free up time. With the right tools and team, marketers can turn challenges into exciting possibilities. For instance:
The marketers who adapt with agility, prove their value with clarity, and keep people – not just platforms – at the heart of their strategies put themselves in the best possible position to succeed in this new landscape.
Off the back of this research, Refresh has pulled together some resources to help marketers tackle some of the key issues and challenges that they told us about.
You can read them here:
Want to grow your business, change direction, shout louder, boost your sales leads, or keep your brand out of the news? Our door is always open. If you think we can help, get in touch.