Marketers must embrace AI, expand skill sets and harness emotional intelligence to stay relevant and drive business success.

Today’s marketers are facing increasing pressure to prove value and ROI to business leaders. Recently, CMOs at leading brands like Walgreens, UPS and Etsy have made their exit as organizations consolidate or merge CMO responsibilities to other C-suite roles, bringing into question how the role and career paths of marketing teams have changed.

At the same time, the marketing landscape has evolved significantly, demanding more personalized, data-driven, and agile approaches to meet customer needs. We’ve reached a new point of transformation in marketing, where AI is becoming increasingly integral to marketing strategies, offering new opportunities for growth and efficiency. To stay relevant and to continue to prove that marketing can be a growth driver to the business, today’s marketing leaders must have a specialized skill set – including a combination of emotional intelligence (EQ), AI literacy, and the ability to use data analytics tools to predict trends and measure campaign effectiveness.

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The tide is turning: Changing perceptions of marketers

In the last few years, there has been a noticeable shift in how C-suite and business leaders view the marketing function. Traditionally, marketing has been seen as a support function, often tucked under the sales org and primarily focused on promoting products or services through advertising and creative campaigns. We’ve reached a turning point where many C-suite leaders are eager to operate more efficiently than they have in the past. Further, they are recognizing the value and impact that data-driven decision-making in marketing can have. The marketing function must evolve to continue to be seen as a strategic driver of business growth.

C-suite executives have high expectations for marketers to use advanced data analytics and the latest measurement tools to capture the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, understand customer behavior, and optimize marketing strategies for better ROI. Business leaders want to see measurable results and a clear link between marketing activities and business outcomes such as revenue growth, customer acquisition, and retention. Today’s marketers need to ensure they have the right technical skills in order to make data-driven decisions and create impactful marketing campaigns that support the business.

AI’s role in helping marketing drive business impact

A customer-centric approach to marketing has never been more important, especially as many business leaders have placed an increased focus on marketing and understanding its ROI. This includes understanding customer needs, preferences, and pain points, and creating personalized experiences that resonate with target audiences.

To adapt to the changing business landscape, today’s marketing teams need to have a good grasp of the best way to work with AI and data tools in order to maximize campaign strategies tailored to the customer. AI can play a key role in helping marketers work in a more efficient and impactful way. Marketers must be able to understand and interpret large datasets generated by AI to drive actionable insights, understand what is influencing customer behavior, and strengthen or adjust campaigns based on what the data is telling them. AI also has the potential to help alleviate workloads, if marketers have a good understanding of how to properly use AI tools to support concept and content ideation. This skillset enhances the ability to produce personalized and engaging content at scale, saving time and resources while maintaining quality.

Soft skills, emotional intelligence and creativity aren’t going anywhere

Even though AI can be an incredibly useful tool for marketers, human creativity and EQ remain irreplaceable skill sets in marketing. Often, what sets marketing campaigns and brands apart boils down to storytelling – a key element that showcases the unique and emotional side of human marketers that AI is not capable of replicating.

On top of this, human-driven strategies often provide a competitive edge over AI, as many marketers have access to similar AI tools. If every marketing team is using some form of AI, the human difference and EQ that marketers bring to the table is what can help differentiate their brand and strategy from the competition. AI often misses the context of human behavior and cultural trends; marketers with strong EQ can adapt strategies according to trends. This skill is also crucial for crafting compelling messaging, building relationships, and driving customer loyalty. To stay nimble and adapt to changing needs of business leaders and customers, marketers need a strong combination of soft skills like EQ, paired with technical skills like AI literacy.

Overall, C-suite and business leaders are recognizing that marketing is not just about promotions and advertising, and that marketing leaders can play a strategic role in driving business growth, building brand equity, and fostering meaningful customer relationships. As advancements in tech and the explosion of AI and data over the last few years digitize the marketing function, it’s clear the role of marketers has become much more complex and needs to evolve. In order to adapt, modern marketers must develop a combination of technical skills and EQ to maintain their seat among business decision makers.

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Episode 195 Of The SalesStar Podcast: Data Best Practices for Modern Marketing and Sales with Ana Mourao, CRM Sr. Manager at Stanley Black and Decker Inc.