Preparing for the Next Era of Marketing Talent

Recent data points on talent in the marketing industry – whether on shifting task composition, changes in hiring patterns, or evolving role expectations – consistently point in the same direction: the nature of marketing talent is changing at pace. 

Many organisations are navigating this transition in real time. Questions are emerging around how roles evolve, how teams are structured, and how skills are developed – alongside broader challenges such as talent shortages, capability gaps, and increasing pressure on existing teams. The result is a landscape where both the expectations of talent and the demands placed on it are shifting simultaneously. 

While there is no shortage of insight, much of it remains partial with focus on specific markets, functions, or moments in time, making it difficult to form a complete picture. 

 For many marketing leaders, the challenge is not recognising that change is happening, but understanding its full implications: how fast it’s unfolding, where it’s most acute, and what it means for capability investment, workforce planning, and the future shape of marketing organisations. 

“With AI and automation reshaping how marketing works, it is important for the industry to better understand how human expertise fits in and how it needs to evolve. This study aims to give marketing leaders timely, global insight so they can better plan and invest for the future,” says Julia Kraft, Associate Director, Global Marketing Services at the WFA. 

What is needed is a more connected view that brings together these signals into a coherent, global perspective on how marketing talent is evolving. 

A Global, Industry-Wide Study on Marketing Talent

To address this gap, mediasense, in collaboration with WFA, is undertaking a study to provide a global, industry-wide view of the quality, availability, and future readiness of marketing talent at a time of rapid change driven by AI and automation.

Drawing on perspectives from marketers, agencies, and platforms, it examines where capability gaps exist today, how skill requirements are shifting, and where human expertise continues to create differentiation alongside increasingly automated systems. 

Areas we will explore include: 

• How strong the marketing talent pool really is today, and how easy (or hard) it is for companies to find the skills they actually need. 

• How much AI is changing what marketers need to know and do, and whether today’s teams are keeping up with that shift. 

• Where marketing teams are falling short right now, and which skills are becoming critical faster than organisations can build them. 

• Whether companies are rewarding and motivating the right skills, and if their talent models will hold up as the industry evolves. 

The findings offer leaders a practical benchmark to assess talent health and make more informed decisions about capability investment, workforce planning and incentives. 

Ryan Kangisser, Chief Strategy Officer at mediasense, says: “Our industry can be reductive at times, and especially regarding talent, it is often an ‘agency’ problem or a ‘technology’ problem, but what is unique about this study is how it will shine a light on the entire industry and the challenges facing every organisation. It will also expand the conversation beyond AI or technology (as the obvious disruptor) to other factors that may be forcing organisations to rethink the capabilities they need to be successful.” 

How You Can Participate

If you’re a marketer working on a brand, in an agency, or for a marketing platform, you can help shape the future of marketing by participating in the survey here.