Before I dive into my post about the realities of a marketer’s life and career, I’d like to start by sharing a bit about my own (short but sweet) career journey. I hope this makes the post a little more enjoyable for you.
I started my career as a content editor. I was drawn to the idea of using our company’s expertise to solve customers’ problems through “text.” I joined Elephant Company as a growth content marketer because I was convinced that this is an organization where we solve problems using the power of text to build trust and persuade, and where we can verify the results with data.
As a professional who works with text in a corporate setting, I recall that 2022 was when I first truly felt the “threat” posed by AI. I had recently switched to the role of UX writer, and I heard about industry cases where AI was generating UI copy tailored to our brand’s tone and style. That’s when I thought, “Huh? Then why do we even need human UX writers?”
The reality for marketers doesn’t seem to be much different. As advancements in AI lower the barrier to entry in marketing, demand for marketing professionals is declining. Last October, at Ahrefs Evolve 2025 inSan Diego, held under the theme “Discover the Future of Marketing,” numerous marketing professionals discussed how marketers can survive in the age of AI. For marketers like me who are asking themselves , “What can human marketers do better than those smart, fast-acting AI systems?” I’ve compiled the latest insights from global marketers.
📢 Find answers to these questions here:
1. The harsh reality for marketers in the AI era? Why global marketers are on edge
2. How should marketers build their careers to survive in the AI era?
3. What growth strategies do global marketing speakers recommend for the AI era?
Why the Reality for Marketers Is Rapidly Cooling in the Age of AI
What are the challenges facing marketing in the AI era that leading global marketers are currently observing? The issues most frequently mentioned at Ahrefs Evolve 2025 can be summarized into two main categories.
First, the lower barrier to entry in marketing due to advancements in AI
Is there really any company out there that doesn’t use AI when creating content these days? In fact, AI-generated content is growing rapidly—so much so thatresearch shows 57% ofcurrent internet content is created by AI. AI has made content creation easier, which is why everyone is now building smaller, more efficient Go-To-Market (GTM) teams.
It’s not just content creation that has become more accessible. AI is automating and optimizing a significant portion of performance marketing. Repetitive tasks such as ad optimization and bidding, targeting and personalization, and data analysis and insight generation are increasingly likely to be replaced by AI.
This means that companies are no longer interested in hiring marketers whose job skills can be easily replaced by AI. As with other professions, it appears that junior marketers will increasingly find it difficult to build their careers.
Second, marketing performance that is gradually declining
Globally, marketing performance is showing a downward trend. Even if you run the exact same campaign, the results you achieve today will likely differ numerically from those achieved five years ago. The effectiveness of traditional push marketing strategies is also declining rapidly. Futurist and business consultant Mark W. Schaefer cites a study conducted in the UK, stating that 67% of all advertising is not only ineffective for customers but actually elicits aversion.
Why are marketing results declining? One of the main reasons cited is the reality of an increasingly competitive market and marketing strategies that lack differentiation. Just looking at the software market, the number of companies has surged from 50,000 to 150,000 over the past five years, reaching a state of saturation. Yet, most companies are engaging with customers using generic content—featuring identical website structures, similar case studies, and content churned out by generative AI like items on an assembly line. As a result, many customers are finding this approach boring.
Another issue is that customers do not trust what companies say. According to a 2022 consumer trust survey by Nielsen,89% of respondents said they trust recommendations from people they know—that is, word of mouth—the most. This is why social media platforms like LinkedIn, as well as communities such as Reddit and Kakao Open Chat rooms, are gaining attention as new marketing channels. In an era where people trust word of mouth more than what marketers say, marketing is bound to become even more challenging.
How should marketers build their careers to thrive in the age of AI?
So, how can you grow your career to overcome past challenges and become a marketer who thrives in the AI era? Since Ahrefs Evolve 2025 was a conference that brought together marketers from around the world, I had the opportunity to hear a variety of perspectives—and, interestingly, the overall sentiment was consistent. I’ve summarized the three key takeaways below.
1. AI is just a “partner”! Stand out with your own taste and judgment
Ahrefs reportedly uses an AI-powered workflow when creating content. Blog posts generated through this AI-powered workflow have reportedly performed better than those written by humans. They attracted 21,000 visitors from search, social media, and AI traffic.
However, this is a workflow in which humans “utilize” AI; realistically, there is no way to create perfect content using AI alone. As many of you reading this have likely already discovered, most AI-generated content is of poor quality. Without the brain and hands of a human marketer, generative AI is nothing more than a tool that anyone can use.
So how can we develop the brains and hands of human marketers? Emily Kramer, who runs the newsletter MKT1, explains that we need to start by changing our perspective. Specifically, she suggests thinking of content as if it were a software product. With software products, it’s essential to understand customer needs before designing the product. After all, products that customers don’t need won’t sell. The same applies to content. Just as “Feature A of the product solves Customer’s Problem B,” content must solve the customer’s problems.
For example, when developing a content strategy, Elephant Company explores various data points to connect “the problems customers are facing” with “the product’s USP.” They conduct a broad analysis of Customer Voice (VoC), lead data, and Content Engagement Metrics (CEP) based on existing blog keyword data to formulate their strategy. As such, even if AIeventually produces some of the content, the “sharp insight” required to define the problem and formulate hypotheses remains entirely the marketer’s responsibility. Strategic thinking that sees the big picture and delves into the details, the judgment to distinguish between what is good and what is bad, and finally, a unique personal taste that can differentiate our content—these will be the clear distinguishing factors that set human marketers apart from AI.
👀 If you want to make the most of generative AI as your work partner, read on. Everyone else seems to get results when they use AI to create content, so why does mine fail? Find out more in our article, “Why Your AI Content Is Failing.”
5 Ways to Cultivate Your Marketing Sense in Everyday Life
While technical skills are important for marketers, having a clear sense of taste and the ability to express emotions are key. Fortunately, taste isn’t something you’re born with—it’s a skill that can be developed. Ryan Law, Marketing Director at Ahrefs, suggests the following five methods.
- Collect and save everything that inspires you
- Analyze and critique what makes successful content special
- Learn from your failed content
- Think about how you can improve your existing work.
- Keep learning by imitating
2. Striking a balance between depth and breadth in both corporate marketing activities and marketers’ careers through a “T-shaped” approach
In the AI era, where the effectiveness of marketing is gradually declining and channels are diversifying, companies must employ a variety of strategies to build brand awareness. Rather than relying solely on a single marketing strategy, they should implement a range of approaches tailored to specific situations across various channels, including websites, conferences, email, social media, and YouTube.
Madhav Bhandari, CEO of Storylane, a product demo creation software company, describes this strategy as a "T-shaped portfolio" approach. The idea is that the majority of the budget should be invested in broad-reaching activities to capture customer interest, while a portion should be allocated to in-depth initiatives designed to build trust with customers.
The same goes for marketers. As rapid advancements in AI lower the barrier to entry in marketing, the lines between different marketing roles are expected to blur. In this evolving job market, it’s difficult to advance your career with expertise in just one area.
In the age of AI, marketers must become strategists who possess a macro-level perspective that encompasses the entire business. In addition to having a broad understanding of all marketing domains —including content, performance, growth, and SEO—they must delve deeply into one specific area to develop expertise that serves as their unique “edge.” To achieve this, it seems necessary to build diverse experience by crossing the boundaries of job roles while establishing a career focus, striking a balance between depth and breadth in a T-shaped career path.
3. Personal Branding: Creating Your Own Unique Edge That Can’t Be Replaced by AI
The final way to advance your career as a marketer is through personal branding. Personal branding—surely you’ve heard this topic discussed ad nauseam.
Whereas in the past, personal branding was emphasized to stand out among the countless marketers in the job market, we have now reached a point where we must showcase ourselves to prove that we are better talent than the “brain” inside an AI server. To stand out like a needle in a haystack amidst the cookie-cutter outputs of faceless AI, the uniqueness that only I possess becomes my weapon. Even if I’m not quite there yet, I must put myself out there in the job market and in the world. To become the one and only talent that cannot be replaced by AI.
Of course, the term “personal branding” alone can feel overwhelming. It makes me feel like I lack the necessary skills as a professional. Where should I even start? The easiest way to build your personal brand is to actively showcase your face and experiences in the content you publish.
Social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn are great, as are video content channels like YouTube, and even our company’s blog. If corporate blog content specifically highlights information that demonstrates the author’s expertise, it can also improve AI search citation performance. This is because it helps boost the credibility of the content.
In addition, Ryan Ro shared some personal branding tips you can put into practice right away. I recommend trying out these four methods little by little. (I’m going to give it a shot myself!)
4 Simple Ways for Marketers to Build Their Personal Brand
- Share your content creation process and experiences
- Feel free to actively express your personal views and opinions.
- Develop your own unique, recognizable style
- Post content regularly to maintain consistency
Surviving as a Marketer in the AI Era: It’s Time to Build Your Own Unique Brand
We’ve summarized the insights shared by global marketers at Ahrefs Evolve 2025. The key takeaway is clear: AI is merely a tool, and the true value of a marketer still lies in the human touch.
While AI can generate content and optimize ads, defining customers’ real problems, uncovering insights from data, and devising differentiated strategies remain the domain of human marketers. If you add your own personaltaste and judgment, T-shaped skills, and the unique personayou’ve built through personal branding, you can grow into an irreplaceable marketer even in the age of AI.
Change is already underway in the real world. The key now is how we prepare for it. Why not start small, even today? Collect inspiring content, write down even a single line that reflects your perspective, and explore new areas of marketing. These small steps will come together to form your own unique arsenal for navigating the AI era.
🚀 Do you want to experience explosive growth as a B2B marketer in the age of AI?
Elephant Company, a B2B marketing group that leverages the power of content to help create valuable services, is looking for a capable team member. If you’re a marketer eager to experience intensive learning, rapid execution, and data-driven results, check out the job listing below!
👀 Check out the latest global marketing insights compiled by Elephant Company at the link below.
