AI Hasn’t Killed Marketing, But It’s Changing the Job

As AI tools are continuously developed and refined upon, the current marketing landscape is changing at unprecedented speed. As a follow up to our June event, When Will AI Replace the Marketing Function?, we brought together three marketing leaders during this month’s Technology Marketing Alliance virtual event, AI Hasn’t Killed Marketing, but It’s Changing the Job. Through this executive-level panel, we delved into what AI has already changed, what it will change over the next 12 months, and what this currently means for CMOs of B2B tech companies. 

Elizabeth Shea, TMA Chair and CEO / founder of TreeFork Strategies, offered a brief introduction and discussed tentative plans for an upcoming in-person gathering to celebrate TMA’s 20th anniversary. She then handed over the conversation to moderator Sue Keith – Senior Vice President of DCALive – and the following esteemed panelists:

• Cindy Zhou, Chief Marketing Officer

• Mike Morper, SVP of Product Marketing at Virtru

• Megan Lueders, Chief Marketing Officer

Sue initiated the conversation by emphasizing the importance of moving beyond AI hype and into practical application. There’s plenty of chatter around what AI can do, but things get “fuzzier” when leaders are asked what specific tools they’re using. She mentioned how much has already changed in the last eight months and offered a candid warning: “The train is coming for marketing leaders and they either need to get ahead of it or they’re getting run over.” 

To launch the discussion, Sue asked panelists to fill in the blank: AI is making marketing more ___. Cindy chose “ideate more clearly,” while Megan chose “ambitious” and Mike chose “efficient.” These words captured the throughline of the conversation: AI is sharpening thinking, raising expectations, and accelerating output.

What Boards and CEOs Are Asking

One of the first questions Sue posed: What are your management teams, CEOs, and boards asking you about AI? For Cindy, the conversation is structured and measurable. Vista’s plethora of portfolio companies including KnowBe4 are ranked and assessed on how they incorporate AI into workflows, both internally and client-facing. The focus is on efficiency, productivity, and cost savings. Megan noted that while AI impacts every industry, marketing is uniquely positioned and expected to lead the charge.

Mike described a dramatic shift from experimentation to obligation. What began as curiosity is now a baseline expectation for companies. He asserted that all cross functional leaders have a responsibility to their company, board, and shareholders to dive into AI capabilities and find efficiencies. In his view, “no other group is better suited for taking advantage of agentic processes than marketing organizations.” The takeaway: AI is no longer an optional innovation, it’s operational expectation.

From Playing with Tools to Building Systems

Mike shared Virtru’s journey through the experimentation phase. Over time, they developed more efficient and consistent ways to feed the proper “context” into their systems to create a strong brief or campaign copy, resulting in stronger, more reliable outputs. Today, his team leverages agentic workflows that create a “common context” to ensure consistent voice and deliverables.

Megan highlighted AI’s impact on real-time analysis. Instead of waiting weeks for data deep dives, teams can pull up Claude in real time and generate answers immediately, expediting decisions and providing tangible evidence to the C-suite that AI is driving measurable workflow improvements.

When Sue polled the audience on AI fluency, responses were evenly distributed between 25%, 50%, and 75% of teams being AI-proficient. This served as evidence that adoption across the marketing landscape is underway, but maturity levels vary significantly. 

The Changing Marketing Org Chart

Sue then asked the panelists what traditional roles or merging with others and what new roles have emerged. Megan pointed to the emergence of a new role: the “owner” of a central AI innovation hub who identifies repetitive challenges and determines how AI can solve them. She emphasizes that process-oriented, rinse-and-repeat roles are being eliminated. Marketing ops leaders are seeing their charters evolve to become significantly more AI-focused. Rather than hiring more content writers, teams need professionals who verify and guide AI-generated content. Investment is shifting toward leadership and oversight.

At Virtru, Mike described a cross-functional operations team building agentic workflows using N8N, creating shared knowledge frameworks and applying them to specific business processes. The company is also investing in AI governance specialists. Cindy discussed reorganizing her team into AI teammate pods. The traditional field marketing title has largely disappeared as digital and AI-driven campaigns dominate.

Budget & Output Expectations

When asked about budget impact, the consensus was clear: AI isn’t necessarily expanding budgets across the board but it’s certainly amplifying performance pressure. Mike mentioned greater opportunity to leverage existing resources and teams, reducing the need for incremental hiring. Cindy noted that while budgets may remain the same, growth targets are increasing. Megan agreed that more output is expected for every dollar and that boards and executive teams are effectively doubling expectations.

Real-World Use Cases Delivering Results

The panel closed with concrete examples of AI in action. Cindy highlighted Tofu, an AI-powered integrated marketing platform that processes research reports and brand guidelines to generate emails, ad copy, blog posts, and social content to create a cohesive brand presence.

Mike shared Virtru’s Reddit agentic workflow. The system scrubs Reddit for relevant subject matter, scores discussions using a rubric, and if thresholds are met, drafts a proposed response reflecting the company’s opinionated perspective. SMEs act as humans in the loop, refining or posting responses directly. The strategy supports long-term GEO/AEO efforts—building authority around critical topics. The payoff? They are now seeing leads originate from Reddit.

Megan described using AI to code a value calculator that produces ROI statements encouraging customers to upgrade from outdated product versions. The tool not only prevents technical issues but adds value for customers. Her team also surveys ChatGPT to determine which talking points should be included in white papers and reports to maximize pickup and visibility. The result: shorter production cycles and more impactful outcomes.

Culture, Experimentation, and Confidence

Beyond tools and workflows, Megan emphasized the cultural component. Leaders must experiment on their own with tools and provide training to their teams. She stated that in order to beat imposter syndrome, it’s best to jump right in so that the “intimidation factor” fades with practice. She also encouraged peer engagement, even suggesting dedicated channels for sharing AI use cases to foster cross-department collaboration.

Along with N8N and Tofu, the panelists and attendees also referenced tools such as Claude Code, Udemy, Gamma, and Jasper.

Final Takeaway: Marketing Is Leading the AI Mandate

Marketing leaders are now system architects, workflow designers, AI governors, and efficiency drivers. They are expected to simultaneously increase output, protect brand integrity, and operationalize AI responsibly. The message from this executive panel was unmistakable: AI fluency is no longer a novel competitive advantage. It’s a leadership requirement.

Check out the full recording at https://youtu.be/qTSFk1BbRZ4. And, if you know an executive-level marketer who may be interested in our next event, encourage them to apply for no-cost membership here.