No Marketers

Oh, I get all sorts of "pitch emails" ... people who are confident they have the next big thing (which is usually not the next thing, and is usually not big).

I look for trends. If I see common themes repeated, yeah, I pay more attention.

A common theme you should think about?

• "My name is Bill, and my company AISource (not the real name) is going to revolutionize marketing. Seriously. We're going to eliminate all marketing employees in the future. Our AI-based solution will do all work - no marketers. An executive will set goals, then AI will adapt and change strategy based on market costs, targeted customers, and company goals."

It is easy enough to dismiss this message ... the odds of "AISource" being around in ten years are close to zero. The odds of "AI" greatly reducing marketing employee costs? Kind of high, don't you think?

If you are sixty years old, so what?

If you are thirty-three years old?

Technology comes for all of us. I recall being shown a distribution center a decade ago ... the Operations Executive was thrilled that he reduced expenses via technology - virtually no employees, virtually no mistakes. He was right, there wasn't a person to be seen anywhere. Today you drive on Loop 303 across the West Valley here in Arizona and it is an endless array of distribution centers and not many cars in the parking lot.

With technology, something is gained and something is lost. There's a reasonable chance that repetitive marketing jobs are going to be lost. All of us will be required to demonstrate the unique value we provide.