AI hasn’t changed the fundamentals of marketing, but it has changed the conditions in which marketing gets done. With adoption now widespread and early value emerging for companies that scale, 2026 will be defined not by more tools or pilots but by the leadership choices that reshape how teams work. This final post in the series lays out a practical agenda for the year ahead.

AI will make good marketing faster, and bad marketing louder. It could free teams to think bigger or flood the world with the same safe ideas. The difference won’t come from the tools, but from leadership: how we shape the culture, judgment, and taste around them.

AI is changing how marketing decisions are made — not just who makes them. This post explores how governance and decision rights must evolve for an AI-driven world, where algorithms act faster than old processes can keep up. It’s about blending hard structure with human judgement so marketing teams stay adaptive, accountable, and in control.

Every few years, marketing declares another revolution. This time, it’s AI. The tools are different, but the job is the same: understand demand, create value, build brands people remember. The risk, as before, is that in chasing what’s new, we forget what endures. AI won’t fix marketing or break it, it will amplify whatever it finds.

We’ve always worried that new tools might make our writing less authentic, from the printing press to the word processor. AI is just the next step in that story. The real question isn’t whether the words were written by hand or with a model, but whether the idea and message still move us.

Marketing leaders can’t afford to choose between quick fixes and long-term bets — both are essential. Tactical actions keep performance on track, while strategic vision ensures relevance in a world shaped by AI, shifting customer expectations, and fierce competition. The key is learning how to make them work together. This post explores why relying on short-term wins alone is dangerous, how strategy comes alive through action, and what leaders can do to balance today’s needs

AI is changing marketing — but are our operating models keeping up? This post explores what needs to shift (and what doesn’t) to build an AI-enabled marketing team that’s faster, smarter, and still human at the core.

Marketing leaders face a critical challenge: where to focus for impact. In this post, I share a Spend Better, Market Better framework—eight value levers to help identify opportunities and prioritise actions. From quick efficiency wins to longer-term transformation, it’s about finding the right focus for your brand, at the right time.

AI is reshaping marketing—but where do you start? This post shares five practical stepping stones to help leaders align their teams, build confidence, and move from experimentation to impact. Plus, insights on evolving your operating model and leading change.

As AI reshapes marketing, do you have the right team in place? This post explores what makes a team “AI-ready”—from use case thinking to cross-functional collaboration—and addresses how roles may evolve or disappear. It’s not about replacing great marketers, but enabling them to thrive. Part of a practical series for marketing leaders navigating AI with purpose.

AI in marketing isn’t a future play—it’s a now play. As CMOs face mounting pressure to adapt, this post explores why marketing leaders must act fast, and what practical decisions they should be focused on over the next 12 months.