11 Differences in Managing Marketing Teams Today Vs. the Past
The landscape of marketing team management has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. This article delves into the key differences between managing marketing teams today and in the past, offering valuable insights from industry experts. Discover how adaptability, digital prowess, and a shift in leadership styles are reshaping the marketing landscape.
- Build Adaptable Teams for Digital Marketing
- Embrace Fast-Paced Testing and Learning
- Shift from Control to Enablement
- Adapt Leadership for Gen Z Marketers
- Prioritize Data Integrity in Digital Marketing
- Leverage Immersive Tech for Phygital Marketing
- Foster Trust and Purpose in Teams
- Balance Specialization with Cross-Functional Knowledge
- Focus on Coherence Across Marketing Channels
- Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration and Experimentation
- Combine Data-Driven Decisions with Flexible Distribution
Build Adaptable Teams for Digital Marketing
One of the biggest differences today is that marketing teams aren't built around a single skill set anymore—they're built to adapt.
A content strategist might also need to navigate SEO tools and AI workflows. A social media manager could be juggling short-form video, live events, and community platforms. Even roles like email marketing or marketing analytics now involve personalization tech, automation, and real-time data tracking.
In the past, teams could specialize more narrowly: SEO, paid media, brand, or email. But today, the pace of innovation, especially with AI and emerging tech, means roles are more fluid, tools evolve fast, and adaptability is just as important as expertise. Agility is also key. In this rapidly evolving landscape, it's important for marketers to have the ability to pivot quickly and stay responsive without losing momentum.
Modern marketing leaders aren't just managing projects. They're navigating complexity, encouraging experimentation, and fostering a culture where learning never stops. It's less about mastering one channel and more about connecting the dots between strategy, data, content, and technology.
For CMOs adjusting to this shift, my biggest advice is to build teams that are both curious and cross-functional. Hire people who are agile, not just experienced. Create space for testing, learning, and knowledge-sharing across disciplines.
And don't be afraid to rethink what success looks like. It's no longer just about campaign results but about how quickly your team can learn, adapt, and deliver value in a changing landscape.
Marketing today is fast-moving and deeply interconnected. The CMOs who embrace that mindset will be the ones who lead teams that thrive through change.
Embrace Fast-Paced Testing and Learning
One difference in managing marketing teams today is how fast everything moves. Campaigns used to run for months before results came in. Now, you usually know within 48 hours if something is working. If it's not, you move on. So the pace of testing and learning has picked up. Teams that still run on long timelines get outperformed by leaner ones that test fast, track metrics closely, and adjust constantly.
Marketing today isn't just about creative ideas. It's about building systems that can scale those ideas quickly. That means hiring people who are comfortable with automation tools, analytics platforms, and AI assistants. Because when launching a simple experiment needs a developer or designer, it slows everything down. The most effective marketers now are part strategist, part operator. They understand CAC, CPC, and LTV. They also know how to set up workflows and dashboards without needing help.
So for CMOs adapting to this shift, focus on speed of execution. Build a team culture where testing is easy, learning is fast, and decision-making happens without too much red tape. Ship things before everything is perfectly aligned. Because what matters more is momentum. Create an environment where people feel safe to try things, fail quickly, and share what they learn. The brands that are winning today are the ones moving fast and learning faster.
Shift from Control to Enablement
One key difference I've seen in managing marketing teams today is the shift from a control mindset to enablement. In the past, marketing was more centralized, with tight approval cycles and more rigid roles and structures. Today, that seems to be changing. Teams are faster-moving, more autonomous, and may even be juggling freelance work or side projects alongside their core role.
That's not necessarily a threat. You get new ideas, more initiative, and a more motivated team when you trust people to bring their full range of skills to the table. That said, while the tools and channels have evolved, the fundamentals of marketing haven't. Audience attention is more limited and harder to gain than ever. Buyers still rely on heuristics and gut feelings more than they care to admit. The core truths I've learned over 25-plus years still apply: marketing needs to be focused, clear, consistent, and distinctive.
The volume of content available today for new marketers can give the illusion of expertise without the depth. Not everything can be learned on YouTube or via ChatGPT. In my experience, there are very few shortcuts that deliver meaningful outcomes. Results still depend on structured thinking, sound planning, and disciplined execution. That requires proper training and critical feedback. My advice to CMOs is to invest in marketers who want to learn deeply, not just quickly, and to recognize that experience still counts for something.
Adapt Leadership for Gen Z Marketers
In today's digital age, one of the biggest shifts in marketing leadership isn't about tools or data - it's about people. Specifically: Gen Z!
Unlike Millennials, who still tried to fit into the old corporate world (even if reluctantly), Gen Z has tossed the rulebook. They'll join a Zoom call from bed, respond only in memes, and slide into your DMs on TikTok. It's chaotic and honestly, refreshing!
Personally, I love it. We spend over 8+ hours a day at work; why shouldn't it be fun and a bit unpredictable?
My advice to fellow CMOs? Ride the wave. Set clear goals and expectations, but don't micromanage the how. Let your team choose the path that works for them. When you support their energy instead of fighting it, you'll be surprised by what they can deliver.
Prioritize Data Integrity in Digital Marketing
Marketers need to absorb and analyze a lot more data in today's digital age, as digital channels have provided marketing teams the opportunity to gather significantly more insights. CMOs must therefore put in place structures that enable data integrity and confidence to maximize the value from these insights. This includes carefully selecting an attribution model, ensuring tools and processes are meticulously coordinated and set up to measure consistently, and training staff on data collection and privacy regulations.
Leverage Immersive Tech for Phygital Marketing
Hi,
I'm Anna Belova, founder and CEO of DEVAR. We've been working with augmented reality technologies for 10 years. In 2020, we launched MyWebAR.com - a platform for creating AR content directly in the browser. Today, it is used by more than 250,000 creators and brands from 180 countries. The platform is also used by over 200 universities and colleges around the world.
One key difference I see today is the shift toward immersive technologies, particularly augmented reality. Brands are no longer limited to screens. With AR, physical products like packaging, boxes, or books gain a digital layer that transforms them into interactive customer touchpoints.
This creates a revolutionary shift: for the first time, manufacturers can connect directly with end consumers, bypassing the heavy marketing engines of marketplaces. At the same time, AR provides new, real-time behavioral data. And that's what we call phygital marketing - where the physical and digital merge into one seamless experience.
AI plays a key role here. At MyWebAR, we see marketing teams launching full AR campaigns without designers or developers. AI tools handle 3D generation, localization, voiceover, and more, freeing teams to focus on strategy and storytelling.
My advice to CMOs: don't just grow your teams, transform them. Empower them with AI and immersive tools. It's not about replacing people. It's about letting your team do what only humans can - think bigger.
If this could be useful for your article, I'd be happy to share more or send examples.
Warm regards,
Anna Belova
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aibelova/
Company: OpenWay.AI, DEVAR
Designation: Founder | CEO
Website: https://www.openway.ai/, https://mywebar.com/
Foster Trust and Purpose in Teams
One key difference I've noticed in managing marketing teams today compared to the past is how much more effort it takes to understand what truly motivates and engages team members. Back in 1999, when I managed the global performance foams team at Dow along with its agencies, the structure was more hierarchical and communication was more straightforward. Leadership often meant directing tasks and ensuring execution.
Today, the digital age has brought incredible tools and data, but it's also changed how people work, communicate, and what they value in their roles. It's less about just assigning work and more about creating an environment where team members feel connected to the mission and see the impact of their efforts.
My advice to CMOs adapting to these changes is to prioritize empathy and communication. Build trust by being transparent and supportive. Encourage autonomy but provide clear purpose. And be ready to evolve your leadership style as workforce expectations shift. The teams that thrive will be those where people feel valued not just as employees, but as contributors to something meaningful.
Balance Specialization with Cross-Functional Knowledge
The most significant shift I've observed is that we're now expecting marketers to be Swiss Army knives instead of scalpels. Last quarter, I watched my content lead spend three hours debugging CSS for a landing page - something our 2015 team would have found laughable.
My advice to CMOs: stop pretending AI makes generalists viable. Instead, rotate your specialists through "tour of duty" stints where they shadow different functions for two-week sprints. This approach maintains deep expertise while fostering just enough cross-pollination. I believe the real skill gap isn't technical - it's teaching specialists to speak each other's dialects without expecting them to become fluent.
Focus on Coherence Across Marketing Channels
One key difference I've observed is the shift from control to coherence.
In the past, marketing teams focused heavily on controlling the message. Tight brand standards, fixed campaign calendars, and top-down execution were the norm. However, in today's digital age, the ecosystem is too dynamic, too distributed, and too fast-moving for rigid control to hold. The focus now has to be on coherence. Across all platforms, people, and partners, the strategy needs to make sense, the messaging needs to align, and the organization needs to show up with consistency and clarity.
This shift changes how we lead. It demands that CMOs stop thinking of themselves only as chief marketers and start thinking like chief translators. They need to translate strategy into stories people can act on, business objectives into team priorities, and complexity into clarity for internal teams, external audiences, and cross-functional partners.
My advice? Anchor your team in strategic clarity. The tools will change. The channels will evolve. But if your team understands what you're trying to achieve and why it matters, they'll be equipped to adapt, align, and execute. That is what gives marketing its power today.
Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration and Experimentation
One key difference in managing marketing teams today is the shift from channel-based silos to cross-functional, agile collaboration, especially with the rise of AI, data, and rapidly changing platforms.
In the past, SEO, content, paid, and email often worked independently. Now, success requires teams to work together in real time, sharing insights and aligning around the customer journey, not just individual metrics.
Advice for CMOs: Foster a culture of experimentation and shared learning. Encourage teams to move fast, test often, and focus on outcomes over channels. The best results come when strategy, content, and data work together, not in isolation.
Combine Data-Driven Decisions with Flexible Distribution
One key difference I've noticed in managing marketing teams today is the shift toward data-driven decision-making combined with a need for greater flexibility in content distribution. In the past, marketing was more about broad campaigns that reached as many people as possible. Now, the focus is on personalizing content to specific audiences across various digital platforms, using data to refine and optimize every step.
My advice to CMOs adapting to this change is to invest in tools that allow for real-time analytics and agile marketing processes. Teams need to be comfortable with quick pivots, responding to audience behavior and feedback in ways that were not possible before. Balancing creative storytelling with precision data is now essential for driving meaningful engagement.
The modern CMO must be both a strategist and a technologist, able to navigate constant change while staying true to the brand's core message.
