In this episode of Clarity Digital Pod, I sat down with veteran marketing executive Amy Barzdukas to unpack what’s really happening in marketing today. With experience ranging from Microsoft and HP to lesser-known startups, Amy has seen it all. We dug into how AI is shifting expectations, why CMOs have become undervalued, and what marketing leadership needs to look like in the years ahead.
This conversation wasn’t abstract. We got real about where the industry is headed, what’s breaking, and how marketers can keep up without losing their edge.
AI and the Changing Definition of “Efficiency” in Marketing
We started by talking about the elephant in every marketing room right now: artificial intelligence.
Amy shared a conversation she had with a CEO who claimed that marketing functions previously managed by 50 people could now be done with just five using AI. While Amy wasn’t fully on board with that number, she acknowledged that AI tools are improving rapidly. She ran some experiments earlier that day and said the results were noticeably stronger than they were just four months ago.
The issue isn’t that AI exists. The issue is how it’s being used to justify aggressive cost-cutting and smaller teams. Marketing leaders are under pressure to do more with less, all while the bar for performance keeps rising. AI is supposed to support marketers, not replace them entirely. But in many companies, the conversation is shifting toward AI as a substitute for strategy, execution, and even leadership.
Why the CMO Role Remains the Least Understood in the C-Suite
Amy pointed out something a lot of marketers know but don’t always say out loud: the CMO has the shortest tenure in the C-suite. One reason is that nobody seems to agree on what marketing actually is.
To one executive, marketing might mean lead generation. To another, it means event planning. To someone else, it’s brand development. That lack of alignment makes it hard for marketers to explain their value and for companies to know what they’re even hiring for.
If you’re hiring a CFO, there’s general agreement on what the role entails. But with marketing, the expectations shift based on who’s asking. Amy believes that part of the responsibility falls on marketers themselves. We haven’t done a great job of consistently communicating what we do and why it matters.
In uncertain economies, this problem gets worse. Everyone wants short-term results. Brand equity, customer education, and long-term positioning fall off the radar. Companies lean into sales, skip the top of the funnel, and push for volume. And marketing, unless it’s tied directly to revenue in a measurable way, gets sidelined.
Big Brand vs. Startup Marketing: Different Game, Different Stakes
Amy has worked in both worlds. She knows the luxury of being at a company like Microsoft, where the brand speaks for itself. She’s also been at early-stage companies where marketing is about building awareness from scratch.
At big companies, you sometimes spend your time blocking stories rather than creating them. At startups, you’re desperate to get coverage, attention, and credibility. That shift demands more creativity and hustle, but it also puts more pressure on marketers to wear every hat.
Amy explained how startups often undervalue brand because they’re focused on sales cycles and short-term wins. But when companies skip branding and rely solely on cold outreach, they run into a wall. They expect marketers to do everything, from SEO and paid ads to sales enablement and content production, often without clarity on what success looks like.
When expectations are fuzzy, results usually disappoint. And then marketing takes the blame.
The Rise of Fractional CMOs: Opportunity or Compromise?
We’re seeing more fractional CMO roles popping up, especially in early-stage or mid-market companies. Amy acknowledged that this model can be financially rewarding and lifestyle-friendly for some. But it’s not without tradeoffs.
For someone who wants to be part of shaping company strategy, fractional roles often don’t go deep enough. You’re brought in for a narrow scope. You might be asked to clean up a website, rework positioning, or lead demand gen. But you’re not always seen as a core business leader. You’re more consultant than executive.
Amy is clear about what she wants. She wants to be at the table with the CEO, sales, product, and finance. She wants to influence the go-to-market strategy, not just patch over broken funnel metrics. That level of impact is difficult to have as a fractional CMO.
CRO Titles and the Ongoing Turf War Between Sales and Marketing
Another trend we explored is the rise of the Chief Revenue Officer. In theory, combining sales and marketing under one roof makes sense. But in practice, Amy said, the CRO often comes from a sales background. That can turn marketing into a secondary priority.
Sales is inherently short-term and deal-driven. Marketing, especially brand and content marketing, needs longer time horizons. When everything is focused on closing this quarter, companies stop investing in strategies that build demand over time.
Amy believes marketers need to hold the line. If all your marketing is aimed at this month’s numbers, you won’t build the kind of brand that lasts. You’ll miss out on loyalty, reputation, and category leadership. Marketers have to be able to explain this to their executive peers using numbers and language that resonate in the boardroom.
Why AI Still Needs a Human in the Driver’s Seat
We went back to AI later in the conversation because it’s impossible to ignore. AI is evolving fast, but it still needs direction. Amy made it clear that prompting is an art form. The quality of what you get out depends entirely on what you put in.
If you don’t know the right question to ask, AI won’t give you anything useful. And if your competitor is using the same tool with similar prompts, your content and theirs will end up looking the same.
That’s not how you differentiate. Amy stressed the importance of creativity, pattern recognition, and brand instinct—none of which AI has. She uses AI as a partner, not a replacement. Whether it’s drafting marketing plans or brainstorming brand names, you still need human insight to judge what’s good and what’s garbage.
We both agreed that as AI matures, marketers need to know how to direct it effectively. That includes content strategy, technical marketing, campaign design, and measurement. But you can’t just outsource judgment and expect to win.
Marketing Needs to Partner Beyond Sales
One of the most underrated insights from the conversation was Amy’s belief that marketing leaders need to build strong relationships outside of sales. She specifically called out HR and legal as two essential allies.
Your employees are your best marketers. Happy teams tell great stories. HR can help with employer branding, internal communications, and culture—all things that affect how your brand is perceived from the outside.
Legal is another key partner. Marketing often has to move fast and take calculated risks. Having a legal team that understands what you’re trying to do—and who trusts your judgment—makes a big difference.
Amy’s point was clear. Marketing leaders who want influence need to build bridges across the entire executive team, not just with sales or the CEO.
What’s Next for Marketing Leaders?
We wrapped up by talking about how CMOs can evolve without burning out. Amy believes that the future belongs to marketers who can operate across disciplines. You need EQ to manage people. You need IQ to understand strategy. And you need political savvy to navigate executive dynamics.
The marketers who figure this out may very well become tomorrow’s CEOs. But it won’t be easy. The learning curve is steep. The pressure is high. And the landscape is changing daily. Marketers need to be students of business, not just experts in tools or tactics.
For Amy, that means finding a company where marketing is valued, leadership is aligned, and creativity is seen as a business asset—not a side effect.
