Think pieces

Why Ambition is Critical in the Era of AI

A woman in a dark business suit stands on a rooftop overlooking a modern city skyline at sunset, symbolising ambition, leadership and human vision in the age of AI.
Prime Performance Labs' Jason Leavy on why ambition, alongside the human qualities of empathy, creativity, taste and judgement, will be critical to effective marketing leadership in the age of AI.

"We don't even have synthetic on our roadmap. We need to change that."

Electric Twin office
Why experiencing AI first-hand is the key to moving beyond apprehension and unlocking new possibilities for faster, smarter ways of working. Electric Twin's Leanne Tomasevic on this and other insights from The Marketing Society’s The Accelerator Day,

Who are India's culture creators?

Yash Bakode | Pexels (2025)
This latest Canvas8 article explores who's really shaping culture in India today and what that shift means for how brands earn loyalty.

The Communications Gap That's Quietly Costing You Customers

MBA group Image
This piece explores why customer communications are quietly costing companies far more than most marketing teams realise, and what it would take to fix that.

Trust: The Currency AI Can't Create

Department B The Human Advantage in an AI Driven World
In the third of this series, Crawford Hollingworth explores trust, perhaps the hardest human connection to earn. AI can verify facts, predict credibility and measure reputation, but it cannot make people believe. Drawing on behavioural science, this piece argues that trust may become one of the last sustainable competitive advantages, and asks leaders whether their organisations are earning belief through shared risk and integrity or merely optimising trust out of existence.

Red pill or blue pill: it comes down to who you listen to

Red or Blue: City Choices
The article from the Red Pill series: While AI makes it easy to replace real customer and employee feedback, the leaders who keep listening to real people will have the advantage.

How search and customer journeys are evolving with AI

Semrush evolving search and customer journey
Semrush data reveals how AI and search now work together throughout consumers' buying journeys and decisions.

From seen to chosen

B2B marketing team building buyer confidence through connected strategy.
Ambitious B2B marketing moves beyond visibility and isolated campaigns to create connected, meaningful experiences that build buyer confidence and drive decisions

Who is driving agency transformation - the agency or the client?

Cans in a factory
What the PepsiCo media move reveals about who's really driving agency transformation and the five questions every CMO should be asking.

Leading at the center

Sunlit Teamwork Around the Office Table
Why the today's most effective leaders aren't those who are out front, they are the ones leading from the middle. Andy Goldberg, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chair of The Marketing Society New York draws on his experience leading teams.

What Living and Working Across Cultures Taught Me About Marketing

Global Traveler at Golden Hour
Lessons in the key to achieving great global marketing, wherever you go from Helena Verellen.

The Routine that Needs 25 Hours in a Day

Sunlit Healthy Lifestyle Morning
Real growth in wellness marketing (and life) comes from improving the routines we already have, not adding new ones.

Doing Good in the World of Marketing

Hands united around the earth
Why doing good in marketing isn't a statement of values, it's in the everyday choices about partners, content, people and trust by Rasha Hamzeh

Casting the Social Blockbuster: How to Scale Influencer Communities Around any Brand or Product

phones raised at concert
Influencer marketing's old playbook is losing its grip on audiences. Fanbox’s Richard Summers reveals a framework to help brands build real community engagement through micro-creators.

Growth Rebels: Why Companies Need Rule-Breaking Marketers

Thoughtful Workspace Brainstorming
Rachel Letham reviews a recent LinkedIn Live event with Thomas Barta: The Marketing Leadership Masterclass. With corporate growth stagnating while real change is accelerating, we need more Growth Rebel - people who ignites ideas and makes them happen, as Thomas explains.

The courage to lead differently

Inclusive team connecting in a supportive workplace
Inclusive leadership is an ambitious choice to challenge outdated workplace norms and build a culture where people feel trusted, supported and safe enough to thrive and do their best work.

Seeing Is Believing

Marketing leader developing ideas on a glass wall in a modern Dubai office, reflecting ambition, experimentation and visible impact.
What does it take to build a marketing and communications function from nothing, earn the trust of sceptical senior leaders and turn a regional idea into a global benchmark?

Leadership insights: Why purpose changes the way organisations lead

Collaborative Meeting Around a Paper-Covered Table
A recent CEO Conversation event held under the Chatham House rule revealed important leadership lessons which can be applied to any organisation in any sector. Integrated Media Lead, Procter and Gamble’s Billie Wilson shares her thoughts.

From AI Tools to Marketing Operating Systems

Hadi looking at the audience while speaking
Hadi Lotfi explores how AI is moving marketing beyond experimentation and individual tools toward connected workflows, stronger operating models and smarter decision-making that delivers real business impact.

Brand systems weren’t built for today’s business operating models

RPM Brand Work
Independent creative agency RPM and research specialist, Canvas 8, interviewed senior marketers from FMCG, hospitality, tech and entertainment sectors, to understand how effectively brand systems today are keeping pace with business operating models.

Global Market Sentiment Pulse: Contextual Brands in the Age of Instability

DEPT® Global Market Sentiment Report
DEPT®'s Global Market Sentiment Pulse, produced in partnership with The Marketing Society, draws on a survey of 3,000 consumers and the perspectives of senior marketing leaders from Barclays, British Airways, Diageo, Tesco and more to reveal what people actually want from brands in an age of instability.