What’s with all the overwhelm?

Earlier this year, Marketing Week released the worrying results of their Career and Salary Survey that highlighted that over half of marketers are feeling overwhelmed and undervalued.

I have to say, I wasn’t at all surprised. Every client we’re working with is facing what feels like the toughest environment of their careers.

The playing conditions are hard

With technology driving a truck through our industry, access to enormous amounts of data meaning every penny is scrutinised more than ever and every stakeholder with Instagram on their phones thinking they’re a marketer, things are tough out there. And a sad outcome of this is that all too often marketing is losing its leadership position.

The conversations we’re having with CMOs all have a very similar ring to them; the team are overworked, there are too many clashing priorities, they’re in a constant state of change, they’re buckling under a barrage of requests from multiple stakeholders to either justify costs or deliver additional work, everyone is exhausted and worried about their job security… I could go on.

And the irony is, in the digital age where everyone is consuming constantly, marketing is actually more important than EVER. As the people who (in theory) are representing the customer, and who know how to reach them, we should be at the forefront of any strategic decision and always have a seat, if not the driving seat, at the table.

So I am writing this to give us all some hope. To illustrate that there are ways to create calm amongst the chaos. And gain back our leadership position. This is my take on what’s working right now…

Working with your leaders to create clarity, unity and belief

Clarity: this means having a razor-sharp, vision and strategy and getting clear on which things to prioritise to achieve it. Also making sure everything is clear and measurable. This will help build firm guardrails around the team and create a platform to push back from when the world and his wife are suggesting you stop everything mid campaign and invest all remaining budget in the promo price-led PPC activity that worked last Wednesday.

Unity: ensuring everyone in the team is familiar with, connected to and has ownership of the plan is key so everyone is saying the same thing therefore presenting a united front to all stakeholders and also moving in the same direction. With pace.

Belief: Investing time and energy in proactively sharing the plan with your team and your key stakeholders repeatedly, and keeping them frequently informed of your progress, should help minimise interference. A superstar CMO recently said to me “When you’ve said it so many times you actually can’t bear to say it one more time.. you’re probably only half way there”.

Jumping off the hamster wheel

Not only are marketing teams in a constant state of transformation but they’re also having to manage the business day-to-day; running to hit the numbers each week, month, quarter, year and then rinse and repeat. On top of all this enormous pressure being heaped on marketing teams, one of the biggest challenges we all face is managing the pressure we put on ourselves with our tendency to catastrophise.

Our unconscious minds (which are controlling 95% of our behaviour) are pre-wired to think the worst and of the c.60,000 thoughts we have a day, approximately 85% of them are negative. This is part of our ‘fight or flight’ instinct that goes back to prehistoric times when it was better to think a movement in a bush might be a predator than just to always hope for the best!

This catastrophising means we’re existing mostly in a state of fear; playing out a myriad of worst-case scenarios that we’re not really paying direct attention to, but that have a huge impact on how we think, feel and behave. This fear is what drives our “I HAVE to go to that meeting… finish that report… send that email…. Attend that networking event” intuition, which can often lead to burn out.

Anyone who’s heard me talk about the importance for us all to #slowthefuckdown will have heard me speak about the commitment I have made to myself to make decisions based on reality not these often imaginary thoughts. Asking yourself “Why am I doing this?” or “What evidence do I have that this is the right decision?” is a really useful way of preventing over-exertion and calming the stress that these catastrophised ideas can create.

FOOPO

Perhaps the worst symptom of all of these is my personal favourite FOOPO; Fear of Other People’s Opinions. So many of us make decisions based on the predicted (and usually negative!) reaction of other people that doesn’t actually exist; imagining bosses being angry, friends being let down, children feeling neglected… all these worst case scenarios playing out in our minds and driving us to people please, attend events/meetings when we’re exhausted or too busy or work late into the night to meet a deadline - none of which actually exists.

Get real

We are marketers. We use insights, data and evidence to make decisions. We wouldn’t sign off a huge campaign based on the whisperings of an imaginary friend. And having this data-led approach to our everyday lives can set us free from this loop of fear. “What evidence do I have that I actually need to work late (again!)?” “What’s this sense of anxiety I am feeling - is it the result of my catastrophisation or am I really about to get in trouble?”.

Looking after you

Finally, one of the things we need to do better as an industry is encourage people to prioritise their mental and physical well-being.

Breaking the cycle of being driven by our unconscious fears is a good place to start and should reduce working hours, remove the pressure to be out 3 - 4 nights a week and help remove stress, but on top of that we need to ensure we’re creating an environment where people can choose sleep and exercise over work, where we’re encouraged to eat healthily, keep hydrated, be mindful of our caffeine and alcohol intake, and perhaps most importantly, feel safe to share our struggles and vulnerabilities.

Time for change

I know I am not alone in feeling hugely saddened by the state of our industry. If we are to really turn the tide it’s crucial we take a step back, acknowledge the weight we’re carrying, and collectively push for a culture shift.

Marketing shouldn’t just be about survival; it should be about thriving, about leveraging clarity, unity, and belief to drive meaningful change within both our teams and our organisations. We have to stop pretending we can keep going at full speed without considering the human cost. The true strength of our industry lies not in our ability to endure, but in our capacity to prioritise our well-being, challenge the status quo, and set boundaries that allow us to deliver work that is both impactful and sustainable.

If we can commit to this, we’ll not only protect the future of marketing, but create an environment where everyone can feel valued, inspired, and empowered to reach their fullest potential. Without a doubt, it’s time for change.

Authored by Emma Harris Founder and CEO Glow London, Fellow of The Marketing Society.

Published on 22 April 2025