If you’re a marketer feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. AI is something most of us encounter every day, new tools are popping up here, there and everywhere, and budgets are tight. To top it all off, marketing teams are under increasing pressure to prove their worth. The days when success hinged on clever headlines and a well-timed tweet are long gone.

As we head into 2026, creativity alone won’t be enough. In this article, industry experts share the skills they believe will matter most this year. 

Know what to ignore

Between all the new platforms and the latest “this changes everything” takes, it’s easy to feel like you’re always one step behind. In 2026, knowing what to ignore will be one of the most valuable skills a marketer can have.

Tom Pallot, head of marketing at Definition, sees this as a growing challenge: "Firstly, have strategic discipline over platform FOMO. LinkedIn excels at driving shiny object syndrome. AI search – the 'death of SEO' and the emergence of 'AIO', 'GEO' and 'LLMO' – is a great example of this. Five minutes in the wrong place and you'd be forgiven for thinking that no one uses Google anymore and that you need a new and separate strategy for each of those terms. In reality, the fundamentals haven't changed: quality content, strong PR, brand authority."

With so much conflicting advice, sticking to the basics has never been more important. Pallot adds: "Now that there's more noise than ever, yes, learn and evolve, but don't get distracted from spending time on what you know works. In 2026, with tighter budgets and AI everywhere, marketers chasing trends without a solid justification will struggle to make an impact."

And he’s not the only one focusing on the fundamentals. According to Jesko Perrey, senior partner at McKinsey & Company, brand-building is back at the top of the agenda: "Brand has resurfaced as the number one priority for European CMOs in 2026, according to our research. That means a return to marketing fundamentals, with brands needing to foster emotional connections with a distinctive brand and a clear value proposition. And, flavour their execution with creativity to stand out from the AI noise."

In other words, the basics still matter. Being clear about who you are, what makes you different and where to focus your efforts will make everything else easier over the next 12 months.

Get comfortable with AI (without losing the human touch)

Soon, AI won't be a special skill – it will simply be part of the job. The real differentiator will be how marketers choose to use it.

For Pallot, ignoring AI altogether isn't an option – but neither is using it blindly: "Integrate AI practically through hands-on experimentation. You can't pretend AI doesn't exist. Read, learn, and experiment (safely) with new models, tools and prompts. And get your team doing it too," he says.

At Definition, AI experimentation is something the whole team is encouraged to take part in. "We hold monthly show-and-tells where we share prompts we're working on, new tools we've tested, and potential applications. Think about your team's problems, how AI could solve them, and how to build solutions into your daily workflows. Once you've experimented, build what works into your systems. We add tested prompts to a shared library so the whole team can use them."

Jennifer Wright, head of group marketing at BlueSky PR, sees ethical AI fluency as non-negotiable: "Hate it or love it – to quote 50 Cent –, AI is here. We need to focus on understanding when automation genuinely adds value and when human expertise matters more than efficiency."

Wright is clear that everyone must be on the same page when it comes to AI: "At BlueSky PR, we've rolled out ethical AI training for the whole team to make sure everyone understands the law and ethical decisions behind AI use, and the importance of authenticity and transparency. My advice? Start with free resources on AI ethics from reputable sources like the ICO and Google."

AI might make things faster, but it also makes standing out harder. As Jane Ostler, chief insights officer at Kantar points out, the challenge won't be producing more content, but making better, more distinctive work: "Firstly, creative intelligence will become one of the most important. With 74% of marketers excited about GenAI, the challenge won't be producing more content but creating consistent, well-branded assets that capture audience attention, feel human and stay distinctive."

As AI-generated content becomes the norm, standing out will come down to good judgement – knowing when AI helps, and when it doesn't.

There's also a clear commercial case for getting this right. Perrey warns that many organisations are still underestimating AI's potential: "Be bold with generative AI. AI's productivity potential in marketing is significant; we project it to be at $463 billion. Yet generative AI and agents are still near the bottom of many 2026 priority lists."

Those who are moving faster are already seeing results: "The 6% who have matured their gen AI capabilities have seen 22% efficiency gains, which they often reinvest in growth. And they expect to reach efficiency gains of 28% within two years," he says. "The marketers that don't mature their gen AI toward maturity will simply lose their competitive footing."

Prove your value and stay adaptable

As budgets shrink, marketers will be judged less on activity and more on results. Proving impact won't be a one-off exercise either; it will mean adapting, testing, and improving as things change.

Wright stresses the importance of adaptability: "Digital agility. The ability to pivot, experiment and learn continuously determines who stays relevant," she says. "I'd suggest building a test-and-learn culture where failure becomes data rather than disaster."

But being adaptable only gets you so far – marketers also need commercial confidence: "At BlueSky, we always advocate that marketing is positioned as a growth driver, not a cost centre," Wright adds. "If you can explain marketing's contribution to revenue in terms your finance director understands, you're winning."

The pressure to prove this continues to grow. According to Perrey, "Every marketing pound spent is under scrutiny. Yet only 3% of CMOs can show MROI of more than 50% of their marketing spend." He says that marketers who can clearly link what they do to real outcomes are far more likely to retain support. 

That comes down to how confidently marketers use data – not just how much they have. As Ostler puts it: "The ability to interrogate data, spot bias, and build clear guardrails will be essential."

Final thoughts

Marketing in 2026 won’t be about chasing every shiny new tool and trend.
The fundamentals still matter, technology must be used thoughtfully, and marketing has to show its value clearly and consistently. As Ostler puts it: “The brands that pull ahead will be those led by marketers who balance innovation with insight, and show up consistently with work that feels relevant, distinctive and human.”

To improve your knowledge of marketing fundamentals, sign up for the CIM online training course now for a comprehensive overview of the marketing planning process, and develop skills essential for every professional marketer in 2026.