Marketers are caught in the middle.

Last night, like many of you, I lost an undefinable amount of my evening to watching reels. What did I watch? No idea. And if I shared a bunch of them with you… Sorry!

This is the reality we are operating in. A constant bombardment of content, created faster than ever, consumed in seconds, and forgotten just as quickly.

Right now, it is a volume game. The organizations gaining traction are increasing their frequency. Remember when we used to say that “spray and pray” marketing didn’t work? Surprisingly, its back! How much, how quickly, where, and when people consume marketing — or more accurately, advertising — has fundamentally changed.

We are at a crossroads. Consumption is up. Production is exploding... At least for some organizations.

The old rules of marketing are being tossed out the door. Corporate, white-shoe industries are creating 60-second reels with influencers. The classic three-part framework — state the problem, establish credibility, present the solution — is now being delivered in vibrant colors and quick hits of personality.

Today’s game is less about being cautious and more about increasing volume to see what resonates. You can call it testing. But in many ways, it is still a version of spray and pray.

So what does this mean for marketers who are just trying to stay relevant?

Thankfully, AI is offering some level of efficiency. Even writing this blog is 1,000% faster for this dyslexic writer. Tools like Canva are preparing to launch expanded AI capabilities that will further accelerate visual production. Content that once took hours — or days — can now be created in minutes.

How do we keep up? It truly feels like the wild west of marketing production.

And yet, one thing is becoming clear — and it is a saving grace for marketers everywhere:

What organizations need most right now are creative and strategic minds.

People who understand:

• Their services and products
• Their target audiences
• Their organizational constraints

People who can quickly evaluate whether a new trend is worth adopting — or whether it is better to stay focused and build consistency over time.

Because while production is accelerating, strategy is still scarce.

And one thing remains absolutely true: Inaction will get you nowhere.

The marketers stepping into leadership — not just execution — are the ones most needed right now. Especially in small organizations with limited capacity, where decisions about where to focus matter even more.

This moment is not just about producing more content.

It is about making smarter decisions, faster.

It is about balancing experimentation with clarity.

And it is about recognizing that while AI may be transforming how marketing gets created, it is still people — thoughtful, strategic, creative people — who determine what actually works.