Half glass full? Where's the glass, ask jittery marketers

Marketers might be known for their eternal positivity but even the most ardent optimists appear to be feeling the pressure this year, with the threat of more SEO changes, upskilling, being replaced by AI, attribution and even anxiety over getting PR coverage vexing the finest minds of the industry.

So says a new study by search-driven content agency No Brainer, based on a survey of more than 500 UK marketing decision-makers, which has revealed the sectors “top ten” fears for the year ahead.

At the top of the pile are the changes to search engines (17%), fuelled by Google’s recent move to start penalising poor-quality content and reducing ‘unhelpful’ content, followed by the perennial issue of in-house skills and upskilling (16%). Increased anxiety over being replaced by AI (16%), getting media coverage relevant to target customers (15%) and attribution and ROI (15%) concerns make up the top five.

Meanwhile, maintaining and growing visibility on search (15%); a lack of understanding about how to use AI (14%); Google’s search quality rater guidelines (14%); market and competitor activity (14%) and the integration of teams to deliver omnichannel marketing (14%) round up the top 10.

No Brainer managing director Gary Jenkins said: “Search, marketing, and PR are industries that have always experienced volatility and change – it’s something many of us working in these industries are used to, and embrace. However, in recent years this seems to have hit new levels and that doesn’t seem to be going to change any time soon.”

Jenkins reckons the complexity and convergence in marketing has also increased but there are opportunities for the taking.

He concluded: “With many more Google updates in 2023 and 2024, we’re seeing a sea-change in the search landscape, so it feels inevitable this would be high on the list of marketers’ challenges in 2024, particularly as search-driven performance is a fundamental part of any successful business, none more so than ecommerce.

“In an industry historically blighted by burn-out and poor mental health, it’s interesting to see the threats posed to marketers’ careers by AI is adding another complex layer to those challenges.

“Knowing the problems and challenges we all face and finding ways to work through them is for us as an industry to collectively support each other. As always, they can be tackled, with the right plans and resources in place.”