This article was based on the interview with Sue Keith, Corporate Vice President at Landrum Talent Solutions by Greg Kihlström, AI and MarTech keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
Marketing teams are being stretched, restructured, and reimagined—all while trying to deliver more impact with fewer resources. And in a job market clouded by uncertainty, Sue Keith has become a consistent voice of clarity. As Corporate Vice President at Landrum Talent Solutions, Keith leads the firm’s national marketing recruiting practice and offers quarterly updates on how the landscape is shifting.
In this conversation, she shares her no-nonsense view of what’s really happening behind the scenes—why hiring has slowed, how marketers are adapting with contractors and AI, and what job seekers should (and shouldn’t) be doing right now.
Hiring Is Frozen, But the Work Isn’t
Despite a recovering market, many companies are still holding back on hiring—especially in marketing.
“Companies are sitting on the sidelines,” says Keith. “They’re holding off on investments, including hiring, due to political and economic uncertainty”
This freeze is especially pronounced in the public sector and among government contractors, where federal budget cuts are prompting layoffs before contracts are even lost. And there’s another bottleneck: people aren’t leaving their jobs.
Voluntary attrition, typically a natural hiring trigger, has dropped sharply as employees choose stability over change—even in less-than-ideal roles. The result? Fewer openings, more competition, and a lot of marketing leaders forced to do more with less.
So how are they doing it?
“They’re turning to contractors,” Keith says. “They’re using program dollars to fund people—dipping into campaign budgets to bring in talent without needing full-time headcount approval”
She also notes a rise in what she calls “proof of concept” hires: contractors brought in as a test case to demonstrate the need for a full-time role. It’s a workaround that’s helping teams stay afloat—and sometimes even earn permanent headcount down the line.
AI Isn’t Killing Marketing—But It’s Demanding Better Leadership
AI is the hot-button issue in nearly every department, but marketing feels especially vulnerable. The 2025 AI Marketing Institute report found that more than half of marketers believe AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates
Keith doesn’t buy the doom narrative—but she doesn’t dismiss the disruption either.
“Certain responsibilities will be replaced,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean the entire function disappears. What matters is how leaders reframe the conversation”.
Her advice: don’t position AI as a threat. Position it as a force multiplier. And above all, show the rest of the C-suite how AI can make marketing more effective—not just faster.
That means ditching the superficial examples (AI-generated blogs and banner ads) and leaning into strategic use cases like:
- Pipeline acceleration
- Better ICP identification
- Streamlined campaign execution
- Hyper-personalization at scale
“Boards and CFOs aren’t asking if you’re using AI to write faster. They’re asking if you can do more with fewer people—and still deliver business impact”
To stay ahead, Keith urges marketing leaders to create and share an AI roadmap for the next 12–24 months. Even if the details evolve, having a plan shows intent—and makes you part of the solution.
She also recommends leading or joining the company’s AI council. If one doesn’t exist? Start it. It’s a smart way to stay close to decisions that will shape your team’s future.
Entry-Level Jobs Are at Risk—So Leaders Need to Be Ready
One of the trickiest challenges ahead is how AI will impact early-career roles. With AI agents increasingly capable of handling discrete tasks—list building, basic web updates, content repurposing—it’s possible that many traditional entry-level roles could vanish.
Keith admits she wrestles with this.
“How do you become a seasoned, strategic marketer if you never do the entry-level stuff?” she asks
Still, she believes leaders need to prepare for hard questions. Every headcount request—especially for junior roles—will likely be met with skepticism.
“Your CFO’s first question will be: why can’t AI do that?”
That’s why leaders need not just a hiring plan, but a sustainability plan. If you’re cutting roles or replacing them with agents, you need to understand—and explain—how the work is still getting done, and how future leaders will be developed.
Transparency will be critical. AI can’t be a black box. It needs to show its work, teach its human managers, and fit into a clear operational model.
What Job Seekers Should Be Doing Right Now
For marketers navigating this tough job market, Keith has one piece of timeless advice: network like your job depends on it—because it probably does.
“You’re likely not going to get a job from applying online. You and 300 of your marketing friends are all clicking the same listings,” she says.
Instead, she recommends:
- Join professional associations – Built-in networking and better access to job leads.
- Volunteer – You’ll meet people you wouldn’t otherwise, stay active, and avoid burnout.
- Form peer groups – Connect with fellow job seekers to swap leads, share support, and stay accountable.
- Stay active on LinkedIn – But skip the political hot takes. You don’t want to alienate half your audience.
And perhaps most importantly, don’t lose momentum. Looking for a job can feel isolating—but doing nothing guarantees you’ll stay stuck.
Conclusion
The marketing job market may be stuck in neutral, but the expectations haven’t slowed down. As Sue Keith makes clear, the leaders who thrive won’t be the ones with the most resources. They’ll be the ones who can demonstrate agility—leveraging contractors, harnessing AI, defending smart headcount, and building the kind of teams that can adapt without losing momentum.
Because in this environment, your best defense is clarity:
- Clarity in what your team needs
- Clarity in how AI fits your strategy
- And clarity in how you plan to build the next generation of marketers—even if they’re starting alongside an AI agent.
