Strategic judgement emerges as key marketing skill gap

The study is based on responses from 166 industry professionals, including representatives of 65 brands that collectively spend $80 billion on global marketing each year.

Strategic thinking has emerged as the biggest talent gap in marketing, with brands, agencies and platforms increasingly seeking people with judgement, prioritisation and insight development skills as AI changes how teams work.

The finding comes from Humans, Marketing and Machines: How talent, skills and incentives are being redefined, a report from the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and strategic partner mediasense.

Strategic thinking tops marketing talent gaps

Seventy-two percent of respondents identify strategic thinking as the leading talent shortage. Data strategy and execution follows at 46 percent, while insight development accounts for 36 percent and marketing fundamentals for 34 percent.

The findings point to demand for skills that extend beyond technical expertise. Fifty-nine percent of respondents expect strategic judgement and prioritisation skills to become more important as AI adoption increases, while 52 percent say the market for senior talent has become harder or somewhat harder over the past two years.

Ryan Kangisser, Chief Strategy Officer, mediasense: "This study is a sobering reminder to brands, agencies and platforms that humans must remain firmly ‘in the loop’ on AI to fully realise its full impact. The continued challenges around marketing talent point to the over-correction organisations have made on technical skills over the critical and strategic judgement the industry needs to create the differentiation and growth brands are urgently seeking."

AI fluency and data skills remain underdeveloped

The report argues that competitive advantage will increasingly depend on organisations' ability to combine technology with human judgement rather than simply access the most advanced AI tools.

More than half of respondents, 52 percent, rank an inability to upskill existing talent quickly enough among their top two talent risks over the next three years. Only 1 percent believe better tools and platforms will be the primary differentiator for organisations with strong marketing talent in the future.

Brands focus on developing existing teams

AI fluency and data-driven decision-making are identified among the capabilities requiring greater development. Fifty-six percent of respondents describe AI fluency as underdeveloped, while 55 percent identify data-driven decision-making as a skill that needs further development.

Julia Kraft, Associate Director, Global Marketing Services, WFA: "As technology and tools become more important, ensuring marketers have the right capabilities is a major agenda item for CMOs cited as a top priority in our member surveys. Faster adoption and integration of new skills have become a competitive advantage for now and in the future. Naturally, the answers will be different for each brand but the key finding that stands out is the fact that upskilling existing teams is a foundation process for success."

Incentives need to reflect strategic skills

The report also highlights a gap between the skills organisations say they need and the behaviours their incentive structures reward. It notes that agencies can be incentivised to execute briefs rather than challenge them, despite strategic thinking being identified as the industry's largest talent gap.

Respondents rated current incentive models at 2.6 out of five, suggesting that existing structures are not consistently aligned with the capabilities organisations say they require.

The report concludes that marketing organisations' ability to integrate AI into decision-making, working practices, leadership and talent development will be a key factor in how effectively they use the technology. It positions upskilling, alongside leadership and organisational culture, as central to developing marketing capabilities as automation expands.

www.wfanet.org

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