AMA SF’s Predictions for 2024: Our Experts Share Their Insights

As marketers, we’re used to keeping one eye on the now and an eye toward the future. What better time to assess what’s ahead than the New Year? We polled our members and the AMA San Francisco board to hear the changes and trends they expect to shape how marketers do their jobs in 2024. 

AI’s impact continues to reverberate

“Generative AI” may not be Oxford’s Word Of The Year — that honor goes to “rizz” — but there’s no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) tools will continue to reshape how marketers engage with their everyday responsibilities. The possibilities are seemingly endless, from helping us do more with less to refining campaigns with unparalleled accuracy. The question becomes, then, how marketers plan to harness these tools to take their ideas and skills to new heights. 

“As we enter 2024, integrating AI in marketing will shift from optional to essential, highlighting the divide between proactive and non-adaptive teams,” said CMO AI advisor Nicole Leffler. “I expect AI models marketers use to become exponentially smarter, especially in enhancing video content and creating advanced text-in-image graphics.”

Other marketers, like Thomas Moyer, Group Media Director of H/L Agency and SVP of Strategic Alliances, turned to generative AI to share their thoughts on the subject.

“In the world of advertising, AI isn’t stealing the spotlight from marketers; instead, it’s the ultimate collaborator, adding its digital notes to create a harmonious and data-powered marketing symphony in 2024,” Moyer said.

Khushi Arora, Account Manager at DEPT and VP of Early Career at AMA SF, put it simply. “The combination of AI and consumer personalization is the future of successful marketing strategies.” 

AI will change the marketing profession as we know it

Marketers, especially early-career marketers, need to have a plan for their use of AI to stay ahead.

Steve Tate, SVP Marketing & Communications, AMA SF, anticipates that AI will be how marketers get more done with less, especially marketers for small companies and even smaller teams.

“Entry-level jobs, particularly for small nonprofits, are going to utilize AI,” Steve shared. “For these kinds of smaller industries and startups where capital is harder to come by, utilizing these tools, either as a replacement or as an enhancement of current capabilities, will be helpful. As a marketer, if you understand how to use the tools for copywriting, image generation, website build, and similar, you’ll be a jack-of-all-trades to be that hire so they can maximize every aspect.” 

Eric Weidner, owner of Workbox Inc. and president of AMA SF, puts it plainly: “Marketers who have jobs will be doing two people’s jobs.”

“To stay competitive, marketers will need to dig into AI and gain more skills so they don’t go off track,” Eric said. “Additionally, folks will need to network effectively to find people with complementary skills, business partners, and potentially other job opportunities.”

Human connections and experience will become even more important

All this talk of AI may fuel an opposite reaction from the general public, one where people wish to build connections with one another and experience things together. The desire for real-life experiences and meaningful relationships won’t be negated by AI. In fact, some of our board members believe that this new era will continue to emphasize the importance of connecting person to person.

“Gathering communities and connecting meaningfully with fans, customers, and like-minded individuals will continue to drive big moments in 2024,” said Irene Sanchez, VP Marketing at Medialab and Programming and Events Lead at AMA SF.

Citing Taylor Swift and Beyonce concerts that swept popular culture by storm in 2023, Irene says that “shared experiences satisfy our need to connect and are also opportunities for brands to participate or create their own moments.” 

For Stella Morrison, founder of content marketing agency The Stellastra Effect and AMA SF’s Content Marketing Editor, “AI is here to stay, but the emphasis on the desire for a human experience is also here to stay.”

“Particularly as AI gains more ground, you’ll see more folks looking for content written or created with passion, drive, and real-world understanding,” Stella said. “That’s only going to make human involvement and connection more important in 2024 in all aspects of marketing — telling real stories to real people, with the help of AI tools.”

How people search the internet is changing

How we interact with the many devices around us continues to influence every aspect of our lives, including how we search the internet. Tools like voice search have steadily gained ground over the past few years, and that trend shows no signs of slowing.

“In the symphony of digital evolution, the crescendo of voice search is undeniable,” shared Sukriti Khosla, B2B Marketing for Google Cloud and Director of Events & Communication for AMA SF. “AI, the virtuoso conductor, harmonizes with content, shaping an orchestrated future where SEO strategies dance to the rhythm of voice queries, ensuring brands resonate in the ears of the AI-informed audience.” 

One of the most anticipated shifts will be the arrival of tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), expected to launch on a wider scale this year — and predicted to upend how SEO is done.

“The traditional SEO landscape will undergo a significant shift as search behaviors tilt toward generative AI, challenging marketers to creatively train AI systems to spotlight their brand,” Nicole said. “It will become imperative for leaders to expect and encourage their marketing teams to not only comprehend but actively employ AI in every facet of their marketing workflows.”

More traditional advertising avenues continue to evolve

Linear TV is not unaffected by targeting and personalization that’s been a part of the advertising landscape for years. Janet Lautenberger, Account Executive at MNI and VP of Membership at AMA SF, shares that the growth of over-the-top (OTT) subscriptions will continue to influence how advertisers engage with their audiences in 2024.

“Connected TV (CTV)/OTT is growing fast, with OTT subscriptions expected to grow 40% by the end of 2023,” Janet shared. “Ad-supported video streaming and daily time spent viewing is on the rise. Linear TV viewership has dipped below 50% for the first time as OTT adoption increases, reaching 38% of total TV viewership. OTT solutions engage consumers across top streaming platforms like Hulu, Paramount+, Disney+, HBO Max, sports live streams, and more.”

Marketers will need to assess priorities due to shrinking budgets

The average marketing budget is down half a percentage point, from 9.5% of total company revenue to 9.1%, according to Harvard Business Review. In anticipation of continuing cuts and a smaller pool of resources, Katrina Noelle, president of KNow Research, emphasizes the importance of finding ways to engage with consumer research, even without an unlimited budget.

“Brands’ 2024 market research and insights budgets are likely to be tight, but keeping a finger on the pulse of what your target audience needs and wants from your category is more important than ever,” she said. 

Katrina noted that “smaller scale, bite-sized primary research studies” can help marketers access valuable data without the resources required to conduct full-scale research.

“These kinds of studies allow you to get quick snapshots of your audiences without breaking the bank,” she said. “Consider efficient methods like customer intercepts, video uploads, and employee listening sessions to hear what they’re hearing from customers, which is especially effective with call center and customer service employees. Get creative with bite-sized methods to ensure your feedback loop is ready for 2024!”

Get ahead in 2024 with AMA San Francisco

Tap into the Bay Area’s best marketing minds through events and networking opportunities hosted by AMA San Francisco. As an organization located at the heart of the global tech industry, our members are uniquely positioned to shape the future of marketing, and we want you to come along for the journey.

Just some of the events we have planned for 2024 include:

Subscribe to the AMA SF calendar, sign up for our emails to get the latest, and join the conversation on LinkedIn to share your thoughts on what you expect in marketing in 2024. We can’t wait to meet you!