Wake-up call
Under pressure, undervalued, overstretched and overwhelmed. We launched our 2026 Career & Salary Survey this week, and so far, it makes for bleak reading.
And it’s not small numbers we’re talking about. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 2,000 marketers we spoke to have felt overwhelmed over the past year. This has resulted in more than 60% feeling undervalued and more than half feeling emotionally exhausted.
Wake-up call
Under pressure, undervalued, overstretched and overwhelmed. We launched our 2026 Career & Salary Survey this week, and so far, it makes for bleak reading.
And it’s not small numbers we’re talking about. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 2,000 marketers we spoke to have felt overwhelmed over the past year. This has resulted in more than 60% feeling undervalued and more than half feeling emotionally exhausted.
This isn’t something affecting a few. It is the majority of people working in marketing. People who once loved their job now feel swallowed by it.
And many are suffering in silence, which is only perpetuating the feelings of despair. A significant minority have told us they are unable or unwilling to talk to their manager about how they are feeling, whether that’s through fear of seeming incapable or out of their depth – especially at a time when demand for roles is certainly outstripping supply – or because they don’t want to be judged or feel exposed.
This tallies with the fact marketers are increasingly experiencing imposter syndrome. It’s something a staggering 85% have suffered from, and half say these feelings of inadequacy have only intensified over the past year.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that so many feel on the brink of total burnout. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
But that’s just it. This isn’t a new picture. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it is. We’ve written repeatedly about the stress marketers are under, the increasing workloads, the lack of recognition, the dwindling resources, the demand for immediate results. Is it any wonder so many are starting to feel broken?
People are in “absolute crisis”, CMO turned executive coach, Andrew Garrihy, told us this week. He has seen the number of people turn up to sessions in complete despair double over the past couple of months. People bursting into tears. People at breaking point.
This has to be a wake-up call for businesses. The numbers we published this week are all up on last year. Things are getting worse, and will only continue to spiral unless something changes. People leaving the industry is not the answer but it is becoming the only solution for many.
Of course, it’s not a problem exclusive to marketing, but marketers are perhaps more exposed than others. Marketing leaders need to be mindful of how their teams are feeling and where support might be needed. But equally businesses need to understand the extent of the issue and the impact it is having. You can only stretch a rope so far before it snaps.
Over the coming weeks we will be exploring the extent of the problem but also how we can get to a better place. Shout out to my colleague Charlotte Rogers who has done a stellar job making sense of all the data and telling the stories of those at the heart of it.
Need versus want
One thing likely adding to marketers’ sense of overwhelm is the rapidly evolving and increasingly complex martech landscape. The number of vendors has increased by more than 100 times over the past 15 years, and with the advent of AI that rate is only going to accelerate.
It’s very easy to be swept up in the hype of shiny new tools, each promising their version of the world. But with data from Gartner showing just 49% of marketing teams are using the totality of their existing stack, it’s not necessarily money well spent.
Understanding why you need a certain tool and what you’re trying to achieve is therefore critical. Adding more on ‘because you can’ is not always going to make things better.
“What you want is very different from what you actually need.” This was one of the key messages in a feature we published this week investigating the impact this ever-expanding pool of tools is having on marketers. It’s the first in a new series called Unpack the Stack.
At a time when budgets are tight it becomes even more critical to make every penny count.
As with anything, it’s about understanding what you’re trying to achieve as a business and as a marketing team. What is the problem and how can the tech help solve it? Just because something is a few years old doesn’t mean it is obsolete. If it does the job, it does the job.
As experienced B2B marketer Jon White says: “We’ve all got less resource. You’re going to have to be more and more confident about where you’re going to spend your time and your effort and your money – and that includes technology choices. Stay rooted in the big picture and don’t get lost in the micro.” Wise words.
Thirsty for more
What comes to mind when thinking of KFC? If it’s not chicken, I’d be mightily surprised. The clue is in the name.
It’s a brand synonymous with chicken. But therein lies the problem. Beyond creating new lunch and dinner options there isn’t much room for growth.
Cue its latest venture Kwench, a range of speciality drinks like boba tea and iced coffees designed to get consumers, particularly Gen Z, through its doors outside of traditional mealtimes, thereby expanding its relevance and broadening its appeal. More people in more restaurants on more occasions and at different times of day – the opportunity is big.
But in all the work the brand is doing to “change perceptions and change habits” – as KFC UK and Ireland strategy and innovation director, Leo Sloley, told us this week – it can’t forget its core reason for being. ‘Believe in Chicken’ must remain the overarching mantra.
The week ahead
Building on the Career & Salary Survey data we published this week, we will be looking at why marketers feel unable to talk to their managers and peers about mental health and how to break this culture of silence.