Will AI Replace Marketing Jobs by 2028?

Summary

MarTech Podcast ™ // Marketing + Technology = Business Growth Episode: Will AI Replace Marketing Jobs by 2028? Release Date: July 30, 2025 Host: Benjamin Shapiro Guest: Nicholas Holland, Head of AI at HubSpot

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Will AI Replace Marketing Jobs by 2028?" from the MarTech Podcast ™, host Benjamin Shapiro engages in a profound discussion with Nicholas Holland, Head of AI at HubSpot. The conversation delves into the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the marketing landscape, particularly focusing on the potential displacement of marketing roles and the evolving nature of marketing automation.

Current Impact of AI on Marketing Jobs

Nicholas Holland opens the dialogue by addressing the prevalent concern that AI might lead to significant layoffs within the marketing sector. Contrary to widespread narratives, Holland presents data suggesting that substantial staff reductions are not yet occurring. He states:

"Right now we're not seeing meaningful reductions in staff and layoffs yet... many organizations are actively telling these reporting agencies, no, I've not reduced staff. If anything, I'm still hiring." (01:35)

This insight highlights that, at present, AI is not eliminating jobs but rather reshaping the way marketing teams operate. Holland emphasizes that AI tools are empowering small teams to achieve more, thereby supporting business growth rather than hindering employment.

AI Enhancing Productivity

The conversation shifts to how AI is augmenting the productivity of marketing professionals. Holland cites HubSpot’s experience, where advanced AI applications have significantly boosted efficiency:

"89% of marketers are saying that built-in AI is increasing their overall productivity." (02:10)

Moreover, AI is not limited to content creation. Marketers are leveraging AI for tasks like web design, resulting in substantial time savings. Holland shares:

"They're saving five or six hours that it would have taken them to just make that, that they're now investing in other things." (02:30)

These advancements allow marketers to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their roles, enhancing overall job satisfaction and effectiveness.

Future Outlook: Displacement vs. Transformation

Addressing the long-term implications, Shapiro and Holland discuss whether AI will ultimately displace marketing jobs or transform them. Shapiro posits that while AI may lead to a temporary reshuffling of roles, it will not result in widespread job loss:

"I think of this as a reshuffling of the deck... eventually I think things will normalize and human productivity and jobs will still be around." (03:01)

Holland concurs, suggesting that AI will continually expand the scope of work available:

"There's an infinite amount of work if you could get it for a cost-valuable piece there." (04:15)

This perspective underscores the notion that AI serves as a catalyst for innovation, creating new opportunities and avenues for career growth within the marketing domain.

Insights and Conclusions

The episode concludes with a consensus that AI is a transformative force in marketing, enhancing productivity and enabling marketers to achieve more with less. Rather than outright replacing jobs, AI is redefining roles and responsibilities, encouraging marketers to adapt and evolve alongside technological advancements.

Notable Quotes

• Nicholas Holland (01:35): "Right now we're not seeing meaningful reductions in staff and layoffs yet... many organizations are actively telling these reporting agencies, no, I've not reduced staff. If anything, I'm still hiring."

• Nicholas Holland (02:10): "89% of marketers are saying that built-in AI is increasing their overall productivity."

• Nicholas Holland (02:30): "They're saving five or six hours that it would have taken them to just make that, that they're now investing in other things."

• Benjamin Shapiro (03:01): "I think of this as a reshuffling of the deck... eventually I think things will normalize and human productivity and jobs will still be around."

• Nicholas Holland (04:15): "There's an infinite amount of work if you could get it for a cost-valuable piece there."

Conclusion

This episode of the MarTech Podcast ™ offers a balanced and data-driven perspective on the relationship between AI and marketing jobs. Through insightful dialogue, Benjamin Shapiro and Nicholas Holland illuminate the ways in which AI is enhancing the marketing profession, rather than diminishing it. As AI continues to evolve, marketers are encouraged to embrace these technologies to amplify their impact and drive business growth.

Transcript

[Benjamin Shapiro]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

From advertising to software as a service to data, across all of our programs and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate.

[Nicholas Holland]

Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours. If we're reaching out to the right person with the right message and a clear call to action, then it's just a matter of timing.

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network. In this podcast you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that you technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.

I'm Benjamin Shapiro and joining me today is Nicholas Holland, the head of AI at HubSpot. And today Nicholas is going to explain how the shift from agentic AI is fundamentally changing marketing automation and what it means for your team's future. Are you buying or selling the idea that most marketers will be displaced by AI agents?

[Nicholas Holland]

I am selling and the data is supporting it. Right now we're not seeing meaningful reductions in staff and layoffs yet. You hear stories and it's tough to hear whenever you're reading about it, but the data is even coming out that a lot of orgs are actively telling these reporting agencies, no, I've not reduced staff. If anything, I'm still hiring. So I think that we're pretty excited that most small businesses are struggling in like their first five years because they really can't scale, they can't do all the things that they need to. And again at HubSpot, what gets us excited about this is we think that this is a time where we can start to make these small teams mighty. For example, these are not all small, but we get to the point where like Morehouse College is now producing a hundred percent of all their admissions blog content through HubSpot. And we see things like 89% of marketers are saying that built in AI is increasing their overall productivity, which is really nice, like from our marketer trends report. And even some now are like doing web design with AI stuff and like they're saving five or six hours that it would have taken them to just make that that they're now investing in other things to Me, I think it's going to make some people just a lot better at what they're able to do. And I don't think we're going to see a meaningful reduction in staff writ large.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

I think over time it will normalize. I think now there's a lot of risk for laggards, right? If you're not using and you're not figuring out how to use AI and you're fighting it, you're. You're going to have some problems because the world is changing and if you're not trying to evolve with it, there's a game of musical chairs and if the music stops and you're not one of the people that has been moving and actively looking for a seat, you got some problems. So I think of this as a reshuffling of the deck.

[Nicholas Holland]

One thing I'll say to you is, fine. Isn't that how it's always been though.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

With every technology wave, right?

[Nicholas Holland]

Every technology, like you're a direct mail marketer. The Internet comes out and you decide that the Internet is not the thing you want to focus on, you're in trouble.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Sure, direct mail is still around, but it's also digitally enabled direct mail. I look at companies like lob, which are great examples of how do you use data and technology. Delivering somebody a physical piece of mail is still a valuable tool, but there's a technology version of it. The old way we did it doesn't work. And so, yes, to me, it's the near term shock of there's this new deck shuffling technology and we're all going to be displaced in some place. And if you're not looking for how you can find a seat, you got problems. But eventually I think things will normalize and human productivity and jobs will still be around.

[Nicholas Holland]

Someone said that, like, what company out there says, no, I did it, man, I did it. I've grown as much as I want to. I'm done. Not very many. So there's an infinite amount of work if you could get it for a cost valuable piece there.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

I could not agree more. All right, that wraps up this episode of the Martech podcast. Thanks to Nicholas Holland, the head of AI at HubSpot, for joining us. If you'd like to contact Nicholas, you could find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on martechpod.com or you can learn about HubSpot and how they're building AI for marketers by going to HubSpot.com AI and if you haven't subscribed yet, and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. All right, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.

Thanks for listening to the Martech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything. Com.