Digital Marketers are becoming useless by 2026 (I might have a plan)

Summary

In this video, Oves Ahmed shares insights on the future of performance marketing as automation takes over the industry. With Meta Ads fully automating campaigns by 2026, the role of marketers is shifting. Oves emphasizes that critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic execution will still be key. He highlights the importance of understanding business challenges and creative approaches to drive growth. As automation and AI optimize campaigns, humans must focus on experimentation and refining strategies. Oves concludes by advising marketers to develop system thinking and broaden their skills beyond platform expertise to stay relevant in this evolving landscape.

Takeaways

• 😀 Automation in Meta Ads: By 2026, Meta Ads will be fully automated, where advertisers just set the daily budget and website, and everything else will be managed by the platform.
• 😀 Skills are Evolving: As performance marketers, tools are taking over time-consuming tasks, so adapting to new challenges and thinking critically is essential.
• 😀 Thinking is Your Edge: Tools can't replace the strategic thinking needed to identify the right tests and solutions for specific business challenges.
• 😀 Execution is Changing: The speed of execution is no longer the main focus; understanding and solving the unique marketing problems of a business is more important.
• 😀 Business Understanding is Key: Marketers must understand business problems and suggest tailored marketing solutions, like how email automation helped a kitchenware brand beat marketplace commissions.
• 😀 Systems Thinking is Career Insurance: Future performance marketers should be data-aware, think cross-functionally, and visualize how all elements of the marketing funnel fit together.
• 😀 Creative is the New Growth Lever: As automation takes over many tasks, creative remains the key differentiator, with emotional triggers and consumer behavior being crucial for performance.
• 😀 Platform Expertise is Commoditized: Anyone can learn the technicalities of ads platforms quickly, but to stand out, marketers must become business analysts, knowing how to move business levers through ad platforms.
• 😀 Measurement Requires Strategy: Attribution in 2025 is messy, and a clear strategy is required to make sense of the data and accurately measure campaign success.
• 😀 AI Can Optimize, But Humans Experiment: While AI excels in optimization, humans are still needed for experimentation to uncover better directions and validate hypotheses faster.

Q & A

What is Mark Zuckerberg's announcement about Meta ads in 2026?

Mark Zuckerberg announced that by 2026, Meta ads will be fully automated, where advertisers only need to set a daily budget and provide their website URL. Everything else will be handled by Meta's automated systems.

How is automation changing the role of performance marketers?

Automation is making many skills and tasks of performance marketers obsolete. Tools now perform tasks that used to take hours of manual work. The focus is shifting from execution to strategic thinking and understanding marketing problems.

What does the speaker suggest is crucial for a performance marketer in the future?

The speaker emphasizes that the key to a successful career in performance marketing will be thinking and strategy, not just using tools. Marketers need to understand the specific business challenges and how to provide marketing solutions.

How does the speaker differentiate between execution and strategy?

Execution is still important but is now about understanding the marketing problem and applying the right solutions. Speed of execution is no longer as critical, as tools handle much of the execution work. Strategy, however, remains a crucial skill.

What example does the speaker give to highlight the importance of understanding business challenges?

The speaker shares an example of a kitchenware brand trying to move its online sales from marketplaces like Amazon to its own website. The solution involved using email automation to offer discounts and bypass marketplace restrictions, which was a strategic solution tailored to the brand's problem.

Why does the speaker recommend Omniscent for email automation?

Omniscent is recommended because it provides ready-to-use automations and templates, connects to major e-commerce platforms with ease, and offers live support, helping marketers execute effective email campaigns that drive high return on investment.

What qualities should a performance marketer have according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests that performance marketers should be data-aware, able to think cross-functionally (understanding media buying, creatives, and product offers), and able to visualize how different parts of the marketing strategy fit together.

How has creative become a key factor in performance marketing?

As automation has taken over many aspects of campaign execution, creative has become the key differentiator. The ability to understand emotional triggers and consumer behavior is what sets effective performance marketers apart from AI tools.

Why is platform expertise no longer enough for performance marketers?

Platform expertise, while important, is becoming a commodity. Performance marketers must now also act as strategic operators and business analysts, using tools to influence business outcomes rather than just executing campaigns.

What is the role of measurement and attribution in modern performance marketing?

Measurement and attribution strategies are critical in today's marketing landscape, especially with the complexity of multi-platform campaigns. The speaker highlights that relying only on platform metrics is insufficient and suggests using a range of KPIs to understand attribution accurately.

What is the difference between optimization and experimentation in AI-driven ad platforms?

AI can optimize existing campaigns effectively, but optimization assumes that the current direction is correct. Experimentation, on the other hand, involves testing new ideas and directions. Marketers should adopt an experimental mindset, using AI to validate and refine hypotheses quickly.