The Marketing org chart is broken: Why you might not need a CMO (or a 10-person team)

Apr 23

4 min read

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How AI is reshaping marketing teams and why it might be time to rethink yours. Do you need a CMO in 2025?

If you're still hiring for your marketing team like it's 2019, you're already behind.

AI hasn't just changed the tools, it's changed the structure, the speed, and the very purpose of modern marketing teams.

In 2025, many businesses don’t need a full-time CMO. Or a Head of Brand. Or a 10-person team trying to do what two smart operators and a stack of AI tools can now execute better, faster, and cheaper.

This isn’t a theoretical trend. It’s happening right now , across startups, scaleups, and increasingly even in established businesses.

Abstract image of a shattered org chart being reshaped by AI tools, representing the changing structure of marketing teams in 2025. — The traditional marketing org chart is cracking and AI is reshaping what comes next

The traditional marketing model is cracking

Companies used to hire big. CMO at the top. Head of Brand. Head of Growth. CRM Specialist. Paid Social Specialist. Campaign Manager. Designers. Copywriters. Op, etc.

But now?

Copy is written in seconds using AI.
Campaigns are scheduled and tested automatically.
Ad variations are generated at scale.
Reporting is pulled, cleaned and interpreted by a dashboard with a single prompt.

The result? Entire layers of execution are being automated, and the companies that embrace it are moving faster and spending less.

So, what roles are actually still valuable?

Let’s break it down.

Traditional Role	2025 Status	What’s Changing
CMO	Rethink the role	Many businesses no longer need a full-time CMO. They need a strategic partner who drops in with clarity, not overhead. Fractional is rising.
Head of Marketing	Under pressure	Often redundant when a founder or fractional CMO owns strategy. Gets absorbed into ops or content roles.
Campaign Manager	Replaceable	Briefs and workflows are now automated via ClickUp, ChatGPT, and Airtable. Creative input still matters, but the role is evolving into hybrid content or growth strategy.
Marketing Operations	Enhanced	Tools like HubSpot AI, Zapier, and Segment streamline ops - but someone is still needed to connect systems and measure accurately.
Performance Marketer / Media Buyer	Augmented	Meta Advantage+, Google PMax, TikTok Smart Performance Ads, along with tools like Kargo and Smartly, have reduced manual levers and day-to-day optimisation. But strategy, testing logic, creative interpretation, and budget control are still critical to performance.
Paid Social Specialist	Compressing	With automation eating platform-specific expertise, these roles now should overlap with content and analytics.
Growth Marketer	Rising in value	The new unicorn: understands product, creative testing, media strategy, and funnel performance, built to prompt and pivot fast.
Copywriter/Content Writer	Reshaped	Junior writing roles are being replaced by prompt engineers + editors who guide tone and output with AI tools.
Graphic Designer	Reshaped	AI tools like Canva, Firefly, and Midjourney handle production work - but the creative eye is still essential. Adobe remains key for complex builds.
Video Editor	Augmented	Runway, Descript, and Synthesia automate video editing, voiceover, and avatar generation - drastically reducing turnaround and cost. However having a role overseeing the output is still critical, especially if producing broadcast quality videos.
Social Media Manager	Under review	Scheduling, captions, and basic content are now auto-generated. Still relevant for brands where community and voice matter.
CRM / Lifecycle Marketer	Augmented	AI can now write emails, segment audiences, and test. However, the role is still vital for understanding how data flows across the business and connects to marketing databases, ensuring personalisation is accurate and effective.
Brand Manager	Changing shape	Legacy “brand guardian” roles are fading. Strong brand direction now comes from leadership + creative strategy, not a siloed mid-level manager.
Head of Brand	Strategic or redundant	Relevant for high-growth, brand-led businesses, otherwise often merged into creative or strategy roles.

A real example of this shift

In a recent consulting engagement, we conducted a full audit of roles, capabilities, and available AI tools. The outcome was a transition toward a leaner, more focused marketing structure, supported by automation, driven by creative and strategic clarity, and approached with a clear growth mindset.

The projected impact?

Up to 45% reduction in ongoing costs.
Faster campaign turnaround times.
Clearer ownership and accountability across the funnel.
A leadership team starting to view marketing as a growth driver rather than a cost centre.

Let’s be clear: This isn’t about firing marketers

This is a reality check. The tools have changed. The expectations have changed. And the smartest businesses are adapting.

This shift doesn’t make great marketing talent irrelevant. In fact, it makes them more valuable than ever. But the ones who thrive will be the ones who know how to direct AI, not compete with it.

In many of the projects we’re working on, it’s not about removing people. It’s about repurposing roles, upskilling smart operators, and helping teams refocus on what only humans can do: strategic thinking, brand intuition, creative judgment, and customer insight.

Strategy, creativity, and customer understanding still win. We’re just removing the overhead that doesn’t.

Let’s celebrate the ones who are already adapting

If you’re a marketer already using AI tools to speed up your workflow, test smarter, or improve creative, be loud and proud about it.

This isn’t a threat to your value, it’s a signal that you’re leading the shift, not waiting for it.

The future of marketing belongs to those who can think strategically, prompt creatively, and move quickly with the tools at their fingertips.

Marketers who can do that aren't replaceable, they’re in demand.

So what should you do?

Audit your current structure. Where is work being done manually that AI could now handle faster, cheaper, or more effectively?
Rethink the team pyramid. Are there roles that can be reshaped rather than removed?
Who on your team can be upskilled to lead with these new tools?
Build a leaner, smarter setup. Focus on the skills and systems that actually move the needle.
Bring in strategic leadership that understands how to integrate tools, people, and performance. (Yes, this is where fractional leadership often comes in.)

If you're ready to reshape your marketing for the real world of 2025, get in touch.

The bloat is gone. The opportunity is now.

What’s next?

This piece focuses on the roles being reshaped, reduced, or removed as AI changes how marketing teams operate.

But not every role is under pressure. In a future post, I’ll cover the new core roles rising in value, the ones modern marketing teams now need to be built around.

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