Is Martech Making Marketing Boring?

Modern marketing technology, or martech, arms professionals with an unprecedented ability to tailor communications and automate outreach. However, this very capability is fostering a surprising level of uniformity across the industry. The abundance of sophisticated tools is paradoxically making marketing efforts look and sound more alike, not less. A consultant recently highlighted this by pointing out how many agencies, all claiming to be unique, use the exact same stock photo on their websites. This visual sameness is a perfect metaphor for a broader issue.

The drive to keep up with competitors fuels much of this dynamic. Decades ago, the simple act of automatically inserting a recipient’s name into a letter was groundbreaking. Today, using a salutation in an email is considered basic hygiene; omitting it would be a glaring mistake. Personalization has shifted from a competitive advantage to a fundamental expectation. We aren’t using these techniques to outperform rivals anymore, we’re using them just to stay in the game. Including details specific to a recipient’s role or company is now the standard price of admission, not a differentiator that makes a campaign truly stand out.

Many place their hopes for uniqueness on artificial intelligence. Large language models promise to generate vast quantities of individualized copy, suggesting a path to mass customization. The reality, however, is less impressive. Inboxes are now flooded with AI-generated sales pitches, many of which open with nearly identical lines about being impressed by a recent LinkedIn activity. While the text might be technically personalized, it lacks genuine insight or a compelling reason to engage. The output from these AI models often feels recycled and fails to convince because it doesn’t articulate a truly unique value proposition.

Achieving genuine differentiation is becoming increasingly difficult, a phenomenon we might call the blandification of marketing. Two primary factors are at play. First, the democratization of powerful martech means more players have access to the same features, intensifying competition. Second, and more critically, marketers have begun to confuse using tool features with developing a real strategy. We become so engrossed in pushing buttons and activating functionalities within our platforms that we neglect the foundational work of strategic thinking. Campaigns are often described by which martech feature will be used, rather than by the core strategic idea meant to move the audience.

This problem is compounded when marketers outsource their creative thinking entirely to AI. Prompting a language model for campaign ideas typically yields generic, repackaged concepts drawn from its training data. These secondhand ideas will never provide a sustainable competitive edge. Furthermore, if a manager can generate the same basic concepts, it raises questions about the marketer’s unique contribution.

The solution lies in implementing a more disciplined process that prioritizes human intelligence over technological features. While many teams use a campaign brief, the critical error is often starting to write it without doing the necessary thinking first. A formal document is useless without the strategic groundwork. Adopting a structured framework, such as a multi-step strategic planning model, forces marketers to systematically analyze the situation, define the desired change, understand the audience, and craft a core message before any tools are touched. The goal is to ensure the marketer does the deep thinking required to build an effective campaign, not to let the martech tool supply the intelligence.

Ultimately, the issue isn’t that martech is inherently flawed. The responsibility rests with us. As humans, we are easily distracted by shiny new features. Martech vendors have built incredible tools, but it is our job to wield them with purpose and strategy. We must acknowledge our own fallibility and use processes and frameworks to keep our focus on where we add irreplaceable value: through sound strategy, genuine creativity, and meaningful differentiation. Only then can we harness the true power of marketing technology without becoming its servants.

(Source: MarTech)