Will Marketing Be The Most Important Future Hire? (Long Read)

This post is actually inspired by a tweet from @sandradjajic + an update here on PH from @chrismessina.

A few days ago I saw this:

A year ago, I would have instantly retweeted, liked, bookmarked, and moved on. Oh, and maybe sent to my boss (by accident).

Now - as a slightly more evolved marketer these days - I paused.

Because while I agree marketing is becoming more important than ever… product is still everything.

I say that after several months building @Meet-Ting and understanding the complexity that goes into making something feel delightful.

I am in awe of every product I use daily and the journey the startup must have been on to get to that can't-live-without-you feel.

But. But. But. There's a but of course.

Product is now abundant.

Literally yesterday, Chris highlighted Product Hunt had its largest day of launches ever - over 600 products in a single day. Six hundred.

That’s potentially 3,600+ products in a week:

So now go back to the original argument...

You can start to see the truth in it.

Because marketing is being seen. And being seen is being used. And being used is how you make money, and stay alive!

From 500k likes to 1k followers

I’ve done marketing at global brands like adidas. I’ve worked on hyper-growth platforms like TikTok. Now I’m co-running a startup.

We just crossed 1k+ followers on each key platform for us - LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. Actually closer to 2k+, but who's counting? (me, daily)

It’s humbling work. At adidas back in 2014, I remember an Instagram post would get 500k likes in minutes and drain the battery life of the phone at the same time.

Now?

Every follower feels earned. Coming from nothing is an art.

I honestly wish more awards and recognition went to emerging brands as well as the big guns. You don’t have big teams, fancy tools, or unlimited budgets.

It’s pure internet ninja tactics.

And with AI-generated content flooding our feeds, marketing becomes even more critical.

Not louder. Smarter. More human.

The marketing superpowers that matter now

If you’re an aspiring marketer, or hiring one, these are the skills that matter these days imho.

1. Human touch

Start here.

You are marketing to humans.

Real people. With real frustrations. Real needs.

1% of the world knows what “multi-model” means.

No one wakes up wanting a “game changer” or a “personal agent.”

They want relief. Simplicity. Ease.

Sometimes marketers market to other marketers. Tech people definitely market to their peers.

Just keep it dumb simple.

We started a recent launch video for Meet-Ting with the most relatable video clip ever for our customers because it's so human and they can 'see themselves' in it: https://youtu.be/MbrWxYrlXF4

2. Writing

Surprising, right? In an AI world?

But text is still one of the most powerful mediums on earth.

You’re reading this right now.

You see it on X. You run to the TikTok and Instagram comments.

Writing matters in:

• Crisis comms

• Website copy

• Product positioning

• Social posts

While everyone talked about the Anthropic Super Bowl ads, I loved a visceral line from Kate Rouch that framed company size in a way numbers alone couldn’t.

Language makes numbers emotional.

Words have meaning.

Writing is forever.

3. Resourcefulness

Ting has one marketer. He’s also the CEO.

That’s not a brag. It’s reality - powered by AI workflows and systems.

We launched into seven countries. Seven.

In the past, that would’ve required huge teams and local marketers. We did it in a week.

If you’re not augmenting your day with AI - workflows, automation, systems - you’re leaving productivity on the table.

I would even go as far to say leaving your potential on the table too.

The future marketer isn’t bigger. They’re more equipped.

4. Creators (and studying them)

This section is not what you think it is. Keep reading...

Creators command the internet because they are students of the algorithms.

They study what makes content seen.

Yes, work with creators. But more importantly - study them.

Look at how they structure videos. How they build invisible story arcs that drive completion.

I saw a cooking creator pull 10M views because the video opened with a unique angle - you scroll into the motion - you’re curious, you stay, you hit view completion, video hits recommendation: https://www.tiktok.com/@lu.cella/video/7541064612859399446

They don’t just make good content. They design for performance.

5. Creativity

Carl Pei once said something to me that stuck:

"Creativity is just marketing efficiency."

I loved the framing because that is what earned media is all about.

The more creative you are, the harder your marketing works for you.

It earns impressions without paying for them.

We ran a small SEO experiment recently. 50k impressions. Zero budget. Just having fun.

We’re so used to living in the matrix - seeing the same formats, the same posts, the same hooks. Sometimes you just need to break the pattern.

Jolt people back into reality.

6. Taste

AI can generate. It can optimize. But it cannot imitate taste.

An old boss Tom Ramsden once told me "We could post a picture of a cat and get 100k likes, but that doesn’t mean we should."

Cats rule the internet, of course. But you get the point.

Knowing the difference between good content and right content is a real skill.

Using humour without sounding cringe. Riding trends without looking desperate.

If you get it wrong, the internet will let you know. Immediately.

So… will marketing be the highest paid job in tech?

Not without product. Product is still everything.

But product is now abundant.

And when supply explodes, distribution becomes king.

Technical depth might get you funded. Product quality might keep users.

But marketing gets you seen.

So maybe I do agree with the tweet, huh?

Thanks for reading!

Dan