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Marketing in an Evolving Landscape

By Art Bukowski

February 2026

The Ever-Changing Business Landscape

In the fast-paced world of business, one undeniable truth remains: connecting with your customers is essential for survival. As market dynamics continue to shift, failing to establish a robust rapport with your audience can lead to significant consequences.

With the rise of technology and digital platforms, effective marketing strategies are more crucial than ever. Marketers are faced with a plethora of channels, tactics, and technologies competing for attention, leading to the ongoing question: how can they navigate this complexity? Moreover, how can they measure success and remain within budget constraints?

To delve into these pressing topics, the Traverse City Business News (TCBN) organized a roundtable discussion featuring local marketing experts. These professionals participated in a dialogue about current trends, emerging opportunities, and the myriad challenges prevalent in the marketing landscape today.

Meet the Marketing Experts

The roundtable consisted of several distinguished marketing professionals, including:

• Coryn Briggs, Senior Director of Marketing, Traverse City Tourism
• Paul Britten Jr., Executive Vice President/Sales and Marketing, Britten, Inc.
• Jennifer Lake, Owner, Brand Tonic
• Fernando Meza, Owner/CEO, Oneupweb
• Chip Rice, Director of Marketing, Interlochen Center for the Arts
• Aaron Swanker, Co-owner, Flight Path Creative
• Carly Wujcik, Owner, WURCK Consulting

Returning to Fundamentals

Modern marketers are inundated with options—more social media platforms have emerged, and digital marketing avenues have multiplied exponentially. Traditional marketing channels like television, radio, and print have also diversified significantly.

The advent of artificial intelligence has added another layer of complexity to these choices, leading to an array of technologies and channels that marketers can utilize to reach their target audiences.

So, how do marketers differentiate between effective strategies and mere distractions? The consensus among the roundtable participants was clear: understanding your target audience is paramount. Before diving into a specific marketing tactic, it’s essential to identify who you are trying to reach, what their needs are, and why they should engage with your brand.

Carly Wujcik from WURCK Consulting emphasized that experienced marketers recognize the dynamic nature of channels and tactics. "The fundamentals of marketing are always important," she said. "You must know your target audience, as it shapes your engagement strategy."

The Importance of Clarity

Marketers often find it easy to get distracted by various tactics, but failing to establish a solid foundational understanding of the "who," "what," and "why" can lead to wasted resources.

"Marketing has always been about empathy," Chip Rice stated. "Understanding what your audience needs and offering them valuable solutions is what drives successful campaigns."

Developing a clear marketing plan is essential when faced with the overwhelming number of strategies and tools available today. It provides the clarity needed to navigate the complexities of modern marketing seamlessly.

Carly Wujcik pointed out that pursuing every opportunity without direction could dilute a brand’s message and strategy. "If you don’t have a plan and clarity of purpose, you’ll find yourself chasing every new trend rather than focusing on what matters," she added.

Challenges in Execution

Getting clients or internal leadership on board with a strategic plan can be challenging. Often, there is pressure to launch campaigns quickly without a solid foundation, but effective marketers know the importance of pushing back.

Jennifer Lake of Brand Tonic stressed the need for client education, saying, "Understanding goals and formulating a strategy before implementation is critical.”

Having a robust marketing plan is only part of the picture; ensuring that your brand’s online presence, website, and messaging are well-defined and cohesive is equally vital.

"You cannot outrun a weak brand," Carly Wujcik warned. “You may generate short-term success, but sustainability will not be achieved without a strong foundational brand identity.”

Emphasizing Proven Techniques

Despite the influx of new marketing techniques and technologies, seasoned marketers are increasingly leaning on traditional, proven methods.

"It’s not always about adopting the latest tools," Coryn Briggs noted. "Sometimes, it’s about refining existing strategies." Techniques like email marketing and paid digital advertisements are still delivering results, proving their value in 2026.

While the resurgence of in-person marketing events offers new opportunities for engagement, Wujcik pointed out the importance of treating these events strategically. "We must define our objectives and have a clear follow-up plan to maximize the benefits," she said.

Experimentation remains essential in the marketing world. Allocating a portion of the budget for innovative ideas can lead to unexpected outcomes. "Setting aside 20-30% of our budget for testing new strategies is crucial. If we stop experimenting, our growth will stagnate," Chip Rice stated.

Evolving Messages and Themes

As for effective messaging in the current marketing climate, there is a notable shift towards quick, efficient solutions. Consumers today prioritize minimal hassle, and messaging that resonates with this expectation is more likely to succeed.

"We focus on addressing problems swiftly," Fernando Meza mentioned. "Our most successful campaigns are those that offer immediate solutions to consumer needs."

The ability to build consumer trust is increasingly critical in a world filled with fragmented messages and competing voices. Marketers must ensure that their communications reflect authenticity and reliability.

With consumers consulting various reviews and testimonials before making decisions, marketing strategies now include leveraging positive feedback and managing brand perceptions more actively.

"We need robust systems to enhance trust," said Aaron Swanker, acknowledging the ongoing effort to build client confidence in brands.

The Future of Online Presence

Website optimization remains vital. As the landscape shifts with the rise of AI, marketers must continually adapt their approaches to keep up with changing search behaviors and engine algorithms.

The emergence of "zero-click searches," where search engines provide immediate answers without requiring visitors to click through to a website, presents a new challenge. "We are seeing declines in organic traffic due to new search methods," Chip Rice observed.

Briggs echoed similar sentiments, noting that websites are not dying but evolving. "We must structure and optimize our website data in a way that meets modern search technologies," she affirmed.

Furthermore, the marketing world is experiencing generational shifts as younger consumers favor social media platforms over traditional search engines for information gathering. This transformation underscores the importance of user-generated content, which appears more authentic to today’s audiences.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence

The group has generally embraced AI, recognizing its potential to enhance efficiency and efficacy. “Using AI helps us manage limited resources more effectively,” Chip Rice said, emphasizing the balance it brings in productivity.

Many existing tools are integrating AI features, creating substantial gains in performance. For instance, the capability to conduct extensive research or streamline sales processes has improved significantly with AI enhancements.

However, navigating the potential drawbacks of employing AI in creative roles is critical. “While AI can generate ideas, the human nuance must remain,” Jennifer Lake cautioned.

Utilizing AI as a tool rather than a replacement allows for more creative brainstorming and refinement. The focus should remain on quality and distinctiveness, values that are not easily replicated by machines.

Introducing AI legalese decoder

It’s imperative to acknowledge that as marketers integrate AI into their strategies, they also confront legal complexities tied to data use, consumer privacy, and compliance. Here, AI legalese decoder emerges as a vital resource. It simplifies legal jargon into understandable terms, helping marketers navigate the maze of regulations affecting their campaigns.

Understanding contracts, privacy policies, and compliance issues is often overwhelming, but AI legalese decoder can break this down and facilitate smarter decision-making, ultimately contributing to a more seamless marketing endeavor while maintaining legal integrity.

Embracing Change While Preserving Authenticity

As marketers continue to grapple with the rapid evolution of technology, the core principles of empathy and authenticity in communication remain paramount. Striking a balance between innovation and maintaining a genuine brand presence will ultimately shape the connection between businesses and their customers.

The future of marketing lies in embracing change without losing sight of core values, ensuring that each message delivered resonates authentically with its intended audience.

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