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Annual marketing technology investment is set to hit US$216bn within the next three years – up from US$131bn in 2023 – a growth curve twice as steep as general IT spending. Yet Forrester’s latest report also says most marketers are still looking to consolidate their tech infrastructure. So what gives? It turns out brands are more focused on functional consolidation rather than vendor consolidation. The problem however remains the integration challenge, an area traditional marketing cloud big guns like Adobe and Salesforce are increasingly investing in. Where all that money’s headed has not gone unnoticed by global comms holdcos like Havas, IPG, and WPP, all of whom have been busily restructuring during the last year in a bid to front-run the next big wave of investment.

Data breaches and cyberattacks, poor customer service, dire employee experience management, leadership gaffs and empty purpose guff are taking their toll on how brands are perceived, per the latest FutureBrand Index. This year's threats to success show Australian business leaders overindexing on concerns around the impact of leadership and workplace culture as well as meeting consumer expectations – more so than their global counterparts. Meanwhile, a looming purpose void, coupled with a desire for immediate payback and practical action driven by cost-of-living pressures and trust issues are increasingly impacting brand strength – or weakness – globally, as this year's brand winners attest.

Hipages Chief Customer Officer Stuart Tucker is swapping the tradie marketplace for the talent marketplace. The former Commbank, Aussie and Optus marketer is joining executive search firm Hourigan International and expects brisk trade at the top end of town as CMOs question the "grind" amid exploding remits while businesses eyeing growth shoots seek creative analytical problem solvers – skillsets increasingly prized. For marketers ultimately eyeing the C-suite, Tucker warns it's neither for the faint-hearted nor narrow specialists, and predicts radical change.