How 5 New Forces Are Redefining Marketing Today

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Brands must evolve as five powerful trends rewrite the marketing playbook: the Attention, Creator, Stakeholder, Experience, and Intelligence economies. Spelled out by Weber Shandwick’s North America CEO Jim O’Leary, these forces aren’t distant frontiers — they’re reshaping how companies must act right now.

Attention Economy: Shareability and cultural resonance now beat traditional media placements. Campaigns that spark genuine conversation outperform paid reach.

Creator Economy: Individual creators have overtaken brands in cultural influence and trust — so marketers must rethink budgets, pivoting from ads to creator ecosystems.

Stakeholder Economy: Public stances now sway purchase behavior and brand perception. As media narrows and politics grows noisier, brands must stand on values or risk irrelevance.

Experience Economy: Marketing is no longer confined to advertising — it’s about blended digital-physical experiences. AR, VR, live events and metaverse activations are no longer optional.

Intelligence Economy: AI speeds everything — from campaign ideation to execution and personalization—making it central, not supplemental, to brand strategy.

O’Leary advises integrated teams combining media, advisory, influence, digital, and intelligence — to keep pace amid fragmentation.

Data supports the urgency: 71% of CMOs are boosting AI investment beyond US $10 million annually — a steep climb from 57% a year ago..

Jessica Apotheker, CMO at BCG, explains, “AI’s infancy demands curiosity, courage, and continuous experimentation,” while Mercedes-Benz and Citi CMOs highlight its key role in authenticity and personalization.

Brands unwilling to integrate these five economies risk falling behind. The future belongs to those agile enough to blend creativity, purpose, creators, experiences, and AI into cohesive, modern campaigns.