Marketing’s High-Stakes Moment: Finding Confidence in Economic Volatility
Marketing today feels a lot like sitting at a poker table where the rules keep changing mid-hand. Consumer behavior shifts without warning, platforms continue to flip the script with constant updates, and, to make matters worse, economic volatility continues to bring new headlines every day.
The instinct is to play it safe and wait for a better hand. But the brands that pull ahead aren’t the ones handing in their chips–they’re the ones making moves right now. Wpromote’s CEO Andrea Bendzick and Forrester’s VP and Principal Analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee got together to discuss how the real winners are placing smart bets while the table is still in motion.
That doesn’t mean going all in on a risky new strategy. It means knowing when to trust your gut and continue to try new things while others are hesitating. Confidence is not the prize you get when everything works out; it’s the edge that gives you a shot in the first place.
Resilient brands protect their winning hand
When things get hectic, you might be tempted to start over and scrap your strategy while chasing a new trend. But that kind of move rarely pays off.
Instead, smart marketers keep an eye on what’s working and what’s not so they can maintain the strategies that still deliver, even as they stay flexible enough to respond when the odds change.
“Understand who you are and what value you provide, and keep updating it as society updates itself,” Dipanjan said. That kind of clarity keeps teams from making reactive moves just because the pace picked up.
“[You’re] not just trying to survive through this…” Andrea noted. “Plan to thrive through it.” That starts with understanding which tactics are still driving results and being willing to hold onto them, even when everything else feels in flux.
Slowdowns create space for bold moves
When other players pull back, it might feel safer to press pause on your marketing strategy. But that’s often when the table opens up.
“This is a rupture in the system, and there’s white space out there,” Dipanjan explained. Disruption creates openings for marketers who are paying attention. When other brands cut ad spending in response to 2025’s chaos, your brand has an opportunity to take advantage of less competition by keeping your advertising efforts going.
That doesn’t mean you should leap before you look–instead, take a wait-and-see approach to understand evolving situations before making drastic decisions like dramatic spending cuts.
Some brands are even taking this uncertainty as a chance to future-proof their businesses by investing in brand growth while competitors might not be. Marketers are exploring shifts in media spend rather than cutting budgets outright, including increasing investment in upper-funnel marketing like OTT (over-the-top streaming ads) and retail media.
But you can’t do any of that without first establishing the data to back up your strategy. Make sure you have a solid measurement framework in place and that your team is leveraging intelligence tools, including a high-velocity media mix model (like our proprietary Polaris Growth Planner) that integrates macroeconomic factors like consumer confidence index data and inflation rates. With an MMM, you can understand both your brand’s individual audience and broader trends to achieve accurate predictive modeling.
“If you’re the expert and you don’t have conviction and confidence or data that says this is why I believe what I believe, it makes it even harder for anyone else to go along on that ride with you,” Andrea said.
When marketers back their strategies with intent and measurable outcomes, it becomes easier for stakeholders to put their chips behind the plan.
AI is fast, but it can’t place the bets for you
We all know by now that AI can help you move faster by taking some work off your plate. These tools are a great way to keep production humming, but remember, the robots shouldn’t be the ones making the calls.
“What it can do is free you up to spend more time doing what only humans can,” Andrea said. AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Wpromote’s Creative Audit can help spot weak points before content launches, which means more time and attention can go toward the strategic work that really shapes performance.
“AI will take something that is mediocre and make it a little bit better, but it’ll never make it amazing,” said Dipanjan. The thinking still needs to come from people.
AI can highlight risks and flag inefficiencies, but the real value comes from the decisions marketers make once that information is on the table.
Don’t wait for conditions to change–use them to your advantage
The table isn’t going to settle, and the conditions won’t suddenly get easier for marketers. But the brands that are gaining ground aren’t looking for a perfect hand. They’re paying attention to what’s working and adjusting with purpose.
That can look like:
- Reallocating budget toward campaigns that are delivering right now
- Making brand investment easier to defend by tying it to revenue outcomes
- Using AI to streamline the process without letting it lead the work
- Bringing finance stakeholders in early so strategy is supported, not delayed
- Making sure each short-term move pushes your larger goals forward
Progress isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about showing up with a clear read of the table and the confidence to keep playing, no matter what the rest of 2025 has in store.
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