“Do more with less” is quietly destroying B2B marketing.

This mindset could reduce marketing leaders to solely tactical execution and perpetuate the myth that marketing isn’t a strategic business function.

In the AI era, this approach doesn’t just hold us back, it accelerates failure in ways that many marketers haven’t recognized yet.

This isn’t about fighting efficiency. It’s about putting marketing back at the strategy table where it belongs.

But what should we say instead? Maybe the answer isn’t another slogan, but better questions:

Instead of: “How can we do more with less?”

• ► Ask: “What should we stop doing to focus on what matters?”

• ► Ask: “Where must we invest to build sustainable growth?”

• ► Ask: “What foundations need fixing before we scale?”

The future belongs to strategic marketers who drive business growth, not exhausted tacticians running on empty.

See the carousel below for 7 myths behind this mindset and what to do instead. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Highly unusual but I’m so grateful she did.

At home, I’m just “Mom” who couldn’t possibly know anything about tech. Even though I help companies use AI responsibly and drive team transformation every day. Sound familiar?

Last week at Acquia Engage 2025 in Boston, my daughter joined me at a marketing leaders lunch where I was speaking.

At breakfast, we sat with Paul Roetzer, CEO of the Marketing AI Institute. When he learned that she’ll be studying molecular biology, he mentioned how Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind and 2024 Nobel Prize co-winner in Chemistry, used AI to predict protein structures. This breakthrough could lead to more personalized medicine.

Demis’ work was so interesting to my future pre-med student that she looked it up on her own later. (Thanks, Paul, for sparking that curiosity.)

There’s a reason I wanted her there. A study in The Economist (see link in the comments) found women use AI 16-20% less than men in the same jobs.

Researchers call it the “good girl” mindset. The idea that using AI is cheating instead of working smart.

This matters. I worry about schools that either ban AI tools completely or fail to teach students how to use them responsibly. Both approaches leave students unprepared and may reinforce the idea that “good students” shouldn’t use these tools.

During my talk, I discussed how AI is changing customer behavior and showed practical ways marketing teams can use it. I shared a case study about teams working successfully with AI when they guide it as teammates rather than simply using it as a tool.

Afterward, Alana said she learned new ways to use AI from both my presentation and the audience questions.

This is why AI literacy matters. Governments from the US to China now treat AI skills like reading or math.

And companies are on the same track. AI literacy is now one of the top skills employers look for, and 7 in 10 say they prefer candidates who can guide these tools over those with longer experience.

As parents, we can help our kids see AI as a teammate that makes their work better when used responsibly—whether they’re going into medicine, marketing, or any other field.

My daughter saw how AI could help in her future career. That’s the kind of AI literacy our kids need: practical understanding of how these tools can support their goals and values.

To other parents, especially those with daughters: Let’s make sure they understand that using AI responsibly is preparing for their future, not taking shortcuts.

What are you doing to help the young people in your life understand AI?

(Many thanks to Jennifer Griffin Smith (She/Her), Jen Dold, and the Acquia team for inviting me and for making this mother-daughter moment possible.

Also, thank you to Sudarshan Mandayam and the Bounteous team for sponsoring the lunch event.)

Study in The Economist: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/08/21/why-dont-women-use-artificial-intelligence