Three Things Marketers Need to Hear

3 Things Marketers Need to Hear, According to Martin Kihn

Martin Kihn, Salesforce SVP of Market Strategy for Marketing Cloud, is known for his blue-flame thinking and dynamic delivery. At his annual Dreamforce session, “What’s the ‘Big Idea’? Key Trends in Marketing,” Martin delivered a rapid-fire breakdown of where marketing is headed.

Three of his remarks stuck with me—and every marketer should sit with them.

1. “Robots Are Learning to Write at the Precise Moment When Humans No Longer Want to Read.”

Video consumption is skyrocketing. In fact, video views longer than one minute grew 135% year-over-year. According to Salesforce’s Connected Shoppers Report, 72% of consumers prefer video over text when it comes to marketing content.

As I write this, I realize how ironic it is to express this point through words!

Still, Martin’s insight rings true: brands must rethink communication strategies. Relying less on written copy and more on rich media—especially short-form video—will be critical. He summarized this trend bluntly:

“SEO is becoming robots talking to robots.”

2. “Consumers Are Addicted to Personalization But Don’t Know It.”

There’s a growing gap between consumer expectations and their comfort with data usage. A recent survey found that 80% of consumers feel they have little or no control over how their data is used online. At the same time, 73% expect brands to anticipate their needs.

This contradiction creates what Martin calls the “Paradox of Privacy.” Marketers must walk a fine line—using data to personalize without breaking trust. Subtle, privacy-first personalization strategies will win.

And yes, trust matters. As Martin noted, trust often correlates with popularity.

3. “We Have to Be Better at Q’s Than A’s.”

The shift to AI-powered marketing brings a shift in required skills. It’s no longer just about crafting the perfect headline. Now, it’s about crafting the right question to guide AI to produce—and optimize—that headline over time.

The skill of the Prompt Engineer, a role that barely existed a year ago, is already rising in value. Generative AI demands curiosity, experimentation, and iteration.

Martin likened this trend to the scientific method: marketers must hypothesize, prompt, measure, and refine. Asking the right questions will become more valuable than knowing the “right” answers upfront.

A Few Bonus Quips Worth Quoting

Martin’s presentation didn’t stop there. He delivered several soundbites that deserve space on your vision board:

“Every business is show business—even B2B, where short-form video matters.”

“Every brand should be as versatile as Taylor Swift.”

“Eventually the robots will take over, and all that will be left are cats.”