by George Huff
Here’s the pivotal question for marketing leaders in 2026…
Would you rather marshal a team that produces a dramatically higher volume of content than they did in 2025?
Or
Would you rather have true control over your marketing organization now?
I’ve posed this question to marketing leaders in multiple forums (digitally, in-person, on stage) and the same answer always wins.
Marketing leaders choose to have more control rather than more content by a factor of one hundred.
Here’s me asking that question on-stage at the From Day One conference in Atlanta:
That’s about as close to a consensus as you can elicit from a group as diverse and opinionated as seasoned marketing leaders.
So, why?
Why Marketing Leaders Feel Out of Control
In short, they feel out of control because of how their organizations are structured.
Strategy is defined at the top in the form of business outcomes for marketing to march against.
Execution, however, lives at the bottom in the hands of numerous tactically-focused functional teams.
Between those two layers sits the modern marketing organization. There are dozens of teams working across different tools, processes, and timelines on some version of those strategic priorities.
As work progresses through that system it inevitably becomes diluted. The dilution happens because there isn’t a persistent, real-time connection between strategic intent and the work being produced.
Ultimately, strategy is missing in action amidst the executional shuffle. This can lead to a situation in which even extremely talented marketing organizations produce work that fails to advance the strategic agenda set by marketing leadership.
The 2026 AI Explosion
Conservative estimates suggest that as much as 50% of marketing output will soon be AI generated. At the same time, Gartner predicts that full-time employee headcount will remain flat or even decline.
Put those two dynamics together and the implication is clear:
You will have the same number of people (or fewer) producing dramatically more output.
Most marketing organizations today operate with strategy and execution living in adjacent but disconnected systems. Strategy exists in annual decks and quarterly documents. Execution lives in project management tools, spreadsheets, shared drives, and creative workflows.
That’s not going to work in the AI age…
Opal was built to eliminate that separation.
Leveraging the framework we call Connected Planning – a system where strategy isn’t a static document, but the framework that guides tactical work.
At the top, leadership defines business outcomes and strategic priorities.
From there, plans turn into campaigns and content pieces – inside the same system where the work is actually being done.
Different teams can operate in the way that makes sense to them:
- A strategic planner can view high-level objectives and KPIs.
- A campaign team can work in a week-by-week calendar.
- A content team can manage approvals and workflows.
- A regional team can see their localized execution.
But all of it connects back to the same strategic plan.
That’s the shift.
Instead of asking teams to periodically explain how their work ladders up, the system itself makes the connection visible.
Leaders can see:
- What we planned to do
- What we’re actually doing
- How it compares to last year
- Which initiatives are advancing which business outcomes
And when AI increases output, that infrastructure becomes the difference between confidently scaling output and abject chaos.
Do You Really Have to Choose?
No. You don’t have to choose between more content and more control.
But you do have to choose the correct order.
If you scale output without first putting a system of control in place, you amplify chaos. Strategy dilutes faster. Teams move quicker, but not necessarily in the same direction as the strategy.
When control comes first, increased output empowers you to drive more impact. AI becomes a multiplier, not a liability.
That’s the foundation behind Connected Planning at Opal.
It’s why organizations like SAP, Target, Starbucks, GM, Boeing and many others trust Opal to align their strategy and execution at scale.
If you’re heading into 2026 expecting significantly more output with the same team – and you want to feel in control while doing it – let’s talk.
Or check out a click-through demo right here: