This post was created in partnership with HubSpot
Marketing is undergoing one of its most dramatic shifts in decades. As AI upends traditional discovery channels and rewrites the rules of creativity, brands have to rethink how they connect with audiences—and how much control they really have over those connections. What’s emerging is a new model of marketing that blends human insight with machine intelligence to build trust, authenticity, and long-term value.
During a Brandweek 2025 fireside chat co-hosted with HubSpot, the radical evolution of marketing took center stage. Jonathan Hunt, VP of media and head of The Hustle at HubSpot, explored how the relationship between marketers and AI is reshaping creativity, distribution, and brand authenticity while in conversation with Mike Beyman, chief of staff at ADWEEK.
Managing the dark moment AI created
Hunt set the stage by acknowledging the intense pressure marketers face. Traditional discovery channels are faltering, forcing a strategic crisis as brands struggle to connect with their audiences.
“It’s becoming harder and harder to be discovered by or to reach your customer. You see it through search trends and the headwinds there. You see it through rising paid media costs,” Hunt explained.
This was accelerated by the arrival of generative AI, and specifically ChatGPT. Recalling his reaction to its debut, Hunt said, “That was a very dark moment for all of marketing, especially media.”
He framed this shift not as a temporary disruption, but as a fundamental turning point. “If you look at the trend line of big technological shifts in media and marketing, ChatGPT precipitated what I think is now the current state of marketing.”
The new model is a direct response to how marketers traditionally moved in very linear and campaign-focused ways. “You can no longer afford to be that way,” Hunt explained. “You have to be a lot more iterative.”
Part of surviving this new era, Hunt argues, is breaking free from the very channels that are faltering. “We call it loop marketing, which is humans and AI coming together to create but also personalize your messaging and your content on a one-to-one level.”
The value of owning your audience
HubSpot has rejected the playbook of rented audiences on social platforms and search engines.
“What a lot of marketers are starting to find is that there’s a lot of value in owning your distribution channels as opposed to renting them and then having to invest in Meta or LinkedIn every single month and see that money evaporate,” he said.