{"slug": "mastercard-s-former-cmo-says-we-re-entering-a-golden-era-for-marketing", "title": "Mastercard's former CMO says we're entering a 'golden era' for marketing", "summary": "Mastercard's former chief marketing officer Raja Rajamannar says AI is creating a 'sea of sameness' in marketing but argues this will usher in a 'golden era' where original creativity and consumer insight become more valuable than ever. Rajamannar, who stepped down as CMO in 2025, warns that while AI tools level the playing field between large and small companies, marketers who embrace the technology and focus on human connection will thrive.", "body_md": "Raja Rajamannar believes [artificial intelligence poses one of the biggest threats](https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-freaked-out-ai-industry-mythos-fable-open-source-models-2026-6) marketers have ever faced. He also thinks it could usher in marketing's next great opportunity.\n\nThe former chief marketing and communications officer of Mastercard, who spent nearly 13 years leading the brand, said marketers who fear AI are looking at only half the story.\n\nIn an interview on Business Insider's upcoming \"[CMO Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/cmo-insider)\" podcast, Rajamannar argued that AI could ultimately elevate the profession rather than diminish it.\n\n\"This is the golden era that we are about to enter as far as marketing is concerned,\" he said.\n\nThe prediction comes at a time when [AI tools can generate](https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-tools-doubled-income-save-me-fifteen-hours-each-week-2025-9) images, videos, copy, and advertising campaigns in seconds. Many marketers worry that the technology could automate work that once required large teams and sizable budgets.\n\nRajamannar acknowledges that risk. Yet he argues the same forces making content creation easier could increase the value of creativity and consumer insight.\n\n## AI is creating a 'sea of sameness'\n\nRajamannar said today's AI tools are available to nearly everyone, regardless of company size.\n\nA global corporation and a small business can access many of the same platforms, enter similar prompts, and receive similar outputs, he said.\n\n\"What happens is the [small companies are able to effectively now compete](https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-ai-era-job-advice-look-at-small-businesses-2026-6) against the large companies,\" he said.\n\nThe result, he says, is a flood of similar-looking marketing. \"Before you realize it becomes a sea of sameness,\" Rajamannar said.\n\nHe pointed to examples of recurring creative themes appearing across campaigns. In one recent exercise, he said he noticed more than 100 campaigns using icebergs as a visual metaphor.\n\nHowever, this doesn't reduce the [importance of marketing](https://www.businessinsider.com/consumers-passions-emotional-connection-stronger-marketing-strategy-growth-behavior-audience-2024-10), Rajamannar said. Rather, it increases it.\n\n## Why creativity matters more than ever\n\nWhen companies have access to similar technology, differentiation becomes harder. That's where marketers can create value, he said.\n\n\"When there is a sea of sameness, original creativity matters.\"\n\nHe argues that marketers still need to understand how consumers behave. AI can generate content, but marketers must determine whether that [content actually resonates with people](https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/how-to-connect-clarify-and-build-audience-trust).\n\n\"You should have insights into the consumer's feelings, thoughts, and other emotions,\" he said.\n\nThe challenge goes beyond creating ads. Marketers must understand whether an idea connects with the audience and whether it helps a brand stand apart from competitors.\n\n\"[Innovation and creativity](https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/how-responsible-ai-can-help-spark-new-levels-of-creativity) are going to be the biggest differentiators in this age of AI,\" Rajamannar said, adding that, \"At the end of it, it is a human-to-human connection that sells your products and brands.\"\n\n## Marketers need to learn faster\n\nRajamannar stepped down as Mastercard's chief marketing and communications officer at the start of 2025 and became a senior fellow at the company. The new role, he says, gives him more time to focus on AI in his own work.\n\nRajamannar says he uses tools such as [Claude and NotebookLM](https://www.businessinsider.com/sneaky-rise-shadow-ai-workplace-claude-it-2026-5) to help filter information, summarize books and podcasts, and identify developments worth paying attention to.\n\nHe encourages marketers to approach technology with curiosity rather than fear. \"You have to be curious about the technology,\" he said.\n\nThat extends beyond AI. Rajamannar says marketers should familiarize themselves with technologies ranging from augmented reality to blockchain and cryptocurrencies.\n\nThe goal isn't to become an engineer, he says. It's to understand how new tools can create opportunities. \"If marketers don't wake up and really seize this opportunity, they get obliterated in our time,\" he said.\n\nEven so, Rajamannar remains optimistic about the profession's future.\n\nAs AI automates more routine tasks, he expects the qualities that make great marketers effective — creativity, judgment, empathy, and consumer understanding — to become more valuable.\n\nRather than replacing marketers, he believes AI is forcing them to focus on the parts of the job that matter most. And that's why he sees a golden era ahead.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/mastercard-s-former-cmo-says-we-re-entering-a-golden-era-for-marketing", "canonical_source": "https://www.businessinsider.com/mastercard-former-cmo-ai-ushering-golden-era-marketing-2026-6", "published_at": "2026-06-17 15:12:13+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-17 15:32:06.534179+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-tools", "generative-ai", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Mastercard", "Raja Rajamannar", "Claude", "NotebookLM"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/mastercard-s-former-cmo-says-we-re-entering-a-golden-era-for-marketing", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/mastercard-s-former-cmo-says-we-re-entering-a-golden-era-for-marketing.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/mastercard-s-former-cmo-says-we-re-entering-a-golden-era-for-marketing.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/mastercard-s-former-cmo-says-we-re-entering-a-golden-era-for-marketing.jsonld"}}