Most U.S. marketers ready to quit in last year

An astonishing 59% of U.S. marketers considered resigning at least once in the past year, while 79% described the pandemic as the most challenging period of their career.

Those are the most sobering statistics in a new survey of 400 marketing professionals conducted by Advanis for digital experience platform Sitecore. The reasons behind the statistics are not hard to find: 80% said their responsibilities had significantly increased in the past year, against a backdrop of pressure from management, unrealistic deadlines, and sharp changes in strategy.

The fickle consumer. Interestingly, marketers also feel pressured by changes in consumer behavior. Based on a sample of 1,000 consumers, the survey found that no less than 70% of consumers will leave a website if they can’t find what they want in a few clicks. 65% have less patience with poor online experiences since the pandemic, and 42% report being less loyal to brands during the same period.

The outcome of all this pressure and activity was not wholly negative: 81% of marketers felt that digital transformation had brought them closer to their customers.

Why we care. We’re perhaps still too close to the events of 2020 to have fully assessed their impact on work environments and career paths — we’re still struggling to comprehend the enormity of the health impact. There have been a lot of stories about digital transformation, and the embrace of digital collaboration and engagement by marketing and other business teams will surely have long-term benefits. But there’s been human cost along the way.