Optimizely, a leading digital experience platform (DXP) provider, has released a new research report titled "The Passion-Pressure Paradox." The study, conducted in collaboration with Heinz Marketing, surveys over 200 marketing professionals to explore the tension between AI-driven efficiency and the increasing complexity of modern marketing workflows. The findings highlight a significant disconnect: while AI successfully automates tasks, it has yet to meaningfully return marketers to the high-value creative and strategic work they are most passionate about.
61% of marketers say AI saves them time, but only 36% feel it frees up space for strategy.
41.8% of respondents describe their role as only "50/50 creative" at best.
37.9% of marketers report their work is primarily focused on coordination rather than output.
28% of professionals say AI is increasing output expectations, adding to workplace pressure.
13% of marketers believe AI is making workflows more complicated instead of simpler.
The study suggests that using AI solely to increase volume may "accelerate the chaos" for teams.
The research underscores a shift in the daily reality of marketing, where the burden of coordination is overshadowing strategic execution. Despite the introduction of advanced tools, many marketers find themselves navigating fragmented teams and workflows that pull them away from impactful work. Nearly 38% of respondents indicated that their primary focus has shifted toward managing tools and stakeholders rather than generating creative results.
"The issue isn't that marketers have lost their passion; they've simply lost the space to act on it," said Tara Corey, SVP of Marketing at Optimizely. "It isn't due to a lack of effort; it's due to complexity. More tools, more channels and more stakeholders are fragmenting the work. By connecting workflows, cutting down coordination and giving marketers more space for strategy and creativity, AI has the potential to bring more structure to how work gets done. But, if teams are only using AI to increase their output, they're just accelerating the chaos."
While the benefits of AI in terms of speed are widely recognized—with 55% of marketers stating it makes specific tasks easier—the translation of those gains into strategic value remains low. This suggests that efficiency gains are often absorbed by increased output demands or reactive tasks rather than being reinvested into long-term brand strategy. Furthermore, the expansion of responsibilities and the management of growing tech stacks are making it harder for leaders to maintain focus on high-impact initiatives.
The data reveals that marketers are seeking clearer priorities, more focused time, and fewer reactive demands to improve their overall effectiveness. While the majority of those surveyed are committed to the field, they are increasingly questioning the sustainability of current work structures. For marketing leaders, the report indicates that improving performance is less about adding more tools and more about rethinking how work is orchestrated to support, rather than complicate, the human element of marketing.
As organizations look to scale their digital experiences, the successful application of AI will likely depend on its ability to reduce operational friction. By moving toward a more unified, agentic workflow, brands may finally be able to resolve the paradox of being more efficient yet less creative.
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
The findings are based on a survey conducted by Optimizely and Heinz Marketing of 227 marketing professionals across B2B industries. Respondents represent a mix of seniority levels, with 72% at the manager level or higher and 83% having more than eight years of experience. The survey included both quantitative and qualitative responses to capture sentiment, workflow challenges and perspectives on AI.
ABOUT OPTIMIZELY
Optimizely is on a mission to make the lives of marketers better with Optimizely One, powered by Optimizely Opal, the world's first AI orchestration platform for marketing and digital teams. Optimizely One combines industry-leading solutions across content management, content marketing, experimentation, commerce, personalization, and analytics—powering the entire marketing lifecycle through a single agentic workflow designed to support and scale work across marketers' most critical tasks. With the flexibility of a fully composable platform, Optimizely is proudly helping global brands like Salesforce, Zoom, New Era and Mazda deliver experiences of the highest quality.
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