It was a classic Chicago spring afternoon—clear skies, a good game, and then suddenly… a sharp wind off the lake. We were in a suite at Wrigley Field for a corporate marketing event, enjoying the game from the balcony seats, when the temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees in what felt like five minutes. That’s early May in Chicago for you. As everyone filed back inside for warmth, the shop talk began.
A few of us—Gen Xers who are now leaders on major corporate marketing teams—started comparing notes. Not on the weather, but on how we manage. How we lead differently than the generations before us. The conversation quickly shifted to transformation, risk, and how we’re approaching AI—not as a buzzword, but as a toolset.
That conversation stuck with me.
It reminded me that, just like we did in the early days of our careers, Gen X is once again working just outside the spotlight. But make no mistake: we’re driving the real transformation. Especially when it comes to AI in marketing.
From the Margins to the Middle Seat
Back in the '80s and early '90s, I was grinding my way through undergrad at Saint Louis University while working full-time. It took me eight years to finish, but I didn’t see that as a failure—I saw it as survival. My friends and I weren’t tuned into the mainstream. Our culture lived off the dial.
One of my closest friends used to order import records from the UK and loan them to DJs at WMRY 101.1 FM, a progressive rock station out of Belleville, Illinois. WMRY was unlike anything else in the market—owned by the Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, but with no real religious programming. It was commercial-free, playing alternative and underground music, and the DJs programmed their own shows. It was pure Gen X: DIY, under the radar, and full of signals the mainstream hadn’t caught yet.
In contrast, KSHE ruled the St. Louis radio market with a Boomer-focused classic rock format. We didn’t fit there. And that’s the point.
That yellow WMRY bumper sticker? It’s still taped to the wall of my old room at my parents’ house. I see it every time I visit. It reminds me that we weren’t raised to follow trends—we were raised to find what mattered and amplify it ourselves. That mindset never left. It just evolved.
We grew up finding our own path—whether it was music, media, or work. That mindset didn’t go away when we got promoted. It’s what’s powering how we lead today.
Why Gen X Is Built for AI Leadership
AI adoption in marketing doesn’t succeed because you added “machine learning” to a slide. It succeeds because someone—usually behind the scenes—is testing, iterating, refining, and proving real value. That’s where Gen X shines.
We're the ones who:
- Evaluate tools not by hype, but by lift.
- Ask the awkward questions early.
- Launch test pilots before asking for budget.
- Measure performance, not impressions.
We came of age learning to fix our own problems. We don’t expect AI to be magic. We expect it to be useful.
AI Isn’t Aspirational—It’s Operational
In corporate marketing departments, there’s often a lot of energy spent on AI optics. Executive decks, vision statements, innovation summits. But while that theater plays out, Gen X leaders are in the trenches:
- Setting up predictive models in Salesforce and actually checking the regression strength.
- Using ChatGPT to automate creative briefs—not to write the campaign.
- Testing dynamic content frameworks that reduce review cycles by 40%—not just adding personalization tokens and calling it a day.
We’re building systems. Not hype.
Bridging the Generational Divide
We also play a unique role in today’s multigenerational workforce. We understand the Boomer emphasis on structure and reliability. We appreciate the Millennial and Gen Z desire for transparency and flexibility. And because we’ve had to operate in both worlds, we know how to translate between them.
That makes us natural integrators—a vital role as AI touches every part of the marketing org, from creative to ops to compliance.
The Bottom Line
Gen X leaders aren’t waiting to be anointed the “AI transformation generation.” That’s not how we work.
We’re shipping MVPs. We’re building content ops. We’re automating backend workflows so creative teams can breathe again. We’re not reinventing marketing. We’re making it work better—with AI as a tool, not a trophy.
We didn’t grow up expecting a seat at the head of the table. But don’t mistake that for passivity. We’re not the loudest voice in the room—but when the AI revolution in marketing hits its stride, look around.
Chances are, a Gen Xer built the engine.
Let's Talk:
Are you a Gen X marketing leader quietly rolling out AI inside your org? Or someone who came up through the same analog-to-digital shift with an eye for impact over applause? I’d love to hear your story—and how you're putting AI to work without the theater.
