Mastercard's former CMO says we're entering a 'golden era' for marketing

Raja Rajamannar believes artificial intelligence poses one of the biggest threats marketers have ever faced. He also thinks it could usher in marketing's next great opportunity.

The 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.

In an interview on Business Insider's upcoming "CMO Insider" podcast, Rajamannar argued that AI could ultimately elevate the profession rather than diminish it.

"This is the golden era that we are about to enter as far as marketing is concerned," he said.

The prediction comes at a time when AI tools can generate 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.

Rajamannar acknowledges that risk. Yet he argues the same forces making content creation easier could increase the value of creativity and consumer insight.

AI is creating a 'sea of sameness'

Rajamannar said today's AI tools are available to nearly everyone, regardless of company size.

A global corporation and a small business can access many of the same platforms, enter similar prompts, and receive similar outputs, he said.

"What happens is the small companies are able to effectively now compete against the large companies," he said.

The result, he says, is a flood of similar-looking marketing. "Before you realize it becomes a sea of sameness," Rajamannar said.

He 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.

However, this doesn't reduce the importance of marketing, Rajamannar said. Rather, it increases it.

Why creativity matters more than ever

When companies have access to similar technology, differentiation becomes harder. That's where marketers can create value, he said.

"When there is a sea of sameness, original creativity matters."

He 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.

"You should have insights into the consumer's feelings, thoughts, and other emotions," he said.

The 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.

"Innovation and 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."

Marketers need to learn faster

Rajamannar stepped down as Mastercard's chief marketing and communications officer and became a senior fellow at the company at the start of 2026. The new role, he says, gives him more time to focus on AI in his own work.

Rajamannar says he uses tools such as Claude and NotebookLM to help filter information, summarize books and podcasts, and identify developments worth paying attention to.

He encourages marketers to approach technology with curiosity rather than fear. "You have to be curious about the technology," he said.

That extends beyond AI. Rajamannar says marketers should familiarize themselves with technologies ranging from augmented reality to blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

The 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.

Even so, Rajamannar remains optimistic about the profession's future.

As AI automates more routine tasks, he expects the qualities that make great marketers effective — creativity, judgment, empathy, and consumer understanding — to become more valuable.

Rather 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.

Correction: June 17, 2026 — An earlier version of this post misstated when Raja Rajamannar stepped down as CMO and became a senior fellow at Mastercard. It was the start of 2026.