At Amazon's recent seller conference, the conversation shifted from AI tools to a surprising talent gap, as sellers report their biggest need is for strategic brand-builders.
Marketing consultant Katherine LeBrun sees the talent shortage as a culture problem, where businesses prioritize short-term metrics over long-term brand value.
LeBrun calls for a "hybrid marketer" who combines brand storytelling with retail media fluency to win customers emotionally before the point of sale, a human-centric skill that AI cannot replicate.
AI was the topic du jour at Amazon's recent Accelerate conference. But amidst the hype, a surprising counter-narrative emerged from sellers: the need for better talent. As AI standardizes the tactical execution of e-commerce, an "AI leveling effect" is making it more difficult to stand out. Now, instead of technical execution, distinction comes from brand, messaging, and customer connection.
For some experts, it’s a sign that human taste, not just technology, is what will ultimately cut through the noise. One of those voices belongs to Katherine LeBrun, a Marketing Consultant and Certified StoryBrand Coach. With nearly two decades of experience leading marketing efforts at giants like Amazon, Meta, and Wayfair, LeBrun brings a wealth of knowledge to the subject. From her perspective, there's a fundamental disconnect between how businesses measure success and what actually drives sustainable growth.
Leap of faith: The talent shortage is a result of a culture problem that manifests as an attribution gap, LeBrun explains. For her, the tension is symptomatic of a business world that has long been conditioned to favor short-term gains over long-term value. It's a dynamic that technology itself is beginning to highlight, she says. "For the last twenty years, marketing has been pressured to attribute every dollar to a direct sale. But marketers are not salespeople. This makes long-term brand building incredibly hard to justify because the return on that investment isn't immediate. Most business leaders are simply uncomfortable with that leap of faith."
Unicorns vs. algorithms: Now, the market is searching for a new type of leader: a "hybrid marketer." According to LeBrun, the ideal candidate is a rare breed, someone both fluent in retail media and a master of brand storytelling. But this magical unicorn is also in short supply, largely because AI is automating one skill set while amplifying needs for the other. "What sellers want now is a more strategic, brand-building, and community-creating approach. This requires a fundamentally different skill set from the classic performance marketer, whose data-driven skills are being automated by AI. The messaging, the brand building, and the look and feel of your brand. That's the human-centric marketing AI won't replace. The moment you standardize your uniqueness, you become just like everyone else."
The value of this modern marketer lies in their ability to execute a more holistic strategy, LeBrun continues. In practice, that means building an emotional connection on social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram. That way, when consumers arrive on Amazon, their decision is already heavily influenced, she says. "Successful brands combine their on-Amazon and off-Amazon strategies. Most consumers go to Amazon with the intent to buy. The brands that connect with consumers emotionally off-Amazon tend to be the ones that win on-Amazon."
Building, not fighting: To illustrate the returns of brand-first investment, LeBrun points to the transformation of New Balance as a compelling real-world example. For her, the move embodies both the value of an “off-Amazon” strategy and patient brand-building to achieve results that short-term tactics alone cannot. "For years, New Balance was seen as an older person's brand in a very crowded category. Yet over the last two years, they invested heavily in their brand. They built their way into a new market through strategic brand-building activities, rather than relying on discounts or ad strategy alone."
Ultimately, the path forward relies on distinctly human skills, LeBrun concludes. Because even as AI continues to scale precision, it still cannot scale meaning. In closing, she offers a word of caution against leaders looking for an easy path. "Business leaders think there are shortcuts, expecting immediate sales from superficial efforts. But brand building is a non-transactional investment. Customers sense inauthenticity. Instead, leaders should study successful brands, recognizing it's a long-term process without quick fixes."
