Will AI Replace Marketing Jobs in Wichita? Here’s What to Do in 2025

For marketers in Wichita, AI looks more like a turbocharger than a wrecking ball: a recent Mercury/Stacker analysis found 68% of AI adopters are scaling teams and 42% are hiring in marketing, signaling growth in customer‑facing roles rather than mass layoffs (Mercury/Stacker analysis of AI adoption in marketing).

At the same time, research from Wichita State shows AI can automate simple creative tasks - putting pressure on routine graphic and copy work - but still rewards human strengths like strategy, storytelling, and ethical judgment (Wichita State research on AI and the creative industry).

That mix means local teams will blend full‑time hires, contractors, and AI tools; upskilling is the fastest insurance policy, for example through practical programs like Nucamp's Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp (15-week), which teaches promptcraft and applied AI skills employers want in 15 weeks.

Bootcamp	Length	Cost (early bird)	Courses	More
AI Essentials for Work	15 Weeks	$3,582	AI at Work: Foundations; Writing AI Prompts; Job-Based Practical AI Skills	AI Essentials for Work syllabus (Nucamp)

“ChatGPT has been super handy as a starting point for lots of areas of writing such as emails to supporters, social media post, press releases and grant narratives. It doesn't bypass the whole writing process but it gives me a big boost.”

Kansas startups and small agencies are not pruning headcount - they're reshuffling and growing: a Mercury survey found 68% of AI adopters are actively scaling their teams and 42% are hiring in marketing, with 79% of significant AI users saying they're hiring more because of AI (even as costs for customer acquisition and tech rise) - a pattern that points to more full‑time roles plus heavy use of flexible talent rather than blanket layoffs (Mercury survey of early-stage entrepreneurs on AI hiring and scaling).

Locally, that shows up as a hiring mix Wichita marketers should expect: more openings in growth functions, widespread contractor reliance (61% of companies report being “reliant” on contract talent), and AI tools used to scale work faster - basically hiring with one hand while juggling higher CAC and new AI subscriptions.

The flip side: regional analyses warn some roles face real exposure to automation, so plan reskilling and contractor networks now rather than later (Kansas City report estimating AI job displacement and exposure).

“You have to be ready to respond when the AI fails.”

In Wichita, the most exposed marketing tasks are the predictable, repeatable chores - think bulk social posts, routine email sequences, A/B testing, lead tagging and basic copy or graphic edits - because generative systems and automation tools are explicitly built to do those at scale; industry guides list lead tagging, email scheduling and A/B testing as prime automation wins (AI automation for routine marketing tasks report), and regional practitioners note AI can take over calls, qualification and scheduling that once required human time (Kansas City digital marketer case study on AI automation).

KU School of Business experts warn the democratization of AI levels the playing field for basic writing and dynamic pricing but still struggles with novel strategic judgment, so tactical, repeatable work is where job descriptions will shrink or shift fastest (KU Business analysis of AI impacts on digital marketing).

The “so what?”: if a role can be reduced to predictable input→output steps, expect it to be augmented or packaged into contractor/automation workflows - leaving creative strategy, localization, and ethics as the human differentiators.

Task at Risk	Why (evidence)
Lead tagging & segmentation	Listed as automatable routine task in AI marketing resources
Email scheduling & sequence writing	Commonly automated; reduces repetitive writing work
A/B testing & reporting	AI speeds multivariate tests and optimization
Basic social media content creation & scheduling	Automation tools can generate and queue posts at scale
Call handling, lead qualification, appointment scheduling	Praxis examples from regional digital marketers

“With AI, you never have to worry about missing a call again.”

Wichita's marketing labor market is tilting toward roles that pair human judgment with AI horsepower: startups and agencies are hiring growth functions - business development, sales, marketing and customer service - at notable rates, a pattern laid out in the Mercury survey of AI adopters (Mercury/Stacker analysis of AI adoption in Wichita marketing), while demand for data‑focused skills (data analysis, AI modeling, annotation and visualization) is rising fast according to Upwork's 2025 in‑demand list (Upwork and Stacker 2025 most in-demand skills report).

On the creative side, Wichita State's review shows advertising and marketing professionals are using AI's data analysis to craft more targeted campaigns - so content strategists, campaign analysts, UX/designers and video editors are being augmented rather than replaced (Wichita State study on AI use in the creative industry).

The practical takeaway: expect more hybrid roles - social and content managers who can interpret AI analytics, marketers who build prompts and workflows, and consultants who train teams - and picture a marketer's toolkit upgraded like a pilot's flight computer, guiding smarter, faster decisions without taking the seat from the human pilot.

Role	Evidence
Business development	44% of AI adopters hiring (Mercury)
Sales	43% of AI adopters hiring (Mercury)
Marketing	42% of AI adopters hiring (Mercury)
Customer service	42% of AI adopters hiring (Mercury)
Data & AI roles	High demand for data analysis, ML, annotation (Upwork)

“The future of our schools is the future of our community.”

Wichita startups and local agencies are stitching together hybrid teams - full‑time strategists, on‑demand contractors, and AI tools - to move faster and keep campaigns measurable: national reporting shows platform dominance and AI‑led automation are forcing agencies to deliver data‑driven work at pace (how brands have shifted digital spend in 2025), and regional shops sell the value of local expertise while leaning on flexible talent for execution.

Founders nationwide report using contractors to expand capacity quickly (64%), delay permanent hires (32%), and tap global talent (32%), with 61% saying their company is reliant on contract talent - and AI adopters are substantially more likely to scale via contractors rather than cut headcount (Mercury startup economics report 2025 on contractor use and AI impact).

The practical effect in Wichita: expect core strategy, measurement and client relationships to stay in‑house, while content production, ad ops and rapid A/B testing get outsourced or automated - teams functioning like a pit crew swapping parts mid‑campaign so the car never loses speed.

Metric	Value / Evidence
Companies “reliant” on contractors	61% (Mercury)
Use contractors to expand capacity	64% (Mercury)
AI adopters increasing contractor use	69% report using contractors more (Mercury)
Hiring because of AI	79% of AI adopters say AI is driving hiring (Mercury)

Wichita marketers should prioritize hands‑on prompt engineering, local SEO and hyperlocal content, and basic data skills that turn AI outputs into business value - not just passively using tools.

Practical training like the Kansas SBDC's “Master Prompt Engineering” session teaches promptcraft that speeds campaign drafts and automations (Kansas SBDC Master Prompt Engineering session - Wichita A Day of Innovation), while local‑first tactics - optimizing Google Business Profiles, targeting “near me” queries and conversational keywords - are core to winning nearby customers (How AI Is Transforming Local SEO for Wichita Businesses - local SEO strategies for Wichita).

Complement those with data literacy and measurement so AI recommendations become testable improvements (Microsoft's business use cases show AI frees teams for higher‑value analysis), and use practical templates - prompt and ICP builders - to standardize workflows and guard authenticity (ICP Builder template for Wichita SMBs - prompt and ICP templates for local marketing).

The payoff is concrete: faster, locally relevant content that converts, with human oversight where it matters most - strategy, tone, and ethics, not just automation.

Skill	Why (evidence)
Prompt engineering	Featured session at Kansas SBDC A Day of Innovation
Local SEO & hyperlocal content	Improves discovery for Wichita searches and voice queries (Simplicity Marketing)
Data literacy & measurement	AI frees time for analysis across industries (Microsoft AI use cases)
AI literacy & ethical oversight	NDIA and local training emphasize inclusive, informed adoption

This event has passed but you can find additional AI training opportunities with the Kansas SBDC by clicking the button below.

Practical steps for Wichita marketers start with a quick skills audit tied to regional demand: map current strengths against the Talent Roadmap's future‑forward skills (coding, data analytics, promptcraft) and pick one measurable gap to close in the next 90 days by using local training and hands‑on projects; then convert learning into real work - Kansas' Micro‑Internships program lists short, paid assignments (5–40 hours) designed to

serve as a bridge to future employment,

a perfect way to get portfolio pieces and employer eyes on your AI‑augmented skills.

Visit the Kansas Micro‑Internships program for details on short paid projects and application steps (Kansas Micro‑Internships program - Kansas Board of Regents Workforce Development).

Next, tap community pathways: use Choose Wichita's curated job‑seeker resources and networks to find openings, mentorship and local employers actively hiring for growth roles (Choose Wichita job‑seeker resources and local employer connections), and follow the Talent Roadmap's playbook - partner with employers, attend workshops, and aim for credentialed, short courses that align with employer feedback loops (Greater Wichita Talent Roadmap - workforce strategy and skills guidance).

The payoff is concrete: shrink a skill gap into a 5–40 hour sprint project that lands on a resume and makes conversations with hiring managers much more persuasive.

Action	Local resource
Audit skills & set a 90‑day goal	Greater Wichita Talent Roadmap - skills and employer needs
Get hands‑on experience (short, paid projects)	Kansas Micro‑Internships - workforce development projects
Find workshops, jobs, and local networks	Choose Wichita - resources for job seekers and networking

Industry-by-industry, Wichita's opportunity map is clear: manufacturers are moving fastest to pair AI with skilled technicians - think predictive maintenance, data annotation and analytics roles that lift shop‑floor work from repetitive tasks to higher‑value problem solving (see the Manufacturing Institute's overview on AI in manufacturing).

At the same time, startups and regional firms are hiring across growth functions - sales, business development and marketing - because AI is driving expansion rather than cuts, according to a recent Mercury survey of AI adopters, which also shows heavy contractor use to scale campaigns.

Creative and advertising shops in Wichita can win by embedding AI into concepting and targeted campaigns while keeping human judgment for strategy and ethics, a pattern Wichita State documents in its review of AI's role in the creative industries.

The practical “so what?”: train for hybrid skills - promptcraft, analytics and domain knowledge - so local marketers can operate the tools that automate routine work and own the human parts that still create real value.

Industry	Opportunity	Evidence
Manufacturing	Predictive maintenance, data analytics, annotation	Manufacturing Institute overview on AI in manufacturing
Startups / Retail	Sales, business development, marketing hires; contractor scaling	Mercury survey of AI adopters on hiring and contractor use
Creative & Advertising	Augmented campaign strategy, faster concepting with human oversight	Wichita State review of AI's role in the creative industries

“We're living through one of the most exciting times in manufacturing history.”

The balanced outlook for Wichita marketing jobs in 2025 is neither doom nor boom but a steady remix: local employers are more often expanding teams and leaning on flexible talent as AI scales work - Mercury's startup survey found 68% of AI adopters are growing headcount and 79% say they're hiring because of AI - so expect more roles in growth functions even as routine tasks get automated (Mercury startup survey: AI adopters growing headcount and hiring because of AI).

At the same time, broad studies show AI does best at writing, research and repeatable communications while strategic creativity and client‑facing judgment remain human strongholds (Microsoft-backed analysis: AI's impact on marketing jobs and skills), and the emerging hiring premium goes to hybrid “AI generalists” who blend tool fluency with soft skills - Upwork documents how these generalists and freelancers increasingly use AI for augmentation rather than replacement, moving 71% of use toward higher‑value work (Upwork research on freelancer AI use: augmentation versus automation).

The practical takeaway for Wichita: double down on promptcraft, measurement and client relationships so AI becomes a force multiplier - like adding a precision GPS to a delivery van that speeds routes but still needs a driver to read neighborhood cues.

Metric	Value / Source
AI adopters actively scaling teams	68% (Mercury)
Hiring because of AI	79% (Mercury)
Top hiring functions	Business dev 44%, Sales 43%, Marketing 42% (Mercury)
Freelancer AI use: augmentation vs automation	71% augmentation / 29% automation (Upwork)

“As of today, AI can't play golf,”

In short: Wichita marketers don't need to wait for AI to “decide” careers - they can act locally and fast by using campus networks, practical workshops, and focused training to turn AI from threat into tool.

Tap Wichita State University Marketing Department and student groups like the Shocker Student Marketing Association to build real-world experience and employer connections (Wichita State University Marketing Department official page), join hands-on events such as the WSU KSBDC Small Business Marketing Meetup for local panels and networking (WSU KSBDC Small Business Marketing Meetup event page), and fill promptcraft and applied-AI gaps with a compact, practical course like Nucamp's 15-week AI Essentials for Work (Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp - registration and program details).

Treat these resources as a neighborhood toolkit - student orgs, meetups, and short bootcamps - that together sharpen local SEO, prompt engineering, and measurement skills so marketers can supervise AI, not be supervised by it.

Resource	Link / Contact
WSU Marketing Department	Wichita State University Marketing Department official page
Shocker Student Marketing Association (SSMA)	OrgSync: Shocker Student Marketing Association OrgSync chapter (faculty advisor: duane.nagel@wichita.edu)
WSU KSBDC Small Business Marketing Meetup	WSU KSBDC Small Business Marketing Meetup events page
Nucamp - AI Essentials for Work (15 weeks)	Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp - registration and syllabus