South Africa, June 9 -- Maintaining brand distinctiveness against emerging competitors has entered the top tier of concerns for the first time for marketers.

It speaks to how dramatically the media landscape has shifted.

This is according to Agency Scopen, which says that the context in which brands are trying to stand out has never been more complicated.

AI the primary challenge

Nearly three-quarters of marketers cite adapting to AI as their primary challenge in 2025, a figure that has almost doubled since 2023.

Meanwhile, budgets are shrinking and pressure to prove ROI is rising. Marketers are being asked to do more with less, faster, in a landscape that is changing shape beneath them.

But here is the uncomfortable paradox at the ...