"Repurpose Old Filing Cabinet" is Literally a Trending Pinterest Search
Written by: Jules Flesner
Ahh, the Good ol’ Days. Fewer Channels. Filing Cabinets. Face-to-Face. Familiar.
Not that long ago, the word marketing was focused. Nearly 80% of today’s workforce can remember a time in their careers when there were:
Ads with a limited amount of publishers, mainly in radio, TV, newspapers (think CBS, NBC, Gannett)
Flyers + “Open/Closed” or “For Rent” signs (no GPS)
Walk-in shopping + tours only
Products, services and rent collected in cash and in-person
Phone calls, direct mail, letter notices for customer communication
Word-of-mouth referrals tracked by memory or paper cards
Websites designed for one screen size (a desktop computer)
Leasing files in metal cabinets (not to make you feel old, but… these are now purchased for $6 at Goodwill and recycled into herb gardens)
Today: Complex, Tech-Heavy, Always-On
Simplicity suddenly gave way to complexity:
Millions of publishers (newsflash: social media is a self-publishing tool + every account counts)
Websites that must adapt to countless combos of screen sizes, devices, and accessibility modes (miss one, and the clunky navigation will hurt your search engine credibility)
Integrated CRM systems + automated drips (email/SMS)
Paid ads across Google, social + other digital marketplaces
AI-powered chatbots, AI voice assistants, online tour schedulers
AI search (Answer Engine Optimization “AEO”) shaping how customers find you
Online customer portals: payments, account balances, document sharing, service requests, appointment scheduling, custom forms, profile + communication preference management
Real-time reporting dashboards + business intelligence tools
An explosion of fake + AI-generated reviews (ICYMI: these were banned by the FTC in 2024)
Social media sparking harmful (even fraudulent) trends overnight, with few protections or accountability measures in place for businesses
Today’s workers who have only ever known this tech-heavy business world represent about 15-20% of the current workforce.
The gap between generational mindsets is widening, even if no one wants to address it out loud. Company leaders (boomers, Gen X, millennials) are clinging to traditional marketing department staffing formulas built during the “filing cabinet” era. Everyone else is burned out, dealing with today’s reality. When burnout erodes culture, company profits plummet.
“One-person-doing-it-all” marketing staffing strategies are still in use, even though this model only worked when there were 5–7 apps/tools for one role to manage. Today it can be dozens.
Why isn’t anyone talking about this?
For staff, maybe it’s fear of losing their jobs. For leaders, maybe it’s the work involved, or not enough understanding of the technology needed to adjust business plans, budgets, staffing strategies.
When companies cut expenses, traditional marketing budgets and staff are often the first to go. Counterintuitively, leadership often fails to give teams the time and training to keep up with fast-changing technology, missing the full value these roles could bring to the company’s competitive advantage and business development.
The last tech stack chart I designed for a client included 28 different apps + software that a single staff member was expected to juggle to complete their workload… phew. Org charts are outdated. Job titles no longer match the value current staff or new candidates could bring.
The market disruption we’re in is very real, and it’s painful. Workload burnout and generational divides are eroding company culture. (I know this because I’m at your industry conferences, listening.)
<< Cue the Optimism >>
But it doesn’t have to be this way!
If company decision-makers are willing to embrace ‘innovate or die’ and ‘whatever it takes’ mindsets. Most leaders truly want to keep their company culture healthy and retain and recruit good people. As next steps, it’s great to:
Audit workloads honestly
Schedule 60-minute meetings for each team member to present candid feedback on their workload. If staff are managing 10+ apps/platforms or consistently not using their PTO, the problem is likely organizational, not individual.
Invest in training
Once workloads are assessed, build breathing room into the workweek so staff can actually learn new tools and track trends critical to their role’s focus. Prioritize large-scale conference attendance to spread training time away from the desk more evenly. Same as the gym: without consistency, there’s no real strength training.
Resketch your org chart
Titles from 2005 (or even 2015) don’t fit 2025. Consider dropping the word marketing as a catchall and decentralizing responsibilities into what they really are: outreach strategy, graphic design, technology, CRM and more.
Create bridge roles to fill gaps
It’s fine to hire for your operational “gray zone,” but be clear about it upfront in recruitment ads. Otherwise, you risk misleading new hires and burning out top talent. Prioritize candidates with phenomenal interpersonal and organizational skills who can bridge legal, accounting, business development, sales and operations (overlaps are growing faster than you may realize).
Call in specialists
Bringing in outside support takes the pressure off your team and adds expertise you may not have in-house, especially during whirlwind startup and rapid growth phases, or even when scaling back.
<< Cue the Shameless Plug >>
Vermillion Design can help connect the dots, fill the gaps, and help you build outreach strategies that actually work in the AI era. I have a rare ability to see your business plan from every stakeholder angle, and bring a national network of high-caliber backup support to move your startup or improvement initiatives over the finish line. I'll even share free tips on how to keep succulents and cacti thriving if you’re repurposing an old filing cabinet into a planter.
Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Always consult a qualified attorney for guidance on contracts and compliance related to emerging technologies. I am not an attorney. I’m just a Problem Solver who steps in to bridge sophisticated role gaps and transition companies out of outdated marketing models, helping them survive + thrive in the new AI era.
