And why companies can’t afford to ignore flexible talent strategies for their marketing department.
As workloads continue to rise, hiring slows, and job remits expand, many marketers are increasingly turning outside their organizations for support and inspiration.
Recent Career & Salary Survey data shows that nearly half of internal marketing teams (46.2%) have outsourced at least one aspect of their marketing to an agency, specialist, or consultancy in the past year alone.For over a quarter of respondents (28.7%), outsourcing has become a necessity as teams shrink and internal capacity is stretched. Skills gaps also play a major role, with almost half (48.7%) citing a lack of in-house expertise. Others point to the flexibility outsourcing offers, including not needing a full-time hire (28.9%) or using external partners as part of broader cost-saving efforts (14.4%).
While agencies offer valuable expertise and integrated services, businesses often perceive their pricing as expensive, particularly when it comes to high retainers, rising rates, and premium hourly costs. These costs, combined with opaque ROI or minimum engagement terms, lead many organizations to explore hybrid talent models (in-house plus contingent specialists) to balance cost, capabilities, and flexibility.
This brings us to our point... hiring contingent marketing talent provides a strategic advantage that unlocks agility, innovation, and operational resilience.
Contingent talent includes freelancers, contractors, consultants, and other non-permanent workers businesses tap for specific skills and defined project scopes. Unlike full-time hires, contingent professionals bring on-demand capability without long-term commitment, helping companies adapt quickly to changing priorities.
The contingent labor market for marketing professionals is growing quickly as organizations look for flexible ways to access specialist skills and scale output. Recent data highlights just how significant this shift has become:
Together, these trends point to a deeper reliance on contingent workers, allowing companies to reinforce in-house teams with on-demand expertise, increased agility and faster execution without the constraints of permanent hiring.
Flexible talent strategies are not just a trend, they’re reshaping how businesses compete.
The answer is simple - any time you need extra support without the need (or ability) to bring on a resource(s) full-time! Below are three times your marketing team can benefit from contingent marketing talent.
Smaller marketing teams often face intense “peak moments” around major initiatives such as end-of-quarter launches, product webinars, or high-volume content pushes. Modern marketing campaigns are far from quick wins, they’re long, complex initiatives that place significant demands on already overstretched teams. Research shows that 89% of marketers say their most recent campaign took between two and six months from concept to launch, with planning alone often requiring four to six weeks before execution even begins. Add to that campaign runtimes of six to twelve weeks (or longer) and the need for five to seven audience touchpoints to drive results, and it’s clear that campaigns require sustained effort across strategy, creative, execution, and analysis.
For lean or mid-sized marketing teams, these extended timelines and multi-channel demands can quickly stretch capacity, turning campaigns into a major source of pressure rather than momentum.
How leveraging contingent talent helps small marketing teams:
This means hitting campaign KPIs without derailing core operations and a critical competitive edge in fast-moving markets.
Launching a new product is one of the most complex initiatives a marketing team takes on, requiring tight coordination across messaging, content, events, technical writing, and sales enablement. Yet despite their importance, launches are often under-prioritised and inconsistently resourced. According to Product Marketing software company Ignition, 42% of companies invest fewer than 50 hours in a major launch, while nearly 22% spend more than 200 hours, revealing a lack of standardized process. The issue isn’t just underinvestment, it’s misallocation. One in ten companies spends over 100 hours on minor launches, even as 66.7% of organiszations don’t treat launches as a high priority, despite 79.5% reporting that launches significantly impact revenue.
The takeaway is clear: launches shouldn’t be treated as ad hoc projects. Teams that adopt a structured, repeatable go-to-market approach are better positioned to balance effort, reduce wasted time, and maximize impact. Successful launches also demand a broad mix of skills, from product marketers and GTM strategists to technical content creators, designers, and producers, making them a prime example of where thoughtful resourcing and augmentation can determine success.
Contingent marketing talent helps companies fill skill gaps without long recruiting cycles, enabling them to:
Having access to this mix of expertise, whether in-house or via contingent talent, is critical for executing complex campaigns efficiently and effectively.
Rebrands are major undertakings that often span many months, require meaningful investment, and involve updating hundreds of assets across the organisation. Typically occurring every seven to ten years, with smaller refreshes in between, rebrands challenge internal teams to balance long-term brand strategy with the demands of day-to-day marketing execution. This complexity is compounded by internal biases and legacy thinking, which can slow progress at a time when clarity and consistency matter most.
The stakes are high. According to Business Wire, 98% of consumers notice when a brand rebrands, and 87% form an immediate assumption about the brand based on those changes. With perception shifting so quickly, careful planning, strong alignment, and disciplined execution are critical to maximizing impact. When done well, rebrands can sharpen positioning and strengthen relevance; when done poorly, they risk confusion and erosion of trust.
Marketing teams can leverage contingent talent to help with:
For the small-but-mighty marketing team, injecting external talent during a rebrand enhances alignment and accelerates execution, reducing time to market and ensuring messaging consistency across touchpoints.
To maximize impact, marketing teams should approach contingent talent strategically rather than tactically.
Set measurable objectives and KPIs before engaging contractors to ensure alignment with business goals.
Create streamlined processes so external talent can contribute from day one.
Treat contingent workers as partners by integrating them into teams, sharing tools, and providing access to data and communication channels.
Maintain relationships with top performers for future campaigns and initiatives, reducing hiring friction over time.
Campaign peaks, product launches, and rebrands are defining moments for marketing teams; opportunities to accelerate growth, sharpen positioning, and deepen customer engagement. Yet without the right support, these moments can just as easily stretch internal teams thin and expose capability gaps. That’s where contingent marketing talent delivers real impact, providing the right expertise at the right time without adding long-term overhead.
Today, contingent talent is no longer simply a cost-saving measure; it’s a strategic workforce lever. By enabling speed and agility, unlocking specialized skills, and allowing teams to scale resources efficiently, flexible talent turns high-stakes initiatives into competitive advantages rather than stress points.
Move faster, execute better, and win when it matters most. If you’re preparing for an upcoming launch, campaign, or rebrand, we have your back. Contact us to learn how we can augment your marketing team with pro marketing moms who GSD!