I use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot to explore career plans, obligations, ambitions and even moments of self-doubt. It’s not just about finding answers — it’s about gaining clarity by seeing your ideas reflected, reframed, or expanded. Millions rely on AI for guidance, trusting these systems to help navigate life’s complexities. Yet, every…
When your prospects walk into a sales call with little to no research, they expect one thing from your marketing team: trust. The key to building that trust lies in how your marketing copy addresses their problems, presents solutions and offers insights they can’t find elsewhere. Let’s break down three must-follow rules to help your…
What can a NASA engineer teach the martech community? Quite a bit and the most valuable lessons go beyond technical expertise — emphasizing communication, leadership and problem-solving strategies that drive project success. John Ruffa, a former NASA engineer and my good friend, shares these insights in his book “Nice Guys Finish Last And Other Workplace…
AI tools are transforming how marketers research, write and make decisions. But this growing reliance on automation could come with serious risks. As powerful as AI can be, its dominance may undermine critical thinking and strategic skills. The rise of AI in search and marketing An interesting piece of research was released in late December…
An overwhelming workload keeps marketers from learning or implementing AI tools that can cut that load down to size. That, in a nutshell, is the “marketing AI paradox.” How can marketers break this cycle? Here’s a structured, actionable approach to overcome the paradox and take advantage of AI. Step 1: Eliminate low-value activities Most marketing…
To paraphrase an old saying: “New customers are silver; old customers are gold.” Keeping customers you already have is less expensive, consumes less time and provides a reliable income stream. Despite this, marketers spend remarkably little effort on customer retention. “About how much time and effort, and on a percentage basis, are you seeing being…
How often have you seen ads promising a single tool or platform as the ultimate solution to all your marketing challenges — guaranteeing quality leads and sales while saving you time and money? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. No one consumes media in a vacuum, so why limit your…
Let’s be honest: seeing Gartner’s latest CMO spending report probably made your stomach drop. Marketing budgets are down 15% year-over-year. Only 24% of CMOs feel confident about their 2024 funding. This sparked doom-and-gloom predictions about marketing’s diminishing role in 2025. But here’s the truth: this isn’t a crisis of budgets — it’s a crisis of…
Diversity and inclusion in marketing can improve business outcomes. Just as assembling a team from different personal backgrounds yields positive outcomes, a team with diverse career backgrounds can benefit a martech team and its broader organization. Fortunately, there are many aspects to an individual’s career that avail themselves to provide diverse insights. The growing complexity…
A new loyalty management solution aimed at retailers and CPG brands will be released by SAP in the second half of 2025. It also entered the agentic space on behalf of retail, with a shopping assistant AI agent, made to integrate with any ecommerce storefront, that will be generally available in the first half of…