News and Musings
Bright Objects
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Older professionals have the edge with AI
“If I don’t get my arms around AI as a late 40s marketer, I am cooked.” Those words I said to a colleague when I understood the technology meaningfully. My view now is that there’s a hidden advantage for older professionals, particularly those who have honed our...
I hallucinate more than AI does
Hallucination is an old term for a new concept. I first heard the term “hallucination” used in connection with AI during a presentation we organised earlier this year with Greg Shove, CEO of Section, hosted by Journey. Greg explained it (and reiterated in Professor...
Is this the reason your customers are disastisfied?
Occam’s Razor is an excellent way of cutting through when you’re having trouble marketing a product or service to customers. Often, the simplest explanation is the right one. William of Okham, the friar associated with the concept, would have a field day in today’s...
Marketing: going on attack, even when conditions are tough
Marketing and cricket analogy klaxon "Doubt kills more ideas than failure ever did" Brendon "Baz" McCallum, former captain of the New Zealand Black Caps and current head coach of the England team, didn’t invent the phrase, but he lives by it. It underpins the...
AI and marketing: 3 ways it’s overhyped, and 4 ways it’s changing the game
AI is two things at once: overhyped and genuinely game-changing, especially for marketing. 66% of marketers believe AI could replace their jobs within five years, while 61% already use it daily. But what’s real, and what’s just noise? To help us on this journey, I...
On starting again
There’s a wonderful purity in starting again. "It's about letting things go so you can get what you want." Bert Cooper from Mad Men was talking about account management, but he could easily have been referring to that moment when you realise it’s time to return to the...
Digital Marketing Conference (DigiMarCon) – recap, Day 2
The final day of DigiMarCon was notable in its focus on actionable, technical, and platform-specific insights. Like Day 1, we were blessed with deep domain experts who matched strategic vision with actual how-tos. It was “inside baseball” for digital marketers, with...
Digital Marketing Conference (DigiMarCon) – recap, Day 1
In August, I spent two days with intensely bright people discussing digital marketing at DigiMarCon. COVID struck some key talent, so I became emcee at short notice. It was an honour to introduce so many great speakers. Here, in brief, is what was discussed on Day 1:...
Honest review of Motion – AI-driven workflow/calendar assistant app.
Ads for Motion - an AI-driven workflow, calendar, and scheduling assistant- deluged me, and I eventually caved in because I was curious. And I think it's pretty great. Here are my thoughts after about three months of using their product, deep at the core of my working...