How US DTC Brands Are Using AI and Data Strategy to Scale Faster Than Brands in the UK

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Find out how to maximise the value of your ecom brand here from the Fortia Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWAb34d_gp0

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Fortia Group – thefortiagroup.com

In this episode of D2C Diaries, we break down how the most ambitious US DTC brands are using AI tools, first-party data, and creative strategy to unlock scale, and why many UK brands are falling behind.

Fresh from a 3-month stint in New York, Joe Marston (co-founder of Soar With Us and For You Advertising) joins Loukas and Olly to share insights from inside the US market, ShopTalk conference takeaways, and the new AI stack reshaping growth marketing.

They cover:
→ AI & Creative Strategy: How tools like Foreplay, Grok (XAI), and ChatGPT are changing research and ideation and the power of prompt engineering in performance creative.

→ US vs UK Growth Mindset: The “investment vs cost” mindset that fuels American ambition and why networking, deal sizes, and brand positioning are radically different in the US. Also Joe highlights what UK founders can learn from the way US brands own first-party data to increase your valuation.

→ Future Trends: Why every service business needs to think like a software company, what Apple, Meta, and X are really building with their AI plays and the rise of AI agents and what’s next after creative automation.

Hit follow and subscribe to D2C Diaries for unfiltered conversations, cutting-edge growth strategies, and real talk from the frontlines of ecom.

New episodes every week.

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Follow Joe on socials:
Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-marston/
Twitter: https://x.com/JoeJMarston

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Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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