The Digital Marketing Podcast

Matthew Gardiner, a travel industry expert representing World Travel Market, shares insights on the evolving user journey shaped by AI. He highlights how AI conversations are replacing traditional multi-step booking processes and the significance of structured data as a new distribution channel. The discussion also delves into the impact of source content on AI discovery, emerging tourism trends, and shifting consumer expectations for sustainability. This talk is a must-listen for anyone looking to adapt their digital strategies in today’s fragmented landscape.

In this special episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles sits down with Alex Schultz, Meta’s Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Analytics, to unpack the future of digital marketing, and why the fundamentals still matter more than ever. Alex shares lessons from his remarkable journey: from running the world’s top paper airplane website to leading growth at Meta, managing multi-billion dollar ad campaigns, and now authoring the industry-defining book Click Here. With high-profile endorsements from Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Daniel Ek, and Matthew Vaughn, the book has already gettimg rave reviews, and Daniel is putting it straight onto the reading list for his students at Imperial College. Together, Daniel and Alex dig into the core principles of great marketing: how to set meaningful goals, measure true impact, build high-performance teams, and embrace AI without losing your strategic edge. In This Episode: Why Alex wrote Click Here and why the industry desperately needed a book that gets back to fundamentals, marketing measurement, and pride in the profession. The power of incrementality: How to run meaningful tests, avoid vanity metrics, and prove real value to your CEO and CFO. Why goals are not the same as metrics and how mixing them up can derail your marketing efforts. The importance of awareness:  Why most businesses fail because people simply don’t know they exist. Marketing mix matters: How one newspaper mention outperformed every digital channel—and why the basics still beat the buzz. Mediocre marketing + great conversion = success: Why broken funnels kill campaigns, no matter how brilliant your creative is. How Meta builds defensible growth : What sets their marketing apart, from deep integration with product and engineering, to AI-powered insights. AI’s real impact on marketing jobs: A breakdown of the three kinds of disruption AI will bring, and why the marketers who embrace it will thrive. Paper planes, transparency, and unexpected beginnings: Hear how Alex’s nerdy hobby turned into a viral website, and why he publicly shares his university grades to inspire others. Key Takeaways: Get back to basics: Clear goals, good data, and fundamental models (like the funnel) still win. Measure what matters: Metrics are not goals - incrementality is everything. Focus on defensibility and scale in your marketing channels, don’t waste time on things that can’t grow. AI won’t replace marketers - marketers who use AI will replace those who don’t. Be transparent and human: Success doesn’t require perfection, it requires clarity, curiosity, and continuous learning. 📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at:   📩 Join the free newsletter for access to monthly live sessions:

Discover the transformative power of a regenerative mindset in marketing! Far from just a trend, it aims to restore and grow rather than merely sustain. Explore how AI can alleviate cognitive burdens while fueling creativity. The whimsical tale of a goose believing he’s a chicken illustrates resilience in overcoming negativity. Learn how integrating principles from permaculture can lead to smarter digital strategies and effective audience engagement. Embrace a new way of working that values adaptability and experimentation!

Discover how Google’s AI Max campaigns are reshaping marketing strategies by leveraging keywordless signals and user behavior. Learn about the decline in organic click-through rates as AI-generated content dominates search results. The hosts delve into the transformative impact of Long Language Models on SEO, stressing the importance of adapting to evolving search behaviors. They also introduce innovative tools like GenType and Google Notebook LM to enhance your digital marketing tactics for a rapidly changing landscape.

Explore the revolutionary potential of ChatGPT Agents in reshaping digital marketing. Discover how these AI agents are automating complex tasks, logging into websites, analyzing data, and creating content, all while raising security concerns. Dive into real-world applications, like generating LinkedIn posts and content strategy recommendations. The discussion also highlights the importance of agile responses and a culture of continuous learning in navigating these changes. Plus, learn about the challenges junior marketers face in an increasingly automated landscape.

The hosts delve into the rapidly changing landscape of SEO driven by AI tools like ChatGPT. They discuss how search behavior is shifting, with organic results often pushed down, and stress the rising importance of brand sentiment over traditional ranking factors. The conversation highlights the significance of no-click searches and how platforms like Wikipedia are shaping perceptions. Practical tips for adapting SEO strategies are shared, emphasizing the need for updated content and engagement to maintain visibility in this new era.

Brendan Kane, a viral strategist and author of One Million Followers, shares his insights on creating infectious content. He reveals that going viral isn't just luck; it’s a repeatable process grounded in storytelling nuances. Kane discusses the innovative storytelling techniques he used to grow an audience of a million followers in just 30 days. He emphasizes the importance of qualitative analysis over mere metrics and explains how even the most mundane industries can thrive on social media. Quality and authenticity, he argues, are the keys to meaningful engagement.

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles sits down with copywriting and AI expert Kerry Harrison to explore one of the most exciting—and often misunderstood—areas of artificial intelligence: AI-powered copywriting. Together, they dive into how Anthropic’s Claude AI compares to tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, and why Claude is quickly becoming a favourite for writers who care about tone, style, and ethical AI. Kerry, a seasoned copywriter and trainer, shares her hands-on experiences using Claude to create high-quality marketing content. She explains how Claude's intuitive interface, stylistic flexibility, and alignment with ethical AI principles make it a uniquely powerful tool for communicators, marketers, and brands. But this isn’t just a tool review. It’s a masterclass in how to approach AI copywriting strategically. Daniel and Kerry explore a human-first methodology called the AI Sandwich, a practical framework for combining human creativity with AI efficiency. They tackle big questions about authenticity, originality, and prompt engineering, and show how to avoid the cookie-cutter feel that plagues so much AI-generated content. Highlights include: Why Claude’s tone of voice and writing capabilities often outperform other models for consumer copy How to train Claude on your own style and get responses that reflect your brand’s voice How to use Claude’s Projects feature to build custom tools like tone checkers, newsletter editors, and interactive customer personas A breakdown of the AI Sandwich Methodology (Human → AI → Human) for crafting content that feels human, not robotic Techniques for fact-checking, editing, and sense-checking AI outputs to avoid hallucinations and blandness How Kerry uses Claude for marketing strategy, persona creation, positioning, and ideation Tips for integrating Claude with Gmail and calendar tools to improve time management and workflow efficiency This episode is packed with actionable ideas, whether you're a content creator, strategist, marketer, or business owner. You’ll learn how to write better prompts, extract more value from AI tools, and remain fiercely authentic and creative in an age of digital automation. Key Takeaways: Train AI on your tone of voice to stand out from generic outputs Use Claude’s extended thinking and reasoning models for strategic ideation Human guidance (before and after AI) is critical to compelling content Projects in Claude can act like custom GPTs tailored to your exact needs Staying human, thoughtful, and ethical is still your biggest advantage 💡 Whether you're new to Claude or already exploring AI content workflows, this episode will give you a fresh, grounded, and strategic perspective on what’s possible, without losing your creative soul in the process.   📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: 📩 Join the free newsletter for access to Daniel’s monthly live sessions:

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles explores one of the most unexpected but powerful business case studies in modern branding: Taylor Swift! Joined by Kevin Evers, Senior Editor at Harvard Business Review and author of There’s Nothing Like This. Kevin dives into how Swift’s career offers a masterclass in brand strategy, audience connection, and long-term business thinking. Why does a global superstar in a notoriously cutthroat industry continue to outperform and outlast her peers? According to Kevin, it’s not luck or fandom - it’s strategy. Drawing on insights from his newly released book, Kevin breaks down the key inflection points in Swift’s 20-year career. From turning down a major label at age 13 to preserve creative control, to executing one of the boldest rebranding and ownership moves in music history with her “Taylor’s Version” re-recordings, this episode examines how Swift embodies the core principles of marketing, product-market fit, and customer obsession. Daniel and Kevin unpack how Taylor Swift: Identified a niche audience when the data said it wasn’t viable Built trust and intimacy into her brand from day one Embraced user-generated content and fan communities to expand reach Navigated multiple brand pivots without losing authenticity Took complete ownership of her brand and intellectual property Continues to evolve while staying aligned to her audience’s needs They also explore how her fandom operates as a distributed marketing engine, elevating everything from live streams to lyric analysis and decoding hidden clues. With references to startup thinking, customer experience design, and even parallels with Jobs-to-Be-Done theory, this conversation turns a pop icon into a blueprint for brand building at scale. Whether you’re a marketer, entrepreneur or brand strategist, this episode offers rare insight into what it takes to build something culturally durable, and fiercely customer-centric. Key Takeaways: Brand clarity trumps market data when paired with conviction Fan communities can become your most powerful marketing asset Ownership and authenticity are strategic decisions, not just personal ones Pivoting is easier when you’ve built long-term trust Obsessing over your audience is a competitive advantage   📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: 📩 Join the free newsletter for access to Daniel’s monthly live sessions:

In a fast-paced roundup, the podcast dives into the latest AI developments reshaping digital marketing. ChatGPT's new tools now allow secure access to Google Drive and other platforms, enhancing AI workflows. OpenAI introduces Operator, making AI more interactive by performing tasks like posting content online. Google’s AI Mode is changing search results, while Meta's Advantage Plus campaigns show AI's edge in advertising. This conversation highlights evolving roles in marketing and the implications for future job designs.