The Marketing Companion

Jay Acunzo, a content and storytelling consultant, teams up with Mark Schaefer, a strategy consultant and author, to discuss the art of sustaining personal content production. They delve into the importance of a content lifestyle, emphasizing the mindset needed to thrive long-term. Acunzo reflects on his career pivots and the idea of creation as identity versus a mere tactic. They debate the value of intrinsic motivation and the need to measure resonance over reach, advocating for creators to follow their vision instead of simply chasing trends.

Mark Schaefer announces a transition in hosting while diving into the world of Deep Fakes and their impact on branding. Sandy Carter highlights the critical need for verifying authenticity in this new landscape. They explore the rise of humanoid robots and how marketers must adapt to train these intelligent beings. The conversation also touches on how AI accelerates idea-to-impact timelines, reshaping the marketing process and decision-making speed. The duo emphasizes the importance of adapting brand strategies to keep pace with rapid technological change.

In this discussion, Andy Crestodina, CMO and co-founder of Orbit Media, shares his insights on timeless marketing strategies amidst the AI revolution. He emphasizes the importance of strong branding and classic persuasion techniques in driving effectiveness. Andy champions live events as powerful networking opportunities and highlights the surprising value of physical mail in a digital age. The conversation also delves into the role of website design and brand perception in enhancing credibility and optimizing marketing efforts.

Ethan Pierse, founder and investor at Borderless Ventures, champions the 'AI solopreneur' movement, emphasizing that anyone can launch tech products without coding skills. He vividly explores how AI democratizes entrepreneurship, enabling non-technical individuals to innovate. Ethan discusses the enduring significance of in-person networking, the future of Web3, and the vital role of prompt engineering for effective AI use. He also shares insights on the ongoing AI race and the economic potential of stablecoins in machine-to-machine transactions.

Mark Schaefer and Dana Malstaff discuss how they are utilizing AI in distinct ways to attract new customers. Mark built an expert-trained model called MarkBot that is informed by his life's work. This is available to all through his website. Dana has created custom bots that encourage top-of-funnel engagement for her business while blending human connection that builds trust. This episode is an inspiring and engaging discussion on breakthrough ideas to connect to customers by blending AI and the human touch. Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker, and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," "Belonging to the Brand," and "Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. For more of Mark's insights every week, subscribe to his award-winning blog. Mark also offers classes in personal branding and professional speaking. Dana Malstaff is an author, speaker, consultant, and the founder of Boss Mom.

Discover how AI is reshaping human psychology and buying behaviors. Explore the risks of cognitive offloading that might hinder critical thinking and moral judgment. Learn how AI not only functions as a gatekeeper but also creates opportunities for brands. Mark offers insights on crafting engaging content that resonates emotionally and ensures visibility. Curious about the future? The conversation hints at AI's potential to understand feelings, presenting new marketing strategies that emphasize human connection.

One of the most urgent and interesting questions in business today: How does AI affect the sales process? From product discovery to referrals and recommendations, AI is making its way into customers' hearts and minds. Whether B2B or B2C, the implications are enormous. Marketing legend Sandy Carter joins the Marketing Companion to explore these new commercial realities. What is the new role of brand, trust, and human relationships in the commercial process?

Mark Schaefer has a new grandchild. Amanda Russell has a toddler. Both of them wonder what an AI-dominant world has in store for them. In this personal and introspective episode, Mark and Amanda reflect on what college meant to their careers, the advice they would give to kids about college today, and how education will need to change for Gen Alpha. This is an essential episode for everyone wondering how AI will impact the next generation. Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker, and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," "Belonging to the Brand," and "Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. For more of Mark's insights every week, subcribe to his award-winning blog. Mark also offers classes in personal branding and professional speaking. Amanda Russell is a marketing leader, entrepreneur, and scholar. By age 32, she built and sold two successful businesses: an online fitness subscription community for women and a digital marketing and production company. She served as Chief Marketing Officer at a NYC-based portfolio fund and developed the world's first accredited MBA & EMBA Influencer Marketing programs at Northwestern University. She also founded the Global Center for Influence at the University of Texas. Amanda has taught at renowned institutions such as Bocconi University, London Business School, Harvard, Wharton, HEC Paris, NYU, and the University of Stockholm. Her book, "The Influencer Code," explores influence, consumer behavior, and the future of marketing. Amanda advises major companies, including Lamborghini, Cedars-Sinai, Lionsgate, and Silk-FAW.

As use of AI soars and customers place more trust in AI, the bots are making decisions for our customers. From vacations to recipes, we're using AI in creative ways to make our lives easier and skip the time to analyze options. But how does AI make the decision? The platforms are getting their information from somewhere. What is the role of traditional content and marketing? The answer will surprise you. In this far-reaching show, Mark Schaefer and Andy Crestodina explore new research on how AI makes decisions and what matters. This episode also contains extraordinary bonus content. Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker, and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," "Belonging to the Brand," and "Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. For more of Mark's insights every week, subscribe to his award-winning blog. Mark also offers classes in personal branding and professional speaking. Andy Crestodina is CMO and Co-Founder of Orbit Media, an award-winning 55-person digital agency. He has 23_ years of experience in analytics, SEO, content strategy and visitor psychology ...and months of experience in AI. Andy has applied his expertise in SEO and conversions to drive both visibility and lead generation for 1000+ businesses since 2001.

Gini Dietrich is a well-known thought leader, author, and entrepreneur in the corporate communications space. Her PESO marketing framework has become a standard framework for PR and marketing professionals. In this episode, Mark Schaefer's special guest host talks about how the model has evolved in an era where consumer attention "acts differently." She also discusses how she is aggressively integrating AI in her client relations practices.