Lately I’ve been thinking about how little time we actually get to make a first impression.
In marketing, yes, but also as people. Your site has seconds. Your copy has a line. Your brand story might get… half a scroll.
This week’s newsletter explores the new battleground of trust, clarity, and creative differentiation in the AI era, where zero-click search means people might never land on your site, AI agents make choices for your customers, and AI slop is everywhere. 😬
Some of the questions I’m thinking about:
→ Can we still stand out without shouting?
→ Are we chasing “visibility” at the cost of resonance?
→ And how do we use AI to enhance creative clarity, not replace it?
This issue features insights on zero-click SEO, Frankenstein GTM stacks, loyalty in the agent era, and one very honest take on AI-slop ads.
Plus: the LinkedIn posts I couldn’t stop thinking about this week, from “thoughtstipation” to agent-first business models.
Would love to know what you think!
👀 Read the latest below.
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Top AI + Marketing News
Zero-click search reshapes small brand visibility
Digiday | Jul 14, 2025 (5-minute read)
- Overview: Zero-click search is evolving how small brands appear and allocate marketing budgets.
- Key Points: • Results appear in widgets and SERP features, no clicks needed. • Small brands invest to show up in knowledge panels and snippets. • Shift demands investment in structured data and SERP SEO strategies.
- My take: If your story doesn’t land in one sentence, you’re maybe gonna be invisible. With zero-click results taking over, brands need to front-load clarity, credibility, and real differentiation. This isn’t about gaming SEO; it’s about showing up as someone worth trusting, instantly. Trust building from not just day one, but sentence one. (What do you all think, especially my trust & safety peeps?)
Beauty brands that embrace agentic AI will succeed
Fast Company | Jul 13, 2025 (6-minute read)
- Overview: Agentic AI empowers beauty brands to automate product discovery and customer engagement.
- Key Points: • AI agents guide consumers with personalized beauty routines. • Brands automate testing, ingredient mixing, and messaging. • Early adopters report improved conversion and brand affinity.
- My take: AI can suggest a serum, but it can’t make someone believe in your brand. That still comes down to how well you know your customer and how real your voice feels. Let agents help, but don’t let them speak for you. (I can’t highlight the importance of this last sentence, enough!)
Frankenstein AI threatens GTM playbooks
MarTech.org | Jul 12, 2025 (7-minute read)
- Overview: ‘Frankenstein AI’ refers to mismatched AI tools that break GTM strategies.
- Key Points: • Disconnected AI tools create inconsistent brand experiences. • GTM motion collapses when data and orchestration aren't unified. • Calls for integrated AI stacks and governance frameworks.
- My take: If your GTM looks like a pile of duct-taped tools, you’re not alone. But more AI isn’t always better; it’s often just louder. Strategy still matters. Cohesion still matters…especially when you scale!
Visibility becomes key metric in AI era
MarTech.org | Jul 14, 2025 (5-minute read)
- Overview: Visibility is now the primary metric due to AI-powered discovery and ranking.
- Key Points: • AI voice and chat rely on snippet and knowledge graph presence. • Content visibility metrics now outweigh traditional reach and clicks. • Marketing teams repurpose measurement frameworks around AI discovery.
- My take: Welcome to the era where being findable matters more than ever. But visibility without substance? That’s just noise. Your job isn’t just to rank. Resonate, peeps!
AI agents are reshaping shopping and brand loyalty
Forbes | Jul 14, 2025 (6-minute read)
- Overview: AI shopping agents are undermining traditional brand loyalty by automating purchases.
- Key Points: • Agents buy on behalf of users, prioritizing price or convenience over brand affinity. • Shoppers rely on personal AI assistants for deal optimization. • Brands must build agent-friendly loyalty programs and credentials.
- My take: Agents might be doing the choosing, but it’s still your job to be worth choosing. Loyalty’s evolving, not disappearing. The brands that will win are the ones that show up clearly, consistently, and with something that actually matters.
YouTube flooded with ‘AI slop’ ads
Marketing Brew | Jul 14, 2025 (4-minute read)
- Overview: YouTube is drowning in low-quality AI-generated ads, impacting ad performance.
- Key Points: • Automated video tools produce generic, unengaging content. • Users tune out monotonous AI ads, low recall and brand impact. • Advertisers urged to balance AI scale with creative oversight.
- My take: The lazy use of AI is painfully obvious and viewers can feel it. Volume doesn’t equal value. If you’re not putting * taste (will write a post deeper on this soon!) and intention behind your creative, you’re just adding to the noise. And trust me, the internet doesn’t need more junk (and this junk does not apply secondhand finds on Depop and FB marketplace , these are my gems...just wanted to make sure there was no confusion 😊).
First-party data + AI crush outdated ad models
Entrepreneur | Jul 14, 2025 (6-minute read)
- Overview: First-party data powered by AI is ending reliance on piggybacked ad targeting.
- Key Points: • Privacy policies forced brands to own their data. • AI leverages owned data for personalization without third-party cookies. • Results show improved ROI and smarter ad targeting.
- My take: This isn’t new magic; it’s just a better feedback loop. The real question is: once you’ve got the insights, do you have something meaningful to say? AI can personalize, but it can’t replace purpose.
Posts I Love
Taleah Mona-Lusky - “Everyone’s Screaming That AI Is About to Replace Us…”
Taleah calls out the oversimplified panic around AI replacing creatives, and instead reframes the conversation: what if AI becomes an amplifier for more divergent thinking, not less?
My take: This nails the nuance we need more of. The real threat isn’t AI replacing us; it’s our own stagnation or unwillingness to adapt. The best marketers I know aren’t scared of AI…they’re experimenting with it! See post →
Cameron Chang - “Yes, The World Still Needs Copywriters”
A counterpoint to the flood of AI-generated content: this post reminds us that tone, rhythm, and voice aren’t things you can outsource to a model, at least not without losing the art of language.
My take: It’s not just about writing faster, it’s about writing that actually lands and makes an impact. See Post →
Kayla Miller - “Instagram’s AI Labeling Move Isn’t About Transparency”
Kayla breaks down Instagram’s new AI content labeling, arguing it’s more about protecting Meta’s legal tail than helping users make better judgments.
My take: Totally agree. “Labeled by AI” means almost nothing to the average scroller. The real challenge ahead? Not just disclosure, but comprehension. How do we design for trust, not just compliance? See Post →
Sam Bromley-Rice - “AI Is Making Problem-Solving a Lost Art”
Sam flags something I’ve been noticing too: when AI gives us answers too fast, we start losing the ability (and patience) to wrestle with problems ourselves.
My take: This is why critical thinking is now a differentiator. In a world of autocomplete everything, the humans who pause and probe will stand out. Especially in creative and strategic roles. See Post →
Rei Inamoto - “Everyone’s Searching for a New Formula”
Rei explores how marketers are rushing to define AI playbooks, but maybe what we need most isn’t a formula; it’s a willingness to experiment again.
My take: There’s no cheat code. AI won’t replace the creative risk, it just makes it cheaper and faster to try new things. Get messy, y'all. Try weird stuff. Let’s not let the tool flatten the process and our creative minds. See Post →
Ann Handley - “Beware of Thoughtstipation”
Ann’s term for our current brain fog era - overwhelmed, under-inspired, and stuck - is too real. She encourages marketers to step away from the scroll and tap back into real ideas.
My take: So much of marketing right now feels reactive. This is a good reminder that sometimes we need space, not tools. Stillness might be the most underrated growth hack. Namaste. See Post →
Allie K. Miller - “I Finally Launched Agent Force!”
Allie shares the launch of her new AI course focused on building and deploying agents, plus a roadmap for how AI-first businesses are changing fast.
My take: If you’re thinking about practical AI deployment (beyond prompt engineering), this is worth checking out. Allie is the top voice for all of this. And a good signal for how fast this space is evolving. See Post →
AI + Marketing Tools
All tools covered continue to be added to the 140+ AI + Marketing tool directory!
Genus AI
Combines its first-party consumer graph with GenAI creative testing to auto-spin audience-specific ads and predict LTV, letting DTC brands drop CAC without adding analysts.
Best for: Growth Marketer • Paid-Media Manager • E-commerce Lead
Perplexity Comet
Perplexity’s newest feature that’s a side-car browser that instantly summarizes any page, answers follow-up questions, and auto-organizes tabs—so research threads stay tidy and insights surface fast.
Best for: Content Marketer • Growth Marketer • Marketing Ops
Aimy
Brand Networks’ new AI media-buying assistant handles goal-based planning, creative suggestions, cross-channel optimization, and real-time pacing so lean teams can launch campaigns on Google, Meta, and X in minutes—no media-buying chops required.
Best for: Paid Media Marketer • Media Buyer • Growth Marketer • SMB Brand Teams
Adthos Creative Studio
Fresh Series-A–funded platform that turns a script or product feed into fully-mixed, rights-cleared radio & podcast ads in minutes thanks to generative voices and sound design.
Best for: Audio Advertiser • Podcast Network Ops • Creative Producer
ContentWise Agent Engine
Catalog of plug-and-play agents that personalize site layout, content sequencing, and promos based on each visitor’s micro-intent—turning static storefronts into adaptive experiences.
Best for: Streaming & Media Marketers, Personalization Engineers, Product Marketers
Waymark Cinematic
Drag-and-drop a script or product URL and it builds polished, CTV-ready video ads (voice-over, music, visuals) in minutes, now adding AI cast localization.
Best for: Brand Marketer • Video Producer • Media Buyer
Events on My Radar
Below is one more interesting AI + marketing event added this week to the full AI + Marketing Events blog post!
HumanX
April 6–9, 2026 — San Francisco, CA
Premier AI event for decision-makers, covering enterprise AI strategy, innovation, and transformation—including sessions relevant to marketing leaders. Learn More →
Cool AI + Marketing Jobs
Xero - Product Marketing Manager - AI
Atlassian - Performance Marketing, AI Adoption
Pinterest - Corporate Strategy Lead, AI
DEPT - Sr. AI Strategist
Sentry - Product Marketing Manager, AI
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Thanks for reading! I hope it was helpful!
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