Tag: Marketing Strategy

Why I Stop Positioning AI as a People Replacement

I think one of the biggest mistakes in AI marketing is positioning a product as a replacement for people. That message can win attention in the short term, but I believe it quietly drains trust over time.

This is a little different from what I usually write about, but it matters. The way we talk about AI shapes how customers, employees, executives, and markets respond to it.

In this memo, I want to focus on three things: why “substitution positioning” feels powerful at first but weakens a brand later, what the data says about whether AI is actually replacing people, and how I think companies should position AI instead.

The cardinal sin of positioning in the AI era is replacement. I call it substitution positioning. It is tempting because it sounds bold, efficient, and disruptive. But over time, it creates anxiety, skepticism, and credibility problems.

We have seen this pattern already. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted that software engineering jobs could disappear within 6 to 12 months as models began doing most or all of what software engineers do end to end. Yet demand for software engineers has continued to look strong.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also predicted that many customer support jobs would go away because AI could handle that work better. Soon after, customer service hiring began outpacing the broader job market.

I understand why fear works as a marketing tool. The fear of being replaced gets attention fast. It got me, too. When powerful AI models gained traction, I worried about my own future. But when I still see AI companies hiring copywriters, SEOs, engineers, and support teams, I sleep better.

Fear sells because it taps into fight-or-flight. Layoffs make that story even louder. They let companies frame cost-cutting as innovation and make the replacement narrative feel more real than it may actually be.

But I do not think the facts support the clean replacement story. In New York, companies can indicate when mass layoffs are caused by technological innovation or automation. In one reported period, more than 160 companies filed mass layoffs affecting roughly 28,300 workers, and not one chose AI as the reason. That list included companies such as Amazon and Goldman Sachs.

Researchers at Yale also studied employment data from the Current Population Survey over 33 months and found no evidence of job displacement from AI. To me, the pattern looks less like instant replacement and more like the earlier waves of computers and the internet changing how work gets done.

That is why I keep coming back to this point: stop trying to make replacement happen. It is not happening in the simple, dramatic way many AI narratives suggest.

AI is powerful, but it is also inconsistent. In its current form, it can do some tasks better than humans and fail badly at others. That paradox is often called the Jagged Frontier.

The Jagged Frontier idea matters because it explains why some people see AI as transformative while others remain lukewarm. A BCG and Harvard study of 758 knowledge workers found that people get the most value from AI when they understand what it is good at and where it breaks down.

Microsoft reached a similar conclusion in its 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report. The company found that a small group of advanced AI users, described as Frontier Professionals, were not simply using AI more often. They also knew which mode of AI use fit each task.

That distinction is important. The best AI users are not handing everything over blindly. They are applying judgment. They know when to use AI as a helper, when to use it as a collaborator, when to use agents for multi-step workflows, and when to keep a human firmly in control.

I still do not trust most AI workflows enough to leave them running with no maintenance, review, or quality assurance. The question I ask is simple: would I bet my brand, customer experience, or revenue on a fully automated workflow with no human oversight?

Klarna is a useful warning here. The company publicly promoted the idea that AI was doing the work of hundreds of agents and helping reduce headcount. Later, it reversed course and rehired humans after leadership acknowledged that aggressive cost-cutting had lowered quality and that customers still wanted a human option.

That is the tradeoff I see with substitution positioning. It creates immediate attention, but it can damage long-term credibility. The words often do not match the operational reality.

Replacement positioning could work if customers truly wanted full replacement and if the technology were consistently ready for it. I do not think either condition is true.

Cost reduction is a strong AI argument because it shows up quickly on the P&L. Productivity gains usually take longer. They build inside companies over time and often take even longer to appear across the broader economy.

But when replacement positioning goes beyond cost-cutting and becomes people-cutting, I believe it starts to antagonize the very people companies need to win over.

We have already seen backlash. Duolingo’s AI-first memo drew heavy criticism before the company reframed AI as a tool to accelerate work rather than replace contractors. Surveys have found that some workers refuse to use AI tools because they fear job loss. Pew has reported that many U.S. adults are more concerned than excited about AI in daily life. Reuters/Ipsos polling has shown widespread fear that AI will permanently displace workers.

There is also a quality problem. When employees believe the purpose of AI is to replace them, they may disengage or produce lower-quality work. In my view, that is not just an adoption issue. It is a positioning failure.

Executives often feel more excited about AI than the employees asked to use it every day. That gap matters. If leadership talks about AI as a replacement engine, employees hear a threat. If leadership talks about AI as leverage, employees have a reason to learn.

Token economics also complicate the replacement story. Some companies have bragged about massive AI usage, but token costs are still a real business variable. As those costs normalize, the math may make junior employees look interesting again, especially when human judgment, context, and accountability are part of the output.

So what should replace replacement? I think the answer is enhancement. Instead of positioning AI as a way to remove people, I would position it as a way to make capable people more effective.

AI can be used in two broad ways. A company can try to reduce the number of people, or it can grow output with the same number of people. The data I have seen suggests that productivity gains often create the stronger return.

A National Bureau of Economic Research paper surveyed 750 executives about AI’s impact on productivity and labor markets. Larger firms showed more interest in replacing labor costs, but the highest ROI came from productivity growth.

That is the lesson I take from the research: doing more with the talent you already have is often stronger than trying to remove the talent that knows what good work looks like.

Building products has become easier, but distribution has not. When supply explodes, the scarce thing is not output. The scarce thing is being the product, brand, or service that actually gets chosen.

That is why positioning matters more than ever. Product quality still matters, but the way I frame AI use can determine whether people see it as empowering or threatening.

My takeaway is simple: I would stop selling AI as a people replacement. I would sell it as judgment leverage, workflow acceleration, and creative expansion. Fear can get attention, but empowerment is a better long-term strategy.

This post first appeared on the author’s website and is republished here with permission.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

July 3, 2026
Why Accessibility Is an $18 Trillion Marketing Advantage

Every so often, I see a product launch turn into a marketing lesson bigger than the product itself. Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty did that with a new fragrance, but it was not only the scent that drew attention. The bottle became the story. Its accessible, easy-to-use packaging sparked conversation, earned praise from accessibility advocates, and reminded me how powerful inclusive design can be when it is built into the product from the start.

For me, the lesson is clear: accessibility is not a side note. It can become the campaign. One thoughtful design choice created cultural impact that would be hard to buy with media spend alone. It also showed why accessibility can build loyalty, strengthen brand reputation, support compliance, and drive measurable growth.

Accessibility as a campaign strategy

I do not see Rare Beauty’s accessibility work as a one-off moment. From packaging to pricing to its ongoing mental health advocacy, the brand has consistently made inclusivity part of its identity. That matters because consumers can usually tell when a brand is chasing attention versus when it is acting from a real strategy. They reward brands that lead with values and follow through.

Rare Beauty is not alone. I see leading brands across industries using accessibility as a differentiator, not a footnote. Apple often frames accessibility features as part of product innovation. Microsoft has brought inclusive design into mainstream campaigns, including adaptive gaming products that positioned accessibility as a source of creativity and connection. In fashion and retail, brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Unilever have put adaptive design into product launches and brand identity instead of treating it as a niche offering.

Studies from Edelman and McKinsey show why this shift matters. According to those studies, 73% of Gen Z choose to buy from brands they believe in, and 70% say they try to purchase products from companies they consider ethical. I do not see those as fringe preferences. I see them as mainstream expectations that should change how marketers build trust and growth.

The $18 trillion market marketers overlook

More than 1.3 billion people globally live with a disability. Together with their friends and family, they control more than $18 trillion in spending power, according to the Return on Disability Group. I believe marketers should view this as more than a compliance issue. It is a growth opportunity, a reputation opportunity, and a trust-building opportunity with one of the world’s largest and most passionate consumer groups.

That passion often turns into advocacy. In discussions with AudioEye’s A11iance Team, a group of individuals with disabilities who regularly share feedback on real-world accessibility experiences, one member said, “If I find a website that works and works very well for me, I will always recommend it to friends and family because I want people to have the same experience that I have.”

Another A11iance Team member, Maxwell Ivey, put it this way: “The cheapest form of advertising is word of mouth, and people with disabilities can have some of the loudest voices when we find people willing to make the effort. Because it’s that sincere effort over time that really counts with us.”

When accessibility becomes part of the customer experience, I see it create something media budgets cannot easily buy: trust and loyalty that scale through advocacy. But the reverse is also true. In a survey of assistive technology users, 54% said they do not feel eCommerce companies care about earning their business.

That should get every marketer’s attention. Too many brands are still fighting for the same crowded audience segments while overlooking a major opportunity in plain sight. When they do, they leave loyalty, advocacy, and revenue on the table.

Here is where I see many brands stumble: accessibility often stops at the shelf. Marketers invest heavily in packaging, store displays, and product design, while digital experiences lag behind. Yet those digital experiences are often the first and most important touchpoints customers have with a brand.

As accessibility-led design earns more attention, loyalty, and earned media, the gap between physical product innovation and digital experience becomes harder to ignore.

AudioEye’s 2025 Digital Accessibility Index found an average of 297 accessibility issues per web page detectable by automation alone. Each issue can create friction in the customer journey, cost a conversion, or introduce compliance risk under frameworks such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the European Accessibility Act (EAA).

I would not launch a campaign without a brand review or a legal check. In the same way, I do not think any digital touchpoint should go live without an accessibility review.

Four moves marketing leaders can make

Too often, I see accessibility treated as a risk to manage instead of an advantage to use. The marketers who gain ground will be the ones who change that mindset. I would start with four practical moves.

1. Make accessibility your campaign hook

I would not hide accessibility in the fine print. I would lead with it. Brands like Rare Beauty have shown that inclusive design is the story. Build campaigns where accessibility is not an afterthought, but the differentiator that earns attention and loyalty.

2. Bake it into your brand system

Accessibility should not sit off to the side. I would make Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) alignment part of the brand system, right alongside typography, logos, and tone of voice. When accessibility is documented and expected, it becomes easier to apply across every campaign.

3. Use data as your proof point

Marketers are storytellers, but numbers strengthen the story. I would track accessibility improvements such as fewer user-reported barriers, higher accessibility scores, stronger alt text, better color contrast, and more usable forms. Then I would connect those metrics to business outcomes like conversion, reach, and sentiment to show how accessibility drives ROI, not just compliance.

4. Protect accessibility like brand safety

I would treat accessibility with the same seriousness as brand safety. Every update, seasonal campaign, and product drop should be monitored for accessibility. Trust and reputation are too valuable to leave exposed.

The competitive advantage

Rare Beauty’s fragrance launch proved something important to me: when a brand leads with accessibility, the story can write itself. Loyalty builds more authentically, and momentum feels more natural because the value is real.

The larger opportunity is that many brands still do not see it. They continue to treat accessibility as a compliance checkbox when it can be a growth strategy.

For marketers, that is the wake-up call. Accessibility builds loyalty. It strengthens brand reputation. It supports compliance. And it can drive measurable growth across marketing efforts.

Rare Beauty showed how accessibility can capture attention at the shelf. Now I see the next opportunity clearly: making sure that same accessibility carries through online. When every touchpoint welcomes everyone, every campaign has a better chance to deliver its full impact.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

July 3, 2026
Boost Team Efficiency: Overcome GTM Barriers with Storyblok

I’ve recently stumbled upon some fascinating global research data that highlights a tech gap silently draining team speed, revenues, and competitive edge. The Storyblok Global Speed-to-Market Benchmark Report explores these issues comprehensively.

This rapidly evolving world demands a new pace, driven by cutting-edge AI and technology, and constant shifts in digital trends have redefined how we handle go-to-market (GTM) strategies.

In today’s marketplace, everyone, from customers to organizations, expects top-notch deliveries with speed. Unfortunately, only 22.5% of teams consistently meet these soaring speed-to-market expectations, revealing a disconcerting gap between ambition and actualization.

One might ask, what’s holding us back?

The Global Speed-to-Market Benchmark survey involved several GTM teams who shared insights on where processes are stalling or facing delays and what steps would truly improve speed-to-market in today’s fast-paced business environment.

The survey uncovered four significant bottlenecks largely tied back to technological hiccups or dependencies. The approval process, for instance, emerged as the most substantial bottleneck, with over 50% of teams identifying it as a major hurdle. This includes enduring multiple rounds of content revisions largely driven by disorganized feedback systems, exacerbating inefficiencies.

The practical solution? A well-configured CMS, particularly a headless one, allows for an organized and efficient content review process by decoupling content from presentation. This ensures stakeholders have access to a central content repository, thereby minimizing review confusion and delays.

Equally problematic is the overreliance on developers, where 38% of teams require developer input for most GTM operations. This not only slows marketers but also distracts developers from more critical tasks. A modern tech stack enabling team autonomy can mitigate this issue, allowing each team to concentrate on their core functions.

Moreover, compounding tech limitations, including complex deployment and outdated systems, further warrant an overhaul. Tech bottlenecks often operate silently, but they demand attention and timely solutions for improved GTM cycles.

I also noticed how post-launch firefighting issues are rampant, affecting 79% of teams. This inefficiency stems from fragmented systems, where constant developer intervention is necessary, further delaying launch processes.

Addressing these challenges involves refining the tech stack, especially choosing a CMS that aligns with modern delivery needs. This results in smoother launches, improved efficiency, and fewer post-launch issues.

The cost of slow GTM delivery is undeniable, leading to lost revenue and missed market opportunities, while also impacting team morale and increasing turnover risks. Interestingly, there’s a visible discrepancy between executive priorities and the requisite support for improved speed-to-market capabilities.

Armed with data, teams can make a compelling business case for change, drawing attention to specific bottlenecks and their ramifications, thus bridging the leadership alignment gap.

Overall, overcoming GTM challenges requires adopting adaptive technology stacks that align with today’s fast-paced demands. By doing so, we not only keep up with competition but also foster a resilient, engaged team poised for success.

For the complete analysis and strategies, the full Storyblok Global Speed-to-Market Benchmark Report is an invaluable resource.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

May 20, 2026
Master Your Brand with a Strategic Martech Stack

Struggling with maintaining brand consistency? I’ve learned that it’s not about having more tools, but rather having the right tools, perfectly aligned with your brand’s goals.

I’ve seen marketing teams overwhelmed with tools. The average B2B company might use up to 20 different martech solutions. Despite this, keeping brand consistency at scale can be tough. Fewer than 10% of brands manage to maintain strong cohesiveness across all products and channels. The core issue? Tools rarely work in harmony to support a unified brand experience.

Managing a brand across various channels, whether through campaigns or social media, can lead to brand elements drifting. It’s those small inconsistencies—a slightly off-color logo here, outdated messaging there—that can gradually erode the hard-earned brand equity.

The solution isn’t about increasing the number of tools. It’s about selecting the right ones and arranging them with deliberate intention.

Start with strategy, then stack

Before diving into an audit of your current software or seeking out new options, it’s crucial to develop a framework for what brand equity means to your organization. David Aaker’s brand equity model—which focuses on loyalty, awareness, perceived quality, and brand associations—is a sound approach. It transforms brand management into a sustainable growth strategy. In terms of a martech stack, this means utilizing tools that both build and protect your brand.

On the strategy side, platforms like Notion, Miro, and Lucidchart are invaluable. They help document positioning, define messaging, and map out customer journeys. These may not be glamorous, but they provide the solid foundation for successful execution. Without such a framework, design and content teams are left guessing.

The core of the stack: Digital asset management

If there’s one tool that differentiates a cohesive brand management stack from fragmented apps, it’s digital asset management (DAM). Unlike typical cloud storage services such as Google Drive or Dropbox, a DAM solution organizes and governs brand assets comprehensively, offering features like approval workflows and version management that cloud storage lacks.

Consistent branding can increase revenue by 10–20%, and a DAM provides the structure needed to maintain this consistency at scale. By ensuring all team members and partners access the same approved asset library, you eliminate brand drift.

Modern DAMs further simplify brand management by integrating AI to speed up content discovery and automated metadata tagging, reducing creative bottlenecks and accelerating go-to-market timelines.

Execution tools that reinforce brand standards

Apart from DAM, execution tools are essential for converting brand strategy into consistent published content. Depending on your team, Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, or Canva can be used. They offer varying degrees of design flexibility and guardrails to maintain brand standards.

Balancing creativity with adherence to brand guidelines is key. Tools with brand templating features allow teams autonomy while ensuring brand consistency. Alternatively, using brand templates within your DAM offers greater control and tracking capabilities.

For social media and content distribution, platforms like Hootsuite and HubSpot ensure cohesive publishing across channels. It’s crucial these tools connect to your DAM to guarantee only brand-approved content is shared widely.

SEO tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs help reinforce your brand’s voice and authority online. In today’s market, where SEO extends to geo-targeting, it’s vital to ensure your brand is accurately represented from the start of customer interaction.

Governance closes the loop

A martech stack without governance is simply a mix of tools. Governance—including approval workflows and brand monitoring—is what makes your stack effective and protective.

Incorporating workflow tools into project management or your DAM ensures faster and accountable proofing cycles. Tools like Mention help track external brand perception, highlighting areas of potential drift before they escalate.

The takeaway

The aim of a streamlined brand management martech stack is not complexity but efficiency. It should empower any team member or partner to access and create on-brand content swiftly, independently, and without needing constant design team input.

This requires a strategic approach, a robust DAM as the central hub, integration with execution tools, and governance practices that uphold standards. When these elements work together, your brand transforms from a reactive endeavor to a proactive tool for long-term success.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

May 15, 2026
Unlocking ChatGPT Ad Secrets: Insights for 2026 Marketing

I’ve come across some intriguing research from Princeton and UW recently that sheds light on a rather surprising aspect of AI – it’s apparent tendency to conceal sponsorship nearly 65% of the time. As I pondered on this, it struck me how crucial this finding is for those of us navigating the evolving landscape of AI-driven marketing strategies.

This revelation made me question how we’re measuring advertising effectiveness. Are we truly accounting for all variables, especially those hidden from plain sight? For those of us invested in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), this piece of the puzzle could significantly tweak how we approach our measurement techniques and refine our marketing strategies for 2026.

What does this mean for each of us in marketing and advertising? It’s a call to action to re-evaluate and possibly overhaul our current strategies, ensuring we adapt to these covert tendencies within AI functionalities. I’m convinced that understanding these nuances will empower us to craft more transparent and effective campaigns, ultimately enhancing our overall AEO outcomes.

While AI continues to surprise us with its capabilities, I find it crucial to stay updated and adaptable, utilizing insights like these to steer our strategies intelligently. How do you plan to integrate this newfound knowledge into your 2026 marketing strategy?

Inspired by this post on HiGoodie Blog.

May 12, 2026
Embracing AI in PPC: Ginny Marvin’s Evolution in Search

I find it quite fascinating how the world of search has transformed over the years from manual PPC efforts to AI-driven systems. Reflecting on Ginny Marvin’s journey offers a glimpse into these dynamic changes and underscores the importance of staying curious and adaptable as marketers.

My journey into PPC wasn’t fueled by a master plan but rather by a desire to reinvent myself professionally. Transitioning from print publishing and advertising sales, I found myself at a crossroads when the startup magazine I had helped establish ceased operations. That pivotal moment pushed me towards digital marketing, starting from entry level.

Starting fresh meant embracing the unknown. As Marvin put it, she didn’t know what she was doing initially, which makes her story relatable for anyone starting anew. This fresh start paved her path into search marketing, eventually leading her to significant roles at Search Engine Land and Google as the Google Ads Liaison.

During our interview, Marvin shared insights into the evolution of paid search, highlighting common misconceptions marketers still hold, and emphasized how the next era of search will value curiosity over control.

Interestingly, PPC clicked for me faster than SEO. My initial foray into the industry was through SEO at a small agency, but I quickly discovered my passion when the paid search manager took a vacation, and I temporarily managed the campaigns. This experience showed me the power of PPC’s speed and measurability, especially coming from a print background where results were slow and uncertain.

Marvin observed that Google’s clear focus and rapid iteration were key to outpacing competitors like Yahoo and Microsoft. Google’s relentless enhancement of its offerings to align with advertiser needs set it apart and solidified its leadership in the industry.

I remember the early days of PPC being a manual slog full of exhaustive keyword lists and precision-targeted campaign strategies. We spent hours meticulously crafting keyword combinations, but today’s campaigns are more sophisticated and goal-oriented, aligning more naturally with business objectives rather than conforming to platform constraints.

When Search Engine Land was in its infancy, Marvin was also establishing her footprint in the search field. The platform quickly became essential for industry news, insights, and expert analyses, fostering professional growth by making information accessible.

One standout characteristic of the search community, as Marvin noted, is its openness to sharing and collaboration. People have always been generous about sharing their experiments, successes, and failures, recognizing that ongoing learning benefits everyone. This spirit of community has been a cornerstone in my own career development.

Regarding AI, Marvin asserts that it’s not as novel as many perceive. Although the rapid advancements fueled by large language models seem sudden, machine learning has been embedded in systems like Google Ads for years, refining aspects like Smart Bidding and close variants.

The real shift lies in consumer behavior, where search patterns have become increasingly complex and diverse. With people using images, voice, and multimodal inputs, modern search engines understand intent beyond simple keywords, necessitating a comprehensive view of the customer journey.

Despite all these changes, the essence of search success remains tied to business results. What’s different now is the enhanced ability to accurately measure outcomes and align campaign activities with strategic business goals, highlighting the critical role of data and first-party signals.

Looking ahead, Marvin champions curiosity as the trait that will define successful marketers over the next two decades. Adaptability, understanding customer behavior, and proactively learning new technologies like AI will keep marketers ahead of the curve.

Marvin candidly remarks that while PPC marketers often claim to embrace change, they can be resistant when major shifts occur. Her advice is to adopt a long-term perspective because seemingly abrupt changes often have deep-seated, gradual developments.

Experimentation is key, according to Marvin. Even if a new feature doesn’t yield immediate success, dismissing it entirely could be shortsighted. As platforms and capabilities evolve rapidly, what didn’t work before might succeed now, and clinging to outdated methods could hinder progress in the evolving search landscape.

Reflecting on her career, Marvin expressed pride in the resilient and collaborative nature of the search community. Her contributions at Search Engine Land and Google have always been geared towards fostering an informed and empowered marketing community. To her, “by marketers, for marketers” is more than a motto; it’s a driving mission.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

April 27, 2026