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AI adoption is slowing outside tech and finance as businesses focus on scaling existing use cases. Retention is improving, but monetization pressures push companies toward last-resort strategies like social apps or niche content. In hiring, AI creates friction as candidates and employers battle automated resume scans. Growth for attention-driven channels like podcasts remains difficult because episodes rarely go viral. Listeners are highly selective, and discoverability outside major platforms is limited.
Consumers are paradoxically frugal and indulgent. They downsize purchases to afford lifestyle splurges, a behavior led by Gen Z. This group values experience-rich products and uses AI tools but distrusts influencer-driven content. Brands should deliver value in smaller formats and support self-expression. Rising mistrust in digital sources pushes companies to rethink social spend and invest in physical presence and trusted media. Targeting Gen Z requires focusing on micro-moments, personalized wellness, and functional splurges that outperform legacy signals like “organic” or “natural.”
The growth playbook is shifting as social fatigue, AI, and short-form content change engagement. Startups should prioritize human connection with small-scale initiatives like curated chats or local events. Strong branding and consistent storytelling will differentiate companies as barriers to entry fall. Employee-led content, podcasts, and events put faces at the forefront, while attribution becomes harder, making a full-funnel approach essential.
The Dr. Squatch ad, disguised as a short film, delivered more than 835K shares and 7.9M likes by ditching traditional ad cues. With 99% of TikTok views from non-followers, the campaign demonstrates that narrative-first, creator-led content drives broader reach and deeper impact. The key is to start with a familiar hook, then deliver something unexpected. Brands willing to trust creative partners and invest in storytelling will see stronger engagement across channels.
Google Shopping subscriptions let US merchants sell physical goods on repeat, turning one-time buyers into loyal customers. Setup involves updating product feeds in Merchant Center and enabling subscriptions in Google Ads. Success relies on high-use products, discounts, personalized bundles, churn tracking, and clear terms.
Google is introducing "Deal Cards" in the Gmail Promotions tab, auto-generated summaries that highlight key offer details at the top of promotional emails. This feature increases visibility, reduces friction with at-a-glance deal info and copyable codes, and boosts engagement through actionable buttons. Powered by schema.org markup, Deal Cards reward brands that use structured, machine-readable data, reflecting the broader trend of the inbox becoming a more app-like, interactive space. Rollout will be gradual and vary by region and language.
Cards Against Humanity built its success by turning anti-marketing into strategy. Known for absurd Black Friday stunts like selling bull excrement or charging people for nothing, the brand exposed the ridiculousness of consumerism while making buyers feel part of the joke. Its audience of educated, irreverent millennials and Gen Zers values the self-aware humor and social critique behind the chaos.
Incrementality testing measures what marketing actually causes, not what just gets credit. Metrics like ROAS and CTR often exaggerate performance by counting conversions that would happen anyway. Incrementality compares exposed and unexposed audiences to show whether campaigns create new demand or capture existing intent. Methods such as holdouts, causal modeling, and MMM quantify this across channels. With built-in lift tools from Meta, Google, and TikTok, teams can now measure impact directly and see which efforts drive real growth.
An example of a Klaviyo email flow audit that streamlines analysis and execution.
A multi-agentic system including a research agent, master of engagement, ICP finder, and LinkedIn coach.