Story Behind the Strategy I Marketing Insights

Generic prompt in. AI slop out. As AI makes it easier to produce articles, proposals, and content calendars at scale, it's also making generic content easier to recognize. Using WALL-E as an analogy, I explore why more content doesn't necessarily mean better marketing, how I use AI to support my own writing, and why experience and human judgment remain essential to creating content worth reading.

Remember when Meryl awkwardly interrupted conversations in The Truman Show to promote Mococoa? It's hilarious because the sponsorship feels completely out of place. From fictional product placements to the recent Berlin Marathon sponsor change, let's explore why sponsorship brand fit matters—and why getting a brand noticed isn't always the same as making a sponsorship successful.

Commander Shepard can endorse multiple “favorite” stores on the Citadel in exchange for discounts. It’s a funny video game moment—and a surprisingly useful lesson in affiliate marketing trust, credibility and what happens when every recommendation starts sounding the same.

If concerts, conferences and games can all be experienced through a screen, why do we still want to show up? Sing, the Savannah Bananas and one memorable conference reveal how digital content can make live experiences more desirable—not less.

AI search makes answers easier to find, but good research still depends on asking the right questions. What The Matrix can teach us about AEO, search, and understanding.

Mean Girls offers a surprisingly useful lesson about consensus in leadership: compliance can look like agreement when people don't feel comfortable saying no.

How many followers do you need before thought leadership makes an impact? The Devil Wears Prada 2 offers a surprisingly useful lesson: your most important audience may be forming an opinion long before you know they're paying attention.

What happens when an experienced professional becomes the student again? The Intern offers a refreshing lesson in lifelong learning: gaining new skills doesn't invalidate what you already know. Experience and curiosity can coexist—and together, they can lead your career somewhere new.

Larry Crowne goes back to college after losing his job, but the most valuable thing he gains isn't a degree. From professors and classmates to friends who offer advice, confidence and opportunity, his story shows why starting over is easier when you don't have to figure out what comes next alone.

Being right doesn't automatically make you persuasive. Don't Look Up shows what happens when sound science enters a world of politics, media, competing incentives, and public skepticism. From Randall Mindy's attempt to become a science educator to the missing call to action, the film offers a surprisingly useful lesson in what science communication requires from both the expert and the audience.

Why is Don Draper's Kodak Carousel pitch still considered one of the greatest marketing presentations ever? The answer isn't nostalgia alone. It's a masterclass in storytelling, positioning, and helping audiences see a product through the lens of their own memories. From growing up in Kodak's hometown to introducing my son to Pokémon, this article explores why the strongest brands don't just sell products—they help us create stories worth remembering.

What happens when fear spreads faster than understanding? Through one memorable story from Max Brooks' World War Z, this article explores why great communication doesn't stop at capturing attention—it helps people understand what to do next.

What can Masters of the Universe teach us about marketing? Discover why music creates emotional connections that AI and great visuals alone still can't replicate.

History majors save the world too. In Project Hail Mary, one of the most important leaders on Earth isn't an astrophysicist, engineer, or biologist. She's a historian.

"We spared no expense." It's one of the most famous lines in Jurassic Park. The park had brilliant scientists, talented engineers, experienced veterinarians, sophisticated automation and state-of-the-art security. They had almost everything, except a culture where someone could stop the project and say, "Maybe we're moving too fast." That's why Ian Malcolm wasn't the villain. He was the person asking the questions no one else wanted to hear. That lesson has become even more r