Are you tired of reading about AI? Me too.

There’s a whole world of marketing disruption and opportunity to talk about, so let’s put GPT on pause for a moment and consider the State of the Nation and the 10 biggest marketing challenges.

One of the best parts of my job is interacting with business leaders of all types. I get a broad, global perspective of marketing issues from the very largest companies to solopreneurs and startups. And I certainly hear some common themes when it comes to the biggest marketing challenges.

Surprisingly, they have nothing to do with AI, at least not directly. Here’s what’s going on in the world from my perspective. These are NOT in any particular order.

1) Awareness

OK, I lied. This one IS in order — probably the biggest challenge we face today.

Marketers create customers. And to create customers, we must create awareness for our products. Rising above the noise to earn attention has never been more challenging. Media channels are fragmented and, as we see with TikTok, tentative!

Consumers have become their own streaming media entities. How do we get into those earbuds? And then you have AI swarming the media landscape. Sheesh. Marketing is hard. This is the time for audacity! 

2) From big campaigns to small acts of cultural relevance

A few years ago, Pepsi announced that the big brand “bonfires” were over. Brands had to connect to moments of cultural relevance. At the time, I wondered what that meant. But it became clear as brands became part of music, sports, fashion and leaned into emerging consumer signals.

Certainly, that is the direction of the marketing world right now, as brands try to capitalize on memes and trends instead of planning massive campaigns months in advance. A focus on cultural relevance requires an obsession with …

3) The Need for Speed

At 8:48 p.m. on February 03, 2013, a milestone event occurred that changed the face of marketing forever. The power went out at the Super Bowl. and in 10 minutes, Oreo launched an ad:

I remember being at a Super Bowl party  — there was a gasp in the room when the commercial ended. How did they do that?

The ad transcended all norms of advertising. The brilliance lay not only in the imagery but in the blazing speed of execution. This wasn’t a meticulously planned campaign — it was marketing at the speed of culture. The ad wasn’t just broadcast on TV; it also became a social media viral sensation and the company’s all-time most tweeted content. It was a global showcase of the potential of real-time marketing.

In the TikTok Era, a brand might have an hour to be relevant. There’s no time for planning or measurement. Many brands live in a reaction culture. This has massive implications for creative, resources, and legal approvals!

If the need for speed hasn’t transformed your marketing department, it will soon.

4) The Disconnected Customer

Many people, especially those under the age of 25, experience their entire media world by themselves through earbuds. They binge music, video, movies, and podcasts in an ad-free streaming environment. They play their games and socialize in Discord groups. They’re not visible to brands, and they don’t see the brands either, at least not like they used to.

A few years ago, I wrote a book about one solution to this dilemma: Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy. I was absolutely right about this trend. As I am writing this post, I’m attending the global thought leadership conference SXSW. The sessions on brands and communities are so hot that they had to create extra sessions. In the current marketing environment, this might be a hotter topic than AI.

Community is certainly one of the few options to earn your way past those earbuds!

5) Adjusting the marketing/advertising infrastructure

Quiz time.

You know without a doubt that word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) is the purest, most trusted form of marketing, right? It’s been around forever … but how much of your budget is devoted to WOMM? My guess is: ZERO.

How about brand community? How about experiential marketing? Also, probably zero.

There are lots of marketing options beyond Facebook ads and SEO but we’ve stayed in the familiar marketing trenches. If you have a contract with an ad agency they are probably resisting alternative forms of marketing because, well, they’re not ads. There is a legacy infrastructure in place that keeps us less effective and boring.

6) Navigating a world where one person can alter brand strategy

Life used to be so easy. A brand was what we said it was. Today, a brand is what we tell each other. And that can spin out of control.

The problem with our social media world today isn’t a matter of free speech, it’s a matter of amplification. A hundred years ago, if somebody spread a conspiracy theory, it would be unlikely to get any further than the boundaries of a neighborhood. But today, false information and deep fakes can reach millions if it comes from an influencer.

Our favorite brands have spent decades and millions of dollars building consumer connections. And all that can be ruined by somebody who is out to get you. It is certainly a weird world where our hard-earned brand marketing can be tarnished in a single post.

7) Activating influencer marketing

I was sitting at a table of brand managers, and one of them said, “Influencers are everything.” That’s a profound statement. But if you’ve followed this post so far, you can see how influencers fit into this new marketing world.

Influencers have massive, loyal audiences, and their message can cut through the earbud blockade. They can be counted on to react with speed, in the moment. In fact, day-to-day relevance is what makes them great. They are more than trusted — Their biggest fans consider them family.

I’ve been following the influencer marketing trend since its beginning, and I think the momentum will pick up going forward. While this is mainstream media for the biggest brands, most companies are just getting started.

8) Talent Acquisition and Skill Gaps

The rapid evolution of digital/influencer/meme marketing requires new skills in AI, analytics, and content creation. Finding and retaining top talent is increasingly difficult. Something I hear all the time: “There is no shortage of marketing jobs. There is a shortage of the right skills for those jobs.”

9) Proving ROI and Justifying Budgets

Marketing teams face increasing pressure to demonstrate clear ROI on campaigns. With long sales cycles and brand-building efforts, attributing revenue directly to marketing initiatives has always been challenging.

I think this is the greatest source of marketing stress. Your boss expects marketing to be coin-operated. Put coins in, get more coins out. But customers don’t operate that way and they don’t care about your quarterly revenue goals. Marketing takes patience and that is not a popular trait these days.

10) Global de-population

I bet you didn’t see that one coming. But this mega-trend will put a lot of pressure on marketers and their brands.

The global birthrate is nowhere near the replacement average of 2.1 births per family. In the U.S., for example, the rate is about 1.4 births per family. Almost every business depends on population growth for incremental annual sales gains. However, the population will inexorably decline in most developed nations, which has massive implications for sales and marketing.

The latest UN numbers show that 2040 will be the peak population on earth, just 15 years away. So, it’s coming at us quickly.

Well, on that happy note, I’ll conclude this post on non-AI marketing issues. You might be thinking, “Whew … that’s a lot.” But that’s exactly why I love marketing. It’s a field that is endlessly changing and endlessly fascinating.

I love solving hard problems and marketing has no lack of them!

Need a keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

Image courtesy Mid Journey

The post The 10 biggest marketing challenges have nothing to do with AI appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

It was March 15, 2023, and I snapped a photo that changed my life. And I’ll explain how it can change your life, too.

On that date, I was attending the annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX, and enjoying a wonderful late-night meal with my friends Joseph Jaffe and Eric Qualman. Suddenly, people stood up and quietly walked out of the upscale restaurant. It was surreal, like being in a Stephen King movie!

My back was to the door. Where were these people going?

Nowhere. They stood on the sidewalk, pointing their smartphones to the big Texas sky. My friends and I had to see what was going on. So we left our hot food and walked outside.

It wasn’t an alien invasion, but it was close. A dazzling drone show lit up the heavens, telling the story of a new sci-fi television program coming to the Paramount Network. Hundreds of drones were programmed along custom flight paths to depict scenes from the show.

To top it off, the display ended with a sky-high QR code that sent viewers to a website with the show’s trailer.

While drone shows have become a staple of city celebrations and sporting events, this was novel—the first time we had seen such a display.

We all took a photo of the drone-ad to share with our social media audiences:

In that moment, the line between marketing and magic blurred. We weren’t just watching an ad; we were living inside one.

The mesmerizing advertisement became the epicenter of buzz at SXSW, and with more than 300,000 influential people in attendance, that’s a perfect place to make a rumble.

Now, we get to the interesting part. How did this photo change my life, and possibly yours?

The revelation

I’ve spent nearly two decades researching and writing about one crucial problem—how can our marketing messaging become the signal above the noise in a world of oversaturated content?

I witnessed one of the most astonishing examples of a brand becoming “the signal.” Every person in this restaurant abandoned their hot food and cold cocktails to stand on a street in Texas to see an ad—not just see it, but record it and share it with social media audiences worldwide. It wasn’t just a signal above the noise—it was a supernova.

Remarkable.

Unprecedented.

Perfect.

For weeks, I couldn’t get this drone show out of my head. I played this mind-game: If somebody gave me the challenge to create an ad so disruptive that people would leave their hot meals to see it, could I do it? No.

What was the lesson for businesses desperately wanting to be “the signal” to their customers? Was there a scalable process behind this brilliant idea that could guide breakthrough marketing strategies? Was this a clue to the future of creativity and our place in a world dominated by artificial intelligence? I became obsessed with this story in the sky.

One word kept pounding in my brain: Audacious.

Audacious! Is that what it takes to stand out in the world today?

Audacity as a strategy

AI is here. Nipping at the heels of our skillsets and jobs.

Being merely competent won’t cut it. Competence doesn’t create conversations. Competence is ignorable. But audacity? That’s the currency of attention in our overstimulated world.

What if the key to becoming “the signal” isn’t shouting louder, bending AI prompts, or spending more, but the simple human bravery it takes to be … a little nuts?

I discovered that Giant Spoon had created this viral sensation, an agency behind many of my favorite marketing success stories over the years.

I called Marc Simons, one of the agency co-founders, and asked him if he and his team would reveal all their creative secrets to me for a new book. “Absolutely,” he said. The opportunity was irresistible, a siren call to a marketing geek like me. I jumped on a plane to visit him in New York City, the beginning of a journey that included meetings with some of the greatest creative geniuses from around the world — and they all gave me their secrets!

They helped me answer this question: In a world where AI is overwhelming our content world, how do we fight back? How do we unleash the uniquely human fireworks of marketing creativity?

And today, my friends, please welcome one answer to this question:

The reveal

After more than two years of research and writing, I’d like you to meet my new book, Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World.

So, you see how the story in the Austin sky truly changed the course of my life. But how does it change yours?

Whether you’re a marketer, entrepreneur, or business owner, you’re longing to be seen, to be heard, to be discovered, and that is more difficult than ever. How do you establish brand awareness in a world where content from bots already dominates more than half the internet?

Here’s a little movie preview of what’s in store for you with this book:

Filled with inspiring stories, hundreds of practical ideas (for businesses with any budget!), and all-new case studies, Audacious describes the essential human elements needed to:

• Disrupt the story narrative
• Disrupt where the story is told
• Disrupt show tells the story

Early readers of the book have been delighted, calling it “a masterpiece,” and “an essential path forward.” This will fill your head with ideas and your heart with hope. And, it’s a lot of fun!

You might have noticed that the book cover is a one-of-a-kind AR experience — the first book of its kind in the world! The cover will display abstract art based on the stories in the book!

Inside the book there is a puzzle, videos, and secret surprises. After all, a book named Audacious better be audacious, right?

Why did I spend all this time writing and publishing this book? I’m desperate to get my ideas out to you. I’m a teacher. I know that people need help navigating this overwhelming marketing world, and I have ideas that will help. I’ve spent thousands of hours bringing this to you and I know you will love it. This is my best work.

And this cool little book does not cost much money. Please order your copy today, and let me know how you like it!

CLICK HERE TO FIND AUDACIOUS ON SALE!

PS I also have an all-new speech to go with my book. This new talk was recently the highest-rated speech at a national marketing event, and I would love to bring it to your company or association. Drop me a line! 

Need a keynote speaker about brand communities? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

The post The photo that changed my life (and maybe yours) appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

This is a milestone moment in the history of The Marketing Companion podcast as we welcome a new co-host to the show (we have six rotating co-hosts!).

Dana Malstaff is a true marketing visionary and I learn something from her every time I connect with her. In her first show, she certainly held up her track record!

We are both of the mind that the marketing world will need to infuse humanity into our work as we hurdle inexorably into our AI future, and Dana suggested some ideas I had not considered before, like:

• Blending personal emotional states with AI commands to provide more actionable tasks
• Creating emotional connections with your audience through product discussions
• Moving away from mass marketing or a huge community to a plan where human connection is still possible

… and much more. It’s such a great show! To hear more, just click here:

Click here to enjoy Marketing Companion Episode 307

Please support our sponsor, who brings you this fantastic episode.

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Now, any business can build automated customer experiences, email marketing workflows, and landing pages that guide your customer to your main message. We are here to support businesses successfully navigating their digital presence to strengthen their customer relationships.

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Last week, a friend asked me to review a new research report he compiled as a lead magnet for his business. But I knew his strategy was flawed before I even saw the report. I had to provide an email address to access the research. I didn’t want to become part of his email “lead nurturing” program, so I never downloaded the report. “Gated content” killed his content marketing strategy.

I know that sounds counter-intuitive. Most marketers point to the high cost of making exceptional content … Asking for an email address seems like a small price to pay for this value. But by making it difficult for people to access your content, you’re leaving the true value of your marketing on the table. I’ll explain why.

The current state of gated content

Here are some points to provide a perspective of our marketing world today.

• People hate gated content. Even marketers who gate their content know this. Research shows more than 90 percent of the people interested in the content abandon the sign-up process because they don’t trust what happens next to the email address.
• Many marketers justify gated content as a fair value exchange but research shows this is not true. Consumers state they are “resigned” to annoying marketing practices and more than half immediately unsubscribe to a site even after they opt-in.
• Acquiring email addresses in exchange for gated content may not be compliant with privacy laws in Europe and many U.S. states.
• We are clearly in an era of Content Shock where the competition for content views is vicious. One of the visible manifestations of this trend is BuzzSumo research showing how social shares on a topic decline precipitously as a subject becomes saturated. In other words, unless you are among the first to create content on a topic, getting your content to be seen and shared is extremely difficult.

A new content marketing philosophy

In my book The Content Code, I provide an updated view of content marketing strategy.

The philosophy behind the book revolves around the practical idea that the economic value of content that is not seen and shared is zero. Therefore, we must develop competency in not just producing content but igniting it so that it is seen and shared by the most people possible. The most economic value of content marketing doesn’t come from the content, it come from the transmission of the content.

Creating great content is no longer the finish line; it is the starting line. The book outlines six possible strategies to remove barriers and give your content the best possible chance to flow and reach the most people possible.

Requiring people to provide an email address to access your content is about the worst thing you can do in this new view of “content success.” In essence, gated content places a stop sign in front of your content flow. It is an anachronistic way of thinking.

The value exchange

The decision to provide a barrier before your content must boil down to this: Are you going to receive more value from a trickle of people providing their email address, or the flood of people seeing and sharing the content freely? Let’s look at a case study to figure this out.

My friend James Carbary provided this example of how the gated content value exchange played out for his own business. He wrote:

“It took five months for us to get 295 people to sign up for the gated opt-in offer on our website. This progress seemed incredibly slow, so I tried something different.

“A couple weeks ago, I published a status update on LinkedIn explaining that I’d developed a list of 67 content topics that work well on that site. If people wanted the ideas, I asked them to leave a comment that said ‘I want it.’ Then I explained that I would turn the ideas into a free PDF if 100 people left a comment.

“In three hours I had over 150 comments. That post has now been viewed more 160,000 times, and 692 people left a comment saying they wanted the content ideas. We turned the ideas into a PDF, and replied to every comment with the link.

“In five days, my content spread to 692 people, compared to to 295 people in five months. We collected ZERO email addresses through the LinkedIn content but I’m beginning to see why un-gated content might be a smarter strategy.”

The case for amplification

James told me that the most tangible benefit of the ungated strategy was a connection with a high-potential customer and a podcast interview with this powerful new connection.

Some implied benefits in this un-gated content example would probably be easy to track down:

• Of the 692 people who asked for the content, how many were entirely new LinkedIn connections for James? He didn’t get an email address, but he did get a signal of interest and arguably these new LinkedIn connections might be more valuable in the long-term than an email address.
• How many of the 692 people responded to a call to action at the end of the report and visited a website, or organically subscribed to receive more content?
• How many shared the free content with more people inside and outside the company? How much additional flow did this receive because it was free?

Even if the percentage of people sharing content is the same whether it is gated or ungated, you will reach many more people with a base of fans numbering 692 versus 295. And that is happening in a matter of days versus months!

Finally, I shared James’s story, and linked to his website. I can’t recall ever linking to gated content that would require my readers to sign-in to something. So the benefit created by this post would have never happened if he hadn’t given his content away for free.

If you subscribe to my philosophy that the company that moves the most content will win, there is no question that un-gated content provides more potential value.

Branding and trust

I was discussing this issue with a colleague and she said “gated content annoys me. Why would a brand want to be annoying? The company is making me distrust them because I have no idea what will happen to that email address.”

A few years ago, I gave up my email address and (shudder) phone number to access a report from a company I loved and trusted. The next day, I was interrupted at a birthday party from a sales rep calling me from this company. My email was placed on lists for newsletters, webinars, and holiday sales.

Even after I “opted out,” of communications, I was still receiving phone calls and spam from this company.

By abusing me in this way, the company ruined its brand. It went from a company I loved to a brand I would never work with again.

A simple thought exercise: If you’re in a hotly-competitive field (like SEO or digital marketing) and one company has gated content and the other gives their best content away for free, which one will have a more positive brand view?

The research supports un-gated content

Roger Dooley is an expert in the field of neuroscience and marketing. In a post, he points out that from a psychological perspective, un-gated content is the undisputed content champ. Roger writes:

Requiring a user to give up his info before viewing good content is a reward strategy – give us your info, and we’ll reward you by letting you see our wonderful content. This is an appealing strategy at first glance – 100% of the people who use the content will have completed the form, and the information should be a powerful motivator for visitors to proceed.

In fact, most users confronted with a form won’t complete it. If they arrived at the site looking for some specific information, they will likely hit the back button and see if they can access it without the aggravation of form completion and without the risk of getting spammed later.

It turns out that a reciprocity strategy works better – give them the info they want, and then ask for their information. The research shows that twice as many visitors gave up their information if they were able to access the information first. It’s counterintuitive, perhaps, but even though these visitors were under no obligation to complete the form, they converted at double the rate of visitors seeing the “mandatory” form.

The neuromarketing takeaway here is that if you invoke reciprocity, you’ll be working with the way our brains are wired and will be more likely to get your visitors to do what you want them to. (And, as an added bonus, your SEO person will be happy that along with your visitors, Google will be able to see your content, too!)

Gated content and measurement

A compelling argument for gated content is measurement. Providing a tangible demonstration of the value of content marketing is difficult. It’s intoxicating to tell a client or your boss that an eBook (or whatever) resulted in a countable number of sign-ups that might be stretched into a claim of “leads.”

Measuring content marketing can be exceedingly hard. Most can’t do an adequate job. I acknowledge that gating your content may be the politically correct thing to do even if the strategy is flawed based on today’s market realities.

However, I think “social shares” is a more powerful measurement than “number of email addresses.” An email address may translate into … nothing. But a social share represents organic advocacy — better than any ad you could pay for.

An unpopular view

I’ve had many negative reactions to the idea of un-gating content. Here is one of them:

I think if you understand Funnels and the importance email still plays in the sales process then you wouldn’t have written this article. It’s not just about sharing good content — it’s also about turning your audience into customers. How do you do that when you never ask for an email address to move the relationship forward?  It’s all about moving folks through your customer journey. 

I would politely suggest this is an anachronistic view of a world that works in “funnels.” It’s not “your customer journey.” It’s THEIRS.

Most marketing today is not your marketing — it’s the sharing of information that’s going on without you. And if you have a gate, that clogs up the information you want to be shared. Let’s do the math and generously assume that 10% of the people who see your post will call for an appointment. We know that 90% of the people who come across your gate will go away. So for every 100 potential customers, you earn just 10 content views, and one call.

If I un-gate the content, I get 100 views and 10 calls. I am 10x more productive. Also, I have 100 people potentially SHARING my article instead of 10 for you.

By the way, what will you do after getting that email address? Spam your way to glory? That’s why people don’t trust gated content in the first place. You’re part of the problem.

I realize it’s a new way to think, but I can’t imagine a business today working hard to get customers to their site and then letting 90% of them walk away. If you ask people for an email AFTER they see the content, research shows it works better.

In any scenario, the numbers work in my favor, not yours.

A simple rule of thumb

One of the themes in my recent writing is that we have lost our way in marketing. Often, those setting the “standards” we follow aren’t marketers; they are SEO experts, statisticians, and IT professionals. I am not diminishing the worth of these resources, but maybe a statistical evaluation is not always the best guidepost for a marketing decision. Perhaps we need to get our heads out of dashboards and spreadsheets and look at what is happening with our customers in the real world.

Just because something seems favorable because of an A/B test or backlink strategy, it doesn’t mean we should do it … especially if people hate it.

So I’ll end this post with a simple piece of advice. People hate gated content. Don’t do things people hate.

Instead, dig deep to discover what your customers love. Now, go do that thing better than anybody else.

Need a keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

Illustration courtesy MidJourney.

The post Why Gated Content Kills Your Marketing Success appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

One of my favorite strategic brainiacs is Mathew Sweezey, and we used our latest podcast episode to explore the ideas we’re most excited about for the New Year. I think these are non-obvious, interesting, and worth your time!

Some of the items we discuss:

• Why enterprise-level AI integrations will finally begin to drive ROI
• The human-driven opportunity of experiential marketing
• Why brand communities are the new media
• Why marketing success might depend on change management
• How marketers will overcome a pandemic of dull

… and more!

Sit at the table with us, won’t you? Listen in as Mathew and I explore what the year has in store for us. All you have to do is click here:

Click here to enjoy Marketing Companion Episode 306

Please support our sponsor, who brings you this fantastic episode.

Bravo for Brevo!

This episode is brought to you by Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). Brevo gives you the tools to attract, engage, and nurture customer relationships.

Now, any business can build automated customer experiences, email marketing workflows, and landing pages that guide your customer to your main message. We are here to support businesses successfully navigating their digital presence to strengthen their customer relationships.

Go to https://www.brevo.com/marketingcompanion to sign up for Brevo for free and use the code COMPANION to save 50% on your first three months of Brevo’s Starter & Business plan!

The post Six marketing megatrends we’re watching right now appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

The world is moving at the speed of Nvidia these days, and no career is being disrupted more than marketing.

I host a community called RISE that’s dedicated to the future of marketing. What’s coming next and how does this impact us? I thought it would be interesting to ask some people in the community about their biggest marketing lessons from 2024. Some of these are personal, some of them are enlightening, but all the lessons are worth your time today …

Sarah Stahl, ROI Driven Marketing Executive at Sarahstahl.com

Sarah Stahl

This year reminded me that marketing holds the power to make or break businesses, often in ways we underestimate. I watched the startup I work with navigate every business phase—highs, lows, and everything in between. The lifeline that kept cash rolling in? Instagram.

When we surveyed guests, nine out of 10 said they discovered us on Instagram—not through third-party booking apps like Airbnb, which most vacation rentals rely on. By the end of the year, 87% of our bookings were direct, driven by consistent Instagram growth powered by strategic influencer partnerships.

No viral stunts. No massive budgets. Just clear, focused marketing that turned Instagram into a revenue machine. This simple yet powerful strategy helped a startup reach breakeven within its first year. I’ve always believed in the craft of marketing, but 2024 showed me its unparalleled ability to save a business—or sink it.

Mike Carr, Cofounder of NameStormers & Autism Labs

AI is forcing us to be more human. As LLMs and agents emerge that can mimic how we talk and even how we look, authentic and raw content that reveals our feelings and emotion behind what we say will never be more important.

Polished, scripted, and overly-rehearsed podcasts & even keynotes will give way to communications that are more real, vulnerable, and reflective of who we are as flawed human beings. The sign of a true professional will be a combination of invaluable insights presented with unquestionable passion.

Brian Piper, Director of Content Strategy and Assessment, University of Rochester

Integrating AI into your marketing workflow is not a technology project. It’s a change management project.

Many companies and brands must clean up their data and content significantly before AI integration into their marketing or content workflows is successful.

Roxana Hurducas, Brand Strategy Advisor

2024 taught me an uncomfortable truth: Hate is the most efficient fuel in marketing, and the most powerful buying argument.

Roxana Hurducas

This revelation came from the presidential elections in my nation of Romania, where a candidate turned an electoral campaign into a marketing campaign. There were no substantial policy proposals, no detailed plans to address the challenges the country is facing. Instead, his campaign was pure marketing, built entirely on one central message: hate. Hate the system, hate the establishment, hate the political class. And it worked.

In marketing terms, he identified the pain point (a broken system) and offered a solution (himself as the alternative). The messaging was emotional, not rational. And as we know, people don’t buy products, services, or even candidates. They buy feelings, and hate is a feeling that unites people more strongly than almost anything else.

The fact that we long to belong, as Mark Schaefer has pointed out, is painfully relevant here. Georgescu’s campaign didn’t just sell hate; it sold a sense of belonging. They weren’t just voting; they were joining a movement. The against-the-system movement. This is the same dynamic that powers communities – only here, it was used as a weapon for political gain.

But this lesson applies far beyond elections. Hate and Belonging are two of the most powerful forces in human behavior, and marketers know this.

So, do we accept that hate sells and lean into it? Or do we, as marketers, take responsibility for the narratives we create and the emotions we amplify?

For me, the answer lies in ethics. Yes, hate is efficient. Yes, it works. But at what cost? The lesson of 2024 is as much a warning as it is a revelation: the fuels we choose to power our messages can burn more than we intend. And sometimes, what they destroy is trust, unity, and hope.

Tyler Stambaugh, Co-Founder of MAGNETIQ

Digital experiences are heavily undervalued as a way to differentiate and create a competitive advantage.

Iris van Ooyen, Life Navigation Mentor, Founder of Bright Eyes

Genuine enthusiasm sells— and that ripples through best in live interactions. This summer I crafted a new mastermind and I was so thrilled about the concept that when I spoke to a former client about it, he signed up on the spot. AND offered to share it with two peers (one registered as well). This would not have happened through an email exchange. I learned that your personal energy and enthusiasm are crucial and most effective live and one-on-one.

Aaron Hassen, Chief Marketer at AH Marketing and host of Business with Humans YouTube series

B2C channels are also B2B channels.

Aaron Hassen

Earlier this year, I was developing a campaign for a B2B client, pulling a prospect list from their CRM, when I noticed the data was woefully inadequate: company emails, company phone numbers and office locations. Not very useful. See, I had interviewed scores of their best customers, and when asked where they went to find solutions like theirs, the answer wasn’t corporate newsletters, cold calls or trade magazines, it was a trusted colleague, podcast and social media.

The sources of B2B influence have shifted. Forrester predicts that more than 50% of B2B buyers, particularly younger ones, will rely on social media and their value network to help make purchase decisions in 2025. And according to LinkedIn, social media was a top source of B2B marketing investment (75% of companies) in 2024. The fastest growing B2B channel? Streaming television! 55% of B2B marketers said they plan to increase investment there in the coming year.

It’s clear that in today’s work-from-home environments, B2B professionals are consuming information like B2C consumers: from their laptops, iPads, smart watches, smartphones, smart home devices and smart TVs. Reaching busy professionals in their everyday lives and getting them talking about our brand is difficult. This is why we must move past traditional B2B channels toward consumer channels that better connect us with our customers.

Emiliano Reisfeld, Marketing Manager

In 2024, marketing evolved toward more agile and compact funnels, where investment in conversion is key to empowering consumers who demand instant personalization.

An example: From Zero to Millions: TikTok Shop’s GMV Journey

Trona Freeman, Social Media and SEO Specialist for small businesses

Trona Freeman

More people are looking for alternatives to the Meta platforms for their small business marketing.

People are increasingly finding these platforms difficult for a host of reasons. 2024 has also been a very challenging year socio-culturally, and people want to have an escape online, and that place is moving toward Pinterest. Pinterest is people’s happy space, a place to go to escape the noise of the internet and the world at large.

Research shows that Gen Z is the fastest-growing audience on Pinterest, making up 42% of its global user base. And they’re searching and saving more than other generations.

Lush discovered this a few years ago when they moved from the Meta platforms and now use Pinterest as a key platform online as a positive way to promote and connect with their audience. Context matters, so make sure you are meeting your customers in a place that resonates with them. That could be Pinterest or smaller, more intimate spaces like Discord.

Joeri Billast, Host of the Web3 CMO Stories podcast

In 2024, I discovered that authenticity, consistency, and patience are the keys to building a personal brand that resonates globally.

In Belgium, I’m seen as a peer. At conferences in Toronto, Barcelona, and Lisbon, I received incredible feedback about my podcast. And in Cairo, I felt like a hero after my keynote (I killed it!). People lined up for selfies, connected with me on LinkedIn, and two days later, my AI workshop sold out, so much so that it was moved to a larger room in another hotel.

The surprising part? Context matters, but consistency and authenticity build relationships that transcend borders. People don’t connect with perfection—they connect with real stories and genuine engagement. The takeaway: Keep showing up, even when it feels like no one’s watching … because they are!

Zack Seipert, Marketing and Communications Specialist

This year, I (re)learned that relevance is the cornerstone of modern marketing success. Whether it’s crafting a social media post or developing a full campaign, the key is understanding what truly resonates with your audience in the moment. Even the most creative content will fall flat if it doesn’t align with your audience’s current needs, values, or environment. Staying tuned in to the pulse of culture and pivoting when necessary can make all the difference in creating content that truly connects and moves.

Bruce Scheer, Co-Founder of ValuePros.io

My lesson was the power of a consistent online presence.

Being part of the RISE community transformed my perspective on digital engagement. Mark Schaefer’s Personal Branding Masterclass provided the foundation. The real magic happened when I finally conquered my imposter syndrome and committed to regular online participation.

Bruce Scheer

My journey began with a simple decision: show up consistently. This meant producing weekly content and engaging daily, particularly on LinkedIn. I had Mark and others in the RISE community as role models to follow. The initial hesitation gave way to a natural rhythm of authentic interactions.

I next launched the “ValuePros Show” across YouTube and podcast platforms, which became a gateway to extraordinary conversations. Each guest brought unique insights, making 2024 a year of remarkable learning and growth. Finally, I set up a weekly newsletter that already has 1,500 subscribers and is growing.

This has been a year of deeper professional relationships, expanded business opportunities, and enhanced visibility for our tech-forward consulting firm.

Consistency truly reigns supreme in marketing. By maintaining a steady presence and authentic engagement, what started as a personal branding challenge evolved into a powerful business strategy.

Julie Van Ameyde, Founder of Simply Social Media

When a long-time client sold their business, my routine was turned upside-down. While I continued working with the new ownership, the transition highlighted the need for adaptability and resilience to navigate unexpected changes. Marketing success isn’t just about being prepared for technological change. It means you have to be resilient enough to be ready for anything. 

Rob LeLacheur, Owner of Road 55 in Edmonton, Canada

Traditionally, my team has produced Triple A, polished video content and we’re proud of that. But we learned in 20204 that there is a large space for low fidelity (Lo Fi) content, and in many cases, that content performs much better than Hi Fi.

Lo-Fi reduces the barrier to entry by creating a feeling that you’re not being sold to. The content is more real and people are willing to give it a chance. An example of Lo Fi that works well is an imperfect,
behind-the-scenes blooper reel.

Hi Fi is most appropriate for situations where the consumer is already engaged, like a website or presentation.

Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez, Co-Author of The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever

People crave being back at live, in-person events. I just attended a conference that was sold out, and that hasn’t happened since before COVID. There is an unmissable magic that happens when people gather together. When in doubt, make it in-person and make it awesome!

Martin O’Leary, Creator of “Uncharted” Newsletter

Taste is the new superpower.

Martin O’Leary

Remember endless Slack messages and three-week waits for a simple video edit? Those days are dead. But this isn’t just another AI story. The real shock isn’t that AI can help make content – it’s that it’s forcing marketers to become master craftsmen.

Think about it: when everyone can create anything, the differentiator isn’t access to tools. It’s taste.

Pre-2024: Marketing meant being a professional coordinator. You managed designers, video editors, and endless Figma feedback loops. Your job was orchestration. Post-2024: Marketing means being a filmmaker, designer, and writer rolled into one. One person with Claude, Getimg.ai, Runway.ai, and CapCut isn’t just replacing a team – they’re rewriting the rules of what makes marketing great.

The winners aren’t the tech-savvy marketers. They’re the ones studying Kubrick’s camera angles, dissecting Nike’s brand guidelines, and obsessing over typography. Because when AI democratizes creation, deep craft to write better prompts becomes the moat. Just like the iPhone killed Blackberry by making computing personal, full-stack marketers are killing the assembly line approach to creativity.

Sharon Joseph, VP Marketing

“Advertisements suck, I don’t care, Please Make It Stop.”

That quote from my eight-year-old, mocking the streaming ads, hit a nerve. Growing up, I loved ads—their creativity, humor, and storytelling inspired me to pursue a career in advertising.

Over two decades, I’ve seen the industry evolve, from a passion-driven art form to a relentless stream of noise. Now, as a VP of Marketing, I market to the very people creating the ads that my child—and frankly, most of us—find unbearable.

It was the first week of 2024 when two campaigns stood out: Calvin Klein’s Jeremy Allen White spot and Brlo Brewery’s parody. They reminded me that authenticity and storytelling can still resonate. But most ads in the past year? Forgettable.

As marketers, we must rethink our approach. People crave connection, not interruption. If we can’t offer something meaningful, maybe we shouldn’t offer anything at all. Because in a world tuning out, it’s not about shouting louder—it’s about creating with purpose.

Mark Schaefer, blogger-in-chief

I learned so many lessons in 2024 but here are a few significant ones.

• The world is changing at an overwhelming pace, and I cannot remain relevant on my own. Being part of a supportive community is the only way to survive this onslaught.
• Every day is a new marketing day. What was true yesterday may not be true today. Be willing to let go to grow.
• Competence is a commodity. Competence is ignorable. If you are merely competent, you’re vulnerable.
• It’s easy to get caught up in the latest AI magic trick, but don’t lose sight of the fact that marketing is a people business. Work through the tech hype and stay focused on fundamentals.
• 99% of the people in the world have no clue what’s about to happen to their lives through AI.
• As the big tech companies race toward AI dominance, they are systematically and unabashedly breaking the law as part of their business strategy. 2024 was the year that “character” went out of fashion.
• In all of history, this is the most fun and interesting time to be in marketing!

Many thanks to my brilliant and generous community for adding their wisdom to this post today.

Need a keynote speaker about the future of marketing? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

Illustration courtesy MidJourney

The post What we learned about marketing in 2024 appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

I’ve had the honor of working with some mega brands on their community strategies. There’s a growing recognition that this is where the real conversations, collaborations, and insights are taking place (and it’s out of reach of social listening platforms). But how does a brand get involved in consumer communities?

Many brands — big and small — have built their own consumer communities. Look to Nike, IKEA, and Lego as best examples. Sephora operates 2,700 brick-and-mortar stores, yet 80% of its revenue derives from its online community of 6 million fans. That’s not just a community – that’s an economic force of nature.

Here’s the wake-up call: Your customers are already having conversations about your brand. On Reddit. In Discord channels. Through Slack communities. The only question is: Are you part of that conversation or the awkward outsider looking in through the window?

Even if you don’t build your own community, it makes sense to have some presence in hotbeds of consumer insight. Let’s talk about how to do that today.

Community versus audience

Let’s start with an important point. An audience is not a community.

I wrote the bestselling book about why brand communities are the future of marketing (Belonging to the Brand), and one of the most important ideas is understanding the difference between an audience and a community. For example, I hear many people describe their “blog community” or “Instagram community,” but those are not communities. Those are audiences. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not a community.

An audience is one-way. If I blog, I have an audience. If I go away, I don’t. But a collective of people sustains a community and this has important implications for brand marketing.

Here are the three differences between an audience and a community:

COMMUNION

In a community, there is communion — people know each other, like a neighborhood. Members of an audience don’t know each other. This is a critical difference because the goodwill and friendship that occurs in a community spill over into the love for the sponsoring brand. Customer communities represent the highest level of emotional brand connection. If customers are emotionally invested in a community, they literally belong to the brand.

PURPOSE

Something must drive a customer to your community — a unifying purpose. What are your customers yearning to do? Learn something? Change the world? Create, connect, or collaborate? The best communities occur when the brand and the customers share a common purpose.  A community thrives when a company realizes that it can have a bigger impact when the customers come along to help.

A well-known example is Patagonia. What is its purpose? Responsible outdoor recreation. Patagonia’s customers are also devoted to this purpose, creating an ideal opportunity for community.

CONTROL

A company controls its mission, a marketing plan, an ad campaign. But community members drive the direction of the community, at least to some extent. This might sound scary, but wouldn’t it be amazing to have your customers help drive your future based on their wants, hopes and dreams? Access to this first party information is golden for any brand.

The biggest hurdles

Why isn’t every brand participating in brand communities? I consistently hear these obstacles:

Scale — Brands are accustomed to an advertising strategy that can generate millions of impressions. Even a community with 50,000 members doesn’t meet their expectations for vast reach.

Personal involvement — How does a “brand” show up in a community? It doesn’t. A “person” shows up in a community. Real people have to create real connections and relationships. This is a new dimension of customer intimacy that seems intimidating for marketers who are comfortable in cubicle land. There’s no effective way to automate interactions in a community. Somebody has to show up.

Outsourcing — Even when companies buy into a community strategy, they struggle to figure out how to delegate this to an ad agency partner. After all, throughout marketing history, the ad agency usually does the heavy lifting. How does an agency represent the brand in a customer community? It might be possible, but I think that would be unusual. I’m not sure a brand should out-source community relationships.

Measurement –Brands need to understand that these communities aren’t just marketing channels – they’re genuine spaces where people share experiences, advice, and support. If you come into a community trying to reach quarterly sales objectives, you’ll fail in a spectacular way.

For these reasons, brand communities could be a more likely strategy for small- and medium-sized companies with a culture geared to patient, human participation in customer communities.

Connecting to a community

So here’s the million-dollar question: How do brands respectfully enter these spaces?

I’ve reached out to community leaders and asked them, “How could a brand add value to your community?” Several themes emerged:

• Show that you really understand us, and not just selling stuff. Spend time observing the community’s conversations, pain points, and values before jumping in.
• Show us relevant new products and how to use them. Pay attention to our pain points.
• Provide educational content. Teach us something new.
• Actively participate in community conversations. Be transparent about who you are.
• Offer exclusive access to executives, designers, marketers, and others who can help us grow.
• Every community needs content. Is there content that can spark conversations in our community?
• Offer to help organize community events or challenges.
• Amplify community members’ voices and expertise, not just your own
• Help us have fun. Can you sponsor contests, quizzes, and games?

In addition to direct involvement, here are three ideas for indirect involvement that might fit the culture of larger brands:

1. Many community founders have a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel. Sponsoring their content can be an indirect way to access their communities.
2. Most large communities have offline events. Could the brand sponsor those activities to gain access to the community?
3. Could you create an event adjacent to a community? For example, fast-food restaurant Jack In The Box hosted an online late-night party on Discord during Comicon with live music, contests, and food giveaways.

The future

We all live in a world longing to belong. We don’t just want community. We need community to function as healthy humans. A brand community might be the only marketing tactic customers actually embrace.

I’m often asked if any brand can have a community and I don’t know the answer, but I take a clue from Yeti. This is a juggernaut of a brand that began with an ice cooler. They didn’t create this success with advertising. They relied almost entirely on community. In fact, Yeti hosts 12 different communities ranging from skiers to rodeo fans. If a cooler can create a cultural movement, what’s your excuse?

Connecting through communities isn’t just brand marketing; it’s brand anthropology. Your social listening platforms are just scratching the surface. The real gold — the authentic discussions, the brutal honesty, the passionate advocacy — that’s happening in communities you can’t track with a dashboard.

We need to connect to the world in new ways to keep our brands relevant. That means patiently learning about our consumer communities and showing up in a meaningful way.

Need a keynote speaker about brand communities? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

Illustration courtesy MidJourney

The post How should brands connect to consumer communities? appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

by Mara Singer, {grow} Community Member

Without authenticity, you cannot connect; without connection, you have no consumer relationship.

Over the past year, my research on generational differences in perceived digital authenticity has found a few golden marketing nuggets. Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and settle in, because I will share my findings concerning the four consumer generations, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers.

Gen Z: The Digital Natives’ Playground

Let’s kick things off with the youngest consumer crowd on the block – Gen Z. These tech-savvy youngsters were born with smartphones in their hands (okay, not literally, but you get the idea). In order to gain their digital likes, you need to be their friend, but they are the “authenticity police” and spot a fake from a digital mile away. The key is to make your message short, sweet, multi-sensory and funny.

• Connection is King: Gen Z sees influencers as their BFFs from afar. It’s like having a cool older sibling who always knows what’s up. Without that connection, there is no trust.
• Authenticity Detectors: One of the most fun pieces we gleaned from our research is that Gen Z knows they can smell a fake from a mile away and appreciate influencers who keep it real. They can’t always tell you why someone is not authentic or deceptive, but they are completely positive they can sniff out a fraud.
• Edutainment Enthusiasts: They love learning new things, but it better be fun and multi-sensory. Just listening or reading is WAY too boring for Gen Z.  They want to take in all the sights and sounds at the same time, otherwise they will simply move along to the next flashy lure.
• Humor is the Secret Sauce: If you can make a Gen Z’er laugh, you’ve won half the battle. That circles back to the first point: if I laugh with you, we must be friends.

Takeaway:  When targeting Gen Z, focus on creating genuine, relatable content that educates while entertaining. Collaborate with influencers who can maintain an authentic, friend-like presence. Don’t be afraid to inject some humor and personality into your brand voice!

Millennials: The Digital Adopters

Now, onto the avocado toast lovers – Millennials! These consumers remember a time before social media but have fully embraced the digital world. Interestingly, they do not want to connect as much as they want an expert to dish out edutainment. For Millennials, influencing and marketing are equivalent professions and they want, no expect, to a certain degree of professionalism or they just cannot take you seriously.

• Integrity is their Jam: They want influencers who walk the talk and stay true to their values.
• Expertise Matters: Millennials appreciate influencers who really know their stuff.
• Professionalism Expected: They see influencing as a legit profession and expect a certain level of polish.
• Authenticity Balancers: They value realness, but with a professional edge.

Takeaway: For Millennial audiences, showcase your brand’s values consistently. Partner with influencers who can demonstrate expertise and maintain professional credibility to strike a balance between being authentic and polished, yet still entertaining.

Gen X: The Balanced Act

Gen X might not get as much attention, but they’re quietly rocking the social media world. Gen Z are the bridge between Baby Boomers and the “kid consumers,” retaining the value of quality and expertise expected by Boomers but enjoying the entertainment of social media. That said, flashy and catchy don’t sell for Gen X, and, in some cases, even erode perceptions of authenticity. Gen Z are much more balanced in how they consider the authenticity of social media content, appreciating expertise above honesty and shared norms. Interestingly, they have no interest in original content when deciding if something is authentic, so forget the muti-sensory overload if you are targeting the ‘80s babies.

• Masters of Balance: Gen X considers multiple factors when judging authenticity.
• Skills Pay the Bills: They highly value influencers who demonstrate real expertise.
• Substance Over Style: They’re not easily swayed by flash and pizzazz. Quality content matters more than flashy presentations.
• Originality Appreciated: Gen X loves content that stands out without trying too hard.

Takeaway: When marketing to Gen X, focus on providing substantial, skill-based content. Avoid over-hyped messaging and instead demonstrate real value and expertise. You can be original, but don’t go overboard with unnecessary frills.

Baby Boomers: The Traditional Touch

Last but not least, we have the Baby Boomers. They might not be the first adopters, but they’ve got their own unique take on social media. Like Gen X, Boomers have no faith in sparkly, shiny marketing. Although they may appreciate original content, it does not mean anything to them in terms of authenticity. Be a humble expert if you want to gain their trust.

• Integrity is Everything: They want influencers who demonstrate strong moral principles.
• Skill and Expertise Reign Supreme: Boomers appreciate a true master of their craft.
• Humility Goes a Long Way: They’re not big fans of show-offs or over-the-top personalities.
• Personal Connection is Secondary: They don’t need to feel like besties with every influencer they follow.

Takeaway: For Boomer audiences, emphasize your brand’s integrity and expertise. Partner with influencers who demonstrate mastery in their field while maintaining a humble approach. Focus on delivering value rather than trying to be their new best friend.

The Authenticity Balancing Act

Here’s where the findings get really interesting. Across all generations, there’s this delicate dance between accuracy (being truthful and transparent) and humility. The younger crowds tend to value accuracy more, while the older generations put more weight on humility. It’s like a social media seesaw!

This insight presents a unique challenge for marketers aiming to reach cross-generational audiences. Striking the right balance between being openly authentic and maintaining a sense of humility is key to resonating with diverse age groups.

So, whether you’re trying to make Gen Z laugh, impress Millennials with your expertise, provide substantial content for Gen X, or demonstrate integrity to Baby Boomers, you’re now equipped to play the social media generation game like a pro!

Mara F. Singer is a Ph.D. Candidate in Public Communication & Technology at Colorado State University. Her research focuses on perceived authenticity, fandom, and generational differences in modern communication. Mara will continue her marketing research as she teaches business communication at the University of North Texas’s G. Brint Ryan College of Business.

Illustration courtesy Unsplash.com

The post New Research Shows That From Boomers to Zoomers, Authenticity Matters appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

I’ve been a faculty member at several different universities since 2009 and have lectured far longer than that. I care about these institutions. They’re part of the American heritage, and in many cases, they’re a gift to the world. But we live in fast-changing times, and universities do not change fast. I’m worried about our colleges. How do we reimagine universities in the Era of AI?

I have some ideas about this, and if you’re currently associated with a college, you will hate them.

To begin with, my thesis is that in the AI Era, universities will fail (and are already failing) to prepare students for many careers. Change isn’t just knocking; it’s kicking down the door, raiding your fridge, and redecorating your living room. There has to be a radical reimagining of the university education that matches the radical disruption of our times.

First, let’s get a few things off the table. If a student attends college for the social aspects or to spend a few years maturing, today’s university system is fine. If a student attends for a purely academic pursuit without any thought of employment, they will thrive in the system we have today.

But I assume most students attend college to launch a career. And that’s where the problems begin.

I’ll break down the problems one by one before offering some solutions.

Organization

I’ve talked to many leading authorities in the tech space — people right in the middle of AI development in Silicon Valley. And I’ve asked them, “How would you prepare young people for a career with the amount of disruption occurring?” Without exception, the answer is, “I don’t know.”

This presents an existential problem because universities are generally organized by career choice: engineering, teaching, art, journalism, etc. But if nobody knows what future careers look like, how can you organize based on jobs that won’t exist as they do today? Except forestry. That might be safe for awhile. But you get my point. Many job categories are rapidly evolving and fluid right now (especially marketing).

The future of education isn’t about preparing for a specific job. It’s about preparing for anything and everything. It’s about teaching students to surf the waves of change rather than trying to build sandcastles on a beach that’s shifting before our eyes.

Speed

A university professor friend of mine recently lamented that it has taken two years to get a new class approved. The glacial pace of change at universities is legendary and … stupid. The bureaucratic lunacy of universities is so well-known that I don’t have to explain further why this culture is a death sentence in an AI world.

Economics

Universities are proud of their park-like campuses and ancient limestone buildings bolted to the center of the earth. While taking selfies in front of Old Main might enchant the alumni, the fact is, you can get a superior education today without that legacy overhead.

If you had to bet on disruptive innovation coming from somebody in a co-working space versus a person who has to spend part of their time fundraising for the Psychology Building renovation … well, it’s not even a race.

The economics for students is even worse. The average four-year education in the U.S. is $160,000 (tuition only). Why does every major need to be completed in four years? Well, somebody has to pay for those limestone buildings. If you step back and look at it, it’s a ridiculous model. No matter the major or career aspiration, it’s four years. Huh?

Any new vision for universities must include significant cost and time reductions enabled by technology.

Faculty

The purpose of the university faculty has been to dispense information. However, universities are no longer the gatekeepers of information. When information is free and abundant, colleges have to reinvent themselves in the context of a new job to be done — eternal relevance. This is a radical idea, but in my estimation, it is the key to the future of colleges.

And the tenure system … don’t get me started. Let’s just say there is almost no incentive for tenured faculty to change and stay current. The stories of lazy, irrelevant faculty I could tell you are shocking, but I won’t embarrass anyone.

At this point, I think all of my university friends could use a photo of a puppy.

No need to thank me. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Solutions

I’ve covered some of the problems facing a university in a short and simple way because this is a short and simple blog post. I recognize there are many nuances, layers, and complexities that I’m blowing right past. However, not many people care about those, especially young people preparing for a career … in something less than four years, please.

My advice to universities is to start over. There is just no way your Reinvention Committee will twist your bureaucracy into something functional. Take that giant endowment fund and create an entirely new form of education that is fluid enough to meet the needs of today’s teens.

Education in the past assumed there is a logical endpoint. Once you learned A, B, and C, you had enough under your belt to be an engineer, to be an accountant, or a journalist. But today, there is no endpoint. The endpoint keeps moving. What was true for a career yesterday may not be true today. Education needs to be a journey of lifetime learning. So we need something radically new.

No more degrees

Here is my vision: Instead of enrolling in college, students subscribe to one. Students would enter a lifetime learning program accredited by the university of their choice. The program would be designed to get students into the workforce and keep them there through learning modules that adapt to changing times.

The subscription price should be very affordable. However, over a student’s career in the workplace, the financial return to the university would far exceed $160,000 because the relationship with the student would last decades.

Each student would need to pass a battery of tests to ensure they’re ready to join a learning cohort. Some might start with remedial work to get them on the right track. I’ve seen too many university marketing students who can’t write a coherent sentence. Sorry. Fix that first.

Instead of degrees, students would earn accreditation on a topic, sort of like earning a series of merit badges. For example, it would mean much more to a marketing employer to see that a student earned accreditation in digital media production from a university, rather than just knowing they received an A in French and a C in geology during their sophomore year.

No more curriculum

The idea of a standard curriculum that changes every few years, littered with nonsensical, soul-stealing electives, is pathetic. This anachronistic system was created when a gentleman needed a well-rounded education in the classics. And I do mean gentleman.

Instead, my view is that a curriculum committee would create new learning modules every year, or even every few months, depending on the major. The major role of university employees would be overseeing the design of a continuous and ever-changing learning experience.

And by the way, we need a learning path that addresses both the hard skill and soft skills required in the modern workplace. Students need to learn to lead, but also how to be an effective follower and team player.

The lifetime university experience might include guest lectures, field trips, demonstrations — anything to keep the students relevant in their careers.

AI teaching agents

In the short term, we will still need a human faculty. Topical experts (not tenured) would share their views of the current state. And hey, instead of repairing Old Main and installing that new landscaping, let’s pay those teachers a decent salary, huh?

In the next two years, human-like AI learning agents will often make better teachers. This might sound like the Jetsons but it’s already here. Have you had a conversation with the mobile version of ChatGPT? This will only get better.

AI agents enable the creation of personalized learning pathways tailored to each student’s needs, performance, and goals. This approach can accommodate different learning speeds, styles, and even disabilities, leading to better outcomes than traditional classroom education. And, these teachers would cost far less and know … well, everything.

I do think there is a human role in the new learning environment as mentors and guides. Humans still need a human touch. Especially young students.

A learning cohort

I recently declared about the RISE marketing community: “This is my university.”

We have no curriculum or classes there. But we have each other — people from around the world teaching each other as we navigate this confusing world. Why couldn’t a real university be the same way? It can be, and needs to be.

That’s why I recommend a lifelong cohort of people (the subscribers) who become friends and support each other in a community. Today, education simply cannot end with a piece of paper. It’s a never-ending process, and we need each other.

A cohort could meet on campus once a year for some special programs but keep in touch constantly through an online platform. And the cohort should be multidisciplinary. It will be that way whether it’s designed that way or not. How many people are still working in a field related to their original major? Diverse views make the cohort more interesting and valuable.

The cohort would stay together for decades. I think it makes sense to add new people now and then, just as it benefits a community to have new members with new perspectives. A virtual community format allows people from many nations to be included.

Real learning happens in conversations, not classrooms.

Finally …

Did this post come across as mean? I hope it’s seen as tough love. I love so much about colleges and what they stand for. A university is hope. It’s a dream. It is the future.

But most career academics who read this will think: “We could never do this. It would screw up our US News and World Report rankings. This obsessive focus on rankings does not serve your students. Besides, Malcolm Gladwell and others have shown how the rankings are about as meaningful as a participation trophy in your kid’s soccer league. Yet, here we are, still doing the rankings rumba.

The world is changing faster than a chameleon in a Skittles factory. AI is rewriting the rules of education, work, and probably your department’s parking policy. And you’re obsessing about a made-up number in a magazine? University friends, it’s time to carve a new path that breaks the ranking shackles. Universities spent centuries building ivory towers. I’m proposing we build meaningful bridges to students and their real needs instead.

I know dramatic change seems daunting. And what I’ve proposed here can be poked and prodded and questioned. Here’s what I know. Imagine the most far-out scenario for our AI future. The reality will be much more insane than that.

Change has to start somewhere or universities risk becoming the academic equivalent of a typewriter repair shop. Disrupt or be disrupted.

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Illustration courtesy MidJourney

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