Welcome!
Each week we bring to you a discussion on the latest trends in digital marketing and how you can actually implement these strategies into your organization.
Each week we bring to you a discussion on the latest trends in digital marketing and how you can actually implement these strategies into your organization.
Let’s start with the hosts and guests. The episode kicks off as Jenna (your host) introduces Abe Kasbo and Nick Usborne, both with rich backgrounds and strong opinions about where marketing is headed.
The episode launches with Abe’s book, Irresponsibly Digital, which calls out the dangers of going “digital-first” without purpose or creativity.
Abe points out that there wasn’t a single turning point—just a relentless drumbeat:
“I decided to take a step back and look at that. What does that mean?” — Abe Kasbo
Key Takeaway:
Just chasing the latest platforms with no strategy leads to waste and lost opportunities.
Back in 2005, Verasoni was founded at the intersection of traditional and digital marketing. Facebook, Google, and other tech giants started pulling brands online at breakneck speed.
Abe admits he didn’t realize how quickly digital would eclipse traditional methods. But here’s the kicker—he insists the old stuff still works, and digital still has plenty of problems.
“These folks are clickocrats, where they just want you to spend all your time and money… on digital products.”
Uber’s CMO once confessed to losing $100 million on digital ads and had no clue how it happened. Let that sink in—a digital-only company, supposedly the cream of the marketing crop, still fell prey to the chaos.
“He was asked, how did you lose it? His answer was, ‘I don’t know.’” — Abe Kasbo
Abe lists multiple platforms—TikTok included—that have faced big losses. If giant companies struggle, can small businesses or mid-market brands expect better results?
Abe ran the numbers using Rival IQ:
Verasoni’s philosophy pushes back against “market herd mentality”—the temptation to copy what everyone else is doing.
Abe’s advice:
Abe shares a Michigan client who was dead set on using LinkedIn to grow. Abe disagreed, proposed a different direction (webinars, email), transformed their business, and helped their email list grow from 3,000 to 130,000 in under five years.
“It wasn’t about LinkedIn. It was about acquiring emails… We spent time transforming the business first.”
Building long-term trust isn’t easy, especially when clients have clear visions.Abe’s story:
“Sometimes it takes that hard conversation of, like, ‘I don’t think that’s going to work.’ And it’s a risk.”
Result:
Clients who appreciate honesty get better outcomes and ultimately trust the process more.
Tech buzzwords come and go—AI is just the latest.
“Just think about all of the oxygen that AI right now is sucking out of the air… Same thing happened with digital. It continues with social media.”
Everyone wants to say they’re using AI, sometimes for its own sake. But as Abe puts it:
“Focus isn’t sexy. It’s not digital, but we have to execute on it.”
Automation is supposed to boost efficiency, but it often kills the connection that customers really crave.
Some clients tried AI phone assistants—and quickly regretted it.
“…these AI assistants, as good as they think they are, actually suck.”
The Pitfall:
Replacing human interaction with clunky bots leads to frustration for customers.
“Oh, I’m sorry, you’ve chosen the wrong… What are you talking about?”
Abe and Jenna joke about AI answering phones just for the hype. And why are people using AI for grocery lists or condolences messages? It’s overkill.
“I am a certified AI hater. I think it’s really sucking humanity out of humans.” — Jenna
Business is about people, relationships, and authentic interactions.
Don’t make AI your substitute for meaningful human connection.
So what’s the solution?
Step back regularly—at least yearly, ideally every six months.
Abe’s process:
“Take time to assess the marketing investment, the marketing approach. It’s not just what you do, it’s the quality of what you do.”
No easy button or silver bullet—just regular, honest evaluation.
Now, let’s switch to Nick Usborne’s perspective:
He’s seen AI lead to “brand drift”—the slow, subtle process of losing what makes your brand feel different.
“A brand is the opposite of what you want… You want to maintain differentiation, you want to stand out from the crowd.”
Loss of trust = Loss of sales.
Customers are possessive about their favorite brands—just look at what happened when Cracker Barrel changed their logo (not AI-related, but the principle holds!).
AI writes faster than ever… but it struggles with deep, emotional resonance.
Nick’s advice to marketers:
“Brand is your story. That’s the one thing that is unique about you.”
Nick’s study of 20 prompt libraries (Google, HubSpot, etc.):
The story is your moat—nobody can steal your journey.
Don’t make every blog post a retelling, but always filter content through the lens of your unique experience.
Nick teaches a framework that helps brands scale content without losing their soul.
It’s not just the words that matter, it’s who is speaking.
Nick’s illustration:
Same message, same tone—but context means everything!
The “who” is your brand, rooted in your story.
Can AI make your marketing more creative, or does it just churn out more blandness?
Nick’s experience:
“If you get into conversation with these models, if you give them sets of instructions… you really can get very high quality writing.”
Nick encourages marketers to:
Sometimes, AI delivers original insights when you play. Sometimes, it devolves into nonsense. But the back-and-forth process yields surprising ideas.
“It’s like a creative collaboration… When we bounce back and forth like this cool stuff can happen.”
Across both interviews, the overarching advice is clear:
Nick’s closing remarks sum it up:
“Protect your brand. It’s a huge part of your value in every way.”
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