Marketing Adjacent

In this episode, Mike and Garrio discuss the top current events impacting business, tech, and marketing, addressing issues such as legislation, AI, and banking technology. They also critique recent marketing campaigns by Coca-Cola and Twisted Tea, suggesting that successful campaigns should establish a lasting connection to the brand, rather than just generating momentary buzz. The podcast ends on a positive note, with Mike and Garrio discussing possibilities for renewable energy, advancements in technology, and the younger generation’s potential to make positive changes in the future.

The proposed TikTok ban and the Restrict Act that has been proposed to restrict the use of certain technologies and websites has sparked a larger conversation about the regulation of technology. While some believe in more government oversight and regulation, others argue that corporations should be trusted to police themselves when it comes to data and privacy concerns.

[00:07:36]-[00:08:31]

"I actually don't think you can ban it. I don't think that's the way to go. I think a different form of regulation needs to be in place. And I don't think...allowing corporations to a certain extent police themselves, and if the concern is proprietary IP and data and things like that, let corporations do it rather than banning this at the national firewall level or whatever."

Meta's announcement of layoffs and increased efficiency through investment in AI tools has sparked discussions about the rapid pace of technological advancement and its impact on employment. A recent open letter signed by prominent figures called for a slower approach to AI development to better understand its potential consequences.

[00:12:24]-[00:13:12]

"Literally it's everything. We're going to dive into a topic at a bigger level here. But when we think about what's happening, I think it's this again, the rate of change is the issue and I don't know if anybody saw was it yesterday? I think that open letter came out from a whole bunch of big names saying, hey, can we slow this down?"

Our current laws and institutions are not equipped to keep up with the rapid rate of change we are experiencing. Agile legislation needs to be put in place to mitigate risks and plan for worst case scenarios.

[00:15:08]-[00:15:49]

"That framework, I think, needs to get put into place so that we can mitigate some of the risk of all the stuff that's coming at us, because there's not enough worst case scenario red Teaming taking place that people are looking at all the good that it can do, but not enough people are going, okay, but what's the worst case scenario?"

The rate of technological change is accelerating, and the downstream impacts on jobs and other areas are going to be huge. Retraining historically has been poorly executed, and it's not realistic to solve this problem in six months. Additionally, current regulations may not be equipped to handle the potential flood of new drugs and other products created by rapidly advancing technology.

[00:18:02]-[00:18:22]

"Usually the answer is, well retraining. Well retraining has been really awfully done historically, and that's when things were slower. Who's going to spin up a retraining right now that's going to solve this problem in six months? Is this not even realistic?"

The aftermath of Svb has highlighted the speed at which decisions are made and coordinated using messaging apps in a digital era, as seen in the first Twitter-fueled bank run. The current banking system was not designed to cope with the technological advances and the unexpected downstream consequences it brings, affecting due diligence and adding to the cognitive load of individuals, businesses and entrepreneurs.

[00:20:07]-[00:22:22]

"The current banking system was not designed for the two main things that caught my attention during this whole saga....It gets back to what we're talking about, the rate of change that's happening and the technology being used in unexpected ways and our regulatory systems and just the way we think about doing business, not being prepared for the downstream consequences."

Two recent marketing campaigns by Twisted Tea and Coca Cola have been criticized for their lack of strong ties to the brand and business outcomes. The Twisted Tea campaign drew a connection between iced tea and vasectomies, while the Coca Cola campaign used AI to create crowdsourced art. Both campaigns were deemed predictable and lazy.

[00:27:08]-[00:29:59]

"The twisted tea campaign drew a connection between iced tea and vasectomies. Nobody asked the secondary question of whether this adds economic value to the organization long term. The same goes for Coke, they could have pushed the AI art campaign further than the most obvious solution."

Creating lasting brand moments can provide a longer shelf life for a brand and maximize return on investment. Ads during major events, like the Super Bowl, can be costly for just one moment, but creating a brand moment during everyday activities, like doing laundry, can result in ongoing returns.

[00:35:14]-[00:35:17]

"That literally goes directly to the bottom line."

In this segment, Mike and Garrio discussed their need to improve their podcast's transitions while acknowledging the surplus of dad jokes in their previous recording. While recognizing the need for improvement, they also agreed that they will get better with time.

[00:35:38]-[00:36:01]

"I got to work on my transitions... That was a lame, not the visual. The visual is fine. I had a different transition plan. We took the conversation in a different direction. I was like, Next segment, please."

The global economy is in a downswing, there's a generational shift happening in both leadership and subject matter roles, remote work is a significant force, and AI is revolutionizing the job landscape - all these four things are causing a significant change in the work landscape.

[00:38:11]-[00:38:30]

"Remote work is all of a sudden a big thing, I haven't looked at the latest stats, but a large portion of the workforce is working remote, and now companies are trying to force people back to the office."

The future of work will require navigating the differences between generations to create a successful and productive environment. Each generation has its own skill sets and perspectives that can contribute to the workplace. The key is to find ways to have a knowledge exchange and create a cultural negotiation that aligns incentives for all generations.

[00:43:10]-[00:43:29]

"So you have this opportunity here where you have two generations that have skill sets that if you create an environment where they can have that knowledge exchange, you end up with both being better."

In this conversation, Mike and Garrio discuss the future and come to an optimistic conclusion. They talk about the possibilities of renewable energy, advancements in technology, and the younger generation's willingness to make positive changes.

[00:42:15]-[00:43:15]

"I think renewable energy is definitely the future. We're seeing more and more companies investing in it and governments making it a priority. It's exciting to think about the possibilities."