What we are thinking about.
Notes from running 8 publications and building tools for them. Restaurant SEO, local marketing, the boring parts that move the needle.
‘Today’ Clings to Morning News Crown as CBS Mornings Makes a Quiet Power Move
NBC’s ‘Today’ show maintains its morning news lead, but CBS Mornings is making quiet gains that could signal a brewing challenge to the tired status quo.
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Fixed-Fee Pricing Is Eating Agency Margins — Here’s Why 25% of North American Agencies Are Signing Up for the Squeeze
A new study reveals 25% of North American agencies have adopted fixed-fee pricing as AI disrupts traditional billing models. Spoiler: it’s a survival tactic, not a victory lap.
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CBS News’ Charles Forelle Pushes Back Against Corporate Puppeteering, Claims Editorial Independence Amid Industry Scrutiny
CBS News’ Charles Forelle asserts the network’s editorial independence amid widespread skepticism, while CNN unveils a new slate of Originals programming in a bid to reclaim credibility.
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CNN’s Rare Growth Amidst Cable News Ratings Stagnation Exposes Fox News’ Viewer Plateau
For the week of May 4, 2026, CNN stands alone among cable news networks with actual viewer growth, while Fox News maintains its lead without expanding its audience.
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7 Books Every Owner Gives a New GM on Day One
In the fast-paced and competitive landscape of New York City's restaurant scene, having a solid foundation in management principles is crucial for success. New general managers (GMs) need immediate access to resources that can equip them wi
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We Just Shipped 5 Free Restaurant SEO Tools — Here's Why Each Exists
GBP audits, local-pack rank checks, review reply generators, menu schema, holiday hours. No signup, browser-only, instant results. Built by NYC restaurant operators who got tired of paying $200/month for tools that take 5 clicks to learn.
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The Fixed-Fee Pricing Swindle: Why North American Agencies Are Ditching Value for Predictability—and Why It’s a Trap
A new study reveals that 25% of North American agencies have switched to fixed-fee pricing—a move that signals desperation, not innovation, in the age of AI-driven marketing.
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Ally Demands More Than Logo Placement: Wants a Seat at the Table in Women’s Sports Media Deals
Ally Financial is disrupting women’s sports sponsorships by pushing for influence over media deals, not just logo placements. This signals a new era of brand power plays.
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Stop Chasing AI Agents: The Real Winners Nail Process Before Tech
Most brands chasing AI agents are missing the point. The winners started with process, not tech — and it shows in their results.
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Amazon’s Video Podcast Gambit: The Next TV Network or Another Measurement Mirage?
Amazon is betting big on creator video podcasts as the future of TV networks, but without fixing podcast measurement, it’s just another data black hole for advertisers.
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Programmatic Marketing Summit Exposes the AI Agent Buying Circus — And Why It’s Still a Mess
At Digiday’s Programmatic Marketing Summit, marketers revealed the harsh truths behind AI-driven ad buying: it’s messy, opaque, and far from autonomous. Human oversight still rules.
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CeraVe Courts Gen Z by Naming Carmelo Anthony ‘Head Coach’ of Dandruff Campaign — Because Why the Hell Not?
CeraVe’s latest dandruff campaign taps NBA star Carmelo Anthony as its “head coach” to grab Gen Z’s attention — a bold, if desperate, move in a stale category.
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Rightmove’s CMO Bets on AI to Deliver ‘Relevance at Scale’—But Is It More Hype Than Help?
Rightmove’s CMO Matt Bushby touts AI as key to delivering “relevance at scale” in marketing—but the real lesson is that AI works only with solid data and strategy behind it.
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Marketing Training: The Double-Edged Sword Killing Creativity While Pretending to Help
Marketing training promises rigor but often delivers formulaic blandness, killing creativity and producing interchangeable campaigns that bore audiences and marketers alike.
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Cannes Lions 2026 Cracks Down: Stricter Entry Rules, AI Awards, and WPP’s Beach Space Coup
Cannes Lions 2026 slams the brakes on lazy entries with tougher rules, debuts a serious AI award, and sees PMG wrest control of WPP’s iconic beach space.
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Ads of the Week: Dove and Apple Mac Show How to Actually Cut Through the Noise in 2026
Dove, Apple Mac, TJ Maxx, and CeraVe break through 2026’s ad clutter with campaigns that ditch clichés and serve authenticity on a silver platter.
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Why SEO Agencies Like Yoast and Rank Math Still Sell Magic Tricks They Can’t Deliver
Despite billions spent annually by US companies on SEO agencies, most deliver negligible ROI. The '10x agency' scam thrives on lazy reports, not real results.
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llms.txt in Perplexity Search: The Hype vs. Reality Smackdown
Perplexity AI launched llms.txt in 2024 claiming radical transparency, but it’s mostly a smoke-and-mirrors stunt with zero impact on real LLM performance.
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