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.
The Upfront Market Glossary 2026: More Buzzwords, Less Substance
The 2026 upfront market glossary is a parade of buzzwords masking the TV ad industry's refusal to innovate. Real change demands transparency, not jargon.
Read →
Possible’s Marketers Grapple with AI Hype While Clinging to ‘Human’ Facades
Marketers at Possible reveal the messy truth behind AI in marketing: it’s less magic and more a struggle to keep content human amid growing automation pressures.
Read →
Ace Hardware’s AI Assistant: A Rare Win in the Corporate Chatbot Circus
Ace Hardware’s new AI assistant isn’t another half-baked chatbot. It’s a carefully designed tool that actually helps employees, proving that AI can work when done right.
Read →
Marketing’s Toxic Blindspot: Why Ignoring the CTO Is a Recipe for Disaster
Only 4.6% of marketers prioritize strong ties with CTOs—a reckless oversight in a world where tech leadership defines marketing success.
Read →
Forrester’s New Report Exposes B2B Marketing’s Deadly Blind Spot: Buyers Have Already Picked Their Vendors
Forrester reveals that 66% of B2B buyers pick their vendors before any direct contact, rendering traditional marketing tactics obsolete. The buying process is now confirmation, not selection.
Read →
Cartier’s Panther Campaign Proves Luxury Branding Isn’t Dead, Just Lazy Everywhere Else
Cartier’s recent OOH campaign featuring its iconic panther reminded the luxury world that true brand distinctiveness comes from owning your heritage—not chasing trends. The campaign’s success earned it top honors in Kantar’s ‘The Works’ study.
Read →
Airwallex Ditches Quick Fixes, Banks on ‘Compound Effect’ to Shake Up B2B Fintech Branding
Airwallex rejects fintech marketing hype, betting on slow, steady brand trust and deep partnerships to disrupt B2B finance. No quick wins here.
Read →
The End of the Click: Why Marketers Clinging to Paid Search Are Screwing Themselves
Paid search is dying, and marketers still clinging to it are setting themselves up for failure. The future demands strong brands, not cheap clicks.
Read →**Apple's Siri AI Lawsuit Settlement: A Turning Point in Tech Responsibility**
In a San Francisco courtroom, the tension was palpable as Apple representatives squared off against a group of plaintiffs determined to hold the tech giant accountable for the use of their data. The case revolved around Siri, the intelligen
Read →
How AI Content Detectors From Turnitin to GPTZero Destroy Creativity and Trigger False Alarms
Since 2023, AI content detectors have flagged up to 30% of human-written essays as AI-generated, fueling needless censorship and chaos in education and publishing.
Read →
Applebot Crawling: Why Apple’s Search Is Still a Ghost to Publishers
Despite Applebot’s expanded crawl announced in 2023, publishers see zero transparency or actionable data from Apple’s search indexing.
Read →
Rank Math’s AI Slogan Is SEO Grift—Here’s What Actually Moves the Needle in 2026
Rank Math's flashy AI marketing launched in 2023 misleads users; real SEO gains today come from technical rigor, not AI autopilot.
Read →
The GSC Discover Traffic Attribution Scam: How Google Tricks Publishers with Fake Metrics
Google Search Console’s Discover traffic metric inflates impressions and clicks for over 70% of publishers, creating a phantom traffic bonanza.
Read →
IndexNow Is a Lie: Why Microsoft’s Ping Protocol Adds Zero Real Value to Your SEO
Microsoft launched IndexNow in 2021 claiming instant indexing benefits. Yet, evidence shows it barely moves the needle for real-world traffic or rankings.
Read →
Why Marketing’s Neglect of CTOs Is a Slow-Motion Trainwreck—and Specsavers’ Tagline Tweak Isn’t Saving It
Marketers ignoring CTOs while obsessing over tagline tweaks is a recipe for failure. Specsavers’ safe rebrand move won’t fix the underlying digital disconnect.
Read →
Anchor Butter Ditches Pasture Clichés to Cut Through Advertising Noise
Anchor Butter is abandoning the tired trope of cows in fields, aiming to break through the dairy category’s advertising monotony with fresher storytelling.
Read →
McDonald’s UK and Ireland Puts Longtime Insider Tim Kenward in the Hotseat as CMO—Marketing Stuck in a Comfort Zone?
McDonald’s UK and Ireland’s new CMO Tim Kenward is a longtime insider whose appointment signals a refusal to disrupt a stagnant brand marketing strategy.
Read →
The Very Group’s Chief Customer Officer Jessica Myers Bails After 3.5 Years — What Now for the Retailer?
Jessica Myers has left The Very Group after over three and a half years as Chief Customer Officer, highlighting ongoing leadership instability amid the retailer’s customer experience struggles.
Read →