For me the most important trend is how marketers are trying to use AI to take too much marketing out of the hands of humans and allowing machines to do the work. In a world where technology drives transformation, the real challenge isn’t the tools—it’s the people. How to balance efficiency with empathy, scale with authenticity, and innovation with humanity. Spoiler: It’s not about humans or machines—it’s about humans and machines.
Marketing will truly win when humans control the machines instead of the machines controlling the humans. Use data to inform judgement, not to ‘make’ the decisions or create the content without serious human oversight.
You know I’m all for innovation, but let’s get real: Relationships aren’t built in spreadsheets. When’s the last time you felt seen by a brand? Was it because an algorithm predicted your coffee order? Or because a human remembered your kid’s name and asked how soccer season went? That’s the magic no machine can replicate.
My issue isn’t with the tool—it’s with how companies use it. AI can’t replace empathy, but it can free up time for reps to focus on it. Imagine if Zappos had AI handling shipping logistics so their teams could spend more time on those legendary two-hour customer calls. That’s the sweet spot. Let’s not confuse personalization with connection. The algorithm might know you watch shark documentaries, but it doesn’t know you’re hooked because you and your dad bonded over Jaws when you were a kid. That’s where humans come in. AI surfaces the what; we provide the why. REI’s community hikes? That’s humans creating spaces for shared stories—AI can’t light that fire, but it can fan the flames.
My fear? Companies will slap “AI-powered community” on a press release while cutting budgets for real outreach. Tech can’t replace human intent—it just scales it.
ALWAYS REMEMBER… Relationships are like muscle tissue, the more you engage them, the stronger and more valuable they become. That’s at the heart of RETURN ON RELATIONSHIP.
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*Image imperfection left that way intentionally.