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• 🤳 ​Influencer Marketing Skyrockets: 59% of Marketers Plan More Partnerships in 2025 (MarketingDive)

• 🧵 Threads Drives Traffic Surge: Publishers See 20-Fold Increase in Referrals (DigiDay)

• 🎮️ Discord Levels Up: Mobile Video Quests Bring Rewarded Ads to Your Pocket (Discord)

• 🎧️ H&M Hits Refresh: Digital Relaunch and Charli XCX Collab (MarketingDive)

🔗 Large On LinkedIn

• 📈 Finding Patterns and Understanding Outliers - From Pedro Porto Alegre (link)

• ✍️ Who Writes The Brief? Hot Take - From Julien Cole (link)

• 🤑 How Google Makes Loads of Money - From Byron Sharp (link)

💼 Case Studies: Case Closed

• 🥤 The $20 Smoothie Phenomenon: How Erewhon Redefined Smoothies Into Wellness Luxuries (BecauseOfMarketing)

• 🏴‍☠️ 7 winning A/B tests that feel illegal to know (MarketingIdeas)

• 💳️ Inside Lowes Loyalty Revamp (CXdive)

🧰 You Won’t Blame These Tools

• 🗓️ Reclaim.ai - The AI calendar that optimises everyone in your team's schedules.

• 🔍️ WaaLaxy - Make LinkedIn your #1 Acquisition Channel with AI Outreach at Scale

• 🤖 BotPress - The Complete AI Agent Platform To Deploy The Latest LLMs Across Anything You Do

SORRY, AGENTIC IS NOT A WORD (I CHECKED) 🤖 

To properly understand what AI agents are, it's essential to first break down the layers they’re built upon.

Generative AI: The Content Machine

Generative AI refers to Large Language Models (LLM’s) or Image Generation Models designed to create content, whether it's text, images, or even video. Tools we’re all used to now like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Claude are prime examples of this technology. These models are trained on large datasets to produce human-like text or visuals.

Generative AI is fantastic at creating content quickly and mimicking human-like communication, but it’s essentially an insanely good pattern-matching system. It lacks any real comprehension or awareness, so while it can produce a well-written blog post or marketing copy, it doesn’t actually “know” what it’s writing about (hence, hallucinations). The results can be creative, but they’re only as good as the prompts and training data they’ve been fed.

Note: I know the AI geeks out there will be screaming “but now with chain of thought” blah, blah… I know, I’m oversimplifying here just to get everyone on the same page. This is a marketing leadership essay, not a CS course.

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): The Fact-Checker

RAG enhances Generative AI by integrating it with external knowledge bases, combining creativity with fact-based information retrieval. Instead of relying solely on training data, RAG systems access real-time data from APIs, databases, or search engines. This allows them to provide accurate, up-to-date information, such as current events. Obviously, RAG's effectiveness also depends on the quality and reliability of its sources - but at the end of the day it’s still just a lump of text, image or code sitting on the end of an API call, on a screen, or in a chat window. Just dangling out there.

Agentic AI: From Answers to Actions

Agentic AI enhances Generative AI and RAG by enabling specific actions through APIs and integrations. It acts like a digital employee, executing tasks such as setting up ad campaigns, categorising feedback, scheduling meetings, and managing blog posts without human oversight. Its effectiveness relies on robust APIs, seamless integration into workflows, and well-structured data. It’s an insane leap forward from just generated output, to putting that output to work.

The Near Future: Agents for Everyone!

This is big. Model Context Protocol, an open standard by Anthropic, is a super-important moment in AI and how it can be practically enabled to do stuff - ie. interact with almost any external data or tool.

Think of it like the USB-C for AI, it provides a universal framework for seamless connections to all platforms, enhancing real-time data access and importantly; task execution.

MCP simplifies AI-tool interactions with clear connection rules, and it’s spreading like wildfire already, with over 1,000 community-built servers by early 2025 and integrations with big name platforms.

Why This Matters for You

Here’s the thing: MCPs are going to very quickly flood these new AI Agents with tools and systems that they can connect with and execute tasks with, it’s only a matter of time before we see this technology evolve into consumer-facing assistants capable of handling everyday digital tasks.

Imagine an AI assistant (I want to say Siri+, but Apple have really fumbled the ball here so far) that doesn’t just suggest meeting times or reads your messages, but also books flights, files reports, and competently handles texts all in one smooth flow.

Back to the business world though. The groundwork is already being laid, and tech vendors are already rolling out these agents inside their own platforms because they don’t need to wait to build an MCP server - they have oodles of API’s to use already.

This is the NOW of Agentic AI for you (and every other marketer).

See how this can very quickly become a world of vanilla campaigns, with beige creative, thousands of variations, overwhelming our channels with “meh”?

THE 3 KEYS TO WINNING IN A WORLD FULL OF ‘HER’ 🔑

When we sit back and look at the marketing function of a business, there’s no doubt there will be lots of change coming - I'm not one of those “The Agency model is dead” kinda guys, but change is coming.

To be best prepared for it, you really have three key areas you’ll want to double down on to take advantage of and be prepared with - Creativity, Data and Brand.

Let’s dive into each here.

CREATIVITY WILL BECOME EVEN MORE RARE.

AI is inherently derivative. It learns from existing data, finding and remixing patterns and structures it’s been trained on. It’s brilliant at sounding polished but terrible at creating something truly original. Sure, complex prompt engineering can force out more creative outputs, but it still requires a smart, human insight to guide it (or a free PDF from some random on LinkedIn, just drop “AI” in the comments!)

True creativity happens when you make unexpected connections, tap into cultural nuances, or express an insight so clear and compelling that it stops people in their tracks. AI doesn’t actually understand people, emotions, or culture in any meaningful way—it just mimics what it’s learned.

And that’s the key difference. When execution becomes commodified and everyone’s using the same AI tools, the strength of your ideas is what will truly set you apart. Human creativity is the secret sauce that elevates marketing communications from polished mediocrity to something remarkable. Because if the idea isn’t great, all you’ve got is a slickly-produced piece of forgettable content.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at this recent Puma ad created 100% by various AI agents briefing, coming up with ideas and then generating the final video:

Utterly devoid of any ideas or concepts - it’s a holla-back to the bad old days of vapid, empty “In a world where…” covid-ads.

AI simply cannot do creativity. Yet.

DATA IS HOW WE MAKE THIS THING SING!

Here’s a simple truth for you: If your data is a mess, your AI is a mess.

AI agents are only as good as the data they’re trained on. And while they can perform dazzling feats of automation, optimisation, and analysis, they also have a nasty habit of assuming everything you tell them is truth. They simply can’t make sense of poor-quality data.

That’s where you, the human, come in. If you understand your data—where it comes from, what it truly represents, and how it interrelates—you’ll shooting ahead (with your AI Agent in the passenger seat), while your competitors are still trying to get the engine to turn over.

This is why the Customer Data Platform (CDP) is now the most important piece of marketing infrastructure you own. AI agents already have the ability to be integrated into your CDP (or other data repositories) to orchestrate workflows and execute campaigns with impressive speed and precision. It’s your job to get them hooked up.

The biggest mistake marketing leaders can make is thinking that data is a purely technical problem. It’s not. It’s a strategic one. And it’s increasingly it’s a strategic problem that you as a marketing leader need to get your head around.

You can’t just offload the problem to a data architect or technical team. As marketing becomes increasingly automated, your understanding of the data layer will be the deciding factor between success and failure.

It’s now your role to understand the opportunities with Agentic AI and envision, then create, that world which is entirely founded on your organisations data.

What does this mean in practice?

It means understanding how your data is collected, how it’s structured, and how it flows between systems. It means ensuring your AI tools are pulling from clean, relevant, and well-organised sources. And most importantly, it means seeing data not as a back-end issue but as the foundation of every campaign, insight, and decision you make.

AI agents can amplify what’s already working. But they can just as easily amplify what’s broken or wrong. And if you’re not actively managing and improving your data ecosystem, you’re only setting yourself up for failure.

BRAND IS A DEEPER MOAT THAN EVER.

As AI agents rapidly take over the more repetitive, lower-funnel tasks, like lead generation, image generation, copywriting, customer service, campaign optimisation, and workflow automation, you’re left with one undeniable truth: If everyone has access to the same hyper-efficient AI tools, what’s left to truly set you apart?

The answer? Your brand.

When the market becomes saturated with low barrier to entry homogenised, commodity products and experiences—how people feel about your company, what it stands for, and how it makes them feel—becomes your most valuable asset.

It’s the emotional moat that AI agents can’t easily replicate or automate. Sure, they absolutely can help with crunching data, drafting emails, and optimising ad campaigns trained on your brand. But they can’t really create a brand that is predicated on a genuine human truth, establishes human connection or sparks emotional loyalty.

But why does this matter now more than ever?

Because the very tools that empower you to execute marketing plans at record speed also empower your competitors. AI-driven efficiency is only going to become more accessible, cheaper, and, frankly, expected. If your messaging sounds the same as everyone else’s because it’s all coming from similar generative AI systems, then your brand is the only thing that truly makes you stand out.

Great branding has always been about more than logos and taglines—it’s about building an identity people want to associate with. And in a world where execution is now a commodity, that identity becomes your most valuable currency.

This shift means you simply can’t afford to treat branding as a ‘nice-to-have’ separate from performance marketing.

In fact, the more automated the execution layer becomes, the more vital it is to have a strong, memorable, differentiated, distinctive and consistent brand activity that resonates deeply with your audience.

The brands that will thrive in this new AI-driven landscape are the ones that go beyond efficiently pushing products at people and instead, focus on making people feel something meaningful about their brand. It’s about building loyalty, trust, and community—elements that can’t be reduced to algorithms or API integrations.

THE FUTURE IS NOW! 🚀 

OK, apologies for the cringy closing title. But you really should be excited.

With your understanding of the strategic advantages of Agentic AI locked in, it’s time to take some actionable steps to prepare for what’s coming. Here’s how to get started:

1. Codify Your Brand Identity And Execute Relentlessly
If AI agents are going to handle more of the grunt work, your brand’s identity needs to be rock-solid and unmistakably yours. This isn’t just about logos and colour palettes. It’s about having a clear, differentiated brand identity that’s codified and consistent across every interaction. From your tone of voice to your values and visual style—this is your competitive moat. Document your brand guidelines and ensure they are rigorously applied across all channels and communications. The stronger and clearer your brand identity, the more effective your marketing will be, even when parts of it are automated.

2. Conduct A Data Audit And Build Secure Repositories
Data is oxygen to AI agents. But if your data is a scattered, inconsistent mess, you’ll only be amplifying chaos. Start by conducting a thorough audit of your data ecosystem from two perspectives:

• Data Driving Decisions & Experiences: This includes sales data, customer behavioural data, campaign performance metrics—anything that reflects or informs how you interact with your audience.

• Background Data For AI Assistants: Meeting transcripts, project documentation, internal knowledge bases—everything your AI agents will use to understand context and execute tasks.

Once you’ve mapped out your data sources, the next step is to create secure, centralised repositories where this data can be stored, organised, and easily accessed by AI agents. This infrastructure will be the backbone of your Agentic AI strategy.

3. Get Your Team Actively Using Generative AI
Your team is probably already experimenting with Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Jasper. But if they’re doing it quietly and individually, you’re missing an opportunity. Encourage them to share their experiences, experiment openly, and discuss the potential use cases for your business. More importantly, start training them in prompt engineering and how to get the most out of AI tools. The goal is to develop a culture where AI is embraced, not feared or hidden away.

4. Start Planning Your AI Agent Deployment
Make no mistake—your competitors are already testing and deploying AI agents across their marketing functions. Don’t get left behind. Begin by identifying potential agents that could be integrated into your existing processes, whether that’s content production, lead scoring, customer service, or workflow automation.

Speak with your internal tech team about building and deploying agents tailored to your needs and check with your external vendors on what they have planned for their roadmaps. Start mapping out your AI integration roadmap, making sure you have the infrastructure, data, and training in place to support the agents you plan to deploy.

I know there’s a lot of hype in the space - and trust me, I’m possibly the most cynical tech-forward marketer on the planet, but the opportunity with Agentic AI is truly immense and also a little frightening if you’re not prepared.

Take these simple steps and you’ll be ahead of 99% of your competitors already.

If you enjoyed this edition, please forward it to a friend who’s looking to level-up their growth game - they’ll love you for it (and I will too) ⏭️ 💌

PS. When you’re ready here’s how I can help you:

1. Fractional CXO services: Need a top strategic product, marketing and digital transformation mind to grow your brand, but don’t want the hefty price tag? Fractional CXO services allow you to start growing revenue, before your grow your people costs. Limited slots available.

2. Events and Conference Host: Don’t get the guy who last week was MC’ing a carpet industry conference. If you’re in marketing, CX or digital I can help make your conference a memorable delight for your attendees.

Troy Muir | The Ladder