How AI Changes Your Customers – Mark Schaefer's New book | S5 E42

Send us a text🎧 Full audiobook edition of “The Future CMO” – written and narrated by Joeri Billast.The job changed while most of us were still crafting campaigns. We break down how the CMO is being rebuilt into a Chief Value Officer who speaks in revenue, margin, risk—and proves it. No marketing theatre. Just a clear path to measurable impact powered by trust, technology, and community.Across a fast-moving conversation, we map the value equation (perception + trust + outcome) and show how raising all three in tandem drives durable growth. We walk through the AI marketing maturity model (from automation to autonomous), where to place your next bet, and why governance matters as much as experimentation. Community takes center stage with a practical health score, co-creation tactics, and case studies from GOAT Gaming, Ledger, and Transak that demonstrate lower CAC, higher LTV, and real crisis resilience. Narrative excellence ties it all together: the five‑second story rule, a story resonance matrix, and fractal storytelling that adapts one message across TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X without losing voice.We also get tactical: an AI content pipeline for speed with quality, platform‑native adaptation, and decision frameworks that let teams move in 48 hours without losing control. Then we push into strategic audacity – why competence is invisible in an AI world, how boldness with guardrails builds moats, and the exact questions to pass a CFO’s reality check. Finally, we step into the marketing technologist mindset: audit and unify your stack, favor interoperability, automate real growth reporting, and build cross‑functional coalitions with sales, product, finance, legal, and community.If you’re ready to own P&L impact, master AI without losing authenticity, and scale belonging that outlasts algorithms, this conversation is your roadmap. Subscribe, share with a fellow leader who needs it, and leave a review to tell us where you’ll start.—Recorded via Descript in early October 2025, shortly after the release of the eBook and paperback editions. The transcript was auto-generated for accessibility and may contain small errors. To access the full text and bonus resources, visit joeri.link/future-cmo-skool.

Send us a textImagine algorithms that feel more attentive than people – always patient, never tired, and ready with the perfect follow‑up question. That illusion of empathy is already shaping how buyers research, decide, and stay loyal. We sit down with Mark Schaefer to unpack the human side of AI: cognitive offloading at scale, de‑skilling that changes how customers think, and what it means when assistants default to a single recommendation instead of a page of links.We dig into the new rules of discoverability and why text‑rich content, precise transcripts, and entity clarity now carry outsized weight with large language models. Mark explains why PR is having a renaissance as AI shifts from counting backlinks to interpreting authoritative mentions, and how urgency matters because early movers will lock in the default answers. We also explore the power of overrides—those human factors that still trump machine suggestions – like word‑of‑mouth, brand preference, and community trust that carries through to the moment of choice.The conversation moves beyond tactics to tackle a looming trust crisis. Deepfakes, synthetic media, and frictionless misinformation demand visible transparency: provenance for assets, clear disclosures, and rapid response playbooks. Yet there’s optimism here. With daily experimentation and a strong learning community, founders and teams can use AI to compress go‑to‑market cycles, scale real empathy in service, and design products faster – without losing the human touch that makes brands memorable and resilient.If you’re ready to future‑proof your marketing while staying deeply human, this one’s for you. Listen, subscribe, and leave a review to help others find the show – and tell us: what’s your smartest move to stay findable and trusted in an AI‑first world?This episode was recorded through a Descript call on October 7, 2025. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/how-ai-changes-your-customers-mark-schaefers-new-book

Send us a textTwo launches, one clear direction: make technology usable and make marketing accountable. We open with the debut of RYO's LIFE Wallet, a super wallet designed for everyone. Start in seconds, sign in with biometrics, recover securely, and send crypto as easily as a text. With a roadmap that includes a global mall for direct payments, staking, NFTs, stablecoins, and AI assistance, the vision is practical: move crypto from speculation to everyday value.Then we turn to "The Future CMO," a 90-minute short read with a big thesis: the next marketing leader operates like a Chief Value Officer. No more marketing theater measured by impressions and likes. We outline eight dimensions of the modern CMO, ranging from narrative excellence with AI as a creative amplifier to content ecosystems that scale, from genuine community building to rigorous measurement of perception, trust, and outcomes. It’s a blueprint for margin resilience, revenue impact, and real accountability to the board.Along the way, we share the tools and community that make change stick: a Trust ROI calculator, a community health score framework, curated AI prompts for speed and quality, plus mastermind calls and events like Sintra Synergies featuring industry voices such as Mark Schaefer. The through line is simple: lead with trust, master technology without losing human authenticity, and design for outcomes that matter. If that future speaks to you, subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a quick review. What shift will you make first?👉 Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Future-CMO-Modern-Trust-Visibility-ebook/dp/B0FNLBZGB9/This episode was recorded via Descript on Oct 1, 2025. 

Send us a textEver wondered how Web3 technology is transforming the sports prediction landscape? Will Martin, founder of LiveDuel, shares his journey from economics student to innovative entrepreneur at the intersection of DeFi and sports engagement.The LiveDuel platform stands apart by solving a fundamental market inefficiency. While traditional sports betting operates through thousands of separate operators with fragmented liquidity pools, LiveDuel applies decentralized finance principles to create a unified global ecosystem. Their Oracle-aware automatic market maker and consolidated liquidity pool delivers better pricing while distributing transaction fees among all participants—the platform, liquidity providers, and content creators.What truly sets LiveDuel apart is their revolutionary marketing approach. Their TikTok prediction filters have been used by 600,000 creators, generating a staggering 750 million views and thousands of organic signups. These filters allow users to create engaging prediction videos for major tournaments simply by moving their heads to make selections, sparking natural engagement as fans debate and react to predictions. As Will quotes from Gary Vee, "organic reach measures relevance," and LiveDuel has certainly proven its relevance in sports conversations.The platform carefully balances Web3 innovation with accessibility. Rather than forcing users through complicated wallet setups, LiveDuel abstracts away technical complexities while maintaining blockchain benefits behind the scenes. This approach caters perfectly to their primary audience—passionate sports fans aged 23-34 from regions where football isn't just entertainment but religion.Looking forward, LiveDuel is monitoring regulatory developments in the United States while developing new creator tools, including live streaming capabilities that acknowledge the full timeline of sports fandom—before, during, and after games. The vision? A truly global, interconnected prediction experience enhanced by community engagement.This episode was recorded at SBC Summit in Lisbon on September 18, 2025. Check the video footage, read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/predicting-the-future-how-liveduel-is-revolutionizing-sports-betting/

Send us a textWhat happens when you lose your Bitcoin in the Mt. Gox hack, then watch 44,000 Ethereum vanish from a project you helped build? For Xavier Hendricks, these painful experiences sparked a mission to revolutionize crypto security through radical simplicity.Xavier's journey from blockchain enthusiast to security specialist reveals a counterintuitive truth: the best security removes technology rather than adds it. "Anything that's complicated, anything that's technical, is a weakness," he explains with the hard-earned wisdom of someone who's experienced devastating hacks firsthand.As CEO of NGRAVE, Xavier has created a hardware wallet designed around this philosophy. The solution keeps private keys completely offline while allowing users to sign transactions through an intuitive QR code system that anyone can visually verify. Most impressive is their unique backup solution: two metal plates with a punch system creating a split key backup resistant to fire, water, and physical damage.Beyond the technical innovations, Xavier's perspective on the psychological aspects of crypto security is what truly sets this conversation apart. The industry asks people to take full responsibility for their assets, akin to keeping all your cash in your living room. Creating solutions people actually feel comfortable using requires addressing both technical and emotional security needs.The conversation evolves to explore how trust is quickly lost in the security space, the future of integrating services like staking without compromising security, and why looking beyond the "ugliness on the surface" reveals blockchain's true potential as a peer-to-peer financial system that preserves individual freedom.Join us to discover why simplicity trumps complexity in wallet design, how military-grade security certification meets user-friendly design, and what's next as crypto adoption expands beyond technical enthusiasts to mainstream investors.This episode was recorded through a Descript call on September 11, 2025. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/from-crypto-victim-to-security-visionary-xaviers-story

Send us a textThe crypto industry has a storytelling problem. Despite its revolutionary potential, most crypto projects struggle to connect with mainstream audiences because they've created an insular world of jargon, acronyms, and narratives that actively exclude outsiders."I've been in a lot of different industries – social impact, investment, technology, healthcare – and I've never been in an industry where narrative mattered more than crypto," explains Stephany Zoo, Head of Ecosystem at Caladan and a veteran crypto marketer since 2014. Drawing from her experience across four continents, Stephany reveals how cultural contexts profoundly shape crypto adoption, from Vietnam's surprisingly high 30% adoption rate (driven by distrust in traditional financial products) to the interplay between regulatory environments in different regions.The disconnect between crypto projects and mainstream users runs deeper than many realize. While companies like Robinhood are successfully bringing their existing users into crypto, the reverse rarely happens. Crypto marketers have created barriers through excessive technical language and a focus on what makes crypto different rather than relatable. "So much of the storytelling we've seen recently positions crypto as this unique thing that's redoing or undoing what the financial world has done previously," Stephanie notes. "You can't have an entire industry that stands by itself."This marketing challenge extends to how founders approach growth. Too often, they chase vanity metrics – Twitter followers, conference appearances, impression counts – while neglecting the fundamentals of positioning, messaging, and conversion metrics that actually drive business. The result? Unsustainable hype cycles that quickly fade instead of building lasting value.For marketers navigating this space, Stephany offers practical wisdom: return to marketing basics like user segmentation and channel strategy, focus on clear messaging consistency across all platforms, and tell stories that connect crypto to everyday experiences rather than isolating it as something alien. As the industry matures and institutional adoption grows, communicating crypto's internal culture to the outside world responsibly becomes increasingly critical.Ready to build bridges instead of walls with your crypto marketing? Subscribe to Web3 CMO Stories for more insights from the frontlines of blockchain communication and community building.This episode was recorded through a Descript call on September 5, 2025. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/the-crypto-storytelling-problem-tales-from-four-continents/

Send us a textThe marketing landscape is transforming rapidly, and leadership must evolve with it. That's the driving insight behind my exciting announcement today – my new book "The Future CMO" is almost ready to launch! After sharing keynote stages with Philip Kotler in Cairo and Dennis Yu in Portugal, I realized the message I've been developing over years was finally coming together in a powerful way.What started as a conversation with Mark Schaefer in July – "You're already doing the work, your book is halfway done" – has blossomed into a focused, actionable guide for modern marketing leaders. This isn't a lengthy theoretical tome; it's a sharp 90-minute read designed specifically for marketers, founders, and decision-makers navigating the complexities of AI, Web3, and the overwhelming technological noise we all face today."The Future CMO" explores how marketing leadership must evolve from strategist to integrator, from campaign thinker to system builder. I dive into critical themes of visibility, trust, and storytelling while making the case that tomorrow's most effective marketing leaders will guide their organizations not just with metrics, but with meaning. The e-book launches this September, followed by the paperback in October. If you'd like to be part of this journey – as an early reader, launch team member, or just someone who wants to grab the book when it's available, reach out to me via https://webdrie.net. The future of marketing starts with how we choose to show up, and I'd love for you to join me in exploring what that means for all of us.This episode was recorded via Descript on Sep 3, 2025. 

Send us a textDive into a revolutionary conversation with Kelwin Fernandes, co-founder and CEO of NILG AI, who shares a powerful vision for how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping business strategy and entrepreneurship.Drawing from 15 years of AI expertise and his journey from deep research to successful entrepreneurship, Kelwin challenges conventional thinking about AI implementation. Rather than viewing AI as just another tool for automating tasks, he presents it as a catalyst for completely reimagining business models and decision-making processes."The most underestimated power of AI is reimagining a business model," Kelwin explains, painting a bold picture of a future where AI drives production costs toward zero, enabling radical new approaches to pricing and customer relationships. His provocative concept of consultants potentially paying clients for the opportunity to optimize their businesses illustrates just how dramatically AI could transform traditional business relationships.The conversation explores practical distinctions between superficial AI adoption driven by FOMO and strategic integration that transforms core business operations. You'll discover why focusing on decision-making rather than just automation yields the greatest business value, and how Kelwin's company applies the 10X Rule to marketing, achieving over 140 speaking events in a single year through strategic AI use.Perhaps most valuable is Kelwin's entrepreneurial wisdom: "First-time entrepreneurs focus on product, second-time entrepreneurs focus on distribution, third-time entrepreneurs focus on networking." This progression reveals why building both a strong personal brand and AI expertise creates powerful competitive advantages in today's business landscape.Whether you're an entrepreneur, marketer, or business leader interested in AI's transformative potential, this episode offers both strategic frameworks and practical examples for leveraging AI to create genuine business value. This episode was recorded through a Descript call on August 11, 2025. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/reimagining-business-with-ai/

Send us a textThe wall between Web3 and mainstream gaming is finally crumbling, and Joana Barros is helping to tear it down brick by brick. As Marketing Director at My Neighbor Alice, she's spearheading a revolution in how blockchain games approach player onboarding – with remarkable results.Joana's journey to this role is fascinating. After managing the Xbox brand at Microsoft despite having no gaming background, she discovered how deeply passion drives the gaming industry. "You are working with how people spend their free time," she explains, "and that's a lot of passion." This insight would later inform her approach to Web3 gaming marketing after a surprising pivot into blockchain in late 2020.When faced with the challenge of reaching one million players for My Neighbor Alice, Joana recognized the fundamental problem: entry barriers. While the game had built a dedicated Web3-native community since winning Binance Project of the Year in 2021, that audience alone couldn't sustain growth. Her team implemented three critical changes: browser-based gameplay (no downloads), one-click play access, and most crucially, Web3Auth – allowing account creation with just an email, generating wallets invisibly in the background.The results speak for themselves – 100,000 accounts created in less than two months after their June 2023 launch. Their marketing approach carefully balanced dual audiences, using X (Twitter) to engage their crypto-savvy base while focusing platforms like Instagram and TikTok purely on gameplay experiences. Strategic partnerships with KOLs and gaming guilds, especially in receptive Asian markets, further amplified their reach.Joanna's vision extends beyond immediate growth. She believes the distinction between Web3 and traditional games will eventually disappear: "It doesn't matter if we're a Web3 game or Web2 or mobile if the experience is good enough." This philosophy – that technology should serve player experience, not define it – represents the future path for blockchain gaming's mainstream adoption.Ready to see how blockchain can enhance rather than complicate your gaming experience? Visit My Neighbor Alice today and discover a world where owning your digital assets feels as natural as playing the game itself.This episode was recorded through a Descript call on August 8, 2025. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/crypto-who-making-web3-gaming-accessible-to-everyone/

Send us a textVikram R Singh takes us on a journey from his unexpected entrepreneurial beginnings to building Antier, a blockchain powerhouse with 700+ team members that has weathered multiple market cycles through unwavering vision and purpose.What draws someone to blockchain beyond the hype? For Vikram, it was the revelation that this technology could create trust and accountability within systems themselves, reducing intermediaries and putting control back in people's hands. This vision guided Antier through three bear markets while maintaining impressive growth, proving that sustainable success comes from solving real problems rather than chasing trends.Vikram shares powerful insights about India's position as a Web3 talent hub, needing only regulatory clarity and better storytelling to claim its place as the global Web3 capital. His perspective on the relationship between blockchain and AI is particularly enlightening—"Blockchain is trust, AI is intelligence"—positioning these technologies as complementary forces rather than competitors in our digital future.For founders and marketers, Vikram offers practical wisdom: focus on the problem you're solving, not your technology, ensure your narrative answers "why now, why you, and why should I care" and remember that people don't adopt technology, they adopt stories that reflect their needs. His Co-Pilot Program demonstrates how partnerships built on equal risk/reward and aligned energies can accelerate innovation in the Web3 space.Perhaps most surprising is Vikram's revelation about what truly transformed his business after years of perfecting delivery, sales, and management: it was marketing that ultimately enabled exponential growth. This lesson holds particular value during market downturns, when maintaining visibility can position companies for success when conditions improve.This episode was recorded through a Descript call on July 7, 2025. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/from-accidental-entrepreneur-to-building-one-of-asias-leading-blockchain-firms/