Why Rule-Based Marketing Is Breaking

Advertising execution is still surprisingly manual. Marketers and agencies juggle fragmented platforms, disconnected data, and countless hands-on tasks. When those systems are stitched together with new AI tools, they can create what Fluency CEO Mike Lane calls a “Frankenstack” of software.He talks about what it takes to truly automate advertising execution. Rather than simply adding an AI chatbot to existing workflows, Lane argues that companies need an integrated operating system that connects data, media platforms, workflows, and AI agents. The goal isn't automation for its own sake. By taking repetitive execution and error-prone tasks out of the workflow, AI can give marketers more time for strategy—and potentially provide new insights by continuously analyzing performance across an entire advertising portfolio.For further reading: Learn more about Fluency: https://www.fluency.inc/  Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Is AI really the story of our time—or is humanity? In this special conversation at the MMA’s CMO & CEO Summit, former OpenAI Head of Go-to-Market Zack Kass joins host Greg Stuart to explore what he calls the “next renaissance”: a future where intelligence becomes abundant, AI agents reshape how consumers make decisions, and marketers must rethink how they create value. Zack argues that AI is not simply another software application—it’s foundational infrastructure that will transform how people work, shop, and interact with brands. They look at why fears of mass job loss may be overblown, how marketers can identify their place in customers’ “automation boundary,” and why brands need to prepare for a world where AI agents—not humans—may be navigating websites and making purchasing decisions. Zack also shares his optimistic view of technological progress, his concerns about society’s obsession with convenience, and why the future belongs to organizations that understand both human needs and machine intelligence. For further reading:  The Next Renaissance: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential by Zack Kass Future MMA events: https://mmaglobal.com/events Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Justin Inman, founder and CEO of Emberos, is entrenched in the world of influencing what AI says about brands. He shares why responsible optimization — not gaming the system — may determine which brands thrive in the next era of AI-driven discovery. Plus, why marketers need to think about authority, structure, and narrative consistency and how AI visibility may predict real-world business outcomes like box office revenue.  For further reading:  AI Visibility Startup Emberos Raises $1.2M in Pre-Seed Funding: https://www.adweek.com/media/emberos-ai-justin-inman-funding/ Beyond The Slop: Why AI Brand Visibility Depends On Signal, Not Volume: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2026/03/31/beyond-the-slop-why-ai-brand-visibility-depends-on-signal-not-volume/ Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Alex Sherman, CEO of Bluefish, says brands need to start treating AI like a true marketing channel, not just another variation of SEO. As consumers shift from search engines to answer engines like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, Sherman explains why it’s no longer enough to simply “show up”—brands need to control how they’re represented, what data models learn from, and how they influence AI-generated recommendations. He breaks down how Bluefish works with major brands to close the growing “content gap,” optimize for machine-readable data, and measure performance across new AI KPIs like visibility, favorability, and influence. Plus: why the marketing funnel isn’t dead but accelerating, how companies are moving from playing defense to offense in AI, and what the rise of agentic commerce could mean for the future of paid media. For further reading:  Marketing in the Age of AI Answers: https://www.adexchanger.com/adexchanger-talks/marketing-in-the-age-of-ai-answers/ This startup knows what AI is saying about your brand: https://www.fastcompany.com/91387950/this-startup-helps-big-brands-look-good-to-ai Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Brian Stempeck, CEO and cofounder at Evertune AI, says brands need to get smart about how they’re showing up across the major LLMs, from ChatGPT to Claude and Gemini and beyond - and a small sample isn’t enough to build a plan. He explains how Evertune samples AI platforms to help brands better strategize across channels, plus new tactics they’re experimenting with like retargeting users after they’ve searched for products with AI.  For further reading:  Meet Evertune, A Gen-AI Analytics Startup Founded By Trade Desk Vets: https://www.adexchanger.com/marketers/meet-evertune-a-gen-ai-startup-founded-by-trade-desk-vets/ Evertune is building marketing analytics tools for LLMs: https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-ai-ad-analytics-startup-evertune-4-million-seed-2024-10 The Prompt: SEO Is Dead. What Comes Next?: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rashishrivastava/2025/08/12/the-prompt-seo-is-dead-what-comes-next/ Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Paul Meinshausen, CEO and co-founder of Aampe, sees a future where marketing is about learning, not targeting - where marketers, with the help of powerful AI agents, design interactions that help systems learn and improve continuously. Rather than sending the same message to millions of people, these agents can continuously experiment, learn from behavior, and adapt messaging and experiences to each individual. He explains the work Aampe currently does in personalization, the value it brings to their clients and eventual end user, and where he sees the space going next.  For further reading:  AI That Thinks Ahead (Triangle Business Journal): https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2026/01/09/ai-startup-aampe-personalized-customer-engagement.html Meet Aampe, the Company on a Mission to Make Every App Personal (Forbes): https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidprosser/2023/10/09/meet-aampe-the-company-on-a-mission-to-make-every-app-personal/ Aampe aims to personalize app marketing with algorithms (TechCrunch): https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/11/aampe-aims-to-personalize-app-marketing-with-algorithms/ Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Jamie Umpherson, Chief Creative Officer at Runway, is using AI to power charge his - and his organization’s - creativity. Drawing on years in agencies working as a creative director, he shares how AI-powered tools are changing marketing, the bottlenecks that the technology can break down, and just how far the technology has come in a short time. Umpherson also shares how brands can scale while maintaining consistency and integrity.  For further reading:  More about Jamie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-umpherson-03579710/ More about Runway: https://runwayml.com/news Introducing Runway characters: https://runwayml.com/news/introducing-runway-characters General World Models: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx3DgeqHO5s   Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Shegun Otulana, CEO of Copysmith.ai, says there’s a widening gap between marketing teams that use AI tools on the edge, and ones that have fully rebuilt their processes around AI. He explains how his company is focusing now on the shift to GEO, how he’s built and continues to build AI-powered products for specific client needs, and why share of voice, mentions, and citations are becoming the new metrics of visibility. For further reading:  Copysmith.ai: https://www.copysmith.ai/ Comeback Town: He built a billion dollar company in Birmingham and so can you: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2025/03/comeback-town-he-built-a-billion-dollar-company-in-birmingham-and-so-can-you.html From $250k Raised to $1.25B Exit w/ Shegun Otulana: https://bryce.medium.com/from-250k-raised-to-1-25b-exit-w-shegun-otulana-34e32912c603 More about Shegun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheguno/ Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Jeff Lunsford, CEO of Tealium, says that as enterprises rush to deploy agentic AI, batch processing and siloed systems won’t cut it: AI strategy lives or dies on the quality — and speed — of your data. In this episode, we explore what a true real-time data layer looks like, why most companies are underutilizing their marketing tech, and how brands must prepare for a world where AI agents — not humans — are initiating customer interactions. From identity tokens and authentication to agent-to-agent negotiation, we look at what’s coming next and what that means for marketers. For Additional Reading:  Tealium achieves AWS Generative AI Competency, advancing enterprise AI at scale: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/17/3239448/0/en/Tealium-achieves-AWS-Generative-AI-Competency-advancing-enterprise-AI-at-scale.html Tealium Adds AI Features for Real-Time Customer Engagement: https://www.cmswire.com/customer-data-platforms/tealium-adds-ai-features-for-real-time-customer-engagement/ The secret to happy customers is… your data layer: https://martech.org/the-secret-to-happy-customers-is-your-data-layer/ More about Jeff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefflunsford/   Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Konrad Feldman, co-founder and CEO of Quantcast, explains the shift from rule-based “expert systems” to goal-driven, autonomous AI, the evolution of DSPs, the hidden limits of “AI-washed” platforms, and why measurement—not targeting—is the biggest bottleneck holding marketing back. Drawing on three decades of experience in neural networks, machine learning, and programmatic advertising, he shares where he thinks digital advertising is going next. For Further Reading:Konrad Feldman on AI Trends: https://marketech-apac.com/expert-up-close-quantcast-ceo-konrad-feldman-on-ai-trends-and-how-marketers-can-leverage-them-for-success/Why the CEO of Quantcast is Betting on Personalized AI: https://bigthink.com/business/how-ai-will-impact-marketing/More about Konrad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/konrad-feldman-555132/  Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755