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In the section of a recent The Email Marketing Show episode titled “Don’t make the mistake of offering discounts upfront!”:

You got to really legitimize discounts and bonuses and things like that and you do that by really planting that seed and creating that familiarity.

Don’t introduce people to your brand via sales or promos (unless it’s a major shopping holiday where a sale is expected).

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Investment is (slowly) trickling back into ad tech

recent activity is a stark contrast to the conservatism of investors in 2023, with speculation centering upon the AI and CTV sectors.

AI is not a surprise, slap that label on anything and you’ll attract investment right now.

CTV is the heir apparent to the traditional TV advertising throne, even if YouTube and other creator-content based platforms will carve a sizable slice of that pie for themselves.

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Ambient computing is coming

Apple has explored the idea of developing new wearable devices — including a fitness ring, smart glasses and even AirPods with cameras — to broaden one of its most important business areas.

This is a mix of Apple targeting products from other brands (Oura, Meta Ray-Bans, Snap Spectacles, etc) and building the product ladder that leads to the Vision Pro as the eventual replacement for the Mac line.

via Bloomberg

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What happens when the usual forms of human-computer interface get disrupted?

OpenAI is working on AI agents that take over your mouse and keyboard, performing the tasks in real time.

  • One would complete complex tasks on your device like creating a spreadsheet from a document of information or filling out your tax forms.
  • The second agent would take on web-based tasks like curating data from different sites (similar to Perplexity or Arc Browser), booking flights and hotels, or even building travel itineraries.

The groundwork has been laid, AI could be the accelerant.

via The Future Party

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Wendy’s looking to test surge pricing at restaurants

The Amazonification of physical retail.

I’m interested to see how this goes. I don’t think it’ll be received well by consumers. I don’t think people want to be surprised by their burger price while ordering.