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I think both brands and work relationships—with employers, coworkers, peers, clients, customers, etc—move through three phases:

  1. Prove you’re competent
  2. Prove you’re reliable
  3. Prove you’re human

(They don’t always progress in that order.)

No. 3 is the one most often missed. And the most valuable one.

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The markets are betting on inflation not just being so 2024.

the US government’s monthly auction of 10-year notes on Tuesday...landed the highest yield for newly auctioned securities since 2007.

The overall yield on the US 10-Year Treasury Bond also touched its highest intraday point, 4.699%, since last spring. That’s thanks to an extended selloff emboldened by new economic data suggesting more interest rate cuts are less likely in the short term thanks to economic growth coupled with more stubborn inflation.

Yields on the 10-year note have been rising since December as markets have bet that President-elect Donald Trump’s economic plans, like tariffs, and all-around animal spirits could push up inflation and the deficit, further reducing the probability of rate cuts.

Wouldn’t be surprised by a purchasing bump in the near term to stock up before the expected tariff impact makes things more expensive.

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This is a good reminder from this year’s Seth Godin daily calendar, curated and illustrated by Debbie Millman.

It is easy to get caught up in our own tastes and aesthetics when making marketing decisions.

But they’re a distraction.

The tastes and preferences that matter are those of the customer.

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From the abstract of the paper Do Influencers Influence? A Meta-Analytic Comparison of Celebrities and Social Media Influencers Effects 📝

Findings reveal that social media influencers (SMIs) are more effective than brand-only advertising and that there is no significant difference between SMIs and celebrity endorsers. Taking these factors into consideration, the effects are moderated by perceived credibility and influencer types, indicating that mega-influencers are relatively more persuasive, while nano-influencers are less persuasive compared to celebrities, respectively. Findings imply that there is a “sweet spot” wherein SMIs are most effective and distinct from celebrity endorsers, providing support for more nuanced conceptualizations of SMIs and calling for future research to explore additional enhancing and attenuating factors.

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You can obsess about your customers or you can obsess about your competition. Both work, but of the two, obsessing about your customers will take you further.

from Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly 📚

I’d argue obsessing about customers takes care of the competition.

Everything is customer service.

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This post on social doubt has a great nugget to use in your messaging:

define who your product isn’t for to weed out buyers who will likely cause you a headache (and loss of profits).

Wait, what’s social doubt?

Your buyers are constantly looking for reasons not to buy from you.

Sometimes it’s easier to find your path by closing doors. Rather than trying to figure out what’s similar about the open doors or which you like the most.

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Google Ads in 2025

One of Google’s ad leads (title is ridiculous) sat down for an interview with MediaPost with some nuggets worth sharing.

2025 product focus will be on Performance Max, Demand Gen, and Search.

Also, AI!

His prediction:

we’re going to continue seeing seismic shifts in consumer search behavior. The lines between actively seeking information and passively discovering it will blur, driven by AI’s increasing ability to understand intent and deliver immersive experiences.

This means moving beyond simple keywords and embracing a multimodal search landscape where visuals, context, and even our surroundings play a crucial role in how we find what we need

2025: the year where multiple recent trends will collide

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Misconception: Brands should be casting a wide net when marketing

Reality: Niche microcommunities are on the rise, and brands are underutilizing them because they underestimate their value.

Scale as a strategy is dead.

Find your people.

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A circular flowchart illustrates the process of improvement by repeatedly asking “Does it work?” and “Can it work better?”

Inspired by Seth Godin’s post: “Does it work?”

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After Gemini said it couldn’t write marketing content, I asked ChatGPT. Here’s what it gave me:

🔥 In a world where AI can generate content in seconds, what sets your brand apart?

Soul. Perspective. Personality.

AI can write. AI can design. But AI can’t connect like you can.

The future belongs to brands with a voice that feels real—brands that tell stories only they can tell.

👉 Do what the bots can’t. Inject your brand with humanity.

What’s one thing you do to keep your brand feeling alive? Let’s hear it 👇