The best marketing is rooted in listening


If you removed a channel from your marketing mix, what would you do with that budget / bandwidth / audience?


Unless what you’re selling is solely aimed at the base of Maslow’s pyramid then the purchase decision is an emotional one.

We are creatures of story. How your brand furthers, amplifies, or enhances the consumer’s personal story is the decision matrix.

via Gallup

Screenshot of the post Customer Brand Preference and Decisions: Gallup's 70/30 Principle that shows customer brand and preference decisions are 70% emotional and 30% rational

Machine in the Ghost

Perplexity finally found its social network…kind of.

The Google-but-AI search engine inked a deal with Snapchat to be it’s in-app AI answer engine. For the low, low price of $400 million.

Starting in early 2026, Perplexity will appear in the popular Chat interface for Snapchatters around the world. Through this integration, Perplexity’s AI-powered answer engine will let Snapchatters ask questions and get clear, conversational answers drawn from verifiable sources, all within Snapchat.

Perplexity has been following the Google playbook and this is straight from the pay-for-default-status section.

The announcement noted:

Revenue from the partnership is expected to begin contributing in 2026.

I’m interested what the plan is to create that revenue. Snap has the most successful membership option of any social media platform. Will Perplexity Pro be added in?

Will this lay the groundwork for Snapchat Search Ads (a la TikTok)?

Will Perplexity function as a new data source for targeting and get a revenue share?

Similar to My AI, Snapchatter messages sent to Perplexity will help enhance personalization on Snapchat.

On the face of it, it’s a weird fit. But both platforms fill a similar role in their respective industries, not the main characters but also not nameless extras.


Love this Why People Buy pyramid.

It aligns with a messaging framework I like to use for clients.

The best marketing has messaging for each level, acknowledging that people are looking for different things at different times.

Developing this for your brand would not be a waste of time.

Scheafer’s Why People Buy pyramid graphic. It says: Consumer psychology framework that categorizes purchasing motivations into four levels:&10;1) Basic Needs&10;2) Emotional Value&10;3) Personal Growth&10;4) Social Impact.&10;It explains why consumers choose food products.&10;Ranging from basic needs like taste and convenience to deeper drivers like nostalgia, health transformation, and ethical values. This structured approach helps brands align their messaging and marketing strategies with the true reasons behind consumer behavior. With examples in a pyramid graphic for each level. Examples, basic = reduces effort, emotional = nostaliga, growth = personal identity, impact = beyond self