PO Box 26214, Baltimore, MD 21210
855-721-MDDC
kberrier@mddcpress.com
AI isn’t just another tool in the marketing stack. It’s quickly becoming the difference between brands that limp through growth and those that dominate. And if you’re still treating AI like a novelty—dabbling here, experimenting there—you’re already behind.
That was the wake-up call from this week’s Marketing Success Season kickoff, where Intuit Mailchimp’s Matt Idema and Constellation Research’s Ray Wang laid out what’s next for SMBs, marketers, and media pros. The bottom line? The winners won’t be the ones who just adopt AI. They’ll be the ones who master decision velocity—the ability to make and act on smarter decisions at a speed humans alone can’t match.
Why AI Is Reshaping SMB Marketing
For decades, Mailchimp has been synonymous with email. But Idema made it clear: the platform’s future isn’t about email alone—it’s about being a growth engine for SMBs.
- Smarter Campaigns: AI can now build editable drafts of emails in seconds using inspiration from past campaigns.
- Unified Data: By connecting sales, customer behavior, and purchase history, Mailchimp is pushing toward a single customer view—so you’re not stuck juggling 25 disconnected apps.
- Expanded Messaging: Beyond email, new capabilities in SMS, RCS, and even WhatsApp mean you can reach customers where they already are, in richer, more interactive ways.
- Next-Gen Segmentation: Page views, cart activity, checkout data—Mailchimp is giving SMBs enterprise-level targeting without enterprise-level complexity.
For marketers in news media and advertising, this is a massive opportunity. SMBs struggle with fragmented data and wasted time. If you can show them how AI-driven platforms like Mailchimp save hours and drive real ROI, you become more than just a seller of ad space—you become a growth partner.
Ray Wang’s Big Idea: Decision Velocity
Then came Ray Wang, who reminded everyone that AI isn’t about shiny features—it’s about exponential efficiency. He dropped a concept every marketer needs to understand: decision velocity.
Think about it:
- Humans make a snap decision in seconds, but organizations take weeks to act.
- Machines, powered by AI, can make thousands of micro-decisions per second.
In a “winner-takes-all” market, the businesses that automate precision decisions will blow past those still stuck debating in meetings.
What This Looks Like in Practice:
- Ad Optimization: AI can test and adjust creative in milliseconds instead of waiting two weeks for A/B test results.
- Customer Journeys: Instead of “one-size-fits-all” drip campaigns, AI can adapt messaging in real time based on behavior.
- Pricing and Offers: Imagine shifting offers dynamically depending on local demand signals, not static calendar dates.
This is the new competitive edge—and it’s one news media pros can lean on when advising clients.
When AI Shouldn’t Replace Humans
Of course, not everything should be automated. Wang pointed out seven criteria to decide: do you give it to the machine, or keep it human?
- High Volume? Machine.
- Highly Repetitive? Machine.
- Need for Empathy, Creativity, or Cultural Nuance? Human.
This is where media and marketing professionals shine. AI can crunch numbers and automate flows, but only humans can weave cultural context, local storytelling, and brand empathy into a campaign that actually connects.
Future-Proofing Your Marketing Strategy
Here’s how to act on these insights today:
- Build Revenue Flywheels
Move beyond one-time transactions. Subscriptions, recurring programs, and loyalty loops create compounding growth. AI helps you identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities automatically.
- Double Down on Customer Experience
Differentiation now comes from experience, not just product or price. Every touchpoint should feel seamless—whether it’s an SMS, an email, or an ad in the local paper. And consistency is key: mediocre experiences aren’t tolerated anymore.
- Embrace Hyper-Personalization
AI makes real-time personalization possible at scale. But personalization doesn’t just mean using someone’s first name in an email. It’s about serving the right offer, in the right channel, at the right time—without guessing.
- Partner for Data Signals
Most SMBs don’t have enough data on their own to hit 95% accuracy in AI predictions. They’ll need partnerships—with media companies, data providers, or tech platforms—to get the last mile of insights.
- Design With Brand Values in Mind
Automation without empathy will backfire. Every AI-powered touchpoint should reinforce brand values and reflect real human understanding. That’s your competitive moat.
What SMBs and Media Pros Should Do Now
If you’re running a local business or helping one grow, here are the immediate takeaways:
- Stop thinking “holiday campaign” and start thinking “holiday journey.” AI lets you map engagement across multiple touchpoints.
- Use AI to save time on production, but reinvest that time in strategy and creativity.
- Invest in omnichannel: email + SMS + social + local media placements should work together, not in silos.
- Reward your loyalists: tiered rewards, exclusive first access, and personalized offers make customers feel like VIPs.
- Think like a data company: even if you’re an SMB, your growth depends on learning from every interaction.
The Big Shift
The internet age gave us 20–30% efficiency gains. The AI age is giving us 10x, 100x, even 1000x. The brands that embrace decision velocity—automating what machines do best while doubling down on human creativity and empathy—will leave the rest behind.
So the question for you is simple:
Are you just dabbling in AI?Or are you building the kind of decision velocity that makes your marketing unstoppable?
AI isn’t just another tool in the marketing stack. It’s quickly becoming the difference between brands that limp through growth and those that dominate. And if you’re still treating AI like a novelty—dabbling here, experimenting there—you’re already behind.
That was the wake-up call from this week’s Marketing Success Season kickoff, where Intuit Mailchimp’s Matt Idema and Constellation Research’s Ray Wang laid out what’s next for SMBs, marketers, and media pros. The bottom line? The winners won’t be the ones who just adopt AI. They’ll be the ones who master decision velocity—the ability to make and act on smarter decisions at a speed humans alone can’t match.
Why AI Is Reshaping SMB Marketing
For decades, Mailchimp has been synonymous with email. But Idema made it clear: the platform’s future isn’t about email alone—it’s about being a growth engine for SMBs.
- Smarter Campaigns: AI can now build editable drafts of emails in seconds using inspiration from past campaigns.
- Unified Data: By connecting sales, customer behavior, and purchase history, Mailchimp is pushing toward a single customer view—so you’re not stuck juggling 25 disconnected apps.
- Expanded Messaging: Beyond email, new capabilities in SMS, RCS, and even WhatsApp mean you can reach customers where they already are, in richer, more interactive ways.
- Next-Gen Segmentation: Page views, cart activity, checkout data—Mailchimp is giving SMBs enterprise-level targeting without enterprise-level complexity.
For marketers in news media and advertising, this is a massive opportunity. SMBs struggle with fragmented data and wasted time. If you can show them how AI-driven platforms like Mailchimp save hours and drive real ROI, you become more than just a seller of ad space—you become a growth partner.
Ray Wang’s Big Idea: Decision Velocity
Then came Ray Wang, who reminded everyone that AI isn’t about shiny features—it’s about exponential efficiency. He dropped a concept every marketer needs to understand: decision velocity.
Think about it:
- Humans make a snap decision in seconds, but organizations take weeks to act.
- Machines, powered by AI, can make thousands of micro-decisions per second.
In a “winner-takes-all” market, the businesses that automate precision decisions will blow past those still stuck debating in meetings.
What This Looks Like in Practice:
- Ad Optimization: AI can test and adjust creative in milliseconds instead of waiting two weeks for A/B test results.
- Customer Journeys: Instead of “one-size-fits-all” drip campaigns, AI can adapt messaging in real time based on behavior.
- Pricing and Offers: Imagine shifting offers dynamically depending on local demand signals, not static calendar dates.
This is the new competitive edge—and it’s one news media pros can lean on when advising clients.
When AI Shouldn’t Replace Humans
Of course, not everything should be automated. Wang pointed out seven criteria to decide: do you give it to the machine, or keep it human?
- High Volume? Machine.
- Highly Repetitive? Machine.
- Need for Empathy, Creativity, or Cultural Nuance? Human.
This is where media and marketing professionals shine. AI can crunch numbers and automate flows, but only humans can weave cultural context, local storytelling, and brand empathy into a campaign that actually connects.
Future-Proofing Your Marketing Strategy
Here’s how to act on these insights today:
- Build Revenue Flywheels
Move beyond one-time transactions. Subscriptions, recurring programs, and loyalty loops create compounding growth. AI helps you identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities automatically.
- Double Down on Customer Experience
Differentiation now comes from experience, not just product or price. Every touchpoint should feel seamless—whether it’s an SMS, an email, or an ad in the local paper. And consistency is key: mediocre experiences aren’t tolerated anymore.
- Embrace Hyper-Personalization
AI makes real-time personalization possible at scale. But personalization doesn’t just mean using someone’s first name in an email. It’s about serving the right offer, in the right channel, at the right time—without guessing.
- Partner for Data Signals
Most SMBs don’t have enough data on their own to hit 95% accuracy in AI predictions. They’ll need partnerships—with media companies, data providers, or tech platforms—to get the last mile of insights.
- Design With Brand Values in Mind
Automation without empathy will backfire. Every AI-powered touchpoint should reinforce brand values and reflect real human understanding. That’s your competitive moat.
What SMBs and Media Pros Should Do Now
If you’re running a local business or helping one grow, here are the immediate takeaways:
- Stop thinking “holiday campaign” and start thinking “holiday journey.” AI lets you map engagement across multiple touchpoints.
- Use AI to save time on production, but reinvest that time in strategy and creativity.
- Invest in omnichannel: email + SMS + social + local media placements should work together, not in silos.
- Reward your loyalists: tiered rewards, exclusive first access, and personalized offers make customers feel like VIPs.
- Think like a data company: even if you’re an SMB, your growth depends on learning from every interaction.
The Big Shift
The internet age gave us 20–30% efficiency gains. The AI age is giving us 10x, 100x, even 1000x. The brands that embrace decision velocity—automating what machines do best while doubling down on human creativity and empathy—will leave the rest behind.
So the question for you is simple:
Are you just dabbling in AI? Or are you building the kind of decision velocity that makes your marketing unstoppable?