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Strategic Marketing in an AI World.
By Patrick Gilbert.

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Ideas in progress.

Ongoing articles, insights, and commentary on marketing strategy, AI, and what's actually working right now.

AllBooksStrategyBrandsAIMeasurementBrand StrategyAI & Marketing
Books5 min readJun 15, 2026

The Best Copywriting Books for Marketers Who Want to Win

Essential copywriting books that teach persuasion over tactics. From Breakthrough Advertising to modern emotional frameworks.

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Books5 min readJun 12, 2026

The Best B2B Marketing Books Every Marketer Should Read in 2026

The best b2b marketing books for evidence-based strategy. From mental availability to challenger sales - skip the tactics, focus on what works.

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Strategy5 min readJun 11, 2026

HubSpot Abandoned Its Own Inbound Marketing Playbook. Here's Why That Matters.

HubSpot's move from inbound marketing to Loop Marketing reveals why the original funnel model was flawed. What this means for modern brands.

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Strategy5 min readJun 10, 2026

Retail Media Networks: The New Physical Availability Battleground

Retail media networks represent the third wave of digital advertising, but success requires understanding physical availability, not just buying inventory.

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Books6 min readJun 9, 2026

The Best Marketing Books for Startup Founders in 2026

The best startup marketing books 2026 that go beyond growth hacks. Proven frameworks for positioning, growth, and customer discovery.

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Brands4 min readJun 8, 2026

Glossier's Rise and Reset: Why Community-First DTC Wasn't Enough

How Glossier built a multi-billion dollar brand through community marketing, then pivoted to retail when DTC arbitrage died. Lessons for modern beauty brands.

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AI4 min readJun 7, 2026

AI-Generated Ads: The Quality Gap Between Hype and Reality

83% of advertisers use AI in creative, but consumer trust is plummeting. The data reveals why AI-generated ads aren't as good as we think.

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Books5 min readJun 6, 2026

The Best Books on Marketing Analytics and Measurement

The definitive reading list for marketing measurement: from attribution models to incrementality testing. Evidence-based frameworks that actually work.

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Brands4 min readJun 5, 2026

How Crocs Went from Joke to $3.6B Brand: The Distinctiveness Playbook

Crocs grew from laughingstock to $3.6B by embracing distinctiveness over differentiation. How ugly became unforgettable through strategic marketing.

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Strategy4 min readJun 4, 2026

Why Personalization Is Overrated (And What to Do Instead)

Most marketing personalization fails because brands misunderstand how customers actually behave. Here's what the evidence shows works instead.

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Books4 min readJun 3, 2026

The Best Books for New Marketing Directors: Evidence-Based Strategy Over Tactics

The best books marketing directors need to master strategy, goal-setting, and brand growth. From Byron Sharp to Richard Rumelt, here's what actually matters.

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Strategy4 min readJun 1, 2026

What Went Wrong at Allbirds: A Marketing Strategy Autopsy

How Allbirds fell from nearly $300M revenue to selling for $39M: the mental vs physical availability failures that killed a DTC darling.

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Brands5 min readMay 31, 2026

Chipotle's TikTok Strategy: How to Win Across the Attention Spectrum

How Chipotle's #ChipotleLidFlip challenge earned 329M views by understanding passive attention at scale and the mental availability gap most brands miss.

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Brands5 min readMay 30, 2026

Patagonia's Purpose Marketing: Does It Actually Work?

Patagonia's 'Don't Buy This Jacket' campaign boosted revenue significantly. But was it purpose or distinctive assets that drove growth? The evidence reveals the truth.

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Brands4 min readMay 29, 2026

Gymshark: How £500M+ Revenue Grew From Instagram Arbitrage (And Why It Won't Work Again)

Gymshark's £550M revenue proves mental availability beats mass media. Here's how they built a billion-dollar brand through social-first strategy.

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Strategy4 min readMay 28, 2026

Apple's Think Different Campaign: When Pure Brand Building Sold Nothing

How Apple's 1997 Think Different campaign proved brand advertising could drive sales without showing a single product—and why the 60/40 rule works.

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Strategy5 min readMay 27, 2026

Your 2026 Marketing Budget Is Wrong Before You Write It

Most 2026 marketing budgets fail because they optimize for last year's problems. Here's how to allocate budget for the reality ahead.

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Brands4 min readMay 26, 2026

How Surreal Cereal Built 110k LinkedIn Followers Without Big Media Budgets

Surreal cereal's hilarious LinkedIn ads prove small brands can build awareness through emotion over media spend. A masterclass in distinctive brand assets.

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Strategy4 min readMay 25, 2026

Broad Match in 2026: Stop Fighting the Algorithm

Google's AI Max upgrade makes broad match inevitable. Here's why marketers clinging to manual control are making expensive mistakes.

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Books5 min readMay 24, 2026

The Best Advertising Books That Actually Changed How We Think

The 11 best advertising books of all time, from Ogilvy's classics to modern evidence-based breakthroughs that challenge industry assumptions.

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Brands6 min readMay 23, 2026

Lululemon's $10.6B Secret: Community Marketing Is Physical Availability

Lululemon's community strategy isn't about loyalty—it's about maximizing physical availability. How store events and ambassadors drive $10.6B revenue.

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AI5 min readMay 22, 2026

Zero-Click Search: Why Your SEO Strategy Needs to Change

Zero-click searches now dominate. 58% of searches end without a click. Here's why that's not a problem. It's an opportunity for smarter marketers.

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Books4 min readMay 21, 2026

The Best Consumer Psychology Books for Marketers Who Want to Win

The best consumer psychology books that reveal how customers really make decisions. Evidence-based recommendations beyond the marketing hype.

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Brands4 min readMay 20, 2026

How Celsius Beat Red Bull by Understanding Light Buyers

Celsius reached $1.32B in sales by targeting fitness-minded light buyers, not energy drink fanatics. A masterclass in mental availability.

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AI5 min readMay 19, 2026

Google AI Overviews: The Brand vs Performance Divide Finally Collapses

AI Overviews appearing on a majority of searches aren't just changing SEO—they're forcing marketers to abandon the brand vs performance split.

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Books5 min readMay 18, 2026

The Best AI Marketing Books for 2026: Strategy Beyond the Hype

The best AI marketing books for 2026, from foundational strategy to practical implementation. Evidence-based picks for marketers navigating transformation.

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Strategy3 min readMay 17, 2026

Why Warby Parker Abandoned Pure DTC: The Physical Availability Lesson

Warby Parker's pivot from online-only to 200+ stores proves Byron Sharp's physical availability principle. Here's what DTC brands can learn.

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Strategy3 min readMay 16, 2026

The Creator Economy Bubble Is About to Get Real

Creator economy marketing faces a reality check. Why the easy arbitrage days are over and what brands should do next to win in 2026.

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Books4 min readMay 15, 2026

The Best Brand Strategy Books That Actually Matter

Evidence-based brand strategy books that challenge conventional wisdom and teach how brands really grow in competitive markets.

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Brands5 min readMay 14, 2026

Oatly's Weird Branding: A Masterclass in Distinctiveness Over Differentiation

How Oatly's irreverent packaging and provocative messaging built a multi-billion dollar brand without competing on product features. A lesson in distinctive assets.

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Strategy4 min readMay 13, 2026

CMO Tenure Is Shrinking Because Marketing Finally Matters

Why shorter CMO tenure at 4.1 years isn't a failure—it's proof marketing has become the fastest path to CEO. The real reason behind executive turnover.

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Books4 min readMay 12, 2026

The Best Digital Marketing Books for the Post-Arbitrage Era

Best digital marketing books that prepare marketers for sustainable growth beyond cheap clicks and easy arbitrage opportunities.

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Strategy4 min readMay 11, 2026

Dollar Shave Club Caught Lightning in a Bottle. Here's Why No One Else Can.

Dollar Shave Club's viral success marked the peak of digital arbitrage. Why their $1 razor disruption can't be replicated in today's marketing landscape.

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Strategy4 min readMay 10, 2026

Nike's $6 Billion Gamble: Why Emotional Advertising Still Outperforms Product Features

Nike's controversial Kaepernick campaign added $6B in brand value. Here's the marketing science behind emotional advertising that still works in 2024.

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Measurement4 min readMay 9, 2026

Marketing Attribution Is Broken. Here's What to Do Instead.

75% of marketers say attribution underperforms. Stop using measurement tools as scoreboards and start treating them like film rooms.

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Brands4 min readMay 8, 2026

Stanley Cup's Growth: Light Buyers Beat Loyalty Every Time

How Stanley Cup grew significantly by understanding light buyer behavior, not chasing super-fans. Marketing science explains viral success.

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Strategy4 min readMay 7, 2026

Performance Max Was Never Really a Black Box. We Just Weren't Ready for It

Google's transparency updates prove marketers confused control with competence. The real PMax problem was always about trust, not data.

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Measurement6 min readMay 6, 2026

The Cookie Death That Never Came (And Why It Doesn't Matter)

Google reversed course on third-party cookie death, but 50% of marketers already shifted strategies. Here's why the smartest ones saw this coming.

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AI7 min readMay 4, 2026

AI Search Isn't Killing SEO—It's Making It More Important

AI search traffic surged 527% year-over-year, but Google still holds 95% market share. Why SEO matters more than ever in the AI era.

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Books4 min readMay 4, 2026

The Best Marketing Strategy Books Every CMO Should Read

Essential marketing strategy books that separate strategic thinking from tactical execution. Evidence-based frameworks for long-term growth.

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Books4 min readMay 4, 2026

The Best PPC and Paid Media Books for 2026

Essential PPC books for 2026: tactical Google Ads guides, contrarian insights, and strategic frameworks from industry leaders.

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Brands8 min readMay 4, 2026

Liquid Death's $1.4B Lesson: Why Distinctiveness Trumps Differentiation

How Liquid Death built a $1.4B water brand through distinctive assets like tallboy cans and punk aesthetics rather than product superiority.

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Strategy7 min readMay 3, 2026

How Airbnb Cut Marketing Spend 28% and Grew: The Brand vs Performance Proof Point

Airbnb's 2021 pivot from performance to brand marketing cut costs 28% while maintaining growth. Here's what that teaches about modern marketing strategy.

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Books6 min readMay 3, 2026

The 15 Best Marketing Books of 2026: Evidence-Based Strategy Over Tactics

The best marketing books 2026 for building strategy that works. Evidence-based recommendations from Byron Sharp to Seth Godin.

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Brands8 min readMay 3, 2026

How Duolingo Cracked the Code on Mental Availability (And Why Most Apps Can't)

Duolingo grew from 40.5M to 116.7M users by mastering mental availability through memes, not features. Here's the marketing science behind their success.

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Brands8 min readMay 3, 2026

How Poppi Built a $2B Brand by Breaking Every Soda Marketing Rule

Poppi's $2B growth in 4 years proves mental availability beats product superiority. Here's how they claimed category entry points Coke ignored.

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Strategy3 min readMay 3, 2026

Why Brand Marketing Is Making a Comeback in 2026 (And Why It Took a Recession to Remind Us)

73% of marketers are boosting brand marketing in 2026 after performance-only strategies failed. Here's why the data finally won over the doubters.

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Strategy8 min readMar 10, 2026

Why the Old Playbook Is Broken

The platform tricks and optimization shortcuts that built most digital marketing careers have been commoditized. Here's what actually changed and what to do about it.

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Brand Strategy10 min readMar 6, 2026

Mental Availability: The Marketing Concept Most Digital Marketers Ignore

Mental availability is the single most important driver of brand growth. Most digital marketers have never heard of it. Here's why that matters.

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AI & Marketing7 min readMar 1, 2026

AI Amplifies Whatever You Bring to the Table

AI isn't a shortcut. It's an amplifier. If you have strong strategy, AI makes you dramatically more effective. If you don't, it helps you execute mediocrity faster.

Read more →