Not facts, but personal connection is driving the new world of marketing.
By Marc Zasada
Managing Director, Screenfire
Why isn’t your marketing working the way it used to? Maybe you’re not riding the right communications wave into the future.
Firstly, step back for a minute and look at the history of communication…and marketing.
The printing press made publishing easier. Desktop publishing made design easier. The internet made distribution easier. AI is making content creation easier still. Furthermore, human-touch social, podcasts, and video have become hand-held and pervasive. More than pervasive, basic to our very lives.
The lesson? Every time technology shifts, the competitive advantage moves to those who see the shift and embrace it.
For a brief era of modern times and tech, internet marketing rewarded companies that produced the best, most authoritative, and most effectively presented information.
Never mind the death of SEO, whose old form will only be a footnote in the history of marketing. The era of information-based marketing itself is ending, and fast. Why? Because marketing is about developing trust, and trust is becoming less and less linked to “authoritative information” and more and more linked to…personalities.
As a result, you might even say we’re moving from an economy of information to an economy of relationships. Why? Because technology is enabling those relationships on a mass scale. Millions follow Elon Musk on X. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has become one of the most trusted voices explaining artificial intelligence, giving an extraordinarily technical company a remarkably human face. Ben Goodwin, founder of the fast-growing beverage company Olipop, has built a loyal following by sharing the personal mission behind reinventing soft drinks. Eric Glyman, co-founder of fintech leader Ramp, regularly explains his company’s thinking through interviews and podcasts, helping establish trust in a business where trust is everything.
Their visibility doesn’t replace the strength of their companies—their visibility amplifies that strength, and markets that strength.
Likewise, the same pattern plays out at every scale. Financial advisors pretty much have to launch podcasts so clients get to know them in advance of a personal meeting. For the same reason, attorneys have to rouse themselves and explain legal issues on LinkedIn. Boutique hotel owners share behind-the-scenes stories. Manufacturers introduce the engineers behind new products, even set up cams to watch the development take place. These efforts don’t simply distribute information—they create an increasingly necessary personal connection with a real human.
The question is becoming less and less, “Can this company do the job?” and more and more, “Do I feel like I know these people?”
And yes, AI is making these human signals even more valuable every day.
That doesn’t mean every CEO needs to become an influencer. But every organization has to ask itself, “how do I put real people closer to the center of my marketing,” whether through a podcast, educational videos, customer interviews, or thoughtful commentary.
It’s not optional anymore. You gotta connect personally to stay in the game at all.
Stay fiery,
Marc
About the author: Marc Zasada is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Screenfire. His credits include work for Microsoft, HP, Oracle, Mastercard, Christie’s, and many other leading companies.
Does your marketing need help? Email us at info@screenfiremedia.com.
