So why did I write a book? Truthfully, it is not because I thought the world needed another book about creativity. (There are already too many that say the same high-level thing in different fonts.) I wrote it because I’ve spent 25 years in the trenches, the foxholes, the back alleys launching brands, blowing minds, and building ideas that actually work, and I wanted to finally put everything I know into one place.

It’s called The Only Creative Process That Matters. And yes, the title is pretty tame compared to the content inside.

Real talk: Coca-Cola gave the marketing world a gift with their 70-20-10 content model… and almost nobody’s using it.

I’ve been in marketing a long time. Long enough to remember when “viral” was just a thing you caught from making out with the wrong person in a burger king bathroom (don’t judge). So when I tell you this framework is one of the smartest tools for balancing brand consistency with actual innovation, I mean it.

Let’s talk about the most overhyped and under-leveraged growth strategy in business today: Customer Experience (CX) paired with Word of Mouth (WOM).

You’ve read the headlines. You’ve skimmed the McKinsey decks. You’ve nodded politely at a thousand LinkedIn influencers saying “the customer is everything.” And hey, they’re not wrong.

We’ve officially entered the era of Marketing Musical Chairs, except the music stops every 12 to 16 months, and it’s always the CMO left standing.

Why? Because the CMO role has become a lame duck gig. Disposable. Decorated. But damned. The title still sounds powerful, but it now often means: “You’re the first to go when growth stalls, vibes are off, or someone in the boardroom starts reading too much Martech Today.”nestly, who has that kind of time?

Here’s the thing: I absolutely, 100%, without hesitation, hate everything about what’s happening with AI clones of creatives. This isn’t innovation. It’s creative extinction dressed up as "progress."

One of the questions I get asked most is: “How do you come up with your ideas?”

The honest answer? We ask better questions than everyone else.

As I wrote yesterday, At The Idea Integration Co., we use a CIA-inspired framework called WoMBAT, short for What Might Be All The… It’s my secret weapon. It forces us (and our clients) to explore wide, weird, wonderful thinking before we narrow in on a final concept. It stops us from jumping at the first idea, and pushes us toward the right one.

People often ask me, “Saul, How do you come up with your ideas?” or “Saul, How do you think the way you do?” It’s not magic, and it’s not luck. It’s a process. A way of approaching problems that I’ve honed over years of experience in marketing, branding, and creating campaigns that grab attention and spark conversations. And the secret sauce?

It all comes down to WoMBAT.

You can have the fanciest CRM, the prettiest dashboards, and a 52-step drip sequence, but if you don’t understand how to actually get someone to stop scrolling, lean in, and care? You’re not doing marketing. You’re doing admin.

Let’s get back to basics, the human brain.

Marketing is about understanding how attention works. And more importantly, how desire is manufactured.

Let’s talk about a trend that’s managed to be both hilarious and deeply revealing at the same time: the ChatGPT action figure.

At first, it was clever. An unexpected and playful way to anthropomorphize AI, something that lives entirely in the ether, by giving it a tangible, toy-like form. It was commentary. It was pop art. It was a joke that worked on multiple levels.

Let’s stop pretending a points program is going to make anyone love your brand.

Most so-called “loyalty” programs aren’t loyalty programs at all, they’re thinly veiled discount traps. Marketers bribe people with rebates, cash-back, and useless points in exchange for repeat purchases, social shares, and reviews.

It’s a transactional mess. A race to the bottom. And it commodifies your brand in the worst possible way.

The world is chaos right now.

Tesla dealerships are getting vandalized. Memes and podcasts are shaping political outcomes more than billion-dollar campaigns. The platforms that brands used to rely on, Facebook ads, Google search, even traditional PR is tried and true but you need something great for them to get excited about. People are choosing their own sources of truth, and in most cases, those sources aren’t mainstream media or conventional advertising.

I have been on this internet a long time...like 4800 and 9600 baud modems speeds long time. I have seen every evolution of content and blogging and it wasnt too long ago when something like a Super Bowl halftime show or Elon Musk doing Elon Musk things would instantly trigger blog posts with the titles...5 things I learned from The Super Bowl etc.

SuperBowl ads are the ultimate brand and agency vanity play, and we need to talk about it. Yeah, I said it. And before anyone gets all riled up about the “cultural moment” or “brand exposure,” let’s break down the reality here.

Brands are forking over $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Factor in production costs, celebrity talent fees, and the hype machine that kicks into gear weeks before kickoff, and we’re looking at a $15-20 million spend. For one ad. One.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with someone who asked me, "So, what are you up to these days?" It was a simple, casual question, but it got me thinking—people seem genuinely unclear about what I do for a living.

This isn’t a new phenomenon for me. I’ve always been a bit of an enigma, partly by design and partly because what I do doesn’t fit neatly into a single job title or industry box. Over the years, I’ve built businesses, created marketing campaigns that made headlines, orchestrated brand experiences that changed the way companies engage with their customers, and helped businesses stand out in ways they never thought possible.

When I first pitched the idea for the #IMAKEALIVING powered by FreshBooks event series, the goal was simple: bring business owners together to share what was really keeping them up at night. There were hundreds—if not thousands—of resources on starting a business, but very few places to turn when things got tough. What happens when your friends can’t refer you business anymore? When you feel like you’re all alone?

Let’s talk about the fun stuff. The bold, creative ideas. The ones that make people laugh, cry, share, and talk. The ideas that go viral, break the mold, or make brands unforgettable. It’s the work we live for at The Idea Integration Co. It’s also, unsurprisingly, the work everyone wants to do.

But here’s the catch: not everyone can.

Imagine this: you’re at a baseball game. The pitcher on the mound is known for one thing, his knuckleball. It’s unpredictable, almost impossible to hit, and when executed correctly, it’s a game-changer. But despite its potential to dominate, very few pitchers actually use it. Why? It’s difficult to master, it requires finesse and practice, and it’s just… not trendy.

Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM) is the knuckleball of the marketing world.

In my last post, I said this: “Brands can no longer afford to keep operating at arm's length from their customers.” We’ve spent the past few years obsessed with growth hacks, automation, and data, but as we gear up for 2025, it’s clear that the tides are changing. The world is more unpredictable than ever, and the brands that thrive will be the ones that rediscover the power of community and bring back the human connection they’ve lost.

Disruption is an overused word. It can mean a lot of different things, but at its heart it’s a catch-all for pushing the limits of something. In the case of disruptive marketing, it can mean pushing the limits so you can be where your customers or prospective customers are. Sometimes that means going to a competitor’s conference (or any conference) with or without permission.

In the fast-paced world of marketing, trends come and go like passing storms. But amidst the ever-changing landscape of buzzwords and metrics, there's one constant that successful companies prioritize: the human element. In an era where bounce rates, impressions, and data analytics reign supreme, it's essential to remember that behind every number and acronym, there's a human being with emotions, desires, and needs.