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.

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.

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.

If you have ever seen me speak at a conference or listened to any of my podcast interviews, you will know I am a little bit of a broken record when it comes to my belief that brands need to stand out and be different. There are a lot of ways to be different, but no matter what anyone tells you, meaningful difference is the cornerstone of brand value.

Many years ago, working with a data research client, we conducted an experiment where we created 3 new brands. These brands were over the top "offensive" and were supposed to turn people off and insight rage. The three bands (pictured) were a beer brand for older men who love barely legal women, a soda for women who were victimized by #MeToo, and my favorite, Thong Diapers.

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.

I recently finished reading Peter Levitan's new book "How To Build A Kick-Ass Advertising Agency". I enjoyed the book, and highly recommend it; only a little of it was new to me because I have seen or heard most things in the almost 15 years I have been running my agency, but one thing I did take to heart was his chapter on having a one-page business plan.

I am two months into the Voitures Extravert project, and I am excited that we are starting to see some wins. When I was writing the marketing plan, I laid out several hypotheses about how to launch a luxury car brand in the US and wanted to prove them about marketing to HNW individuals.