Have you ever watched a reboot of something you grew up with and felt that strange disconnect, where your brain knows what’s going on but your feelings never quite catch up?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a good example. My beloved 80s animated versions had a loose, fun energy that was more about the characters than the control. It wasn’t polished in the way we think of it today, but it didn’t need to be. That roughness was part of what made it so nice.
Then, during the era of live action and CG, size, detail, and show were important. It’s technically impressive, but a lot of people lost something small along the way. How simple it is. The person. The fun that didn’t seem planned.
You still recognize everything right away. But it’s like a cover of a song you love that just doesn’t sound quite right. Close, but not quite hitting the spot.
That’s a comparable way to think about the future of marketing in the age of AI.
As for the turtles, Mutant Mayhem thankfully brought back some of that original 80s connection.
Moving on, research shows that 86% of consumers value authenticity and human connection over speed (Salesforce, State of the Connected Customer, https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/).
That’s interesting, because right now we’re trying to make things go faster.
Businesses have gotten a huge boost from AI. It can help you get out of a rut, come up with new ideas, work faster, and do things that used to take a whole team. It’s like having that extra set of hands you’ve always wanted, ready to help you out whenever you need it.
And when you use it right, it can change the game.
But there is a small change going on that you should pay attention to. More and more, companies aren’t just using AI; they’re relying on it to do all of their marketing work. And that’s when things start to go wrong.
Because marketing was never really about how quickly you could make something. It’s always been about how well you know someone and how clearly you show them that.
It’s easy to forget that, especially when things get busy. You start with a clear goal: make something that matters, connect with your audience, and make something that lasts. But over time, that goal can slowly turn into a list of things to do. You think about how often you post, how many sites you’re on, and how to keep up with everything.
The activity itself soon feels like the goal.
And that’s when you end up with a lot of content… that doesn’t really say anything.
“Attention is the most important currency in business, but trust is what you earn when you respect it.”
-Gary Vaynerchuk
We have all seen it. Content that looks right but doesn’t seem to matter. It’s well-made, but you won’t remember it. You eat this kind of thing without even realizing it.
It’s not a problem with creativity. There is a problem with the connection.
This is even more interesting because we notice right away when something feels real. It goes through everything else.
Justin Bieber’s Coachella set is a recent example that stuck with me. Most of the performances were big and flashy, but his was much more simple. Less complicated. More in the moment. And because of that, it made a different kind of connection that people talked about.
It didn’t stand out because it was bigger; it stood out because it felt more human.
I call it #ZagLife (let me know if you want to preorder some shirts). I’ve been trying to get that going around here, but my team mostly just rolls their eyes at me. When everything around you is going in one direction, it can be helpful to go the other way, especially if it brings you closer to your audience instead of further away.
If you think about it, you don’t want more content as a consumer. You want to find something that you think is important. Something that looks like it was planned.
That’s where trust comes in. According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, 81% of consumers say trust is a deciding factor in their purchasing decisions (https://www.edelman.com/trust/trust-barometer). And trust isn’t built through volume. It’s built through consistency, clarity, and a sense that there’s a real understanding on the other side.
We can see that idea in action in the real world as well. There has been a clear shift back toward real-life experiences, like events, activations, and times when brands show up in person and talk to people. According to EventTrack, 91% of consumers say they feel more positively about a brand after participating in a live experience (https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/eventtrack-2023/).
That says a lot.
For all the advances in technology, there’s still something powerful about being in the same place, at the same time, sharing an experience. It’s not just seen—it’s felt. And that kind of connection sticks in a way that digital alone often can’t replicate.
It almost feels like a recalibration. Not a step backward, but a reminder of what actually matters.
So where does that leave AI in all of this?
Right where it belongs—as a tool.
It is a very powerful tool, though. Something that helps you get things done faster, think bigger, and do them better. But it should never take the place of the thought that went into the work. It shouldn’t determine how you sound, where you stand, or how well you know your audience.
You still have to do that part.
We use AI every day at Giant Shoe Creative. But we base everything on human insight and strategy, because that’s what really makes connections. The technology helps with the work, but it doesn’t do it.
That’s the balance you should really be going for.
There is a real chance to get this right if you are starting a business right now. To accept the efficiency without losing the goal. To use the tools without becoming too reliant on them.
The brands that stand out over time won’t be the ones that just kept up.
They are the ones who stayed human.
