Vol 1: In the AI Era, Brand Wins.

30 Nov

Times they are a changin’ folks. The AI train has left the station and businesses everywhere are scrambling to get on board. But what will separate winning brands from the rest in this new era?

This Week:

Like it? Forward to a friend or colleague!
Want more? Subscribe for a weekly dose!

FEATURE
In the AI Era, brand wins.

We live in wild times. AI is already ubiquitous—writing our emails, publishing our content, automating our sales process. The future is starting to look like a sci-fi movie where robots run all the companies, and humans... well, what will humans even do anymore?

For business owners, perhaps the bigger question is:

When every company has AI superpowers, who will win?

The Great Equalizer

Imagine this: every business on the planet suddenly gets magic, all-knowing AI assistants. They can do anything—write 100 blog posts in an hour, analyze data, go on latte runs.

At first, this sounds amazing, right? But wait. If everyone has access to the same AI genie, doesn’t that mean nobody has an advantage?

Exactly. Welcome to the future, where AI is no longer a competitive edge—it’s just the baseline.

So, what will separate you from all the other companies out there? What will make buyers choose YOU when the tech is the same across the board?

The answer, my friends … is brand.

Why Brand Beats Bots

Think about Apple. Think about Nike. Do people love these brands because they have the most cutting-edge technology? Or because their products are 0.0001% more efficient than the next guy’s? Nope. People love them because they feel like something.

Apple feels sleek. Nike feels powerful. It’s an emotional thing. And no matter how much data your AI is crunching, it can’t generate feelings (not yet anyways).

The more the world is filled with AI-generated content, automated outreach, and robo-everything, the more people will crave something real. They’ll look for brands that connect with them on an emotional level. Brands that feel like people.

Your Why: A Mission Behind the Brand

Here’s where the breakthrough happens. Understanding that your brand isn’t just a logo or a catchy tagline. Your brand is the ‘why’ behind everything you do. It’s the mission that gets you out of bed in the morning. It’s the thing that no AI (or competitor) can copy.

AI can optimize any process, but it can’t create purpose. It can’t replicate the unique story that makes your brand one-of-a-kind. That’s still your secret weapon.

How to Build a Breakthrough Brand

Step 1: Get super clear on your ‘why’. Why does your company exist beyond “make money and buy a yacht”? What’s your mission? Who do you help and what problems are you obsessed with solving?

Step 2: Make your brand about that mission. Everything you do should reflect it. Your products, your customer service, your marketing, your onboarding.

Step 3: Craft your narrative. We love stories. Heck, we’ve been telling them since we lived in caves without streaming video. Your brand’s narrative is what audiences will identify with. More than anything else.

Step 4: Be real. AI can make realistic content, sure. But will it be 100% authentic to your culture, your voice, your people? Buyers will crave real interactions in a world of endless automation. Give it to them.

The Big Picture

Brand is more important than ever. In an AI-first future, it’ll be the difference between generic, lookalike companies and the iconic organizations people love, trust, and tell their friends about.

Soon, everyone will have the same AI superpowers.

Brands that differentiate through purpose, narrative, and authenticity ... will be the ones that win.

5 RESOURCES
Listen. Learn. Level up.

The most valuable skill in every industry in 2025? AI literacy.

Those who can leverage AI to 10x efficiency, productivity, ideas, and ROI will run circles around these who can’t. These 5 resources are a great place to start:

📬 NEWSLETTER
AI Fire - My go-to source for AI news, tools, tutorials, workflows, and more. Easy to scan, easy to digest, easy to understand.

🎧 PODCAST
The Artificial Intelligence Show - Get useful, expert insights on AI marketing developments without the overwhelming techspeak.

🛠️ TOOL
NotebookLM - Explore beyond ChatGPT with Google's simple tool for turning complex information like research reports, contracts, videos, and more into helpful content.

📖 BOOK
 "AI Literacy Fundamentals: Helping You Join the AI Conversation" - Data literacy specialist Ben Jones will quickly get you off the sidelines and up to speed on the AI conversations happening in your workplace.

📺 VIDEO
Inbound 2024 Keynote - HubSpot co-founder and CTO, Dharmesh Shah, gives his predictions on the future of AI agents (with a healthy dose of dad jokes).

HEADLINES
In case you missed it.

AI news we’re following this week:

AI-Generated Content Proliferates on LinkedIn ↗ 
Over 54% of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn are now likely AI-generated, raising discussions about content authenticity.

Brands Embrace AI Despite “Weird Looking Ads” ↗ 
Companies like Coca-Cola are utilizing AI for ad creation, facing both criticism and praise for innovation and efficiency.

HubSpot Enhances Platform with AI Acquisitions ↗ 
HubSpot expands its marketing software through AI-driven acquisitions, aiming to improve sales automation and customer data management.

AI Revolutionizes Research and Development ↗ 
Companies are integrating AI, machine learning, and cloud computing into R&D to accelerate product development and reduce costs.

Antitrust Measures Target AI Monopolies ↗ 
The United States DOJ proposes antitrust actions to prevent tech giants from monopolizing AI, promoting fair competition and innovation.

QUOTE
Your weekly inspiration.

“Push will wear you out. ... But when you’re pulled, when there’s something larger than yourself that you’re here to serve and that you believe you’re made for, that brings energy.”

- Tony Robbins

This week’s quote reminds me how much personal growth and business growth have in common. What’s the larger purpose your brand serves? If it’s not in service of the customer… If it’s not what drives your decisions... If it doesn’t bring extraordinary value to others... you’re fighting an uphill battle. Less push. More purpose. And the path becomes a lot easier.

That’s all for this week. If you found this valuable, please share with a friend or colleague! We’re already hard at work on the next issue. Until then…

Cheers,
Carter & The Brand Theory Team

Before you spend another dime
on marketing…

See how the Growth 2.0 System helps brands like yours scale profitably and predictably by taking the guesswork out of marketing. It’s the step-by-step framework for transforming your business into a breakthrough brand. And I’m giving our entire playbook away for free!