Edition #12

Strategy fatigue, Meta’s antitrust fight, why sensationalism works, and how to win with distracted consumers.

April 22, 2025

Quick Hits:

🧩 The Positives and Negatives of a Potential Google Ad Tech Breakup

The DOJ’s antitrust case against Google could force a sale of major parts of its ad tech business. Some see this as a win for competition and transparency, while others warn it could cause more chaos and higher costs across digital advertising. Dive into the details via AdExchanger.

🧵 Meta’s Antitrust Battle Could Redefine Platform Power

Meta is in court defending its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, arguing they didn’t harm competition. The FTC sees it differently, signaling broader scrutiny ahead for Big Tech’s empire building. Read more from WSJ

💻 GPT-4.1 Is Here, and It’s a Coder’s Dream

OpenAI just dropped GPT-4.1, and it’s laser-focused on developers. Think smoother code generation, debugging superpowers, and more intuitive reasoning — a step closer to AI as a true pair programmer. Details via TechCrunch

🧠 AI Therapy? More Users Are Talking to Bots About Feelings Than Work

A new Harvard Business Review study reveals people are turning to GenAI for emotional support and self-reflection, not productivity. It’s reshaping how we think about AI’s role in our personal lives. Explore the full piece

📉 Tariffs Are Reshaping U.S. Marketing Strategies

As trade restrictions squeeze supply chains and costs spike, marketers are shifting focus to emphasize local sourcing, domestic storytelling, and price transparency. Break it down with ClickZ

🔗 Google’s AI Overviews Just Got More Clickable

Google is quietly updating its AI-generated search summaries to include more direct links, offering hope to publishers and SEOs watching their organic traffic evaporate. Get the update from 9to5Google

📱 TikTok Users Spend 2X More Time Than on Instagram

New data shows TikTok isn’t just a scroll zone — it’s a full-blown attention magnet. For marketers, the message is clear: time spent equals opportunity. Read the numbers via The Wrap

🌐 3D Displays Are Getting Real — and Touchable

Flexivol’s new volumetric display lets users interact with floating 3D images in real time. It’s like Minority Report, but in your living room. See it in action via New Atlas

Deep Dive: How to Beat Strategy Fatigue Before It Burns Out Your Team

It’s not burnout from doing too much work. It’s burnout from doing too much uncertain work. That’s the heart of strategy fatigue, as explained in the Harvard Business Review.

If you’re constantly launching “new directions” but nothing ever really lands, you’re not alone. Strategy fatigue is creeping into more creative and marketing teams than ever. And no, it’s not because people don’t want to work. It’s because they’re being asked to run before the map is finished.

The gap between vision and reality is getting wider. Leadership broadcasts big goals, but teams on the ground don’t have the tools, clarity, or space to bring those ideas to life. The result? Confusion, disengagement, and “Why are we even doing this again?” vibes.

Let’s fix that. Here’s how to make your strategy feel like momentum, not a mood killer:

1. Stop romanticizing reinvention: Changing direction every quarter isn’t “agile,” it’s exhausting. A great strategy doesn’t need constant rework, it needs consistent reinforcement. Say it often. Show how it connects. Build around it until it becomes second nature.

🛠 Try this: Do a “strategy gut check” with your team. Ask them to write down the company’s current strategy in their own words. If everyone’s version is different, you’ve got clarity problems, not commitment ones.

2. Translate goals into actual work: This is the strategy killer: big-picture ideas never broken down into real tasks. Teams nod along in meetings and then immediately go back to whatever they were doing before.

🛠 Try this: At the start of a project, take 10 minutes to answer:

What will this actually look like when we’re doing it right?
What actions do we stop doing because this strategy now exists?
What’s a small win that proves it’s working?

3. Make room to execute: A strategy without space is just a slideshow. If your team’s bandwidth is maxed, no vision, no matter how inspiring, is going to catch fire. Execution needs air.

🛠 Try this: Before introducing any new initiative, ask: What are we saying no to in order to say yes to this?

4. Build a strategy with the people who have to carry it: Top-down planning might be efficient, but it’s rarely energizing. People support what they help create. And if you’re asking your team to lead change, they need a seat at the table before the strategy is baked.

🛠 Try this: Hold a 30-minute “friction forum.” Ask your team: What’s getting in the way of executing the current strategy? What do you wish leaders understood? Then, act on it.

The Takeaway:

You don’t need another new direction, you need follow-through. Strategy isn’t just vision. It’s behavior. When everyone can see it, shape it, and live it day to day, that’s when the magic (and results) happen.

ToolBox:

Tool	Description	Use
Meta Reels 2025 (Event)	_{Meta’s newest on-demand event shares data, creative tips, and what’s working in Reels right now, directly from platform experts.}	_{Reel’s strategy, content inspiration, and campaign optimization.}
HubSpot State of Marketing 2025 (Report)	_{Packed with survey data from thousands of marketers, this report covers trends, budgets, and what’s actually getting results.}	_{Great for strategy planning, pitch decks, and proving where to focus.}
Iki (Tool)	_{An AI productivity tool that blends into your workflow, helping with tasks like writing, summarizing, and brainstorming.}	_{Speeding up solo tasks, improving creative flow, and lightening your mental load.}
Altar (Tool)	_{Decision-making copilot that helps you think through complex problems using AI as a structured reasoning partner.}	_{Ideal for founders and leads making high-stakes calls or strategic trade-offs.}
Gamma (Tool)	_{Gamma is an AI tool that instantly turns ideas into polished presentations, documents, and webpages. It is built for marketers who need high-quality outputs fast without getting bottlenecked in design.}	_{Speeding up deck creation, client-facing documents, and brainstorming outputs with less lift.}

Strategies & Tactics:

The Go-To Mindset: 15 Beliefs That Separate Builders From Bystanders (5-minute read)

The real difference between builders and bystanders comes down to speed, curiosity, and resilience. This list captures 15 beliefs, like “default to action” and “embrace the mess,” that drive faster, smarter growth. A sharp mindset reset for anyone trying to lead through complexity.

How to Advertise to Distracted Consumers (4-minute read)

New research finds that emotionally resonant, simply framed ads consistently outperform more complex campaigns when attention is fragmented. Brands that can make people feel something, and do it fast, still win in an environment where focus is the scarcest resource.

Trend Watch:

The Natural Laws of Branding, Part 1: Sensationalism (4-minute read)

Brands that trigger emotional intensity, excitement, urgency, and surprise stand out and stick in memory. This piece breaks down why sensationalism taps into natural human instincts and why brands that shy away from it risk becoming forgettable in an oversaturated market.

Why Mindset, Not Just Tech, Defines AI Success in Marketing (3-minute read)

Winning with AI is less about choosing the right tools and more about building the right team culture. Companies that encourage creativity, experimentation, and open collaboration around AI are outperforming those that treat it as a pure automation play. Mindset is fast becoming the real AI advantage.

Closing Thought:

Marketing used to be about being louder. Now it is about being found, trusted, and remembered. The best brands are not waiting for buyers to show up. They are showing up first, with clarity, credibility, and content that actually helps. Influence does not start at the bottom of the funnel. It starts upstream.

Until next time—stay curious.