Quick Hits

• President Donald Trump revoked Biden’s 2023 AI Executive Order (EO), which was designed to reduce the risks associated with AI.

• TikTok is Back—Because Where Else Would Gen Z Dance? TikTok has returned from its brief hiatus, proving once again it’s the cockroach of social media—unstoppable, resilient, and maybe here forever. For marketers, it’s a neon-lit reminder: go where the kids are, or get left behind.

• Perplexity’s Next Move: Reinventing Professional Networking. What happens when AI meets professional connections? Perplexity’s acquisition of Read.cv hints at a future where networking is more than just collecting contacts—it’s about creating meaningful, AI-enhanced engagements. Is LinkedIn’s reign under threat? Time will tell.

• Beijing is holding a marathon for humans and robots in its Daxing district in April.

• Pinterest 2025 Trending Colors: Pinterest unveils its top five colors for 2025: Cherry Red, Butter Yellow, Aura Indigo, Dill Green, and Alpine Oat, providing creative inspiration for campaigns, products, and branding. Looks like my branding was very on-trend.

• AI Search Revolutionizes Product Discovery: Brands like Viv and Joe & Bella are seeing massive traffic and sales spikes from AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, driven by detailed content and adaptive SEO strategies tailored to generative AI environments.

Deep Dive: Mastering the Rhythm of Leadership

Inspired by Personal Math

Leadership isn’t about always running at full speed; it’s about knowing when to sprint and when to pause. The article highlights the concept of high-low rhythms—balancing intense, focused effort (“highs”) with intentional downtime or lower-intensity work (“lows”). Mastering this skill helps executives sustain energy, focus, and productivity while building healthier work environments.

What Are High-Low Rhythms?
The high-low rhythm is the ability to alternate between periods of deep, high-impact work and lighter, more reflective activities. Think of it like interval training for your brain: bursts of activity followed by rest to maximize effectiveness without burnout.

How to Build Your Own High-Low Cadence

1. Define Your Highs

   • Identify the tasks that require deep focus and deliver the greatest impact. These might include strategic planning, decision-making, or creative problem-solving.

   • Schedule these during your peak energy times. For many, this is the morning or early in the week.

2. Embrace the Lows

   • Lows aren’t about slacking off; they’re about recovery and recalibration. Use this time for brainstorming, informal team check-ins, or tackling less demanding administrative work.

   • Protect this time as much as your highs—both are vital to long-term success.

3. Use Time Blocking

   • Create blocks in your calendar for high and low periods. For example:

     • Highs: Morning focus blocks for critical tasks.

     • Lows: Afternoon slots for brainstorming, meetings, or email management.

   • Be intentional about sticking to these boundaries.

4. Communicate the Rhythm to Your Team

   • Share your approach to high-low work with your team. Encourage them to adopt their own rhythms, ensuring alignment with collective goals.

5. Evaluate and Adjust

   • Regularly review your rhythm. Are you scheduling too many highs without enough recovery? Are your lows becoming unproductive? Small tweaks can ensure balance.

Why This Matters
Leaders who manage high-low rhythms effectively can maintain focus without succumbing to burnout. They model a sustainable way of working for their teams, fostering an environment where productivity and well-being go hand in hand.

Final Takeaway
Start by observing your current rhythm. Identify when you feel most energized and when you naturally wind down. Use these insights to build your high-low cadence and lead your team toward smarter, healthier productivity. Read the full article here

Toolbox:

Your go-to section for the latest tools, courses, apps, and resources to supercharge your marketing game.

1. Great Question: Simplify User Research
   Streamline your user research with this intuitive platform that simplifies surveys, interviews, and feedback collection. Ideal for understanding customer needs and building better products.

2. Askpot: Instant Competitor Insights
   Find competitors and analyze their Unique Value Proposition, Audience, Positioning and users feedback in minutes, not days. (I LOVE this tool)

3. Lately AI: Smarter Social Media Writer
   Lately AI helps you craft and repurpose social media content from long-form materials like blogs and podcasts. Its AI engine identifies the most engaging snippets and optimizes them for higher engagement. Perfect for marketers looking to save time and boost content impact.

4. Relume: Websites Designed Faster with AI

   Relume lets users generate sitemaps and wireframes for sites in minutes. It offers over 1,000 components for Figma, Webflow, and React.

Brain Hack: Reverse Briefing at Your Next Brainstorm

Feeling like your brainstorming sessions have hit a creative plateau? Flip the script with the Reverse Briefing Method. Rather than starting with a traditional problem or strategy brief, begin by envisioning the wildest possible outcome. Ask your team: What’s the boldest, most unconventional result we could achieve?

Here’s how to implement it at your next brainstorm:

1. Set the Stage

• Challenge the team to dream big. Dismiss constraints like budgets or logistics—encourage blue-sky thinking. Document these wild ideas.

2. Reverse-Engineer the Path

• Once you have a few audacious ideas, work backward to determine which strategies, tools, or creative approaches could make them happen.

3. Focus on Actionable Insights

• After brainstorming, narrow down the ideas to the most feasible or impactful ones. Refine these into actionable next steps that align with your goals.

This approach energizes your team, removes creative limits, and often leads to unexpected breakthroughs. Plus, it’s fun! Who doesn’t want to imagine the impossible?

Trend Watch: AI Infiltrates Advertising

AI agents are revolutionizing advertising by automating tasks previously handled by humans. From campaign strategy to real-time optimization, these tools are reshaping how ads are created and managed.

Toolbox of AI Agents in Action:

• Albert AI: This tool manages entire campaigns autonomously, from budgeting to creative testing, and optimizes across platforms in real-time.

• Persado: AI-powered messaging that creates emotionally resonant ad copy tailored to different audience segments.

• Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) with Smartly.io: Platforms like Smartly.io generate ad variations and adjust them based on performance data.

Why It Matters:

1. Efficiency: AI agents can execute campaigns faster, freeing marketers to focus on strategy and creative innovation.

2. Scalability: Personalization at scale becomes achievable, making it easier to target diverse audiences with tailored content.

3. Challenges: While efficient, over-reliance on AI risks losing the human touch that makes brands relatable.

The key takeaway? Marketers who combine AI’s capabilities with human creativity will be the ones who thrive. The future isn’t man or machine—it’s both.

Swipe File: Rinse & Repeat Creative

The “Rinse and Repeat” Ad Hack
Found an ad creative that’s performing well? Duplicate it with a minor tweak—like changing the headline, CTA, or visual—and run it again. Platforms like Meta’s Ads Manager often reward consistent engagement patterns by pushing similar creatives to more users for less cost.

How to Apply It Today:

1. Open your ad analytics and identify your top-performing creative from the past month.

2. Duplicate the ad set and test a small change—like a slightly altered headline or image.

3. Launch it as a new campaign and let the algorithm amplify your success.

Why It Works:
Algorithms thrive on predictability. Repeating success in small variations reduces creative fatigue while maximizing ROI.

Closing Thought:

The world of marketing is moving faster than ever. From AI-driven advertising to rethinking how we brainstorm, the key is staying agile and open to new approaches. Remember: innovation doesn’t always require a complete overhaul—sometimes, the smallest tweaks lead to the biggest breakthroughs. Here’s to trying something new this week!

Until next time—stay curious.