The AI Promo Brief: Issue #1

Welcome to our AI Newsletter, Issue 1!

Hey, promo pros! Welcome to our first issue of The AI Promo Brief: Your quick hit of AI intel seen through the lens of the branded merch world. Every two weeks we'll filter the tech noise to keep you ahead of the curve on all things AI! Each issue serves up fresh news for your marketing, sales, and ops. Think of it as your uber-smart tech scout keeping you ten steps ahead. Dig in and share!

Google's Search Just Got Scary Smart

Google just flipped the switch on in "AI Mode" and regular search suddenly feels …prehistoric. Deep Search now creates research reports in minutes, while visual search lets you chat with your camera about what you're seeing. The kicker? It's now doing tasks for you—buying tickets and making reservations with minimal hand-holding. For promo pros, this is a massive wake-up call and changes how your future clients find you for merch projects. Need proof? AI overviews are already slashing your search traffic by 34%. 

CMOs Pivot to AI-Powered Growth

CMOs are trading tired funnel tactics for something more meaningful: brand empathy, efficiency, and faster decision-making through AI. It’s less about brute-force selling and more about relevance and resonance. For you? A cue to align creative pitches with what your clients are prioritizing right now.

AI Adopters with Marketing are seeing a 3x better ROI

Search Engine Journal’s latest report on AI in marketing reveals that 60% of marketers are already utilizing AI tools on a daily basis, with content creation and analytics leading the way. The real kicker? Teams that embraced AI early are seeing 3x better ROI than the wait-and-see crowd. From small agencies to enterprise brands, everyone's feeling it—not just in what they produce, but in how teams are structured.

Taplio: Your LinkedIn Sidekick That Actually Works

Taplio makes LinkedIn actually fun. This nifty AI sidekick crafts posts that don't bore people to tears, handles your scheduling while you chase leads, and shows you what's clicking (or tanking). The Chrome extension is brilliant—instantly spotting conversation starters on prospect profiles without the creepy stalker vibes. It's like having a LinkedIn sidekick who does the work for you.

AI that knows what you want before you do

OpenAI just acquired Crossing Minds, the recommendation wizards who've been quietly making online shopping freakishly personal for years. Why care? This isn't just another tech buyout—it's OpenAI signaling they want to sell stuff, not just chat about it. Their big win? "Cold-start personalization"—basically AI that reads your mind before you've even clicked anything. For merch pros: your customers' next favorite product might be suggested by an algorithm that knows their taste better than they do.

Okay promo pro: You know how frustrating it is to constantly be buried in product search looking for something like that white pen with the red clip that you can’t find anywhere no matter how many search terms you use? Since we’re “by promo for promo” we get it. So, we’re working on a sneaky new feature that’s going to give you product recommendations but we’d love your help, interested in joining our beta? Sign up here!

AI use just doubled at work—but most teams are winging it without a plan. The kicker? When leaders communicate an AI strategy, their teams are 3x more confident using these tools. For promo pros, this isn't just tech trivia. Your competitive edge is having an AI game plan while your competitors are still fumbling through ChatGPT prompts. Want to look like the smartest person in the room? Use our AI vision doc as a baseline. It's free for you to use. Edit it, make it yours, and share with your team. Your merch crew will thank you. 

How to Think About AI (Without Becoming a Tech Bro)

Iconiq just dropped a State of AI Report and the tl;dr is: You don’t need to code—but you do need a plan. AI-native companies are moving faster, not because they’re smarter, but because they’re actually using the tools. Focus on workflow, not wizardry. Get your team trying things. Budget for experiments. The best AI teams aren’t just engineers; they’re cross-functional crews who speak both business and bot. If you don’t want to sift through the report, here’s a brilliant vid: 7 slides in 7 minutes.

The Future Is Agentic (Get Ready to Shake Up Your Org Chart)

Your next teammate isn't human. McKinsey's latest report reveals AI agents are joining org charts alongside humans—not someday, but now. Unlike basic Gen AI tools that just spit out content, these agents make decisions, learn from mistakes, and execute tasks independently. They're already screening job candidates, handling customer service, and providing real-time coaching. For promo pros? Time to rethink which tasks need humans and which could use a digital sidekick. Oh, and get this: OpenAI just dropped their intro to ChatGPT agent and demo’d their new agent tool with … a sticker order. 🤯

AI's Helping Managers Hire People Now?

Forget your boss's gut feeling—60% of managers are letting ChatGPT decide who gets raises, promotions, and who gets hired. A fresh ZDNet report shows AI's gone from writing emails to determining careers. The wildest part? 20% let algorithms make FINAL decisions without human input.

📊 AI's now …. normal? 61% of Americans are already using AI. Parents use it most, Boomers are catching up. The surprise? Menlo's report shows the AI wave isn't coming—it's here.

🤝 Grammarly makes a big leap into becoming a productivity platform by acquiring email provider Superhuman.

🏢  OpenAI is quietly building a full office suite with collaborative docs, meeting transcription, and team chat—potentially challenging Google and Microsoft.

🔍 Perplexity’s new Chrome browser competitor Comet is like having a research assistant in your browser.

🎥  How to build an AI Agent? Smart vid about it here.

✨ Pokecut turns your photos from meh to magic without the tech headaches. It’s like Photoshop's fun little cousin with zero bloat. Also: Bye-bye lightroom and photoshop?

⚡ Gamma makes sleek presentations in seconds.

🔗 Claude launches new directory for tools that connect to Claude.

📚 NotebookLM just dropped expert notebooks on everything from Shakespeare to science. Ask questions, dive deep, and look smarter than your competition—without doing the homework.

🛒  Agentic commerce is coming for your wallet! These buying bots don't just browse—they purchase. Stripe's already building the rails for tomorrow's AI shoppers.

🏆 Okay, okay, this whole AI arena is confusing as hell. So, who is really winning in the AI wars for the best tool? LMArena's AI leaderboard ranks the smartest AI models head-to-head.

😂 For funsies: This is you and AI now.

🤖 You heard about our AI-powered product search right? It's in beta but we'd love to have you join if you're one of those super keen AI-obsessed pros, join us here if you're interested!