Hi Reader

Welcome back. This week’s mix examines moments where assumptions get tested and reality asserts itself – in technology, culture, pricing, power and decision-making. Some of these stories are smart, some unsettling, some funny. All of them reward your attention. Take what’s useful, skim what isn’t and pass on anything that makes you pause.

Enjoy!

Why good judgment matters more than ever in the AI era

A fascinating Platformer article outlines how AI has become a tool for hoaxers. It centres around a viral Reddit “whistleblower” story about food-delivery platforms, complete with documents, badges and technical detail – all of it fake, and much of it AI-generated. The point of it isn’t about Reddit or rogue actors. It’s how quickly convincing detail can override judgment when documents and credentials can be generated on demand. Worth reading as a case study in why polish is no longer a reliable signal. Check it out here. And if you’re looking for something even wilder in the world of AI, this post on X reveals how AI agents are talking to each other and solving problems without human input.

The unvarnished truth from CMOs

New report Confessions of a CMO strips away the polished narratives and gets into the uncomfortable realities senior marketers face today. Across 23 pages of anonymised testimony, CMOs talk candidly about influence without authority, constant scrutiny from boards and CEOs and the pressure of being held accountable for growth while control steadily erodes. What comes through isn’t that the role is “evolving” – it’s that many CMOs feel exposed, constrained and increasingly judged on outcomes they only partially own. It’s blunt, recognisable and far closer to the lived experience of the job than the conference-stage (or LinkedIn) version. Get the lowdown here.

An online catalogue of ‘vibes’

If you’ve ever recognised a look instantly but struggled to explain why it felt familiar, the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute is worth your time. CARI documents and names “consumer aesthetics” – recurring visual languages shaped by commerce, technology and culture, from Brat Summer to Corporate Grunge. Built by designers and archivists rather than brands, it treats everyday ephemera – packaging, interfaces, interiors, ads – as cultural evidence. The result is a surprisingly rigorous visual archive that shows how aesthetics circulate, get absorbed by society and resurface again later. Easy to browse, hard to stop clicking and very useful for anyone doing creative brainstorming. Visit the CARI website here.

The end of the NFT trend

Once hailed as the next big shift in digital ownership, NFTs drew in global brands, large budgets and senior leadership attention. That momentum has now drained away. Trading volumes have collapsed, consumer enthusiasm has waned and most brand-led experiments failed to establish lasting demand beyond speculation. Nike’s decision to sell RTFKT, its virtual sneaker studio, is one of the clearest markers of that reversal. The move reflects a broader retreat from high-concept digital bets back towards core products, proven revenue and operational focus. Ultimately, it shows what happens when excitement outpaces adoption – and I’m very glad I never bought one of those ‘Bored Ape’ NFTs. Find out more here.

How customers really think about price

Pricing decisions rarely land in neat, rational steps. Customers experience price in mental thresholds, where small differences barely register and certain jumps suddenly matter. One recent example comes from the launch of a hit co-operative video game in 2025, which priced itself at $5 rather than $8 after its creators realised both amounts felt similar to players – but only one triggered impulse buying at scale. The result was faster adoption in a crowded market and sales that far outpaced expectations. It’s a useful case study in how price perception shapes demand more than theory suggests. Find out more here.

Why YouTube has become a serious business

YouTube is no longer a loose creative platform. At the top end, it now operates like a professional media industry, with specialist roles, structured teams and heavy pre-planning behind every successful video. A fascinating interview with Seb Losardo, a strategist who helped build Sky Sports’ YouTube presence and now works with top creators, lays out how growth is engineered rather than improvised. From building titles and thumbnails to earn the click, to structuring openings to prevent immediate drop-off, it offers a clear view of how audience behaviour is shaped at scale – and why many channels plateau after early momentum fades. Watch the interview here.

When audiences stop trusting institutions

A new study from Reuters puts evidence behind a shift many sectors are already grappling with. Traditional media organisations are losing attention and trust at the same time as audiences gravitate towards personality-led content on digital platforms. Based on a survey of 280 senior editors, CEOs and digital leaders across global news organisations, the report finds widespread expectation of falling search traffic, increased dependence on video platforms – especially YouTube – and a growing advantage for individual voices over institutional brands. Less a crisis of journalism than a re-ordering of power, the report shows how quickly distribution and audience loyalty are changing. Read the report here.

From AI pilots to operational impact

A new paper from the World Economic Forum, released at the recent Davos summit, examines how organisations are deploying AI. Drawing on case studies from the Forum’s 2025 MINDS programme, it looks at where AI is already delivering measurable outcomes – from productivity gains and cost reductions to faster decision-making – and where it continues to stall. Across sectors, the patterns are consistent: progress depends on data quality, clear ownership, governance and the ability to embed AI into existing workflows, rather than treating it as a standalone innovation project. Ultimately, it’s a useful take on what AI deployment looks like inside organisations that have moved into production. Read the report here.

The nepo cookie, perfectly timed

A playful bit of cultural mischief from Cadbury and Oreo – created by Saatchi & Saatchi – lands with uncanny timing. The biscuit collaboration has tapped into the current spat between Brooklyn Beckham and his parents, resulting in billboards that frame the new product as gloriously entitled, with lines such as “my parents got me this billboard” and “I didn’t climb to the top shelf, I was placed on it”. Coming as the internet fixates on the privileges and pressures of famous parentage, the work feels bang on the moment – even though the collab would clearly have been conceived long before the family drama erupted. A superb example of responsive content creation from the smart team at Saatchis. Find out more here.

AI prompt of the week: comprehensive SEO audit for better rankings

Most small businesses treat SEO as a dark art – tweaking meta descriptions randomly or stuffing keywords hoping something works. The reality is that search performance comes from systematic optimisation across dozens of factors: technical structure, content quality, user experience and authority signals. A proper SEO audit identifies exactly what's holding your page back and provides a prioritised action plan.

Act as an award-winning SEO consultant. Analyse the webpage at [Page Link] and provide comprehensive advice to enhance search engine performance. For each recommendation: (1) Explain the SEO principle and why it matters for rankings, (2) Identify specific issues on this page, (3) Provide exact changes to implement, (4) Estimate the potential impact (high/medium/low priority). Cover technical SEO, on-page optimisation, content quality, user experience and internal linking. Prioritise recommendations by ease of implementation vs. ranking impact.

Where exits are won or lost

Most founders fixate on headline price. Experienced buyers don’t. Value is usually decided in the mechanics: how risk is shared, how cash moves at completion and what control you keep after the deal closes. Miss these, and an exit can unravel over months or years.

Drop me a line

As always, thanks for reading my curated selection of stories. If you’ve seen something recently that deserves a wider audience, feel free to send it my way. I read everything and love hearing from subscribers.

Cheers!
Adam

Join the Exit Mode Masterclass!

​Sign up for free and learn how to get exit ready in just six months

​
​Unsubscribe · LinkedIn​