PPPPerfect Punchlines, Pivots, Predictions & Positioning (Four Ps #254)
Mastering the Art of Delivery — And the Moments That Matter
I've been crushing the dad jokes lately—at home, at work, with strangers. Not the regular, lame dad jokes, but more of an improv, quick-on-your-feet kind.
Or maybe I'm just my own best audience?
Unfortunately being your own audience isn’t a recipe for success—though it is an ingredient for happiness.
Knowing your audience is everything. Whether you're making a Super Bowl ad, speaking to a new kind of consumer decision-maker, deconstructing the rise of agentic AI, or finally retiring the overused buzzword storytelling (yeah, we said it), it's never just about what you say—or even to whom.
The real game-changer is how you deliver. The right moves, the right context, the right moment—that’s what separates noise from impact.
In this post:
- Prepping for The Big Game
- Projecting a New B2B with Agentic AI
- Phasing out "Storytelling"
- Putting the Machines in Charge
THE PERSONAL: PPPPrepping for The Big Game
It's Super Bowl week!! (Yes, I'm allowed to use that term because I'm not a brand trying to mooch monetization opportunities off of the NFL.)
But I'm more convinced than ever that the most important part of the spectacle that is the Super Bowl—the ads—are actually LESS important than ever.
Given AI advancements—see: OpenAI's Operator—our attention to advertising may be significantly less significant, and Super Bowl commercials far less relevant.
Are we totally there yet? Probably not. But even when and if that happens, the ads will still dominate cultural conversation for at least another year.
For me, though, I've blocked it all out. Like I do every year. Other than passing mentions, I have not knowingly watched a single Super Bowl spot. The trend of pre-releasing ads over the past decade has diminished the fun—the surprise and collective, real-time commentary at parties.
As I have for years, my ad blackout makes my live-posting of reactions even more meaningful (at least to me). Only difference this time? From 2010-2023, I posted on Twitter. Last year, Threads. This year... BlueSky!
The Big Question: Are Super Bowl Ads Worth It?
Corporate demand has surged, with Fox selling at least 10 spots for $8 million each for 30 seconds of ad time. Would you do it? Super Bowl ads used to guarantee maximum eyeballs and cultural impact. But in an era of AI-driven decisions and content fragmentation, does that still hold true?
Let’s look at some data:
80% of spending goes to food and beverages.
6% to big-ticket items like furniture.
13% to team apparel and accessories.
For DTC brands selling consumables, the weeks leading up to the game are prime time. Here’s how to position your product:
Use sensorial cues – Tie your product to game-day excitement.
Align with the experience – Be the “ultimate snack” or “perfect drink.”
Drive impulse buys – Leverage gamified promotions, influencer content, and limited-time offers.
Super Bowl’s Viewership Comeback & What It Means
Despite familiar teams, viewership is bigger than ever:
Last year hit a record with 123.4 million viewers.
This year is expected to be even bigger.
More eyeballs mean more opportunity, but execution matters. Favorite and memorable spots will:
Play the nostalgia card – Integrate into long-standing game-day traditions.
Sync with dual-screen behavior – Engage audiences scrolling social media.
Plan a cross-platform blitz – Activate across ads, social, and email.
I’ll be watching (and posting on BlueSky), but the bigger question remains: Is a Super Bowl ad still the best way to reach your audience in 2025? Maybe. Maybe not. But the real winners plan before, then activate during and after the game.
Game prediction: Eagles 32, Chiefs 27
THE PROFESSIONAL: PPPProjecting a New B2B with Agentic AI
This isn’t a distant or unrealistic future. This is what a Super Bowl party could look like in 2029.
The biggest development that no one is realizing or talking about with the accelerated progress and adoption of AI is the rise of AI Agents. Right now, we're all talking about marketing with AI. Pretty soon, the conversation will evolve to marketing TO AI.
Yes, AI is now the audience, too.
Welcome to the new B2B marketing—Business-to-Bots.
AI Marketing: The Shift from Tool to Audience
OpenAI just announced Operator, an AI agent equipped with its own browser that can autonomously search the web and execute tasks. While it currently has limitations—such as an inability to process payments—it represents a major leap forward in AI-driven automation. Meanwhile, Google has entered the AI agent space with its own offering, AgentSpace, signaling that tech giants are serious about this next wave of AI evolution.
These are not just passive AI tools waiting for human input; they are active participants in digital interactions. Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, recently called AI agents a “multi-trillion dollar opportunity” during CES 2025, underscoring how transformative this technology is expected to be.
The Rise of Agentic AI: A New Era in Digital Engagement
For years, AI has primarily served as a backend assistant, helping businesses streamline tasks and improve efficiency. Now, AI agents are taking center stage as digital entities capable of acting, deciding, and even transacting on behalf of users. This shift has profound implications for B2B and B2C marketing.
AI agents like OpenAI’s Operator and emerging startups such as Adaly, Genuin and Anthrologic are pioneering a new form of interaction. They don't just fetch information; they navigate websites, book travel, and potentially even make purchasing decisions. This means that soon, brands will need to market not just to human consumers, but also to AI agents making recommendations and completing transactions on their behalf.
Of course, the AI boom is not just about consumer applications—it’s also transforming enterprise strategy. And disrupting the stock market. Corporate AI adoption has surged, with spending jumping from $2.3B in 2023 to $13.8B in 2024. But while companies recognize AI’s potential, the transition has been anything but smooth.
Deloitte’s latest State of Generative AI in the Enterprise report highlights that while adoption is growing, daily usage among employees remains limited. Some insights I saw shared:
Slow Scaling: 60% of businesses expect fewer than 30% of their AI initiatives to scale within six months.
Incremental ROI: 74% of enterprises report that their top AI projects meet or exceed ROI expectations, particularly in cybersecurity and IT automation.
Barriers to Adoption: Regulatory compliance (38%), risk of real-world errors (35%), and data quality concerns (30%) are the biggest obstacles.
The initial hype around AI promised sweeping change overnight. The reality? Enterprises are taking a more pragmatic approach, prioritizing measurable returns over speculative innovation. The path to full AI integration will be a marathon, not a sprint.
Here Comes AGI: The Hype vs. Reality
Amid all this, the conversation around AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is heating up. OpenAI defines AGI as “highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work.” However, the term remains steeped in marketing hype and lacks a universally accepted definition.
Adding fuel to the fire, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman is set to meet with government officials on January 30, sparking speculation about the near-term prospects of AGI development. While Altman insists that OpenAI isn’t on the verge of launching AGI, his own rhetoric has been a driving force behind the hype cycle.
So, are we truly on the brink of AGI, or is this another case of AI evangelism outpacing reality? One thing is certain: AI’s role in business, marketing, and daily life is evolving faster than ever, and we’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible.
Marketing is no longer just about reaching human audiences. With AI agents increasingly acting as intermediaries, businesses must rethink their approach—optimizing content for AI discoverability, ensuring seamless AI interactions, and adapting strategies for a world where the new B2B landscape isn’t just business-to-business but business-to-bots.
The future of marketing belongs to those who understand that AI isn’t just a tool—it’s an audience.
THE PRACTICAL: PPPPhasing out "Storytelling"
Marketers, we need to talk.
Specifically, we need to talk about the word “storytelling.”
At some point, “storytelling” became the ultimate marketing buzzword—shoved into every strategy deck, keynote, and job description. It started out as a noble idea: crafting narratives that inspire, connect, and influence.
But now? It’s reached peak saturation. People are tuning it out. And honestly, can you blame them?
This week is even "National Storytelling Week," which is also pretty much every week in sales and marketing.
The problem isn’t the practice itself—it’s the way we talk about it. “Storytelling” sounds passive, like an act of performance rather than a function of business strategy. In reality, the way we shape and deliver information drives outcomes.
It influences decisions, shifts perceptions, and moves people to action. And yet, we keep framing it as some abstract creative exercise instead of what it really is: the connective tissue of communication.
So, what’s the alternative? How do we tell the story of storytelling without calling it storytelling?
Let’s get tactical.
Instead of saying “storytelling,” talk about framing insights, structuring narratives, or shaping context.
Highlight the function: Are you persuading? Aligning teams? Driving a decision?
Instead of spinning a yarn, walk your audience through a process—show the friction, the discovery, the outcome.
The best narratives aren’t told; they’re felt.
If we want people to care, we have to rethink how we talk about how we talk. Because in the end, it’s not about telling stories—it’s about making meaning.
And that’s something no one will tune out.
THE POLITICAL: PPPPutting the Machines in Charge
It's a good thing I don't work in politics because I do not understand voters. Nearly 33% of Americans voted to put the Trump autocracy back in power, clearly not acting in their own self-interest.
Now, the federal government is in disarray. Scammers and charlatans are leading cabinet posts, every single employee has been offered a buyout, and critical departments tasked with protecting and saving lives are now understaffed.
Who could have seen this coming?!?
But hey, at least we're winning the race to dominate AI against foreig—err, wait. China just wiped billions of dollars in value from American tech companies in a single day.
As my friend Steven Wolfe Pereira said last week on LinkedIn, "There is no AI strategy without a data strategy. Just as oil powered the Industrial Revolution, high-quality data is the foundation that will determine which companies win or lose in the AI revolution."
And for an American regime that doesn’t believe in data or science, this has the potential to become even more dangerous.
But on the bright side, there’s now a U.S. Government GPT… or something like that… via OpenAI and ChatGPT. They’re even integrating with Los Alamos and National Laboratories!
This is a big move—ChatGPT Gov signals a deeper entanglement between OpenAI and the U.S. government, but the risks are hard to ignore. While OpenAI touts security and compliance, key concerns remain:
🔹 Data Sensitivity & Trust – The tool isn't yet cleared for handling non-public government data, yet it’s being positioned for such use. If government agencies begin relying on it prematurely, what are the risks?
🔹 Algorithmic Bias & Hallucination – AI models are known to generate incorrect or biased responses without warning. In a government setting, that could lead to flawed decision-making with real consequences.
🔹 Dependence on OpenAI – If government operations become too reliant on ChatGPT Gov, does OpenAI gain undue influence over policy and infrastructure? Pricing, policies, and OpenAI’s own corporate interests could all play a role in government functions.
At a time when AI ethics and regulation are still evolving, this push for government adoption feels a little… rushed. What do you think—should AI like ChatGPT Gov have a place in government operations? Or is this a step too far, too soon? 🚨
Have your Agent AI bot call my Agent AI bot to discuss.
PPPPopular PPPPosts:
71% of marketers believe event marketing is key to growth - splashthat
NFL is experimenting with AI tools to improve refereeing - NBC News
For PPPParents:
26% said that they had used ChatGPT for homework - techcrunch
TikTok and YouTube are the top U.S. platforms for aged 18–35 - Variety
New study shows no link between screen time and well-being - dazed
For Prophets:
AI-powered mobile apps are now a $2B market - Bloomberg
Autonomous Grubhub robots could soon roam college campuses - Reuters
Catholic Church on human and artificial intelligence. Irony much? - Vatican
For Profits:
Big brands' DE&I pullback: Caving to right-wing pressure - MarketingBrew
X is barely breaking even - The Verge
LinkedIn now as record engagement and users - SocialMediaToday