Marketing used to be about optimisation.
When AI perfects the mechanics, optimisation stops being the work. What remains is meaning — and the humans who define it.

Search Engine Referrals, once the oxygen of the open web, are down 15% year-on-year across virtually every category. And the decline is not evenly distributed—it is hitting the highest-value, most information-dense verticals the hardest.

The supply of content has become effectively limitless. And when supply becomes endless, value shifts. Attention stops being the scarce resource. Attachment becomes the new currency.

We are now living through what I call the meaning recession. It’s not about the lack of budget or resources — it’s about the absence of depth.

How do you sell something boring like trucks? Volvo didn’t try to explain features — they showed them. The result was one of the most unforgettable ads ever made.

Focus means anchoring your brand in one human truth. For IKEA, it was joy in daily life.

We are no longer communicating with people. We are interrupting them. We create short videos, sharp hooks, and “snackable” content — all chasing a resource that no longer exists: genuine attention.

Sometimes the most powerful marketing isn’t about the product at all. It’s about the feeling. Nike proved this when they found three little words that changed everything: Just Do It

Marketing isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things, with focus. Just like Apple proved.

If you're running a business, you've probably heard of the terms "direct response marketing" and "branding." But what do they actually mean? And which one is more important for your business?