Nailing your Al Strategy: Charting a Path to Agentic Growth

Nailing your Al Strategy: Charting a Path to Agentic Growth

Join us for an engaging conversation with Ian Brown, a seasoned business leader and digital strategist, as we explore the profound impact of AI and digital transformation on business models, consumer behavior, and leadership. Discover how companies can navigate the disruptive waves of change, leverage AI for competitive advantage, and build trust in an increasingly agentic world. In this episode:          •       Ian shares his career journey from engineering to leading digital businesses, including rentalcars.com [http://rentalcars.com] and Flutter          •       The evolution of digital transformation from the internet age to AI-driven change          •       How AI is shifting the basis of competition, cost structures, and strategic moats          •       The role of strategy consulting in an era of exponential technological change          •       The impact of AI on consumer behavior, discovery, and decision-making processes          •       Building trust and reliability in AI-powered systems for businesses and consumers          •       The importance of rethinking business models, data strategies, and competitive advantages in an agentic future          •       Leadership in times of rapid change: fostering learning, agility, and culture Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome and introduction to Ian Brown's background 02:00 - Ian's career journey through digital businesses 06:30 - Key lessons from the internet revolution and its parallels with AI 09:45 - How AI differs from previous technological shifts in distribution and cognition 12:15 - Redefining competition and strategy in an AI-powered world 15:00 - The future of consulting and the reinvention of service delivery 17:20 - Changing consumer behaviors and AI-driven discovery trends 20:00 - The transformation of marketing and consumer signaling in AI era 23:30 - The role of brands and emotional trust in an agentic future 27:00 - Building and optimizing for agent interactions and decision-making 31:00 - Trust, accountability, and risk management in AI systems 35:00 - Challenges for CEOs and business leaders navigating rapid change 39:00 - Leadership qualities needed for resilient, adaptable organizations 41:00 - Final thoughts on human-centric leadership and continuous learning

Can Big Tech save trust? The playbook for building consumer confidence in Al

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life—but consumer trust in the technology is becoming more complicated. In this episode, we explore the growing tension between AI adoption and public skepticism, and what that means for brands, marketers, and business leaders. The conversation examines why consumers continue to embrace AI-powered tools while simultaneously expressing concerns about privacy, authenticity, environmental impact, and corporate responsibility. From shifting attitudes toward generative AI marketing to the rise of “human-first” brand messaging, the episode looks at how trust is becoming a key competitive advantage in the AI era. Listeners will also hear insights into: * Why some consumers are actively seeking brands that minimize AI use * How younger audiences are redefining digital trust * The hidden infrastructure and societal costs behind AI expansion * Why authentic human experiences may become even more valuable as AI grows more pervasive * How organizations can adopt AI strategically without becoming overly dependent on it Whether you’re a marketer, executive, entrepreneur, or technology leader, this discussion offers practical insight into the future of consumer behavior and the evolving relationship between people and intelligent technology.

How AI Is Disrupting Today’s Marketing Landscape - with Marketing Science Professional Ankur Jalan

“What do I do with these "likes"?” In the latest episode of After the Download, Chris Havemann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-havemann-19a04b8/] sits down with Ankur Jalan, as he explains how that question kicked off his career as a freelance marketing scientist 15 years ago. With experience at Facebook, Snapchat, and Discord, Ankur talks about where the measurement world has landed — and why in many ways it's harder now than it's ever been. A few things that stood out from the conversation: 🔹 Everyone now understands what they're trying to measure. The challenge is that cross-platform attribution is getting harder, not easier, as walled gardens multiply and privacy rules tighten. 🔹 AI is leveling the creative playing field — and creating a lot of noise in the process. Any business can now spin up a thousand creative variants. The creative director who knows how to cut through the resulting clutter becomes more valuable, not less. 🔹 Measurement teams that report into marketing are compromised by design. If your measurement function has an incentive to make media look good, it will. Neutrality isn't a nice-to-have. And on LLMs changing consumer discovery: "I'm sure it's given Google sleepless nights."

Where Consumer Loyalty, Value & Data Converge: User acquisition in today's app marketplace

Downloads are flatlining across most categories yet revenue is growing. That gap tells you everything about where the industry is heading: it's no longer a volume game. It's a value game. In the latest episode of After the Download, RealityMine® CEO Chris Havemann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-havemann-19a04b8/] sat down with Josh Berrios [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshberrios/], Google Principal Growth Manager Mobile App Partnerships. Josh's three takeaways for app businesses right now: → Data maturity. Your acquisition strategy is only as good as the signals you're sharing with your channels. If what you're optimizing for in a campaign doesn't match the users you actually want, you're not doing yourself any favors. → Master iOS. Attribution is still messy post-Apple's privacy changes, and some businesses are pulling back from iOS investment because of it. Josh's view: that's a costly mistake. iOS users are among the most valuable in any market. Imperfect measurement is not a reason to underinvest. → Invest in creative. Speak to each of your user personas specifically. A contractor and a homeowner using the same app should not be seeing the same ad. AI tools are making it faster to get this right, but only if you're intentional about it. There's also a lot in this episode on AI's real impact on consumer discovery, what genuine user loyalty looks like, and why product obsession is still the most durable growth strategy.

The Social Side of Content Discovery: An App Entrepreneur's Story

The algorithm knows your history. It has no idea what you're in the mood for today. RealityMine® CEO Chris Havemann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-havemann-19a04b8/] talks to Rohan Jacob [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohan-jacob/], founder of Nokio, a social discovery app built around one counterintuitive goal: get users off the platform as fast as possible. Your decision about what to watch is the point, not how long you spend scrolling to get there. Rohan breaks audiences into three groups: ▪️ The 1% who create and review ▪️ The 9% who engage with that content ▪️ And the 90% who just watch, quietly, without leaving a trace Most platforms optimize almost entirely for the top tier while the vast majority remains invisible to them. On AI, Rohan's take is sharp: recommendation tools can approximate preference, but they can't replicate social trust. Knowing what someone watched isn't the same as knowing what they'd tell you to watch. That gap matters well beyond streaming. Who are the 90% in your category, making decisions every week through conversations no platform can see?