Jim Malcolm

The most effective DAM RFPs reflect real workflows, not assumptions. By asking the right questions about findability, multi-market needs, brand presentation, content reuse, governance, and integrations, teams set the foundation for long-term success. A forward-looking approach ensures your DAM can scale with new brands, growing content volumes, and increasing automation demands. Read the blog to explore each question and strengthen your 2026 DAM RFP: https://hubs.la/Q040fkdb0 #DAMRFP #DigitalAssetManagement #ContentWorkflows #BrandExperience #TechStackIntegration

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If you know Mark McGready you've seen the headline, will read the first paragraph and say "yes, that is Mark." He has a unique style. And regarding AI, Mark shared his thoughts as well as his observations from the Applied AI for Distributors conference. One observation related to the number of service providers in attendance. Many start-ups / early-stage companies and a few industry stalwarts but the overall conclusion is that there are many companies with purpose-built solutions. Now, which ones will succeed, and which ones will flame out due to concept, funding, or lack of adoption ... they have a game in Vegas for that. But, if the issue relates to process and / or analysis, someone has an AI solution for it. Take a read and share your thoughts. If you are a distributor, is your company doing something with AI (either as something customized, or has engaged one of the various solution providers, or perhaps is heavily into one of the AI-powered subscription services to support sales, marketing or research.) Coincidentally, John Gunderson and I have had a number of conversations with start-ups / early-stage companies lately. We're putting together a list of "filtering" questions we think distributors should consider. It will be ready around August 1 (due to travel). If you want a copy, ask in the comments, DM us or email us.

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What if digital commerce felt less like a transaction and more like a connection? Infosys Equinox had the vision - a human-centric platform built to transform how global brands engage, sell, and grow. They needed a launch story that didn’t just introduce it's cool tech stack, but also made people feel their promise to “Make Commerce Human". Our integrated launch campaign delivered a powerful brand reveal video, a platform demo videos, thought leadership content, e-book teasers, and real client voices. Explore the campaign in our case study - https://lnkd.in/giTMK8mB

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If your digital experience is built for “the user,” it’s probably not built for the people who actually use your financial services products. In this video, I break down how research-backed personas help financial brands design apps and sites that reflect who their customers really are—and why that’s a real competitive advantage in commoditized categories. You can read more about this here https://lnkd.in/etnMWAQD. #UX #FinancialServices #Personas #ShinyThinking

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Content marketing in 2025 is AI-powered, interactive, and personalized. Assume attention’s scarce, leverage tech, and keep it simple. Use AI to create, AR to engage, and advanced distribution to get seen. Drive traffic, boost engagement, convert leads—every time. Don’t create noise—create value. Your audience is waiting—go win them.

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Most marketing teams today are built for a world that no longer exists. Bloated org charts, endless meetings, agency retainers, layers of middle management...and then we wonder why marketing struggles to influence revenue or product decisions. AI isn’t just changing how we work. It’s forcing CMOs to rethink how teams should be structured. Here’s why the traditional CMO org chart is already dead - and what replaces it. https://lnkd.in/eK3WhBSE

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What CMOs Are Thinking Last week, 1000s of CMOs met in Florida for ANA's Masters of Marketing (https://lnkd.in/g7NxY6je), one of the marketing industry’s biggest events to learn, connect, & wrestle w/one big question: what does marketing leadership look like in a world where brands & consumers are being redefined. If any CMOs from real estate were there, I’d love to hear your take. Here are some of mine: 1. CMOs are being pushed to innovate with AI not just to stay relevant, but to redefine leadership in a world where creativity and technology now share the same desk. If you run a brokerage or a team, that message is for you too. You need an active AI strategy, evolving & unmistakably your own. The time to build it isn’t later. It’s now. 2. The CMO role is expanding from managing marketing to leading transformation. Marketing isn’t a department anymore; it’s the connective tissue between creativity & business strategy. CMOs are being asked to orchestrate that evolution on the client side & leaning heavily into agency support to facilitate it. In real estate, your marketing leaders need more freedom & authority to shape how tech, brand, and the agent experience work together across recruiting, training, and client service & they need more outside support to do it. 3. Creativity & consistency still matter. The brands that win will be the ones that stay emotionally resonant & unmistakably human, not the ones who rely on AI to create everything. In real estate, marketing must be more of something we automate, delegate, or template. The strongest brands must treat AI as a tool to inform thinking, not replace it. Great marketing must still come from the brand & lean heavily into genuine storytelling that captures what people are really chasing: belonging and trust. I often sense that marketers in real estate still roll their eyes at “storytelling,” dismissing it as fluff & not realizing how powerful of a marketing device it is. I believe this because of what I see in real estate, identical marketing built around getting people to buy something rather than believe in or belong to something. The big takeaway of all is that AI won’t replace creatives; the creatives (and brands) who master AI will replace those who don’t. I can’t imagine that it would not hugely apply to real estate. If you’re a CMO, run a brand & care about outwitting your competitors, & you missed ANA, come to Denver in June for our Signal event. It’s built for you. https://lnkd.in/gCE8cKUk

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