Search is no longer just a tool. It is becoming the decision layer between people and brands.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, host Eddie Garrison breaks down new research showing that 37% of consumers now begin their searches with AI instead of Google and why this shift is redefining SEO, brand visibility, and how buying decisions are formed.

You’ll learn how AI is replacing traditional search as the first point of discovery, why users prefer AI-driven answers over link-based research, and how this changes the entire customer journey, from awareness to purchase. Eddie explains the rise of “answer optimization,” the growing importance of brand consistency and authority across the web, and the new competitive risk facing companies that rank well but fail to influence AI recommendations.

This episode also outlines practical steps brands can take to remain visible and credible in an AI-first world, including how to position your company clearly, strengthen authority beyond backlinks, and ensure your brand is understood by the systems increasingly shaping consumer decisions.

If your growth strategy still assumes Google is the starting point, this conversation will challenge that assumption and show you where the next real advantage is forming.

In an era of AI, automation, and hyper-optimized customer journeys, brand loyalty is no longer built through big campaigns or flashy experiences. It’s built in the quiet moments in between.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, host Eddie Garrison explores the rise of “little treat” culture, the small, human-centered interactions that make customers feel understood, respected, and valued. From thoughtful onboarding and frictionless design to empathetic error handling and timely insights, these micro-moments are reshaping how trust and memory are formed in modern brands.

You’ll learn:

• Why large campaigns are losing their influence on loyalty
• How AI raises expectations but doesn’t create emotional connection
• What “little treat” moments look like inside real customer experiences
• Why memory is becoming the most important conversion metric
• How to design systems that feel human, not mechanical

If your brand is optimized but forgettable, this episode will challenge how you think about differentiation, customer experience, and long-term growth.

Because in an AI-driven world, human moments are the currency of loyalty.

Audiences aren’t just getting smarter — they’re being simulated.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, Eddie explores how synthetic data is fundamentally changing the way brands understand customers, test strategies, and make decisions.

What happens when every company can model markets, predict outcomes, and optimize campaigns before spending a single dollar? The answer isn’t just better marketing, it’s a new set of risks, including false confidence, competitive sameness, and the erosion of strategic judgment.

You’ll learn:

• What synthetic data actually is and how it differs from traditional analytics
• Why simulations can create the dangerous illusion of certainty
• How widespread AI tools are leading to “optimized sameness” across industries
• Why human judgment is becoming the most valuable competitive advantage
• How strategy is shifting from finding answers to choosing trade-offs
• Why the future of marketing belongs to brands that prioritize interpretation over prediction

This episode is a must-listen for founders, CMOs, strategists, and marketing leaders navigating an era where intelligence is abundant, but clarity is rare.

While many teams are still focused on visibility, content volume, and short-term optimization, the real growth battle is moving upstream. AI agents are influencing purchase decisions, large language models are determining which brands get recommended, and trust is being evaluated by systems long before a human ever compares options.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, Eddie breaks down the five signals already reshaping how brands will win in 2026 and why most marketing strategies are quietly falling behind.

You’ll learn how AI is shifting from creative output to creative intelligence, why synthetic data is making audiences appear smarter, and how small, human moments of value are becoming the real drivers of loyalty in an AI-mediated world.

This episode is a strategic wake-up call for modern marketers, founders, and brand leaders who want to stay relevant as influence, discovery, and decision-making are redefined.

If you’re still optimizing for yesterday’s playbook, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, authority, and what it truly means to be chosen in 2026.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer, host Eddie Garrison breaks down the McDonald’s AI Christmas ad controversy and why it matters to every marketer experimenting with AI today.

After intense backlash over unsettling visuals, tone-deaf holiday messaging, and accusations of “AI slop,” McDonald’s quietly pulled the ad from official channels. But this wasn’t an AI failure, it was a marketing one.

Eddie dives into what McDonald’s got wrong, how creative direction and emotional misalignment fueled the backlash, and what the brand could have done differently. More importantly, he shares practical lessons marketers can apply right now to avoid similar mistakes when using AI in advertising.

If you’re exploring AI-driven creative, managing brand trust, or navigating high-stakes campaigns, this episode is a must-listen.

AI has officially changed the rules of digital visibility and most marketers are still playing last decade’s game.

In this deep-dive episode, Eddie Garrison breaks down the new three-layer visibility ecosystem where SEO, PPC, and AI work together… and where AI-generated answers are quickly becoming the most influential visibility channel of all.

If you care about search, ads, content, branding, or digital strategy, this episode is essential listening.

Because the brands that adapt to the new AI visibility layer won’t just get seen… they’ll get chosen.

Tune in and future-proof your marketing strategy.

Want a 50% lift in brand performance? This episode breaks down new research analyzing 1,000+ campaigns, and reveals why pairing traditional media with digital channels consistently drives massive results.

You’ll learn the best-performing channel combinations, how brands like Walmart are winning with cross-channel synergy, and a simple framework to make your next campaign work harder without spending more.

Perfect for marketers who want smarter strategy, not bigger budgets.

In this episode, Eddie breaks down the seismic shift happening in search, discovery, and digital visibility.

Half of all Google searches now end with AI-generated summaries. That means your customers are getting answers without ever visiting a website, maybe even yours. Ranking #1 is no longer the finish line. It’s just the entry ticket.

In each episode, Eddie guides you through the new search landscape, where SEO meets AEO, GEO, and AI-powered content strategy. You’ll learn how to:

• Be Found by search engines
• Be Chosen by AI assistants
• Be Cited by generative models
• Be Scaled using intelligent content systems
• Be Dominant across the entire digital ecosystem

This is where marketers, founders, creators, and brand leaders come to understand what’s changing, what matters now, and how to stay visible when the algorithms shift again tomorrow.

If you want your brand to be the one discovered, recommended, and trusted in the new AI-first world…

You’re in the right place.