Fridays by the Fire: Issue 4

Welcome back to Fridays by the Fire…

My weekly roundup of updates on what I’m up to, the pulse of the business, and new trends in the digital marketing world.

If you’re new, here’s what to expect…

1. Kindling - a tool or technology worth putting into the spotlight.

2. Spark - a big-picture question I’ve been asking myself.

3. Flame - a share on something I’ve been excited about throughout the week.

4. Fireside - an update on the business and related events I’ll be attending.

5. S’More - something fun and whimsical to end the week off on.

Sit back and relax…

Let me share what’s been happening.

Kindling

In this week’s spotlight: Tolstoy - I’ve recently started formally advising Tolstoy and the team continues to impress me. They’ve been shipping product updates at a pretty incredible rate and the impact the platform has on AOV, conversion rate and other core metrics has been amazing to see. Ping me if you’d like to get in touch with the team, if you’re a brand with a lot of video assets and want to leverage those assets on your site, there’s not a better tool than Tolstoy in my opinion.?

Spark

It wouldn’t be a newsletter without some mention of AI right? I recently attended Summit at Sea a few weeks ago and while I didn’t make this talk I’ve been able to watch afterwards and I really enjoyed Tristan’s perspective. Tristan runs the Center for Humane Technology and shares a lot of his cautionary tales when it comes to AI and how to best address the possible consequences of the technology and gives us a better understanding of what is actually at stake.?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB0_-qKbal4

Flame

Seed - It seems this space is being dedicated to brands I’ve come across and used, and one of the best decisions I’ve made regarding a purchase is with Seed. I’ve constantly battled stomach issues to the point where it was hard for me to eat out, and have tried everything from keto to the elimination diet, with limited success. Seed has been an absolute game-changer for me. One of the co-founders, Ara Katz, is an incredible entrepreneur and she has surrounded herself with some of the best and brightest in regards to the microbiome. Highly recommend it if you have any stomach or digestive issues.

Fireside

I had a lot of fun participating on a panel for Yotpo’s roadshow in NYC this past Tuesday. Some of the key themes were around personalization, tightening budgets and what to do along with how to better leverage all the data/inputs coming at you as a brand. I shared some of my thoughts on personalization in a LinkedIn post that you can see here.?

I’ll be attending CommerceNext in NYC next Tuesday and Wednesday, let me know if you’re around.

S’More

Rummikub - My fiancé (yes in personal news I did get engaged over the weekend) introduced this game to me, my family and friends and we’ve loved playing. Pretty easy to pick up and play and the game moves quickly, they have a 6 person version that we just bought and have been playing.?

Until next time,

Drew