Navigating AI and Marketing

Terry Zelen, President & Creative Director of Zelen Communications, joins Mike and Nareman to talk about building custom, highly animated websites, running a lean team across time zones, and using AI to boost research, content, SEO, and reporting. He walks through career pivots (from marine biology to marketing), lessons from the 2008 downturn, and why “someone who knows AI will take your job—not AI itself.” Terry also previews where marketing is headed as AI converges with CGI, AR/VR, and agentic assistants.

What you’ll learn:

• How early adoption (from the first Macs to today’s LLMs) became a competitive edge

• Practical AI uses in an agency: research, keyword planning, blog drafting, image/video ideation, analytics, and reporting

• Leadership lessons: give autonomy, own mistakes, hire self-taught learners, and keep curiosity high

• Why websites will evolve toward solutions and agents—and what that means for clients

• Building resilience: shifting from traditional to digital during market shocks

 

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