Podcast Summary: "Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson"

Episode: What’s Up THIS WEEK: Emojis in Email? META Replacing Ad Agencies? Blake Lively Movie?
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Presented By: Marigold
Host: Jay Schwedelson
Produced By: GURU Media Hub

Introduction

In this episode of "Do This, NOT That!" hosted by Jay Schwedelson and presented by Marigold, listeners are taken on an insightful journey through the latest trends and developments in marketing, business, and pop culture. Jay delivers actionable advice, sharp critiques, and engaging discussions aimed at helping marketers refine their strategies and stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

1. Meta’s AI-Driven Advertising Revolution

Timestamp: 00:00 – 10:00

Jay kicks off the episode by dissecting Meta’s recent earnings call, emphasizing the company's strategic shift towards AI-powered advertising across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. He highlights Meta's introduction of generative AI tools designed to enhance ad performance, such as:

• Auto-Generated Ad Copy: Streamlining the creation of compelling text for advertisements.
• Image Variation Generation: Automatically producing multiple versions of ad images to optimize engagement.
• Background Removal: A beta feature allowing marketers to modify visuals seamlessly.
• Video Creation Tools: Potential new functionalities for dynamic video ads.

Jay points out that Meta is not just offering these tools for their utility but is strategically prioritizing ads created with them, reportedly seeing a 5% increase in ad conversions when using Meta’s generative AI tools. He states, “Meta is prioritizing ads that are created using their generative AI ad tools... because they want more and more people to use them” [02:30].

A pivotal moment in the discussion is Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the future of advertising. Jay quotes Zuckerberg from an interview with The Verge:

"We're going to get to a point where you're a business, you come to us, you tell us what your objective is. You connect to your bank account, you don't need any creative, you don't need Any targeting demographic, you don't need any measurement except to be able to read the results that we spit out. I think that's going to be huge. I think it's a redefinition of the category of advertising." [05:45]

Jay interprets this as Zuckerberg’s ambition to overhaul the advertising ecosystem entirely, leveraging AI to handle creative design, targeting, data analysis, and reporting. This move could centralize control within Meta, reshaping how businesses approach digital advertising.

2. The Power of Emojis in Email Marketing

Timestamp: 10:00 – 20:00

Shifting focus to email marketing, Jay underscores the significance of using emojis in subject lines, especially during the month of May, which is packed with holidays like Memorial Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Mother’s Day. Contrary to common misconceptions, Jay shares intriguing statistics from SubjectLine.com:

• Overall Usage: Less than 9% of all promotional emails incorporate emojis in their subject lines.
• Performance Boost: Emails with emojis experience a 14% lift in open rates for consumer brands and an 11-12% increase for business brands during May.

Jay emphasizes that incorporating emojis can make subject lines more engaging and stand out in crowded inboxes. He advises marketers to experiment with various emojis, such as calendar symbols, check marks, and hearts, tailored to the specific holiday or campaign.

Furthermore, Jay highlights an often-overlooked strategy: using emojis in email pre-headers (the secondary line of text). He notes that fewer than 1% of marketers utilize emojis in pre-headers, yet those who do see exceptional performance. This presents a valuable opportunity for marketers to differentiate their emails and enhance engagement.

Notable Quote:
"Less than 9% of all promotional emails use an emoji in the subject line, yet those who do see significant engagement boosts." [12:15]

3. Meta’s Movie Mate: A Misstep in User Experience

Timestamp: 20:00 – 30:00

Jay shifts gears to discuss Meta’s experimental feature called Movie Mate, a chatbot designed to enhance the movie-watching experience by encouraging phone usage synchronized with the film. This initiative aims to reduce phone distractions by making interactions more engaging and relevant to the movie content.

Key Features of Movie Mate:

• Real-Time Interaction: Syncing trivia and fun facts with the movie timeline.
• Social Engagement: Enabling chats with fellow moviegoers about the ongoing film.
• User Retention: Aimed at enticing audiences back to theaters by integrating digital engagement.

Jay is highly critical of this approach, arguing that it contradicts the quintessential in-theater experience. He expresses his frustration with the concept:

"Nothing is more annoying than seeing that screen light up when you're sitting next to somebody in a movie theater and they're on their phone." [22:30]

Jay doubts the success of Movie Mate, labeling it as a disruption to the immersive cinematic experience and questioning the logic behind encouraging phone usage during movies. He anticipates resistance from moviegoers who prefer to disconnect and enjoy films without digital interruptions.

4. Pop Culture Insights: Blake Lively’s Movie Sequel

Timestamp: 30:00 – 40:00

Delving into pop culture, Jay shares his thoughts on the sequel to "A Simple Favor," titled "Another Simple Favor," starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. He recounts his personal conflict regarding supporting Blake Lively due to her recent controversies, including public disputes and promotional activities that he finds contradictory to the serious themes of the movie.

Jay reflects on the complexity of separating an actor’s personal actions from their professional work:

"I just couldn't do it because I can't support what's going on. I can't. Maybe you can. I don't know. Terrible." [35:20]

Despite his reservations, Jay acknowledges the quality of the original film and expresses a desire to watch the sequel, albeit with hesitation. This segment underscores the impact of an actor’s personal brand on audience reception and marketing effectiveness.

5. Social Media Trends: TikTok’s "Dinosaur Time"

Timestamp: 40:00 – 50:00

Jay explores the latest viral trend on TikTok known as "Dinosaur Time," initiated by Amy Garrett. The trend encourages users to mimic dinosaur behaviors while eating vegetables, aiming to make healthy eating more entertaining for children and families.

Trend Highlights:

• Behavioral Theme: Acting like dinosaurs while consuming vegetables (e.g., taking large bites, roaring).
• Objective: Increase vegetable intake among young audiences by making mealtime fun.

Jay critiques the trend’s practicality and necessity, questioning the need for an elaborate setup to encourage healthy eating:

"You don't need to act like a dinosaur to eat some broccoli. You don't need TikTok to tell you it's dinosaur time." [45:10]

He expresses skepticism about the longevity and effectiveness of such fads, suggesting that simpler approaches to promoting healthy habits are more sustainable and less contrived.

6. Final Recommendations and Event Promotion

Timestamp: 50:00 – End

In the concluding segment, Jay offers actionable takeaways for his listeners:

• Avoid Meta’s Movie Mate: Recommends steering clear of this feature due to its intrusive nature.
• Refrain from Adopting "Dinosaur Time": Advises against engaging with this trend, emphasizing its lack of necessity.

Jay also promotes Event Tastic, a free virtual event hosted by GURU Media Hub, tailored for professionals interested in webinars, in-person events, virtual gatherings, and public speaking. He urges listeners to register promptly as seats are filling up.

Call to Action: "If you want access to the best virtual marketing events that are also 100% free, visit guruevents.com so you can hear from the world's top marketers like Daymond John, Martha Stewart, and me." [49:30]

Jay wraps up by encouraging listeners to subscribe for more episodes, promising continued delivery of actionable tips and engaging discussions in future installments.

Conclusion

This episode of "Do This, NOT That!" offers a comprehensive exploration of current trends in digital advertising, email marketing, user experience innovations, and social media phenomena. Jay Schwedelson combines industry insights with personal opinions, providing marketers with both strategic guidance and critical evaluations of emerging tools and trends. Whether it's leveraging AI for better ad performance or navigating the complexities of pop culture influences, listeners are equipped with valuable knowledge to enhance their marketing endeavors.

Notable Quotes:

• "Meta is prioritizing ads that are created using their generative AI ad tools... because they want more and more people to use them." [02:30]
• "We’re going to get to a point where... you don’t need any creative, you don’t need Any targeting demographic... I think it's a redefinition of the category of advertising." – Mark Zuckerberg [05:45]
• "Nothing is more annoying than seeing that screen light up when you're sitting next to somebody in a movie theater and they're on their phone." [22:30]
• "You don't need to act like a dinosaur to eat some broccoli. You don't need TikTok to tell you it's dinosaur time." [45:10]
• "If you want access to the best virtual marketing events that are also 100% free, visit guruevents.com so you can hear from the world's top marketers like Daymond John, Martha Stewart, and me." [49:30]

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