If you’ve been feeling like the online business world feels different right now… you’re not alone. AI (artificial intelligence) has completely changed how we go about growing direct-to-consumer brands in today’s digital landscape.
It’s easy to put declining results or explain tough times down to the rapid explosion of AI technology on top of a tough economic climate and political instability. Which, for sure, is all relevant.
During times like these — when the business environment and consumer behaviour is rapidly changing and nothing feels stable — it’s pretty common to operate in a reactive way. To try not to rock the boat further and to just to get through it.
I also believe that this current scenario presents us with a golden opportunity — one that many businesses are going to be late to recognise, leaving first-movers with a huge competitive advantage!
Specifically, the best way to use AI in your marketing content. But to master this, first you must understand what AI is doing to the way we market and connect in eCommerce—and why so many brands are getting it wrong.
THE SHIFT FROM CLICK-BASED TO CONVERSATIONAL SEARCH
Let’s start with the big picture.
In case you missed it, Google’s major algorithm update last year completely shifted how brands are discovered online.
It used to be that if you could get your ad in front of the right person, or stuff your page with keywords, you’d drive traffic. Clicks equaled conversions. But now? We’re entering the era of generative search.
Instead of typing “best baby sunglasses,” your ideal customer might ask Google, “What are the safest sunglasses for toddlers with sensitive eyes?” And instead of a list of links, Google’s AI will give a direct answer—likely drawn from brand content that feels trustworthy, human, and useful.
So if you’re still relying on click-based tactics—whether it’s old-school SEO or basic Meta ads—without optimising for this new era of conversational discovery, you’re gonna be left behind.
And this brings us to today’s real question:
How do we create marketing that still works in an AI-driven world?
WHERE MOST FOUNDERS ARE GOING WRONG WITH AI
Now, I’m seeing a trend. Maybe you’ve noticed it too.
Brand owners are diving headfirst into tools like ChatGPT (hi ?), Jasper, Canva’s Magic Write… and they’re using them to pump out endless volumes of content: social posts, product descriptions, email copy, blogs.
On the surface, it feels productive. Efficient. Scalable.
But here’s the problem: a lot of this content has no soul. No story. No emotional weight.
Founders are outsourcing strategy to AI—assuming the tech will magically know what will resonate with your audience.
But AI is a mirror, not a mind-reader.
If you don’t know your ideal customer—what keeps them up at night, what they actually value, how they feel—you’re just generating words. Not trust.
And in eCommerce, trust is the currency.
FROM DOPAMINE TO OXYTOCIN
I want to bring in a concept I’ve been chewing on lately, thanks to Ryan Levesque.
For the last decade, marketing has been obsessed with dopamine. That “hit” from a notification. The rush of a like. The impulse-buy offer. Clickbait, urgency, scarcity—it all taps into dopamine.
And look, dopamine works—for attention.
But it doesn’t build loyalty.
It doesn’t make someone think, “This brand just gets me. I want to keep coming back.”
That job belongs to a different molecule: oxytocin.
Oxytocin is the neuro-chemical of trust, connection, and human bonding. It’s what makes a customer feel like they’re in a relationship with your brand, not just a transaction.
It’s the warm fuzzies when your packaging makes them smile. When your email copy speaks to them like a bestie, not a bot. When your story mirrors their life.
And here’s the kicker: AI doesn’t automatically generate oxytocin-rich content.
You do.
By bringing emotional insight, human nuance, and shared experience to the party.
THE GLOBAL OXYTOCIN DEFICIT
Let’s zoom out for a sec.
We live in the most connected era in human history—and yet, people feel more disconnected than ever.
We’re in what researchers are now calling a global oxytocin deficit.
Think about it. We replaced conversations with comments. Replaced relationships with followers. And we’re running businesses that often optimise for efficiency at the expense of intimacy.
This isn’t just philosophical fluff—it’s biology.
Real trust is built in shared space—even if it’s virtual. But it’s got to feel real.
And that’s where small, premium DTC brands have an edge. You can show up. You can tell stories. You can connect.
But only if you don’t lose your voice in the sea of robotic content.
THE 3-STEP FRAMEWORK TO USE AI WELL
Alright, now for the good stuff.
How can you use AI in your business—not as a crutch, but as a creative co-pilot—to become more human, not less?
Here’s a framework I recommend to my coaching clients, and it’s what we use inside the Productpreneur Academy and in my own brands:
Step 1: Deeply Understand the Human-ness of Your Customer
Before you generate any content, you need to know who you’re talking to. And I don’t mean vague avatars like “mums aged 25-45.”
I mean: What do they worry about? What motivates them to buy? What do they believe about themselves? What are they sick of hearing from brands?
If you don’t know this, you’re just generating noise.
That’s why I created a free Customer Avatar Guide & Template, which you can download via the link in today’s show notes. It’s the first—and most essential—step.
Step 2: Create Thought-Leading, Human-First Content
Use AI to help brainstorm ideas, structure blog posts, draft emails—but always bring your own perspective.
The content that ranks in generative search isn’t necessarily the fastest or most keyword-stuffed—it’s the content that’s genuinely helpful, emotionally resonant, and original.
Think: answers to real questions, buying guides with personality, founder stories that connect, blog posts that your audience would actually want to read even if they didn’t convert immediately.
You don’t need to pump out 25 posts a week—you need to publish one that actually matters.
Step 3: Be Proactive About PR and Media Mentions
Generative search is fueled by credibility. So you need signals of trust outside your own website.
That means: getting quoted in articles, collaborating with influencers or thought leaders, guesting on podcasts, being mentioned in news outlets or niche publications.
You can use AI tools to help pitch, write press releases, even identify journalists. But the relationships? The storytelling? That’s still on you.
PR builds backlinks. Mentions build authority. And that’s how you win in this new algorithm.
So—what’s your takeaway from today?
It’s not that AI is bad. Or that you should go full analogue and start hand-delivering marketing flyers door to door.
It’s that you can’t automate empathy.
Your brand’s real competitive advantage in the AI era is your ability to create real human resonance—and that starts with knowing who you’re talking to, and why they should care.
So, if you want to get this right from the start, grab my free Customer Avatar Guide & Template—you’ll find the link in the show notes. It’s a simple but powerful tool to help you write the kind of marketing your actual customer wants to see.
Because in this new era of marketing, the brands that feel the most real are the ones that will rise.
