Category: Solo Episodes

Can an influencer be a “The Marketing Gateway” baddie?

Sometimes a marketing campaign can be entirely organic, and sometimes those work better than planned ones!

This month I am plugging the St. Louis chapter of the AMA. To become a member, you can visit https://amasaintlouis.org/.

SOURCES  

Example video: https://www.tiktok.com/@blivxx/video/7604214257508617486  

https://www.reddit.com/r/Staples/comments/1rck7kf/staples_baddie_on_tiktok_low_key_makes_me_mad/  

https://www.fastcompany.com/91495470/staples-baddie-gen-z-employee-what-the-retailer-is-doing-about-internet-fame

  https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/02/business/staples-baddie-tiktok-sales-nyc-cec  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/has-influencer-marketing-peaked/ar-AA1UTiwF  

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/future-influencer-marketing/  

https://martechseries.com/social/influencer-marketing/influencer-marketing-in-2025-new-data-reveals-what-works-what-costs-and-whats-next/  

https://www.creator-hero.com/blog/who-are-influencers-and-why-do-brands-collaborate-with-them

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The Marketing Gateway does NOT utilize AI or humanoid robots in our production. Ignore the smoke coming from Sean’s ears.

AI has cost plenty of people their jobs already, but there is an easy way for you to not add to that count!

This month I am plugging the St. Louis chapter of the AMA. To become a member, you can visit https://amasaintlouis.org/.

SOURCES

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/27/block-ai-layoffs-jack-dorsey

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/companies-cutting-jobs-investments-shift-toward-ai-2026-02-25

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/26/mit-study-finds-ai-can-already-replace-11point7percent-of-us-workforce.html#:~:text=Massachusetts%20Institute%20of%20Technology%20released,and%20Oak%20Ridge%20National%20Laboratory.

How Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and Society

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ars-technica-fires-reporter-ai-quotes

An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me

https://www.404media.co/ars-technica-pulls-article-with-ai-fabricated-quotes-about-ai-generated-article

https://arstechnica.com/staff/2026/02/editors-note-retraction-of-article-containing-fabricated-quotations/?ref=404media.co

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/supreme-court-declines-case-on-granting-copyright-to-ai-created-art

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2026/feb/28/chatgpt-ai-chatbot-mental-health

https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/the-more-that-people-use-ai-the-more-likely-they-are-to-overestimate-their-own-abilities

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At B K, Have it your way!

Maybe with these new marketing changes Burger King is making, we can truly have it our way!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

SOURCES:  

https://www.marketingdive.com/news/inside-dominos-first-refresh-in-a-decade-including-its-cravemark/801945/  

https://hbr.org/2016/11/how-dominos-pizza-reinvented-itself (Archived: https://archive.ph/oz0B4)  

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/business/burger-king-new-whopper  

https://news.bk.com/blog-posts/burger-king-r-puts-its-president-on-the-line-giving-guests-direct-access-to-share-feedback  

https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/burger-kings-new-whopper-recipe-change-after-customer/story?id=130526679  

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/02/26/burger-king-ai-chatbot-patty-employee-friendliness/88879396007/

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We hope you’ll rate us 5 stars because you want to, not because we sent you exotic butters.

Have you ever noticed a product that has pretty good reviews, but when you get it, it end up not working out? Let’s talk about why that may happen in today’s episode!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazon-vine-reviews-2025-high-stakes-gamble-most-sellers-steven-pope-lar2c/   https://www.nber.org/papers/w34161   https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/document/2025-08/The%20Market%20for%20Fake%20Reviews.pdf   https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2025/01/26/the-dark-side-of-five-star-reviews-why-customers-dont-trust-perfect-ratings/  

Example Reddit Thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonVine/comments/14xdvq0/are_reviews_really_honest/

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“Someone has to do something!” – Winston Overwatch

What if I told you video gaming has the potential to be even more popular than it already is?

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

SOURCES:

https://www.g2a.com/news/features/gaming-by-the-numbers-how-many-people-play-video-games-worldwide

https://www.vice.com/en/article/us-gamers-arent-buying-video-games-anymore-new-study-reveals/

https://www.thegamer.com/marvel-rivals-players-hate-its-ads-now

PICTURE SOURCES:

https://popimpactdisplay.com/product-item/double-sided-cardboard-game-advertising-promotion-display-standee/

https://archive.org/details/Nintendo-Power-Magazine-The-SNES-Era-1991-1996

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8094261/nintendo-famicom-games-console

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Benedict Cumberbatch would totally play Sean in The Marketing Gateway movie.

Bad marketing can have some adverse effects, like a bad haircut!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

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A milkshake does sound really good…

How can milkshakes be a marketing tool? Let’s talk about it in today’s episode!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

SOURCES:  

https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/3-keys-to-understanding-jobs-to-be-done  

https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/jobs-to-be-done-examples

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There’s no business like sh… small business!

Small business makes the world go around!

SOURCES:  

https://www.uschamber.com/small-business/small-business-data-center  

https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Frequently-Asked-Questions-About-Small-Business_2024-508.pdf  

https://www.bain.com/insights/goodbye-clicks-hello-ai-zero-click-search-redefines-marketing/  

The Ultimate Guide to Advertising: Types, Strategies, and Best Practices for 2025

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Everybody in the car so come on let’s write a survey!

Have you ever thought about what goes into writing a great survey? Well here are some tips for you!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

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I even dressed up for the occasion!

Can the third time really be a charm for Eddie Bauer? I sure hope so!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

SOURCE:

https://www.eddiebauer.com/blogs/blog/the-first-patent-a-shuttlecock https://www.eddiebauer.com/blogs/blog/hypothermia-the-origin-of-the-skyliner-down-jacket https://www.fastcompany.com/91129776/what-really-killed-red-lobster-bankruptcy-private-equity https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/02/02/eddie-bauer-closing-stores-north-america-bankruptcy/ https://www.businessinsider.com/eddie-bauer-stores-risk-closures-operator-nears-bankruptcy-2026-2

Picture sources:

https://mallofamerica.com/directory/eddie-bauer https://www.sprezza.xyz/p/menswear-is-repurposed-military-wear https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/imlsmohai/id/15649/ https://www.eddiebauer.com/

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