Todd and Kelly tackle one of the hottest debates in marketing: how real is AI’s impact, and where does the human touch still matter?

They discuss the buzz around “Agentic AI,” the emergence of synthetic personas for focus group replacement, and why creativity and analytics still demand human nuance.

With sharp insights and a bit of friction, they challenge the value of custom-built AI tools, debate whether proprietary agency tech really delivers unique results, and explore the evolving agency-client relationship in the era of AI.

If you’re a marketer trying to make sense of the AI hype, this episode delivers the clarity and controversy you need.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - Can AI Really Do Our Jobs? Opening Thoughts from Todd and Kelly
• 00:01:17 - Behind the Scenes at an AI-Heavy Agency Conference
• 00:02:33 - The Great AI Debate: Tool or Talent Replacement?
• 00:04:30 - Human-Driven AI: Why Autonomy Isn’t Here Yet
• 00:08:15 - "Build vs. Buy" Showdown: What Are Agencies Really Selling?
• 00:12:47 - Synthetic Personas: The End of Focus Groups as We Know Them?
• 00:14:10 - Training AI with First-Party Data: Superhuman or Super Risky?
• 00:15:26 - Are Agencies Building Tools—or Just Branding Over APIs?
• 00:16:45 - Paint-by-Numbers AI: Creative Shortcut or Strategic Compromise?
• 00:18:02 - Is Proprietary Just a Sales Pitch? What Clients Really Buy Into
• 00:19:33 - Slick UI, Same Engine: When Packaging Beats Performance
• 00:21:00 - Why the Best Agencies Still Bet on People Over Platforms
• 00:22:38 - Can You Automate Strategy? The Fatal Flaw in "Build Mentality"
• 00:24:14 - The Real Agency Differentiator: Talent, Not Tools

Links and Resources:

• Kelly Maguire on LinkedIn
• Todd Juneau on LinkedIn
• Vuja Dé Digital 

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