Most people know they should be using AI more. Almost nobody knows how to actually get there. Pete Larkin, GTM engineer, AI builder, and host of the AI Deep Dive podcast, has done the unglamorous work of figuring it out through time-blocked late nights, robotics projects with his kids, and a family operating system he's building to become a better father and spouse.

In this conversation, Pete and Paxton walk through the most common barriers to AI adoption, pulled directly from a real survey, and tackle each one head-on with practical, honest advice.

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About Pete Larkin: Pete Larkin began his career in film, running a successful production company before realizing he wanted more influence over the strategy behind the work. That led him into marketing, where his film background and training from one of the nation’s top ad schools helped him build a career as a marketing executive, entrepreneur, and creator.

Today, he has evolved again... this time into GTM engineering and AI orchestration. He now helps organizations and individuals navigate the fast-moving world of AI through agents, workflows, workshops, and consulting.

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Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent his career researching the science of why people say yes, and his seven principles of influence have become the backbone of how the world's best marketers, salespeople, and leaders communicate. In this conversation, he shares where marketers consistently misapply his research, how AI is making the line between influence and manipulation harder to hold, and what the science actually says about techniques most people think they already understand.

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The Cialdini Institute is giving 97th Floor followers their Cialdini Influence Assessment for free for 30 days. Use code 97FLOOR at checkout: https://assessment.cialdini.com/ 

They’re also offering 20% off the Cialdini Certified Practitioner Course. Use code 97FLOORCCP at checkout: https://cialdini.com/certified-practitioner 

Connect with Dr. Cialdini on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcialdini 

Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About Dr. Cialdini: Robert Cialdini, a thought leader in the fields of influence and persuasion, has spent his career publishing scientific research on what causes people to say “Yes” to requests. The results of his research, his ensuing articles, and his New York Times bestselling books have led to his election to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Science.

His 7 Principles of Persuasion have become a cornerstone for any organization serious about significantly increasing its influence, while doing so ethically.

As a keynote speaker, Dr. Cialdini is renowned for his ability to translate the science of influence through valuable and memorable stories that result in immediate and long-term business applications.

His books, including his New York Times Bestselling Influence and Pre-Suasion, have sold more than seven-million copies in 50 languages. As a result, he is frequently regarded as “The Godfather of Influence”.

Timestamps: 

1:05 - AI, citation rates, and the persuasion arms race

9:12 - Being "in authority" vs. being "an authority"

16:18 - Warren Buffett's credibility trick

26:44 - The McDonald's balloon study

44:32 - Daniel Kahneman's biggest influence on Cialdini

As cookies disappear, AI search obscures organic traffic, and paid media consumes a growing share of marketing budgets, attribution has never been more complex—or more consequential. Ted Coxworth, President of Extensor,, has been building Media Mix Models since 2013, and in this episode he breaks down why most measurement stacks are quietly leading marketers into an expensive trap.

Ted walks through the difference between MMM, MTA, and incrementality testing—and why the smartest measurement programs use all three. He also tackles the AI overview problem head-on: why last-click models can't touch it, and why correlation-based modeling is currently the best tool available for measuring its impact.

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Resources: 

Learn about Ted's work at goextensor.com

Connect with Ted on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ted-coxworth-4330568b 

Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About Ted Coxworth: 

Ted Coxworth is President of Extensor,, a marketing measurement firm that shows brands what's working, what's not, and how to get more from their media budget. He works with both in-house marketing teams and agencies to assess channels ranging from Google and Meta to billboards and radio, giving him a front-row seat to the measurement challenges across B2B and B2C businesses alike. He believes every marketer deserves an honest picture of how their budget works. 

Timestamps:
1:54 - MMM as the answer to cookie decay
5:39 - What media mix modeling actually is
7:37 - Weather, competitors, and surprise data
11:11 - MMM, incrementality testing, and MTA as a trio
15:03 - AI search's measurement blind spot
21:27 - Why paid media's budget share keeps climbing

AI search doesn't work like classic SEO. Kevin Indig breaks down the new pipeline brands need to win in AI search: getting retrieved, getting cited, and getting trusted. He and Paxton dig into why citations don't guarantee mentions, why original data still beats everything else, and why the old click funnel no longer tells you what's working.

Key takeaways:

Resources: 

Sign up for the Growth Memo Newsletter: https://www.growth-memo.com/ 

Check out Kevin’s work: https://www.kevin-indig.com/ 

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinindig 

Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About Kevin Indig:
Kevin has led organic growth at Atlassian, G2, and Shopify, and now advises companies like Meta, Ramp, and Upwork on building cost-efficient acquisition channels.

He is the author of Growth Memo, a weekly newsletter read by 26,000+ leaders, and speaks globally on growth strategy. 

Timestamps:
1:06 - The retrieved, cited, trusted framework
6:23 - The ghost citation problem
9:57 - How to test selection bias

14:18 - Original data and information gain
21:23 - Duplicate content isn't a risk anymore
28:07 - Self-reported attribution over the click funnel

The attribution model marketers have relied on for years was never as reliable as we wanted to believe. Sam Brown, VP of Strategy at 97th Floor, makes the case that the zero-click era isn't just changing how we measure marketing, it's forcing us to finally do marketing the right way.

In this conversation, Sam breaks down why the obsession with credit and channel-specific metrics has made marketers worse at their jobs, and what the shift to audience-first, bottom-line thinking actually looks like in practice.

Key takeaways: 

Resources: 

Reach Sam at: [email protected] 

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brownsamanthak 

Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About Sam Brown: Sam has been a marketing leader for over 7 years. Her early career was dedicated to developing and executing on results-focused marketing campaigns for enterprise clients in an agency setting. She has managed Key accounts including Google, Dell, and AT&T. In her current role at 97th Floor, she leads  our fulfillment teams, focusing on nurturing a thriving culture and enhancing client experiences. Her marketing knowledge and expertise span over both B2B and B2C industries. She manages a department of over 40 individuals, and is passionate about fostering career growth and empowering her team to reach their full potential.

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Blake Nielson sits down with Head of Content Rachel Bascom and Enterprise Account Director Jasmin Bennett to break down how the team at 97th Floor has moved from AI chatbots to agentic AI workflows, and what that shift has meant for content quality, efficiency, and process design.

Key Takeaways:

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Connect with Blake Nielson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakejnielson 

Connect with  Jasmin Bennett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmin-rock 

Connect with Rachel Bascom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbascom 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About Blake Nielson: Blake is the Head of Accounts at 97th Floor, where he leads organic growth strategy and client performance for enterprise and high-growth brands. With deep expertise in SEO and AI Search. Blake specializes in helping teams adapt to the evolving search landscape and drive sustainable demand. Known for building holistic, full-funnel organic strategies, he helps clients turn search visibility into measurable, revenue-driving results.

About Jasmin Bennett: Jasmin has built her career around one idea: that the best marketing happens when strategy and collaboration go hand in hand. She works closely with clients across every channel always thinking backward from the goal to craft campaigns that actually move the needle.

About Rachel Bascom: Rachel is the Head of Content Marketing at 97th Floor, boasting over a decade of expertise in the realm of digital marketing and a fervent dedication to crafting audience-centric content strategies. In her tenure, Rachel has been a trailblazer in the development of the content marketing department, playing an integral role in the transformative journey that positioned 97th Floor as a comprehensive, award-winning, holistic marketing agency. 

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction and what "agentic AI" means

02:56 Why modular skills beat monolithic prompts

09:34 How Jasmin rebuilt the content brief infrastructure from scratch

20:39 Using agentic tools for LLM analysis and brand sentiment

23:52 Prompt engineering strategies that actually work 

David Meerman Scott coined newsjacking, wrote the book that redefined B2B marketing, and had a Hollywood film based on his work. Now he's back with a clear take on what AI actually changes and what it doesn't for marketers who want to stay relevant.

In this conversation, David ranks AI against the content revolution he helped spark in the 90s, explains why the middle layer of marketing is disappearing, and shares three underused tactics for getting your brand surfaced in LLMs today.

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Check out David’s work: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com 

Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeermanscott 

Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About David Meerman Scott: David Meerman Scott spotted the online marketing revolution in its infancy and wrote multiple books about it including “The New Rules of Marketing and PR”, with more than 500,000 copies sold in 29 languages from Albanian to Vietnamese.

Now David says the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of superficial online communications. He shows how organizations win by developing fans, the subject of his Wall Street Journal bestseller “Fanocracy” and his new book “The Fandom Playbook” which will be published in late 2026.

He is an advisor to emerging companies, serves on the HubSpot advisory board, and delivers keynotes and masterclasses around the world. He loves to surf, backpack, and dance the Lindy Hop.

Most people know they should be building a personal brand, but they're stuck. Brandon Smithwrick, content strategist and founder of the newsletter Content to Commas, didn't study marketing, didn't have a roadmap, and didn't go viral overnight. What he did have was a fashion student's competitive instinct and a relentless obsession with figuring out what makes content actually work.

In this conversation, Brandon breaks down the real mechanics of building a personal brand, from his early days gaming LinkedIn's algorithm to land recruiter attention, to how he now runs AI-powered workflows while protecting the creative instincts that make his voice distinctly his own.

Key Takeaways:

Resources: 

Learn how to increase, scale, and grow your revenue through content: https://www.contenttocommas.co/ 

Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonsmithwrick 

Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About Brandon Smithwrick: Brandon is a trailblazer in content marketing and social media strategy. Renowned for his innovative approach and award-winning strategies, Brandon has transformed marketing campaigns for leading brands across Fashion, Tech, Music, and Beauty. As a motivational speaker, he offers exceptional insights into creating impactful content and driving brand success.

Brandon’s expertise is evident from his tenure as Head of Content at Kickstarter, where he led groundbreaking crowdfunding campaigns, to his role at Squarespace, where he orchestrated record-breaking Super Bowl social media strategies. His work has garnered accolades and features in prestigious publications like Hypebeast, AdAge, and Complex.

Timestamps: 

00:00 - Why Brandon started building a personal brand at graduation 

05:04 - Brandon's system for turning doom scrolling into content research 

07:03 - How Brandon got hired without applying for jobs 

09:13 - Brandon's advice for when you feel like you have nothing to say 

16:41 - Where AI helps and where it hurts your personal brand, per Brandon 

22:36 - Brandon: always start with your story

Google I/O just dropped a wave of search announcements,  and the implications for marketers are massive. In this episode, Paxton Gray sits down with 97th Floor's Head of Search, Mike Witham and Head of Content, Rachel Bascom to break down what's actually changing. From AI-powered personalized results to agentic search that browses and buys on behalf of users, they cover what these shifts mean for your content strategy, your technical SEO, and your brand's discoverability. Plus: predictions on whether Google will dominate AI search or whether challengers like Claude and ChatGPT will hold their ground.

Key takeaways: 

Resources: 

Google I/O 2026 Search Announcements: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/ 

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-o-witham/ 

Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbascom/  

Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ 

Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. 

About Rachel Bascom: Rachel Bascom is the Head of Content Marketing at 97th Floor, boasting over a decade of expertise in the realm of digital marketing and a fervent dedication to crafting audience-centric content strategies. In her tenure, Rachel has been a trailblazer in the development of the content marketing department, playing an integral role in the transformative journey that positioned 97th Floor as a comprehensive, award-winning, holistic marketing agency. 

About Mike Witham: Mike Witham is the Head of Search at 97th Floor, where he has spent the past seven years leading SEO strategy and performance for enterprise and high-growth brands. Based in Lehi, Ut. he specializes in building data-driven search campaigns that achieve bottom line results for clients. With his ability to create wholistic, full funnel marketing campaigns, Mike helps teams turn organic search into a highly profitable, revenue driving channel.

Timestamps: 

00:47 - Google I/O breakdown: the two biggest search announcements

03:19 - How SEO strategy has to change with personalization and AI

05:03 - Why audience-first content matters more than ever

08:17 - How to structure content so bots can actually find and use it

20:00 - Why brands should keep investing in search even as attribution gets harder 31:16 - Predictions: will Google win the AI search race?

Wikipedia became one of the most visited websites on earth without ads, VC money, or a top-down editorial team. Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia and author of The Seven Rules of Trust, joins the show to share what actually built that, and why the lessons apply far beyond a nonprofit encyclopedia.

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About Jimmy Wales: Jimmy Wales is an American-British Internet entrepreneur best known for founding Wikipedia.org in 2001, the Wikimedia Foundation in 2003, and Fandom in 2004. Today, Wikipedia and its sister projects are among the top-five most visited sites on the web.

He holds finance degrees from Auburn University and the University of Alabama and was appointed a fellow of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School in 2005. His debut book, "The Seven Rules of Trust," was published by Bloomsbury and Crown Currency in October 2025. Wales has been recognized with the Time 100 Award, the World Economic Forum's "Young Global Leaders" designation, and the UNESCO Niels Bohr Medal.

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