The CEO Retort

The Vampire Agency and Secrets to Authentic Branding | Zsike Peter


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Growing up in a dictatorship and kidnapped by her mother to save her life and the lives of her siblings, Zsike Peter is the founder of Vampire Digital and a rising LinkedIn influencer with bold and thought-provoking content. If you thought you understood authenticity, think again!

Zsike is also the author of her new book "Thinkbait" – her movement for thoughtful, intentional communication that transcends the surface of 50 shades of beige, ChatGPT-regurgitated, mediocre writing. It’s choosing to go deeper when everything else pushes us to stay shallow.


Timestamps:

(00:00:00) – Preview

(00:03:00) – From Transylvania and childhood under dictatorship

(00:04:55) – Zsike's mother's disappearance and escaping tyranny

(00:09:45) – Being kidnapped by her mother and the big escape

(00:12:30) – Lessons from History and The Reality of Migration

(00:15:56) – Are the West moving toward dictatorships?

(00:24:35) – Finding your voice in a noisy, divided, politicised world

(00:28:07) – Building a Brand with a Twist

(00:32:32) – Should you use AI for branding?

(00:33:39) – What we can learn from Japan about AI and human value

(00:35:16) –The role of human knowledge in higher quality creativity over AI

(00:42:49) – How AI is damaging creativity, innovation and adaptability in a changing world

(00:47:42) – Thinkbait, cognitive flattening and deeper manipulation of human behaviour with AI

(00:52:21) – The importance of the human element on LinkedIn

(00:55:04) – The critical importance of authentic engagement and bold content

(00:57:38) – The value of personal branding in business and building an audience strategically

(01:18:52) – Quality vs. quantity in content creation - STOP using only AI!

(01:28:24) – The negative impact of LLMs on language and thought

(01:35:02) – How AI is killing the quality of your storytelling

(01:41:34) – Language and thought formation. Should you totally rely on Generative AI?

(01:49:52) – The role of education in language skills

(01:58:04) – The dangers of children's AI dependency and the manosphere

(02:04:19) – The future of AI and human connection


Episode Notes & Citations:

https://ceoretort.com/podcast/guest/2025/06/16/zsike-peter-the-vampire-agency-and-secrets-to-authentic-branding


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The CEO RetortBy Tim El-Sheikh