I recently walked into a sandwich shop and saw a six-foot-tall poster of a sandwich on the wall. Something about it was deeply wrong. The bread did not look like bread; the fillings looked unnatural — to the point where I felt uneasy looking at the image. The image was clearly generated by AI, and I learned that day that I don’t want artificial intelligence anywhere near my food.

Walk into almost any Costco and you’ll see the same thing: packed aisles, long checkout lines and people leaving with carts full of products they probably didn’t plan on buying. On paper, this scenario sounds like a personal nightmare. Yet I, along with millions of people, happily pay for a Costco membership every year.

Why?

A lot of ads sound the same. Have you noticed?

Messaging like this is everywhere:

"Our product helps teams boost productivity."

"Quality you can trust."

"A dining experience you'll never forget."

While these things might be true, they don't tell people what makes them different.

Every year, I see the same pattern play out with businesses.

Spring gets busy, summer sneaks up faster than expected, and before long, the calendar is full of vacations and all the normal demands of life. Then September arrives, and everyone suddenly realizes the fall communications plan is not quite as ready as they hoped. The website still needs work, social media has lost momentum and the year-end push is still more of an idea than a plan.

Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed something funny happening in organizations. People who never would have opened Photoshop, written a campaign brief or drafted a customer-facing sales piece are now creating “marketing materials” in AI tools and sending them to the marketing team to be cleaned up, branded or finalized.

John Deere had a problem. Their equipment was top-teir, their brand was trusted, and their message was clear. Yet sales to homeowners stayed flat while competitors gained ground.

The issue wasn't the product. It was the assumption that everyone buying a lawn tractor wanted the same thing.

I came across an Instagram ad recently that completely stopped me mid-scroll. I watched it a few times over and realized something interesting: while I could see myself being interested in the product, I was even more drawn in by the entertainment of the ad itself. It was interesting, authentic and full of personality while still showcasing the product perfectly.

It was completely different from the ads I normally scroll past.

Wanted: A senior-level marketing strategist, graphic designer, copywriter, web developer, PR consultant, social media manager, project coordinator, fundraising communicator, SEO specialist, videographer and brand advisor.

Must be available immediately. Must understand our industry. Must not require benefits, onboarding headaches, vacation coverage, payroll taxes or a full-time salary.

Sound impossible?

There's a reason most organizations default to one-size-fits-all messaging: it's efficient. One campaign, one audience, one set of materials. You cover the most ground with the least effort.

And there's a comforting logic to it. More reach should mean more response, right?

But reach isn't resonance.