With the coming of the digital age, consumers were wary of shopping online. In retrospect, the transition was relatively quick, given that people are conducting most of the buying process of their biggest purchases online: vehicles, homes, appliances, jewelry, etc. When it was almost impossible to shop in stores during 2020, e-commerce was a welcome alternative. According to US Department of Commerce data, online sales increased 53.4% during Q2 2020 and maintained that extreme growth through Q1 2021 at 46.9%.

AI is becoming a powerful creative partner for local media and ad agencies, not by replacing human imagination but by enhancing it. Rather than chasing the perfect prompt, creatives should treat AI as a collaborator—starting with their own unique ideas and refining outputs through conversation and iteration. Tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help generate scripts, taglines, and campaign concepts, but the human touch is essential for emotional resonance and cultural relevance. The most effective use of AI comes from using it to explore options, not finalize them, and by pushing back when results are too generic. Ultimately, AI reflects the creativity you bring to it—so start with your voice and let the machine help you shape it.

Selling with purpose starts by solving with empathy.
At Marketing Insights, we believe the best sales conversations feel less like a pitch—and more like a partnership.

Solution-oriented selling is rooted in service. It’s about asking the right questions, listening deeply, and offering value that aligns with real needs. When we shift from pushing products to providing meaningful solutions, we build trust, loyalty, and long-term success.

This collection of quotes highlights:
✨ The mindset of service over pressure
✨ How understanding creates stronger outcomes than persuasion
✨ The power of offering real value through authentic connection

With the increasing fragmentation of all media, and specifically TV, your role as a local TV media rep must also evolve. You must also be an educator and advisor to guide local advertisers through the media maze. Your efforts start with no apologies for how TV is changing. Change is not only inevitable, but also welcomed, as it is often the catalyst for something new – and something better for your local prospects and advertisers.

Back-to-school shopping in 2025 is starting earlier than ever, with 67% of K–12 families beginning purchases by early July—driven by inflation concerns and a desire to secure deals. Despite this early start, 84% of shoppers still have half their shopping left, creating a key opportunity for local media to influence purchasing decisions. K–12 families plan to spend an average of $858, while college households expect to spend $1,325, with electronics, clothing, and supplies topping the list. Online and discount stores remain dominant shopping channels, but local media can boost relevance by promoting value, supporting community events, and tailoring messages to both K–12 and college audiences.

If you’ve followed my work for any period of time, you’ll know that I’m a big proponent of goal setting, praising progress, lifelong learning, and continual growth. It’s important to have a compelling vision and satisfying to live a purpose-driven life. But sometimes we go overboard on the “driven” part. That’s when things get out of whack. Our stress levels go up, the quality of our sleep goes down

Out of the mouths of babes. It’s an expression used when someone young or inexperienced says something surprising for its wisdom. Wisdom like this, the idiom implies, is usually the stuff of those who’ve been around a long time, weathered the storms, climbed the hills and hierarchies. “Leader” is the word we often use to describe them. Age and seniority can be helpful, yet these have far less to do with actual wisdom and impact than two more potent and often overlooked factors: exposure and asking questions.

Consumers increasingly reward brands that make shopping easier, more timely, and more relevant, with personalization now shaping loyalty as much as promotion. For local media sellers and agency professionals, the opportunity is to help advertisers move beyond generic campaigns by coordinating print, broadcast, cable, outdoor, and digital messages so each channel adds useful context rather than repetition. The winning local strategy is no longer just broad reach, but using media to reduce consumer confusion, reinforce decision-making, and deliver the right cue at the right moment.

Artificial intelligence and programmatic advertising platforms are dismantling traditional competitive advantages of large agencies by democratizing access to sophisticated tools once exclusive to major players. Boutique agencies are leveraging this technological leveling to outperform larger competitors through specialized expertise and faster decision-making, with some achieving better performance metrics than multinational networks. Specialization allows smaller firms to command premium pricing while delivering personalized service and direct access to senior strategists. Speed has become critical, as boutique agencies pivot strategies within hours compared to weeks of approval processes at larger firms. The trend strongly favors agile specialists who combine technological fluency with deep domain expertise and exceptional client relationships.

Over the past two years, leaders have been put to the test. They’ve had to keep their organizations afloat amid challenges no one saw coming. Executives everywhere have been forced to rethink, restrategize, restructure, and relaunch. The majority have risen to the challenge with determination. Yet despite these efforts, businesses are struggling to retain employees and keep them engaged.

America remains a rural country, geographically, as almost three-quarters (72%) of the nation’s total land area is rural counties, 14% of the US population live there and approximately half of the land area is used for agricultural production. Buying food or other consumer products that originate in agriculture is the only interaction most Americans have with rural communities – and very indirectly – or when driving by or flying over farmland.

Temporary staffing services hold a whopping 89% share of the US staffing industry. [Source: 2024, pgcgroup.com]. Despite initial conservative predictions, the market is expected to experience 5% growth in 2024, reaching a value of $185.6 billion. The ongoing shortage of skilled workers creates a prime opportunity for temp services to connect businesses with qualified talent.

What restauranteurs and their employees had to endure during the pandemic and inflationary periods is a testament to the American entrepreneurial spirit and the resilience of local restaurant owners and franchisees. Most of the data indicates the restaurant industry has fully recovered but challenges remain, including high food and labor costs and many potential guests who don’t have the discretionary income to visit their favorite restaurant or experience new eateries.

Major ad agency, Publicis Groupe’s claim that 86% of its first-quarter 2026 revenue was tied to AI-powered capabilities signals that artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental side project in advertising. For local ad agencies and media sellers, the message is clear: AI will increasingly shape planning, targeting, creative, optimization and reporting, but human judgment will still determine whether campaigns actually work. Radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital sellers should use AI to become faster, smarter and more consultative—without surrendering the local knowledge and trust that remain their competitive advantage.

Often, when I talk to managers, they tell me how much time they spend coaching. They tell me stories of meeting, weekly, with their people, doing reviews, pipeline discussions, activity discussions—-all sorts of “coaching meetings.” They say, “Dave, coaching is important and we are spending a lot of time coaching…..”