👉🏻 SUM NEWS: 5.14.25

May 14, 2025

In partnership with

It’s Wednesday. You deserve a break from the chaos to catch up on the latest and greatest from the mad world of startup marketing. Inside this issue, we’ve got a quick survey (take it and we’ll stop bugging you), how to build out your own personal AI team, and why B2B marketers don’t seem to care about SEO anymore.

IN THIS ISSUE

✍️ Startup Marketing Survey
🔥 From The Ink Well
🌎 Around the Web: Marketing Spend, CMO Insights, AI in Action & Video Trends
📌 SUM Community Events
😂 In the Meme Time

Help Us Decode The State of Startup Marketing!

Are generalists the future? Is AI reshaping the game? Do startup marketers need to wear all the hats, or is specializing still a superpower?

We need your input. 🧠 3 minutes. 17 questions. All multiple choice.

FROM THE INK WELL

The Fastest Hire You’ll Ever Make: An AI Bot

David Cardiel has cracked the code on scaling marketing output with AI—not by replacing people, but by building a team of smart, purpose-built AI assistants. Learn how his AI “employees”—from Shannon, his SDR manager bot, to Camila, the voice content specialist—help streamline David’s day-to-day, giving him more time for strategy and creativity.

Interested in sharing your POV? Submit your pitch to get published in The Ink Well.

Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.

Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.

Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.

Download the free guide

SUM PODCAST NETWORK

SUM Disruptors

Mack McKelvey sits down with Jake Goldman, VP of Communications at Beta Technologies, to discuss his evolution from NYC politics to helping lead the PR efforts for an electric aircraft startup.

Jake shares insights on building a comms strategy from scratch, turning engineers into storytellers, and why political PR pros are perfect for fast-moving tech startups.

Brilliantly Wrong

Ashley Hernandez chats with Alex Stonehouse about her journey from marketing generalist to product marketing, all while also building her own business.

Learn how she’s navigating entrepreneurship while raising two young kids and the advice she has for others on the same path.

AROUND THE WEB

Martech, direct marketing, and content marketing were the top three investment priorities for US B2B marketers in 2024, while SEO and market research were at the bottom. [emarketer]
At the Marketing Vanguard Summit last week, top CMOs discussed the shift away from legacy brand strategies, emphasizing agile marketing, retention over acquisition, and speaking the CFO’s language with ROI-focused metrics. [AdWeek]
Amazon has introduced AI-powered contextual ads, including pause and shoppable formats, to enhance viewer engagement and integrate commerce with entertainment on Prime Video. [Marketing Dive]
At POSSIBLE’s Innovation Stage, industry leaders shared how AI is being used to solve real marketing challenges, from optimizing workflows to reshaping ad strategies. [New Digital Age]
Across Facebook and Instagram, video consumption in the US has grown double-digits year-over-year. [Meta]

SUM POLL

Which is more valued in a startup marketing team?

SUM COMMUNITY EVENTS

Block off every Thursday at 1 pm ET for SUM events—consider it your weekly power hour for growth, insights, and community. These events are exclusively available to SUM members. Not a member? 👉 Join now 👈