I haven’t written here recently because work has pulled me in a thousand different directions. Recent projects include: spearheading the very slow rollout of an ad pilot with a noted LLM platform (you know the one) on behalf of a couple dozen key clients, developing a new solution to help clients run ads more efficiently across a broader mix of platforms and placements, and kicking off a thought-leadership series on LLM success in the B2B space.
It’s all been valuable, but there’s still not much I can share publicly (yet). More to come on all of this later this year.
I also recently won an industry award for consultation work my team led around LLM strategy. Due to NDA, I can’t get into specifics, but the work spanned editorial partnerships, community management, and a significant amount of back-end site engineering. The results were strong.
I’ll be incorporating some of these learnings into future posts. A few early takeaways:
- After the Perplexity false start, it’s clear that AI / LLM advertising is here to stay.
- Keywords aren’t dead (yet), but thematic “intent clusters” are quickly replacing them.
- Creative and copy matter more than ever. Success in the agentic era depends on clear problem/solution framing and messaging that pushes users beyond the answer.
The last few years have been tough sledding in this industry, but staying open-minded has paid off. I’m now in a position to influence the rollout of systems that are actively reshaping advertising and technology. Media narratives often frame AI as either a job killer or an overhyped money pit. From the front lines, the real story is different: AI is creating new ways of working and opening opportunities for those willing to adapt. The only way forward is to stay curious, think ahead, and use creativity to turn disruption into advantage.
Seems like a self-aggrandizing non-update? View it as “proof of life”. Much more soon.
Listening:
Nothing’s “a short history of decay” which is at times stunningly beautiful and at others beautifully chaotic (XTRMNTR-ish). I’ve been friends with Nicky, Nothing’s singer, for many years and am always grateful for the music he puts into the world, especially knowing the chaos it comes from.
Every Nothing record feels like a clear evolution; pushing forward while staying firmly rooted in the subculture we grew up in.
Had a great hang with Nicky and a mix of old friends, journalists, and a few reformed crooks at the Rough Trade release show last month. Looking forward to catching up again when they play Brooklyn Paramount with Chapterhouse later this spring.
Reading (Currently):
Goth – A History by Lol Tolhurst. Former drummer and founding member of the Cure takes the reader through the music, art, and culture that influenced the songs that forged a movement. Highly recommended for those who are somewhat haunted.
Reading (Recently):
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams. I was reluctant to read this book because I felt like I already knew the story from the media coverage, the reporting around the book, and my own experience in the ad industry (plus the usual gossip along the way).
A colleague eventually put it in my hands, and I’m glad they did. I enjoyed it. For me, it reads like The White Lotus: compelling, entertaining, but with distasteful characters across the board. My crude takeaway: a group of brilliant but deeply disconnected nerds operators pushing technology forward at all costs in the pursuit of winning (making money).
I’d love to see tech get away from this “greed is good” mindset in 2026 and, while the early indications aren’t great, I think public sentiment will push things in a more positive direction in the second half of this year. Stay tuned.
Acid Detroit: A Psychedelic Story of Motor City Music by Joe Molloy. I got this for Father’s Day last year to feed my ongoing obsession with Detroit music. Iggy Pop’s BBC radio show is basically a weekly PhD in modern music.
It’s easy to roll your eyes at Molloy’s “acid communism” framing, but he’s onto something in how he connects the social fabric of Detroit to the evolution of its music over time.
It’s a quick, enjoyable read, but I do have a couple critiques. Check it out: I understand giving John Brannon a full chapter, you can’t cover Detroit hardcore without mentioning Cold As Life. Admittedly, I essentially checked-out once the focus shifted to The White Stripes and Danny Brown.
Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik. I’m not pleased with the portrayal of Ms. Didion in this text. However, there are no dull stories about Eve Babitz. Certainly worth the read.
L U K E 