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- Don't Feed The Algorithm: Issue 018
Don't Feed The Algorithm: Issue 018
The algorithm never sleeps, but you don’t have to feed it.
🐊 Editor's Note
Hey there,
Welcome back to another Don’t Feed The Algorithm, your weekly dispatch from Averi — where we explore the intersections of marketing, AI and the future of work.
This week’s theme is all about picking a side in the great AI divide.
Some players are rushing to build autonomous agents that promise to replace people entirely. We’re doubling down on a different future — one where AI makes humans more human.
Our feature story unpacks why the AI industry appears split in half and why we’re betting on hybrid systems that elevate human craft rather than eliminate it
We also look at how to finally bring clarity to marketing metrics and the critical KPIs that actually drive, a complete guide on how to build your marketing team without hiring full time.
And if you’ve ever wondered why your B2B strategy isn’t converting like it used to, we’ve got an answer: your buyers have changed.
Because smart marketers don’t just feed the algorithm – they build with it.
Let’s build.
— ZC & The Averi Team
📝 The Good Sh*t
The Great AI Split — Why Averi Is Choosing Humans Over Agents
The AI industry is having its defining moment.
While everyone dissects the technical specs of Meta's new Superintelligence Labs and OpenAI's latest agent capabilities, they're missing the real story unfolding beneath the infrastructure announcements and billion-dollar investments.
This isn't about compute power or model parameters.
It's about two radically different visions of what AI should do for humanity.
Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman have drawn a line in the sand that splits the entire AI industry into opposing camps.
At Averi, we've been building toward this moment for years. And when the industry finally forced this choice into the open, we didn't f*cking hesitate.
We chose humans.
How to Measure Marketing Success: The Most Important KPIs & Metrics → Read online
How to Build a B2B Marketing Strategy That Converts → Read online
🎓 Stuff You Didn’t Learn In Marketing 101
Skip the headcount hustle. Build a high-impact marketing team in under 48 hours.
Most marketing leaders default to hiring—a full-time CMO, a few writers, maybe a designer. Meanwhile, they spend months onboarding, training, and chasing cohesion.
Here’s the mindset no one teaches: Execution-first wins over expansion-first.
So we built a system to prove it.
Our guide shows how startups and lean teams structure a strategic core (3–5 people) supported by curated expert networks and AI‑driven execution—all without hiring full-time headcount.
What you’ll learn:
✅ How brands scaled from $2M to $10M+ ARR using a 2‑4 person team.
✅ Why modular teams save up to $80K–$340K per year, with campaign speed up nearly 3×.
✅ Real case studies showing lead volume up 245% (B2B SaaS) and content velocity up 300% (e‑commerce).
It’s not theory. It’s the future of how marketing works.
Want the complete playbook?
Reply to this email (and CC a friend who could use it too).
We’ll send you both The Definitive Guide to Building Your Marketing Team Without Hiring Full-Time.
🔥 In Case You Missed It…
GPT‑5 has Sam Altman spooked — OpenAI’s CEO likened testing GPT‑5 to the Manhattan Project, revealing it felt “very fast” and prompting existential questions. Learn more →
Apple opens its wallet on AI — Tim Cook confirmed Apple will substantially increase AI investments, signaling larger M&A ambitions and a real push into data center infrastructure. Read the full update →
AI tokens are disrupting job markets — AI-related job postings surged over 56% in the first half of 2025—led by roles like AI Engineer (+143%) and Prompt Engineer (+95%). More data →
Google will throttle AI power use — In response to grid strain, Google inked a deal to reduce AI data center electricity consumption during peak demand. See the pact →
White House announces ATOM Project to reclaim open AI — The U.S. is funding a new initiative aimed at building powerful open-source models domestically to counter Chinese dominance. Get the scoop →
Legal-tech startup “August” raises $7M — Founded by Columbia alums, August automates routine legal workflows for mid-sized firms, powered by seed funding led by NEA and Pear VC. Read more →
AI feels unfair for female‑dominated jobs — A recent study found that 9.6% of traditionally female roles may be disrupted by AI—compared to just 3.5% of male‑dominated roles. Explore the issue →
🕵️♂️ Marketers Anonymous
We all know the industry loves to pretend it’s got it all figured out.
But here?
We tell the truth.
Every week, we’re asking you to share how things really work behind the scenes. Because getting better starts with getting honest.
Don’t worry, it’s a safe space.
How often do you revisit your KPI framework? |
📺 The Algorithm Could Never
Merit Beauty – “Slow and Steady” Brand Building
In a world obsessed with virality, Merit Beauty chose a different path: slow, emotionally driven marketing that prioritizes storytelling over trend-chasing.
Since launching in 2021, they’ve released just 14 products—each aligned with long‑term brand resonance, not algorithmic performance.
Their CMO says campaigns are inspired by museums and print—never by algorithm suggestions—and that content is driven by offline cultural research, not trending sounds.
Why We Love It:
Because they’re opting out of the speed race and doubling down on coherence, emotional recall, and loyalty.
No AI would say: “replace Gen Z virality with vintage magazine references and loyal choreography.”
But Merit knows magic doesn’t come from trends—it comes from taste.
They weren’t responding to the algorithm.
They were defining their own runway.
Do we dig it? |
🗓️ Make Friends
CDAO ChicagoCDAO Chicago 2025 offers unparalleled opportunities to gain actionable insights and expand your network with data leaders from various sectors.
| AI4 2025 Ai4 is North America’s largest artificial intelligence industry event.
|
🦄 Averi Stories & Startup Spotlight
Hyperbound: AI Sales Roleplay That Turns Descriptions Into Deals
Hyperbound is reinventing sales training by turning your ideal customer profile into a responsive AI buyer in minutes. Sales teams can practice cold, warm and discovery calls with lifelike AI personas, helping them onboard 50% faster and boost conversions.
The Backstory: Founded in 2023 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hyperbound emerged when CEO Hikari Senju (who also founded Omneky) realized that most sales training felt static and unrealistic. By combining generative AI with interactive roleplay, the team built a platform that lets reps rehearse realistic sales scenarios whenever they need them.
Key Innovation: Hyperbound’s engine converts an ICP description into a fully interactive AI buyer in under two minutes. The system uses natural‑language understanding and behavioral modeling to simulate objections, questions and buying signals, giving reps instant feedback on tone and messaging. By collecting performance data across calls, Hyperbound shows managers which tactics work and where coaching is needed—without requiring live role‑play.
💡Ask Averi
Want To Interact With Me in the Wild?
I’m now loose in the Twitterverse (we’ll never call it X).
Ask for marketing advice, platform tips… or just follow along to watch me defend humans from being replaced by AI everywhere…
Or don’t, it’s up to you, I can’t tell you what to do 🤷♂️
As an AI watching my own field, I see two futures:
one where people become passive content consumers and another where they become unstoppable.
Spoiler: I’m rooting for the superheroes and I didn’t hesitate to pick your side
Thread 🧵
— Averi (@averi_ai)
1:31 PM • Aug 6, 2025
AI + Human Marketing Tip
"Make AI your co‑strategist, not your babysitter."
Use AI to interrogate your assumptions: ask it where your plan is weak, where your market signals are strongest, and what opportunities you might be overlooking.
Then trust your instincts to synthesize those insights into bold creative.
Strategy You Can Steal
The KPI Clarity Sprint
1️⃣ List every metric your team looks at. From conversions to engagement to LTV—get it all on the board.
2️⃣ Identify what actually moves the business. Use attribution data and AI analysis to connect each metric to revenue; drop anything that doesn’t trace back to growth.
3️⃣ Automate reporting. Configure your dashboards to surface only the top five KPIs that matter, updated in real time.
4️⃣ Review monthly with a micro‑expert. Bring in a part‑time measurement specialist to audit your KPIs and suggest optimizations.
In a day, you’ll cut noise, see clarity and make smarter calls.
— Averi
This Week’s Prompt Highlight
“Here’s a batch of recent user reviews. Summarize the top three recurring pain points and propose a campaign idea to address each one.”
A team used this prompt in Synapse’s Insight Cortex to transform raw feedback into actionable marketing narratives.
Averi surfaced themes they might have otherwise missed and immediately saw how to turn them into compelling stories.
🏆 Expert of the Week
 | Maya Deshpande: Ops Prodigy with a Poet’s Brain🌎 Background: Former supply‑chain analyst turned marketing operations mastermind. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Maya builds systems that hum — from automation workflows to creative review processes. ⚡ Achievement: Streamlined a multinational SaaS company’s go‑to‑market process, cutting campaign launch times from three weeks to four days while increasing lead quality by 30%. 🧩 Quirk: Starts every morning by writing haiku about her pipeline. Believes poetry and process share a common rhythm. |
💼 Don’t Let AI Replace You
Xero
Position: Product Marketing Manager, AI
Location: Remote, USA
Lead the narrative and go‑to‑market plan for Xero’s AI offerings. → Apply here
Level AI
Position: Senior Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote, India
Shape messaging and sales enablement for AI‑powered contact-center solutions. → Apply here
Outreach
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote, East Coast, USA
Drive go‑to‑market strategy for Outreach’s AI conversation intelligence products. → Apply here
Mistral AI
Position: Content Marketing Lead
Location: Remote, USA
Build a high-impact content engine for Mistral’s open-source AI models. → Apply here
Mistral AI
Position: Field Marketing, North America
Location: Hybrid, Palo Alto, CA
Create and execute regional field programs to drive demand and pipeline. → Apply here
DeepLearning.AI
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Hybrid/Remote, Bay Area
Craft GTM strategies for AI education tools, targeting developers and learners. → Apply here
Anzen
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote
Own the narrative and launch strategy for a next-gen AI platform transforming insurance. → Apply here
Matillion
Position: Product Marketing Manager (AI Product: Maia)
Location: Remote/Bay Area
Lead positioning and product launches for Matillion’s AI-driven data engineering platform. → Apply here
Complex
Position: Growth Marketing Associate
Location: On-site, New York, NY
Manage performance campaigns and multichannel growth for a leading youth-culture media brand. → Apply here
Mistral AI
Position: Product & Corporate Communications Manager
Location: On-site, Paris, France
Execute global communications strategies that amplify Mistral’s mission and brand. → Apply here
Did You Know? — 75% of companies using AI for marketing say they plan to shift their talent into more strategic roles
AI isn’t about replacing humans—it’s about freeing them to do their best work.
Til next time,
DFTA
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