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March 20, 2025

Blanket tariffs were a cutting-edge economic tool in the 17th century. Then, in 1776, Adam Smith published “On the Wealth of Nations.” He made it clear that tariffs drive up prices at home while making it harder to sell abroad.

My inbox is filled with emails telling me how marketing can make up for tariff-driven revenue loss. Please, stop. You’re making yourself look silly. Marketing cannot do this. Saying it can is setting yourself up for failure. If tariff-driven inflation starts, companies will fight to keep customer loss as small as possible.

Hopefully, the economic seas will calm before this happens.

In more immediate news, today we have Sean Nowlin explaining how to assess CTV’s significant impact on other ad channels. Also, a look at the difference between how marketers and consumers feel about AI.

Finally, a week from today will be day two of the MarTech Conference. That’s the day Chris Penn and I get to answer your questions about AI. Not only will it be informative, it will also be fun. I promise. In case you’ve forgotten, the MarTech Conference is our free, online confab about how to do better marketing. See the agenda here and get your free pass.

Constantine von Hoffman
Managing Editor

Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)

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MarTech research

Surveys and research reports to make you a more-informed marketer

The 2025 MarTech Intelligence Report on Marketing Automation Platforms is here. Get an overview of the MAP market and profiles of 14 vendors.
Improve your understanding of the CDP market and get profiles of 21 vendors in the space. It’s the 2025 MarTech Intelligence Report on customer data platforms.
Check out our MarTech Intelligence Report on Call Analytics & Conversation Intelligence Platforms, featuring profiles of 11 vendors.
NEW! MarTech’s new buyers guide for identity resolution includes profiles of 11 identity resolution platform vendors, pricing information, capabilities comparisons and recommended steps for evaluating and purchasing.
NEW! Get in-depth profiles of the top players in the marketing project and work management space. Download the MarTech Intelligence Report on Marketing Work Management platforms.

What they're saying

“Measuring the value of connected TV (CTV) isn’t always straightforward — especially without complex analytics. While it can sometimes drive a clear boost in conversions and revenue, that’s rarely where its biggest impact shows up in marketing campaigns.” – Sean Nowlin in How to assess CTV’s impact on other ad channels.
“If you know things need to change, whether you must prove to your boss that a new initiative will pay off or find a new job, you risk failing. But don’t let that stop you from trying something new. Be smart. Plan your moves. Create a contingency plan if something fails. Look for lessons from your successes and your failures.” – Ryan Phelan in Why marketing success requires failure (and how to handle it).