"We Put Our Money Where It Matters” shows a rival as it mulls cutting absurd perks like an in-office DJ before embracing AI.
Dollar Shave Club is back in its comfort zone: poking fun at bloated legacy brands. But this time, they’re doing it with help from AI - not to celebrate the tech, but to mock its misuse.
In their latest ad, a fictional competitor called Razor Corp is in a crisis. The CEO is looking to cut costs. Should they drop the in-office DJ? Sell the private jet? Nope. His big idea? Replace the entire team with AI.
The whole thing is absurd. And that’s the point. Dollar Shave Club isn’t just using AI behind the scenes for speed or visuals (which they are). They’re putting AI on screen and making it the butt of the joke. It’s self-aware, punchy, and surprisingly strategic.
Why This Matters
AI is becoming less of a headline and more of a production layer. The novelty is fading - what stands out now is the intent behind how it’s used.
This campaign works because it speeds up production, turns the tech into part of the story, and stays true to Dollar Shave Club’s irreverent brand voice. For founders and marketers, the lesson is simple: the real opportunity with AI isn’t just speed or cost-cutting - it’s narrative control. When everyone has access to the same tools, your edge comes from how you deploy them to say something that actually lands.
That’s the shift: AI is no longer the story - your point of view is.
Stitch now includes predictive heatmaps that estimate attention zones on layouts it creates.
Stitch, Google’s AI-powered UI design tool, just dropped a new feature: predictive heatmaps.
Here’s the pitch: design a web page with AI, then instantly see where user attention is likely to go. It simulates eye tracking, highlights focus zones, and gives you a fast way to spot weak layouts before writing any code.
There’s one thing to keep in mind: this only works on designs created by Stitch. You can’t upload your own designs - the heatmap feature is tied to layouts built inside its system.
That’s where it gets tricky. Because now the model is scoring its own output. It’s like asking AI, “Did you do a good job?” and getting back, “Yup, nailed it.”
That doesn’t make it useless. In fact, it’s a helpful sanity check - especially for early-stage teams who want to spot obvious UX issues before they commit resources.
But it’s not a replacement for actual user feedback, traffic-based heatmaps, or context-specific testing.
What's your take - helpful shortcut or false confidence?
When we acquired Neat™ at the end of 2023, we had no idea how much we’d learn. In 12 months, we’ve grown it from $9K/ mo to $114K/ mo - all while building in public and sharing the highs, lows, and lessons with you in real time.
This week at Neat ....
Here’s what happened: Neat launched our biggest sale of the year.
Traffic spiked. Checkout broke. Cue panic.
Our options:
Quietly fix it and pretend it didn’t happen
Turn the screw-up into a pattern interrupt
We went with option 2. So I wrote a plain-text email to our list:
No promo graphics. No “biggest sale ever” subject line.
Just a note from me, the CEO, admitting we messed up and extending the offer by 24 hours.
Subject line: "Help! We broke our site on the biggest day of the year."
It ended up being one of our highest revenue-driving emails of the weekend.
It worked because it felt real. It broke the “Black Friday” pattern. It gave people a reason to come back and buy.
This time of year, your retention strategy can make or break your Q4.
Sometimes it’s less about perfect automation and more about being human, fast, and creative when stuff goes sideways.
We didn’t plan it this way. But we’ll take it. More lessons (and mistakes) to come.
Forrester’s latest report forecasts key opportunities in loyalty, measurement, and AI execution.
If you’re planning your 2026 marketing roadmap, Forrester has a blunt message: get ready for volatility.
In their new report, 64% of B2C marketing leaders say they expect next year to be more turbulent than 2025. Half predict reduced headcount. Over half expect smaller budgets. And almost everyone is bracing for more pressure, not less.
So what’s driving this shift?
A few macro forces:
Consumers are more price-sensitive than ever. One-third say they’ll switch brands if prices rise.
Loyalty isn’t enough. Only 37% say they’d pay more for a brand they love.
Measurement is under fire. Confidence in marketing attribution is expected to drop by 7%.
AI is adding confusion - not clarity. Just 37% of employees feel confident using it, and data-breach lawsuits are expected to rise 20% because of it.
This isn’t the usual “marketers will need to do more with less” headline. It’s a call to rework how we think about marketing fundamentals in a rapidly shifting environment.
Here’s what this means practically:
Your competitive edge isn’t just tools - it’s clarity. In a world of AI noise, brands that actually understand their customer will win.
Rebuild your measurement muscle now. Trust is slipping. Attribution is fuzzy. If you don’t have a believable story for your ROI, your budget’s going to be the first to go.
Slow AI adoption is okay - if you’re thoughtful. You don’t need to adopt everything. You do need a POV and a plan. Knowing what AI shouldn’t do for you is just as powerful as knowing where it fits.
The big takeaway? 2026 will reward marketing teams who lead with insight over immediacy. Those who stay close to their customer, grounded in strategy, and unfazed by trends will have the most leverage - even in a down cycle. Volatility doesn’t have to mean chaos. For the prepared, it can create an opening.
I'm Jim, I’m a proud husband, a dad to two girls, and a multi-company founder. After 15 years of building and breaking things, I’ve learned one truth: Big wins don’t come from working harder. They come from better leverage. Every Thursday, I’ll share a quick hit or two to help you scale smarter, not sweatier and finally build a business that prints cash and buys back your time. Jim Huffman, GrowthHit & Neat Apparel CEO(Want a friend? Let's connect on Youtube, Twitter or LinkedIn) ⚙️ Scaling...
I'm Jim, I’m a proud husband, a dad to two girls, and a multi-company founder. After 15 years of building and breaking things, I’ve learned one truth: Big wins don’t come from working harder. They come from better leverage. Every Thursday, I’ll share a quick hit or two to help you scale smarter, not sweatier and finally build a business that prints cash and buys back your time. Jim Huffman, GrowthHit & Neat Apparel CEO(Want a friend? Let's connect on Youtube, Twitter or LinkedIn) ⚙️ Scaling...
I'm Jim, I’m a proud husband, a dad to two girls, and a multi-company founder. After 15 years of building and breaking things, I’ve learned one truth: Big wins don’t come from working harder. They come from better leverage. Every Thursday, I’ll share a quick hit or two to help you scale smarter, not sweatier and finally build a business that prints cash and buys back your time. Jim Huffman, GrowthHit & Neat Apparel CEO(Want a friend? Let's connect on Youtube, Twitter or LinkedIn) ⚙️ Scaling...