No stranger to the corporate world, Grand Rapids-based Dave Carey has spent a lifetime learning about the intricacies of business – starting all the way back with a career at Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay. And he’s grown ever-more interested in the world of computers and information technology in recent years, to the point where he decided out of sheer curiosity to attend a conference on cybersecurity in downtown Grand Rapids many years back.

What he learned is that most companies, including the one he was working for at the time, did not fully understand the issue or know how to deal with it. That’s what inspired him to establish CyberSynergies, so he could help companies of all kinds protect themselves from the threats that are present in the digital realm. Dave serves his clients by helping them understand their vulnerabilities, and then guiding them through processes to keep their enterprises safe. It’s part of what’s made him a valued client, and a great guest for this month’s Six Questions with Dan and Michelle!

We recently found ourselves in a situation that highlighted just how different we are from what you would probably call conventional marketing wisdom.

A client asked us to create a “video blog” for him – basically a series of commentaries on the kinds of issues with which he helps his clients. Glad to do it. We set him up in our studio here, prompted him with questions and had him offer insight and commentary. Just like a blog, but with movement and sound.

When the video blog started to gain an audience, our client received a message from the owner of another marketing firm. He had things to say.

“These are too long! People have short attention spans!” (Sure, buddy. Three minutes is an eternity.)

“Where are the keywords????”

“Why these topics instead of a video about the ethos of the firm?”

The client shared that he had received this feedback. We sighed. This is why North Star exists.

Yes, we are very aware of the thinking in marketing that leads to comments like this. Everything has to be homogenized to cater to search engines. No one will keep watching past a minute. Everything has to use language that would pass muster with a focus group.

This is how the corporate world has ended up with messages that all sound exactly alike. Have you read some of the corporate overviews on LinkedIn? They all sound like they were written by this guy.

“Spoofy Corporation, a leading provider of solutions, leverages optimal technologies while instituting best practices to deliver superior outcomes.”

Nice job working in the keywords while discussing the “ethos” of the company. Unfortunately we have no idea what you do or how you do it – or why anyone should care.

At North Star, we make the case for our clients by demonstrating their knowledge, their skills, their expertise and their achievements. And we’re not afraid of the possibility that 90 out of 100 people will get bored after a minute-and-a-half. We’re looking for the 10 who care enough to listen to the whole thing, and learn. Because they’ll make great customers for our clients.

Some of you reading this might be thinking, “I agree with the conventional marketing guy! Brevity and keywords!”

Fine. We’ll give you his number. Your marketing material can sound exactly like everyone else’s.

But if your company is doing something cool and interesting, and it can be explained better with a little more time and a little more creative freedom, we’re here for you.

In one of the most unsurprising developments in social media history, Dan’s feed informed him recently that Phil Collins had put on a special performance in New York City to honor the murdered Charlie Kirk.

Unsurprising, not because this actually happened (it didn’t) but because AI-generated nonsense has become sophisticated enough to anticipate people’s hot buttons. Genesis fan Dan is probably going to notice anything that mentions one of the band members. (By the way, happy birthday Mike Rutherford!) So claiming Phil had done something like this probably struck the AI bot as pretty good clickbait.

It’s crap, of course. Phil Collins is in poor health and isn’t performing anywhere right now. If he did, it seems highly unlikely that a British musician living in Switzerland – and not known for any particular interest in politics – would suddenly decide to pay tribute to Mr. Kirk.

Yet we saw quite a few people we know sharing this as if it was obviously true.

Another one in Dan’s feed claimed that Minnesota Vikings player Justin Jefferson had offered to pay all the living expenses for Kirk’s survivors. In case a few of you didn’t already know, the Vikings are Dan’s favorite team.

The news feeds of Pearl Jam fans are probably reporting that Eddie Vedder is doing something like this. If you’re a Chicago Bears fan, it’s Caleb Williams who’s stepping up to support the Kirk kids. (Also, if you are a Bears fan, may God have mercy on you.)

We realize some of you are big fans of AI. Our feelings about it are more . . . shall we say, measured. We recognize that it can do some things exceedingly well. But it also produces a lot of false, manipulative nonsense that’s tailored to entice very specific people in very specific ways.

If you see news online, check to see who wrote it. Check to see if it cites a source. Ask yourself if the “news” you’re reading is actually plausible. Don’t just believe the stupid crap you see online. It doesn’t seem like we should have to say this, but judging from the way some people are sharing this garbage, we do.