I’ve travelled a lot this year.

A lot.

Per TripIt (my very handy, non-AI, travel organizer), here are the stats for 2024:

In all this travel, I’d noticed a bit of the marketing around me. For instance, at least one airline had a Skymall equivalent, two airlines offered in-flight credit card sign up bonuses, and the airport I spent the most in checked most of the boxes in this video.

Most stressful airport - $0 spent - winner is New Delhi, India. I might have added to the stress by losing my boarding pass, but when only paper and 4 security checkpoint stamps are required - the story is bound to not go well. There were shops and restaurants, but they weren’t particularly inviting and nothing set to pull in interest. In most cases, there wasn't anyone greeting even when I ventured in. It all seemed a little tense. Some of the most beautiful artwork here though and seeing everyone dressed for Diwali was a beautiful bonus.

Least stressful airport - $200+ spent* - winner is Nashville, TN, US. If you get the chance to stop here, do. They have built an incredibly stress-free environment with only one, well-run, security checkpoint then all terminals are accessible to each other. Topping that off with inviting shops with friendly staff, mostly local restaurants (again with friendly staff), live music, and great signage so you know where to go when; it tops my list. It seems they've prioritized efficiency and comfort in all their designs. It works.

*lunch, drinks, 2 gifts for Christmas, a cute sweatshirt add up fast, but no regrets

I share because I think we should all look to other industries for ideas we can use for our own.

What is your ideal customer’s “happy hour”?

When can you find them with the most available attention, provide them with the most amenable atmosphere, and help them feel most comfortable? Maybe this applies to your lead and prospect journey, maybe to your customer onboarding or cross-sell, or maybe to how you ask for referrals?

Tools We’ve Been Exploring

Claude.AI - while we’d used Claude in the past, we’ve been returning more often as its writing and analytical capabilities have been more reliable than ChatGPT. It also has some features similar to NotebookLM. Instead of writing my observations, I asked Claude to summarize for you.

“I'd be happy to help you explain my capabilities in a way that would be meaningful to your newsletter readers. Since you mention they're familiar with ChatGPT and NotebookLM, I can suggest some key points of differentiation:

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (my version) is a recent AI model from Anthropic known for:

1. Strong analytical capabilities and deeper reasoning, particularly useful for complex tasks like detailed analysis, research, and technical problem-solving

2. Nuanced writing abilities - I can adapt tone and style while maintaining accuracy and helpful substance

3. Comprehensive code understanding and generation, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts

4. Direct and honest communication - I'll be upfront about limitations and uncertainties rather than making things up

Given their familiarity with NotebookLM specifically, you might note that while NotebookLM excels at document analysis, I'm more of a general-purpose AI assistant that can handle a broader range of tasks - from creative writing to coding to analysis.

One important note: My knowledge cutoff is April 2024, so I recommend mentioning this to your readers for transparency. For the most up-to-date comparison of capabilities, you may want to check Anthropic's website."

Marketing Observations

Marketing Observations

Instead of sharing ads or campaigns we’ve noticed, this week, a friendly reminder that implementation of any tool or martech stack requires thought and planning. While we share tools each week that might be great for your company or team, a glaring example of two different implementations jumped out to us.

See the video with a tale of two electric companies.

Our tips:

Selection

1. Know what you want to accomplish

2. Build the technical requirements

3. List the “musts”/“must nots”

4. THEN search for a tool

Planning

1. What is required for best implementation

2. Collect and interview

3. Consider user experience and fringe cases

Implementation

1. Follow recommendations for set up

2. Test, test, test

3. Edit, edit, edit

4. Test, test, test

5. Rollout and pay CLOSE attention

6. Continually monitor, update, and optimize

   ---

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