Why Human-Centred Marketing Beats Every Algorithm

In this episode, Lee-Ann Johnstone sits down with Dennis Yu, CEO of BlitzMetrics and co-author of bestselling books on Facebook and TikTok advertising. With a billion dollars spent on social ads and clients including: Nike, Starbucks, and the Golden State Warriors, Dennis brings battle-tested insights on what actually works when technology threatens to commoditise every tactic. This conversation is essential listening for affiliate managers navigating the tension between bringing capabilities in-house and maintaining profitable partnerships, as well as performance marketers seeking sustainable competitive advantages in an AI-saturated marketplace.Talking points include:User-Generated Content as Affiliate Strategy: Why authentic customer content outperforms professional creative and how to activate non-traditional affiliatesThe Conversion API Advantage: How brands controlling conversion data can outperform traditional affiliates in paid social campaignsRelationship-Driven Marketing in an AI World: Why genuine connections represent the only defensible moat against algorithmic competitionListen to find out more about:How to identify and activate non-traditional affiliates from your existing customer base who create more authentic content than professional marketersWhy controlling conversion data through proper API implementation gives brands a decisive advantage over traditional affiliates in paid social campaignsWhat Dennis learned spending a billion dollars on social advertising for brands like Nike, Starbucks, and the Golden State WarriorsKey segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:[01:30] Dennis Yu's background: From Yahoo! search engine engineer to spending a billion dollars on Facebook ads[06:38] Why user-generated content from actual customers outperforms traditional influencer marketing[14:00] The uncomfortable truth about affiliate margins as AI and algorithms become more sophisticatedWould you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.Send me a text with your questions