Steve Davis
Caveat Emptor: Use AI to Defend Your Business Against AI-assisted Scammers
Let this be your new reflex action when you receive solicited or unsolicited emails promising to unlock great value and powers through AI: Run these messages through the AI tools in question. I received an unsolicited email invitation to a…
S09E06 – We Have Social Proof That Making An Effort Matters
From a thank you at a pedestrian crossing to a dessert upsell at the McDonald’s counter, we find that people copy what others value, so it pays to say it out loud when someone makes an effort. David’s breakfast walk…
Small Business Owners, Thank You For Making An Effort
Effort goes unseen. If you run a small business, or carry real responsibility inside one, you know the arithmetic. The quote finished at 9 pm. The invoice chased on a Sunday. The phone answered in the school pick-up line. We…
The Decay of Reflection: What Would Oscar Wilde Think About this Age of Social Media?
This reflection on Social Media in the spirit of our company’s namesake, Oscar Wilde, focusses on the compulsive, addictive nature of our relationship with the money-making machines of Mark Zuckerberg et al, along with some thoughts about Facebook’s new restriction,…
S09E05 – The Hidden Half Of Business Success
Angela Duckworth revises Grit, a photocopier sinks a water project, and 17th century London pays seven shillings for a label, all pointing to the same lesson: plan for the half of success you can’t see. Dr Angela Duckworth spent years…
Nobody Leaves The Table Until They’ve Consumed All The AI: A Reflection On The Big Tech Push And The Rule Of Moderation
My Chrome browser just updated and before I could do anything it had pushed its latest “welcome” screen. This one was forcing AI down my throat like a severe parent not letting their children leave the table until every last…
S09E04 – Is Your Business Leaving A Mark?
From a keyboard warrior calling Steve a snooker player, to a comedy dry cleaner called Touching Cloth, this episode asks whether your business name is doing you any favours, or just quietly touching cloth of its own. A lamb ad…
Would You Sleep While Riding A Horse? The Dangers Of Lazy AI Use In Small Business
Would you ride a horse asleep? Not many people put their hand up to that one. A horse is a huge, powerful animal. It will absolutely get you somewhere, but if you’re not holding the reins, it decides where. That’s…
S09E03 – Questions Arising From Women In Business
Our phones tax our attention daily, and the smartest small business marketing lesson from this episode comes from two women at a networking event who simply asked better questions. A group of 1970s kids react to modern life in a…
You Can’t Read the Label From Inside the Radio Booth
What community radio taught me about connection, and what marketing can teach community radio back. I recently addressed the South Australian Community Broadcasters Association, bringing my marketing hat to a room full of volunteers, presenters, and station managers who give…