MarTech Podcast ™ // Marketing + Technology = Business Growth · 2026-06-24 · 3 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
18 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Benjamin Shapiro sits down with Amanda Cole, CMO of BloomReach, to dissect the language that clutters AI marketing discourse. The core argument is straightforward: marketers should stop treating AI as a novel category and simply call it marketing. Cole points out that AI has been embedded in marketing for years through models, predictions, and optimization - generative AI and large language models have amplified its applicability, but the underlying principle isn't new. The conversation also targets the buzzword "democratize," which Cole finds particularly grating in keynotes (using the example of "democratizing cookies"). This episode is essential for marketing leaders, agency heads, and CMOs who sit through vendor pitches and industry conferences, offering a reality check on how enterprise brands should talk about technology adoption. BloomReach's perspective cuts through the hype that makes marketing complexity harder to navigate, not easier.
Cole argues that AI has been embedded in marketing for a long time through models, predictions, and optimization - it's not a new concept. Generative AI and large language models changed the game in terms of power and applicability, but calling it "AI" treats it as a separate category when it's just marketing now, similar to how we don't say "mobile marketing" anymore.
Cole strongly dislikes the word "democratize" when used in marketing contexts, citing the absurd example of "democratizing cookies" and stating it needs to go away and never show up in a keynote again.
According to Cole, AI has been embedded in marketing for a very long time through the use of models, predictions, and optimization techniques - it's not a recent development, though generative AI and large language models have significantly increased its power and applicability.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode is approximately 3 minutes and the vast majority is sponsor reads and network promotions; the actual content exchange amounts to roughly 45 seconds producing a single, shallow observation that AI is just called marketing now. There are essentially zero novel or actionable ideas for a B2B operator.
Probably AI. I mean it's just, it just is marketing.
Like we're democratizing cookies in this podcast. You got to be killing me.
The 'AI is just marketing, stop using the word' take is one of the most recycled hot-takes in the current marketing media cycle; the mobile marketing analogy is passable but also extremely well-worn. Nothing here reflects first-principles or contrarian thinking.
I do think we should stop saying AI.
Yeah, it's kind of like saying, oh, we're going to do some mobile marketing. That's just called marketing now.
Amanda Cole is CMO of BloomReach, a legitimate enterprise martech platform, giving her real practitioner credentials. However, the transcript offers almost no opportunity for her expertise to surface - she speaks for fewer than 5 sentences total, so the caliber implied by her title cannot be rewarded beyond what the content actually demonstrates.
Generative AI certainly changed the game. Large language models have made a really big difference on what how applicable AI is and the power of it.
AI has been embedded in marketing for a very long time. We've used models and predictions and optimization.
There are no named examples, data points, dollar figures, or concrete timelines within the actual episode content. The numerical snippets at the open ('55 to 65% open rate', '24 to 36 hours') appear to be clips from entirely different episodes, not from this conversation.
we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate
Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours
The host asks a single lightweight icebreaker question and the conversation ends almost immediately; there is no follow-up, no challenge, no attempt to extract a substantive marketing insight from a sitting CMO. The episode reads as a filler micro-clip rather than a real interview.
If you could ban one phrase from every AI marketing keynote, what would it be?
And that wraps up this episode of the Martech podcast.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
AI marketing buzzwords obscure real business value. Amanda Cole, CMO of Bloomreach, explains why marketers should stop using "AI" and "democratize" in presentations. She advocates for focusing on practical customer data unification and real-time personalization strategies. Cole discusses how modern ecommerce platforms should seamlessly integrate predictive models without the marketing hype. See Privacy Policy at and California Privacy Notice at
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Narrator: The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a, uh, voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.
Guest: From advertising to software as a service to data, uh, across all of our programs and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate.
Guest: Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising.
Benjamin Shapiro: Typical lifespan of an article is about
Guest: 24 to 36 hours. We're reaching out to the right person with the right message and a clear call to action. Then it's just a matter of timing.
Narrator: Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that you technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.
Narrator: Today's interview is brought to you by Shift Paradigm Marketing today is buried in complexity. You've got the tech, you've got the tools, but moving the needle feels harder than ever. And the last thing us marketers need is another consultant pitching digital transformation. Enter Shift Paradigm Shift is an integrated team of experts who help enterprise brands turn complexity into traction. Their work is insight led and strategically grounded, designed not to sell you a service or a piece of tech, but to actually solve real business challenges. What makes them different? Well, they're AI enabled but not AI dependent. They're human first, but plugged into the latest tools and models and the moments those models need to go through to prove themselves. They get techy without losing sight of the real person behind every click. And they don't just hand you a deck. They build the blueprints and stay to develop, deploy and run the engine. Growth isn't one size fits all. So stop settling for strategies that collect dust and start working with the team that actually builds for you. Visit ShiftParadigm.com to see how they can help you connect meaningfully with your audience. That's shiftparadigm.com if you could ban one
Benjamin Shapiro: phrase from every AI marketing keynote, what would it be?
Amanda Cole: Probably AI. I mean it's just, it just is marketing. I mean you can't you I AI has been embedded in marketing for a very long time. We've used models and predictions and optimization. That is at least some version of AI. Generative AI certainly changed the game. Large language models have made a really big difference on what how applicable AI is and the power of it. But I do think we should stop saying AI.
Benjamin Shapiro: Yeah, it's kind of like saying, oh, we're going to do some mobile marketing. That's just called marketing now. Everybody's on their phones all the time. You don't have to say the mobile part.
Amanda Cole: Yeah. Or like get on the Internet or.
Benjamin Shapiro: I don't know, I'm going to log on. Uh, my favorite one or least favorite I should say is democratize.
Amanda Cole: Uh, uh huh.
Benjamin Shapiro: Right. Like we're democratizing cookies in this podcast. You got to be killing me. I cannot stand democratize. That needs to go away and never show up in a keynote. You're just doing marketing. All right. And that wraps up this episode of the Martech podcast. Thanks to Amanda Cole, the CMO of BloomReach, for joining us.
Narrator: A special thanks to Shift Paradigm for sponsoring this podcast. Shift is an integrated team of experts who help enterprise brands bridge the gap between strategy data and customers. Human first, AI enabled and execution led. They build the blueprints, then stay to develop, deploy and run the engine you need. So stop settling for decks that collect dust and start working with a team that actually builds for you. Visit ShiftParadigm.com to see how they can help you connect meaningfully with your audience.
Benjamin Shapiro: If you'd like to contact Amanda, you can find a link to her LinkedIn profile on our show notes or on martechpod.com or you can visit her company's website, which is bloomreach.com if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. All right, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.
Amanda Cole: Foreign.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Martech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.
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