Meltwater unveiled Mira, its new marketing-focused AI agent platform, as part of the keynote address. And while Mira is a new tool—which many attendees were excited about—its existence doesn’t change the fundamental issue that many marketers are having with AI: They need to learn how to use it, experiment with different functions, learn what it can do and discover its value. Rob Harles, CEO and founder of experiential digital marketing agency dig.human, said on a panel that the No. 1 question he gets from clients is how they can use AI to derive a measurable business impact.

“The harder question to answer is: What does it all mean? That’s the question I’ve had from pretty much every client, which is: I don’t know how my bit fits into the overall business plan,” Harles said. “I don’t know if it’s driving revenue, I don’t know if it’s driving acquisition, I don’t know if it’s driving conversion. I’m not sure if any of this stuff is going to help me keep my customers.”

This question is especially difficult to answer, he said, because there is not a single solution for every client. Brittany Paxman, managing partner of communication strategy firm Point 600, said that while AI can collect and synthesize data, it’s really up to humans to bring meaning to it. Point 600 is using AI to put the data together using metrics including history, sentiment analysis and penetration—based on client needs—to help people make better informed decisions. And, Harles added, humans are needed to make AI useful: It’s only as good as the questions it’s asked. 

Humans are also needed to actually do the creative work of marketing and PR. AI is often used as a tool to help enhance and build on creativity, but that can be controversial. Freelance marketplace Fiverr has been leaning into permissive use of AI through marketing campaigns, loudly saying that its freelancers sometimes use AI as a tool to further improve their work. Fiverr recently launched its own AI tool, Fiverr Go, which “learns” from the style of creators so they can do what they do better. I talked to Fiverr CMO Matti Yahav about this campaign and the use of AI in marketing. An excerpt from our conversation appears later in this newsletter.

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Until next time. 

With these kinds of cautious and uneasy consumer feelings, it’s tricky to find the right tactic to encourage spending. Retailers are trying to get a “buy now before prices change” message out, writes Forbes senior contributor Pamela Danziger. She examined the promotions from mattress company Saatva, furniture retailer Raymour & Flanigan, and intimates brand Bare Necessities, all of which tried to play into this feeling among consumers. Barbara Kahn, a Wharton School professor of marketing, told Danziger that even though President Donald Trump’s tariffs are political, they present a universal economic issue that brands can use in marketing: Prices of everything could be on the way up. 

“I think something like humor would diffuse any kind of political issue and just make it into something: ‘Here’s a good deal. Take advantage of it,’” Kahn said.

Premium showerhead manufacturer Afina put one message surrounding tariffs to the test, writes Forbes contributor Roger Dooley. Consumers have previously said in surveys that they would be willing to pay more for products made in the U.S., so Afina created two identical landing pages on its website for the company’s showerheads: One labeled “Made in the USA,” costing $239—what it would cost to make the product in the U.S.—and the other page labeled “Made in Asia” with a cost of $129. While some people looked at the “Made in the USA” version, zero bought it at that price. Dooley writes that the huge price difference could have skewed the results. However, a lower price difference would likely cut into the company’s revenue, changing its business calculus—which could be more of a problem if money-conscious consumers are buying less.

DoubleVerify recommends that advertisers play a proactive role in making sure their paid ads are broadcast to real people. They should ask partners to ensure that streaming is paused when the screen is off, provide greater transparency for viewability measurements, and continually audit the numbers to ensure they make sense.

But what does it mean when shoppers can buy batteries, high-end leather bags and a toaster all from a single retailer? Mickey Alam Khan, CEO of the Luxury Roundtable, told Danziger that this deal definitely benefits Amazon, and will give Saks a chance to digest the Neiman Marcus acquisition. “But it must beware of cheapening its luxury luster,” Alam Khan said. “Real luxury is about elevation, not scale.”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and a key time to ensure your company is doing what it should to support the mental health of both employees and executives. Coming together and building a strong community can help. Here are steps you can take to make your company a healthier place to work.