Episode 102: Buying Tools vs. Building Strategy: A Practical Guide to AI Adoption with Pat Barry & Erik Martinez
Release Date: 02/02/2026
Episode 102: Buying Tools vs. Building Strategy: A Practical Guide to AI Adoption with Pat Barry & Erik Martinez
Digital Velocity
In Episode 102 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez and Pat Barry have a candid conversation about one of the most common challenges businesses face with AI today: buying too many tools without a clear strategy. As AI capabilities explode, teams are overwhelmed by choices, and often mistake experimentation for progress. Pat and Erik dig into why many organizations start with the question, “what tools do we need to buy?” instead of first defining the business problems they’re trying to solve. As Pat explains, “Most clients that come to me start with what tools do we need to...
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Episode 101: SEO Isn’t Dead — How AI and GEO Are Reshaping Search for 2026 with Amber Goetz
Digital Velocity
In Episode 101 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez is joined by Amber Goetz, founder of The Active Media, for a practical, no-fluff conversation about how SEO is really changing in 2026. With more than a decade of hands-on SEO experience, Amber shares what she’s seeing in the data, what’s no longer working, and where brands should focus their time and energy as AI reshapes how people search. Amber explains that AI is changing SEO, but not replacing it. As she puts it, “AI is not replacing SEO by any means. I think it’s reshaping it though.” The conversation explores how...
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Episode 100: The 2026 AI Playbook — From Digital Employees to Real Business Impact with Pat Barry
Digital Velocity
In Episode 100 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez is joined by Pat Barry, President of AI Consulting Partners, for a forward-looking conversation on where artificial intelligence is headed as we move into 2026. After several years of experimentation, this episode focuses on what it looks like when AI shifts from novelty to something embedded in everyday business operations. Pat brings more than two decades of experience in data science and AI, having worked with organizations like Discovery Channel, Google, and Fortune 100 brands including Unilever, McDonald’s, and...
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Episode 99: Geofencing: Using Location Signals for High‑Intent DTC Targeting with Chris Seminatore
Digital Velocity
In Episode 99 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez sits down with Chris Seminatore, founder of GetGeofencing.com, to unpack how location-based targeting can help brands stop wasting budget and start reaching the people most likely to buy. As Chris puts it, “Location is the strongest indicator of buying intent.” For direct-to-consumer teams without a retail footprint, the key shift is thinking about location as a signal—not a storefront. Instead of geofencing “your” locations, you can target the places where your best customers already reveal intent: brick and mortar...
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Episode 98: AI, Authenticity, and Trust: Breaking Down the 2025 AI Consumer Survey Results with Jen Neumann
Digital Velocity
In Episode 98 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez sits down with Jen Neumann, CEO and owner of deNovo Marketing, to break down the findings from the 2025 AI Consumer Survey—a study her team launched to understand how real people feel about AI showing up in ads, emails, and digital content. The results reveal a mix of curiosity, confusion, and contradiction that every brand—especially DTC brands—should pay attention to. One of the biggest surprises? Marketers think they’re great at spotting AI, but the survey shows they actually scored lower than non-marketers. With...
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Episode 97: Curiosity in the Age of AI — How Carla Johnson Redefines Innovation for the Modern Business
Digital Velocity
In Episode 97 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez welcomes back Carla Johnson, globally recognized innovation architect, keynote speaker, and author of Rethink Innovation. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping creativity, collaboration, and business innovation — and why human curiosity remains the ultimate competitive advantage. Carla introduces her framework, the “Curiosity Compass,” which helps leaders and teams shift from using AI solely for efficiency to harnessing it as a catalyst for imagination and strategic thinking. As she explains, “If...
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Episode 96: From Processes to Progress — How Agentic AI Helps Businesses Scale Smarter with Alane Boyd
Digital Velocity
In Episode 96 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez welcomes Alane Boyd, co-founder of BiggestGoal.ai, to explore how “agentic AI” is transforming the way businesses automate, scale, and innovate. As a serial entrepreneur and automation expert who has built and sold companies across marketing and technology, Alane has a clear mission: to make workdays easier and help teams focus on what truly drives growth. Alane breaks down what sets agentic AI apart from traditional automation or generative tools like ChatGPT. Instead of relying on constant prompts, these “skilled intern”...
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Episode 95: How Social Media Marketers Can Harness AI Without Losing Authenticity with Kristin Chambers
Digital Velocity
In Episode 95 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez sits down with Kristin Chambers — social media strategist, agency owner, and founder of Meerkat Media Group — to explore artificial intelligence and its role in social media marketing. With over a decade of experience helping brands navigate the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape, Kristin shares where human creativity must stay in the loop to build trust and brand loyalty. Listeners will learn: • How AI personalization is changing what users see — and why authenticity still wins • The real-world benefits and...
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Episode 94: Authenticity Over Algorithms: Rethinking Video Marketing in the Age of AI with Brady Skye
Digital Velocity
In Episode 94 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez sits down with Brady Skye—award-winning filmmaker, creative director at Meerkat Media Group, and producer of the Amazon documentary 'Beyond the Ruins'—to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming video storytelling, brand authenticity, and the future of marketing creativity. Brady draws from his experience in both filmmaking and commercial production to discuss how AI can enhance, but not replace, human creativity. From automated editing and voiceovers to concept generation and translation, he breaks down the tools...
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Episode 93: Strategic Data Analysis in the Age of AI with Ginger Grant
Digital Velocity
In Episode 93 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez sits down with Ginger Grant, a seasoned data strategist, to explore how artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping the fundamentals of business analysis and decision-making. Ginger shares her unique perspective on the crucial distinctions between generative AI and machine learning, highlighting why accuracy, data quality, and the right questions matter more than ever. She explains why companies must address messy, fragmented data before they can effectively harness AI, and how grounding models in...
info_outlineIn Episode 102 of the Digital Velocity Podcast, Erik Martinez and Pat Barry have a candid conversation about one of the most common challenges businesses face with AI today: buying too many tools without a clear strategy. As AI capabilities explode, teams are overwhelmed by choices, and often mistake experimentation for progress.
Pat and Erik dig into why many organizations start with the question, “what tools do we need to buy?” instead of first defining the business problems they’re trying to solve. As Pat explains, “Most clients that come to me start with what tools do we need to buy? My reaction is, let’s see what you already have, because you might be able to accomplish a lot with what you’ve already got.” The discussion reframes AI adoption around workflows, outcomes, and discipline—rather than novelty.
Listeners will learn:
• Why unchecked experimentation often leads to tool sprawl and wasted budget
• How to evaluate AI tools based on real business use cases and ROI
• Why existing platforms like Google Workspace and Microsoft often cover most needs
• How to balance team-level experimentation with organizational governance
• What questions leaders should ask before approving a new AI subscription
Throughout the episode, Erik emphasizes the importance of starting with the workflow, noting, “You’ve got to work on the use case. Which means you also need to understand the workflows, where it’s going to be used.” Together, they explore how most teams can handle the majority of their needs with core LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude—and when specialized tools actually make sense.
For marketers, operators, agency owners, and direct-to-consumer leaders, this episode offers a grounded framework for navigating the AI tool explosion without losing focus. The takeaway is clear: AI should make work more efficient and strategic—not more chaotic. Before buying the next shiny tool, make sure it ladders up to a real business goal.