Beard Marketing Consulting

07/17/2025

I remember visiting clients in this building! Gruene is one of many great downtown revitalizations I've had the pleasure of witnessing over the years.

After nearly 40 years, the Gruene Antique Company will close its doors in just a few short days! The building—originally a mercantile store in the early 1900s—will return to its roots with a new store opening later this year.

07/07/2025

Overdependence on AI = Brain Atrophy.
That was the gist of a recent conversation I had with a friend of mine. We agreed that AI had merit in improving efficiency of processes and was handy in evaluating data -- yet there were definitely concerns about the source and inputs of the data AI used. But our biggest issue was the rampant use of AI for everyday simple tasks that was beginning to impede individuals' simple ability to read, write, and exhibit critical thinking.
The term we agreed upon was BRAIN ATROPHY.

We discussed how AI overdependence is beginning to affect workplace for day-to-day outputs, customer interactions/client relations, and big picture strategic planning.
AI has become pervasive and is popping up in every aspect of our lives and work, furthering our overuse and dependency.
Some examples of overdependence on AI in both personal & professional realms we discussed were:
* Use of AI to summarize an email - I want to read the words the sender used because my EXPERIENCE allows me to see subtle nuances that AI cannot interpret.
* Use of AI to create a document, write a social media post, or PR that sounds just like everyone else's.
* Use of AI to (re)write grant responses resulting in flowery nonsense which fail to answer specifications and grossly exceed allowable word count. (Tip: reviewers don't want to read all that, and after they've read 100+ they recognize AI patterns which costs you credibility!)
* Mindlessly depending on AI "research" or statistics without reviewing multiple sources, relevancy, and areas of expertise on the subject matter.
* The blatant (and deceptive) use of AI in creative endeavors on both the personal and professional levels (I'm sure there will be ethical questions raised on this matter in the future .. especially with incidents like Adrian Brody being awarded the Oscar for his AI-augmented performance over Timothée Chalamet's performance after years of voice training to speak and sing like Bob Dylan and even learning to play guitar.)

We viewed all of these as cheating - diminishing professional and creative abilities.

AI use in creative endeavors was a hot button as we are avid supporters of the arts. Using AI to write a novel or poem does NOT make an author. Even if you came up with a 'concept', half-written or outlined story but fed it to AI to finish (in the style of ___ author/book series) -- YOU did not write it. You are not a musician if you did not write the song lyrics or musical score -- and don't even play an instrument. You are not an artist if you verbally told AI to create an image with XYZ. All of these scenarios are "shortcuts" in which the self-proclaimed artist is cheating both their audience and themselves by not actually investing the time and effort into developing their skills and talent.
If you're a marketer with a small budget needing a little jingle for an ad .. ok, fine .. use AI for that. But if you are positioning yourself as an ARTIST .. don't cheat. It reminds me of the poser duo Milli Vanilli: 'Oh don't you know it's true .. you're gonna get busted too!'

In thinking about employees' overdependence on AI in the job place, my friend and I discussed many issues about how companies are at risk of their proprietary information getting stolen. We wondered what safeguards R&D divisions were taking?

This article has many great points to further this discussion, but I saw that he also uses the term Brain Atrophy! He makes several other important points in how AI-dependency is negatively affecting businesses .. here were a few that jumped out at me:
* Relying heavily on AI can lead to the deskilling of human strategists, diminishing their ability to make independent judgments.
* AI systems might unintentionally make discriminatory decisions or violate privacy regulations. Human oversight is essential to ensure compliance with legal standards and norms. Strategy fundamentally involves choices about what an organization values.
* AI systems are only as good as the data they are trained on: AI systems inherit biases in their training data and may perpetuate historical patterns rather than enable transformative change. For example, if historical data reflects discriminatory practices, AI may inadvertently perpetuate these biases in its strategic suggestions.

As organizations pursue their strategic planning and marketing & communications plans its important to remember that REAL BRAINS ARE GREATER THAN AI.
Yes .. there are AI programs out there that will walk you through the paces of this planning .. but will its recommendations be relevant? Will it involve all voices? Will it focus on YOUR problems?
...

A consultant like Beard Marketing Consulting can help you develop an effective strategic and marketing plans that are specifically tailored to your needs -- not a pre-processed, cookie-cutter, generic, AI-generated response.
Contact me when you're ready to make a plan that is relevant and executable to meet your goals and initiatives!
...

https://balancedscorecard.org/blog/augmented-strategy-the-promise-and-pitfalls-of-ai-in-strategic-planning/

04/08/2025

Sometimes it takes a new perspective to see the opportunities that are before you. Let me help your community make a shift with a fresh approach of appreciating your local gems .. which will attract new diamonds.

Times didn’t start changing. They already changed. If your city still runs with the same old chamber, tourism bureau, and economic development office doing the same old things—it’s time for a reset.

Let’s be honest: those institutions had their moment. They did good work for decades. But things evolve—people, the economy, expectations. And cities need to evolve too. We’re not moving the needle because we’re afraid to say out loud that what used to work just… doesn’t anymore.

This isn’t about tearing things down. It’s about asking: Are we still relevant? Because doing the wrong things more efficiently isn’t progress. Revitalization today isn’t about jobs or visitors—it’s about residents. It’s about emotion, beauty, pride, and belonging. Most legacy institutions haven’t caught up to this shift.

We live in an economy of aesthetics. People decide where to eat, live, shop, and travel based on how places make them feel. A beautiful home sells faster. A stylish café gets more foot traffic. A pretty downtown gets posted on Instagram. This isn’t shallow—it’s human nature.

So why are cities still ignoring this? Why are they laser-focused on cost instead of value? A fancy car and a luxury grocery store still do basic functions—but people pay a premium for the experience. Cities are no different. Residents want places that make them feel good. Proud. Connected. Inspired.

Your job isn’t to lure strangers. It’s to delight the people who already live there. Create places they love walking through. Give them beauty, safety, joy, and a little whimsy. That’s what builds loyalty. That’s what drives momentum.

Here’s a wild idea: start a Chamber of Cute. A Bureau of Enjoyment. An Office of Holy Hell This Town Makes Me Feel Great. Sounds silly? Not really. Because the places people love the most are the ones that deliver those exact feelings.

So take a hard look at your mission. At your budget. At your hours. Are you making people’s lives better? Are you proud of what your town looks like? Are your residents?

If not—change. It’s not too late. But the clock’s been ticking for a while

03/26/2025

April is National Volunteer Month. How will you contribute to your community?

Volunteer in April

01/23/2025

I ran across this interesting article about the state of nonprofits in the USA and I'd like to offer this moment of advocacy:
If you are able, please support LOCAL nonprofits where they can do the most good for your neighbors. Select causes that are near and dear to your heart. It is the local nonprofits which are filling the gaps in services and needs in your community, so please give locally.
It is nonprofits which are providing food for our struggling members of our community.
It is churches and nonprofits opening their doors in the cold of winter.
It is churches and nonprofits which help families find temporary housing when they have lost their home in a disaster or fire.
It is nonprofits and volunteers which step up to help animals.
It is nonprofits which bring arts and entertainment to the community to enjoy locally instead of driving to another city.
The list goes on ...

On a side note, I'd like to dispel the misplaced belief that nonprofit board members financially benefit from serving on boards. With the exception of some really large national-level nonprofits, most nonprofit board members are VOLUNTEERS. In fact, many of those board members are key Financial Donors to the nonprofit for which they volunteer.
Additionally, IF a nonprofit is lucky enough to have staff .. it is important to understand that staff is frequently paid less than the for-profit sector would offer for their same skills. Often that employee is willing to make that sacrifice and "wear many hats" due to a passion the work the nonprofit offers.
I have personally worked for several nonprofits and often when a position is cut .. another employee has to pick up the workload (with out extra pay) for the survival of the organization. (See the comments for an example of this.)

Thanks again for supporting your local nonprofits .. if you don't have money to donate, consider giving the gift of time.
Here's the article. Remember, while this article is talking about much larger organizations in bigger metro areas, the same can be said about our LOCAL organizations which have smaller budgets, few to no employees, and are the ONLY life-line for those in need.

Inflation, the end of pandemic relief, and falling donations have hit nonprofits hard. The result is program cuts, layoffs, and even closures.

01/23/2025

Why is it so important to consider your target audience when you are marketing your brand? In a world where AI-use is pervasively on the rise, there are specific nuances and philosophies of your target audience AND your business that AI may not understand and will cause your marketing to miss the mark.

Here is a story that illustrates exactly what I mean:
A recent marketing campaign or a long-running Punk Rock Bowling Festival came out with the attached promotion and faced severe backlash from its community. Let's count up the ways they went awry:

1) The community of attendees and vendors immediately picked this off as AI generated. The clues: TWO phone receivers, only THREE fingers on left hand, and numbers on the phone are nonsensical. The fact that they used AI to generate this image was severely responded to as historically the Punk Rock Bowling Festival has specifically supported artists of all mediums. Using AI, instead of hiring an ARTIST to draw the poster, was a slap in the face to the community of vendors and attendees.

2) Let's talk about the Imagery itself (ignoring the graphic errors) and how it misses the mark: Think about your average Punk Rock audience. The majority of that target audience is less than 30 years old .. with over 50% being teens and early 20s. This audience barely knows what a ROTARY phone is. Also .. the woman in the image looks to be the age of their MOM -- late 40s/50s. While she has spikey hair .. she does not fit the target audience and is cringy to the target audience.

3) Call to Action: The promotion encourages the audience to CALL a phone number and share their wildest punk rock story.
Umm .. again .. you're talking about mostly teens/20 to early-30 somethings. Gen Z and younger Millennials aren't exactly known for their Phone Call skills. A QR link to a site where folks could submit their story (and maybe photos) online would be much more effective. You could also incorporate legal authorizations to use their story and photos!

4) I'm always game for using a play on words (even if it's cheesy!) and AI missed the opportunity in the messaging. Since this is a Punk Rock BOWLING Festival ... they could have said:
* We will be sure to SPARE the innocent. *

Just a few things to think about in a world in which it's so important to connect with your audience. Don't let AI create a disconnect between you and your customer. Contact me to discuss your marketing goals and messaging to reach your target audience.

06/09/2024

Helping to promote the Rockdale 150th Birthday Gala, Beard Marketing Consulting created a series of social media posts to promote ticket sales and the spirit of the costumed dinner and dance.

05/22/2024

Beard Marketing Consulting helped Vision Historic Preservation Foundation in curating musical talent for the Heritage Celebration at The 1895 which represented the various cultural aspects being highlighted during the Heritage Celebration. Using Band-provided images, which we photo edited and applied event branding, we created cohesive graphics to promote the various performances and drive attendance.

05/22/2024

To help further promote events during Rockdale's 150th Birthday Celebration, Beard Marketing Consulting created graphics utilizing stock photo assets to generate excitement and promote registration in the 7/6 Steak & Rib Cook-Off produced by Rockdale Fair & Rodeo at Fair Park.

05/22/2024

For the past 18 months, Beard Marketing Consulting has been working with the businesses and organizations collaborating to produce the various aspects of the Rockdale's 150th Birthday Celebration. To help promote the 7/6 CAR SHOW presented by Rockdale Speed Shop, Beard Marketing Consulting designed these graphics using their curated photos, and applied the Sesquicentennial branding to create a cohesive campaign.

05/22/2024

Beard Marketing Consulting is helping the City of Rockdale in planning the Rockdale's 150th Birthday and designed various social media graphics to help promote the various events falling during the Sesquicentennial Celebration. This was a great opportunity to promote specific organizations' contributions, such as the Rockdale Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center's Sesquicentennial Parade on 7/6.

05/22/2024

Beard Marketing Consulting is proud to be playing a major part in producing the Heritage Celebration at The 1895 for Vision Historic Preservation Foundation. Helping a client curate an event to fit their organizational goals, adhere to their mission, and appeal to their community takes a lot of planning and logistics. I am happy to have worked together with the team and can't wait for the community to enjoy this fantastic, multi-faceted event.