JAM3 Strategic Marketing & PR

02/04/2026

Anyone else notice? There’s a sudden surge of posts about what’s wrong with marketing…and CMOs.

Every scroll brings another diagnosis. Another theory. Another fix.

It makes you wonder what’s really driving the conversation.

My guess? It’s not marketing.

It’s uncertainty.

AI is reshaping how content is created.

Economic pressure is reshaping how growth is measured.

And people across the profession are trying to make sense of where they fit.

When environments shift this quickly, the instinct is to speak, and to assert relevance, to prove value to stay visible.

That’s human.

But the real work hasn’t changed.

Marketing has never been about producing more noise.

It’s about bringing clarity...helping organizations articulate who they are, why they matter, and who they serve.

That work doesn’t disappear when technology changes.

If anything, it becomes more important.

Not everyone needs to add another voice.

But leaders who can bring clarity will always be heard.

Maybe it's easy for me to quarterback this from the sideline.

Yet, that's the point. Fresh perspective.

jam3strategicmarketingandpr.com

02/04/2026

Writing Fiction Made Me Better at Marketing...

That’s not something I expected when I started writing stories set in Tuscany.

Over the past few years, I’ve spent some time doing something a little different - writing fiction.

Two novellas set in Tuscany. Characters, dialogue, and the slow work of building a story people actually want to follow.

What surprised me is how much the process reinforced something about marketing.

People connect with stories.

A character matters because you understand their motivations.
A place matters because of how it makes you feel.
A moment matters because it changes something.

Marketing works the same way.

Too often, brands focus on messaging, campaigns, and positioning. But the real work is helping people see themselves in the story you’re telling.

The best brands create narratives people want to be a part of.

Writing fiction just reminded me that the most powerful stories - in business or in books - are usually the simplest ones.

They’re human.

And they’re honest.

09/02/2026

I’ve spent a career watching organizations work harder and harder at marketing…Yet struggle to be clearly understood.

Not because they lack talent or effort.

But because clarity gets lost - between strategy and ex*****on, between what a brand wants to say and what its audience actually hears.

That’s the space I’ve become deeply focused on.

Through my work at JAM3 Strategic Marketing & PR, I help leaders step back and reconnect those dots - aligning strategy, message, and audience so marketing reflects the true value of the organization.

Not more content. Not louder campaigns.

Just clearer thinking.

Because in the end, the brands that win aren’t the ones that say the most.
They’re the ones that are understood.

https://lnkd.in/egk-iBG

09/02/2026

There’s a shift happening in marketing, and it's not so quiet right now.

I’m hearing from a lot of smart, experienced marketers who’ve been displaced or reduced - not because they aren’t talented, but because leadership is struggling to understand how their marketing and a new AI toy fit into real business value.

The hard truth?

AI didn’t replace marketers.

It exposed where strategy was missing.

Years ago, during a previous marketing transition, I argued that hashtag and hashtag had to come together as a 1-2 punch for marketing value. That storytelling, positioning, and performance could no longer live in separate silos.

This shift is happening again, only now much faster.

What’s next for marketers won’t be:
More tools
More dashboards
More automation

It will be:
Clearer strategy
Stronger positioning
Smarter use of AI by the CMO in the service of real business goals

The marketers who thrive won’t be the ones who know the most software.

They’ll be the ones who know how to connect:
audience → message → action → revenue.

So the real question isn’t “How do we use AI?”

It’s “What do we prompt AI to help us achieve?”

That’s where the future of this profession and its value will be decided.

23/12/2025

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jmarzano1_strategy-marketing-business-activity-7408876727990501378-FGmU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAIui3EB4dBDXtRaJ2NwABxlxMsMD4T_1HU

LinkedIn has shifted. And honestly, it’s overdue. Engagement for engagement’s sake isn’t the goal anymore. Intent is. So here’s mine: I work with leaders who are tired of chasing tactics and want marketing that actually does something. To connect their customers with the right information at...

23/12/2025

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jmarzano1_storytelling-marketing-strategy-activity-7407834425582907392-Bq-v?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAAIui3EB4dBDXtRaJ2NwABxlxMsMD4T_1HU

The Art of Strategic Storytelling... Everyone wants a storyteller now. Because “authenticity” is the new currency in marketing. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Storytelling without strategy is just noise with better copy. At the leadership level, storytelling isn’t about clever words or ...

04/09/2025

Gun violence remains the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States - a heartbreaking reality that Northwell Health refuses to accept.

In my latest piece for Strategic Health Care Marketing, I spotlight a powerful new campaign that confronts this crisis head-on with a simple, urgent truth: children already have enough reasons to visit the hospital - gun violence should never be one of them.

Building on years of advocacy, public education, and coalition-building, Northwell has taken another bold step to reframe gun violence as a public health issue and drive change through awareness and action.

// By John Marzano // Gun violence is still the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States. Read on to learn about the gun violence prevention movement started by Northwell Health and view the latest public service campaign spot that puts the spotlight on gun safety.

07/07/2025

Alignment between marketing strategy and messaging is crucial for success. When both elements work in harmony, brands can effectively engage the right audience and drive growth.

Struggling with your marketing message, check us out at jam3strategicmarketingandpr.com

17/06/2025

In a competitive labor market, healthcare systems are quickly learning that reputation management isn’t just a consumer strategy.

Ongoing staff shortages and shifting workforce demographics are now mission-critical for hospitals and health networks to hone recruitment and retention strategies tailored to employees' needs.

In a Strategic Health Care Marketing exclusive Q&A, marketing strategist Cynthia Newton unpacks how review platforms, transparency, and employee engagement are reshaping healthcare reputation from the inside out.

Orlando Health Nebraska Medicine

// By John Marzano // In an SHCM exclusive Q&A, marketing strategist Cynthia Newton unpacks how review platforms, transparency, and employee engagement reshape health care reputation from the inside out. Read the full article for insights to help ensure that your employer reputation matches your cul...

28/02/2025

“Traction” is defined in many ways, yet to target and connect services to healthcare consumers, traction is ‘the support or interest needed for something to make progress or succeed.’

Over the past decade, healthcare marketing has been on a journey to shift towards more sophisticated methods that foster long-term patient relationships. Despite advancements, many marketers struggle to demonstrate clear ROI, with fewer than 10 percent achieving this goal for their organizations.

Recently, I was pleased to moderate a Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar to showcase CommonSpirit Health, its partner Unlock Health, and the use of Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) to target and respond to the healthcare needs of patient populations with an eye on revenue returns.

// By John Marzano // Historically, health care marketing has focused on brand awareness. Today, health systems are adding more measurable methods that foster long-term patient relationships. Learn how combining HRAs with email nurturing boosts patient engagement, enabling marketers to measure ROI a...