Building businesses people remember in the age of AI

James Hurman, co-founder of Tracksuit and an advertising effectiveness researcher, argues that as AI makes products, execution, and market entry easier to copy, brand becomes a company’s most durable compounding asset. While strong products can attract early adopters, broader consumer and business markets tend to favour familiar, distinctive names, with LinkedIn B2B Institute research cited as finding that 81% of major deals go to vendors known by buying teams before formal procurement begins. Hurman attributes this advantage partly to familiarity and emotional bias, which can make customers perceive known brands as safer and better, pay full price, tolerate price increases, and remain loyal. He argues that brands should preserve their core identity when entering new markets while adapting language and cultural presentation where necessary. Although finance teams often prefer the measurable short-term returns of performance marketing, he says econometric research estimates advertising can return about four dollars in revenue per dollar invested over two years, and multiple studies support a marketing balance near half brand investment and half performance activity. In this view, products create initial access to customers, but brand recognition, trust, and pricing power determine whether a company remains memorable and competitive as markets mature.

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