Human-First AI Marketing Podcast by Avenue9
Discover how to harness the power of AI without losing the human touch. Hosted by Mike Montague, Founder of Avenue9, this podcast delivers actionable insights to help small and mid-sized businesses market like big brands. With expert interviews, relatable success stories, and practical tips, we show you how to amplify your marketing efforts with AI tools that enhance—not replace—human creativity and connection. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or curious about the future of AI, this is your go-to guide for building smarter, more authentic marketing strategies.
Episodes
41 episodes
Practical AI Literacy for Business Growth with Mark Andrews
In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with Mark Andrews of AI Prophets to explore what AI literacy really means for small and medium-sized businesses. Together, they break down the myt...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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29:16
Marketing Uses for Creative AI Video with Erich Archer
What’s really going on with AI video in 2025? In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, Emmy-winning producer Erich Archer joins Mike Montague for a refreshingly honest look at what AI can and can’t do for video creators, markete...
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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30:24
Simple Strategies for AI Marketing with Ali Schwanke
If AI has you feeling like you’re falling behind or drowning in prompts and platforms, this episode is your reset button. Mike Montague sits down with Ali Schwanke, CEO of Simple Strat and host of HubSpot Hacks, to unpack the real opportunities...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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32:52
The Marketer’s Manual on Generative AI with John Suarez
In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with John Suarez of SmartBug Media—co-author of The Marketer’s Manual on Generative AI- to talk about what actually works when it comes to AI-powered marketing. From remixing content to replacing outdate...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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31:00
AI Meets Scrappy ABM: Account-Based Marketing with Mason Cosby
AI is reshaping how we target accounts, but it’s also made it easier than ever to get lazy, loud, and lose the trust of your prospects. In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with Mason Cosby, founder of Scrappy ABM, to talk about what actual...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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33:46
The LinkedIn Growth Blueprint for B2B Success with Daniel Alfon
In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, Mike Montague sits down with LinkedIn strategist and author Daniel Alfon to break down what actually works on LinkedIn in 2025, especially for B2B professionals, SMB owners, and marketing...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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34:32
The AI Workforce Shift: Building a High-Leverage Team with Ashley Gross
In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, host Mike Monague sits down with Ashley Gross, founder of the AI Workforce Alliance, to unpack one of the most urgent transformations facing today’s marketing leaders: the shift from trad...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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27:11
The AI-Driven Marketer’s Playbook with Dan Sanchez
In this episode of The Human First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with Dan Sanchez, founder of the AI-Driven Marketer podcast, to unpack how marketers can go beyond gimmicks and truly integrate AI into their daily workflows....
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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34:46
The AI Risks and Rewards You Can’t Afford to Ignore with Alec Crawford
If you're leading a small to mid-sized business, AI is already part of your world, even if your company banned it. In this episode, Alec Crawford of AI. Risk joins Mike Montague to explore the real risks AI poses to SMBs: data privacy, prompt i...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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32:16
2025 Human-First AI Marketing Awards with Mike Montague, Founder of Avenue9
In this special episode of the Human-First AI Marketing podcast, Mike Montague celebrates National AI Appreciation Day with the first-ever Avenue9 Human-First AI Marketing Awards – Class of 2025.Mike shares his fav...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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11:51
Why Interviewers Make the Best AI Marketers with Dan Nestle
Mike Montague sits down with Dan Nestle of Inquisitive Communications to explore how the marketing game is changing and why curiosity is now your most valuable asset. From the rise of large language models to the deluge of dull, AI-generated co...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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41:55
Why Your Next Hire Should Be a Fractional CMO with Sara Nay
Mike sits down with Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, to explore how AI is reshaping marketing roles and why strategy, leadership, and emotional intelligence are more important than ever. Sara shares what small businesses often get wrong ab...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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32:17
Using AI to Actually Grow Your Small Business with Dilip Dubey
In this episode of The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Dilip Dubey, founder of Sutra.AI, to explore how small and mid-sized businesses can finally unlock the real promise of AI, without needing massive budgets or ...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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32:10
AI's Impact on Org Charts and the Death of the 3-Year Plan with Tim Brewer and Damian Bramanis
In this episode of Human-First AI Marketing, host Mike Montague sits down with Tim Brewer and Damian Bramanis from Functionly to unpack one of the most urgent questions facing modern leaders: how do you structure a business when AI changes what...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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42:51
The AI Merchandising Revolution with Vinod Kumar
In this episode of Human-First AI Marketing, Mike Montague sits down with Vinod Kumar, founder of Syntheum.ai, to explore how AI is transforming one of the most overlooked but essential roles in retail and e-co...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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38:03
Ethical AI and Accessibility with Warren Wilansky
Ethical AI isn't just a philosophy; it’s a practical framework for building better digital experiences. In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Warren Wilansky, founder of Plank and the Ethical Web ...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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32:49
Sentiment Analysis and AI Market Research with Alexandra Gonzalez
Forget clicks. What your customers feel matters more than what they say or do. In this episode, Alexandra Gonzalez of Savvy Marketers joins us to explore how sentiment analysis, facial recognition, and biometric data can reveal the emotional tr...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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34:57
AI-Powered Marketing Analytics with Zeke Camusio
In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, host Mike Monague sits down with Zeke Camusio, founder of Data Speaks AI, to explore how small and mid-sized businesses can unlock the true potential of their marketing data. With decades...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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37:12
Infailable AI and Digital Acceleration with Chris Hood
Are you feeling pressure to “keep up with AI”? You’re not alone and you’re not crazy for being skeptical.In this episode of Human-First AI Marketing, Mike Montague sits down with former Google strategist and author of Infailable, Chris ...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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35:23
AI-Powered Membership Communities with Nathalie Doremieux
If you're building or thinking about building a membership community, this episode will change the way you approach it. Nathalie Doremieux, co-founder of The Membership Lab, joins Mike Montague for a human-first conversation on what really make...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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31:53
Understanding Time & Relationships in the AI Era with Greg Wasserman
Mike Montague sits down with Greg Wasserman, a self-proclaimed "relationship broker," to explore how AI is changing the way we build trust, make introductions, and grow our businesses. They unpack why automation isn’t enough, how referrals and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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33:09
Leveraging AI for Creative Storytelling with Tim Kalinowski
What makes a story resonate?Tim Kalinowski, founder of Lore Creative, joins Mike Montague to unpack the storytelling strategies that actually connect with real people and how SMBs can use AI to amplify them without losing the human heart...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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40:18
Crafting Your "Hell Yes!" Offer with Jessica Miller
Most marketing teams pour time, money, and AI tools into tactics, email sequences, content engines, and funnel hacks without realizing their core offer is the real problem. In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with Jessica Miller, award-win...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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31:45
Scaling Trust, Not Clicks for B2B Growth with Eric Eden
Mike Montague interviews Eric Eden, CMO at Workforce and host of the Remarkable Marketing Podcast, about how CROs and B2B leaders can cut through the noise of vanity metrics, bots, and fake engagement, and use AI to scale trust, not just clicks...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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38:09
AI Marketing Optimization with Badri Veera and John Karl from Crigloo
The Unified Marketing Playbook CMOs Shouldn't IgnoreIn this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Badri Veera and John Karl from Crigloo to explore how CMOs and marketing leaders ca...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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34:35