LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I’m not hitting all my workout goals so far this year, but I’ve been consistently learning Korean on Duolingo, and I’m pushing myself to expand my horizons with vibe coding.

Speaking at two events last week, I created companion sites with vibe coding. Here’s one from my talk with IndeCollective, which has a slew of tools, some of which you may find useful, and then another for the Luxury Outlook Summit with some tools built for realtors. Vibe coding, for those new to the art and science of it, means building a site without actually doing any coding; you chat with an app just as you would ChatGPT or Gemini.

I built those landing pages using Base44 after doing a 180 on my decision for where to host my website. I had vibe coded my site at first, and then I handed it off to my developer to host on WordPress. He made it more stable, or improved its search visibility, or did whatever developers do when creating WordPress sites. I trust him.

But then I wanted to keep tinkering with the messaging and also build landing pages like the ones for these events. So, I took it back. It involves clicking a few buttons in Base44 to link to a custom domain and then change DNS settings in GoDaddy to point the domain back to Base44. If the acronym “DNS” scares you, your favorite AI app should be able to walk you through it without breaking too much, and it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. I’ve made most mistakes that one can possibly make while vibe coding, and I’ve yet to royally screw up anything permanently; ChatGPT and Gemini save me all the time.

Journalist Casey Newton at Platformer inspired me to attempt to up my game further in his recent column, “The Project That Turned Me into a Claude Code Believer.” Thanks to the advice and guidance of his tech-savvy boyfriend, he used Claude Code, accessing it through a Mac terminal app Ghostty and then hosting the site on Netlify.

The reason I’ve avoided Claude Code and certain other advanced vibe coding tools is they’re all about coding, not hosting. N00b-friendly apps like Base44 and Lovable both code and host so you can launch your site directly from those apps, but there are various tradeoffs that make more serious developers (or dev-savvy marketers) choose Claude Code. It is now de rigueur for the cognoscenti to call Claude Code the best vibe coding app, but for me it’s like ordering a seasonal IPA when all I want is a PBR. Even if the former’s more refined, could it become my go-to?

It was time to try to level up with Claude. The good news is I was able to get a site up and running on Netlify. The bad news is I couldn’t do anything without Gemini holding my hand every single baby step of the way. I literally found it easier to learn Korean, my first attempt at studying an East Asian language. So I’m keeping most of my vibe coding on Base44, for now.

I get that using the suite Claude Code (about $20/month for starters) with Ghostty (free) and Netlify (free, but for my niche B2B needs, I’d likely use the $9/month plan) could be both cheaper and more robust than more novice-friendly tools, and I’m not done experimenting. The most comparable plan in Base44 is the one that costs $50/month, so I pay more for the convenience. I’d imagine terminals for Claude Code and other such platforms will become more user-friendly over time, or maybe it’s wishful thinking.

What won’t change is the feeling that I have a new superpower. I vibe code companion sites for every talk that I give now. I adapt them for different audiences. I’m creating simple but playable games. This weekend, I vibe coded a therapy-themed app, for fun (vibe coders have weird definitions of “fun”). And I’m probably just a few good YouTube training videos and Gemini discussions away from being able to speak Claude Code’s language. Soon, perhaps I’ll be able to use it with Hangul too.

— David Berkowitz, Chief Community Officer, Marketecture Media

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1

YAAAIC (Yet Another Anti-AI Campaign, Equinox Edition)

Who: Brand Strategists, Creative Directors, Lifestyle Marketers, Health & Wellness Source

What: For its January push, Equinox launched "Question Everything But Yourself," a campaign that deliberately contrasts the reliability of physical effort with the absurdity of AI-generated unreality. The creative work utilizes exaggerated, AI-distorted visuals to highlight that while the digital world is becoming increasingly fake, your own body’s work remains the ultimate truth. Really though, is it cake?

Why it matters: We are deep into the anti-AI phase of branding, where premium brands differentiate themselves by championing human authenticity and physical reality over synthetic perfection. It’s the backlash phase of the hype cycle. But ironically, it’s hard to be original as an anti-AI brand when a slew of brands are doing it.

(Marketing Dive)

2

How Would YOU Market Microsoft AI?

Who: CMOs, Technology Marketers

What: Microsoft’s AI division, launched in 2024, named seven-year Pinterest alum Andréa Mallard as its new CMO. Mission one: turning MAI (Microsoft AI) into a household brand?

Why it matters: Big tech will be marketing their AI wares even more aggressively, and Mallard has a strong resume for it. Despite so much attention lavished on other social media market leaders, Mallard helped keep Pinterest relevant over the past decade. Convincing consumers and businesses that MAI is worth adopting will be another uphill battle, but it’s hardly impossible given her experience and Microsoft’s resources.

(ADWEEK)

3

NVIDIA: Nearly 90% of Retailers Say AI Boosted Revenue

Who: Retail Strategy Leaders, Digital Commerce Teams, Performance Marketers

What: According to NVIDIA’s recent report, not only have most retailers said they’ve had revenue gains thanks to AI, but 95% of respondents said AI has decreased annual costs.

Why it matters: With tariff wars, inflation concerns, and all kinds of macroeconomic issues (good luck getting your favorite Greenland imports in the U.S. anytime soon), retailers need all the help they can get preserving margins without jacking up costs in ways that alienate consumers. Here’s one sign that AI is helping retailers stay afloat.

(DesignRush)