Скачать или смотреть AirPods as ARR, Direct Mail’s Comeback, and Other Growth Predictions

In this episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman unpack a wide-ranging set of predictions and observations about where go-to-market strategy, AI, and pricing models are headed next. They discuss why what ChatGPT says about your product may become a core marketing KPI, the resurgence of direct mail and physical touchpoints in an AI-saturated world, and why “almost as good as a human” is a dangerous positioning for AI-driven products. The conversation also explores AI monetization paths through advertising, the risk of an AI infrastructure timing mismatch leading to a broader financial pullback, and what historical parallels like railroads and the Sears catalog can teach us about today’s buildout. The episode closes with real-world pricing lessons, from energy-as-a-service solar subscriptions to the surprisingly massive standalone economics of Apple’s AirPods, tying together how distribution, perception, and monetization shape durable growth.

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SPONSORS:

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LINKS:
Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com
CJ on LinkedIn:   / cj-gustafson-13140948  

Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/
Kyle on LinkedIn:   / kyle-poyar  

Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/
Ben on LinkedIn:   / slackerstuff  


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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Preview and Intro
00:01:07 Sponsors — Pulley, Metronome
00:03:27 Welcome Back And Consumer Friction
00:04:56 Insurance Middlemen Frustrations
00:06:34 Explaining Newsletter Businesses
00:07:25 Family Perceptions Of Work
00:08:32 GTM And Growth Predictions
00:09:46 Trust And Objectivity In ChatGPT
00:11:28 ChatGPT As Marketing KPI
00:13:41 Direct Mail Marketing Comeback
00:15:23 Tech Buying Media Assets
00:17:19 Fake Subscribers And Email Lore
00:18:30 AI Quality Over Automation
00:21:38 AI Healthcare And Ad Models
00:24:07 Advertising Fuels AI Economics
00:25:07 AI Boom Versus Bust Timing
00:27:16 Infrastructure Before Killer Apps
00:29:48 Railroad Economics And Real Estate
00:30:13 Solar Subscriptions And Pricing
00:32:17 AirPods As Recurring Revenue
00:34:24 Show Outro And Credits

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