May 6, 2026 · Scheman Building, Ames, IA

The Strategic Stack: Overcoming AI Slop

Marketing and Sales

TRACK Marketing and Sales
FORMAT Expert Talk
ROOM 260-262

AI-generated marketing is everywhere now — and most of it is forgettable slop. Generic emails. Bland social posts. Synthetic-looking images. Web copy that sounds like every other site in your industry.

Some marketers have embraced this, leaning hard into AI’s “further, faster” promise. They’re cranking out volume, convincing themselves that more is better, even when it all blends into the noise. Others see the train wreck happening and want no part of it. Sure, they’ll use AI for grammar checks or summarizing meeting notes, but for actual marketing? They’d rather do less and protect their brand than publish work that makes them look careless.

There’s a small group doing something different. They’re producing work that doesn’t look or sound AI-generated — because they’re using AI as part of the craft. Building content programs with real voice. Creating the kind of work that used to require an agency. Marketing that cuts through instead of contributing to the noise. It’s not magic. It’s approach.

The Strategic Stack framework applies craft principles to AI-assisted work — the layers good creative has always required. This session reveals how to make AI-assisted marketing worth doing. Not just faster, but actually better — the kind of work that elevates your brand instead of adding to the pile.

Key Takeaways

  • Why most AI marketing falls flat and how to avoid it
  • The layered approach that separates good AI work from slop
  • How to work strategically fast with AI to make your marketing distinct
Continue the conversation with Travis Arndorfer at the Marketing & Sales Facilitated Discussion — 1:20 PM - 2:05 PM, Room 220-230-240

Transcript from Summit:

Session Transcript