Episode Summary:
Isaac Peiris, founder of the growth agency Pistachio, has helped scale media brands like Mamamia and The Daily Aus through organic content and audience-first strategies. In this episode, he breaks down why brand matters more than ever for AI startups, the importance of knowing your audience, and how emotional connection beats transactional marketing.
Georgie and Isaac unpack famous brand fails like Google Glass and the Metaverse, and dissect Duolingo’s recent AI messaging stumble. They also highlight success stories like Waymo’s patient trust-building and Magic Brief’s smart organic content flywheel.
Isaac shares practical advice for AI founders on prioritising spend, validating through social engagement, and building your “thousand true fans.” Plus, hear his insights on AI as a creative accelerator, when it helps, and when it hurts.
Episode Sponsors:
Chapters:
06:20 – Who are Pistachio’s clients? Bridging knowing and doing social media
08:50 – The modern “business card”: personal brands, podcasts & newsletters
09:15 – Hack of the Week: context docs for better AI chats
12:45 – AI travel hack: Using Gemini & Google Maps in Rome
14:00 – Brand fails: Why Google Glass & Metaverse missed the mark
19:00 – Duolingo’s AI-first messaging misstep and audience insight
25:00 – Brand wins: Waymo’s slow, trust-first rollout of driverless cars
28:45 – Magic Brief’s Canva acquisition & organic content mastery
35:30 – AI brand strategy essentials for founders: audience + use case
40:00 – Where to invest early-stage funding: content & organic reach
45:20 – Isaac’s newsletter & the power of a thousand true fans
48:00 – Emotional storytelling beats transactional marketing: Wise example
50:30 – Aura Ring’s campaign flipping health marketing on its head
55:30 – Rapid fire: acquisitions, brand fails & AI’s creative impact
Resources:
🙋 Isaac Peiris on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/isaacpeiris
📧 Free email course on organic content & brand building: https://brandchemistry.co/c/modern-media-masterclass
🎯 Pistachio: https://www.pistachio.so
📰 Magic Brief’s Internet Ads Club newsletter: https://internetadsclub.com/
