Blog

Blog

Research on how AI changes marketing operations, cost, workflows and search.

Showing all 15 articles

Latest article: Sunlit desk with five frosted glass plaques on glowing bases showing stack and handoff icons in a straight row, with a plant, a mug on books and a notebook, beside the title Does a Bigger Marketing Stack Mean More Handoffs? Marketing stack handoffsDoes a Bigger Marketing Stack Mean More Handoffs?
Sunlit desk with five frosted glass plaques on glowing bases showing stack and handoff icons in a straight row, with a plant, a mug on books and a notebook, beside the title Does a Bigger Marketing Stack Mean More Handoffs?

Marketing stack handoffs

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

Does a Bigger Marketing Stack Mean More Handoffs?

We read the public documentation for 12 marketing tools against 5 everyday marketing processes. In 19 of 60 tool and process pairs, the documentation describes the process running inside one product. Everywhere else, the documented path crosses into another tool or is not settled.

We checked 12 marketing tools against 5 processes. In 19 of 60 pairs, the docs describe the process running in one product. Here is where handoffs appear.

Read the article →
Sunlit desk with four frosted glass plaques on lit bases labeled Paid hours, Tools, Three budgets and Ads wait, with a plant, a mug and notebooks, beside the title How to Prioritize a Small B2B Marketing Budget.

Small B2B marketing budgets

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

How to Prioritize a Small B2B Marketing Budget

Three goals, the same 96 hours of marketing time a month, and three worked budgets. In every scenario, paid hours take most of the cash, listed tools cost little, and ads wait until the basics are in place.

Three worked budget scenarios for a small B2B team with 96 marketing hours a month: where the cash goes, why ads wait, and what changes when prices rise.

Read the article →
Sunlit desk with four frosted glass plaques on lit bases labeled AI answer, Cited source, Named in text and Recommended, the last one dimmed, with a plant, a mug and notebooks, beside the title How B2B Service Firms Show Up in AI Search Answers.

Service firms in AI search

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

How B2B Service Firms Show Up in AI Search Answers

We traced every IT and cybersecurity firm that appeared in 80 AI search answers to B2B buyer questions. 120 firms showed up. Most appeared as a linked source, far fewer were named in the text, and none were recommended.

We traced 120 IT and security firms through 80 AI search answers. Most appeared as cited sources, fewer were named, and none were recommended. Here is how.

Read the article →
Desk scene with eight frosted glass plaques of varying height for SEO, paid, CRM, content, design, web, analytics, and management, showing how many marketing functions stack into one Marketing Manager posting.

Marketing Manager role scope

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

How Many Jobs Are Hidden Inside One Marketing Manager Role?

Across 100 public Marketing Manager postings (50 Canada, 50 United States), the median role required 3 of 8 marketing functions. Management coordination appeared in 100%. Analytics was required in 77%. Design almost never was.

100 public Marketing Manager posts (50 CA, 50 US). Median 3 of 8 functions required. Management in 100%; analytics required in 77%. Not an FTE model.

Read the article →
Desk scene with six lit glass plaques for direction, insight, content, distribution, operations, and optimization, showing full functional coverage inside a fixed weekly capacity budget.

Small marketing team capacity

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

How Small Marketing Teams Cover More Work with AI

Same 24-hour (1,440-minute) human budget, same priority order. AI-enabled weeks fit 18/18 task units; human-only fits 10 to 11 of 18 (7 to 8 backlog). Coverage reaches 6/6 functions.

Same 24-hour budget. AI-enabled fits 18/18 task units; human-only 10 to 11 of 18. Coverage reaches 6/6 functions; ~27% still briefing and review.

Read the article →
Desk scene with four glass plaques of rising height for chat, fixed automation, single agent, and specialist process, showing increasing direct workflow completion.

Agents vs chatbots

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

AI Agents vs Chatbots vs Automation

The same three marketing tasks across four configurations. Direct step completion: chat 8/24 (33%), fixed automation 14/24 (58%), single agent 19/24 (79%), specialist process 22/24 (92%).

Same three marketing tasks, four configs. Direct steps: chat 8/24 (33%), automation 14/24 (58%), agent 19/24 (79%), specialists 22/24 (92%).

Read the article →
Desk scene with an amber question-marked draft plaque and a green reviewed plaque with a violet checkmark, showing structured human review turning a first AI draft into an accepted asset.

Human review quality

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

Where Human Review Changes AI Marketing Quality

Structured review changed the publish decision for 7 of 12 AI-first drafts. Mean rubric score rose from 7.6 to 10.9 (+44%). Median active review: 13 minutes.

Structured review changed the publish decision for 7 of 12 AI-first drafts. Mean score 7.6 to 10.9 (+44%). Median review: 13 min.

Read the article →
Desk scene with a short violet first-generation glass plaque beside a taller amber review-and-retries plaque, illustrating that most active time sits after the first AI draft.

AI marketing rework cost

October 2026 · Chris Momchilov

The Hidden Cost of Fixing AI Marketing Work

Across 12 AI-first B2B drafts, 73% of active time went to review, correction and failed retries, not first generation. Initial generation took 46 minutes. Rework took 205.

Across 12 AI-first B2B drafts, 73% of active time went to review, correction and failed retries. 46 min generation vs 205 min rework. 6.1x cost multiplier.

Read the article →
Office desk with six glowing readiness plaques: Audience, Goal, Source, Format, Owner, and an empty Acceptance slot

Marketing workflow AI readiness

September 2026 · Chris Momchilov

What Makes a Marketing Workflow Ready for AI?

A 30-run controlled test shows what happens when audience, goal, source, format, or owner is missing. Complete context passed 5/5. One missing input passed 8/25.

30-run test: complete context 5/5 first-pass accepts; one missing input 8/25. First-pass fell from 100% to 32%. Median time rose from 8 to 17 minutes.

Read the article →
Modern desk with AI marketing workflow panels (Chatbot, Automation, AI Agent, and Specialist Process) plus a Workflow Coverage chart.

AI productivity evidence

September 2026 · Chris Momchilov

Does AI Actually Save Marketing Time?

Four controlled studies show real gains on bounded work, and real losses when tasks sit outside the model’s frontier. Measure accepted work, not draft speed.

Four controlled studies: ~40% less writing time, +15% support issues/hr, 25.1% faster consulting in-frontier. Often saves time, not automatically. Measure accepted work.

Read the article →
Infographic of small B2B marketing department cost: five function panels (Strategy, Content, Analytics, Design, Web) with modeled Canada C$456K and U.S. US$536K budgets

Original research

September 2026 · Chris Momchilov · ~8 min read

What Does a Small B2B Marketing Department Actually Cost?

A function-level cost model for the same 160-hour weekly scope in Canada and the United States. The cost is capacity for five recurring functions, not one salary.

Base 4.0 FTE / 160 h: about C$38.0K/mo Canada, US$44.6K/mo U.S. Modeled budgets roughly C$456K and US$536K. Capacity for five functions, not one salary.

Read the article →
Sunlit office desk with four frosted glass cards on lit bases showing 8 of 30 Automate First, 9 of 30 Draft plus Approval, 6 of 30 Assist Only and 7 of 30 Human Led, beside a notebook and a mug.

Original research

September 2026 · Chris Momchilov · ~8 min read

Which Marketing Tasks Should a Small Business Automate First?

A 30-task automation readiness study for lean B2B marketing teams: 8 Automate First, 9 Draft + Review, 6 Assist Only, 7 Human Led. Start with bounded operational work.

A 30-task study for lean B2B teams: where to automate first, where AI should only draft, and which decisions stay human. Start with bounded operational work that has structured inputs and objective acceptance rules.

Read the article →
Bright interface collage of a ranked search results list beside an AI answer panel citing YouTube, Reddit, universities and research sources, with stat cards reading 45%, 51% and 38%.

Original research

September 2026 · Chris Momchilov · 7 min read

Who AI Search Cites in 2026

Ranking highly does not guarantee that an AI answer will cite you.

An analysis of sources cited in Google AI Overviews for ordinary marketing questions on September 1, 2026, and why rankings alone are not the same as being in the answer.

Read the article →
Bright dashboard collage comparing eleven human marketing roles with eleven AI specialist tiles, with US and Canadian salary benchmark cards and a ring chart reading up to 90% lower people cost.

Public-facing comparison

September 2026 · Chris Momchilov · 4 min read

11 Human Hires vs. 11 AI Specialists

The cost, capacity, consistency and control trade-offs behind a modern marketing department.

Most businesses do not need eleven additional payrolls. They need the coordinated capabilities those eleven specialists provide. A buyer guide to cost, capacity, consistency and control, with humans still owning the decisions that need judgment.

Read the article →