From Print Ads to AI: My Journey as a Tradigital Marketer
There’s a saying that experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. And let me tell you, my career started with a very expensive lesson in experience.
I’m one of those rare people actually using their marketing degree. Straight out of college, I landed a job with AAA, back when marketing was all about billboards, print ads, and direct mail—and before computers sat on every desk. It was an exciting time. And then I made my first big mistake.
The Seatbelt Slip-Up That Taught Me Everything
Picture this: a glossy print ad, beautifully designed, ready to take prime real estate on the back cover of the annual AAA atlas—our crown jewel of advertising. A car, a driver, a sense of adventure. Except for one tiny, multi-thousand-dollar problem—the driver in the photo wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
It was a gut-punch moment when we realized the mistake after the ad was finalized. The entire photoshoot had to be scrapped, rebooked, and reshot. A costly mistake, but a lesson that has followed me throughout my career: details matter. Whether it’s a print ad or a digital campaign, the little things—alignment, accuracy, messaging—can make or break everything.
From Print to Pixels: The Evolution of Marketing
That was just the beginning. Since then, I’ve worked on print ads for Money Magazine, billboards, bus ads, radio spots, TV commercials, websites, PPC campaigns, and social media ads—the full spectrum of traditional and digital marketing.
And while I have a deep appreciation for traditional marketing, I love digital. Here’s why:
You can track everything.
You can show ROI without guessing.
You can change things on the fly instead of waiting weeks for a print run.
You can personalize content to speak directly to your audience instead of hoping they relate to a broad message.
But here’s the thing—digital marketing didn’t erase traditional marketing. It evolved from it.
Why Tradigital Marketing Matters Today
Everything we do in digital still relies on principles from the traditional world:
Brand storytelling still drives customer engagement—whether it’s in a print ad or an Instagram Reel.
Psychology and persuasion still guide how we write copy and design visuals.
Integrated campaigns are still crucial—just now, they span email, social, video, and beyond.
I’ve built my career bridging these two worlds, blending the best of both to create marketing strategies that actually work. The platforms change, but the foundation of great marketing doesn’t.
Why I’m Starting This Blog
Marketing has evolved in ways I never imagined when I started my career—from print ads to AI-driven personalization, from gut-feel branding to data-backed decision-making. And I’ve been right in the middle of it, learning, adapting, and staying ahead of the curve.
This blog is my space to share what I’ve learned, what’s changing, and how we as marketers can navigate the ever-shifting landscape of this industry.
So whether you’re a fellow marketer, a business owner, or just someone who loves a good marketing war story—stick around. I have plenty more to tell.
