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This guest lecture felt more like a behind the scenes look at the reality of modern marketing than a typical class session. The speaker is the CEO and founder of BloomPartners.io, a four time published author, a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara, and a Stevie Award winner for one of the most innovative minority owned companies. With his background in running an agency and navigating constant shifts in the economy, he broke down the marketing landscape in a way that was practical, honest, and centered on what new graduates actually need to know before entering the industry.

One of the first things he said was that we are in a recession, and that completely shapes the way businesses spend money. Tariffs and inflation have a ripple effect on the marketing world, and companies can no longer postpone price increases. That also means marketing is usually the first budget to get cut, which makes ad costs and cost per lead go up. It made me realize that working in this industry means understanding the pressure clients are under. A huge takeaway for me was that the purpose of a marketing agency is simple. You exist to make your clients more money. That might sound obvious, but hearing it put that plainly made it feel more real.

Another major point he made was how important data is. If you want to work in marketing today, you have to be comfortable with analytics. ROI is not just a metric, it is a language you need to speak. He talked about understanding things like cost of goods sold, net margin, and other business terms because you cannot deliver value if you do not understand the financial side of what your client is dealing with. This hit home for me because as someone going into PR and advertising, I know the creative side comes naturally. It is the business side I want to master more, and this lecture made it clear how much it matters.

My favorite part of the lecture was when he talked about AI and the future of work. He said if you can be replaced by a prompt, you will be replaced by a prompt. It sounded dramatic at first, but he explained it in a way that made total sense. AI tools like Make.com, Zapier, and Loveable are changing how agencies operate. Instead of ignoring AI, he encouraged us to learn the tools now so we are ahead of the curve. Money does not disappear, it just changes hands. The people who understand AI will be the ones holding it. Since I already work in social media, I could immediately see how this applies. Automation can help with reporting, scheduling, and generating ideas, but you still need real strategy behind everything. This is where human creativity and relationship building matter.

He also talked about soft skills in a way that stuck with me. He said the business world is a popularity contest and that you should be somebody people genuinely want to be around. Communication, being detail oriented, and actually getting things done are what sets you apart. He even mentioned the peanut butter and jelly marketing test to see how people think and articulate instructions, which honestly made me laugh but also made sense. Clear communication is everything in marketing.

Toward the end, he gave a few resume and career tips. The biggest one was to adjust your resume for each job because hiring managers can tell when it is generic. He also said yes, you should work for an agency before opening your own, which I appreciated because it felt honest and not sugar coated.

Overall, this guest lecture gave me a clearer picture of what it takes to thrive in this industry. It helped me understand the kind of mindset and skills I need to build now, especially in areas like analytics, communication, and AI tools. More than anything, it gave me a more realistic understanding of the marketing world I will be entering after graduation.