Why Carnegie’s advice is relevant for marketers in the age of AI

Today, customers expect much more from brands: speed, personalization, empathy, and relevance. In this environment, a new approach emerges — Positionless Marketing, where a marketer is no longer confined to a narrow specialization.

Thanks to AI, automation, and real-time data, modern marketers can independently handle any task — from audience segmentation to creative production and campaign optimization. Yet even with technological progress, the key factor of success remains the same: the ability to understand people.

This idea strongly echoes the insights of Dale Carnegie, author of the classic “How to Win Friends and Influence People” (1936). Despite the decades that have passed, his principles remain just as relevant today — especially for marketers who aim to build genuine and long-lasting relationships with customers.

How Carnegie’s Principles Work in Positionless Marketing

“Give honest and sincere appreciation”

Carnegie emphasized that every person craves recognition. It’s one of the most basic human needs, and ignoring it quickly undermines relationships. In marketing, appreciation can take the form of simple yet powerful gestures: a thank-you message after a first purchase, a loyalty bonus for repeat customers, or a surprise gift for the most engaged users.

With today’s data-access tools, marketers don’t need to wait for analysts or engineers to enable such actions. They can express gratitude instantly and at scale. When expressed at the right moment, appreciation is far more effective than aggressive advertising. It makes the customer feel valued and respected — directly influencing retention, purchase frequency, and lifetime value (LTV).

“Arouse in the other person an eager want”

One of Carnegie’s core insights is that people act not on what interests others, but on what matters to them personally. Marketing is no different: campaigns succeed only when they speak to customer needs, not brand priorities.

AI tools make it possible to instantly create content that resonates with real customer motivations — without creative bottlenecks:

• For some, the focus is savings.
• For others, exclusivity.
• For others still, speed of service or emotional connection.

Instead of generic, one-size-fits-all messaging, modern marketers can deliver hundreds of tailored variations across segments. The result: campaigns that don’t just “deliver a message,” but spark genuine desire to act.

“Become genuinely interested in other people”

Carnegie often pointed out that dogs win affection by showing genuine interest in people. For brands, this translates into true empathy toward customers. It goes beyond personalization like using a name or referencing purchase history — it’s about recognizing the customer in their specific context.

With behavioral data, marketers can design communications that reflect where the customer is in their journey: discovering the brand, evaluating options, or preparing for a repeat purchase.

Equally important: not every message should sell. Sometimes it’s better to share advice, deliver helpful content, or simply show that the brand is listening. These gestures build a sense of partnership rather than a transactional relationship — laying the foundation for long-term loyalty.

“Get the other person saying ‘yes’ immediately”

Carnegie stressed that small “yeses” pave the way for bigger ones. In marketing, this highlights the importance of well-designed first interactions.

• Onboarding: a simple, intuitive introduction to the product that helps customers feel comfortable quickly.
• Real-time triggers: offers or messages that appear at the right moment, based on behavioral signals.
• Micro-conversions: newsletter sign-ups, survey participation, or content views — all steps that gradually move the customer closer to purchase.

With modern tools, marketers can orchestrate sequences that guide the customer through incremental agreements. This removes friction, creates a sense of ease, and builds a positive experience that naturally leads to conversion.

“Remember that a person’s name is the sweetest sound”

Personalization always begins with the basics: addressing the customer by name. Though it may seem minor, this gesture creates a sense of uniqueness and importance. When a brand speaks directly to a person rather than treating them as “just another contact in the database,” it builds the foundation for trust.

Modern tools like Data Power and Creative Power elevate personalization to a whole new level. It’s no longer about just inserting a name into an email, but about creating a holistic, individualized experience:

• Offers that reflect purchase history.
• Recommendations that match real interests.
• Visuals and copy tailored to context and behavior.

This makes customers feel: “The brand sees me, understands me, and speaks directly to me.” In a world where consumers receive dozens of ads daily, that becomes a true competitive edge.

“If you’re wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically”

No company is immune to mistakes: shipping delays, service glitches, or incorrect messaging happen. But true brand strength is revealed not in being flawless, but in how it responds when problems occur.

Carnegie advised admitting fault openly and immediately. For marketers, this means not hiding mistakes but using them as opportunities to build trust. With Positionless Marketing tools, responses can be instant:

• A personalized apology email.
• A tailored compensation offer, based on purchase history.
• A message that reassures the customer: “We hear you, and we’re fixing it.”

This approach not only diffuses tension but also transforms a negative experience into a moment of strengthened loyalty. People value honesty and sincerity more than perfection. In the end, the ability to admit mistakes quickly and empathetically can be the key to lasting customer relationships.

Blending Timeless Principles with Modern Technology

Positionless Marketing is more than a toolkit — it’s a mindset. Technology removes barriers and empowers marketers to act with speed, creativity, and independence:

• Gaining insights from data without analysts.
• Creating campaign-ready content without designers.
• Launching multichannel campaigns without engineers.

As a result, marketing becomes a seamless process that goes beyond communication to building true connections with customers.

Dale Carnegie taught that success in any field begins with human relationships. Even in today’s world — driven by AI and automation — that principle remains unchanged. For modern marketers, the fusion of timeless people skills and cutting-edge tools is not just an advantage. It is the foundation for trust, influence, and lasting customer relationships.

This article available in Ukrainian.