The Promo Playbook by Cubic Promote

How are customers actually finding businesses in 2026? Charles and Nathan unpack the biggest shifts in AI search, the stats every marketer should know (listicles, YouTube mentions, AI overviews cutting clicks), and what it takes to stay visible now that Google isn't the only game. Then they switch to staying safe online: a real AI scam story, how easily these are built, and the security basic...

The tools are moving faster than most teams can keep up. In this episode of The Promo Playbook, Charles and Nathan break down the latest AI advancements, from Fable 5 to how AI is reshaping professional services like accounting and legal, and what still sets great businesses apart: trust, experience, and real human accountability. They dig into the "hollowing out of the middle," why Aust...

Your next best lead might not come from another ad set or another “set and forget” campaign. We get concrete about offline marketing tools that still work in 2026 because they are tangible, repeatable, and hard to ignore, especially for B2B marketing and local business growth. From promotional products that stay on desks to branded uniforms that turn your team into walking brand touchpoints, we fo...

A website in two minutes sounds like hype until you realise it can be a zip file you upload and publish right away. We walk through how we’re using Claude as an AI website builder to generate real HTML and styling for a brand new finance site, then iterate fast by re-prompting: split pages, refine copy, and test responsiveness on mobile, tablet, and desktop. It’s the kind of speed that makes tradi...

We talk through what it really takes to get staff comfortable with AI when the tools are changing fast and the results are not always right. Then we zoom out to the industries most at risk, from SEO to CRM and project management software, and what that means for junior career pathways.  • setting expectations with staff so experimentation does not erode trust  • getting buy in by asking for feedba...

One photo can reopen a cold case and that same emotional trigger can revive a stalled campaign. We start with a true crime example where investigators deliberately choose a specific image to stir memory and emotion, then pull that thread into what still works on Instagram, TikTok, and paid social today. Visual marketing is not just “pretty content” it is a behavioural lever, and we break down why...

A wedding venue hands over a bottle of champagne before you have paid a cent. It feels generous, it feels memorable, and it also raises a sharper question: how much of our “rational” buying is shaped by small moments of persuasion? We start with a real vendor search, from shortlisting a dozen venues to making the garden versus beach call, then we unpack why warmth, patience, and genuine listening...

Email feels “quick” until you realise you’ve reread the same thread three times, mentally drafted a reply twice, and still haven’t sent it. We start with a deceptively simple productivity idea that changes that pattern: touch an email once. If you can’t take the next action right now, don’t open it yet. Pair that with a daily inbox window, smart flags, and calendar blocking, and your attention sto...

Skipping the jingle is not a gimmick, it is a bet on your time. We start with the “cold open” philosophy and why the attention economy rewards creators and business owners who get to the point fast, especially when people are trying to learn something practical and they are already halfway through the problem.  From there, we borrow a sharp line from Jay Abraham: “You can’t see the label if you’re...

Silence after you send a quote can mess with your head, but it’s usually just friction, timing, or mismatched tone. We walk through a follow-up email we’d actually send when a prospective client hasn’t replied for a few weeks, including the exact kind of wording that makes it easy for someone to answer without feeling pressured. The goal is simple: get clarity, uncover objections, and move the opp...

Follow-up gets a bad reputation, but we think the real problem is fear. If you’ve ever held back because you didn’t want to annoy a prospect, we unpack a different lens: when someone enquires, they’re asking you to help solve a problem, and consistent follow-up is part of doing the job well. We talk about the personality side too, especially how introverts can follow up confidently without feeling...

Hiring used to be a slow grind: post a role, drown in resumes, miss great people because you can’t move fast enough. We put that to the test by running an international search for high-skill web developers, pulling in roughly 150 applicants in two days, then using AI to cut the pile down to a tight shortlist we could actually interview. The result surprised us: within a couple of days we hired two...

Virtual selling didn’t just “grow” after 2020, it took over. We share a stat that over 90% of B2B companies have shifted to virtual sales models thanks to better sales process efficiency and modern management software, then we zoom in on the exceptions. South Korea and Japan still lean more heavily toward face-to-face business meetings, which sparks a bigger question: when does digital selling bui...

The marketing world is quietly reorganising itself around one idea: hire the best people for the job, even if they are not full-time. We talk about fractional leadership and fractional work from the inside, including the weird reality that a fractional CMO can feel like a full employee when they are embedded with the team and owning outcomes day to day. From there, we get practical about building...

690% growth in 30 days sounds like a typo until you see what changed: we stopped trying to look “professional” on every platform and started trying to be interesting where it counts. I’m Charles from Cubic Promote, and I’m breaking down the social media strategy that helped our Instagram and TikTok viewership and engagement jump fast using short form content that actually fits how people scroll. ...

Buyers don’t wake up wanting your product; they wake up with problems, deadlines, and pressure. We unpack a practical B2B growth system that makes your brand the obvious choice long before a formal search begins—and keeps you indispensable long after the deal closes. We walk through a true moat you can build without patents or exclusivity: omnipresence built on adapted messaging. Our blog proves d...

Growth isn’t always about adding more. We found our stride by stopping the right things—and the results reshaped our marketing, our team, and the way we serve customers. We open up about the specific tactics we cut, why they weren’t serving us at scale, and how focusing on fewer, better moves led to sustainable growth without compromising customer experience. We start with marketing myths that loo...

Most brands chase tactics; we chased presence and everything changed. Charles and Jasmine break down how #CubicPromote moved from scattered campaigns to an integrated, omnipresent marketing system that earns 15–24 meaningful touchpoints across a buyer’s journey. The result: steady trust, stronger recall, and content that compounds rather than evaporates. We share the real story behind our 2025 piv...

Ever wondered why it takes so many brand moments before a shopper finally buys? In b2c retail seven touchpoints used to be enough and now 20 to 40 is the norm. With Wendy and Catherine, we compare old assumptions to current behavior, tracing how a product moves from a flash on Instagram to a cart at Woolies, and how discounts, reviews, and retail trust work together to shrink buyer hesitation. We...

Ever wondered what it actually takes to turn a scrappy merch idea into something people love to wear, keep, and show off? We open the studio doors and walk through the messy, creative, deeply satisfying process behind memorable promotional products and uniforms—complete with tight deadlines, picky color matches, and the joy of getting it right. We start with the spark: unexpected product requests...

We survey our team to learn which corporate gifts they’d actually choose, what they’d regift, and which trends are surging as offices head into the holidays. The result is a practical guide to shareable treats, quality tech, and summer-ready picks that people will use. • hampers ranking first for delight and variety • premium mugs and notebooks as safe, high-utility choices • power banks and tech...

Special Guest: Ciara Brennan (Sustainability Manager: APPA: Australian Promotional Products Association) Host: Charles Liu (Owner: Cubic Promote) Want proof that greener promo isn’t just possible but profitable? We sit down with sustainability manager Ciara Brennan from the Australian Promotional Products Association to unpack how real change happens when suppliers, distributors, and buyers stop d...

What if your brand felt collectible, not forgettable? We sat down with Wendy Lee and Christina to unpack why small, personality-packed items—plush keyrings, blind boxes, stickerable mini gadgets—can beat traditional ads on both attention and long-term visibility. Instead of asking people to watch, we give them something to wear, clip, and show off, turning backpacks and laptops into living billboa...

 A few words can tilt a purchase, stir a memory, or ignite a movement—and we wanted to know why. We dive into the craft of one-liners: the ad jingles that refuse to leave your head, the taglines that steer split-second decisions, and the cultural phrases that carry real emotional weight. With Jasmine, our financial controller, we trade favorite lines, test each other with a rapid-fire slogan game,...

The path to authentic leadership requires balancing ambition with legacy-building—something Dr. Amy Lee has mastered throughout her remarkable career journey. From her early days as an accountant to becoming a CFO, and now transitioning into academia and creative writing, Amy shares how accountability and integrity have remained her North Star. "I think I'm in my sunset career now,"...