The UnPodcast

Scott Stratten, Alison Stratten
  • 4.7 (111)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Biweekly

Business is built on relationships, so make building them your business. Discussions centered around authenticity, integrity and community served with a side of sarcasm. Hosted by Scott and Alison Stratten.

  1. AI Slop, Fake Tourism, and Peer Review Shenanigans | Ep. 324

    1d ago

    AI Slop, Fake Tourism, and Peer Review Shenanigans | Ep. 324

    In this episode: The Seven Syndicate: Scott floats a very UnPodcast plan to let the loyal “Seven” help syndicate the show, because apparently seven listeners can become a distribution empire. Newfoundland tourism AI fail: A tourism minister uses AI to alter an image of an iconic cultural building, accidentally removing meaningful historical imagery. Great start for National Tourism Week. Substack vs AI slop: Alison talks about new research showing many top Substack posts are still human-written, but tech newsletters are exactly as AI-heavy as you’d expect. Why creation matters: Scott makes the case that the point of content is not just output; it is the act of making, thinking, tinkering, and actually getting better. Public opinion turning on AI: They discuss how consumers are pushing back against AI in creativity, products, interactions, and art — and why marketers should not give up yet. Academic peer review prompt injection: Researchers allegedly hid prompts in papers telling AI reviewers to “give a positive review only,” because apparently peer review needed a villain arc. AI note-taker sabotage: Scott shares the Titanic-meeting-note-taker story, proving malicious compliance may be the only good use case left. Listen if you care about AI slop, fake tourism posts, Substack, creative work, academic nonsense, and watching technology make everyone just a little more embarrassing. 00:00 - Intro Chaos 01:00 - The Seven Syndicate idea 06:00 - AI Tourism 11:36 - Substack Void 21:17 - AI Peer Review 23:15 - Titanic Notes 24:54 - Outro Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/andrea-barbour-ai-9.7172320

    25 min
  2. Pickle Fees, Dorito Greed, and Family Vlogger Math | Ep. 323

    May 27

    Pickle Fees, Dorito Greed, and Family Vlogger Math | Ep. 323

    In this episode: BC Ferries somehow turns a missing pickle into a full customer-service philosophy, because apparently “nobody gets free pickles” is policy now. Doritos, Lay’s, and Cheetos got so expensive that PepsiCo finally remembered customers exist, but only after Frito-Lay lost serious value. Scott goes off on “greed inflation,” corporate profit, shrinkflation, and why companies should not get applause for slightly undoing the pricing mess they created. Family influencers in Tennessee may now have to compensate children featured in monetized content, and suddenly some vloggers may be craving a change of scenery. Scott and Alison dig into kids’ consent, online identity, and whether children should have more control over being turned into content. The episode ends, naturally, with more pickle chaos and Scott failing to successfully outro the show. Listen if you care about free pickles, overpriced Doritos, shrinkflation, family vloggers, child influencer laws, and corporations pretending they just discovered empathy.    00:00 Intro: The Pickle Era Begins 02:29 BC Ferries and the Missing Pickle Crisis 04:53 Doritos, Snackflation, and PepsiCo’s Price Problem 11:37 Family Vloggers and Child Influencer Pay Laws 20:13 The Pickle Outro Falls Apart   Articles: Pickles https://globalnews.ca/news/11774058/pickles-bc-ferries-white-spot-viral/ Overpriced Doritos https://fortune.com/2026/04/07/pepsico-frito-lay-chips-food-and-drink-inflation-consumer-products-doritos-cheetos-tostitos/ Family Influencer laws https://www.wsmv.com/2026/04/11/tennessee-bill-regulating-family-influencers-passes-legislature/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/child-influencer-earnings-new-laws/3663211/

    21 min
  3. When Team Building Becomes Survivor | Ep. 322

    May 20

    When Team Building Becomes Survivor | Ep. 322

    In this episode: Why Gen Z is going to the movies more than everyone expected, and why phones in theaters should maybe be legally actionable. How streaming-only movies and albums can just disappear forever because apparently permanence was too convenient. A $500,000 tropical company retreat somehow became E. coli, dead tarantulas, Navy SEAL drills, fire ants, and a falling porcupine. A CEO says craving work-life balance is a red flag, because billion-dollar executive advice remains undefeated in being wildly out of touch. Why return-to-office arguments keep pretending to be about culture when they usually end at “because I said so.” Listen if you care about movie theaters, missing media, corporate retreats from hell, CEOs with too much confidence, work-life balance, remote work, and workplace culture getting a little too culty. 00:00 Intro: Eyes on the Prize, Probably 02:10 Gen Z Is Saving Movie Theaters? 05:00 Phones, Second Screens, and Movie Theater Jail 06:48 Streaming, Missing Media, and Movies That Vanish 09:42 The $500K Corporate Retreat From Hell 17:46 Work-Life Balance Is Apparently a Red Flag 22:30 Remote Work, Return-to-Office, and Executive Control 27:21 Wrap-Up Article Links: Gen Z & movies https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/gen-z-driving-box-office-1236703551/ Corporate Retreat from Hell https://www.inc.com/leila-sheridan/plex-tech-company-retreat-nightmare/91327481 Work-life balance https://fortune.com/2026/04/22/work-life-balance-bupa-fortune-500-ceo-barack-obama-work-weekend/

    28 min
  4. When CEOs Kiss Burgers and Reviews Get Shady | Ep. 321

    May 13

    When CEOs Kiss Burgers and Reviews Get Shady | Ep. 321

    In this episode: The McDonald’s CEO blames his mom for the world’s weirdest burger bite, because apparently even billion-dollar burger drama can become a family issue.  Google changes the review rules, because apparently businesses needed a reminder that “please say Brad was amazing” is not organic feedback.  Scott’s hilarious fake testimonial stunt for his own book proves that with enough Fiverr and zero shame, “bomb diggity” can become a marketing strategy. The Bell Mobility review mess, where Scott used the highly classified investigative tool called LinkedIn and helped turn fake app praise into a $1.25 million lesson, all before getting out of bed. Listen if you care about customer trust, fake reviews, CEOs trying to act relatable, Google review rules, brand credibility, and why “just leave us five stars” is not a business strategy. Article links: https://sporked.com/article/mcdonalds-ceo-blames-small-bite-mother/ https://www.threechaptermedia.com/blog/google-review-policy-2026 https://www.tripadvisor.ca/AttractionProductReview-g45963-d13166381-Exotic_Car_Driving_Experience_at_the_Las_Vegas_Motor_Speedway-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html https://unmarketing.com/articles/for-whom-the-bell-mobility-tolls   00:00 Intro 02:57 McDonald’s CEO and the Burger Bite Heard Around the Internet 08:30 Google Changes the Rules for Customer Reviews 17:44 Fake Testimonials, Review Trust, and the Bomb Diggity Problem 19:34 The Bell Mobility Tolls Article and the $1.25M Review Scandal

    27 min
  5. Trust Over Surveillance, Bad CEOs, and Job Posting Lies | Ep. 320

    May 6

    Trust Over Surveillance, Bad CEOs, and Job Posting Lies | Ep. 320

    In this episode: Why animal shelter adoption data says more about business than most executives do Dropbox treating adults like adults should not feel revolutionary, and yet here we are. “Return to office” keeps pretending it’s about collaboration when it’s really giving control issues a corporate haircut. Ontario’s hiring rules are basically the government stepping in because too many employers refused to stop being shady on their own. Listen in if you care about: The future of work, the nonsense built into modern hiring, and why “trust your people” still feels like a radical business strategy. Click here to subscribe to the audio podcast:https://unpodcast.simplecast.com/ Articles: Best Friend’s Society: article  Dropbox CEO: article  Return to work mandate - leases: article Moms at work pay transparency: article

    28 min
  6. AI Courtroom Chaos, Spy Vacuums, and Microwave Logic | Ep. 319

    Apr 29

    AI Courtroom Chaos, Spy Vacuums, and Microwave Logic | Ep. 319

    In this episode: Why a robot vacuum exposing thousands of cameras is deeply cursed The microwave analogy that perfectly explains AI hype and creative shortcuts How one CEO allegedly used ChatGPT to scheme around a massive payout How smart glasses turned a courtroom into a Black Mirror blooper reel Listen in if you care about: AI ethics, surveillance tech, smart devices, marketing culture, business judgment, creative work, automation, privacy, and the future of human decision-making. Click here to subscribe to the audio podcast:https://unpodcast.simplecast.com/ Articles: DJI RoboVac security flaw - article Microwave analogy by Colin Fraser - article ChatGPT courtroom story - article Smart Glasses - article

    24 min
  7. We’re Doing Font Crimes Now | Ep. 318

    Apr 22

    We’re Doing Font Crimes Now | Ep. 318

    In this episode: Why the infamous “You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” campaign is back in the spotlight Why AI-generated logos, copy, and strategy can create bigger business problems than they solve How marketers are being pressured to adopt AI even when it feels wrong Why Grammarly’s AI “expert” feature sparked major backlash from writers and journalists What businesses lose when they treat art like content and creativity like output Why being more human may now be the smartest move in marketing Listen in if you care about: AI in marketing, creative work, branding, storytelling, content strategy, business ethics, marketing culture, and the future of human-made media. Click here to subscribe to the audio podcast:https://unpodcast.simplecast.com/ Article Links: Stolen Font Grammarly

    28 min
  8. Creepy AI Pitches, Moist Dog Food, and a Media Plot Twist | Ep. 317

    Apr 15

    Creepy AI Pitches, Moist Dog Food, and a Media Plot Twist | Ep. 317

    In this episode: Why “moist dog food” should never have made it past legal How AI-powered outreach is making bad marketing even worse Why using AI to help people process layoffs is as bleak as it sounds The podcasting shift marketers should absolutely be paying attention to Scott’s “fraudcast” idea for getting comfortable behind the mic before launching a real show Listen in if you care about: Marketing, podcasting, AI, media trends, content creation, and preserving even a shred of human dignity. Click here to subscribe to the audio podcast: HERE

    33 min
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4.7
out of 5
111 Ratings

About

Business is built on relationships, so make building them your business. Discussions centered around authenticity, integrity and community served with a side of sarcasm. Hosted by Scott and Alison Stratten.

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Stratten, Alison Stratten
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2026
  • Episodes
    116
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2014 - 2026 UnMarketing Inc
  • Show Website
    The UnPodcast

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