Gary Vaynerchuk at SOCi’s ReImagine: Marketing at a Crossroads – The Change We Can’t Ignore

The Power of the Middle Funnel

In his trademark direct style, Gary broke down the marketing funnel emphasizing that the magic happens in the middle. “Everybody’s either a performance marketer or a brand marketer, and all the magic in this next decade… is in the middle funnel.”

Unlike awareness campaigns at the top or conversion ads at the bottom, the middle funnel is where brands earn relevance and trust. It’s built through consistent storytelling and creative that holds attention organically, what Gary refers to as “interest media” throughout the presentation. 

From Social Media to Interest Media

Gary argued that we’ve officially moved beyond the era of “social media.” Platforms no longer prioritize posts from people you follow, but instead, content aligned with your interests and behaviors. “I would argue that as we stand here today, social media doesn’t exist anymore, we are now in interest media.” This evolution means the creative itself now determines reach. A great piece of content can reach millions organically, regardless of follower count or ad spend. Algorithms reward relevance, not budgets which levels the playing field for brands of all sizes. 

For decades, Gary explained, companies used massive budgets to “disguise bad creative.” But now, algorithms have flipped that equation, noting that great creative drives reach. “For the first time in history, the creative can create the reach.” At VaynerMedia, Gary encourages brands to test creative organically before putting paid dollars behind it. When a post significantly overperforms, it signals resonance and that’s when it’s time to boost. “When something over-indexes your base, 100K views versus your normal 4K, that creative has proven people care.” He recommends dedicating 20% of the marketing budget purely to organic social content, using it to test and learn what stories connect before scaling across the funnel.

Gary reminded marketers that all platforms share one fundamental principle, which is that algorithms reward relevance. Success doesn’t come from follower counts or ad spend, but from showing up consistently with authentic, valuable content. “Relevance leads to consideration, and consideration leads to buying.” Consistency, niche storytelling, and genuine value are what sustain attention in the middle funnel.

How AI Comes Into Play

On the topic of AI, Gary struck a balanced tone. He praised its potential but warned against over-reliance. “AI is cute and wonderful, but it’s a tool. If you use it well, it will be great. If you don’t, it will not solve the problem.” He urged marketers to experiment with AI for ideation and analysis but reminded them that authenticity, creativity, and human connection remain irreplaceable. He gave valuable advice that “you will not be replaced by AI. You’ll be replaced by people who use AI.”

Gary also predicted a massive shift in how consumers discover products. Traditional search platforms like Google are losing ground to AI-driven discovery tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and TikTok search. “Google AdWords are in deep trouble… you’re going to be competing with companies that can afford to lose money just to stay in the game.” He explained that future AI models will increasingly rely on short-form video content to inform their results, meaning today’s TikToks and YouTube Shorts will literally train tomorrow’s AI-driven search engines. He reaffirms “the content you make today will feed the LLMs that power tomorrow’s AI search.”

Marketing Should Drive Business

Gary closed with a reminder that marketing exists for one purpose and to drive real business outcomes. “Marketing is not a thing. It is a function to drive a business. Winning awards, getting headlines, fake reporting is all garbage.” In a world of shifting algorithms and endless new tools, his message cut through the noise: focus on creative that moves people and drives performance. The brands that stay relevant, consistent, and human will win.