GoKawiil
Tech News
Mastercard's newly appointed marketing chief is reworking the company's longtime 'Priceless' branding into a global campaign centered on small businesses. The initiative comes as small firms grapple with rising energy costs tied to Middle East conflict, tariff-driven supply chain disruptions, and increasing labor expenses.
A fractional Chief Marketing Officer who advises small business owners argues that generic marketing tactics like broad social ads and SEO campaigns waste money for niche businesses such as contractors and handymen. Instead, she recommends high-intent lead generation, hyper-local search tools like Google Local Services Ads, and partnerships within existing trust networks to reach customers making high-stakes decisions.
As generative AI adoption among small businesses surges—58% now use it, up from 23% in 2023—industry leaders including Michele Jawando of Omidyar Network say access to AI tools is no longer a differentiator. Speaking at a tech discussion, Jawando, Allison Scott of Kapor Foundation, and Katy Knight of Siegel Family Endowment argued that founders must focus on owning proprietary data and intellectual property built through AI rather than simply consuming the technology.
Small businesses are increasingly offering retirement savings plans to employees, a benefit once considered exclusive to larger companies with more resources. This shift is driven by improved retirement plan tools, lower barriers to entry, and rising employee expectations around financial security benefits.
An Entrepreneur opinion piece argues that AI is dismantling the vendor lock-in strategy long used by enterprise software providers, including legacy banking systems and CRM platforms like Salesforce. By cutting the technical cost and effort of migrating data and integrations, AI is making it far easier for companies to switch providers than in the past.
Cybersecurity spending is approaching $240 billion globally even as data breach costs hit record levels, creating a widening gap between large enterprises and smaller firms. Small businesses increasingly cannot afford adequate defenses, leaving them exposed to attacks despite their role in larger supply chains.