The North America-based United Soccer League, which encompasses several men’s and women’s leagues, a player development academy and a national youth platform, recently experienced its busiest matchday in its 38-year history, amounting to 72 games across four of its leagues over the course of 12 hours. It’s a big win for the organization, whose mission is to drive soccer forward in the United States and Canada.

We spoke to the league’s CMO, Greg Lalas, a former pro player and product of the American soccer system himself, who is determined to grow the league’s properties through taking a grassroots, community-first approach to storytelling.

When it comes to marketing small businesses, owners are often too busy and lack the bandwidth to optimize, A/B test, analyze the data feedback and adjust across multiple channels. If your time and energy are limited, our columnist suggests focusing on TikTok for its organic reach, its built-in video editor and a host of other features that might be attractive to budget-strapped marketers.

AI tools and writing assistants like ChatGPT are on the rise, making it quicker and easier to generate text-based content. But the resulting influx of AI-generated content begs the question: how will Google treat this kind of content? Will brands and creators get penalized for using AI? The answer, like many things with Google, is a bit more complex than a simple yes or no. Here’s how to avoid the common pitfalls of poor content, and crucially, AI’s potential to amplify it.

Lastly, Sara Pollack, VP, Global Lead of Consumer Marketing at Pinterest, shares three insights from its Coachella debut: lead with data; hype them up pre-festival; and lean into their lingo.

Until next week,

Kaylee Hultgren
Content Director
Chief Marketer

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