Hey👋,
I'm Giacomo

The richer you are, the less lonely you are.

Over the holidays I kept thinking about biases and how hard it is to see the world from a different angle.

And I saw a chart that flipped my assumptions.

Common knowledge goes like this:
Poorer societies are less individualistic and more community-driven, hence less lonely. What we think of Africa, for example.

Maybe this belief comes from a Catholic general dislike of wealth.
Maybe it comes from somewhere else, I don't know.

Either way, it's just wrong.

The data tells a different story.
The wealthier you are, the less lonely you are.

Madagascar is the loneliest place on earth.
India is more lonely than the US.

Honestly, it makes logical sense.
With money you outsource chores and gain more time for friends and family.

So, as a marketer and business person, that's a great reminder:
Look at the data before you fall for a narrative!

I spent the holidays between Naples and the Sorrento/Amalfi Coast.
My first time there. Before leaving, I was warned about everything:
Chaos, scams, micro-criminality, garbage and all other common clichés on southern Italy.
And the idea of going by train from Zurich genuinely scared colleagues and friends: “You’ll never make it.” they said.

What I found instead was…

No chaos.
Yes, there are lot of tourists. Yes, traffic is heavy.
But just one street away from the main roads and I found silence and calm. I had beautiful walks in romantic narrow lanes.

Clean streets.
Of course Naples is not cleaner than Zurich.
But is it dirtier than Milan or other Northern Italian cities? Absolutely not.
I was very positively surprised.

(Un)surprisingly, everything worked.
I used public transport, boats and taxis daily. Always on time, fair prices, zero issues.

People were elegant and polite.
Fur coats and fancy suits were a common sight.
I was warned of their tough dialect, but I've just heard clean and polite Italian.

The train journey was flawless.
Zurich → Milan → Parma → Naples.
Then boats to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.
Every single connection was on time. Sometimes even early.
Ironically, the only delay was on the Swiss train back to Zurich.
Five minutes late. 😅

All of this, paired with some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
And I say this as an Italian, used to beauty.
Some Naples neighbourhoods and the Amalfi Coast are easily among the most stunning places on earth.

This is a reminder for the next time you believe clichés.

When you’re celebrating this Christmas don’t be too hard with yourself. Remember that even our monkey ancestors 10 million years ago liked booze.

They discovered that fallen, rotten fruit was not only tasty but also rich in calories and evergy. It helped them survive climate change and the disappearance of tropical forests where they used to live.

For millions of years alchol has shaped human societies, mostly for the better actually. It helped socialise and keep communities cohesive in the face of adversities.

Obviously, there’s a far cry between this and getting absolutely hammered at the pub. 😅

Happy Christmas everyone!

Repeat with me:

ChatGPT is not an AI model.
ChatGPT is not an AI chatbot.
ChatGPT is not a search engine.

ChatGPT is becoming something much bigger.
A whole new marketing ecosystem.

This week, OpenAI launched Apps, open to everyone.
Yes, even in the EU & CH 😀

Any developer can now build an app for ChatGPT.
Apps can be triggered manually in normal conversations, by typing @ + AppName. But OpenAI is already “experimenting with ways to surface relevant, helpful apps directly within conversations—using signals like conversational context, app usage patterns, and user preferences.”

Translation 👇
Apps will seamlessly activate in conversations without users even realising it.

You’re discussing options for a ski vacation?
ChatGPT triggers Booking[.]com and TripAdvisor to improve the answer and link to hotels and packages.

You’re looking for Christmas recipes?
ChatGPT triggers Instacart and seamlessly suggests ingredients to buy 🛒

Now the real question for marketers:
How do I make sure my app is triggered instead of a competitor’s?

That question is worth $$$.
And right now, nobody knows the answer.

But one thing is certain: sponsored placements are coming.

OpenAI is already “exploring additional monetization options over time, including digital goods.”

Meaning -> one way to get triggered will be to pay OpenAI.
Déjà vu of the Apple App Store? 😅

The marketing world is being completely rewired.
The only question left:

Are we ready for it?

AI didn’t replace humans…
It multiplied HR. 🤯

A paradox.

AI-related layoffs are at an all-time high.
And layoffs require… a lot of HR! 😅

Jokes aside, AI isn’t just shrinking the workforce. It’s reshaping it.

New roles and workflows that trigger large organisational change.
And that’s where HR steps in.

Take Moderna.
They merged IT and HR under the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Sounds bizarre, until you think about it:
Today, corporate AI is mostly about work processes. IT manages the tech. HR manages the human system around it.
They are two sides of the same transformation.

Being that said,
HR itself has become a major target of AI-related layoffs.
Yes, layoffs require HR. But fewer hires mean fewer HR roles too.

That likely explains why HR growth started slowing in 2023–2024.

A paradox, again. 😅

So what’s the takeaway here?
We’re living in damn strange times!

Did you also find this chart surprising?

⚠️ 5 billion visits. Gone.
Your website traffic isn’t dropping by accident, here's why 👇

Once upon a time, Google won by doing one thing faster than anyone else:
sending users away.

There was an unspoken deal with publishers and websites:
“I take your content for free. You get lot of qualified traffic in return.”

But unlike in fairytales, they didn’t live happily ever after. 😔

Today, Google keeps over half of searches inside its own ecosystem.

Google Maps, Google Hotels, Flights, Shopping etc.
And now, AI Overviews answer questions without even a click.

Turn it around and the picture is dramatic:

less than half of Google searches end in a website visit.
And this number is going down.

In September 2024, 49% of Google queries resulted in an outbound click.
In September 2025, that number dropped to 48%.

One percentage point doesn’t sound remarkable.
Until you look closer.

Google processes ~500 billion searches per month.
1% equals 5 billion searches.

That’s 5'000'000'000 potential visits websites lost.
In just one year.

💡 The uncomfortable takeaway for marketers:
Website traffic doesn't matter anymore. You need to find other levers.

If Google sent you zero traffic in 3 years, would you still survive?

My first GPT Shopping purchase is already here!

Please don’t tell my girlfriend I used ChatGPT for her Christmas gift!

See full story in previous post :)

Please don't tag my girlfriend in this post.
She thinks I spent weeks researching her Christmas gift. It took me 3 minutes while on the bus!

Like every year, I'm running late with Christmas gifts.
But at least this time I knew exactly what she wanted: a sushi rice maker.

Problem is,
I know nothing about sushi.
I know nothing about rice makers.

And I hate browsing 50 different tabs comparing specs I don't have time to understand. 😭

But I still tried.

I spent hours researching.
Too many options. Too little time.
I was burned out before I even clicked "add to cart."

Desperate, I tried the new ChatGPT Shopping Research.

I typed one prompt: "find a sushi rice maker under 100chf".

My mind was blown 🤯.

Instead of giving me a list of links, it acted like a sales consultant.
It asked me the questions:

Preferred capacity? (I clicked 1-2 cups).
Main features? (I clicked Non-stick & Quick cook).

In minutes, it gave me a single best recommendation.

One option. One price. One link.
Loved it 😍.

I clicked, paid via TWINT on mobile, delivery is already tomorrow.
Christmas is saved. 🎉

Thanks ChatGPT!

My takeaway as a marketer:

I usually avoid online shopping because of the "decision fatigue."
I really hate browsing products. It drains me.
I rather go to a physical shop and just ask the personnel.

But this time I didn't browse.
No reviews articles, no influencers videos. No links, no clicks.

I just asked. And GPT delivered. In minutes.

This is the future of eCommerce, and I’m never going back to browsing again.
Many others will do the same.

This changes everything in marketing, whether we like it or not.

And you, have you tried AI for holiday shopping yet, or are you still browsing with 15 tabs open? 👇

“I work during the week and live on the weekends.”
I keep hearing this. How sad. 😔

Does it really mean we spend over half of our awake-time not living?

Fortunately, this expression never resonated with me.
“Work-life balance” isn’t a thing for me.

Because it assumes there’s a moment when work ends…
…and life magically starts.

I don’t have two lives.
I have one.

Work is just part of it.
Just like training at the gym.
Like meeting friends.
Like playing music.
etc.

Sure, I practice work more actively during the week.
Just like I train mostly on weekdays.

Weekends are for quality time with loved ones.
But it doesn't mean I switch-off work and switch-on life.

In fact, some of my best ideas hit me during a relaxed Saturday.
An ad I see in the city, a random post on social media, a real-life experience, a conversation.

So when does “work” really end?

If work means being green on Slack, then yes, it stops on Friday also for me.

But when you truly love what you do, work is much more than a string of emails and notifications. In fact, they often disrupt the real work.

Now, I know I’m lucky.

- I’m an employee.
I can slow down outside office hours. Many self-employed people can’t.

- I love what I do.
If you hate your job, of course the weekend feels like freedom. I’m grateful I’ve never felt that.

- It never gets boring.
Ten years in the industry, and it still feels like day one.

Who else feels the same?

History runs in circle.

This article is from 2008.
Now replace Google with ChatGPT. Replace 2008 with 2025.

No difference.