Marketing Isn’t Persuasion. It’s Clarity.
Most businesses don’t have a branding problem. They have a clarity problem. They think a new logo or website will fix what’s broken, but as Ash points out in this interview, those are surface solutions. The real issue often comes down to visibility and trust. In our conversation, Ash shared how brands waste time chasing trends, copying competitors, and polishing what doesn’t need polishing, instead of asking the harder question: what are we actually saying, and who are we saying it to? His perspective reframes marketing as clarity, not persuasion, and challenges every business to stop blending in and start standing for something.
By
Lillian Ashley
Oct 24, 2025
Table of Contents
I sat down with Ash to have a candid conversation about how marketing will change in 2026. We chatted about things that he saw from working in this field since 2017.
Key takeway #1 Most Businesses Are Solving the Wrong Problem
When a business calls us asking for a new website or logo, there’s a familiar moment.
We listen.
We nod.
We take notes.
And then we realize… that’s not actually what they need.
“When someone comes to us asking for a new website or a logo, more often than not, the problem isn't that,” explains Ash.
“They're actually asking a different question, why don’t my customers trust me? Why am I not converting? Why are they going to my competitor?”
That’s when the real work begins.
The Real Problem Behind Surface Solutions
An established legacy company recently approached us asking for a complete rebrand.
They were convinced their logo and website were holding them back.
But after a few deep-dive conversations, it became clear they didn’t need a new identity, they needed clarity.
“What they needed was marketing. More specifically, they needed more customers,” says Ash. “A new logo or a new website wouldn’t move the needle on that.”
So instead of starting from scratch, we kept their logo, refined their messaging, updated their site, and built a strategy around expert-driven content.
The result? Growth, without the unnecessary (read: super expensive) overhaul.
The Real Issue: Reaction vs. Reflection
Most businesses don’t stop to ask what their competitors aren’t doing.
Instead, they play a game of reaction, “They’ve got a better logo, we need one too.”
“Everyone’s on TikTok, we should be too.”
“Businesses are really good at fixing problems,” Ash says. “What they’re not very good at is showing what they do well, explaining it, and telling clients how they solve problems better than anyone else.”
The truth is, great marketing isn’t about doing more.
It’s about communicating better.
Marketing Isn’t Persuasion. It’s Clarity
Too many marketers try to create demand out of thin air.
They build complex funnels, craft clever copy, and talk about “manufacturing need.”
Ash’s take is refreshingly simple:
“If you’re a plumber, people know they need a plumber when their pipe bursts. The issue isn’t that people don’t want what you offer. The issue is visibility and trust.”
Your job isn’t to convince people they need you, it’s to be findable when they’re looking and clear about why you’re the right choice.
The Framework Most Brands Skip
We all know the “Know, Like, Trust” formula. But most brands only focus on the first part.
They chase visibility, more ads, more posts, more noise, and forget about the like and trust.
“If you have a brand that everybody likes, you’re not actually branding,” Ash says.
“Your product isn’t for everybody. It’s for a very specific person.”
That’s where boldness comes in.
Taking a stand.
Saying what you believe.
Being willing to be disliked.
Because trust is built on honesty and consistency, not conformity. Also this is the human part you can't fake with AI!
When Playing It Safe Costs Everything
A service-based security company once hired AMP to build their brand authority.
The strategy required vulnerability, standing apart from the crowd, not blending in.
Two months later, after rounds of watered-down revisions, AMP made a tough call: they walked away.
“The cost of choosing safety is a forgettable brand at best,” Ash says. “The worst case is that your brand spends the next 10 years slowly fading into non-existence.”
Playing it safe is riskier than being bold.
The Content Quality Paradox
With high-end gear cheaper than ever, businesses can produce “beautiful” content easily.
But that’s not the same as effective content.
“High-quality visuals can fool people into thinking the story is there when it’s not,” Ash notes.
“Understand the value you bring first, then invest in production.”
Because great content isn’t about polish, it’s about purpose.
A shaky video with a strong message beats a cinematic ad with no heart every time.
The Most Damaging Misconception: “We’re Not Interesting”
Many business owners think no one cares what they do behind the scenes.
He used to think that too, until he started sharing time-lapses of his photo edits.
“Clients were fascinated,” he recalls. “They never knew how much went into the process. By opening up, that became the content they wanted.”
Transparency isn’t just marketing, it’s trust in motion.
Why Transparency Wins
AMP Visual Media’s entire philosophy is built around one principle: no gatekeeping.
“Modern business needs to be as transparent as possible,” says Ash. “Prospective clients and employees should know exactly what they’re getting in for.”
This transparency isn’t just about showing your work, it’s about showing who you are.
Your beliefs, your process, your mistakes, and your wins.
That’s how people connect.
That’s how they decide to trust you.
“The key to a highly successful brand in the next 10 years,” Ash concludes, “is their stomach for being as transparent and as vulnerable as possible.”
Final Thoughts from the AMP team
Most brands think they need to say more.
What they really need is to say it more clearly.
The businesses that win are the ones that stop trying to look like everyone else and start showing who they really are.
