Moonshine Design LLC

Going to for the first time, I expected it to be all about the AI bots, but the real takeaway for me was about community and people.

I met folks at table talks, Disneyland, in food truck lines, and even on the escalator.

The conference spanned three levels of the Anaheim Convention Center. Upstairs, the message was to be real. Downstairs, it was all about AI and efficiency.

It felt like a contradiction. But the word that kept coming up was authenticity.

Yes, AI can help you move faster and be more efficient. (I’m all for it as a tool, and I learned some great tips.)

But it can’t build trust for you; that still comes from you as a human being.
Not some perfect and polished version of you. The real you. Even the guy who built his video clone had to build in his quirks and imperfections to make it believable.

Because the real you is what people connect with. It shows proof of your humanity and builds trust.

The further we go into the AI underworld, the more we need to balance it with something real and human on the other side.

If you were at SMMW26, what was your takeaway?

AI is changing the way we work at the speed of light, but the real danger isn’t the technology itself when it comes to marketing. It’s becoming average. When everyone uses the same prompts, templates, and shortcuts, brands start sounding the same. We explore how companies like ILM, Pixar, and Disney Imagineering blended technology with human storytelling — and how modern marketers and creatives can avoid the AI trap.

Is AI Making Your Brand Invisible? Moonshine Design is a small marketing and design firm in Broomfield, CO. We partner with companies big and small in the log home, building materials, nonprofit, and consumer product goods industries. We can help you reach your people and shine from the shelf to social.

Echo, Utah. 1998 and 2026. If you look close you can see the old flagpole with the tire on the far end of the building. No flag flying anymore though.

Which one of these images feels more human to you? It seems to me there's a lot of pressure these days to show up perfect and polished, whether it’s saying just the right thing on your website or churning out your best content on social media day after day.

But here’s the thing—you don’t have to be perfect. You just need to be real.

Authenticity builds trust, especially in the age of AI.

Visually, (and verbally) imperfections are what add character to your brand and make it feel real. People relate to that.

It's also the people behind your company, the process behind the product, and the expertise you bring to the table that create a genuine human connection and build a relationship with your audience.

And that's what grows your business. So here's your sign to stop trying to be perfect and get busy doing. And if you can relate, drop a 🤪 below. And if you need help with your marketing, give me a holler.

What if all you had to do was to be real to help your business grow?

In the age of AI keeping it real is what helps you stand out. There’s so much AI noise out threre. It’s refreshing when you show proof of your humanity.

Stumbling over your words in a video keep it there. Show the imperfect version of your business. Share mistakes. Show your process. Go behind the scenes.

Stumped on how to do that with your marketing? Read my latest blog post: Log Home Contractors: How to Build Trust with Authentic Content Marketing.

Yes it’s targeted to log home contractors but there’s probably a nugget or two you can adapt for your business too.

Want all 34 for ideas? Send me a DM with the DM “keep it real” and I’ll send you the link.

And let me know below, how are you keeping it real in your marketing?

Do you do what you went to college for? Before becoming a graphic designer, I earned an Associate’s degree in photography from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming.

My photography background comes in handy for clients by allowing me to serve as a product photographer, saving them time and money.

If you need instructional shots, simple tabletop product images, or editorial-style content, I can help. These shots are from a gig back in 2021 I did for Neoteric Cosmetics, Prell and Denorex.

What small wins did you have this week?

Success looks shiny on the surface, don't you think? Social media shows us the 3% of life that’s picture-perfect and postable.

What don’t we see? The messy middle.

I feel it too. I got stuck writing this newsletter.

Then I went for a walk, listened to a podcast, and gave myself one hour to work on it and see what would happen.

That’s when things loosened up.

If you’re feeling stuck, too, below are 5 things you can do today to loosen things up and grow your business.