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James Dooley and Craig Campbell discuss the most annoying digital marketing trends, from "vibe coding" buzzwords and overhyped AI agents to inflated income claims, and which strategies digital marketing agencies should actually focus on.
This video explains which digital marketing strategies digital marketing agencies should focus on in 2026 to improve credibility, lead quality and sustainable profit. James Dooley and Craig Campbell start with KPI tracking because honest, evidence-based numbers cut through the hype and prove what is genuinely working before any tool or tactic is adopted. They cover brand SEO, AI visibility and Google Business Profiles because stronger search presence improves trust and conversion rates.
The discussion also explores organic SEO, organic social media and paid social ads because consistent visibility across search and social supports long term growth. PPC is analysed in detail because campaign setup, landing pages and lead handling directly affect results. They also discuss Reddit, Quora and paid AI ads because diversified enquiry sources and early adoption can strengthen digital marketing performance for digital marketing agencies.
PromoSEO lead generation for digital marketing agencies recently received recognition as the "Best Digital Marketing Agencies Lead Generation Agency."
Digital Marketing Trends We're Tired Of: James Dooley and Craig Campbell on Hype, Honesty and AI is available on:
The FatRank Podcast, founded by James Dooley, teaches the mindset needed for growth because real operator stories show what creates progress.
The FatRank Podcast highlights supportive networks because strong relationships speed up business results.
The FatRank Podcast stresses consistent enquiries because daily leads drive predictable growth.
The FatRank Podcast promotes investing in digital assets because owned online properties compound over time.
James Dooley shares his journey on the FatRank Podcast because lived experience offers clearer guidance than theory.
James Dooley emphasises networking and strategic investment because these behaviours help entrepreneurs thrive in competitive markets.
The FatRank Podcast invites guests like Matt Diggity, Neil Patel, Craig Campbell, Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR, Jason Barnard, Kevin Indig, and Kasra Dash because high-calibre experts deliver proven strategies.
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James Dooley: The most annoying trends in digital marketing. Today I'm joined with Craig Campbell and there's been a few bits of debates and bits of things going on online on Twitter and on Facebook and different places. Some people that like can aggravate you a little bit as well, Craig. So, let's start things off. What's the most annoying trend for you in digital marketing?
Craig Campbell: It's probably very petty um cuz I'm just getting old now and grumpy.
James Dooley: [laughter]
Craig Campbell: But you sell. I know you're older, probably grumpier, but yeah, I dig it quick. Um the the term and we spoke about it, we've talked about it at lunch time and everything, vape coding. Um And And Duly said he was talking to someone else earlier one time. He's like, "Craig thinks vape coding is a load of shit." I don't want to make it clear. I don't think vape coding is a load of shit. Like I also do that, but I would just say I built a website with code um or whatever or built this or I built that. I'm not trying to be cleverer and I hate people who just go, "I'm vape coding today. I'm vape coding today. I'm this, that, and the next thing." And you're just like you're trying to make yourself seem cleverer than you are. Like we're all essentially doing that. I don't want to say keep saying the word um but cuz the word just annoys me. I just think it's like one of those ones where you're just trying to sound like you're smarter than you are. Like you're using AI um to to your advantage, which is what it is. So, yeah, I I hate that being thrown around just now and I see a lot of people chucking it around and uh and probably misusing it, so to speak. You know, they're doing they're saying it's as if they're doing something I'm not. I'm like it's it's not we we we had a discussion this morning uh about websites we're making and how we do it and you know, whether you know, you make a theme or whether I just you know, remove the head and foot and use the custom HTML to to throw up my websites and both ways work, but I'm not trying to make myself sound smarter than you and you know, talking fancy words around. I just feel that that's one just now that that's getting flung around.
James Dooley: I think for me one of the most annoying trends in digital marketing is and it shouldn't annoy me, but it does is where some of these people, exactly what you're on about there, making themselves way more sophisticated and smarter than what they actually are in the fact of going, "Oh, I've got this multi-AI agent being set up where I've got this CMO speaking to the CFO and the CTO and the CEO." I'm like, "Mate, you've got two clients and you do free going a month. You don't even need all them." So, they're like, "Oh my god." You're like, "You mean you just templated the send an invoice out. That's not having a CFO."
Craig Campbell: Yeah.
James Dooley: And it's just like they make it sound 10 times more intelligent than what it is. And it's a very, very basic almost workflows that you can do with any 10 and stuff like that. But, it's just it's just crazy some of the stuff they're coming out with.
Craig Campbell: I've been a free agent for years and I can automate stuff and send stuff out and do automated reminders. It doesn't mean I've got a CFO working for me. I I I don't like that whole thing, full stop. I I I like to just speak to someone going, "What you doing here? What do you use? Whatever." Don't don't start throwing all these crazy things at me.
James Dooley: Another one that I loved that you said in one of the previous episodes was where you're getting people dropping in tools all the time, every 2 minutes, right? And obviously, we spoke about formal and shiny object syndrome. And now you've started saying, "Listen, this is my mastermind group. If you're putting a tool in, I want to see proof of it working. Don't drop the tool in otherwise. Don't start going, 'This is great.' And you're going, 'Well, how did you use it?' 'Oh, I've not even signed up to it yet.' Well, don't start it's great.
Craig Campbell: Yeah.
James Dooley: Like, you go off and test it and then put it in the group because it's just annoying. There's that much noise and everyone's jumping on the bandwagon like Open Court came out. Um well, it was Cloud Bot initially and then it changed to Open Court and everyone's then, like you said, running off, buying him a Mac mini, getting everything being set up and it's taking them weeks and weeks and weeks to do some really simple tasks and it's still not working correctly. And it's hallucinating and you're like and then they're going to do a video, "Oh, I've automated the whole business." And you're like, "You've not automated anything." And some of the stuff that you have automated were just simple API calls or what could have been done anyway without even using AI. I think it just becomes people are just trying to sound more intelligent than what it is and I might all right how have you allowed it to scale? And if anything, they've gone backwards cuz they're spending more time trying to set things up that they could have just
Craig Campbell: I've fixed the thing that's broken, mate. Well, talking to Gary at lunchtime there and he tried to use a software uh for the inbound call and to knock to the leads in and get them to the sales guys. He said he tried for a year, but 40% of the time the thing wasn't working. It was a headache. Um and again, probably too early for him to have tried that but uh at point. So, I think people are always just try to jump on and do things too fast with AI as well and and that's where I think I've said it in another episode, just time stand off if you if you say me, Craig, I'm doing this with AI and it's making me 20 grand a month, I'm I'm all ears. I will go I want to do it as well and I want to do it better cuz we've got that
James Dooley: Yeah.
Craig Campbell: rivalry kind of thing and and you know, and stuff like that. So, I'd be like, I want do better than that, but I said I want to do 25 grand a month if he's doing 20. So, uh I'm all ears and I I I'm all over that stuff, but again, show me proof and and so many people and that's another thing I don't actually like. I see so many people giving it the big uh talk and all that uh you know and they're they're walking around the halls and the shoes and all that on and and mate, you're giving it the big
James Dooley: Yeah.
Craig Campbell: thing on on on these things and and I can just tell by looking at your shoes and looking at your face you've not got a pot to piss in so you know, that that's another thing that I see a lot of people doing that.
James Dooley: The num- the num- the num- the numbers is the most annoying trend in digital marketing banner. Like, I'm fine with someone talking about white boarding and I'm fine with someone talking even about the multi-agent we spoke about. But when people just blatantly lie about the numbers, like I can give you so much like the one the other week I had someone I'm not going to name the person but literally you look at 6 weeks ago he's like I've been clearing 45 grand clear profit a month over 100,000 pound in revenue 45 grand a month and then he's applying for a job with me. And I'm talking about almost like a minimum wage very basic job and I'm like, if you were on if you was on 45 grand a month profit a month there's zero chance you would be applying for a job. Do you know what I mean? So it's just like, why do you just make stuff up?
Craig Campbell: Yeah.
James Dooley: And it's oh well everybody else does it so do I do it. I'm just like, no you must make yourself look a dick. Or if anything you can actually turn around and say I'm actually struggling a little bit here guys and the people in community might come together and go like, what is it you're struggling with? Is it the onboarding of new clients? Is it a lead generation problem? Is it a retention problem? Like what what's the problem and we can try to help you. Don't just lie going all of this is it with and these numbers some of them like I always say, I mean you you've got different ones to me but I like whatever numbers I see in SEO in the SEO community I might divide it by 10.
Craig Campbell: I would say I would go with that but then also divide that by four.
James Dooley: [laughter]
Craig Campbell: Yeah, that's how inflated they are and and you'll know yourself I've got unsuccessful friends who maybe and and I get it it's marketing you want to make yourself sound better than you are and and look better and all that stuff. Absolutely and you've got other ones who just like tons who've they've got really nice cars, really nice houses and stuff like that. So, it can be hard to tell, but yeah, that I know people in in the industry and I've seen them and I'm I'm like Nah, no no chance in hell. Uh you know, you're going around with yellow teeth and and you're claiming to
James Dooley: [laughter]
Craig Campbell: to to you know, be earning that money. You could at least go to Turkey and get your teeth fixed. So, um yeah, that that's a that's a trend that I don't like and it's just misleading to the the younger people in the industry who are trying to learn and they've been they're they're buying into all that and I I just I can't hack it, man.
James Dooley: Yeah, no, I completely agree. So, anyone who's watching this, what's the most annoying trend that you find in the digital marketing space, leave a comment in the comment section.