Articles
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Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.
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Howard Luck Gossage, also known as “The Socrates of San Francisco“. Just like some of us, he was a paddler too who once joined a friend to paddle a canoe for 1 500 miles along the Mississippi river. And he discovered the media theorist Marshall McLuhan.
We write about marketing, media, South Africa, AI, the creative life and whatever else happens to keep us up at night. These aren’t “thought leadership” pieces written to game an algorithm. They’re honest observations from people who’ve spent decades in publishing, branding and digital marketing and who still find the industry fascinating enough to have opinions worth sharing.
RECENT ARTCLES
The Toast’s own perspectives on brand development, communication, media trends and life in general.
The rise of AI‑powered search
A new search era dawns As of July 2025, 43% of consumers now use AI search tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini daily. Trust in these tools is substantial. Yext’s global survey (March / April 2025) reveals that 62 % of users trust AI to help them discover and evaluate brands. This marks a monumental shift from traditional search.
A tactile revival
A lifelong friend of mine is a devout vinyl record enthusiast, listener, collector and a sometimes-trader of high-quality old-school records. Pieter’s Groovy Records side hustle has become a known brand amongst like-minded aficionados of the emotion-rich qualities of a distinctive vinyl record sound. He and his ilk are not alone.
The seven wise steps to a hardworking website
At Twisted Toast Digital, we believe a website should be your most reliable employee, always on, always working. But too often, websites are neglected or underperforming. We change that by following seven wise steps: from smart strategy and brand-first design to UX-driven layouts, sharp GEO and SEO plus ongoing optimisation. Our approach combines thoughtful content, technical excellence and continuous refinement. The result? A high-performing site that tells your story, converts visitors and evolves with your business. Because a good-looking website isn’t enough... it must deliver results.
The six crucial mistakes to avoid when developing a content marketing strategy that delivers sales results
At Twisted Toast Digital, we’ve learnt that content without strategy is just noise. Many brands chase likes or pageviews, but overlook what matters most: Sales. The biggest pitfalls? No clear goals, inconsistent output, poor GEO and SEO and content that talks at customers instead of connecting with them. Our approach is different. We build smart, results-driven strategies aligned with your business goals, optimised for human impact and AI visibility. The result? Content that doesn’t just exist. It performs. Let’s make yours count.
We can do what AI cannot
At Twisted Toast Digital, we’ve witnessed the AI explosion firsthand: Logo generators, layout engines and rapid-fire visuals that impress at first glance but fade on second. Why? Because they lack soul. AI doesn’t feel, doesn’t understand nuance, doesn’t create with intent. We do. Human design is still the difference between generic and great. Between bland and brand. Our team blends emotion, cultural insight and professional experience to craft work that matters. AI can assist, but only humans can truly create.
The fast-changing world of search
ChatGPT becomes a search super power A fast developing digital battleground is shaping into an internet search war certain to alter everything from pay-per-click advertising to the way in which website and related digital content is finessed. Perhaps it’s a bit early to announce an eventual demise of traditional keyword search results from Google, but judging from my own personal experience, large language model generative AI search expressed in natural language in a chatbot conversation format results in more fluid, nuanced and useful feedback.