This interview is with Ryan Burch, Founder & Managing Partner at Tobie Group.

Ryan Burch, Founder & Managing Partner, Tobie Group

Can you tell us about your background in digital marketing and what led you to become an expert in this field?

I started my career in digital advertising working with large brands at eBay. That experience was really where I learned how complex marketing systems can get when you’re managing millions of data points, ad variations, and audiences across different markets. It taught me how to think strategically about scale, but also how to find simplicity inside that complexity. I worked with some incredible teams there, building campaigns that focused on performance, testing, and measurable outcomes. That foundation shaped how I approach marketing today—whether it’s a large brand or a small business, the same principles of clarity, efficiency, and results apply.

What’s been your career journey in digital marketing, and how has it shaped your approach to the industry?

Early on, we were on the cutting-edge of retargeting, using first-party data and dynamic creative before most brands even knew what that meant. We were building campaigns that could adapt in real time, using shopping and behavioral data to find new customers who were ready to buy. That experience changed how I think about marketing. Once you’ve seen what’s possible when data and creative work together, you can’t go back. Every campaign I touch now starts with one question: how does this drive measurable return?

You’ve mentioned using Fireflies.ai in your marketing workflow. Can you share a specific instance where this tool significantly improved a client’s marketing results?

We use Fireflies primarily to manage our internal workflow. Every client meeting we have is recorded, transcribed, and summarized automatically. What makes it powerful is how we’ve built automation around it. Fireflies connects directly to our project management and CRM tools, so next steps from meetings are created instantly. It has allowed us to cut down on follow-up time, eliminate missed details, and move faster on client deliverables. For a marketing firm like ours, where execution speed matters as much as strategy, that kind of automation has made a big difference.

With the rise of AI in marketing, how do you see the role of PR evolving, especially in terms of building brand equity with both audiences and AI models?

AI cares a little about what you say about yourself, but it cares a lot about what others say about you. When your point of view shows up consistently in trusted sources, it signals both to people and to AI models that your perspective matters. The future of marketing is about shaping that narrative by getting your ideas in front of the right audiences and letting those voices validate who you are as a brand.

As someone who values data in marketing, can you describe a situation where your data analysis skills directly led to a breakthrough for a client’s digital marketing campaign?

Every campaign we work on starts with an analytics audit. In almost every case, we find that tracking isn’t set up correctly. Sometimes it’s a missing code or duplicated tags, and other times it’s more serious. In one example, a client thought they were tracking leads, but they were actually only tracking visits to a landing page that wasn’t even connected to the form. Their reported results looked great, but none of it reflected reality. Fixing that gave them a clear picture of what was actually working and what wasn’t. Within a few weeks, we were able to shift budget to the right channels and saw their real lead volume increase by more than 30 percent.

Your agency has a diverse, global team. Can you share a specific example of how this diversity gave you a competitive edge in a digital marketing project?

Our team has really diverse backgrounds, and we make a point to use that to our advantage. Our digital ad managers have worked on thousands of campaigns across different industries. That range of experience means we can walk into almost any situation and know what works, what doesn’t, and how to adapt quickly. It gives us a real edge because we are not learning on a client’s time. We are applying what we have already seen succeed in different markets.

How are you integrating AI into your digital marketing strategies beyond just automation? Can you provide an example of a creative AI application that surprised even you?

We are using AI to go beyond automation by helping clients make smarter decisions about where to focus their time and budget. One of the tools we have built is a marketing scorecard that analyzes campaign performance and highlights where things are breaking down. It helps advertisers see exactly what to fix across targeting, creative, and conversion tracking.

We have trained our systems to identify the issues that actually move the needle, not just generate reports. It is like having a second set of eyes on every campaign, pointing out the quickest path to improvement.

In the rapidly changing landscape of digital marketing, what’s one unconventional skill you believe marketers should develop to stay ahead in the next 5 years?

I think the most underrated skill marketers will need over the next few years is learning how to interact with people. AI will generate creative, build reports, and even run campaigns. What it won’t understand is the human experience. The marketers who win will be the ones who know how to listen, connect, and translate data into something that actually resonates with people. Technology can get you visibility, but people still create meaning.

Looking back at your digital marketing career, what’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from a campaign that didn’t perform as expected, and how did it influence your future strategies?

Even the worst-performing campaigns provide opportunities for learning. It’s frustrating when things don’t work out, but there is ALWAYS something to be learned.