Dave Brong: Personal agents are the big shift this fall 

DAVE's RECOMMENDED READING

Walmart lets AI agents shop for customers within limits the customer sets
Walmart introduces Agent Profiles, an Agent Gateway for AI shoppers, and new rules for agents, so customers can let an agent buy within spending limits they set.

Hightouch says Ad Studio agents cut Otrium's campaign launch time from four weeks to one
Hightouch's launch post for Ad Studio, where AI agents turn ad performance data and brand assets into on-brand ads, with results from fashion marketplace Otrium.

Cloudflare turns on WebMCP for almost 100,000 Commerce.com stores so AI agents can shop them
Cloudflare and Commerce.com explain how they gave AI shopping agents real tools to search products and build carts across nearly 100,000 storefronts, with an opt-out for every merchant.

TAKE A DEEPER LOOK

Rick Manelius says AI made starting projects nearly free, so finishing is the advantage
Rick Manelius, a repeat startup founder, explains how AI made side projects so cheap to start that he ended up running about 40 at once and edging toward burnout. His essay argues for using AI to go deeper on fewer projects and finish them well.

Where to find Level

CECU Executive Summit
Nov 4 to 6 · Palm Springs, CA
Level is sponsoring CECU’s Executive Summit for career education leaders. Come find us in Palm Springs.

AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education
Nov 8 to 11 · Gaylord Rockies Resort, Aurora, CO
Level is exhibiting at the AMA Symposium, where higher ed marketers dig into AI, MarTech, and enrollment. Say hello in Aurora.

ProcureCon Marketing
Nov 9 to 11 · Sheraton Grand at Wildhorse Pass, Phoenix, AZ
Howard Diamond, our CRO, is leading a workshop at ProcureCon Marketing for marketing procurement leaders in Phoenix.

Podcast spotlight

Where the trail goes cold: Matt Miller and Miriam Valls on data readiness
Featuring Matt Miller, SVP of Strategy and Analytics, and Miriam Valls, Director of Technology Marketing, at Level. Hosted by Brad Stephenson, SVP of Marketing.

Two of Level’s data leads on what it takes for a marketing team to be data ready. Miriam Valls starts with a simple test: trace one real lead from last month through the ad, the form, your CRM and the final sale. The point where that trail goes cold is your data readiness gap.

• Google and Meta optimize toward whatever you tell them counts. Matt explains how Level.Signal scores each lead on its odds of buying, so the platforms chase likely customers.
• Data problems start at the handoffs. Miriam’s fix is one accountable owner for first-party data, backed by engineering support.

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Dave’s AI tip of the week: Have a personal agent send you a morning brief

Start your day with a brief your personal agent puts together for you. Connect your email and calendar, then ask it to cover:

• Emails waiting on your reply
• Expenses waiting for your approval
• Today’s meetings and what to prepare for each
• Travel you still need to book
• Deadlines coming up, like a registration renewal

Between briefs, your personal agent checks your apps every few hours and flags anything new. It remembers what you tell it, so if you want the brief shorter or ordered differently, say so once and it adjusts.

Try it: connect your personal email and calendar to a personal agent with a free plan, and ask for your first brief tomorrow at 7 a.m.

What does AI actually say about your brand? Our free scorecard shows your visibility, sentiment, and citation sources across the major models. Get your scorecard →