Digital Marketing predictions for 2024 just emphasize the basics, and why we might be glad these Elon Musk predictions haven’t come true…yet.
Hey, I’m Lindsay, the host of Make Sense w/ Lindsay T., Lady Engineer®, a weekly podcast where my guests and I simplify complex topics at the intersection of people & technology. We analyze whatever hot mess is in the news, evaluate trending innovations through a human-first lens, and take deep dives on a need-to-know basis.
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Each new year, there are a ton of “experts” making predictions; from sensical to preposterous, I’m breaking them down on my weekly episodes of Make Sense, a video-first podcast simplifying complex issues at the intersection of people & tech.
The reality is: “No one actually has the privilege of knowing what happens in the next minute.”
Yet, let’s kick off year 2 of the pod by pretending we can!
This week’s episode features a long-time friend, collaborator, and all-around good human being Chris Rodriguez, a 20-year marketing veteran and founder of iExcel.co where he works with Seed to Series E startups to scale.
In addition to talking through some of Elon Musk’s most outrageous past predictions, we also dive into:
- The rise in long-form content (did everyone’s ADHD disappear?)
- Human-as-a-premium (odd new term, right?) in customer service
- Whether living on Mars or commercializing the Moon will happen before 2050
Chris is phenomenal and astute in this conversation; I admire him for many reasons, but at the top of the list is how he perceives the world and his marketing work:
✴️ When it comes to making a decision, put all the emotions aside and make the logical one. ✴️

Buck the media hype cycle. Calm the fear-mongering. Laugh at the inanity of Tech CEO “hero culture.” Be the smartest person in your peer’s LinkedIn feed:
Key Takeaways with Chris Rodriguez
Here are Chris’s takes on the predictions I pitched him in the segment Crystal Ball: What does the future hold?
- A Bigger Focus on Personality: Yes
- Rise in Long-Form Content Consumption: Yes (Surprised me!)
- Hyper-Personalization Becomes the Norm: Yes
- More Chat Automation and (Chat) Funnels: Mixed response but believes social media DMs are a strong channel.
- Human-as-a-premium: Yes
Show Notes
00:00 – Sensical and preposterous 2024 predictions
00:12 – Meet Chris and Lindsay
02:15 – How Chris has helped Lindsay over the years
03:28 – Why does Chris love digital marketing?
08:16 – Likening startup founders to the music industry
12:16 – Personality will take over
16:30 – And what about long form content? Will that take over?
19:13 – Hyper-personalization becomes the norm
25:04 – Are we going to see more automated DM conversations?
29:49 – Human interaction will become a premium experience
33:34 – Breaking down Elon Musk’s most ridiculous predictions
51:57 – Episode recap
Where to find Chris Rodriguez
Chris Rodriguez is a 20-year marketing veteran with a passion for driving growth and tangible results for brands and entrepreneurs. He has worked with over 30 startups across all tiers of funding (Seed Round to Series E) and sizes (less than 10 to 100+), generating brand awareness, web traffic, signups, downloads, and most importantly customers & revenue. He now runs the agency iExcel.co, a B2B SaaS-focused demand generation and marketing operations agency based out of the greater Washington DC area.
Company: iExcel.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisexcel/
Where to find Lindsay Tabas
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaytabas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaytladyengineer
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