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The $11.8 Million Mistake That's Killing AI Companies

From Snake Oil Marketing to Service Excellence: 5 Principles + Strategic Prompts for AI Company Positioning

Max Bernstein's avatar
Max Bernstein
May 24, 2025
∙ Paid

In 1999, Pets.com spent $11.8 million on a Super Bowl ad featuring a sock puppet. Eighteen months later, they were bankrupt. The culprit wasn't bad technology. It was the exact same positioning mistake that's killing AI companies today.

Watch the infamous Pets.com Super Bowl commercial:

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