Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact
Designing Tomorrow explores a new playbook for modern social impact leaders and brands to reach their true impact potential.
Why do some social impact brands thrive, while so many others fail to get traction, build support for their cause, and make meaningful progress? Imagine your impact with truly sustainable revenue and resources. With deeper community engagement and relationships. With more influence in your social impact category.
Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, each episode dives into the strategies, mindsets, and behaviors top social impact brands use to play and win in the attention economy. Go beyond high-level concepts to specific tools and tactics you can use today.
Watch on YouTube or listen to new episodes each Tuesday.
Let’s design a better tomorrow, together.
Designing Tomorrow is a Cosmic Production. Learn more at https://designbycosmic.com/
Designing Tomorrow is a registered trademark of Design By Cosmic, Inc.
Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact
The Great Content Reset
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AI slop is flooding every channel. Here's what changes, what doesn't, and how to cut through the noise.
In this episode, Eric and Jonathan dig into the great content reset — the collision of AI, shifting media formats, and a growing hunger for real human connection. They unpack where AI actually helps (and where it creates "AI slop"), why Derek Thompson argues everything is becoming television, and the timeless communication truths that hold no matter the technology.
Episode Highlights
[00:00] The Great Content Reset
[01:03] The Google Ads Nightmare
[03:05] AI as Content Accelerant
[05:20] Quantity vs. Personality
[08:18] How We Use AI on This Show
[10:33] When AI Helps vs. Hurts
[14:16] Everything Is Television
[18:22] Should Every Org Create Content?
[20:06] The Return to In-Person
[23:13] Timeless Communication Truths
[26:41] The Value of Imperfection
Notable Quotes "As the channels get noisier and noisier, you basically have to show up more and more. But is that really going to be your strategy?" — Eric
"Are people even planning what to do on a weekend by searching Google anymore? Are they just asking ChatGPT?" — Jonathan
"The more AI slop comes in and pollutes these channels, the more anything that feels different than that becomes important." — Eric
"I think the idea of 'we do good work behind the scenes' — there is less and less viability in that model." — Eric
Resources & Links:
🎙️ Mike Nellis — The Endless Urgency of Digital Organizing: https://designbycosmic.com/podcast/mike-nellis-endless-urgency-interview/
🎙️ Amanda Litman — Run for Something: https://designbycosmic.com/podcast/amanda-litman-run-for-something/
📝 Derek Thompson — "Everything Is Television": https://www.derekthompson.org/p/why-everything-became-television
🎙️ Why No One Cares About Your Content: https://designbycosmic.com/podcast/why-no-one-cares-about-your-content-and-how-to-fix-it/
Cosmic helps social impact leaders build trust through story-rich brands, compelling campaigns, and values-aligned strategy: https://designbycosmic.com/
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Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.
