The death of growth hacks and the return to real marketing
For years, marketing has been obsessed with shortcuts: the viral tweet, the perfect ad, the one weird trick that unlocks endless reach. But as Brian Morrissey, founder of The Rebooting and former editor-in-chief of Digiday, bluntly puts it, “everyone’s been peeing in the pool.”
Morrissey argues that the so-called Growth Hack Era is ending — and that’s actually great news for marketers who care about quality, not just clicks.
The pool is polluted
The digital ecosystem has become oversaturated with quick wins and low-effort content. For years, you could simply buy your way to attention - distribution was a commodity. But AI has made it possible to flood every channel with infinite, mid-level content, leaving audiences numb and platforms clogged.
The result? A massive reset. True marketing is no longer about chasing algorithms or gaming distribution seams. It’s about building something worth talking about — and earning your reach.
Quality and trust are the new growth levers
Morrissey suggests we’re heading back to the basics: great products, authentic storytelling, and word of mouth. “People trust people, not institutions,” he says. That means brands need to get personal. Put real faces forward. Encourage your team, your customers, and your advocates to speak as humans, not as logos.
We’re already seeing this in the rise of microinfluencers, community-led brands, and executives who show up authentically online. The era of faceless corporate messaging is fading fast.
Build for the long game
This doesn’t mean dropping what’s working today but it does mean planning ahead. SEO is shifting, social platforms are volatile, and inboxes are crowded. Instead of chasing the next tactic, start designing a marketing strategy that will still matter in five years.
At theSalt, we see this shift as a chance to reset priorities. To trade hacks for humanity. To earn distribution through relevance, empathy and creativity — not algorithms.
Are you ready to boost your brand with real peer-to-peer influence? Let’s chat.
Justine Wheeler
Justine Wheeler, Campaign Project Manager at Creator Collective, a family of brands serving the entire creator ecosystem.
