Get Offline: Marketing Strategies for Community Building in the AI Era

“Sorry, I didn’t understand that. If you’re calling with a question, please press 1 …“ We’ve all been there, seeking human support while being blocked by a robot programmed to “help.” And with daily advancements in AI, it feels like developers want us to believe algorithms can do everything.

Seventy-eight percent of people who attend in-person events feel that offline connection offers the best networking opportunities. Why? Partially because our virtual spaces are overflowing with ads, messaging, and random connection requests. This online oversaturation has made genuine human connection more valuable than ever. Research shows that social isolation evokes a mental response similar to hunger, making real interaction as essential as food and water. And as used to virtual engagement as we are, 75 percent of people report wanting to interact with a real person more as technology improves. And we’re seeing the results of this in the marketing space, with many of our clients seeking events to attend and even hosting their own events. 

I interviewed former SNL producer Lindsay Shookus and her co-founder Kristin Merrick. They’re the duo behind Women Working F*cking Hard (WWFH), a community that aims to redefine networking and support for women in business—offline and in person. 

One of WWFH’s most intriguing marketing strategies is its use of mystery. While some events are open to all, others are hush-hush and invite-only. On top of that, they don’t just take place at a certain venue or even in the same city. As Lindsay shared, “There is a little bit of mystery. You just don’t know where we’re gonna be and when we’re gonna show up.” 

This approach creates a buzz around WWFH’s events, keeps members engaged, and inspires even more interest in subsequent events. Who’s going to be there? Will it be near me? Can I attend? At the same time, the nature of these events naturally encourages attendees to provide details about their businesses, interests, and important feedback on the community itself.

Marketing Insight: Mystery and exclusivity can create intrigue around your brand. Events also offer a reliable and potentially invaluable source of first-party data for businesses and marketers seeking to navigate a future with increased user and browser privacy and fewer automatically installed third-party cookies.

WWFH’s success is also about careful curation and a lack of pretense, something marketers should take to heart. Attendees quickly discover there’s no catch or ulterior motive to WWFH’s events. This intentionality extends to partnerships as well. “We’re very, very strategic about who we partner with,” Kristin says. “Partners have to be aligned to our values and really make sense to us.”

Marketing Insight: In the age of AI-driven mass communication, a carefully curated, values-aligned community can be a powerful differentiator. And when it comes to partnerships, seek out brands that share your values and enable both parties to offer mutual benefits.

According to a Harvard report, 95 percent of people believe face-to-face meetings are key to successful, long-term professional relationships. And a recent study from Yale measuring brain activity found that virtual meetings are less engaging than their in-person counterparts. 

So, while AI can facilitate networking and promotion, WWFH’s success highlights the power that lies behind in-person events. Events that create opportunities for genuine, face-to-face connection are something that technology just can’t replicate.

Marketing Insight: Authentic connections can be a powerful driver of growth, especially now that AI is becoming ubiquitous. Lean into live events and real human connection to build a brand with a strong, engaged community.

Building a successful brand is no different than building a successful community—and they both start with cultivating solid, real-life relationships. And I’m not anti-AI, but I am pro-human. While Silicon Valley and tech hubs around the world race to create increasingly clever robots and algorithms, brands that lead with authenticity and prioritize actual connection will continue to prove that the most powerful network isn’t made of circuits but of determined, supportive humans.