Every company seems to be talking about AI, but turning that promise into practical value is another matter. How is Plurio changing the way marketing teams work? 

Plurio is a leader in AI-powered solutions for performance marketing teams, helping marketers manage anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in advertising spend across platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok.

AI agents take repetitive, time-consuming work off marketers’ plates. Instead of doing everything manually, teams can use them to optimize large numbers of ads, conduct deep data research, and manage routine workflows. That frees up time for the work that requires human thinking while making marketing teams more efficient.

Digital marketing has given businesses more ways than ever to reach customers. How has that changed the way advertisers think about audiences and campaigns?

I think the biggest shift is that advertising is no longer about creating one narrative for a huge audience. Today, with digital channels, influencers, search platforms, and social media, success comes from understanding much narrower audiences and finding what resonates with each of them. You have to communicate the problem you’re solving and the value you’re providing in an incredibly short amount of time. Instead of running a single national campaign, businesses are now creating hundreds, or sometimes thousands, of audience segments, each with its own message, value proposition, hook, and call to action. That’s actually a good thing because it allows businesses to speak more directly to people’s needs and create much more relevant experiences for consumers.

The challenge is that it becomes far more complex to manage at scale. Performance marketing today is about understanding hundreds of audiences, testing hundreds of ideas, and making creative decisions based on data.

"Advertising is no longer about creating one narrative for a huge audience."

If you were advising a small but ambitious business with a limited marketing budget, where would you tell them to focus first?

If you’re a small business with a limited marketing budget, the first place I’d focus is testing. Try different channels, hooks, problem statements, value propositions, and offers. Whether you’re promoting a service, a webinar, a piece of content, or a product, the objective is to test different combinations until you find what works.

One of the advantages of being a small business is that you don’t need a large marketing team to do this. You can often do it yourself or with the support of just one other person. You’re also much closer to your audience. You know your customers, receive direct feedback, and understand what people care about. That’s often enough to identify the right combination, refine it over time, and eventually scale it.

There’s a lot written about leadership, but in your view, what separates leaders from people with good ideas?

To me, leadership has always been about making things happen. When I was younger, I saw many people talking about starting businesses or pursuing new ideas. Leadership meant actually doing it: registering the company, building a website, finding your first customers, and simply taking the first step.

That definition hasn’t really changed. It’s taking action without external pressure, identifying the next bottleneck, and choosing to solve it because you care about building something valuable.

"Leadership is about making things happen."

Your career has taken you across different countries and markets. What has been the biggest lesson from building a business globally?

Everything started when I came to San Francisco for a conference. I spent time meeting people and exploring the area, and it didn’t take long for me to feel I was in the right place. There were ambitious entrepreneurs everywhere, all focused on building interesting things. Once I made the decision to become part of that community, everything else followed. The next step was simply getting out there. If you want to acquire customers in a new country, you have to talk to people, start selling, gather feedback, and learn from other entrepreneurs. Looking back, one of the biggest mistakes I made was worrying too much about cultural differences. I questioned whether my experience and expertise would be relevant in a different market, but in reality, it was a form of country-level imposter syndrome. 

One thing I’ve come to appreciate is that building a successful business already takes years. If expanding into a new country adds more years to the journey, it’s still a worthwhile investment. The earlier you start, the easier it becomes to navigate a new market.

Trust plays a critical role in business. Where do awards fit into that equation? 

Customers don’t have time to learn everything about every company. Most buying decisions come down to trust, so people either rely on recommendations from someone they know or look for social proof.

Awards, case studies, testimonials, and measurable results all provide that proof. They show that someone else has already validated the quality of a business and its work. For small businesses looking to grow beyond their local community, that kind of validation helps build trust with people who have never heard of them before.

For more information about Seva Ustinov and Plurio, visit Plurio