Alive Labs
Insights
Perspectives, technical deep-dives, and case studies from the studio.
What Is the AI Composability Stack and How Does the Intelligence Layer Change It?
The AI composability stack is the set of modular components, models, memory systems, tool integrations, and orchestration logic, that you assemble to build AI-powered workflows. The intelligence layer is the part of tha
5 min read · 2026-08-03 · perspective
Build vs. Buy for GTM Agents: What You Actually Need to Understand Before You Decide
Everyone selling you an AI SDR right now is selling you a workflow they designed for a median customer. Their prompt engineering reflects their assumptions about your ICP.
5 min read · 2026-07-29 · perspective
Your Brand Is Now Being Evaluated by an Algorithm That Doesn't Care About Your Ad Spend
The purchase funnel you built your marketing career around assumed a human at every decision point. Someone sees your ad, feels something, remembers your brand, and eventually buys.
5 min read · 2026-07-27 · perspective
Who Owns the Agent? The Governance Gap Eating Your Agentic AI Stack
You have agents running. They are shifting budget, drafting copy, updating records, and making decisions at a speed no human team could match.
5 min read · 2026-07-20 · perspective
6 Metrics and Reporting Shifts That Define High-Output MarOps Teams (2026)
Most marketing ops teams treat reporting as a deliverable. They spend Monday pulling numbers, Tuesday formatting them, and Wednesday explaining what happened two weeks ago.
5 min read · 2026-07-13 · perspective
7 Loyalty Program Formats for Small Businesses (2026)
You don't need a six-figure app budget to run a loyalty program that actually changes customer behavior. You need the right format for your situation.
5 min read · 2026-07-06 · perspective
5 Ways Restaurants Track Competitor Pricing in 2026
You already know your food cost to the decimal. You know what Friday night looks like when you're 20 covers short.
5 min read · 2026-07-06 · perspective
The Model Is the Easy Part: Why Your Agent Harness Determines What Actually Ships
You've probably spent real time debating model selection. GPT-4o versus Claude 3.
5 min read · 2026-07-06 · perspective
Your AI Agent Can Issue Refunds. Have You Decided When It Should?
Most teams deploying AI agents in customer experience roles spend the bulk of their pre-launch energy on the wrong layer. They tune the tone.
5 min read · 2026-06-18 · perspective
The Meta Business Agent Playbook: What to Configure Before You Go Live
Meta Business Agent is live on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Configure handoff rules, tone guardrails, and escalation logic before you go live, not after.
5 min read · 2026-06-08 · perspective
How Three Guys from Michaels Stores Ended Up Building for the Space Between the Screen and the Street
Customers cross the line between physical and digital thousands of times a day, in both directions. Most companies see only one side. The three founders of Alive Labs had each been working on the round-trip for years before they met at Michaels Stores. Here's the founding story.
10 min read · 2026-04-06 · perspective
Wallet Passes Are the Most Underrated Marketing Channel in 2026
Wallet passes hit 20-40% engagement. Email hits 1-3%. Most SMBs aren't using the channel yet. Here's why that's about to change.
12 min read · 2026-04-05 · guide
What Auto Shows Can Learn from E-Commerce
Auto shows spend millions on booth design and measure none of it. Here's what e-commerce-grade analytics gives a manufacturer that's still counting badge scans.
13 min read · 2026-04-03 · case study
The Case Against 'Intelligence + Execution' Platforms
Platforms that bundle competitive intelligence with automated execution create misaligned incentives. Here's the case for intelligence that informs without acting.
11 min read · 2026-04-01 · perspective
Skin Analysis AI Has a Trust Problem
Most skin analysis AI works better on lighter skin tones and breaks in bad lighting. Here's what real transparency looks like, and what to demand from beauty AI.
10 min read · 2026-03-28 · technical
Your Competitor Changed Their Menu Last Tuesday
Your restaurant competitors signal strategy through menu changes, pricing moves, and review trends. Learn how to build a competitive intelligence system.
12 min read · 2026-03-25 · perspective
Attribution Doesn't End at the Screen
Experiential marketing drives results brands can't prove. The Sense-Connect-Measure framework bridges physical events to digital outcomes, so the ROI stops looking underwater.
14 min read · 2026-03-22 · perspective
The 5-Minute Loyalty Program
Most SMBs never launch a loyalty program because setup is too complex. AI changes that: a real loyalty program can now go live in under a week.
13 min read · 2026-03-20 · guide
What Happens in Your Restaurant When You're Not There
Most restaurant owners can't see what happens after they leave for the night. The slow erosion of standards happens in the hours you're not present. Here's the operational visibility that closes the gap.
12 min read · 2026-03-18 · perspective
Physical Isn't Dead: It's Under-Instrumented
Physical retail isn't dead. It's running blind. Here's what changes when stores get the same measurement infrastructure that websites have had for twenty years.
11 min read · 2026-03-15 · perspective