What we are learning
Notes, research, and observations from inside the work.
The Scaling Gap
Our ongoing primary research on how mid-market companies move AI from experiment to scale. Wave 1 surveyed 200 senior brand marketers at companies $5M to $249M in revenue. Adoption is solved. The operating system around the AI is what breaks.
Wave 1 live · Wave 2 ahead
Case studyJun 2, 2026Coastalview Advisory
An independent readiness review for a self-built production platform
A production studio built its own multi-tenant platform with its internal team. Before onboarding larger clients, CVA ran an independent, third-party technical review through its engineering partner, validating the platform's strengths and mapping a path to enterprise readiness.
Read case studyCase studyMay 20, 2026Coastalview Advisory
Choosing build over buy for an AI-era production platform
An established production studio was choosing the right platform foundation for its next phase of growth. CVA ran a structured build-versus-buy evaluation, de-risked the decision with a parallel-path strategy, and helped define the build.
Read case studyCase studyMay 18, 2026Coastalview Advisory
An AI-enabled production operating model that scales across clients
How CVA designed an AI-enabled production operating model, run through an established production partner, that lets a consumer brand and a media organization run content production at scale while brand standards hold. The review layer is built into the workflow, not bolted on.
Read case studyCase studyMay 15, 2026Coastalview Advisory
Rearchitecting an agency pricing model for the AI era
How CVA designed a three-tier pricing architecture for a mid-market agency under margin pressure. Tier design, rate cards, billing mechanics built to capture AI upside instead of giving it away.
Read case studyPressMay 12, 2026CVA Staff
Coastalview Advisory adds Molly Watson as Executive Advisor, Client Strategy
Molly Watson joins CVA as Executive Advisor, Client Strategy, bringing more than four decades of agency and client-side marketing leadership to the firm's work helping brands, agencies, and production companies navigate the AI transition.
Read press releaseCase studyMay 10, 2026Coastalview Advisory
Creative production at scale for a high-volume consumer brand
A consumer brand with high-volume creative needs was moving off a prior production arrangement. CVA and an established production partner stood it up together, the partner's production engine paired with CVA's operating model and governance, for faster turnaround, fewer revisions, and brand consistency that holds as volume grows.
Read case studyResearchApr 13, 2026Andrew Chan
The Personalization Imperative: a path forward for leaders ready to act (Part 2 of 2)
From diagnosis to direction. The strategic partnerships, open API standards, and consumer-data models that can begin closing the personalization gap, with concrete next steps for CMOs, content leaders, and agencies.
Read researchResearchApr 8, 2026Andrew Chan
The Personalization Gap: what consumers want and why it is hard to deliver (Part 1 of 2)
Consumer expectations for personalized AI are already set by Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon. The data infrastructure to deliver on them is not in place at most organizations. Part 1 of a two-part series.
Read researchEssayApr 8, 2026Todd Brownrout
Lighthouse: building the marketing analytics stack we actually needed for $47 a month
CRM, dashboards, automated pipelines, and AI-powered analysis. The conventional SaaS stack runs about $2,000 a month. We built it for $47. Notes on what that means for content businesses small and large.
Read essayEssayMar 8, 2026Todd Brownrout
Why I launched Coastalview Advisory
After decades inside industries being reshaped by technology, the same pattern shows up every time. Denial, delay, then a scramble to survive. CVA exists to help organizations stop waiting and start moving.
Read essayPressFeb 23, 2026CVA Staff
Coastalview Advisory launches to help companies build content operations for the GenAI era
New advisory firm takes an organization-wide approach to GenAI adoption, aligning people, technology, data, workflows, and economics so companies can fully capitalize on their investment.
Read press release