Tech without story falls flat: Tom Allen on digital leadership & AI

Tom Allen is one of the UK’s most engaging AI speakers, known for his sharp industry insight and commitment to making complex topics accessible to all.

As the Founder of The AI Journal and a driving force behind numerous global tech conversations, Tom has built a platform that empowers businesses to understand and embrace artificial intelligence.

In this exclusive interview with The Champions Speakers Agency, Tom shares his thoughts on digital leadership, the evolution of marketing, and the true power of storytelling in today’s technology-driven world.

Q: In your experience, what key behaviours or strategies distinguish successful digital leaders in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape?

Tom Allen: “Take a lot of risk, get on a trend quickly and try it out. They use the tools that are coming out and they try them for themselves and on a personal level. I mean, it's like how you start a business.

“If you can solve a problem for three people, you try and expand that and say, okay, well, if I can solve the problem for 30 people, and a business will think if I can solve that problem for three businesses, how do I solve that problem for 30 businesses? How do I solve it for 300 businesses? How do I solve it for 3,000 businesses?

“And that's where you get the big items of industries that are solving a problem for a lot of them. I mean, those are why these people that are successful and digitally literate will see something and see how people are going to purchase. I mean, it's like when you look at dashboards at the moment, people are switching towards natural language to… they want to do things faster.

“Like, I didn't really realise it, but you want to use an interface where you're getting an answer that you want. Like, a lot of people are becoming a lot less patient having to look through because they want to get the exact answer they want at that moment in time.

“And I think digital leaders know how to ask.

1. They know how to test the models and test the products and test the plugins and test the tools that are coming out very fast.
2. They get other people to do it and say this is the… they can spot a trend of how people are going to buy.

“I mean, you look at all the businesses that were first on the internet. A lot of them are the ones that are quite dominant on the internet because they keep trying and testing and working out and figuring out.

“I mean, you look at the tools that some of the big companies come out with like Meta, they're miles ahead. They're not going to come on the market anytime soon. Like, I can't see anyone using VR, but you can definitely see it from the trends. That's the way we're going to go to buy things.

“And you can see it with Apple Pay. Like, the number of times I don't really see anyone with a card out or a card present anymore. They're just using their phone. And that's a trend that finance people spotted quite early on.

“And it'll be the same with this, like how people use data, and they use a model and you're seeing it with all the big vendors. They're integrating an AI agent to ask specifically what that user wants, not what the business wants.

“But if you're a developer inside a big Salesforce company or whatever, you want your own agent to tell you exactly, like a best friend in that business, and tell you what you need, where to go, what to do. And that's how they get ahead, because they can spot a trend.

“They can spot what people are using. They can spot what the tools are that are going to be used. And they can adapt to it very fast. Or they take a lot of risk, and they invest a lot of money into getting there. And sometimes it fails, but they're normally the ones that fail, fail, fail, and eventually they'll hit a jackpot. Because, you know, all you need is one home run out of 99 shots.”

Q: As digital marketing continues to evolve, what trends or shifts do you foresee shaping the future of brand engagement?

Tom Allen: “Marketing is changing a lot in terms of how people are buying from companies, how they're connecting to a company. There's a lot more faceless brands that I'll buy from and try out their tools and use it because there's so many options. There's a lot of options from companies just starting up out of nowhere and having a very great product.

“And how that ties into marketing is, if you're marketing something, you've got to remind yourself that people have a lot of different places to go. And I think storytelling is always going to be the best way of doing something. It's like how you look at… I forget the name, the water company. They do brilliant ads. They do adverts that really make you stand out and really think, "Wow, I want to be attracted to that company."

“And you're seeing it with people that are influencers, and they're taking their marketing, and I think you're going to see it on a much more personal level. Like a 10-person company can connect to their audience a lot better. So, they want to go buy it and they want to be associated.

“I mean, you see it in cosmetics all the time with celebrities. They connect to that brand because the celebrities are using them. It might not be a very good product, but because of that… and I think that's going to speak volumes. Like, what story can you tell with your brand and how fast can you tell me why it's good or why I need it?

“And I also think there's going to be… you can test things as much as you want, but ultimately, speaking to your user is still going to be the number one way. And I think you look at any successful brand, they're always speaking to their user, they're always speaking to the customer, they're always trying to understand what is it they want, what problem am I going to solve?

“And I think with all this technology, it's just helping people make better videos or make better things. But if your marketing, in theory, is crap and not very good, you're not going to do very well.

“So, I think the future of marketing is going to be what it's always been, which is: the person with the best story is going to win the biggest audience. Because they're the ones that can… I don't really think it relates to technology. It's just the people that use technology are going to be able to tell 10 times as many stories than the person who's not.

“I mean, yeah, look at film. Film's getting rubbish at the moment because they're just trying to milk as many films as they can. Whereas the people with the films with the best storylines are the ones that become the blockbusters because they've really invested in a very good storyline.

“And it's the same in sports, and it's the same in business. Like, if you've got a very good story that you're telling people—like Harry's shaving kit or whatever—people are going to buy from you. Or Dollar Shave Club. They're a great example. They really solve your problem and they kind of tell a story that you can connect with. It's not just some big faceless brand.

“And I think you're seeing that a lot. People want to connect with brands where they can see the attitude of the company. They can see who they're dealing with, and they can get a sense of their values, rather than just buying because of the benefit.

“Like, I'd rather buy a crappy product off someone who gives me great service, rather than an okay product from a rubbish relationship. And that's how a lot of people work. They want to buy from people they like and buy from people they know, and they trust.

“And I think that's going to be the big thing that people are going to fall into the trap—that they think just because technology exists, they don't have to worry about that part, which I just don't think will… it might work short term, but I don't think it's a long-term play.”

Q: When addressing audiences, how do you help business leaders move beyond the technical features of their product and focus on storytelling that truly connects with customers?

Tom Allen: “How to go to market with their products. I think people get it very wrong. How to tell a better story—and ironically, not focus on the technology so much. People want to see that you're doing it, that you're integrating these kinds of things and thinking about the customer, thinking about their goals, and emotionally selling to them. Thinking about how they feel and what problem you're trying to get over.

“And I think that's a really important point that people skim over. And when I'm talking, and when I'm doing panels, and when I'm moderating, it's really important to see why are you doing… don't forget, like, don't look at the product as something that's going to scale to 10,000 users if you're not connecting with the audience and connecting with why they're buying from you in the first place.

“And I think there are times—but the more expensive you get as a product, the more you've got to be connected to your customer, the better relationship you've got. And I mean, that's why some companies like ServiceNow are on fire, because all they do is talk to their customers. They just constantly talk to their customers. From what I understand—I'm not affiliated with them—that's just an example.

“But you look at it, and I think when I talk about these things, it really does open up people's eyes to thinking: how do I get this story in a way they can understand what I do?

“Because people in the tech sector forget there's a lot of people that couldn't care less about the technology. They just want something fixed. And maybe they've got people within the team like the CIO, CTO—but a big majority of people, like most of my friends, most of the people I know outside of the tech world—they really are like, "Wow, we don't have an idea this happens."

“And there is that educational piece, but you've got to remember they're your customers. They're someone buying a holiday to go on a fancy trip and to get the best plane ticket. They don't care how they get that plane ticket at the price they do. It's your job to integrate a better system for them to learn, understand them better.

“But at the end of the day, they just want to know: am I going to be in that destination for this time to have a great holiday with no headaches? And I think that's the story you've got to tell them. And maybe you can do that by having a great machine learning model behind it, or a great predictive analytics engine.

“But ultimately, when they're buying from you in that situation… there's loads like it. Like, if I'm buying a sofa, I don't care how much technology you've got in your business. I care how comfy is it? Is it going to fit in my home? Is it going to create a house for me? Is it going to create a home?

“And I think people forget that—especially tech vendors. They forget… not all the time, but there's a good number of them, especially startups, that just… they're so feature driven and product driven, they forget about the story to connect to what problem you're solving for them. Because ultimately, they really don't care. Like, there's plenty of other options out there.

“Almost any tool that's available today has a competition and will be able to do it better, cheaper or faster. So why you go there is because you want a better service, and you want them to understand you, and you want to really feel heard and listened to.

“And I think that is a big thing people miss around playing it. And the people that do that—have the best relationships, have the best products, and usually make the most money. And I think it's something… and add most value to the customer. I think that's something that's really missed. And I'd really like to help people understand how you can connect with them better, how to tell that story better, and how to get out of your own head.

“Like, it's great you've got an engineering team that builds all these features, but when you're at a dinner, and when you're understanding them even in a closed environment, or you're networking with them, you really want to make them feel heard, listened to, what problem you're solving.

“And that ultimately helps you, because you can think, "Oh, maybe if they're thinking this way, that customer also operates in that industry is thinking that way." And usually, most people inside the same industry think the same way.”

This exclusive interview with Tom Allen was conducted by Mark Matthews of The Motivational Speakers Agency.