New Australian platform tackles marketing's information overload problem
Marketing teams face a persistent gap: they have more data than ever but struggle to understand what actually matters. A new AI platform called Rumblings aims to close that gap by spotting early cultural shifts and translating them into specific strategic recommendations.
The platform was founded by Annabelle Jones and Lori Susko from We Scout, Jenny Ringland (former News Corp journalist and G+S founder), and Tom Crawford (former Woolworths Group head of advanced analytics). They built Rumblings because existing tools solve different problems-social listening shows what already happened, trend forecasting predicts 18 months out, generative AI produces more content-but none connect cultural signals to immediate business action.
How it works differently
Rumblings combines real-time cultural signals with brand-specific data: audience behaviour, category dynamics, commercial goals, positioning, and psychographics. The system then generates tailored recommendations rather than generic insights.
"Two brands could see the exact same cultural shift, and we see it as Rumblings' role to filter what is important to the end user, and explain what they should do with it, and why," Jones said.
The platform functions as a strategic partner rather than a reporting tool. It helps teams pressure-test ideas, identify whitespace opportunities, and understand where cultural shifts create commercial relevance.
Pushing back against AI-driven sameness
The founders designed Rumblings to counter a visible trend: as AI adoption accelerates, marketing output is becoming increasingly uniform. The same aesthetics, campaign structures, and language appear across brands.
"A lot of AI is creating optimisation, but not originality," Jones said. "You can already see the flattening effect happening across marketing."
Rather than optimizing for speed, Rumblings prioritizes decision-making quality. The founders argue that competitive advantage comes from knowing what matters early and having evidence to act on it.
Market timing
Investment in AI-powered marketing tools is accelerating. PwC found that 88% of executives plan to increase AI-related budgets over the next 12 months, with agentic AI emerging as a priority. Grand View Research projects the AI marketing industry will reach US$82 billion in annual revenue by 2030, representing 25% compound annual growth from 2025.
Rumblings is currently running pilot conversations with brands, agencies, and innovation teams before a broader rollout in 2026. Early access is available through the platform's website.
For marketing professionals looking to strengthen their AI skills, resources like AI for Marketing and the AI Learning Path for Marketing Managers offer structured approaches to understanding how AI fits into strategic decision-making.
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