Few understood this better than Dave Leong, a seasoned marketing strategist turned coach who is dedicating his work to helping businesses harness the power of AI and founder-led storytelling to build brand presence that sticks.
With the rise of AI tools and shifting audience behaviour, Dave opined that the marketing game has and will continue to change. “If people don’t see you, they won’t remember you. However, when a founder steps up to represent the brand’s face, voice, and story, effectiveness can increase by 40% or more. That’s not theory. That’s what the data shows.”
Global Giants and Local Grit
“I started with the big agencies,” Dave recalled. “Then I moved to the client side. I led HSBC’s digital marketing for six and a half years, and later joined Ringgit Plus, handling digital campaigns for multiple banks simultaneously.” Those years gave him a rare dual-lens perspective. He saw what made marketing machines tick in large organisations—and more importantly, what SMEs are missing.
“MNCs have structure, talent, and deep pockets. SMEs, on the other hand, struggle,” Dave shared. That gap inspired his pivot—from executing digital campaigns to coaching businesses on how to market with the help of AI.
Noise Without Narrative
Most businesses, Dave observed, were trapped in fragmented execution. “They were trying bits of everything—using freelancers, hiring agencies, you name it. But what lacked was strategy and systems. And they often didn’t get the results they wanted.”
“But marketing doesn’t work like that anymore. Especially when no one knows who you are.” Rather than urging SMEs to outspend competitors, Dave encouraged them to out-position—to lead with clarity, consistency, and a story that made people notice.
“Corporate LinkedIn accounts consistently underperform founder profiles by 315% in engagement metrics and 270% in conversion rates. The most successful B2B SaaS companies now generate 40%+ of their pipeline through founder-led content strategies.”
Source:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-create-founder-led-content-motion-2025-will-leatherman-5gghe/
Founder-Led Marketing
One of Dave’s biggest lessons for businesses is that the world has moved towards founder-led marketing. People want to buy from people, not faceless companies.
“Imagine five businesses offering the same product. They all post the same content—tips, fancy visuals, promotional banners. But one of them steps out to tell their story, mission, and why they do what they do. Suddenly, that one brand becomes memorable.”
He cited a Malaysian bakery that built a loyal audience not through ads, but through raw, relatable videos of the founder. “No studio. No marketing team. Just the founder, showing up.” That authenticity made the difference. “When people liked her, they trusted her. And when they trusted her, they supported her.”
And the stats backed it up. “When a founder shows up for their business—on camera, in voice, in content—marketing effectiveness improves dramatically. Some studies show a 40% increase through founder-led strategies. That’s because people respond to people.”
Solving the Content Challenge
Still, many founders hesitated. “They’d say, ‘I don’t look good on camera,’ or ‘Creating videos is so much work.’ That’s where technology changes how we do things,” Dave explained. Using AI tools, Dave coaches founders on how to clone their voices and faces, write video scripts, and schedule months of content in hours. “You can now create a daily video presence without stepping into a studio.”
To prove the point, Dave started doing it himself. Since May 1st, he has posted a new video every single day and scheduled more than 120 days of content ahead: “My face, my voice, my brand. Every day. Showing up like clockwork.” And that was the core idea: “People trusted who they saw. If five coaches offered AI marketing, and one showed up daily while the rest stayed silent, the choice became obvious.”
Clarity Over Chaos
Dave is building his offering around coaching and frameworks. “I want to give businesses a system they can run on their own—something a staff member or even an intern can replicate,” he said, highlighting the importance of consistency and sustainability.
For example, a two-hour, hands-on session that Dave could conduct (one-on-one) with businesses is a focused coaching experience. During this encounter, Dave helps firms:
- Understand the AI marketing landscape
- Train AI to reflect their brand voice and tone
- Generation of content, which could include scripts, captions, and messaging
- Clone the founder’s video presence using AI
- Learn how to repeat the entire process independently
“By the end of the session, the team walks away with a full content calendar and a strategy they can sustain monthly,” he said, adding that this can be accomplished without needing extensive technical knowledge or large teams.
Marketing Momentum
Dave explained that frameworks give businesses something they often lacked: rhythm and repeatability.
“Frameworks create clarity—and clarity creates results.” Without one, Dave said, businesses can burn out quickly. “They’d start campaigns and stop. Run out of content. Change directions every few weeks. Then blame the agency. But the truth is, they lack a foundation.”
The ROI Question
But for business owners, the ultimate question is always: “Will this drive results?”
“That’s the elephant in the room,” but Dave acknowledged that the answer isn’t always straightforward. “Bottom-line performance is never the product of one initiative. It’s combining multiple factors—strategy, timing, offer design, pricing, product-market fit, customer journey, and sales experience. No single marketing activity can carry the entire burden.”
Instead, his coaching is designed to solve a clear and specific piece of the puzzle: visibility. “If you’re not showing up, people won’t remember you. If your competitor does show up consistently, with a clear message and a visible presence, they win mindshare.
He noted that sales flowed more naturally when visibility and trust were already in place. “If people have seen you daily, heard your voice, and know your values, they’re much more likely to choose you when they’re ready to buy.”
Dave’s Thoughts
In dealing with challenges. Simplify fast. Complexity kills momentum. The more moving parts you have, the more overwhelmed you become.Whether it’s marketing, operations, or content — AI allows us to do more with less. I’m not building a business that depends on me. I’m building one that frees me — and helps others do the same. Focus on one offer, one system, one channel — and commit to consistency. Authority doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from showing up, day after day. Be visible. Be valuable. That’s how you build trust.
On personal development and leadership. To me, leadership starts with eliminating friction — especially within myself. Every month, I ask: what can I automate, delegate, or eliminate to move faster with less effort? I lead with clarity, build with systems, and prioritise trust. It’s not about scaling hours or headcount. It’s about scaling results through smarter structure.
Do you plan to raise funds to further your offerings? Things can an will change but it is important to know and commit to what your focus is. Right now, I’m focused on staying lean, profitable, and product-led. But if the right partner comes in — one who believes in the mission of scaling AI-powered growth systems across Asia — I’m open to strategic conversations. What matters is shared vision, not just capital.
No Need for a Perfect Day
Dave’s advice to businesses is simple but grounded in urgency: “You don’t need to be perfect to start. You need to start showing up.” In today’s digital marketplace, attention is fleeting—but trust endures. “You’re not trying to go viral. You’re trying to be visible. And with the know-how and tools available, you can do so efficiently and effectively.” For businesses ready to take control of their digital presence, AI Dave offers more than a service—it is a way forward.
