MyEducator has always aimed to provide high-quality learning materials, and that’s only possible because of the seasoned experts who author its courses. Among those authors is Paxton Gray, CEO of 97th Floor and author of four MyEducator courses spanning marketing and communication.

Paxton Gray has served as CEO of 97th Floor, an award-winning digital marketing agency headquartered in Lehi, Utah, since 2020. He joined the company in 2013 as an enterprise SEO specialist and advanced through several leadership roles, including account director, director of SEO, and executive vice president of operations, leading campaigns for clients such as Google, Zoom, AT&T, and Salesforce. Gray holds a degree in advertising from Brigham Young University, where he also served as an adjunct professor teaching Intro to SEO and Analytics. Beyond his work at 97th Floor, he serves as vice president of the Utah Digital Marketing Collective and as an advisor on the Marketing and Business Education Advisory Board for the Alpine School District.

On Gray’s Artificial Intelligence and Marketing Experience

Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the biggest forces reshaping marketing, changing how brands are discovered, how search results are generated, and how much content teams can produce. Gray has taken an active role in that conversation, using his agency work and public commentary to help marketers separate the hype from what’s actually changing.

Gray hosts The Campaign | A Marketing Podcast by 97th Floor where he talks with marketing experts and industry leaders about current trends and emerging technologies—AI, in particular. Recent guests include psychologist Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, speaking about what marketers get wrong about persuasion, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, speaking about how the site is approaching AI. Other episodes have covered how brands can win in AI-powered search and what Google I/O’s announcements mean for search strategy. Across these conversations, a consistent theme emerges: as automation reshapes the tools marketers use, understanding people and building trust matter more, not less.

Gray is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences, where he discusses marketing strategy and emerging challenges. At Digital Summit Minneapolis in February 2026, he addressed several tensions facing marketers today, including declining organic traffic, AI-driven search results, and increasing content production alongside lower engagement. The marketing landscape is clearly changing quickly as AI and other technologies reshape how brands reach their audiences. For Gray, the answer is not simply to produce more or chase every new platform. Instead, brands need to stay focused on understanding their audiences and what actually matters to them.

MyEducator Courses in Marketing Classrooms

Gray has authored several courses for MyEducator, including Search Engine Optimization, which covers keyword research, link building, mobile and international SEO, website architecture, and search analytics. He also coauthored three courses with Scott Rackham for the University of Phoenix:

Communication Technology examines how the medium used to deliver a message influences its impact, from traditional media to today’s digital platforms and social media writing.

Mass Communication and Media explores the history and business of mass media, including media literacy, propaganda, marketing, law, and ethics.

Social Media Communication combines communication theory with practical strategies for building and maintaining an effective presence across social platforms.

Sources

Gray, P. (2026, February 25). Paxton Gray on why audience insight is the only durable strategy in a volatile market. Digital Summit Collective. https://content.digitalsummit.com/digital-summit-blog/paxton-gray-on-why-audience-insight-is-the-only-durable-strategy-in-a-volatile-market

97th Floor. (n.d.). The Campaign | A marketing podcast by 97th Floor [Audio podcast]. Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-campaign-a-marketing-podcast-by-97th-floor/id1786190696