Brand Is Intentional: Planting a Stake in the Ground (with Elaine Zelby from Tofu ) | Ep. 14

Welcome to episode 14 of Beyond the Billboard, hosted by Greg Wise and Charlie Riley. In this episode, Greg and Charlie are joined by Elaine Zelby, who describes her background as “extremely random and non-linear,” sharing insights from her journey through engineering, enterprise software, Slack, venture capital, and now co-founding Tofu. Elaine opens up about why titles are “dumb,” how brand means “planting a stake in the ground,” and what it really takes for marketers to define their identity in a crowded landscape. The conversation explores how marketing roles have shifted, why performance marketing alone no longer works, and what brand means in a time when “everyone is coping with change.” Elaine’s hands-on stories cover narrowing your target audience, building a platform versus a point solution, and the importance of integrated campaigns, omnichannel experiences, and company-wide consistency. This episode is filled with real-world examples, from DocuSign’s beginnings in commercial real estate to HubSpot’s jeans-and-t-shirt energy, plus tactical advice on sales incentives and brand alignment that you can hear directly from the transcript.👤 Guest BioElaine Zelby is the co-founder and CRO of Tofu. Previously, she worked in enterprise software, led enterprise marketing at Slack, and spent five years as a partner at Signal Fire, a venture capital firm focused on artificial intelligence and software. Elaine shares that she once listed her LinkedIn title as “Chief Spear Fisher Woman” because, as she says, “titles are dumb,” and describes her approach as non-linear and defined by “no North Star.” Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn.📌 What We CoverWhy “brand is intentional” and the importance of defining what you want to be known forThe pitfalls of skipping the “who” and how to narrow your ICP over timeReal stories: Tofu’s journey, DocuSign’s path from commercial real estate to horizontal softwareHow brand shows up in consistent employee experience and customer touchpointsWhy not every company should focus on brand marketing—and which personas care mostIncentives and comp structures that actually align sales, marketing, and SDR teams with the buyerThe role of integrated campaigns, omnichannel tactics, and out-of-home in brand buildingHow negative buyer experiences become “negative deposits” in your brand bankConcrete airport out-of-home ideas for targeting high-frequency travelers and company events🔗 Resources MentionedTofu HQElaine Zelby on LinkedInScrappy ABMMention of companies and platforms: DocuSign, Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, Signal Fire, McKesson, Fannie Mae, Colliers, Gong, McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture, Wipro, Aptio, OpenAILow-Tech, High-Impact Account-Based MarketingIf you’re ready to trade expensive, tech-heavy account-based marketing for a repeatable, revenue-driving ABM program, check out Scrappy ABM. Led by a team of Scrappy ABM experts, they specialize in low-budget plays and programs that deliver high impact—no shiny tools required. Scrappy ABM has built account-based programs that have delivered millions in revenue, and you can build your first successful ABM program with their help.Start with a pilot program or launch an account-based podcast. Learn more at scrappyabm.com. Let's get scrappy.