Breaking Patterns and Owning the 95% (with Madhav Bhandari) | Ep. 24

Brand marketing isn’t just a channel—it’s the moat. In this conversation, Charlie Riley sits down with Madhav Bhandari, Head of Marketing at Storylane, to unpack how a fast-growing demo automation platform built more than half its pipeline from brand alone.ㅤMadhav shares how Storylane moved from 12 to 40 annual events, leaned into the “95-5 rule,” and made real-world activations a core strategy. From mobile billboard trucks outside Exit Five to QR-coded demos that travel home in your pocket, he reveals how to measure brand in direct and indirect ways—and why breaking patterns at smaller events pays off.ㅤYou’ll hear exactly how brand drives Storylane’s influence in communities, ease of recruiting, inbound booth traffic, and even multithreaded enterprise deals where attribution is complex. If you’ve been questioning how to prove brand’s ROI, this episode delivers real examples, metrics, and ideas you can put into play.ㅤ👤 Guest BioMadhav Bhandari is the Head of Marketing at Storylane, an AI-native demo automation platform in a rapidly expanding category. Focused on building influencer programs, scaling event presence from a dozen to 40+ conferences, and driving over half of the company’s revenue from brand, Madhav blends data-driven measurement with creative, pattern-breaking activations.ㅤ📌 What We CoverThe 95-5 rule and why Storylane targets the untouched 95% of the marketMoving from 12 to 40+ annual events and the shift toward smaller, high-impact gatheringsOut-of-home and event activations: from mobile billboard trucks to interactive QR code demosHow to measure brand with demo form “How did you hear about us?” fields, brand search data, and sales call transcriptsThe compounding benefits of brand: easier recruiting, influencer partnerships, and inbound trafficExamples of unconventional event plays, including Exit Five’s mobile billboard and Freshworks’ “Fails Force” balloon at DreamforceWhy brand is the real moat in categories where 80% of features are the sameBreaking patterns to capture 100% of an event audience without a traditional boothㅤ🔗 Resources MentionedStorylaneExit FiveFreshworksDreamforceㅤLow-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.