The Backwards Hat CMO

Building Brand In A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE MARKET - plus some thoughts on a few of this year's Super Bowl Ads.

New sports leagues areemerging at record speed, giving advertisers fresh opportunities to engage live audiences. It feels like these leagues are formingas fast as Kevin Hart can drop a new commercial! 😆On today’sBackwards Hat CMO Pod, we dive into the latest sports leaguesshaking up the industry and what’s on the horizon. We take a deep dive into:🏀Unrivaled – A groundbreaking3v3 basketball league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, bringing together the biggest stars in women’s basketball.⛳TGL (TMRW Golf League) – Ahigh-tech golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, blendingsimulated indoor play with traditional golf for a fresh take on the game.Fromnew marketing opportunities to the evolution of live sports entertainment, we’re breaking down what these leagues mean for the industry.🎙️Which new league are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!📢Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more sports business insights!#SportsMarketing #Unrivaled #TGL #Golf #Basketball #KevinHart #SportsBusiness #CMOPodcast

MIT study reveals when human-AI collaboration excels and where it falls short, urging organizations to rethink AI’s role in creative and decision-making tasks. The report, published in Nature Human Behaviour, unveils findings that add nuance to our understanding of when human-AI partnerships can truly excel. Conducted by CCI affiliate Michelle Vaccaro and MIT Sloan School of Management professors Abdullah Almaatouq and Thomas Malone, the study raises thought-provoking questions about AI’s role in today’s workplace and beyond.For years, the vision of human-AI synergy has driven organizations to integrate AI into processes, assuming it would enhance performance across the board. However, this comprehensive analysis of 370 different outcomes from 106 experiments reveals a more complex picture. Rather than proving universally beneficial, human-AI collaboration sometimes falters, especially in decision-making tasks. However, the study found these partnerships often shine in creative pursuits, indicating potential for future applications that prioritize human ingenuity alongside AI’s technical prowess. #ai #gtm #marketing #b2b #aihumans

On today's show I have an extensive conversation with Jeff Schaffzin about all things product marketing. From startups to large corporations our conversation covers product marketing and its impact on companies of all sizes.

Joining me today for a riveting AI & digital advertising conversation with Nikki Lindgren, Founder and Managing Partner at Pennock. Today's conversation covers the use of AI for agencies and how humans combined with AI can deliver the best results. Plus we dive deep into digital advertising on TikTok, Google and across Meta's platform. About Nikki: Nikki Lindgren, an agency founder and startup advisor, is reshaping the landscape of beauty and lifestyle brand marketing with a human-centric approach. As a trailblazer in scaling DTC businesses, Nikki excels in driving customer acquisition and revenue growth. Her innovative marketing strategies, blending talent, automation, and tools, have consistently delivered +65% month-over-month growth for clients. At the helm of Pennock, where she serves as founder and managing partner, Nikki has overseen the management of over $100 million in digital media. From high-growth tech startups to established household brands, Nikki guides her clients in leveraging their strategic advantages to achieve impressive ROAS.Nikki's extensive experience spans a spectrum of marketing domains, including search engine marketing, pay-per-click, paid social, display advertising, remarketing/intent-based marketing programs, performance marketing, mobile/video marketing, organic search, app store optimization, native advertising, and influencer/blogger relationships. Learn more about Pennock: https://www.pennock.co/ Learn more about Stealth.ltd: https://www.stealth.ltd/

How often does your company review your product market fit? The reality is most companies rarely review and analyze their product market fit. 1. Begin by talking to your current customers↳ Don't just send them a survey, actually, jump on a Zoom call. 2. Take a hard look at quarterly trends↳ It's always a good idea to analyze macro & micro trends in your market 3. Use multiple team members to analyze data ↳ Don't conduct product market fit reviews in a vacuum. The more eyes on the data the better. If you're looking to conduct a product market fit review and need some advice feel free to DM me.

Delivering Sales and Marketing Alignment

One of the most important strategies of just about any B2B business is its social media channels. So why do so many B2B brands avoid a regular posting cadence? Certainly, the answers to this question are different for every company. Still, the main reason tends to revolve around a devalued opinion of the effectiveness of social media channels on their bottom line. Most management teams do not connect the dots between social media and revenue. Ask yourself this question: Why do some businesses have developer advocates? The companies that do recognize how important it is for their brand to build a relationship with their target market within the confines of the channels they use. Social media channels like LinkedIn, YouTube, Meta, and even X provide companies with additional channels for brand exposure and revenue. Each of these channels also comes fully loaded with effective ad networks, which make creating brand awareness easier if you have the budget. Consider how much your team may spend on a trade show; once you factor in all the costs, you are looking at a spend between $25k and $100k plus. Now, take half of that spend and run a social media test on any of the social media channels I mentioned; I'm willing to bet you will receive 5 to 10 times what you would have received at a trade show from a QSL perspective. Posting on a regular basis is one thing, but it's the strategy behind that can turn your social media channels into one of the most important parts of your marketing mix.

As Axl Rose might say, "Welcome to the PLG Jungle." In the jungle, many startups have solid products but little experience in acquiring customers.  In general, PLG models almost always look attractive on paper. While there is nothing wrong with trying the strategy out, most companies eventually turn to traditional sales and marketing tactics to acquire customers for a reason.   Yes, PLG models tend to work better for developer-focused products and solutions, but even then, most companies eventually turn to traditional revenue-generating tactics. Why does this happen so often in the startup community? The answer is a combination of investor pressure, company leadership, and nominal custom acquisition experience. Remember that a PLG model is just a fancy way of saying “Word of Mouth.” Ask yourself how much time and financial resources your company has for word of mouth to take hold. Ultimately, if you find yourself at a startup and your company is going to market, I recommend running both a PLG model and traditional sales and marketing tactics to get your product to market. The age-old saying that time is money certainly applies here. 

On today’s show, I chat with Mitch Duckler about a wide range of riveting marketing topics including the challenges AI poses for Brand Marketers, Gen Z “ME” vs. Gen Z “WE”, and more. Duckler is the founder and managing partner at FullSurge, a brand and marketing strategy consultancy, and the author of the upcoming book “The Future Ready Brand.” “More than a thought leadership book, The Future-Ready Brand is a symphony of marketing’s most relevant voices today and a compass for the complex, evolving world of branding.” – Guy Kawasaki, NYT bestselling author, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and original Chief Evangelist of Apple Pre-order The Future Ready Brand (Amazon) https://www.amazon.sg/Future-Ready-Brand-Influential-Navigating-Technologies/dp/B0CW7WTTFQ Fullsurge https://www.fullsurge.com/

On today's Backwards Hat CMO Pod, I cover Rivians recent introduction of 3 new models which are are primarily focused on swimming the brand into the affordable portion of the electric car market. The question is does this signify a brand shift for Rivian and its CEO RJ Scaringe? From a brand perspective its tagline "Electric Adventure Vehicles" will most likely need to be modified as the company shifts it focus from the premium end of the market to the affordable portion of the market. While Rivans share price has been taking a beating over the past couple months which resulted in the announcement of a 10% reduction in it's global workforce, the brand which is on target to sell 57,000 electric vehicles in 2024, is clearly making a decision to swim its brand down stream with the introduction of R2, R3 and the R3X vehicles. The R2, which will first hit a road near you in 2026 and is listed at just over $45k is now taking reservations for just $100. So for the cost of two $50 Starbucks gift cards, you can reserve a R2. Note - no release date or reservation options are available for the R3 and R3X. #rivian #branding #marketing #rjscaringe #electriccar #strategy

Beyond Mark Cubans recent remarks on CNBC about AI, it is clear that AI is hear to stay. At this point it's safe to say that AI is everywhere. The reality is the use of AI was EMBRACED by big companies years before the ChatGPT revolution found its way to the consumer market. For marketers across business and technology sectors, the use of AI is now like grabbing that daily cup of coffee - AI if you will is now part of a marketers daily routine. I asked CHAT GPT - the following question? How should marketers be using AI? Here's the answer direct from the AI source: Marketers can use AI in various ways to enhance their strategies and improve results. Here are some key areas where AI can be particularly beneficial:> Customer Insights: AI can analyze vast amounts of data to uncover valuable insights about customer behavior, preferences, and trends. This information can help marketers better understand their target audience and tailor their campaigns accordingly.> Personalization: AI enables marketers to deliver personalized experiences to customers. By analyzing customer data, AI can help marketers create targeted campaigns, recommend products, and deliver content that resonates with individual customers.> Content Creation: AI tools can assist marketers in creating content more efficiently. For example, AI-powered platforms can generate personalized email content, social media posts, and even articles based on specific keywords or themes.> Optimization: AI can help marketers optimize their campaigns in real-time. AI algorithms can analyze campaign performance data and make adjustments to improve outcomes, such as adjusting ad placements, changing targeting criteria, or modifying messaging.> Customer Service: AI-powered chatbots can provide instant, personalized customer support, helping marketers improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.> Predictive Analytics: AI can forecast future trends and outcomes based on historical data, enabling marketers to make more informed decisions about their strategies and investments.> Image and Video Recognition: AI can analyze images and videos to identify trends, brand logos, and consumer sentiment, helping marketers understand how their brand is perceived online. Overall, AI can significantly enhance marketers' capabilities by providing them with valuable insights, automating repetitive tasks, and enabling more personalized and effective campaigns. #ai #automation #IntelligentAutomation #Disruption #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #socialmedia #b2b #markcuban

The most obvious statement I can make is to remind brands that their social media posts should be memorable. At this point, every marketer and management team understands that social media posts should be memorable. Yet, if you look at the social media landscape - so many companies simply do not execute against the idea that social media posts should leave a lasting impression. So why does this happen? The answer begins with a strategy that is not clearly defined and ends with teams not having enough time to prioritize social media.

Whether you're a startup or an established brand the fastest way to achieve success begins with being honest about your brand's product market fit - remove what we want, and replace that sentiment with what we know.   * In the old days of marketing companies would run focus groups to gain deep insights into why consumers, liked or disliked a product or a brand - short of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on research - go back to the basics and talk to your customers and prospects on a regular basis - the answers to weather or not you have strong product lives with your customers and prospects.  * Stay consistent with your messaging and your focus on who you are targeting, why you are targeting them, and how your product or service benefits them. * Don’t spread yourself too thin with over verticalization, unless you have the necessary resources on-hand to truly execute against your verticalization ambitions.

On today’s Backwards Hat CMO Pod, I caught up with Lisa Helfer to discuss the impact AI is already having on PR/Comms strategies. We cover everything from AI ethics to how AI is changing how PR professionals work daily.   Lisa is a PR/Comms expert and has worked with some of the world's largest brands: Intel, Microsoft, Amazon, Talend, Nokia, 6Sense, Privacera, and BMO Bank. Topics covered:  🔸AI’s Got Talent - How AI is impacting PR Professionals Day to Day lives  🔸Redefining the impact of PR on overall marketing strategies 🔸How AI has put PR teams on an Innovation rollercoaster  🔸The importance of personal branding in an AI-driven world  🔸Deep dive into AI Ethics   Learn more: https://www.stealth.ltd/

On this week's Backwards Hat CMO Pod, I interviewed Jeff Greenfield, the Cookie Monster who discusses the upcoming cookie collapse. We dive deep into why third-party cookies are going away from browsers in Q3 of 2024. What effects will this have on marketers? What impact beyond security, will this have on consumers? How will these changes affect a marketer's overall access to data? Essentially, with cookies going away, we are going back to data collection before the modern internet was born. We are about to go Back to the Future. One Solution: Now, enter the use of ML/AI connected to attribution models and we will be able to use macro-level data to understand the effectiveness of campaigns in a world without third-party cookies. Additional topics covered: * Influencer Impact: How Are Smart Marketers Are Using Attribution * Storytelling - B2B Brands that win, know how to tell stories? Additional info Attribution Certification: https://attributioncertified.com Jeff’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgreenfield/ Provalytics website: https://provalytics.com The Backwards Hat CMO Podcast with Dave Dabbah is now available on: Apple and Spotify https://lnkd.in/gy3qm49z https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-backwards-hat-cmo/id1712179927 Learn more at https://www.stealth.ltd/ #marketing #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing #b2b

Have you ever encountered a brand that churns out an extensive volume of high quality content, leading you to believe the company must be raking in over $100 million, only to discover it's actually a startup with just 4 individuals running its marketing team? How does such a lean team manage to produce such a substantial amount of content? Typically, the explanation lies in the adoption of an aircover marketing strategy. So what is an aircover marketing strategy? At its core, the basic principle states that a single piece of content can easily be used or slightly modified into multiple pieces of content which then can be distributed across multiple channels. For example - your company produces a blog which includes a customer quote, after the blog is published that single piece of content can be turned into 4 to 5 dark social posts, components will show up in a sales deck and a downloadable customer case study may be produced.   The aircover this provides for a sales team should not be underestimated as the strategy ultimately is designed to do more with less, while building a significant amount of brand awareness and recognition for the company.   The significance of implementing AIRCOVER in marketing organizations goes beyond a defensive stance; instead, it represents the proactive execution of an offensive playbook by your marketing team. The foundational principles of aircover marketing revolve around the meticulous planning, creation, and distribution of content across multiple channels. The initial step involves securing a commitment from your marketing team, regardless of its size, to adopt an aircover strategy. This commitment is then followed by a planning phase that entails constructing a comprehensive backlog of potential content. Throughout this planning stage, the focus should be on crafting content that not only influences your sales organization but also fosters a stronger brand connection within your community. Once a piece of content is produced, it should be integrated into a post-production calendar and, ultimately, delivered to the market in a timely manner. While the specific distribution of content may depend on the situation, it's crucial to recognize that a new piece of content can and should be repurposed across various marketing channels. Why limit content production to a single channel when the same piece, or a slightly modified version, can be effectively utilized across multiple channels? #GTM #b2b #aircover #marketing P.S. Think of an aircover marketing strategy as a commitment to planning, production and execution designed to build significant brand presence with a streamlined, yet highly efficient marketing team.   Learn more at https://www.stealth.ltd/

Dave covers the 3 main objectives of social media. Welcome to the Backwards Hat CMO Podcast. On today's show, we dive into the 3 main objectives you should have for your social media strategy. Did you know that 78% of people first discover brands via social media? Plus we dive into the importance of branding for startups and emerging brands.   Learn more at https://www.stealth.ltd/