The Dave Gerhardt Show

How to Build a Brand People Pay Attention To


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316 | In this episode, Dave breaks down how the best companies win by standing out through smart ideas, creative execution, and consistent attention. He pulls lessons from Drift, Savannah Bananas, and his own wins to show why ideas matter, why brand is a durable long-term advantage, and how strong content can still break through today. Plus: thoughts on AI slop, why LinkedIn can be a powerful channel when used well, leadership lessons from The Hard Thing About Hard Things, and rapid-fire listener questions on playbooks, thought leadership, and building something bigger than Exit Five.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Why attention became a dirty word in marketing
  • (03:44) - – Personal update: hip surgery, burnout, and getting back in rhythm
  • (05:44) - – The LinkedIn algorithm isn’t broken. Your content probably is
  • (06:54) - – The big idea: attention is the real game in marketing
  • (08:14) - – Lessons from Savannah Bananas and stealing ideas outside B2B
  • (10:34) - – How Drift won by sucking the oxygen out of the market
  • (12:54) - – Scrappy attention plays: billboards, protests, and founder brand
  • (15:44) - – Why brand comes before product messaging
  • (20:23) - – Listener Qs: playbooks, AI slop, and building real leverage
  • (28:08) - – Final takeaway: stop being boring, earn attention first

  • Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
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    ***

    Brought to you by:

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    AirOps - The content engineering platform that helps marketers create and maintain high-quality, on-brand content that wins AI search. Go to airops.com/exitfive to start creating content that reflects your expertise, stays true to your brand, and is engineered for performance across human and AI discovery.

    Visit exitfive.com/retreat to apply for Exit Five’s first-ever, in-person Marketing Leadership Retreat, March 18–20, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Join 100 CMOs and VPs of Marketing from companies like like Zoom, Snowflake, Manychat, Bitly, G2, HP, and more for two days of thinking bigger around a trusted group of peers in marketing. 


    ***

    Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

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    The Dave Gerhardt ShowBy Exit Five

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