What happens when your top-performing SEO strategy becomes obsolete in just 90 days?  

In this special “fire drill” edition of Marketing Trends, host Stephanie Postles teams up with guest host Lacey Peace to tackle the urgent question every marketer is asking:  

How do we actually show up in an AI-powered search world?  

With explosive growth in LLM-powered search results, YouTube and podcast citations rising by over 300%, and AI agents reshaping how buyers make decisions, this episode delivers a practical, 5-step playbook to future-proof your content strategy. Whether you're leading a marketing team or building brand awareness as a founder, this is the episode you can’t afford to miss. Hit play to get the full strategy, and make sure your brand isn’t erased from the future of search.

Key Moments:  

00:00 Why AI Agents Are Rewriting the Rules of Marketing

01:05 Why This Episode Is a Fire Drill for Marketers

01:47 SEO Is Broken: What LLM Search Means for Content Strategy

03:12 The Data Doesn’t Lie: 102% Growth in AI Overviews, 310% in YouTube Citations

06:10 How to Create Content That Actually Shows Up in AI Results

09:37 5 Urgent Steps Marketers Must Take to Win in the Age of AI

22:48 What Happens If You Don’t Act Now? + How to Stay Ahead

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

Harmony Anderson didn’t wait 90 days to make an impact at Superhuman — she launched a major campaign in her first five weeks. Harmony Anderson, Head of Marketing and Growth Product at Superhuman, breaks down why moving fast (and strategically) matters more than playing it safe, especially in high-growth startups. We dig into what it really takes to scale from $20M to $200M ARR, how to enter the enterprise market without abandoning your early adopters, and why traditional attribution models are falling behind in the age of AI and influencers. If you're navigating go-to-market pivots, building modern marketing infrastructure, or just trying to avoid another forgettable brand campaign — this episode is packed with insights. And congratulations to the Superhuman team for being acquired by Grammarly! 

Key Moments: 

00:00 Harmony Anderson on Moving Upmarket and Scaling 
01:35 Welcome to Marketing Trends 
02:05 Harmony Anderson’s Career Journey 
08:33 Fast-Paced Marketing Strategies 
13:20 Navigating the Dark Funnel 
15:59 Balancing Brand and Attribution 
16:47 The Role of Influencers in Modern Marketing 
19:27 Positioning in the AI Market 
24:41 Moving Up Market: Challenges and Strategies 
35:06 Vision Setting and Company Evolution 
36:11 Superhuman's Ambitious Roadmap 
37:02 Unified Productivity and AI Integration 
44:18 Scaling Operations for Rapid Growth 
48:09 Innovative Tools and Harmony's Tech Stack 
51:13 AI in Content Creation and Marketing 
56:02 The Resurgence of Webinars 
01:02:14 Superhuman for Startups Program

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

What do you get when you mix a 70-year-old legacy brand, Gen Z tax filers, and a reality TV show called Responsibility Island?

An absolute marketing fever dream. And Jill Cress — CMO of H&R Block — is the mastermind behind it. We unpack how she’s giving TurboTax-meets-Gen-Z realness. We’re talking Roblox integrations, bold brand storytelling, and what happens when you challenge a category that’s historically allergic to change.

We cover:

– How H&R Block turned tax season into a cultural moment

– What marketers get wrong about Gen Z (and how to fix it)

– Why AI is useful, but human empathy still pays the bills

– The 4 E’s of customer experience (one of them might make you cry)

This is legacy brand marketing with ✨main character energy.✨Press play. Take notes. Maybe even call your tax pro.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction to Jill Cress, CMO of H&R Block

01:49 H&R Block's Legacy and Innovation

13:03 Challenges and Surprises in Marketing

19:45 Responsibility Island: A Bold Marketing Move

25:41 Measuring Success and Future Plans

30:59 Differentiation and Brand Storytelling

33:15 Life Stage Stories and Customer Experience

38:21 The Role of Empathy in Customer Relationships

44:08 AI in Tax Assistance

51:33 The Future of Brand Storytelling

53:43 Advice for Young Marketers

57:02 Relevant or Irrelevant: Lightening Round

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

What if the next big wave in marketing isn’t about targeting people at all—but impressing their AI agents instead?

Abhay Parasnis, CEO of Typeface and former CTO at Adobe, joins us to explain why the future of brand discovery is less “search bar” and more “autonomous agents doing your shopping.” Abhay makes a bold case that most traditional marketing (think SEO strategies, AB tests, and static brand books) is already becoming obsolete. Instead, the brands that win will be the ones building content systems smart enough to speak directly to intelligent agents that buy and sell on our behalf.

But this conversation doesn’t stop at marketing disruption. Abhay pulls back the curtain on Typeface’s meteoric rise, driven in large part by early, strategic partnerships with companies like Microsoft, Salesforce, and Google. He argues that AI startups don’t need to outcompete the giants… they need to build what the giants can’t, and then let those giants bring them customers. It’s a refreshing take on B2B growth that flips the usual “go it alone” startup myth on its head.

From identifying watermelon metrics to replacing agency workflows with AI copilots, Abhay brings sharp insight, grounded optimism, and just enough heresy to keep it interesting. If you’re trying to navigate the chaos of modern marketing, or just wondering what comes after search, this episode is your map.

Key Moments:

00:00 Abhay Parasnis: CEO of Typeface & Ex-Adobe CTO

06:48 Typeface’s Vision and Genesis

14:03 The Role of AI in Brand Management

17:29 The Future of Agencies in an AI-Driven World

25:06 Change Management and the Adoption of AI

37:46 AI in Campaign Creation and Performance Measurement

40:34 The Future of Search and SEO

46:53 Identifying High-Quality Content in AI-Driven Marketing

48:16 Offline Relationships and Physical Experiences

50:47 The Future of Partnerships in Tech

59:45 Transformation in the C-Suite

01:04:15 Relevant or Not Relevant: Quick Takes

01:05:49 The Future of Digital Content Marketing in an AI-Driven World

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

Think LinkedIn is the place to reach technical buyers?

Auvik CMO Susanne Rodriguez breaks down how her team built an insanely effective Reddit and Facebook strategy — yes, Facebook — to reach IT pros who dodge sales emails like it's their job (because it is).

We’re talking memes that convert, subreddits that slap, and how to avoid getting flamed by Reddit mods who smell B2B fluff from a mile away. You’ll also hear how Auvik got dragged for a meme, owned it publicly, and came out stronger — a.k.a. how to market like a human.

If you’ve ever uttered the words “we need more MQLs” while ignoring your company’s meme game… this one's for you.

🎯 Watch till the end — because the last 5 minutes might make you rethink your entire ABM budget.
 

• 00:00 Who Is Suzanne Rodriguez, CMO at Auvik?
• 02:50 Reddit Marketing for IT Pros: Painful, Petty, Perfect
• 08:33 Meme Wars and Raspberry Pis: A Campaign Autopsy
• 25:02 The Great Content Tug-of-War: Entertainment vs. Conversion
• 27:38 Direct Traffic, Zero Conversions, and the Website that Won’t Work
• 34:47 Getting Found in the AI Age: Search Visibility in a ChatGPT World
• 36:13 Instagram and Facebook for IT Pros? Apparently, Yes
• 37:29 No Faking It: Building Trust Through Realness
• 43:36 Radical Candor and Proving the CMO Wrong
• 50:13 Hiring for Grit, Curiosity, and a Love of Data
• 58:21 Hot Takes, Hard Truths, and Lightning Round Wisdom

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

You’re still optimizing for Google? That’s cute…

Marcus Sheridan, author of They Ask, You Answer, joins us for a high-energy episode, he joins host Stephanie Postles to break down why the playbook most B2B marketers are still running is dangerously outdated.

They dive deep into the collapse of traditional SEO, the rise of AI-generated answers, and why brands that aren’t building trust through video, transparency, and self-service tools are already falling behind. Marcus shares tactical examples from the likes of Liquid Death, Shasta Pools, and his own viral pool pricing content that generated $35M+ in sales. He also drops a bold prediction: your YouTube channel will soon matter more than your website.

Whether you’re a CMO tired of playing it safe or a marketer trying to sell bold ideas up the chain, this episode is your permission slip to think (and market) differently.

Key Moments:

00:00: Is Google Dead? Marcus Sheridan On Why Search Is Breaking for Marketers

00:23: Why Your YouTube Channel Will Soon Outrank Your Website

14:50: The #1 Interview Question CMOs Should Be Asking

16:39: The Big 5 Content Topics Buyers Actually Care About

29:03: Self-Service Tools: The Secret Weapon for Modern Marketers

40:55: How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Radical Transparency

43:15: Why SaaS Pricing Pages Are Failing the Modern Buyer

46:37: Will Websites Matter in 5 Years? AI Is Changing the Game

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

In a twist that flips the format, today’s Marketing Trends episode puts longtime host Stephanie in the guest seat as Lacey Peace — the show’s behind-the-scenes force for nearly a decade — grabs the mic.

What unfolds is a no-BS conversation about how AI is dismantling the old playbook, why cold emails are basically spam of the past, and what marketers need to do now to stay relevant. Stephanie unpacks why Account-Based Experiences (ABX) — not just ABM — are the new battleground for meaningful engagement, and why trust, speed, and human connection are the real growth levers in an AI-saturated world.

From digital buyer agents and decentralized discovery to building content that LLMs can’t summarize, this episode delivers sharp takes on where marketing is headed — and who’s already falling behind.

And if you're curious about cold texting, naming dogs after food, or whether mascots actually move the needle… don’t miss the lightning-fast Relevant or Irrelevant round.

Key Moments:

00:00 From 2,000 Interviews to the Hot Seat

01:08 How AI Is Reshaping B2B Marketing

02:25 The Collapse of Traditional Tactics

03:43 AI Disrupting Email & Search Marketing

04:39 Why ABX Is the Future of B2B Strategy

08:54 AI Buyer Agents Are Coming — Fast

13:32 Trust, Community & Decentralized Buying

17:07 ABM vs. ABX: What's the Real Difference?

21:34 Smarter Metrics for Long-Term Growth

23:13 LLMs vs. Google: The New Search Shift

24:46 Building Content LLMs Can’t Summarize

27:00 Enterprise Entertainment as a Marketing Play

30:39 Niche Content That Converts in B2B

33:50 Relevant or Irrelevant? Rapid-Fire Trends

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

Imagine onboarding a new employee who never sleeps, speaks every language, knows all your products, and can handle thousands of customers at once.

That's the reality Salesforce is building with Agentforce — and it’s already transforming customer success, marketing operations, and revenue growth.

In this episode, Salesforce SVP of Digital Customer Success Bernard Slowey joins us to break down how they became Customer Zero for Agentforce, what went wrong (and right), and why agentic AI is reshaping the future of marketing and operations.

If you lead marketing, operations, or customer success — and you’re serious about not falling behind — this episode is your AI playbook.

Key Moments:

00:00: What Is Agentforce? Introducing Salesforce’s Digital AI Workforce 
01:21: Meet Bernard Slowey: VP of Digital Customer Success at Salesforce 
01:46: From AOL to Salesforce: Bernard’s Career Path Through the Tech Revolution 
03:57: The Rise of AI Agents: Why Chatbots Are Officially Obsolete 
06:36: AI Agents vs. Chatbots: What They Are and Why They Matter 
11:22: Lessons from the Frontlines: What It Takes to Implement AI Agents 
15:16: Inside Salesforce: How Agentforce Came to Life 
18:55: How Salesforce Launched Agentforce in Just 4 Weeks (And What They Measured) 
30:27: Rethinking Success: Metrics That Actually Matter in AI Rollouts 
38:25: Why Traditional Customer Service Automation Is Failing Us 
42:36: Real Use Cases: How Salesforce Clients Are Winning with Agentforce 
44:11: AI Implementation Challenges (And How to Solve Them) 
50:32: Cross-Functional Teams and the Future of AI Collaboration 
57:18: Why AI Still Needs a Human Touch in Customer Experience 
58:33: The New Job Titles and Skills Emerging in an AI-First Era 
01:04:02 Human Intuition vs. AI Logic: Finding the Right Balance 
01:09:35 Customer Obsession in the Age of Automation

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

What does it take to launch an AI product on the biggest stage in advertising — and actually make it stick? 

GoDaddy CMO Fara Howard joins us to unpack the strategy behind their standout Super Bowl campaign for GoDaddy Airo, featuring actor Walton Goggins (White Lotus, The Righteous Gemstones). From idea to execution, Fara shares how her team translated a complex product into a message that millions could instantly understand — without losing the creativity that made it unforgettable.

We dive into the balance of data and storytelling, how to earn the right to be bold with your marketing, and why simplicity is a superpower in B2B. Whether you're a CMO, brand leader, or growth marketer, Fara’s insights into performance-backed creativity, product positioning, and campaign accountability will leave you rethinking how you launch, scale, and measure your next big idea.

• 00:00 Who is Fara Howard, GoDaddy CMO?
• 00:21 Why GoDaddy Returned to the Super Bowl in 2024
• 01:37 The Evolution of GoDaddy’s Super Bowl Ad Playbook
• 03:51 What Is GoDaddy Airo? Breaking Down the AI Product Launch
• 05:57 Lessons from Launching a New AI Tool at Massive Scale
• 09:30 How GoDaddy Chose Walton Goggins for the Super Bowl Spot
• 15:56 Behind the Scenes: Building a Creative Campaign That Converts
• 26:22 Real-World Marketing Advice from a CMO: Math vs. Magic
• 34:43 Why Company Culture Should Shape Your Career Path
• 35:39 A Cultural Misfit: The Vans Story You Have to Hear

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

What if successful teams could operate without a leader?

Spoiler Alert: If you still think leadership is about barking orders from the top, Keith Ferrazzi is here to tell you: you’re doing it wrong. The legendary author of Never Eat Alone is here, and he’s coming for your org chart.

Tune in to discover why traditional leadership is dead, how AI is forcing us all to rethink teamwork, and why teamship is the future.

Key Moments:

0:00 Who is Keith Ferrazzi, Author of Never Lead Alone?

06:43 The Importance of Team Dynamics

10:49 Shifts in Leadership and the Impact of Teamship

15:19 Implementing Effective Team Practices

23:41 Adapting to Market Changes

27:06 The Future of Jobs and AI Transformation

28:59 Navigating AI-Induced Societal Disruption

35:59 Empowered Teams and the Magic of Holacracy

38:37 High Return Practices for Team Success

46:48 The Next 20 Years: AI and Human Collaboration

Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.