In this episode of Masters of Marketing, DEFY Brands founder Suni Sekhon joins us to discuss the importance of purpose in branding.

With consumers increasingly expecting businesses to demonstrate their social and environmental responsibility, being purpose-driven as a brand is the future – and may be key to a successful marketing strategy.

We discuss how brands can connect their impact to their core values and keep it relevant – whether by benefitting local communities or choosing a cause that’s a good culture fit for the brand. To get you inspired, Suni shares some examples of successful purpose-driven brands. 

We also delve into the risk of impact washing, and how to avoid it through transparency, measurable actions, certifications, and creating authentic, meaningful change. 

Tune in to hear more!

Connect with Suni on LinkedIn

Check out DEFY Brands

In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we’re delighted to welcome back No Boring Brands founder Aidan Brannigan, who previously joined us on the podcast to talk about his success story with The Marketing Millennials.

This time, we sit down for a chat about the power of humor and memes in social media marketing, particularly for B2B SaaS brands. 

While humor is often viewed as a risky strategy in marketing, it can be highly effective when done right. Aidan explains how creating relevant, funny content that understands an audience’s pain points can help brands connect with them on a deeper level - and boost engagement on socials. He also identifies some contexts where using humor may not be appropriate, and addresses how to handle a PR crisis with transparency and confidence.

Tune in to hear more!

Connect with Aidan on LinkedIn

Check out No Boring Brands

In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we sit down with Dora Osinde, Founder and CEO of Yeah But No – a consultancy specializing in creative collaboration between marketing teams and agencies.

We discuss the connection between creative and tech in marketing, and why it’s so important to use data to inform and refine our creative strategies.

Dora also addresses the conversation around AI in this field. She explains that while AI tools effectively democratize creativity, they haven’t replaced human creative ability and intuition. In fact, in a market increasingly saturated with AI-generated content, consumers are showing a preference for brands that appear “more human”.

Brands often attempt to humanize their image by taking a stance on political or social issues. While this can be a good thing, Dora stresses the need to “do their homework” in order to avoid missteps: Engage with communities, understand the context, and be aware of the brand’s core values.

Tune in to hear more!

Connect with Dora on LinkedIn

Check out Yeah But No consultancy.

In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we chat with Gordon Glenister, an expert in influencer marketing and employee advocacy. 

Influencer marketing has seen tremendous growth in recent years. We discuss the risks and benefits involved - and why your employees can be the most authentic storytellers for your brand.

Gordon explains how creating an employee advocacy program – in other words, encouraging your employees to act as influencers for your brand – can enhance your brand's reputation, increase employee engagement, and significantly reduce your recruitment costs. He shares some examples of companies that have implemented this strategy with massive success.

We also touch on the risks of employee advocacy, and how these can be mitigated through good leadership and a positive working environment.

Tune in for more!

Connect with Gordon on LinkedIn

Check out Gordon's website and employee advocacy agency Employfluence

In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we're delighted to be joined by Ian Evans from tl;dv, an AI-powered notetaker for online meetings. 

Ian has been a key figure in developing tl;dv's brand voice, successfully building up an engaged online community through amusing, relatable social media content based on corporate humor. 

We hear his take on effective social media marketing, and why it's so important to focus on the quality of content rather than selling or follower counts. We also discuss the challenges of creative burnout, and how leadership can help mitigate this through flexibility and allowing content creators space to experiment.

Tune in for more!

Connect with Ian on LinkedIn

Check out tl;dv

In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we're joined by House of Inclusion co-founder Sacha Martina to discuss the vital importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in marketing.

With approximately 15% of the world's population living with some form of disability – and even more experiencing gaps in digital accessibility due to age or using a non-native language – making marketing more accessible and inclusive can dramatically improve your brand's reach. 

Sacha provides guidance on how marketers can create more inclusive content, such as simplifying language, improving readability, and making use of subtitling - highlighting the importance of gathering relevant feedback to ensure your message lands.

We also discuss the best ways to challenge resistance to DEI initiatives – and why inclusivity needs to be a consistent practice, not a one-time effort.

Tune in for more!

Connect with Sacha on LinkedIn

 Check out House of Inclusion 

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In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we chat with The Entrepreneur Whisperer Carole Picou-Katmann, a fractional CMO and marketing expert, about how the narrative of marketing is changing to embrace sustainability and conscious consumerism. 

Carole discusses the positive impact purpose-driven brands can have on the planet, and why it's important for companies to take even small steps towards being more sustainable. We talk about the particularly relevant issue of greenwashing, and how consumers and brands can recognize and tackle it through clarity, transparency, and third-party verifications. 

Carole also touches on carbon footprint auditing and suggests some resources for companies starting out on their sustainability journeys. 

Tune in to learn more!

Connect with Carole on LinkedIn

Check out The Entrepreneur Whisperer

In this episode of Masters of Marketing we chat with two of our Marmind teammates, Claudia Steinke and Andy Andrews, about the benefits of marketing resource management tools for large, multinational organizations.

Claudia and Andy highlight how MRM tools like Marmind enable teams to focus on planning and orchestrating their marketing, rather than dealing with endless administrative tasks.

We discuss how Marmind, in particular, facilitates campaign management by providing a centralized platform for all of an organization's marketing plans, budgets, and results. They explain how using the software increases transparency and accountability, makes cross-team collaboration easier, and takes the labor out of reporting – allowing real marketing tasks to take center stage.

Claudia and Andy also chat about some of the challenges faced by multinational marketing teams, and how they help these clients navigate the process of change – and even get excited about it! - when implementing a new MRM tool. 

Tune in for more!

In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we're joined by Retold founder Marina Krivonossova to chat about all things B2B content marketing.

Marina shares how B2B companies, especially those offering more technical, "unsexy" products or services, often struggle to communicate their value effectively. This is where the need for good storytelling comes in, making content a vital part of the overall marketing strategy.

We discuss the importance of doing thorough background research for successful content marketing, as well as the need to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to tracking engagement metrics. Marina also emphasizes that marketers should prioritize transparent communication with clients throughout this process – building trust by keeping them in the loop at all times.

B2B marketing has undergone something of a transformation in recent years, moving away from an overly formal, corporate approach to approaching audiences on a more human level. Marina predicts that brands that fail to adapt their messaging accordingly will start to fall behind over the next few years, with businesses increasingly preferring to buy from brands that connect with them on a personal level.

Listen to the whole episode for more!

Connect with Marina on LinkedIn

Check out Retold

In this episode of Masters of Marketing, we sit down for a chat with Lukas van Remmerden, Partnership Marketing Manager at Personio and Founder of Fourtees - an innovative project aimed at supporting male mental health through fashion. 

Lukas tells us about his work in partnership marketing at Personio and explains how successful partnerships can unlock huge growth opportunities for brands. Building relationships is key to successful partnership marketing, and Lukas emphasizes that there's nothing to lose in reaching out – people are often more open to collaboration than you think!

Inspired by Lukas's work at Fourtees and OpenUp, we also have an interesting discussion around mental health and marketing, including the challenges of addressing mental health stigma in the German market and the ongoing development of mental health awareness in workplaces.

Tune in to hear more!

Connect with Lukas on LinkedIn

Check out Fourtees