We’re back with Scratch after the long summer break! For our first episode after the break, we’re thrilled to sit down with Andrew Davies, the CMO of Paddle, a leading payment infrastructure provider designed specifically for SaaS companies. Paddle takes care of the tricky stuff—payments, taxes, subscriptions—essentially all the payment logistics, so businesses can focus on what really matters: growth. In our conversation, Andrew dives deep into the art of building a brand-led B2B business and tells us why long-term brand investment is key to true marketing efficiency. 

One of the key takeaways from this episode is Andrew’s insight on how B2B marketers can learn from B2C and lifestyle brands by focusing on people, not just businesses. We also discuss the challenges in educating boards and CEOs about modern marketing approaches, the importance of long-term brand investment, and the evolving role of CMOs as commercial operators. Another recurring theme from this episode (something that we’ve heard quite a few times now) is the importance of understanding the broader business ecosystem and speaking the language of top business leaders. We also touch on overlooked growth opportunities, the evolving role of CMOs, and how critical it is to align your team on messaging and the overall brand story. If you work for or own a B2B brand, then this episode is for you!

Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/Jv422AbPnP4

          📚 Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Intro 🎙️
• (00:03:40) - Andrew’s favorite challenger brand 🏆
• (00:05:10) - What is Paddle? 
• (00:07:30) - Why does no one care about demand gen? 🤔
• (00:10:45) - Brand focused data-points 📊
• (00:19:00) - Building a community of raving fans 🎉
• (00:25:31) - Under-considered opportunities to grow 🌱
• (00:37:00) - Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the show:

• Paddle studios
• Represent Clo
• Hockey Stack - B2B Marketing Brand

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Andrew Davies of Paddle in this episode.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn, Twitter. 

Find Andrew on LinkedIn.

Find Eric on LinkedIn and tweet him @efulwiler. 

Say hi at [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗  https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024