
If Your Marketing Isn't Bold Enough AI WILL Replace You | Mark Schaefer (Audacious)
Ahrefs Podcast
Intro
This chapter features a dynamic conversation with a prominent marketing expert who discusses bold strategies in the age of AI. The host reflects on their creative approach to inviting the guest and explores the evolving landscape of marketing and its audacious possibilities.
Is your marketing stuck in “competent” mode?
In a world where AI can generate endless content, being good isn’t good enough anymore.
In this episode, Tim Soulo sits down with best-selling author and marketing futurist Mark Schaefer to unpack why most marketing feels flat — and how to fix it. Drawing from his book Audacious, Mark makes the case for out-humaning the machines: creating content that’s emotional, unexpected, and deeply memorable.
You’ll learn:
Why the real threat to your brand isn’t AI — it’s being boring
How concepts like the handicap principle and pratfall effect make content feel more real
What a $1,500 pig can teach you about word-of-mouth marketing
Why Liquid Death isn’t selling water — they’re selling marketing
How to measure the ROI of audacity in a spreadsheet-driven world
If your brand is playing it safe, this conversation will push you to think bigger, bolder, and more human.
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(03:06) The Concept of Audacious Marketing
(08:52) How to Out-Human the Machines
(11:39) Join Ahrefs Evolve
(12:18) Using AI in Marketing
(21:12) How a $1500 Pig Became a Marketing Sensation
(30:47) Breaking Bad Rules for Good Reasons
(37:12) Creating Awe to Break the Pandemic of Dull
(48:31) Using Controversy and Stunts to Create Awareness
(55:28) How Liquid Death Disrupted a Boring Industry Through Marketing
(01:05:15) Buying a Product vs Buying a Brand
(01:13:27) Measuring the Impact of Audacious Marketing
(01:21:01) Outro
Where to find Mark:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisclickup/
Website: https://clickup.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: https://twitter.com/timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
Referenced in this episode:
👤 People
Michael Krivica — https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkrivica/
Dacher Keltner — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dacherkeltner/
Peter Drucker — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker
Philip Kotler — https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipkotler/
Patrick Campbell — https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickccampbell/
Jonah Berger — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonahberger/
Bill Gates — https://www.linkedin.com/in/billgates/
Mike Cessario (Liquid Death Founder) — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecessario/
Stix Nielsen (ex-Liquid Death CMO) — https://www.linkedin.com/in/stixnielsen/
🏢 Companies & Brands
Ahrefs — https://ahrefs.com/
Coca-Cola — https://www.coca-colacompany.com/
Netflix — https://www.netflix.com/
Liquid Death — https://liquiddeath.com/
Pepsi — https://www.pepsico.com/
Powerade — https://www.powerade.com/
Gatorade — https://www.gatorade.com/
Elf Cosmetics — https://www.elfcosmetics.com/
Roblox — https://www.roblox.com/
monday.com — https://monday.com/
ClickUp — https://clickup.com/
Asana — https://asana.com/
BMW — https://www.bmw.com/
Audi — https://www.audi.com/
Mercedes — https://www.mercedes-benz.com/
ProfitWell — https://www.profitwell.com/
Mischief Agency — https://www.mischiefusa.com/
Taboo — https://www.taboo.com.au/
📚 Books
Audacious by Mark Schaefer — https://www.amazon.com/Audacious-Marketing-Humans-Machines-Dominate/dp/1119904791
Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger — https://www.amazon.com/Contagious-Things-Catch-Jonah-Berger/dp/1451686579
Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner — https://www.amazon.com/Awe-Science-Everyday-Wonder-Transform/dp/1982172820
📚 Concepts & Frameworks
Handicap Principle — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicap_principle
Pratfall Effect — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratfall_effect
Social Objects — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_object
Collective Effervescence — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_effervescence
Four P’s of Marketing — https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/four-ps-of-marketing.asp
🎬 Events
South by Southwest (SXSW) — https://www.sxsw.com/
Ahrefs Evolve Conference — https://ahrefs.com/evolve