GoDaddy’s “Act Like You Know” Campaign: B2B Marketing Lessons on Bold Brand Building with Chief Marketing Officer at G2, Sydney Sloan

Most brands talk about standing out. Very few actually do it. The ones that win are the ones willing to take a swing, sometimes even a wild one.

That’s exactly what GoDaddy did with the “Act Like You Know” campaign, a Super Bowl ad that became a cultural moment because of its boldness. In this episode, we explore the marketing lessons behind it with the help of our special guest Sydney Sloan, Chief Marketing Officer at G2.

Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from emotional storytelling, influencer culture, and why building brand in the age of AI requires creativity, boldness, and a willingness to have a little fun.

About our guest, Sydney Sloan

Sydney Sloan is a visionary marketing leader with a track record of driving growth and innovation in the tech industry. As CMO of G2, the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace, Sydney is at the forefront of shaping the company's strategic direction. Sydney previously held CMO roles at compliance automation software company Drata, sales tech leader Salesloft, and cloud content management visionary Alfresco.

What B2B Companies Can Learn From GoDaddy’s “Act Like You Know” Campaign:

• Take bold swings. Safe marketing doesn’t get noticed. To capture attention, B2B brands have to be willing to step outside the comfort zone and take real creative risks. As Sydney shared, “Take a big swing. Go do something outside of your comfort zone.” Boldness is the difference between blending in and breaking through.
• Your brand is the moat. With paid tactics getting harder, brand is the lasting advantage. It’s not about clicks or keywords anymore. It’s about the emotional connection people feel. As Sydney says, “Brand is right. It’s the emotional connection that you actually build between a brand, which is not a person… and the audience.” In the age of AI, trust and resonance are the true differentiators.
• Influencers aren’t just for B2C. Big-budget companies might hire celebrities, but every B2B brand can find ways to put people at the center of their story. It’s about connection, not just reach. Sydney explained, “You can still use influencers, you can still have people connecting to people and doing it in creative ways.” In B2B, credibility often comes best through people, not platforms.

Quote

“We gotta go back and invest in brand. And what does that mean, and how do I do it? It’s not the old playbook. That thing is gone. Display, out the windows. Google search, out the window. We are all at the starting line together. And whoever's the most creative and figures out this new era we’re in has an unfair advantage.”

Time Stamps

[00:55] Meet Sydney Sloan, CMO at G2

[01:17] Why GoDaddy's “Act Like You Know” Campaign

[03:55] The Role of Influencers in B2B Marketing

[11:39] The Role of CMO at G2

[13:19] Understanding GoDaddy's “Act Like You Know” Campaign

[19:32] B2B Marketing Lessons from GoDaddy's “Act Like You Know” Campaign

[33:29] The Power of Creative Marketing

[37:50] Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Links

Connect with Sydney on LinkedIn

Learn more about G2

About Remarkable!

Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. 

In today’s episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Head of Production). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. 

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