Silo: B2B Marketing Lessons on Leading with Curiosity with Chief Strategy & Partnerships Officer at Totango, Karen Budell

When playbooks go stale and everyone’s chasing the next big AI breakthrough, the standout B2B brands are doing something else entirely. They’re building immersive worlds and inviting their audience in.

That’s exactly what happens in Silo, the hit Apple TV+ show, where attention to detail creates a gripping, lived-in universe. In this episode, we explore the marketing lessons behind it with special guest Karen Budell, Chief Strategy & Partnerships Officer at Totango.

Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from crafting immersive brand worlds, creating standout brand visuals, and building trust through curiosity and community.

About our guest, Karen Budell

Karen Budell is the Chief Strategy & Partnerships Officer at Totango, the industry-leading customer revenue suite that turns AI-powered intelligence into customer-led growth. She previously served as the company’s CMO, leading the marketing team responsible for brand and content, events, growth marketing, product marketing, and sales enablement. Budell is an active member of various CMO and GTM executive communities, including Pavilion, and serves on the G2 Executive Advisory Board. Budell previously held marketing leadership roles at SurveyMonkey, as Vice President, Brand Marketing, and Google.

During her four years with Google, Budell led a team responsible for narratives and brand building for YouTube Ads and was instrumental in launching Google Marketing Platform. Having found success working with businesses of all sizes, both private and public, Budell's 20-plus year career in brand building and leadership has been fueled by her roots in journalism and a passion for storytelling through integrated, content-fueled campaigns.

What B2B Companies Can Learn From Silo:

• Craft your world, don’t just explain it. Silo hits because it’s immersive. Every dusty set and muted tone pulls you deeper into its reality. That kind of worldbuilding isn’t just for TV. “You need to create a unique world for your company, for your customers,” Karen says. In a sea of same-sounding content, your world is your edge and your responsibility.
• Curiosity is your competitive advantage. In Silo, curiosity is dangerous, but it’s also how characters discover the truth. The same holds for marketers. “That is one of the most important traits of a good marketer… curiosity,” Karen says. It’s not about having all the answers; it’s about asking better questions and letting that inquiry shape your strategy.
• Emotion is in the details. Silo doesn’t rely on big exposition; it builds feeling through design. You don’t need to be told life underground is bleak. You feel it. “You feel claustrophobic as a viewer sitting at home watching this,” Karen says. “You feel like you’re underground with them and yearning for a glimpse of what’s outside.” In B2B, your content should do the same, evoke emotion through setting, tone, and texture, not just copy.

Quote

"We are in a great period of unlearning and relearning. I think that’s what’s exciting to me. Being curious. That’s your superpower these days.”

Time Stamps

[0:55] Meet Karen Budell, Chief Strategy & Partnerships Officer at Totango

[01:35] Why Silo?

[03:17] Understanding Silo

[07:51] B2B Marketing Lessons from Silo

[22:34] The Power of Asking Questions

[30:12] YouTube Strategy for B2B Brands

[33:50] The Rise of Video Content

[37:43] Totango’s Brand & Content Strategies 

[39:12] Events and Experiences in Marketing

[41:26] Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Links

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn

Learn more about Totango

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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