This book provides insights into Bill Walsh's philosophy of leadership, gleaned from his successful career as the head coach and general manager of the San Francisco 49ers. Walsh stresses the importance of creating a strong culture, setting high standards, and thorough preparation. He advocates for leaders to focus on the process rather than the outcome, emphasizing that 'the score takes care of itself' when the right principles are applied. The book also touches on Walsh's personal struggles and the toll of relentless pressure, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balance between work and personal life. It offers practical advice on leadership, applicable not only in sports but also in business and other fields[1][2][4].
Belonging to the Brand explores the power of brand communities and how companies can leverage them for growth and innovation.
In *Social Media Explained 3.0*, Mark Schaefer provides insights into how social media strategy has evolved, the role of content and engagement, and practical ideas for initiating and measuring paid strategies. The book also explores the impact of AI on social media effectiveness and offers case studies illustrating successful social media practices.
Marketing Rebellion by Mark W. Schaefer challenges traditional marketing strategies and offers insights into how businesses can adapt to connect with modern consumers. It emphasizes the importance of building genuine, human connections in a digital age and explores the power shift from companies to consumers. The book provides actionable steps for businesses to focus on customer experiences and advocacy.
In 'Permission Marketing', Seth Godin critiques traditional 'Interruption Marketing' and presents a new approach where consumers are incentivized to accept advertising voluntarily. This method involves offering value in exchange for attention, educating consumers about products, reinforcing incentives, and deepening relationships over time. Godin argues that this approach is more effective in today's cluttered marketing environment, allowing companies to develop trust, build brand awareness, and improve sales chances.
#261 AI & Creativity | In this episode, Dave is joined by Mark Schaefer, marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and author of 11 books, including his latest, Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World. Mark has spent decades studying the intersection of marketing, tech, and human behavior, and his ideas have helped reshape how B2B brands think about relevance, creativity, and differentiation in a noisy digital world.
Dave and Mark cover:
- Why playing it safe is the biggest threat to B2B marketers in the AI era
- How to create marketing that actually connects by disrupting the story, the channel, or the storyteller
- Real examples of B2B brands ditching “best practices” and standing out with emotional, human-first marketing
You’ll come away with a fresh perspective on how to stay relevant, creative, and impactful, especially as AI becomes a bigger part of your marketing stack.
Timestamps
- (00:00) - – Intro
- (03:34) - – Why most marketing is boring
- (08:04) - – The danger of “best practices”
- (12:04) - – Why AI is amplifying bad marketing
- (15:34) - – The rise of raw, lo-fi, human content
- (18:34) - – What AI can’t replicate: shared experiences
- (22:04) - – Fear, risk, and the big brand trap
- (25:34) - – Using AI to enhance, not replace, creativity
- (31:50) - – The real framework behind Audacious
- (34:50) - – B2B examples that break the mold
- (40:20) - – Why now is the time to stand out
- (44:50) - – Making bold marketing happen inside your org
- (49:20) - – Liquid Death, Nutter Butter, and brand disruption
- (53:50) - – B2B doesn’t mean boring
- (57:50) - – The one question every marketer should ask
Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership
***
Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.
We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.
Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.
Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.
On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.
If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025.
Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more.
The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt) 
