The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

Beyond Clicks: Building B2B Brands with Offline Ads with Amrita Gurney

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Oct 2, 2025

Amrita Gurney, a seasoned startup marketing leader and fractional CMO, shares her insights from her work with high-growth companies in Canada. She discusses the resurgence of offline ads like billboards in B2B marketing and the importance of bold creative choices. Amrita emphasizes how human-centered messaging can enhance brand recall, while also diving into budget strategies and measuring campaign success. Her approach blends emotional connection with marketing analytics, making offline channels a powerful tool for brand differentiation.

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ANECDOTE

Debut Billboards To Signal Credibility

Float launched big out-of-home buys (billboards, print, digital) to appear bigger and build trust against established banks.
Amrita led the debut campaign with an agency and viewed it as a measured, strategic risk tied to founder support.

INSIGHT

Creative Drives Out-Of-Home Recall

Creative choices matter as much as the channel for out-of-home success.
Float used vibrant turquoise, emotional portrait photography, and workplace personas to drive recall and stand out.

ADVICE

Validate Creatives With Customers Not Just Ads

Don't over-index on digital-style A/B tests for large offline creative; use customer feedback and conviction instead.
If possible, run focus groups or small digital tests, but trust strong creative instincts when launching OOH.

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#287 Brand Marketing | In this episode, Matt is joined by Amrita Gurney, a veteran B2B marketing leader who has scaled some of Canada’s fastest-growing startups and now works as a fractional CMO. At Float, she led bold offline campaigns, from billboards and buses to TV spots, that helped the company stand out against major banks and build lasting brand recall.

Matt and Amrita cover:

Why offline ads like billboards and transit campaigns are making a comeback in B2B marketing
How creative choices — bold colors, emotional messaging, and relatable personas — can make or break brand campaigns
What B2B marketers should know about budget allocation, measuring recall, and balancing brand vs. performance marketing

Whether you’re running your first brand campaign or rethinking your spend mix, this episode will give you fresh ideas on how to stand out in B2B marketing.

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro
(03:08) - – Amrita’s background and career journey
(04:28) - – Why Float invested in offline ads
(06:08) - – Launching their first billboard campaign
(08:08) - – Taking bold risks with creative
(10:08) - – Human-centered messaging vs. product copy
(12:08) - – Expanding into buses, subways, and airports
(15:08) - – Testing (or not testing) creative concepts
(16:08) - – What brand recall really means in B2B
(18:08) - – Measuring lift from offline campaigns
(22:43) - – Balancing brand vs. performance spend
(24:43) - – Lessons from consumer marketing in B2B
(26:43) - – How they chose cities and placements
(29:43) - – Budget breakdown and allocation
(33:43) - – Tracking TV ad performance
(35:43) - – How long to run campaigns for impact
(36:43) - – Advice for marketers considering offline ads
(38:43) - – Closing thoughts and takeaways

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