Shell Game: B2B Marketing Lessons on Playing with Perception with Chief Marketing Officer at MasterControl, Kelly Starman

When AI feels like old news, the most remarkable storytellers don’t just talk about it, they show you something you’ve never seen before.

That’s exactly what happens in Shell Game, the mind-bending podcast where journalist Evan Ratliff clones his voice and lets it interact with the world without anyone knowing it’s not really him. In this episode, we explore the marketing lessons behind it with special guest Kelly Starman, Chief Marketing Officer at MasterControl.

Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from leading with curiosity, making space for creative risk, and crafting weird, emotional stories that people can’t help but talk about.

About our guest, Kelly Starman

Kelly Starman is a results-focused marketing executive with two decades of driving growth and leading high-performing teams. She has a strong track record in leading large-scale organizational change. Expertise in developing and implementing global go-to-market strategies in the healthcare and technology sectors, including positioning, branding & advertising, digital marketing, demand gen, and marketing automation. 

What B2B Companies Can Learn From Shell Game:

• Embrace the weird. Evan Ratliff’s podcast stands out because it dares to be different. In B2B, weird isn’t a liability—it’s an asset. “So much of B2B marketing is just boring,” Kelly says. “I love the idea of being weird… tapping into that and being memorable makes for great marketing.” If your content doesn’t break the pattern, it won’t break through.
• Lead with curiosity. Shell Game works because it starts with a single, captivating question: what happens when you clone your own voice and let it speak for you? For Kelly, that spirit of experimentation is essential in modern marketing. “I have not had more fun in my career than I've had in the past six months,” she says. “It has been incredible to really step back and think about what is possible with all this new technology.” Curiosity isn’t just a mindset, it’s a strategy for discovering what’s next before your competitors do.
• Curate, don’t just create. In a world of AI overload, audiences don’t want more content, they want better content. That’s where curation comes in. “I think there's just so much out there that I find myself really turning to like individuals that I trust,” Kelly says. As marketers, “How do you add value for your customers… where do you go for that curated content to stay as current as you can?” Being a trusted curator builds loyalty in a noisy market.

Quote

“So much of B2B marketing is just boring... I love the idea of being weird. I usually say like, I want this to be really bold. I want this to be really breakthrough and attention-grabbing."

Time Stamps

[0:55] Meet Kelly Starman, Chief Marketing Officer at MasterControl

[01:07] Why Shell Game?

[02:53] The Role of CMO at MasterControl

[04:33] What is Shell Game?

[12:39] Breaking Down the Content in Shell Game

[24:57] B2B Marketing Lessons from Shell Game

[28:20] Super Accelerated Learning Techniques

[41:28] Mastercontrol's Marketing Strategy

[44:38] Measuring ROI Strategically

[47:56] Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Links

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn

Learn more about MasterControl

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. 

Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.