Renegade Marketers Unite

Norwegian Cruise Line is a leader in the travel industry and an expert in product launch marketing. Their CMO and Senior VP, Meg Lee, is Drew’s guest for this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. Tune in as Meg and Drew talk marketing over a glass of champagne aboard Norwegian's Bliss ship in NYC. On this episode, Meg shares her tips on how to handle product launch marketing and the benefits of having diverse channels of marketing. She touches on how she sells fun, whether it's through the smoked Texas BBQ (prepared off-ship), or the electric race car track available to guests on the ship. Overall, she talks through how she completes her main job: filling 16 huge ships with excited travellers. Don’t want to miss this entertaining and educational episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher- or Podsearch Use a variety of marketing strategies when launching a product Meg and her team at Norwegian Cruise Line recognize the importance of using many different marketing channels when preparing to launch a new ship. Using social, video, print, and word of mouth platforms allow the Norwegian brand to reach as many people as possible. It’s always important to curate and organize the content you’re developing so that the right message can be shared at the right time. Relationships can be your best marketing strategies In the travel industry, the best resource available for product launch marketing is travel agencies. The relationships Meg has built with travel agents are invaluable and offer an unparalleled level of expertise and knowledge to potential customers. Forming relationships in your own industry like these should be a top priority. The benefits of using creative product launch marketing strategies By using creative marketing for your B2B or B2C business, you can stand out from the competition. Creative ideas make your brand memorable and allow you to go deeper into storytelling mode. Without creative storytelling, you're just sharing data and facts. Meg also urges marketers to never let fear be a driver of their decisions. What You’ll Learn [1:04] Meg’s Renegade Rapid Fire segment [6:35] The customer journey for Norwegian Cruise Lines [9:52] Why differentiation matters for Norwegian Cruise Line [12:47] How the Norwegian brand leverages word of mouth marketing [14:15] The challenges of marketing and selling a brand new cruise ship [22:17] The role of B2B marketing in the travel industry [27:55] How Norwegian Cruise Line utilizes video marketing strategies [31:09] Meg’s “two do’s and a don’t” for marketers Connect With Meg: Norwegian Cruise Line’s Leadership webpage Connect with Meg on LinkedIn Follow Norwegian Cruise Line on Twitter Follow Norwegian Cruise Line on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned Target brand Feel Free video ad Norwegian Cruise Line 2018 video ad Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram

Jon Miller, founder and CEO of Engagio, has found success with an account based marketing strategy for his company. On this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, he explains what account-based marketing is and why it can change the way you approach prospective clients. He also shares practical ways you can authentically relate to company CEOs and why account-based marketing strategies are a business process, not a tech stack tool. This conversation is sure to educate and inspire, so be sure to listen! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher- or Podsearch What You’ll Learn [1:14] Jon’s Renegade Rapid Fire segment [10:39] What is ABM and why should you consider this strategy? [15:10] How Jon is using ABM in practical ways at Engagio [21:45] People respond to the human touch in account-based marketing strategy [27:32] ABM is a business process, not a tech stack tool [29:26] Jon’s “two do’s and one don’t” for marketers interested in ABM Why choose an account-based marketing strategy? Jon describes account-based marketing (ABM) as fishing with a spear vs. fishing with a widely cast net. It’s about identifying which accounts are most likely to work with your company, then putting more energy and resources into securing those accounts. B2B marketing environments are noisy and competitive, and ABM strategies allow you to stand out from the masses and attract the best clients with the highest ROI opportunities. People seek authentic connection - that’s why they respond to the human touch in ABM True account-based marketing strategies are multidimensional and go deeper than superficial attraction. CEOs are open to ABM strategies because they’re human and they want to work with people who truly understand them. Jon and his team at Engagio have a 26% meeting rate and a 60% human reply rate, simply because they’re not afraid to personally reach out to every prospect. Practical ways to implement an account-based marketing strategy into your B2B company An account-based marketing strategy can be implemented within your company in 3 steps: identify a CEO/company target, assign a team member to interact with them, and personalize your tactics for that specific target. Using face-to-face meetings as much as possible, targeted direct mailings and engaging emails are all useful when starting an ABM approach. Connect With Jon: Jon’s website Engagio’s website Connect with Jon on LinkedIn Follow Jon on Twitter Follow Engagio on Twitter Follow Engagio on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned INTERVIEW: “Turning Marketing into Math” Salesforce brand 1-1-1 Approach Dreamforce conference BOOK: “The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business” BOOK: “Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty” BOOK: “The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation” Lingo Live company Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram

Creating the perfect marketing promise is one of the biggest goals for CMOs. But a marketing promise without a product to back it up will not succeed. On this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Drew interviews Jennifer Deutsch, CMO of Park Place Technologies - a company that specializes in third-party data center maintenance. She shares her experiences in pairing the perfect marketing message with a brand-changing product and it's an episode you don't want to miss. Jennifer shares her expert opinion on how your team can identify the “aha moment” for your brand. She and Drew also discuss how sales leads are directly connected to marketing and the importance of simple marketing. Learn from Jennifer’s recent success with marketing promises by listening to this episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher- or Podsearch What You’ll Learn [1:12] Jennifer’s diverse experience brings a high level of expertise to this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite [2:35] Jennifer’s Renegade Rapid Fire [12:02] How did Jennifer and her team come up with the idea of anticipating customer needs? [17:46] What percentage of leads are driven by marketing? [19:43] A new product launch delivers on your marketing promise [23:53] How marketing & PR is directly tied to Park Place’s global leads [26:24] Why simple is marketing is hard [28:07] The biggest lessons Jennifer learned while at Park Place Technologies A product MUST deliver on your marketing promise, or else it won’t succeed If your CEO says “we don't have a new product, but we need a new campaign" - consider finding a new company. Marketing without a deliverable promise isn’t really marketing, and it won’t make an impact on your customers. It’s the CMO’s job to find a position that supports a new product and then deliver on that marketing promise. A stellar new product and a foolproof marketing plan create a 1-2 punch that will fundamentally change perceptions about your brand. Anticipating your customer’s needs will allow you to crush your competition Jennifer and her team at Park Place Technologies have created the perfect tagline for their latest product and marketing releases, “Up-time is everything.” They recognized that for data centers and technology companies, “downtime” (where servers and technology aren't functional because of repairs or unplanned incident) directly equates to lost profit. Jennifer and her team decided to passionately pursue the idea of “up-time” and make it a new cornerstone for Park Place Technologies. That was their “aha brand moment.” On this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Jennifer explains her process for internal and external rollout after identifying customer needs and creating a marketing campaign to support the product. They spent 1 month explaining the “why” and the inspiration behind the new campaign. This allowed internal audiences to buy into the new direction. Then, the global external rollout followed with digital and print marketing efforts. Combining these two rollout plans, just as Park Place Technologies did, will allow your company to see the greatest levels of success when delivering on a marketing promise. Simplicity in marketing key, but hard to master Effective marketing begins by simply understanding what makes your audience tick. Jennifer encourages CMOs to speak their customers’ language and identify their needs. After you’ve identified those puzzle pieces you can begin to craft messages that speak to those needs. Drew and Jennifer discuss why simple marketing is as valuable as gold, but why it’s so hard to perform in the right ways. Simplicity in the right places is genius, but simplicity in the wrong marketing places isn’t strong enough to make an impression on your customers. For their solutions on how to simplify your marketing while have it be backed up by a product, don’t miss this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. Connect With Jennifer: Jennifer’s webpage at Park Place Technologies Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn Follow Park Place Technologies on Twitter Follow Park Place Technologies on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned Gartner events Dragon 360 digital marketing Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram

Renaming a company is no small task. It’s even more challenging when your company is fewer than 10 years old. Marissa Aydlett, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Braze, is Drew’s guest for this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. They skillfully unpack the art and science of renaming a company and it’s a conversation you don’t want to miss. Marissa shares insight into challenges surrounding the renaming process and the subsequent rebranding efforts. There is power behind selecting a name and future direction for your company and it’s not something that should be tackled haphazardly. Key differences between historical, in the moment, and predictive data are also covered. Knowing how to capture these types of data and use them to your company’s advantage is one of the biggest pieces of advice Marissa has for listeners. Learn from the renaming journey Braze just completed by listening to this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher- or Podsearch What You’ll Learn [0:30] Drew introduces his guest for this episode, Marissa Aydlett of Braze [2:56] The major brand transformation from Appboy to Braze [7:56] Understanding the true importance of selecting a new name through dedicated research [10:33] The biggest lessons Marissa’s learned throughout the renaming process [14:27] So the company has a new name - now what? [18:06] The medium was the message at Braze’s live promotion events [21:57] Turning the Braze name into an eponym [24:40] The future of Braze - where are all of the company’s ideas heading? [28:21] Historical data vs. in the moment data vs. predictive data [34:23] The power of first-party data within predictive analytics [36:39] How to look at your marketing programs beyond the next 6 months The essentials behind renaming a company Braze is a customer engagement platform that allows companies to send out personalized messages across a variety of platforms. Formerly known as Appboy, the company began in 2011 and Marissa’s team started the renaming process when the company was only 6 years old. She knew the company needed to be a leader in predicting how people will communicate and interact with each other in both B2B and B2C environments in the future. Achieving this leader status could only come after a renaming process. Marissa shares the following key insights about renaming a company: Understand that a name could stick with your company forever A name should be symbolic of your company’s goals and values Naming a company is a personal experience - be sure to take into account internal and external opinions Don’t be afraid of seeking third-party advice and support Have a plan for rebranding efforts after the naming process is complete All of this advice and more great insights can be found on this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. The power of choosing a great name and how that name can organically become an eponym The ultimate dream for marketers is universal awareness - the point in time when your brand becomes synonymous with a noun. Having your brand become a verb is an even better case scenario. Think, “I’ll Venmo you the money!” or “I’ll Google it!” Marissa has found that the company name “Braze” is organically becoming an eponym and that organic discovery process is better than any marketing-driven campaign. Her team members are using variations such as “Brazify it!” and that’s quite an exciting process to watch. There’s power in a great name. It could drive the future direction of your company for years to come. You can’t afford to miss the renaming secrets that Drew and Marissa discuss, so be sure to listen. Being an innovative company is all about fostering personal connections with each customer Even though a stellar name is a perfect foundation for a company, the company then has to strive to make personal, individualized connections with every customer. That’s where data comes into play. Marissa describes how Braze encourages its clients to use three types of data: historical, in the moment, and predictive. This combination of data gives a company the best chance at knowing what the customers want, when they want it, and why they’re seeking it. She says it’s all about delivering the right message at the right time to the right person. It’s an explanation that’s best heard from the expert, so be sure to listen to Marissa’s conversation with Drew. You won’t regret it. Connect With Marissa: Braze’s About Us webpage Connect with Marissa on LinkedIn Follow Marissa on Twitter Resources & People Mentioned Branding partner company, Lexicon Episode 65: “The Ups and Downs of Xerox’s Universal Awareness and Shifting Your Brand Perception” ARTICLE: “Most Innovative Companies - Domino's” Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram

Salesforce has built a company that makes the customers a top priority, and it's a big part of the brand's success. Focusing on the customers means a marketing strategy centered on having an authentic voice and encouraging interactions that feel personally relevant to the consumer. On this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Salesforce CMO Simon Mulcahy shares why that trust is so critical, and how companies can put customers first in their business plan. Additionally, Simon discusses the art and science of marketing, the role artificial intelligence can play, and how GDPR and data security concerns are forcing marketers to get better. This conversation is sure to inspire, click here to listen! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher - or Podsearch What You’ll Learn: Don't put a product at the center of your business model Companies often make the mistake of placing their product at the center of their business model. Simon counters this mindset and explains that in the modern era, it's much easier to build an amazing product, but much harder to engage the customer in a relevant, honest way. With that in mind, customer-centered thinking has to be everywhere in your business, starting with the CEO. If you keep your focus squarely on the customer, success in other areas of business will follow. Brand trust takes years to build, but seconds to lose One of the key points Simon emphasized is that business is all about trust. If your company prioritizes generating trust in the community you’re trying to serve, customers will keep coming back to your brand. Conversely, one major negative interaction can destroy months of rapport with a customer, so you should always be conscious of your tone and how it will be received. A voice that inspires trust in your customers will serve your marketing for years to come. Marketing isn't just for the marketing department. Every single touchpoint with the consumer represents the brand. That means that everything from salespeople, to direct communications, to customer service, is marketing, to an extent. Make sure that the brand identity is infused into every element of the company, and that each department is helping deliver a personalized, contextually-relevant experience. Timeline [1:20] Drew introduces his guest for this episode, Simon Mulcahy, CMO of Salesforce [3:15] Simon’s Renegade Rapid Fire segment [13:07] Why the customer is at the center of the Salesforce business model [19:53] The most powerful lesson learned from Salesforce - it’s all about trust [25:26] The importance of having a unified view of your customer [31:10] Simon shares his opinion on the future of customer centric businesses [36:39] How GDPR will impact customer-centric businesses [41:50] Simon’s “two do’s and one don’t” for marketers Connect With Simon Salesforce website Connect with Simon on LinkedIn Follow Simon on Twitter Follow Simon on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned Adidas brand BOOK: A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction BOOK: The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook INTERVIEW: “Ding Dong, Salesforce Calling: CMO Aspires to Avon-like Army of Evangelists” BOOK: “Who Can You Trust?: How Technology Brought Us Together and Why It Might Drive Us Apart” Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram  

Storytelling is an important concept, but it's often misunderstood. It is absolutely crucial for creating meaningful marketing efforts that stand out, but few B2B marketing leaders are using it to its full potential. On this special 80th episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Drew revisits 5 past interviews that highlight key elements of successful storytelling and its use in marketing. To hear these insights from successful story-driven marketers, click here to listen now! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher - or Podsearch Why you need a signature story rooted in emotion - with David Aaker of Prophet David explains that when trying to convey a message, a CMO has two options: share facts or tell stories. And facts don't work. B2B storytelling must magnify the problem, offer a solution or accentuate the outcome. This can artfully be done by combining customer testimony with just enough facts to provide a reliable level of reality. However, simply listing data and facts is a record-keeping entry - not a compelling marketing campaign. How and when to put emotion into your ads - with Manny Rodriguez of UC Health Manny’s healthcare marketing philosophy goes against the grain: He always strives to connect to the human side of B2B marketing by putting the patient first. He shares how to nurture the emotional component of storytelling to effectively connect with the audience, as well as his 4 top lessons all CMOs should learn. Brand identity and storytelling need to be strongly united - with Martin Häring of Finastra One of the biggest challenges any CMO will face is the task of creating a new brand identity without losing the loyalty and enthusiasm of existing customers. It goes far beyond choosing new colors, a new name, and a fancy new logo. From legal issues, to market research, to the process can be daunting. Martin discusses the foundational principles - including storytelling - that helped him get the job done quickly and successfully. With innovative storytelling, marketing campaigns can resonate with millions - with Rich Kylberg of Arrow Electronics Arrow’s story-driven marketing campaign reached people around the world. Rich and his team connected with Sam, a former indy car driver who had become a quadriplegic following a crash in 2000. Arrow was given an opportunity to create technology with real human benefits, and to share a story that would engage people and bring about positive change. Some time after being connected, Sam was able to take his family for a Sunday drive again. Rich explained that Arrow wants to share stories that can "drive technology innovation forward and inspire people to dream big because anything is possible." How storytelling can be the foundation of a successful rebrand regardless of scale - with Carolyn Feinstein of Dropbox With over half a billion worldwide users, Dropbox is major player in cloud storage. Despite their success, they wanted a to expand to ensure their continued status as an industry leader and innovator. With a story-driven campaign, Carolyn helped successfully execute the massive rebrand that coincided with a new company mentality. Resources & People Mentioned BOOK: “Creating Signature Stories: Strategic Messaging that Energizes, Persuades and Inspires” VIDEO: “This is Normal” Email Drew for a special storytelling guide that will guide your business forward Ep 34 “How Storytelling Begets Healthy Marketing for UCHealth” with Manny Rodriguez Ep 66 “Driving the Future of Banking Technology Through a Massive Merger with Martin Häring of Finastra” Ep 69 “How Arrow Electronics Reinvented Storytelling Marketing and the Importance of Taking Risks” with Rich Kylberg Ep 70 “The Prophet Way of Utilizing Brand Storytelling to Engage With Audiences” with David Aaker Ep 74 “How Dropbox is Channeling Global Creative Energy Through a Bold Rebranding Effort” with Carolyn Feinstein Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram Quotes Aaker: "The media world is clutter, today. It's really hard. Into this context steps story." Häring: "In marketing, we are all storytellers. We have to create emotions." Feinstein: "At the end of the day, our role is to understand the people that we're trying to reach deeply and to know the kind of stories that will resonate most deeply." Kylberg: "It was a wild success. This initiative totally transformed the company, totally pushed us into the dominant position in our industry." Rodriguez: "We took the risk of really tasking the patient with telling the story, and the payoff and the benefits have been huge."

It’s easy for B2B marketing to skew factual and dry, and it often forgets that on the receiving end of messaging and marketing, there are actual humans with senses of humor and personalities. Alex Reed, Global Marketing Director for Big Ass Fans, knows this well, and has used it to craft funny, innovative B2B marketing and branding that connects with his audience on an emotional level. In this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Alex and Drew discuss the importance of using humor in marketing, share inventive ways to connect with customers, and examine why being relatable, funny, and approachable is extremely important, even if you’re an industrial-size fan manufacturing company. This conversation is loaded with helpful insights into creative marketing, click here to listen now! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts – Stitcher – or Podsearch What You’ll Learn Customer Listening Drove Big Ass Fans to Get Creative Alex shared a story of how the name went from the lackluster “HVLS Fan Company” to “Big Ass Fans”. There was no big secret to the company’s a-ha moment, they simply listened to customers who would call and ask “are you the guys that sell those big-ass fans?”. It was an early lesson for the company: pay attention to what your customers are saying and adjust to fit what they’re looking for can have massive payoffs. Alex also stresses that, in making these creative decisions, it’s important to run everything by his team; if he’s making a joke, it can’t be too uptight otherwise it won’t be funny, and it can’t be too crass otherwise it’ll be poorly received. How Big Ass Fans Connects with Customers Humor and creativity need to be ingrained in the company culture; a funny company name can only take a brand so far. “Big Ass Fans” can get a prospect’s attention, but there’s plenty more hard work that goes into landing a sale. Alex Reed and the marketing team committed to taking traditional outreach efforts and twisting them to deliver messages in a way that sets them apart. Rather than physical mailers, they produced a quarterly magazine that avoids being a catalogue and focuses on human interest pieces related to company employees or industries they service. The company used this to build up the ‘Big Ass Fan Club’ from the subscriptions, and now have a robust infrastructure for maintaining positive relationships with the customer base. The Primary Goal for All Marketers In reflecting on the lessons he’s learned as CMO of Big Ass Fans as a brand, Alex’s first piece of advice was that a marketer’s number one job is to stand out. Big Ass Fans delivers humor, and shares their company culture with the world, but Alex notes that there are plenty of ways to connect with your audience emotionally, you just have to find them. For more in-depth discussions surrounding marketing and Big Ass Fans, listen to the full episode. Timeline  [1:17] Drew ponders the use of humor in B2B marketing and introduces Alex as his guest for this episode [4:00] Why Alex uses humor in his communication strategy [8:08] Big Ass Fan’s innovative way of connecting with their customers [15:20] The Big Ass ways of acquiring customers [20:16] Using traditional media in nontraditional ways to connect with customers [27:36] The role humor plays in acquiring customers and hiring top talent [30:32] Alex shares his best lessons for marketing Connect With Alex: Big Ass Fans website Connect with Alex on LinkedIn Follow Big Ass Fans on Twitter Follow Big Ass Fans on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned Big Ass Magazine Company tour video “Not What They Expected” video “Worthless Dirt Bag” Hate Phone Call Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram Meet the Guest With nearly a decade at the company, Alex Reed is one of Big Ass Fans’ longest-serving employees. As chief marketing officer, he has devised strategies that have yielded a commanding brand recognition in the commercial space. His innovative approach has seen the number of new customers increase nearly 40 percent annually over the past five years. At the same time, customer loyalty has become so strong that repeat business accounts for around half of all orders, and the company’s net promoter score ranks three times higher than the manufacturing industry average. The world has taken notice, too, as Alex’s public relations strategy has piqued the curiosity of every major media outlet with coverage that included a front-page article in The New York Times. Beyond marketing, Alex consistently pushes the company’s evolution and oversaw its expansion beyond a B2B strategy to business-to-consumer with the 2012 debut of Haiku, the first Big Ass Fan for homes. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communications from the University of Kentucky and has submitted two patent applications for smart ceiling fan technology. Quotes from Alex Reed Listen to your customers. Take risks, but first and foremost, do what's right for the customer. Everybody should understand what role each touch point plays in the customer journey and come up with a metric that makes sense. For us we were looking at all things as equal. It was a misunderstanding of what role these touch points played as the customer moved along the journey from awareness to consideration to conversion and ultimately retention. The number one job of marketing is to stand out. Humor is a great way to do that. We all like to laugh, we all love a good joke. It's not the only way to connect with your customers on a more emotional level, but you've got to find a way to stand out.

Risk is too-often considered a dirty word in healthcare sectors. Transparency in healthcare industries is sadly uncommon. For this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite Drew interviews a courageous thinker in healthcare that's changing the way people think about risk-taking in healthcare, CMO of HealthSparq Burt Rosen. Burt’s background in hospitality and education allowed him to see the massive gap in the healthcare industry - it’s wasn't actually about helping and connecting people. By turning his company upside down and digging into the true goal of HealthSparq, Burt has launched a movement that strives to make healthcare less confusing and more transparent. This interview will restore your faith in the healthcare system. Learn how an insatiable level of curiosity can make you successful in any industry, as well as how to know when your brand positioning has struck gold. Finally, hear the background story behind Burt’s “What’s the Fix?” conference. Burt and Drew tackle big issues on this episode and help you unravel the transparency in healthcare issues. Be sure to give it your full attention. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher- or Podsearch What You’ll Learn [0:30] Drew’s introduction of Burt Rosen, CMO of HealthSparq, and why risk shouldn’t be a dirty word in healthcare [1:40] Why Burt embraces risk in healthcare and what attracted him to the industry [4:08] You can learn the skills necessary for any industry if you understand marketing and have an insatiable curiosity [8:13] Identifying HealthSparq’s true niche through risk-taking rebranding [12:01] Uncovering what people really want out of healthcare through public focus groups [23:19] The importance of investing in face-to-face interactions with actual people [26:24] Storytelling at HealthSparq and why it’s so critical for Burt and his team [30:01] How a low-budget conference became a massive movement in the healthcare industry [34:10] Everything starts with the positioning of the brand [37:38] Burt shares what’s next for HealthSparq and the What’s the Fix? conference Redefining HealthSparq’s brand story in order to identify their true niche Burt learned about the importance of connecting with people and caring for them during his careers in education and hospitality. When he joined the HealthSparq team he recognized the need for a massive redefinition of the brand. Rather than talk about the specifics of the tools the company offers, Burt wanted to talk about the impact the tools has on the actual human using them. That’s why HealthSparq’s tagline is now “Helping people make smarter healthcare choices.” No matter how powerful research tools or cost calculators may be, if they’re not helping people feel more comfortable and confident in their own decisions, the tool is not serving the greater brand purpose. Burt’s understanding of person-first business is unparalleled and you’ll enjoy hearing him passionately talk about this idea on this episode. Transparency in healthcare is key because it’s so personal to people and their families HealthSparq’s marketing team realized that healthcare should not be impersonal. Everyone has a healthcare story - they should be positive and comforting tales, not riddled with confusion and frustration. Burt believes that the professionals in the industry should be framing every decision in regards to the customer and patient. This underlying belief drives everything HealthSparq creates. HealthSparq knows that people of every age and from every walk of life want the same things. They want to be taken care of, they want good service, and they want transparency. Changing a decades-old industry is not for the faint of heart and to hear how Burt is conquering this task be sure to listen to this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. How a simple focus group idea turned the healthcare industry upside down In every other industry, focus groups and panel questioning is commonplace. In the healthcare sector? Not so much. An idea for a public focus group left long-standing industry professionals baffled. When the first few HealthSparq-sponsored panels drew in massive amounts of feedback and stories it sent shockwaves through the industry. These panels soon morphed into Burt’s passion project, the “What’s the Fix?” conference. This conference, with the second one being held in May 2018, strives to connect actual people to industry leaders. Making people smarter about healthcare and the decisions they make for their families is always a move in the right direction. Burt’s excitement about the conference is contagious and this episode is sure to leave you inspired. Connect With Burt: Burt’s page on the HealthSparq website Connect with Burt on LinkedIn Follow Burt on Twitter Follow Burt on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned Drew’s presentation “The 7 Reasons Why (Most) Brands Fail at Storytelling” Ep. 54 Story-Driven Content Marketing That Drives Leads HealthSparq’s blog on the 2018 #WhatsTheFix conference What’s the Fix? conference website Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook

Drew’s conversation with Paul Gottsegen, Executive VP and Chief Marketing/Strategy Officer of Mindtree, will provide new CMOs with a step-by-step playbook for creating the best marketing organization structure possible. Paul provides listeners with 4 best practices to follow for ultimate success in digital, content, and social marketing. Paul explains that “I’ve learned everything by making every mistake in the book.” Don’t repeat his mistakes, learn from his experiences. Those experiences have allowed him and his team to bring in over 100,000 sales pipeline leads over the past few years. The company’s stock value has quadrupled, and Mindtree has become a globally trusted brand. Learn from one of the industry’s best experts on this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. Listen now! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher- or Podsearch What You’ll Learn [1:38] Drew’s guest introduction and why this episode is a playbook for marketing organization structure [4:45] Paul’s biggest challenges as a new CMO and how he learned the best marketing lessons [10:50] Hidden costs to tech stacks that often go overlooked [13:37] How can a small B2B company develop a competitive brand? [17:58] Making Mindtree’s tagline, “Welcome to possible,” become reality [20:26] Paul’s proudest moment of marketing execution at Mindtree [23:57] Utilizing metrics and how to drive more leads to the sales pipeline [30:12] The biggest area of uncharted territory in B2B marketing [34:23] Paul’s 2 do’s and 1 don’t for CMOs #1: Find out what your CEO/Executive Board’s marketing expectations are A CMO should not spend a single dollar or make a single decision until they determine what goals the company leadership team has for marketing. By having their expectations outlined ahead of time, you’ll save time, energy, and resources. Paul struggled with conveying the true importance of marketing to Mindtree’s executive board, but he summarized it by saying, “Marketing isn’t easy! If it was, everyone would be doing it in amazing ways. You just have to keep pushing good content, having great interactions, and build company credibility.” This mindset needs to be conveyed to company leaders before any of the other best practices can be implemented. #2: Build the best marketing tech stack infrastructure you can afford Once marketing expectations and goals are established, a CMO should focus on building the best marketing tech stack possible. Paul explains that marketing professionals should “hire and fire tech stack tools quickly; don’t just sign a longer contract for a better deal!” He goes on to explain that many organizations forget about the staffing needs that come along with every tech stack tool and that every tool should provide quality metrics. Your tech stack should always be evolving and changing to fit the needs of the company. #3: Focus on building a competitive brand Clear marketing expectations and having the right infrastructure then allows a CMO to focus on building a competitive, trusted global brand. Paul explains that small marketing organizations shouldn’t immediately focus on going toe-to-toe with brand 10x-20x larger than they are. That growth will come in time. However, every brand does need to focus on telling a better story that explains why YOU can solve a customer’s problem better than anyone else. Marketing can and should be about more than securing contracts. It’s about building a reputable, trusted, expert brand. All of this can be accomplished by following these 4 best practices, fully explained in the audio for this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. #4: Don’t be afraid to partner with experts and empower your team Even the CMO of Mindtree wasn’t afraid of turning to outside experts when he and his team hit a wall. There are thousands of qualified professional marketers that can provide third-party insights into your organization. Empowering your team to become experts in different areas is also immensely beneficial to a marketing organization’s structure. Specialties are great, employee silos aren’t. Your team should be just that, a team, all focusing on one common goal. This final best practice is best heard from Paul himself, so don’t miss this episode. Connect With Paul: Paul’s page on the Mindtree website Connect with Paul on LinkedIn Follow Paul on Twitter Resources & People Mentioned Pardot marketing automation platform Marketo platform Moz software Tableau business analytics software Ep. 75 “Best Practices for Bold Marketing Strategies, Learned from Marketo’s CMO” Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram

When you think of Lucidchart, you probably think of the massively popular "doggo meme videos." These viral marketing campaigns are the result of Lucidchart taking risks and creating a culture of experimentation within their company. What started out as a simple idea from a team engineer has morphed into a global campaign that introduced Lucidchart to hundreds of thousands of new viewers. On this entertaining and educational episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Drew and Lucidchart’s CMO, Nathan Rawlings, discuss the 3 major ideas behind a viral marketing campaign. Throughout the conversation, they discuss how the "doggo meme videos” became a staple in Lucidchart’s marketing portfolio. Don’t miss the conversation behind why your website must be rock solid before launching into a campaign strategy and how to effectively track the impacts of a digital marketing campaign. This podcast episode will leave you laughing and inspired - it’s one you don’t want to miss. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher- or Podsearch What You’ll Learn [0:30] Drew introduces his guest for this episode, Nathan Rawlins, CMO of Lucidchart [1:03] How are marketing and torturing marshmallow peeps connected? [4:11] The marketing strategies going on behind the scenes at Lucidchart [5:30] Successful demand generation method examples [6:16] Search engines are ground zero for marketing and why you have to master the basics [10:16] Why practical effectiveness sometimes trumps creativity [11:49] The genius idea behind the "doggo meme" campaign [17:13] Memes are great, but some of Lucidchart’s ideas weren’t as successful as the “doggo speak” campaigns [18:21] How Lucidchart measured the impact of the meme videos [22:03] How viral videos can increase morale and allow people to have fun communicating [25:26] The future of Lucidchart’s meme videos [27:58] Had Lucidchart not taken a risk with the meme videos, they would have never discovered the rich vein of viral marketing [29:53] Drew summarizes his conversation with Nathan and outlines 3 major points for successful viral marketing campaigns [32:06] Have a strategy to try many different marketing tactics Before you can begin thinking like a Renegade, your company’s digital infrastructure must be built and optimized correctly Even the best viral marketing ideas will fall flat if your company does not have a stellar website. Combining best practices for SEM and SEO optimization, refining your blocking and tackling techniques, and understanding what your target market is looking for are crucial. This is where data and metrics trump creativity. If your website doesn’t flow well and give people the answers they’re looking for even the best demand generation strategies won’t succeed. Nathan experienced this firsthand when he joined the Lucidchart team. He walks listeners through the process of tweaking your website on this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. Brand awareness can be created through viral marketing campaigns, like Lucidchart’s wildly successful doggo meme videos Creativity can be found anywhere when brainstorming for ad campaigns. Lucidchart’s team desired to reach out to potential customers and go beyond the low hanging industry fruit of people already creating diagrams. Thus the “doggo meme” diagram videos that describe the “internet love language for dogs” were born. Each video has millions of views and as a result, the company’s global brand awareness has skyrocketed. A combination of endless internet memes, pop cultural awareness, and a willingness to produce great content simply for the sake of brand awareness allowed this viral marketing campaign to flourish. This campaign is shaping the way Lucidchart looks at customer engagement and you don’t want to miss hearing Nathan talk about the videos with passion and excitement. Be sure to give your full attention to this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. Finding the intersection between culture, product, and storytelling comes after your team has built a culture of experimentation Nathan explains to Drew that “drawings are the most natural form of communication.” Even before Lucidchart developed the meme diagram videos they had developed a culture of experimentation within their team. No idea was ever too simple or too outlandish to be considered. Nathan urges other CMOs to be human in their storytelling and to always seek out ways to communicate authentically with audiences. Drew also states that you can test a lot of things on the internet, and to not be afraid of the potential (minor) fallout if a digital campaign falls flat. When creative teams who are willing to take risks and try unconventional strategies are united with powerful technology strategies, brilliant ideas are able to flourish. Connect With Nathan Rawlins: Nathan’s introductory blog feature on the Lucidchart website Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn Follow Nathan on Twitter Resources & People Mentioned VIDEO: Nathan’s torturing peeps family tradition VIDEO: “What is a Pupper? What is a Doggo?” Lucidchart ad VIDEO: “Doggo Chart - Part 2” Lucidchart ad VIDEO: “Doggo Chart - Part 3” Lucidchart ad VIDEO: “Visualize Your Nopes” Lucidchart ad VIDEO: “Kitteh, Kitter, and Catto - internet names for cats” Lucidchart ad VIDEO: “Catto Chart - Part 2” Lucidchart ad VIDEO: “Internet Aninmal Names” Lucidchart ad VIDEO: “Internet Aninmal Names - Part 2” Lucidchart ad VIDEOS: “Will it blend?” By Blendtec VIDEO: Wednesday Chart by Lucidchart BOOK: How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram