Episode 132: From the Vault: Creative Thinking at Work

So relevant it bears repeatingEvery marketer knows the drill:Someone pitches a “fun idea,” everyone smiles… and none of it actually moves the business forward.In this episode, we talk about why great marketing leadership sometimes means being the Fun Police 👮 - the one who says,“Cool idea, but absolutely not.”We dig into:• How to spot the difference between fun work and impactful work• Why prioritization is a discipline, not a group brainstorm• ICE vs. BRASS: the models we actually use to keep teams focused• How to push back on stakeholder pet projects without setting the building on fire• Why saying “no” is often the most strategic thing a marketer can doIf you’ve ever felt like you’re running a daycare for rogue ideas, this one’s for you.Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

We're back in the vault this week to discuss creativity at work:Most teams say they want creativity.Very few create the conditions for it.In this episode, we break down why creative thinking dies inside fast-moving companies — and how to actually keep it alive. We get into:• Why creativity comes from consistency, not once-a-year Post-it workshops• The real (and usually unspoken) reasons good ideas never make it past the meeting• How the HiPPO quietly suffocates innovation — and how to push back without starting a war• Small structural shifts that make creativity a weekly, repeatable habit• A handful of exercises that look odd on paper but genuinely unlock better thinkingIf you’re tired of treating creativity like a “special event” instead of a core operating skill, this is your reset.Available wherever you get your podcasts 🎧

Some stories are so wild, they deserve a reboot. We’re bringing back an episode that didn't get the attention it deserved:Rippling vs Deel — the alleged corporate espionage saga.Inside, we break down:• The employee who allegedly flipped sides and fed intel• The Slack searches that were anything but discreet• A bathroom confrontation that would be hilarious if it weren’t real• And what does Russia have to do with all this?Then we step back and tackle the bigger questions:• Is this just one rogue case or the start of “SaaSpionage”?• How can scaleups protect themselves from insider threats?• What happens when growth pressure pushes companies past ethical lines?If your instinct is “This would never happen to us,” this episode might change your mind.Available wherever you get your podcasts.The case is ongoing: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2025/10/20/deels-billionaire-cofounders-just-got-500-million-richer-but-theyre-still-poorer-than-bitter-rival-ripplings-parker-conrad/

Following on from Growthforia, Jennifer and Casper tackle one of the most frustrating challenges for marketers: random acts of marketing.You’ll hear why:Ad hoc campaigns with no clear business link waste time and credibilityThe HiPPO is the most dangerous thing to your teamCelebrating vanity metrics is dangerous when the business is underperformingThey share their own war stories, from Queen of England tribute posts to failed pizza giveaways, and why early-career marketers often fall into these traps without realizing it.But more importantly, they get into the how:Why strategy is your best weapon for saying “no”How to map marketing efforts to real business objectivesUsing the bowtie model (aka full customer journey) to think beyond acquisitionHow cross-functional task forces can break silos and improve outcomesAnd what to do if YOU are the HiPPO in the roomThis is a must-listen for marketers ready to move from chaotic campaigns to systems that actually drive business value.Key takeaway:Busy ≠ effective. If your marketing isn’t tied to strategy and outcomes, you’re just making noise.

After a month “off” (read: juggling work, travel, and kids home thanks to the fall break), we’re back with a bang: Why is your LinkedIn reach suddenly tanking?In this episode, Jennifer and Casper jump into the LinkedIn mess to break down what’s really going on with the organic algorithm, and why more followers no longer means more reach.We dig into:Looking under the hood to see what's of the LinkedIn algorithm has changedWhy likes are out, and signals like comments, saves, and DMs now matter moreHow timing, dwell time, and even profile visits are shaping reachWhy comments might be the most powerful content you createThe formats (and emojis) that are hurting your posts’ reachAs a bonus, Casper shares his personal hack for systematizing engagement (without sounding like a robot)If LinkedIn is part of your marketing mix, this is the episode you need to make sense of what’s working, what's not, and how to adapt.

In this episode, Jennifer and Casper dive into how the mindset around demand generation on platforms like LinkedIn is shifting — and what that means for marketers.Key topics covered:Why frequency matters more than volume at the top of the funnelHow video and single-image formats play different roles in the content stackThe new role of engagement objectives in retargeting layersHow to spot meaningful leading indicators when direct attribution breaks downWhy most marketers still underestimate the power of content sequencing and storytellingYou’ll also hear:Why measuring success purely by form fills is misleadingHow shifting to platform-native metrics can surface higher-quality opportunitiesA real-world case where changing campaign structure led to 15% more meetings and a 76% increase in pipelineThis episode challenges the “lead gen first” mindset and pushes you to rethink how you approach content, measurement, and retargeting in 2025.

AI is everywhere in B2B right now; search, sales, customer success, RevOps.But here’s the uncomfortable truth: 95% of AI pilots deliver zero revenue impact.In this week’s Marketing Corner, Jen and Casper cut through the noise to look at what’s actually working (and not working) with AI in go-to-market.From the 13 new AI tools launched every single day to the rise of zero-click search, they unpack why most companies are still just slapping “AI” on top of bad processes and why that’s a recipe for chaos, not growth.The conversation dives into:⚡ Why “plus AI” thinking keeps failing (and what “AI plus” really means)⚡ How bad data is 10x’ing chaos instead of results⚡ Why AI isn’t replacing humans anytime soon (hello, Klarna & Duolingo)⚡ The new playbook for discoverability in AI-driven searchIf you’re feeling overwhelmed by the hype cycle and want a grounded take on how to actually use AI in your GTM motion, this episode’s for you.

To celebrate the start of another TechBBQ (and because we had technical issues that rendered our latest episode useless), we are re-releasing our first ever live recording from where it all began - TechBBQ.For our very FIRST live episode, Casper and I returned to where it all began - TechBBQ, Scandinavia's largest startup and innovation summit. 💡📍ICYMI: In 2020, right in front of TechBBQ HQ, the idea for Marketing Corner was born. 4 years, 3 children, 87 episodes, and 8,000+ listeners later, we were invited back to record in front of a LIVE audience 👥In this special double-episode, we dive deep into a topic many companies struggle with: Go-To-Market Strategies. We’ll cover: 🔑 What a GTM really is 🎯 Who does what📊 How to measure successAnd 👏 so 👏 much 👏 more 😮‍💨

Funding. Everyone wants it. Few talk about what actually happens when you get it.In this “return from summer break” episode of Marketing Corner, Casper and Jen cut through the buzzwords and spill the tea on funding:First, we cover the basics:Angel vs Seed vs VC vs PE - and why do people keep thinking I work in VC, dang it!The alphabet soup of Series A, B, C, D - and what really changes at each stage.Then, we cover the stuff they leave out of the funding brochure:That shiny investment isn’t free money — it’s a loan you will have to pay back one way or another.Who actually calls the shots once the deal is signed (hint: not always your CEO)?Overnight target shifts that could make you cryCulture creep - no matter how good yours is, it will change.The revolving door of talent, because the people who got you here aren’t always the ones to get you there.We strip away the glitter and give you the marketer’s-eye view of the funding process. Messy? Yes. Political? Definitely. Manageable? Absolutely — if you know what’s coming.

Everyone might be off on summer holidays, but we’re bringing back one of our most listened-to episodes.And that’s...unfortunate.Because it means this topic still hits close to home for many of you, all over the world, even though we first released this episode back in 2023.Toxic LeadershipWhether we like it or not, toxic leadership is something many of us have faced—or will face—at some point in our careers.In this episode, we dig into:How to spot toxic behaviors earlyStrategies for managing toxic leadersWhat to do when you’re asked to execute a bad ideaKnowing when to stay and when it’s time to cut your lossesAnd a lot more.What would you add to this list? Tell us about your shitty bosses.