Marketing Corner Episode 157: OOO: Marketing Over the Summer

It's that time of year. Offices empty, out-of-office replies everywhere, tumbleweeds in the hallway. Every year, the same debate kicks off: cut the ad budget or keep going?Every year, we watch people get it wrong.This week we talk through what we actually do with our budgets, our teams, and our sanity over the summer — including:Why "just cut spend" is the laziest move you can make when the entire market just got cheaperThe difference between a laptop task and a phone taskA stat we just started tracking that'll make you rethink how fast your sales team responds to inbound leadsThe one time I had to cut a family holiday short — and what it taught me about never taking vacation near month-end againAvailable wherever you listen to podcasts.

Lately, we've been hiring for a number of roles. Between us: 160-250 applications per role, cover letters with identical phrasing, and case study decks that all somehow have the same colors, the same structure, and the same *wrong* stats.This week, we talk about what it's actually like hiring in the age of AI — from both sides of the table.Including that time when:We saw the same incorrect stat in several candidates' decks during a case study process.How AI generated notes are becoming a crutch that is helping absolutely no one. How we're ditching take-home case studies entirely to see people think in real time without AI.How candidates can stand out in a sea of AI - spoiler alert: like all things related to AI, it's all about getting back to basics.Main takeaway: use AI to prep, cite your sources, and make it your own — because if you can't answer a probing question without your notes, the deck means nothing and you're probably not getting the job anyway.Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

"Overheard in..."You know the format. People overhear unhinged things in elevators, at conferences, in boardrooms, on the metro. Someone submits. It gets published. Everyone cringe-laughs. Repeat.This week, we did our own version — except it's the unhinged things people have actually said to us over the years in marketing. Some funny. Some baffling. Some that still keep us up at night.Including that time when:A senior sales leader was so confident and yet so VERY wrongA client preferred ChatGPT over agency adviceA member of the BoD wanted to scale direct trafficJen was asked to do a campaign that was so tone-deaf it hurtsAnd a question directed at one of us that would never have been asked of a man…We also get into the small-world problem of Nordic B2B SaaS — why the same bad actors keep getting recycled, why references matter more than people think, and why you really don't want to be on the wrong list.Chaotic, cathartic, and deeply relatable if you've ever had to smile through a truly unhinged stakeholder request.Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

The eternal tension: everything needs to go out yesterday, and everything needs to be perfect. Both are impossible at the same time. So what do you actually do?Casper and I got into this one properly — approval processes, legal reviews, AI-generated slop, and the campaign that went through every single layer of leadership... and still had a spelling mistake. Because of course it did.We cover:When to obsess over quality — and when to just ship itHow legal content changes your workflow in ways most marketers never deal withThe "80% perfect and done" rule and why it's actually a strategy, not carelessnessWhy the people who aren't doing the work are always the ones fixating on the typosRACI models, sign-off PDFs, and CYAIf you've ever had a stakeholder screenshot your social post to point out a grammar error while your team is publishing eight a day — this one's for you 

Dublin has become the Silicon Valley of Europe, home to the European headquarters of tech giants like Google, HubSpot, LinkedIn, and Meta.A few weeks ago, we both found ourselves there - Jen at LinkedIn HQ and Casper at HubSpot HQ - so this week we're comparing notes on what we learned from two of the biggest players in B2B tech.In this episode, we discuss:• How B2B companies can better leverage LinkedIn for AI visibility• Why HubSpot's partner ecosystem continues to outperform• The changes both platforms are making behind the scenes• The ideas that stood out, and the ones we'll probably never implement• What all of this means for marketers, sales teams, and revenue leadersIf you're interested in learning what the biggest tech companies in the space are seeing, but don't have the time, budget or inclination to go all the way to Dublin to find out for yourself, this episode has got you covered.

We've all been there: pipeline's thin, the board wants more logos, and suddenly that off-ICP deal doesn't look so bad. But shortcuts have a funny way of catching up with you.This week we dig into the GTM moves that feel like a good idea at the time but quietly kill your growth in the long run. Between us, we've probably seen hundreds — maybe thousands — of companies make the same mistakes. At some point, you stop being surprised and you just can't ignore them anymore.In this episode, we unpack:Why your GTM budget is costing you way more than you thinkWhy "more leads" is almost never the silver bullet you hope it isThe ICP trap that makes the numbers look great until they aren'tIf you've ever said yes to a deal you knew wasn't quite right — this one's for you.

After a month away, we’re back with a topic marketers need on their radar: ChatGPT Ads.Casper shares early learnings from testing OpenAI’s new ad platform across B2B clients. The verdict? It’s a black box. Reporting is limited. Optimization is unclear. But early signals look promising.We unpack:What ChatGPT Ads actually look likeWhy the CPCs are surprisingly lowHow AI search is changing buyer behaviourWhy marketers are struggling with attributionWhether “AI visibility” deserves its own budgetIf you market in North America or Australia, this might be the cheapest experiment you’re not running yet.

What better way to celebrate our 150th episode than with a hypothetical about AI...How would you build a SaaS business that doesn’t get swallowed by AI?In this episode, we cover what founders, marketers, and operators should be thinking about now if they want to stay relevant as AI changes the rules faster than ever, including:Why some SaaS companies are losing product-market fit almost overnightThe role of proprietary data as one of the strongest AI-resistant moatsWhy hardware, human expertise, and service layers may become more valuable than ever.How community, owned media, and founder-led trust can protect your GTM strategyAnd so much more!If you’re building, marketing, investing in, or leading a SaaS company and wondering how to survive the AI blob coming for your town — this episode is for you 🫵

In this week’s episode, we dive into applying a growth mindset, in both work and our lives, including:What growth mindset actually looks like in how we think, talk to ourselves, and approach challengesA few common traps that can keep teams and individuals stuck in limiting beliefsWhy mindset matters so much at work, especially when testing new ideas and navigating changeSimple ways to build it into your team culture through better questions, reframing, and more empowering storiesAvailable wherever you listen to podcasts

In this episode, we dig into what personality and talent profiles actually say about how people work, lead, and collaborate.We compare our own results (some painfully accurate), and unpack how different strengths shape everything from big ideas to actually getting things done.We cover:• Why some people are wired to start things, while others finish them• What gives you energy at work vs. what drains you• How talent profiles can change how you delegate and build teams• Why the people who frustrate you might be exactly who you need• Whether you should actually use these profiles in hiringThere is no perfect profile. But understanding how people work? That’s where the gold is.Main takeaway: self-awareness is good — team-awareness is better.