Episode 145: Our Hot Takes on the latest GTM Insights Report 2026

In this episode, we crack open a GTM insights report and react to the trends inside.Which findings hold up?Which ones need context?Which insights are the ones we can't ignore?And which ones deserve our patetned hot take?If the latest GTM trends are making your spidey sense tingle and you’re wondering whether it’s just you or something bigger going on, this episode is for you.The report we refer to is available here:https://www.levelequity.com/report/go-to-market-insights-2026/

OK. That's it. We're done being diplomatic.This is the episode where we say what most marketers only vent about in Slack DMs.We call out:- Marketers who make the rest of us look bad- Leaders who have champagne taste on a tap water budget- Teams hiding behind AI buzzwords instead of fixing stuff- Companies that “go enterprise” by just raising prices- Strategy whiplash every six months- “Make it go viral” as an actual instructionNo frameworks. No filters. Just a brutally honest look at what’s making marketing harder than it needs to be.If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s you… or the room — just go ahead and press play.

In their careers, Jen and Casper have looked under the hoods of plenty of companies. And after a while, some patterns start to emerge...In this episode, they share the yellow, orange, and red flags that signal a marketing function might have some serious challenges.Some of the warning signs covered include:When the ICP really means “I Can Pay” and nothing moreWhen the data foundation is shaky, fragmented, or politicalWhen marketing operates as a reactive service desk for sales instead of a strategic partnerWhen leadership cracks are starting to show When "shiny object syndrome" is used to try and fix misalignmentWhen expectations are high but ownership is lowThis is an honest look at the signals that tells Casper and Jen whether theyre stepping into a marketing challenge — or an organizational one.

In this episode, we take on one of the most misunderstood workplace trends right now: quiet quitting.Is it really disengagement?Or just healthy boundary-setting?Is that necessarily a bad thing?Or are we missing something deeper?We challenge the mainstream definition and offer a sharper one.We also introduce a related but very different concept: quiet cracking.If you lead a team, manage people, or have ever felt stretched at work, this conversation may change how you think about disengagement, burnout, and accountability.Listen in and decide where you stand.

In this episode, we unpack a major shift in B2B software discovery.G2 is acquiring Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp, bringing four of the biggest review platforms under one owner.We cover:Is this a good thing or bad thing for Marketers? What does this mean for consumers?The real risk of monopoly pricing, pay-to-play dynamics, and fewer alternatives.Why review sites are under pressure as AI reshapes how buyers discover software.Available wherever you listen to podcasts

Let's get into hypotheticalsLet me hear your budget talk, your budget talkIn this episode, we ask a hypothetical, yet revealing question:If you had to shift 20% of your marketing budget tomorrow, where would it come from and where would it go?Let’s get hypothetical, hypothetical.We cover:Why “low-intent” spend is getting far more budget than it deservesWhere experimentation should really live (and why most teams dont 'protect it)Why content, AI search visibility, and brand building deserve more money — even when they’re hard to measureWhy optimising for MQLs is still one of marketing’s favourite self-inflicted woundsLets challenge some sacred cows to focus on how buyers buy - not what looks good in a dashboard.

In this episode, we ask a deceptively simple question:If you could reallocate 20% of your marketing budget tomorrow, where would you put it and what would you take it from?We cover:Why paid search and “low-intent” spend is eating far more budget than it deservesWhere experimentation should really live (and why most teams never protect it)Why content, AI search visibility, and brand building deserve more budget — even when they’re hard to measureWhy optimizing for MQLs is still one of marketing’s favorite own goalsTime to focus on how buyers actually buy — and not what looks good in a dashboard.

In this episode, Casper and Jen debrief on the first-ever Growthforia — a sold-out B2B SaaS marketing conference launched from scratch in Copenhagen.Casper shares the real story behind the event:Why they built it (and what was missing in the market)How they sold 120+ tickets without a legacy brandWhat worked, what flopped, and what they'd never do againThe not-so-glamorous reality of organizing a first-time eventLessons on community building, brand exposure, and ROI for agency-led eventsYou’ll hear honest reflections on everything from technical mishaps to slide disasters, surprising channel performance (spoiler: email wins again), and why networking needs to be more than just wine at the end.If you’re a marketer thinking about running your own event—or just curious about what goes on behind the scenes—this one’s for you.Practical, unfiltered, and packed with takeaways.

In part two of our deep-dive with Liam Bartholomew from Cognism, we go beyond theory and unpack how brand and demand gen can (and must) work together — especially in high-growth environments.We explore:Why most teams get the sequence wrong: building the brand after capturing leadsHow Cognism structures brand ownership across content, product marketing and leadershipThe difference between scaling broad awareness and going deep with the right audienceWhy treating SEO and LinkedIn as brand—not performance—channels is now criticalHow to use a content engine and messaging hierarchy to stay aligned and avoid “random acts of content”Measurement frameworks that tie content and demand back to revenue impactLiam also shares hard-earned lessons from Cognism’s journey from 50 to 500 people, and why brand reach without relevance is a fast track to burnout and missed goals.This one is a must-listen for any startup marketer trying to turn theory into execution — and make brand actually drive pipeline.Check out the ungated Demand Gen Playbook from Cognism for more.

We’re joined by Liam Bartholomew, VP of Brand & Customer Marketing at Cognism, to break down one of the biggest shifts happening in B2B marketing right now: the move from traditional lead generation to true demand generation.Cognism didn’t just tweak their funnel. They fundamentally rethought how marketing drives growth. In this episode, Liam shares the real story behind that transition: what triggered it, how they proved it internally, and what had to change across content, paid media, and sales alignment to make it work.We talk about:• Why cheap leads and high volume were holding growth back• The data that exposed the flaws in a lead-gen-first model• What actually happens when you ungate content• How demand gen changes the role of content, video, and distribution• How to keep sales onside while reducing “leads”• Why intent matters more than engagement• The fear, risk, and internal pushback no one talks aboutLiam also shares practical advice for marketers who believe in demand gen, but are stuck in lead-driven organisations, including how to start building momentum before making the big switch.Learn more about Cognism's Demand Gen playbook course hereFollow Liam on LinkedIn