Category: Show Notes

Shifting an entire B2B organization from a traditional to a cloud-based selling motion is no walk in the park. Throw in a global pandemic and a sweeping digital transformation, and you’ve got yourself a real marketing challenge. CMO James Whitemore and his team at NetApp were up to the task, ripping up their marketing playbook and transforming business from the inside out.

James tells all in this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, sharing how the company has shifted to a real-time marketing approach that enables sales teams to close quickly, as well as how it revamped its messaging with humor and grit to engage and entertain a new audience of potential users. With NetApp’s 180% plus YoY growth in cloud services, 5-day sales cycles, and messaging campaigns that have significantly increased click-through-rates, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• NetApp’s transformation from traditional to cloud-based services
• How to enable sales during today’s digital transformation
• How NetApp’s messaging combines grit and humor

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/389z5wu

As a multi-disciplined, multi-functional channel, social deserves a seat at every B2B brand’s strategic table. A robust social strategy does more than just drive brand awareness, it also can also generate leads, attract talent, and build a strong employee culture with far-reaching effects. Don’t take just our word for it though—this week’s guest is Jamie Gilpin, the CMO of Sprout Social, a leading social media management platform, and she’s here to discuss all things social.

From why the C-Suite needs to be on social to why you need more than just a “Twintern” to manage your social channels, this episode is chock full of insights about common B2B social media mistakes and specific B2B social media success. Jamie not only shares how social plays an important role in Sprout Social’s marketing mix, she also addresses how social listening has informed successful marketing motions and driven revenue. Check it out!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why B2B brands need to take social seriously
• How Sprout Social drives revenue from social channels
• Common social media mistakes for B2B marketers

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/34H5V5P

Renegade Thinkers Unite has moved to renegade.com! As a subscriber, you should have received an email with the subject line ‘Activate your Email Subscription to Renegade Thinkers Unite’. It may be buried in your inbox, or even the spam folder, but if you click the link in that email, you’ll continue getting notifications when each week’s new episode is published.

Like many B2B companies, K2 Software has really zeroed in on what makes its low-code process automation platform mission-critical for its customers. Unlike many B2B companies, K2 had already started shifting its strategy and messaging in 2019, months before the far-reaching effects of COVID were on anybody’s radar. In the scramble to prove that its product or service is essential during a downturn, K2 was ahead of the game.

In this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, K2 CMO Carlos Carvajal shares how the company’s recent brand transformation and various internal and customer partnerships have helped them navigate the challenges of 2020 and transform automation for the better. Be sure to tune in to hear about the success of K2’s virtual event, the launch of a new sub-brand, how K2 celebrates customer success, and more.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why K2 transformed into a mission-critical brand (pre-COVID)
• How K2’s marketing strategy is generating revenue
• Why B2B customer partnerships and product partnerships matter

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3jq1mRb

Renegade Thinkers Unite has moved to renegade.com! As a subscriber, you should have received an email with the subject line ‘Activate your Email Subscription to Renegade Thinkers Unite’. It may be buried in your inbox, or even the spam folder, but if you click the link in that email, you’ll continue getting notifications when each week’s new episode is published.

Citing a recent virtual event she attended, CMO Latané Conant of 6sense truly believes that, for marketers, “The more things change, the more things stay the same.” Now, a lot of things have changed: no more physical events, no more sales presentations, no more opportunities to bring clients together or close deals via in-person entertainment. So, what stays the same?

In Latané’s opinion, what doesn’t change is the fact that, as always, marketers need to lead the charge with bold, creative marketing that works with changing circumstances to bring people together, create memorable experiences, and help get sales teams to close. For this bold episode, Latané shares how 6sense has created demand via meaningful, community focused virtual events, why creativity is essential when marketing (especially if you’re marketing to marketers), and how to use ABM effectively without wasting anybody’s time.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why segmentation is essential to creativity
• The difference between a webinar and a virtual event
• How 6sense creates demand out of virtual events

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/2SUykOW

 

Renegade Thinkers Unite has moved to renegade.com! As a subscriber, you should have received an email with the subject line ‘Activate your Email Subscription to Renegade Thinkers Unite’. It may be buried in your inbox, or even the spam folder, but if you click the link in that email, you’ll continue getting notifications when each week’s new episode is published.

Imagine a globally recognized brand (say, IBM Watson Marketing) decides to spin out and gets packaged up and purchased by private equity. Imagine said brand not only has big name recognition, but also a handful of acquisitioned companies with some seriously loyal customers. So, you’re a brand-new company with 1,000+ employees, 3,500+ customers in 21 countries, and 5 major products; you need to build an infrastructure, culture, and brand from scratch. Top that all off with a worldwide pandemic, and you’ve got one seriously big challenge ahead of you.

Enter CMO Norman Guadagno. Joining Acoustic in 2019, Norman’s mandate was to create a brand, build a marketing organization, and build a company for the IBM carve-out. Daunting, yes, but in this epic episode, Norman shares how Acoustic has made a name for itself. From partnering with HR to establish a distinct culture to selling the new brand to existing customers, this jam-packed episode is a must for courageous B2B marketers everywhere.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How Acoustic built its brand
• Why B2B branding needs to start with employees
• How to balance old equity with a completely new brand

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3nyadna

 

Renegade Thinkers Unite has moved to renegade.com! As a subscriber, you should have received an email with the subject line ‘Activate your Email Subscription to Renegade Thinkers Unite’. It may be buried in your inbox, or even the spam folder, but if you click the link in that email, you’ll continue getting notifications when each week’s new episode is published.

“So, a brand walks into a bar…What drink does it order?” And no, it’s not the start of a joke, instead, it’s a question that CMO Paz Macdonald asks when thinking about brand. When she joined Software AG in 2019, it was clear that the 50-year-old enterprise software company’s brand needed a massive overhaul—they had a great reputation but poor brand awareness. It was time to stop being the brand that would order a still water at the bar, and instead order a sensible, inviting cocktail with the confidence of a globally recognized brand that knew it was making a difference.

In this episode, Paz shares the story behind Software AG’s rebrand, and how a comprehensive brand audit, a completely new website, and an inspiring “living connections” message has built a well-oiled, marketing-driven organization. She also discusses B2B rebranding best practices with full transparency, like how much to involve employees, why companies should seriously consider using an outside marketing firm, and more. Check it out!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Software AG decided to rebrand
• How Software AG built a new website and a new brand
• Best practices for any B2B rebrand

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3l8hl7J