Drift

In the penultimate episode of Exceptions, we try to move storytelling back from buzzword to core component of our jobs as marketers. What does it take to tell a gripping story? What does a brand story do for a business, and how do we vet and tell stories nobody else is telling? We talk to Contently’s Editor-in-Chief Jordan Teicher to find out.

Contently on What We Really Mean When We Say Brand Story

In the series finale of Exceptions, we go inside the mind (and schedule) of one of the world's top CMOs, Sarah Kennedy Ellis of Marketo. We discuss the acquisition by Adobe, how brand affects her team's work and her own, and why the Exceptions exploration is the most important journey for modern marketers to make today.

To our listeners: Thanks for your support of this series! Keep in touch with Drift at drift.com and host Jay Acunzo at marketingshowrunners.com.

Inside the Mind of a Global CMO (Sarah Kennedy Ellis, Marketo/Adobe)

We've talked to lots of marketers marketing to marketers in this series, but how can we as marketers build a beloved brand in an industry that isn't our own? Today, we talk to the SVP of Marketing at Toast, Kevin Hamilton, to explore what it takes to earn trust in a new community, as they've done with restaurant owners. We touch on hiring, partnerships, events, and other approaches, and we reflect on how to grow an exceptional brand given these unique challenges.

Earning Trust in a New Community with Toast

Over the course of this series, we've profiled plenty of companies whose products make sense to most of us in business (not to mention the few companies who have the enviable task of marketing to other marketers -- ahh, the dream, right?). But what if your product is highly technical in nature? How do you market to technical people when your marketers are definitely not? And how do you balance the need to target enterprise decision-makers and frontline developers and technical team leads? All that and more in this episode, featuring the CMO of tech giant Twilio, Sara Varni.

Building a Brand for Technical Products with Twilio

It feels like we say it every day: Marketing is changing. Fast. In this episode, we talk to Workfront's CMO Heidi Melin about what the future of work entails, why we're ill-prepared at most organizations, and what to do about it.

Solving Marketing's Work Crisis with Workfront

In this episode, we perform a live audit on Jay's workflow (it gets hairy) with Zapier's Head of Certified Experts Program, Jesse Parker, and we're joined by Zapier CEO and co-founder Wade Foster, who helps us uncover the one simple truth that can help solve a ton of problems encountered when scaling a brand.

Scaling Without Breaking with Zapier

What if you could generate more business by building a brand that fewer people were aware of, rather than more? This episode runs counter to our conventional wisdom as marketers in the most refreshing way. Tune in to learn more about powerhouse content creator, Animalz, and the story behind their success.

Building a Speakeasy Brand with Animalz

Exceptions from Seeking Wisdom is a docuseries exploring how and why a handful of B2B companies have built brands to experience breakout success. For years, "brand" was a dirty word in B2B. But today, in an era full of choice and noise, brand has become THE go-to strategy for differentiating your company. Join Drift and your host, author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, as we journey around the B2B world to understand what makes these companies tick and experience for ourselves the power of brand. Learn what it takes to become an exception.

Exceptions With Jay Acunzo

Contently on What We Really Mean When We Say Brand Story

Contently on What We Really Mean When We Say Brand Story

More Episodes

Inside the Mind of a Global CMO (Sarah Kennedy Ellis, Marketo/Adobe)

Earning Trust in a New Community with Toast

Building a Brand for Technical Products with Twilio

Solving Marketing's Work Crisis with Workfront

Scaling Without Breaking with Zapier

Building a Speakeasy Brand with Animalz