Season 3 of Misadventures in Marketing is here! We kick off 2026 and Episode 1, Stage Ready, with a discussion about public speaking spots and how to integrate them into your marketing mix. Sure, I know you want to talk about AI and how PLG and SEO are going away and how in just 2 months every company on the planet is going to get side-swiped by our AI overlords. But after that’s all over and we’re standing in the ruins of the demand generation apocalypse, your company still has to send humans out into the meat space to talk about your company, shake hands with other humans, share ideas, and bond over beverages. Arms length transactions only go so far, especially on large, 7-figure purchases. That means your speaking plan has to be strategic, not random, just like any other program in your marketing mix. Peter and I also touch upon the significant tech news of the day and our latest use of AI tools for our personal use, as well as for company wide martech systems and marketing programs we’re currently working on.

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Datta

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.

#startups, #hightech, #misadventuresinmarketing, #MiM, #marketing, #technologystartups, #SiliconValley, #CMO, #marketingstrategy, #innovation, #casestudies, #businesschallenges, #leadership, #companyculture, #techgiants, #CMO, #AMA, #SiliconValley, #LegacyVsStartup, #AIFuture, #InnovationChallenge, #Marketing, #Podcast, #MisadventuresInMarketing, #TechDebate, #Marketing, #AI, #Podcast, #Technology, #DataManagement, #Public Speaking, #AuthenticityInAdvertising, #ProductivityTools, #MarketingStrategies

Welcome to Episode 8 of Season 2 of Misadventures in Marketing: When Nobody Cares. In this episode Peter and Steve discuss the latest tech news, Canva's product launch and how we use their AI tools, and the evolving role of PR in tech marketing in the age of AI. While large business and tech media outlets still command traffic and trust, and earned media and SEO remain valuable, the ROI of traditional PR is increasingly being questioned. The media landscape has become more fragmented and competitive. Marketers face lots of heavy lifting getting media coverage and then the question becomes: Was it all worth it? Will anybody care about your story? Your product? Your company? Earned media can get your company or a new product launch noticed, and SEO still matters, but the ROI is growing in doubt. Bypassing traditional outlets and going straight to your social media followers with a barrage of media-rich content is gaining in its ability to better influence, build brand, and draw leads. At the end of the day, authenticity still rules and the core question is: what method best delivers authenticity for your brand in today's landscape? The answer may not involve as much PR as we once assumed.

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Datta

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 7 of Misadventures in Marketing: Winning the AI Content Wars. In this episode, hosts Peter Farago and Steve Haney discuss the challenges and strategies of content creation in a market flooded with AI-generated content; i.e. AI slop. In a sense, we realize marketing teams have to fight fire with fire and use the AI tools we have at our disposal to increase our content marketing output. But if you don’t “top up” the quality of that content with a human touch, it is not going to stand out and resonate with prospects. Additionally, it is this human connection that builds trust in the brand, and therefore in the marketplace. All this being said, as marketers we still face a tsunami of noise as we put our content out into the internet. The keys are authenticity, consistency, and human curation.

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Datta

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.

#startups, #hightech, #misadventuresinmarketing, #MiM, #marketing, #technologystartups, #SiliconValley, #CMO, #marketingstrategy, #innovation, #casestudies, #businesschallenges, #leadership, #companyculture, #techgiants, #CMO, #AMA, #SiliconValley, #contentcreation, #qualityoverquantity, #AIincontent, #trustinmedia, #bloggingstrategies

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 6 of Misadventures in Marketing: Board Tales: How to Win the Room.

In this episode, hosts Peter Farago and Steve Haney delve into how CMO’s should approach meetings with the Board of Directors. Marketing execs get a small amount of time at board meetings to show what they're doing, exhibit progress, communicate blockers or issues in the marketing function, and do it all clearly, concisely and quickly. We dive into our philosophies around transparency, alignment, and building relationships with board members. We discuss our best practices for board dynamics and the significance of presenting data-driven insights to foster trust and collaboration. We outline how we make sure our message aligns with everything the Sales execs present and build trust with the board that the entire GTM function is in sync and aligned. Board presentations can be a precarious ride for CMOs, but sticking to basics and direct communications ensure successful outcomes everytime.

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Datta

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 5 of Misadventures in Marketing: Mind the Gap! In this episode, hosts Peter Farago and Steve Haney delve into the critical aspects of lead generation and the sales pipeline, emphasizing the importance of aligning marketing and sales efforts so leads don’t fall through the gap between MQL and SQL. This is a more knuckled down conversation than we’ve had in the past around brand vs. demand, long term vs. short term actions, and how marketing executives need to balance both vis a vis the Sales motions. We discuss the challenges of nurturing leads, the significance of lead scoring, and the necessity of building long-term relationships with customers rather than focusing solely on transactions. We also explore how AI can enhance cohesive go-to-market strategies that integrate both brand and demand generation efforts.

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Datta

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 4 of Misadventures in Marketing! In this episode of Misadventures in Marketing, hosts Peter Farago and Steve Haney explore how the best laid marketing plans of mice and men and women often go awry. Or as the American boxer Mike Tyson puts it: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth!

As marketing professionals in the rapidly changing world of technology, we think, we strategize, we produce launch plans, we create elegant messaging for our audiences, etc. We create our beautiful, perfect marketing plan for the year (or even just the quarter!) then the world blows up when a competitor launches a new product, the political landscape changes, a partner pulls out, or, even more dramatically, a whole new technology like generative AI turns the entire industry on its ear.

Today’s tech business environment requires constantly agile marketing techniques to keep up with the rapidly shifting landscape. Walking into the boxing ring having full knowledge of the landscape means little when that punch in the mouth sends your marketing plan flying back on its heels. Join Peter and Steve as they discuss the many metaphorical punches to the marketing mouth they have had to endure, how they recovered from them, and how to plan in a tech world that is transforming faster than ever.

About Misadventures In Marketing

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Data

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.

#startups, #hightech, #misadventuresinmarketing, #MiM, #marketing, #technologystartups, #SiliconValley, #CMO, #marketingstrategy, #innovation, #casestudies, #businesschallenges, #leadership, #companyculture, #techgiants, #CMO, #AMA, #SiliconValley, #everyhasaplanuntiltheygetpunchedinthemouth, #agilemarketing, #startups, #go-to-marketstrategy, #genAI, #leadership, #competition, #teamdynamics, #innovation, #businessstrategy

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 3 of Misadventures in Marketing! This week, hosts Peter Farago and Steve Haney discuss the age old topic of Nets vs. Spears, but with a twist involving the new world of LLMs. How should an early or middle-stage tech start-up approach their lead gen investment versus their ABM investment when the AI bot scrappers are thrown into the mix? Where do you focus, what content do you produce? How do you ensure your content ends up in the AI search summaries that search engines are now producing? And that the buying executives at your ABM target list are receiving it? How do you judge the importance of balancing brand awareness with performance marketing, and the necessity of high-quality content in engaging modern B2B buyers? Peter and Steve also discuss the metrics that matter in this new marketing environment and how tech companies can effectively measure success amidst the rapid-fire changes that AI dynamics have brought to the table.

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Data

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.

#startups, #hightech, #misadventuresinmarketing, #MiM, #marketing, #technologystartups, #SiliconValley, #CMO, #marketingstrategy, #innovation, #casestudies, #businesschallenges, #leadership, #companyculture, #techgiants, #CMO, #AMA, #SiliconValley, #B2Bmarketing, #AIimpact, #brandawareness, #productmessaging, #marketingmetrics, #digitalmarketing, #customerjourney, #earlystagestartups, #marketingstrategies, #contentmarketing, #ABM, #netsvsspears

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 2 of Misadventures in Marketing! This week, hosts Steve Haney and Peter Farago discuss the tectonic shift from traditional SEO to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). They explore how consumer behavior is changing in the age of AI, the importance of content strategy, and the need for marketers to adapt to new metrics and marketing channels. Traditional search traffic is cratering, and now the goal is to get your company or product mentioned in the AI summaries that search engines are now producing for end-users searching for answers, not just 10 blue links. We explore the significance of creating high-quality, authoritative content that meets the needs of consumers seeking comprehensive answers. As AI continues to reshape the marketing landscape, the necessity for brands to remain discoverable online will be a challenge for the foreseeable future.

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional GTM executive in tech, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines, and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues.

Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/

X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amasf/

Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney

Marketing: Ian Robinson-Lambert

Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios), and Brian Douglas

Consulting Producer: JulieAnn Bornales

Content Producer: Rinita Data

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Workbox for their support of Misadventures in Marketing.