Épisodes

  • #218: Why Being Funny in B2B Marketing is a Serious Brand Strategy (and How To Do It!) - Deadpan's Luke Winter
    Feb 8 2026

    Most B2B content looks polished. But almost none of it gets remembered.

    In this episode, we break down why humour isn’t a creative risk in B2B.

    It’s a strategic advantage.


    We’re joined by Luke Winter, founder of Deadpan and one of the few people proving that B2B marketing with humour drives memory, brand lift, and real revenue.


    Luke shares how a single funny B2B video generated over $300K in sales, why AI-generated content is creating sameness, and how brands can use comedy frameworks to stand out without needing a massive budget.


    We also unpack:

    + Why most B2B brands confuse looking professional with being effective

    + The science behind entertaining ads and higher conversion rates

    + How to turn real customer pain points into memorable content


    + Five practical frameworks to generate funny B2B ideas

    + How to build a sitcom-style content series for your brand

    + How to get CEO buy-in without calling it “comedy”


    Tune in and learn:

    + Why humour works better than features in B2B

    + How to create distinctive brand memory in a world of AI slop

    + How to apply comedy without damaging credibility


    If you’re a B2B marketer trying to stand out, build trust, and stop blending in, this episode is essential.


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    🔗 Links + CTAs

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    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school


    💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency


    -----------------------------------------------------

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    -----------------------------------------------------


    00:00 Why Humour Is a Smart B2B Brand Strategy

    01:10 Why B2B Comedy Is Untapped

    02:00 AI vs Memorability

    03:20 Why Corporate Videos Fail

    04:10 The Video That Changed Everything

    06:00 From 234 Views to $300K

    07:00 The Showmanship Era

    08:10 Why B2B Content Gets Ignored

    09:10 Showmanship vs Salesmanship

    10:00 Turning Pain into Comedy

    11:30 The Data Behind Funny Ads

    13:00 Why Humour Isn’t Risky

    15:00 The Customer Is the Hero

    16:40 Comedy Frameworks

    20:20 Comedic Displacement

    23:20 Opposites in Comedy

    26:00 Metaphors That Work

    28:00 Parody and Associations

    31:40 Testing with Memes

    34:30 Sitcom-Style B2B Content

    36:50 Getting CEO Buy-In


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    👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??


    💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)


    Get the:

    🔹 strategy

    🔹 templates

    🔹 tools


    So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.


    See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator


    Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    S08 E218 - The B2B Playbook

    #b2b #b2bmarketing #brandstrategy #humourinmarketing #demandgeneration

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    46 min
  • #217: Product Marketing Framework for Small B2B Teams (What Actually Works)
    Feb 1 2026

    Most small B2B teams know product marketing matters.

    Very few know how to make it work without specialists or big budgets.

    In this episode, we’re joined by Kayla Medica, creator of the Medica Method, to break down how product marketing actually works inside lean B2B teams.

    We unpack what breaks when no one owns product marketing, how to align product, sales, and leadership around one story, and why pricing is just as much a product marketing problem as it is a commercial one.


    Kayla also explains why most B2B personas fail, how to build real feedback loops with sales, and how small teams can punch above their weight without burning out.


    Tune in and learn:

    + How product marketing really works in small B2B teams

    + What product marketers should say no to (and when)

    + Why pricing and positioning are inseparable


    If you’re in a small B2B team trying to create consistency between marketing, sales, and product, this episode is a must-watch.


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    🔗 Links + CTAs

    -----------------------------------------------------

    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school


    💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency


    -----------------------------------------------------

    SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybook

    SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

    GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

    -----------------------------------------------------


    00:00 Why Product Marketing Breaks in Small Teams

    02:10 What Happens When No One Owns Product Marketing

    04:16 Product Marketing Explained

    05:23 The Medica Method

    07:46 Why Small Teams Can’t Pause Work

    09:11 Who Product Marketing Aligns With

    10:52 Executive Buy-In

    12:00 Net-New vs Expansion Growth

    14:15 Product Marketing Boundaries

    17:50 Fixing Sales Feedback Loops

    23:50 Why B2B Personas Fail

    29:50 Pricing as Product Marketing

    35:40 Showing Pricing on Your Website

    38:40 Taylor Swift Pricing Lessons

    42:30 Status Signalling in B2B

    46:00 Product Marketing as a Career


    -----------------------------------------------------


    👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??


    💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)


    Get the:

    🔹 strategy

    🔹 templates

    🔹 tools


    So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.


    See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator


    Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    S08 E217 - The B2B Playbook

    #b2b #productmarketing #b2bmarketing #pricingstrategy #gotomarket

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    54 min
  • #216: Founder-Led Marketing Strategy: How to Scale Trust Without Becoming the Bottleneck (Adam Holmgren, Fibbler)
    Jan 26 2026

    Most B2B teams rely on founder energy – until it stops working.

    In this episode, we sit down with Adam Holmgren, CEO and co-founder of Fibber, to break down how founder-led marketing actually works – and why it hits a ceiling faster than most teams expect.

    Adam walks us through how he turned his personal LinkedIn presence into early traction, why founder-only growth stalled after the first 50 customers, and how he built a system that blends founder trust with brand memory.

    This is a practical breakdown of a modern founder-led marketing strategy – without fluff, vanity metrics, or burnout.


    Tune in and learn:

    + Why people buy from founders before they buy products

    + How to scale founder content beyond personal reach

    + Why Thought Leadership Ads work – and where they fall short

    + How brand memory unlocks the next stage of growth


    If you’re a B2B marketer or founder trying to turn visibility into pipeline, this episode shows how to bridge founder energy into a real brand engine.


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    🔗 Links + CTAs

    -----------------------------------------------------

    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school


    💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency


    -----------------------------------------------------

    SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybook

    SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

    GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

    -----------------------------------------------------


    00:00 Why good content dies without distribution

    01:00 Why founders are the strongest distribution engine

    02:20 Meet Adam Holmgren and the Fibber story

    03:40 How B2B buyers actually make decisions

    05:00 Why SaaS competition forces founder-led marketing

    06:30 Posting before you even have a product

    07:50 How Adam launched with built-in trust

    09:00 The ceiling of founder-led growth

    10:30 Why founder reach eventually stalls

    11:45 The brand trust problem no one talks about

    13:00 Founder-led marketing is not enough

    14:10 Adam’s founder brand framework explained

    17:00 Using Thought Leader Ads to break out of your network

    18:40 Why Thought Leader Ads fail to build brand

    20:00 The Pink Lion and brand memory

    27:40 The four engines of growth


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    👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??


    💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)


    Get the:

    🔹 strategy

    🔹 templates

    🔹 tools


    So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.


    See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator


    Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    S08 E216 - The B2B Playbook

    #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #founderled #thoughtleadership #linkedinads #linkedin

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    45 min
  • #215: B2B Brand Strategy for Enterprise Sales: How Brand Opens Doors Marketing Can’t (Ari Yablok)
    Jan 18 2026

    B2B Brand Strategy for Enterprise Sales: How Brand Opens Doors Marketing Can’tMost B2B marketing never reaches enterprise decision-makers.This episode shows why brand is the bridge sales actually needs.In this session from our Full Circle conference, we’re joined by Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island.Ari breaks down how brand becomes the permission slip that lets sales into rooms traditional marketing can’t access.We unpack why enterprise executives ignore most marketing, why big promises backfire, and how positioning, personality, and story create trust before the first sales call.This isn’t about logos or colours.It’s about building a B2B brand strategy that makes enterprise buyers lean in instead of tune out. Tune in and learn:+ Why enterprise buyers are sceptical by default+ How brand positioning creates real differentiation+ How story and personality shorten sales cycles If you’re selling to senior decision-makers and struggling to get attention, this episode shows why brand isn’t optional.It’s the door-opener. -----------------------------------------------------🔗 Links + CTAs-----------------------------------------------------🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency-----------------------------------------------------SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybook SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletterGET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/-----------------------------------------------------00:00 Why Brand Opens Doors Sales Can’t01:20 Why Enterprise Executives Ignore Marketing03:50 The Real Cost of Selling Software Internally06:10 Why Generic Messaging Fails08:20 The Hidden Risk Buyers See10:40 Why Features Don’t Convince13:10 Brand as Infrastructure15:30 Positioning Sweet Spot17:40 Why SaaS Positioning Sounds the Same19:50 Great vs Generic AI Examples21:50 Brand Personality as a Moat24:10 Archetypes That Differentiate26:10 Storytelling That Creates Order29:10 How Buyers Really Decide31:50 Island Brand Case Study36:40 Relevance That Resonates39:10 Thought Leadership That Pre-Sells40:40 Trust Signals That Shorten Sales Cycles43:00 Brand for Small Teams -----------------------------------------------------👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)Get the:🔹 strategy🔹 templates🔹 toolsSo you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B IncubatorCheck out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-courseS08 E215 - The B2B Playbook#b2b #b2bmarketing #brandstrategy #enterprisesales #demandgeneration

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    53 min
  • #214: B2B Content Strategy Framework: Why Most Content Fails (and what to do instead)
    Jan 11 2026

    Most B2B content fails because it isn’t built on a strategy.

    In this episode of The B2B Playbook, we break down a practical B2B content strategy framework and explain why most content gets created, published, and forgotten.


    We unpack why “adding value” isn’t enough, why engagement metrics are misleading, and how to anchor your content to a clear point of view so it actually supports revenue.


    We also share the 3-question Point of View framework we teach inside The B2B Incubator, and explain how your content should naturally lead to your product or service without burning trust.


    Tune in and learn:

    + Why most B2B content strategies fail

    + How to anchor content to a clear point of view

    + How to make your product the logical conclusion of your c


    If you’re a small B2B marketing team under pressure to deliver pipeline, this framework will help you stop wasting effort and start compounding impact.


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    🔗 Links + CTAs

    -----------------------------------------------------

    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school


    💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency


    -----------------------------------------------------

    SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybook

    SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

    GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

    -----------------------------------------------------


    00:00 Why Most B2B Content Fails

    00:31 What This B2B Content Strategy Framework Solves

    01:10 The 5 Bs Framework Explained

    02:00 Content for Content’s Sake Is the Real Issue

    03:10 The Pressure That Breaks B2B Content

    04:30 Why “Add Value” Isn’t a Strategy

    05:40 Engagement Without Memory Is Wasted

    06:10 Lead Gen vs Demand Gen Content

    07:10 Should You Chase High-Volume Topics?

    08:05 The 95% of Buyers Most Content Ignores

    09:20 What a Real Content Strategy Should Do

    10:00 Making Your Product the Logical Conclusion

    11:00 Why Random AI Content Breaks Strategy

    12:20 When Content Doesn’t Have to Sell

    13:30 The 3-Question POV Framework

    15:00 Challenging Broken B2B Assumptions

    16:30 Why Timing Matters to Your ICP

    17:30 Mapping POV to the 5 Stages of Awareness

    18:40 The One Rule Every B2B Content Strategy Needs

    19:10 Turning Content Into a Growth Engine


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    👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??


    💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)


    Get the:

    🔹 strategy

    🔹 templates

    🔹 tools


    So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.


    See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator


    Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    S07 E214 - The B2B Playbook

    #b2b #b2bmarketing #contentstrategy #demandgeneration #thoughtleadership

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    24 min
  • #213: Why the Funnel is Breaking Your Go-To-Market - and why Closed Loops are the Answer (Closed Circuit Selling)
    Dec 14 2025

    Closed Circuit Selling: Why the Funnel Is Breaking Your GTM

    Most go-to-market teams aren’t failing on effort. They’re failing on architecture.


    In this episode, we sit down with Charles Needham (co-author of Cold Call Algo) alongside Adem Manderovic (CRO School) to break down why the linear funnel is the biggest sacred cow in sales, and why Closed Circuit Selling is the better model for modern outbound.


    We unpack incentives, silos, CAC payback insanity, and why “meetings booked” became a broken religion. Then we get practical. How to run outbound as market learning. How to capture timing signals. And how to build feedback loops that actually make marketing, sales, and customer success stronger together.


    Tune in and learn:

    + Why buyer journeys are non-linear, and funnels create blind spots

    + How to shift from meetings quotas to conversation-driven market validation

    + Why intent data can’t replace first-party conversations


    If you’re a B2B marketer or revenue leader, this is the blueprint for building a GTM system that compounds instead of churns.



    -----------------------------------------------------

    🔗 Links + CTAs

    -----------------------------------------------------


    🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school


    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency


    -----------------------------------------------------

    🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses


    📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

    📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/

    📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

    -----------------------------------------------------


    00:00 The “Sacred Cow”: Why the Linear Funnel Breaks Reality

    01:00 Who’s Charles Needham (And Why He Thinks Like a Quant)

    04:30 From Mortgage Bonds to CRMs: Seeing Sales as a Database

    07:00 The Moment He Realised “Meetings Booked” Is a Trap

    09:10 Closed Loop Continuity vs Funnel Checklists

    11:40 What Silos Destroy: Feedback Loops That Never Make It Back

    14:10 CAC Payback Madness: When “Growth” Becomes Insanity

    17:10 The Conversations Model: Comp People for Learning, Not Meetings

    20:05 Predictable Revenue Misread: “Market Development” Got Lost

    21:00 VC Algebra vs Real Buyers: “The Customer Doesn’t Exist”

    28:10 The 2008 Analogy: Incentives Create Fragile Systems

    32:20 Intent Data Hot Take: “Or You Could Call Them”

    36:00 The Guitar Demo: What “Cataloguing” Really Means

    39:00 “Talk to Everybody”: The Outbound Belief Most CROs Don’t Hold

    41:45 Fixing the Root: Change Comp, or Nothing Changes

    48:10 Market Validation vs Cataloguing: The Language Problem

    56:35 AI Didn’t Fix Outbound. It Scaled the Spam Cannon

    59:30 What Works Next: Follow the Underpriced Channel (Then Move)

    1:06:00 Cold Call Algo: The “Unplanned Communication” Thesis


    -----------------------------------------------------


    👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??


    💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)


    Get the:

    🔹 strategy

    🔹 templates

    🔹 tools


    So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.


    See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator


    https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    S07 E213 - The B2B Playbook

    #b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #demandgeneration...

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    1 h et 13 min
  • #212: Why Sales & Marketing Broke (And How to Rebuild a Modern Revenue System) ft. Tony J Hughes
    Dec 7 2025

    Why Sales & Marketing Broke (And How to Rebuild a Modern Revenue System) ft. Tony J Hughes

    Most teams feel the symptoms — pipeline gaps, misaligned targets, MQL chaos, sellers chasing “now or never” deals.


    But those are signals of a deeper problem: the revenue system itself is broken.


    In this episode, we sit down with Tony J Hughes and Adem Manderovic to unpack why sales and marketing drifted apart… and how to rebuild a modern revenue system that actually matches how buyers make decisions today.


    We get into:

    • Why predictable revenue models collapsed
    • How sales stopped validating the market
    • How marketing lost strategic direction to MQL targets
    • And how to replace the old funnel with a closed-circuit GTM system that creates control and credibility again.


    We also talk ICP, cataloguing, air cover, performance gaps, and Tony’s new book Sentient — plus what AI means for the future of selling.


    Tune in and learn:

    • Why the old sales & marketing playbooks broke
    • How to build a shared ICP that actually aligns both teams
    • Why cataloguing is the foundation for a modern GTM system
    • How to create air cover that supports real sales cycles
    • The future of selling in a world of advanced AI


    If you’re a B2B marketer or sales leader stuck in the old predictable-revenue logic, this episode is your blueprint for rebuilding alignment and revenue performance from the ground up.


    -----------------------------------------------------

    🔗 Links + CTAs

    -----------------------------------------------------


    🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school


    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-gen...


    💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-a...


    -----------------------------------------------------

    🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses


    📺 YouTube:

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    1 h
  • #211: Our Simple 3 Step Demand Generation Plan for 2026
    Nov 30 2025

    The Simple 3-Step B2B Demand Generation Strategy for 2026

    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

    Most B2B teams will roll the same demand gen plan into 2026… and wonder why pipeline is flat.

    In this episode, we walk through a B2B demand generation strategy for 2026 that small teams can actually run – and that’s proven to drive up to 70% of pipeline.


    We break down our 3-step framework – Be Ready, Be Helpful, Be Seen – and show how it ties into the 95-5 rule, the 5 stages of awareness, and a simple cataloguing process that finally connects marketing and sales. If you’re a small in-house team under pressure to bring in revenue, this is for you.


    We also show you exactly how we run this B2B demand generation strategy ourselves at The B2B Playbook – from 80/20 analysis and ICP documentation, to a weekly content engine and a realistic distribution mix that fits into 4–5 hours per week.


    Tune in and learn:

    + How to design a B2B demand generation strategy for 2026 using the 95-5 rule

    + How to run 80/20 analysis, customer interviews, and cataloguing to define a sharp ICP

    + How to build a helpful content engine and distribution plan that your small team can maintain


    This episode is a must-watch if you’re a B2B marketer in a small team who’s tired of chasing MQLs, arguing over lead quality, and getting stuck in “support” mode.


    You’ll walk away with a clear, 3-step demand gen strategy for 2026 that aligns marketing, sales, and customer success around how buyers actually make decisions.


    -----------------------------------------------------

    🔗 Links + CTAs

    -----------------------------------------------------

    🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course


    🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school


    💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency


    -----------------------------------------------------

    SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybook

    SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

    GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

    -----------------------------------------------------


    00:00 The Simple 3-Step B2B Demand Generation Strategy for 2026

    00:34 Our 5 BEs Framework – The Flywheel Behind Demand Gen

    02:05 Updated: What Demand Generation Really Is in 2026

    03:40 Why You Can’t “Force” B2B Buyers to Buy (Unlike B2C)

    05:55 The Messy, Non-Linear B2B Buying Journey (Squiggly Line Moment)

    09:00 The 95-5 Rule: Future Demand vs In-Market Buyers

    11:05 Shaping Future Demand vs Capturing In-Market Demand

    11:50 Using the 5 Stages of Awareness to Plan Demand Gen Content

    14:05 Why Early-Stage Content Makes Capture More Efficient

    16:05 TAM vs ICP vs “Day One Shortlist” – The Brutal Reality

    18:05 Modern Demand Gen Objectives for 2026 (Quality to Quantity)

    18:50 Step 1 – Be Ready: Your 80/20 ICP & Segmentation Process

    22:00 Customer Interviews, Positioning & Documented ICPs

    25:45 Mapping the Buying Journey Questions (5 Stages Applied)

    26:55 The Big Upgrade: Cataloguing Your Market One Account at a Time

    29:20 Step 2 – Be Helpful: Building a Helpful Content Engine

    30:45 Case Study: Rivet’s “Construction Is Hard” Show

    31:55 Content Repurposing System for Small B2B Teams

    33:10 Capturing Subject Matter Experts Without Burning Them Out

    33:55 Step 3 – Be Seen: Smart Distribution (1:Many, 1:Few, 1:1)

    35:20 Capturing In-Market Demand: ABM, Review Sites, and Google Ads

    36:20 What Changed From 2025? Why Cataloguing Is the Missing...

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    47 min