The era of generic 'five steps to X' content is over. To stand out, marketers must frame their content as stories, whether personal or from clients. This narrative approach fosters a deeper connection with an audience that craves human experiences over sterile information.

If your creative assets aren't culturally relevant, you're forced to overspend on media to achieve impact. Truly resonant content generates organic reach and makes paid amplification more efficient, a key argument for CFOs on the value of creative investment.

Storytelling frameworks are useless without substance. The foundation of a compelling narrative is knowing more about your industry's core problem than anyone else. The goal isn't to master abstract techniques but to develop a deep, unique perspective that you feel compelled to share. The true test: could you write a book on your category?

Marketing teams often mistake demand programs for campaign strategy. A true campaign strategy is a higher-level "canvas" that orchestrates all efforts—reputation, demand creation, and enablement—against a specific audience, ensuring a consistent customer experience rather than disjointed tactical execution.

The marketing playbook has shifted from promoting products to promoting the personality behind them (e.g., Tesla is Elon Musk). A company without a founder or CEO who can act as a public "character" struggles to gain traction, as corporate messaging accounts are no longer effective in a noisy media environment.

The discussion over in-house versus agency marketing is a distraction from the fundamental problem. The core failure in most marketing today—from billboards to social posts—is a lack of strategic intent. Brands are simply 'posting shit' without a clear purpose, a flaw that exists regardless of who executes the work.

Instead of paying a continuous high retainer for PR, brands should deploy it in focused 'sprints' around specific story-worthy moments. This includes new product launches, funding announcements, or major partnerships, maximizing impact and ROI for the brand.

Simply adding a celebrity to an ad provides no average lift in effectiveness. Instead, marketers should treat the brand’s own distinctive assets—like logos, sounds, or product truths—as the true 'celebrities' of the campaign. This builds stronger, more memorable brand linkage and long-term equity.

Many brands mistake individual blogs or videos for thought leadership. True strategic thought leadership is a long-term campaign built on a single, robust "big idea." It must be applied across the entire funnel—brand, demand gen, and sales enablement—not just treated as a top-of-funnel brand activity.