Remarkable Content with Ian Faison

Can you sum up your marketing message in three words? (And would customers “get” it?) Like, can you write it in plain language—just a few words that would make sense to your audience? Because if you - the B2B marketer - get it, your audience will too, right? Maybe not. On this episode of Remarkable, we’re learning from the 90s classic movie Speed about keeping it simple. The movie can literally be...

We’re willing to bet that you’re working on a new B2B campaign and require some new inspiration. Because all B2B tech ads look and sound the same. They just melt into one shapeless, forgettable jumble of fingers typing and screens scrolling. But we see you plodding along in the B2B marketing marathon of sameness, and we’re throwing you some jet-boosted sneakers. On this episode of Remarkable, we’r...

Marketing is generally a one-way conversation. You tell your audience what to buy, period, end of story. But what if we could change that dynamic and actually give our audience some control over our campaigns? You might argue that you already listen to the voice of the customer through surveys and testimonials. But have you ever really used their feedback to make a game-changing decision in your b...

The Remarkable team is hard at work on Season 3. And hold on tight because it’s gonna be a good one. This upcoming season, we’re taking B2B marketing lessons from the likes of Mad Men, Survivor, the 90s Keanu Reeves classic, Speed, and much, much more. And we’re doing it all with the help of new guests every episode! We’ll be speaking with marketers from companies like G2, ClickUp, ActiveCampaign...

Imagine your marketing team working on a project with clear guidelines. They know what their end goal is. Everyone’s executing their role, communicating seamlessly, and meeting deadlines. The result? Marketing perfection. This could be you, after you listen to this. We’ve all experienced the frustration of working on a project where expectations and roles aren’t clear. Some people put in more effo...

If you feel like you’re struggling to differentiate your company from a sea saturated with similar brands, this is the episode for you.  You want to market your brand to make it pop, yet it can feel overwhelming trying to nail down a winning idea for your next campaign. That’s because out of 100 factors, you might have 99 in common with your competitors. But that one factor that your competitors d...

We don’t have to convince you, a B2B marketer, that S.A.D. (Sales Are Dope). You live, breathe, and dream in analytics, KPI’s, and conversion rates. You count impressions in your dreams instead of sheep.  But you may actually be taking yourself too seriously. It’s time to have some fun with your work and use satire in your marketing.   The irony, sarcasm, and parody of satire in your content, hits...

You - yes you - as a B2B marketer are trained to be PERFECT. You’re a well-oiled machine hell bent on accuracy, precision, and aesthetics.  Chances are you might not like what we have to say in this episode:  sometimes it pays to be imperfect. That’s right! We want you to embrace your mistakes. Mistakes are part of the marketing process. Everybody makes them! It’s time to accept your mistakes and...

B2B ads can feel pretty soulless. But if you’re pulling your hair out and  struggling to connect emotionally with your audience, never fear.  We have the key to build a deep emotional connection with your audience instantly. That key is NOSTALGIA.  Take your audience on a trip down memory lane, and they’ll associate your company with something from the past that they already know and love. It’s a...

Your marketing budget is limited. It might even be bare bones.  And, believe it or not, that could be a really good thing for you. Here’s the thing about limitations: they inspire creativity. Limited resources force you to figure out how to take advantage of what you have in order to create the most impact. When you lean into those choices, you can create something stylistically unique and compell...

Marketing is already pretty difficult. But when you can’t get buy-in from your boss, it becomes near-impossible.  So what happens when you have a bad boss who doesn’t understand what you’re doing? Well, you have to learn to communicate with them. You have to learn to market to them. This week, we’re looking at HBO’s “Succession.” Its main character, Logan Roy, is about as bad of a boss as it gets....

Humanizing your brand is one of the most difficult challenges in marketing. But there’s a proven solution to getting people to associate your business with more than just its logo: a spokesperson. A spokesperson is the voice and face of your company. It can’t just be anybody. You need someone with a trusted voice. Someone who can speak about your product with authenticity. Someone who can talk to...

What do the best marketers and coaches have in common? It’s not an emphasis on wins and losses. They’re good listeners. If you want to make an impact on your audience, you’ve got to get to know them and engage with them. And today, we’re taking hints from one of the best listeners out there: Ted Lasso himself. We’re coaching you on social listening and incorporating creative details into your UX. ...

It’s easy to think of the people in your ad as characters that exist in those 15 seconds alone. But you can create a stronger bond with your brand by focusing on what those characters are like outside those fifteen seconds. But creating multi-dimensional characters is easier said than done.  This week, we’re taking a page out of “Schitt’s Creek.” We’re exploring the roles of relationships, flaws,...

Marketers are always focused on what’s next. We’re constantly planning the next campaign, predicting trends, and conducting research. Always onward!  But there’s a critical piece of content from the past that you’re probably overlooking: your company’s origin story. It’s a powerful tool you can leverage to detail your company’s mission and align customers with your values to get deeper buy-in and...

So many marketers use dialogue as a crutch. They spell out what their product is, how their audience could benefit from it, and wrap things up with a run-of-the-mill CTA. But you don’t need dialogue to make a powerful B2B marketing campaign. In fact, you might not need words at all. This week, we’re looking at the iconic opening montage from Pixar’s “Up.” The “Married Life” scene tells the story o...

Your audience doesn’t have time to read a novel. Say more with less.  You want the text in your campaign to impact viewers, so that it stays with them. So that they think about it later. So that they’re sure to talk about it with their team. So that they’ll buy what you’re selling. And what better Man-of-Few-Words to learn from than Ernest Hemingway. He is the master of the short, impactful phrase...

If your marketing team keeps talking in circles about what to do next with your B2B marketing initiatives, then we have an idea for you. Stop talking in circles and start telling stories in circles. That’s right – circles. Stick with us here.  Hollywood has a tried-and-true method for hooking your audience from the first frame: circular storytelling. If you can leverage this technique effectively,...

Do you think of your customers as simple consumers of your brand? If so, you’re missing out on the opportunity to turn them into diehard brand ambassadors.  The key to inspiring impassioned brand loyalty is simple: engage your customers more deeply. Get them talking about your brand. Get them asking questions. And what better way to get your customers engaged than to instill a little mystery in yo...

[Cue Latin jazz music] It is the content that sells itself. It ranks #1 – no matter what you Google. It is the most interesting B2B marketing content in the world. And it’s yours. Or at least it could be, after listening to this episode. Because we’re showing you branding tricks from the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World campaign. In this episode, we break down the slogan that helped tri...

If you want to make a big impact in a 15-second ad, there’s one trick of the trade that instantly gets an emotional response: place your ad in a relatable setting.   It could be the DMV, an airport, or a drive through —what matters is that it’s a place your audience has been to. They know what it’s like getting a bad driver’s license photo, or struggling to find an outlet to charge your phone whil...

In the B2B world, we think about growing our customer base. But one thing B2B marketers often overlook is how to transform your customer base into a community.  You may be wondering, isn’t a customer base and a community the same thing? Not exactly. A community is your customer base taken to the next level, with a lot more engagement. It’s a network of relationships based on passion, instead of tr...

The word “ensemble” might make you think of a group of performers all working in tandem. But what happens when we apply it to B2B marketing?  In 2001, an ensemble of all-star actors outdid any other cast…maybe ever. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck – actors at the top of their game. Each one could draw their own crowd. But to...

What is puffery? How can you use it in your B2B content? In the mid-2000s there was a King of Puffery.  He soared into our lives as the SHAM-WOW guy.  But his tour-de-force was the SLAP-CHOP.  His name was Vince Offer, and he changed infomercials (and quite literally our lives) forever.  In the first episode of REMARKABLE, we examine his use of puffery in the SLAP-CHOP commercials and how you can...

B2B marketers are always looking for inspiration and ideas. On Remarkable, the Caspian Studios team is bringing you B2B content ideas from Hollywood, B2C and beyond. In each episode we will explore elements of storytelling, design, and production, from studios like Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Films and many more. Then we will apply those lessons learned to how you can improve your B2B content. Welcome to...