Marketing Qualified

Mike Griffin & Chris Newton
  • 5.0 (1)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to the Marketing Qualified Podcast, your home for discussion on all marketing things that are utterly f*****g absurd. Co-hosts Chris Newton and Mike Griffin have 20+ years of marketing experience between them. Said differently: They've seen some shit.Tune in every week(ish) for a new, less than 40 minute long episode, with discussions ranging from failed marketing tactics to marketing facts to campaign ideas to profanity laden rants about whatever may be top of mind. You may even learn something new.Visit us at www.marketingqualified.io or follow us on your favorite social network of choice, as long as that social network is Instagram, because we don't have anything else (and neither should you).

  1. 2H AGO

    Cannolis And Chaos Marketing Wisdom

    Send us Fan Mail Bad marketing advice doesn’t just waste time. It quietly teaches teams to chase noise, copy bigger competitors, and measure activity instead of impact. We’re celebrating a weird little milestone, episode 20, by doing a rapid-fire teardown of the worst marketing tips we keep seeing in the wild and the damage they cause when teams follow them “because that’s what you’re supposed to do.” We start with the classics: “More content is always better” and “SEO isn’t that important, just write for people.” We unpack why AI has made content volume meaningless, why quality and originality matter more than ever, and why technical SEO still decides whether your best work gets discovered at all. If your robots.txt or site setup blocks crawlers, “writing for humans” won’t save you. We also dig into the strategic lie that never dies: “You can target everyone.” Great messaging needs an ICP, sharp positioning, and the discipline to say no. Then we move into the tactics that can tank your brand and pipeline fast: “If it’s not working, send more emails,” plus the obsession with over-follow-up that kills deliverability and trust. We also talk rebranding and brand equity, including the HBO Max to Max saga, and we share a real example of gating a commercial video behind a form, which is basically asking people to trade attention for spam.  If you’ve ever heard advice that sounded smart in a meeting but failed in real life, you’ll feel seen. Subscribe to Marketing Qualified, share this with a marketer who needs it, and leave a review. What’s the worst marketing advice you’ve ever been given? Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    36 min

  2. MAY 19

    From GTM Engineers To Dog Playboy Mailers

    Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to create a “movement” is to make people feel behind. We start with the uneasy vibe a lot of teams are feeling right now, especially when AI tools are pushed into engineering and marketing workflows in ways that feel less like help and more like pressure. If you have ever wondered whether “innovation” is actually code for cost-cutting, you will feel this one. Then we get into the main event: the claim that Clay is manufacturing the go-to-market engineer movement. We react to a viral breakdown that argues the role barely exists outside Clay and the agencies selling Clay services, and we compare it to the old Salesforce admin boom where companies needed specialists just to keep their CRM running. The bigger question for go-to-market strategy and product marketing is whether complexity is a moat or a tax, and whether the next wave of AI makes workflows simpler or just creates new dependence. After that, we take a hard left into direct mail marketing with a Bark.co piece that is bold, weird, and impossible to ignore. We unpack the mechanics behind it: QR codes, dedicated landing pages, UTM parameters, and the practical tradeoffs between cloning pages versus relying on clean attribution. We also hit visual hierarchy in ads, link placement lessons from social, and a final rant about LinkedIn becoming every platform at once, including dating. If you like sharp takes on B2B marketing, demand generation, marketing ops, and the hype cycles that shape SaaS, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves a good roast, and leave a review so more marketers can find us. Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    38 min

  3. MAY 13

    Is Your Marketing Built On Strategy Or Hype

    Send us Fan Mail A “genius” marketing tactic can turn into a dead end in a matter of days, and that whiplash is exactly where we start. We react to the rollback of ChatGPT conversations showing up in search results and unpack the bigger lesson for SEO, content strategy, and demand gen: test new channels, but never bet your whole engine on a trend you don’t control. If you’ve ever watched LinkedIn crown a “must-do” play that disappears a week later, you’ll feel this one. From there, we keep it light while still keeping it real: Subway vs Quiznos nostalgia turns into a surprisingly sharp conversation about product quality, franchise incentives, and why a good product can still lose to bad management. We also talk about brand chaos, including a headline where a thrown Subway sandwich leads to a felony assault charge, and what it must be like to work in crisis comms when the internet hands you a new fire every morning. Then we jump to the future of search and distribution. Perplexity floating a $34.5B offer to buy Google Chrome raises questions about antitrust, AI search competition, and how much “ranking” will matter across Google Search, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other LLM-driven answers. We also vent about websites demanding your location for no clear reason, argue for explaining data requests like a human, and make the case that the “one app” that does everything might just be your browser. If you like smart marketing opinions with a little salt, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who needs to stop chasing trends, and leave a review so more marketers can find us. Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    39 min

  4. 09/02/2025

    When Marketing Fails, It's Usually Not Marketing's Fault

    Send us Fan Mail Marketing success often hinges on factors beyond a marketing team's control, yet CMOs continue to take the fall when unrealistic growth targets aren't met. In this refreshingly honest conversation, Mike Griffin and Chris Newton dissect this common pattern where leadership demands impossible acceleration in growth, fires the marketing team when numbers miss, brings in new marketers who also fail, and finally realizes the core issue lies with product-market fit. The hosts dive into Rand Fishkin's viral post claiming "90% of your growth problem is product, not marketing," offering their own experiences and tactical advice for marketing leaders caught in this trap. They share a framework for creating data-driven models that can help marketers have those difficult conversations with leadership before committing to unattainable goals. We also investigate a trending LinkedIn claim about ChatGPT conversations becoming a "massive SEO goldmine" when indexed by Google. Through live testing during the episode, Chris reveals potential technical contradictions in the claim and raises serious privacy concerns about sensitive information being publicly searchable without users fully understanding the implications. This episode highlights the dangerous tendency for marketers to chase the "next shiny thing" while neglecting proven strategies. As Chris pointedly observes, "Some of the saddest and most angry people that I know are those that chase trends," emphasizing that successful marketing often relies on fundamentals that have worked for decades. Whether you're struggling with leadership expectations, evaluating new marketing trends, or simply need validation that you're not crazy for questioning impossible targets, this conversation provides both practical guidance and the reassurance that you're not alone in these common marketing challenges. Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    32 min

  5. 08/21/2025

    The Glassdoor-LinkedIn Toxicity Comparison: Are All Professional Networks Equally Bad?

    Send us Fan Mail Marketing and sales alignment has always been a struggle, but in this particularly candid conversation, we unpack two major sources of tension between these departments that rarely get addressed publicly. First, we dive deep into how Glassdoor has transformed from a valuable resource for transparent company reviews into something that increasingly resembles LinkedIn's worst aspects. What started as a platform for honest feedback has morphed into yet another space for performative professional posturing. We propose practical improvements that would make Glassdoor genuinely useful again, like department-specific reviews and expanded C-suite accountability metrics that would help prospective employees understand what they're really getting into when joining a company. The conversation takes a passionate turn when discussing a common friction point between marketing and sales: PowerPoint presentations. Why are salespeople, who typically receive extensive presentation training in their education, constantly asking marketing teams to create or beautify their slides? This practice pulls marketers away from their core responsibilities like lead generation, creating a vicious cycle where sales teams then complain about insufficient leads. We challenge the outdated notion that slide-heavy presentations add value in an era where prospects have already researched extensively before engaging with sales. We also examine the myth of the "typical salesperson," noting that some of the most effective sales professionals aren't the stereotypical extroverted personalities but rather thoughtful listeners who adapt conversations based on customer needs. This realization points to a broader truth about effective communication in business: authentic, customer-focused dialogue trumps rigid processes and generic pitches every time. Ready to challenge your assumptions about marketing-sales dynamics and professional networking platforms? This episode offers both validation and practical insights for anyone navigating these complex relationships. Stay tuned for next week when we'll put our money where our mouths are and pitch fictional products to see if we could cut it in sales ourselves! Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    40 min

  6. 08/14/2025

    Buzzwords, B******t, and Betty Crocker's Big Lie

    Send us Fan Mail Have you ever clicked a link only to be bombarded with pop-ups demanding you download an app instead? We're diving into this frustrating digital experience epidemic, with Meta as our primary case study. When Chris tried to view content Mike shared from Instagram, he discovered Meta had implemented a new policy forcing mobile users into their app – no browser viewing allowed. This isn't just an isolated annoyance; it represents a calculated strategy by tech companies to bypass increasing browser privacy protections and collect more first-party data directly through apps. "I know why you're forcing me to use the app, and it's not because it's a better experience," Chris points out during our conversation. "It's because you get to gather more data about me." This lack of transparency creates a growing trust gap between platforms and users who increasingly recognize what's happening behind the scenes. While some apps genuinely offer superior functionality (banking apps got our stamp of approval), many companies intentionally cripple browser experiences to drive app adoption. The debate between browser versus app preferences reveals a fundamental tension: do you prioritize convenience or privacy? For privacy-conscious users, browsers provide greater control and fewer tracking mechanisms – precisely why companies are working so hard to push users toward app experiences they can more completely monitor. We lighten things up with two entertaining games: "Buzzword or B******t" challenges our ability to distinguish legitimate business terms from complete nonsense (harder than you might think!), while our brand name quiz reveals surprising origins behind household names. Did you know Betty Crocker never existed, but Chef Boyardee was a real person? Subscribe to Marketing Qualified for more honest conversations about marketing strategies, digital experiences, and the sometimes absurd world of corporate communications. We promise to keep it real – unlike Betty Crocker. Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    39 min

  7. 06/27/2025

    Is Your Marketing Strategy a Hack or Just Plain Whack?

    Send us Fan Mail Digital interfaces are becoming increasingly customizable, but is this enhancing our experience or just masking intrusive marketing? Mike and Chris take us on a fascinating journey through app personalization, starting with Starbucks' customizable icons and exploring how seemingly minor features can drive significant engagement. Ever wished your weather app had personality? The hosts introduce "Carrot," a weather app that lets you adjust its tone from professional to downright profane. It's a perfect example of how even the mundane can become engaging through creative personalization. This sparks a deeper conversation about what makes users actually want to open an application repeatedly. The most mind-bending segment explores Google's Notebook LM, an AI tool that transforms websites and documents into realistic-sounding podcast conversations between virtual hosts. The implications for content creation are enormous – and potentially concerning. The episode even includes a demonstration where the AI creates a podcast about their own show notes! The line between authentic human communication and AI-generated content continues to blur in ways that marketers must navigate thoughtfully. The discussion takes a critical turn when addressing notification strategies that frustrate users. Both hosts share personal experiences with apps that force an all-or-nothing approach to notifications, preventing users from receiving only the alerts they actually want. Using examples from banking apps, they advocate for contextually relevant communications that respect users' actual situations rather than generic promotions. The episode concludes with "Hack or Whack," a rapid-fire evaluation of marketing tactics ranging from incentivized demos to competitor search ads. Their candid assessments cut through the hype to focus on which strategies actually deliver results in the real world. Ready to transform your marketing approach? Subscribe now and join the conversation about where the line falls between innovative engagement and digital harassment. Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    46 min

  8. 06/13/2025

    Marketing in the AI Era, LinkedIn Bait-and-Switch, and the Quest for Digital Sanity

    Send us Fan Mail Mike and Chris explore how artificial intelligence might be making us lazier thinkers while discussing the evolving landscape of digital marketing in 2025. They dissect everything from frustrating LinkedIn engagement tactics to surprising platform effectiveness and emerging B2B influencer trends. Other topics covered include: • Is using ChatGPT for basic ideation making us intellectually lazy • The ubiquitous "comment for resource" LinkedIn tactic that rarely delivers • Why Instagram is surprisingly effective for some B2B marketing campaigns • Reddit's emerging importance in SEO strategy despite lack of first-party data • The challenges and opportunities in B2B influencer marketing • HubSpot implementation challenges and the importance of executive summaries • Why testing channel effectiveness trumps assumptions about platform demographics Leave us a comment to let us know what you think about the discussion! Visit us at https://www.marketingqualified.io Follow us on Instagram Email us at pod@marketingqualified.io

    39 min
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About

Welcome to the Marketing Qualified Podcast, your home for discussion on all marketing things that are utterly f*****g absurd. Co-hosts Chris Newton and Mike Griffin have 20+ years of marketing experience between them. Said differently: They've seen some shit.Tune in every week(ish) for a new, less than 40 minute long episode, with discussions ranging from failed marketing tactics to marketing facts to campaign ideas to profanity laden rants about whatever may be top of mind. You may even learn something new.Visit us at www.marketingqualified.io or follow us on your favorite social network of choice, as long as that social network is Instagram, because we don't have anything else (and neither should you).

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Griffin & Chris Newton
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Marketing Qualified
  • Show Website
    Marketing Qualified