How I Made it in Marketing Daniel Burstein

One of my favorite career analogies is the music video for No Rain, by Blind Melon.
There’s a girl in a honeybee costume, dancing around, and she’s so sad because no one seems to care or understand.
 
 And then one day, she comes across this field filled with people in honeybee costumes hopping and leaping around. A look of elation crosses her face, and she joins them to dance her best dance.
Are marketing careers really that different? As my next guest puts it – ‘find the place where you thrive.’
To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Tifenn Dano Kwan, CMO, Amplitude (https://amplitude.com/).
Amplitude is a public company traded on Nasdaq. Its annual recurring revenue in 2023 was $281 million, up 10% year-over-year. Dano Kwan manages a team of 60 and a budget of $30 million.
Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketing
Here are some lessons from Dano Kwan that emerged in our discussion.
Lead with empathyFind the place where you thriveBecome a natural collaborator Branding shapes success for companies and leadersEmpowerment and accountability cultivate leadership at every levelBridge Marketing and Product for collaborative growthDiscussed in this episode
Empathy Marketing: 3 examples of empathetic marketing in action (with results) https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/empathy-marketing)
How the Pandemic Inspired Brands to Rethink their Marketing Strategy: 3 quick case studies (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/pandemic-brands-rethink-marketing-strategy-case-studies)
Spontaneous Combustible Collaboration: Most important things in any company are people, people, people, market, and product (Podcast Episode #9) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/people-podcast)
Personal Development in Career: Step out of your comfort zone (podcast episode #73) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/personal-development)
Marketing: It’s not about you, and when you make it about you, you are never going to succeed (podcast episode #53) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-not-about-you)
Get even more ideas from this episode by using the Analysts – Video Transcript expert assistant in MECLABS AI (https://meclabsai.com/). It’s totally FREE to use (for now). (MECLABS is the parent organization of MarketingSherpa).

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If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Whatever it is you’re working on and struggling with, don’t pivot too soon. Make sure you give it enough time to work.
For as this episode’s guest explains – resilience pays out.
Frank Spitzer, CEO, Pelecanus, shares the story of how he grew his company’s YouTube channel from zero to 100,000 subscribes, along with many more lesson-filled stories.
Pelecanus has $250,000 in annual revenue. Spitzer manages a team of four employees, along with four freelancers and interns.
Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketing
Here are some lessons from Spitzer that emerged in our discussion.
Taking responsibility leads to rewardsResilience Pays Out: From zero to 112,000 subscribersEmbracing honesty can lead to deeper connections, personal growth, and inner peaceDedication shapes an entrepreneurial journeyTo Achieve Success: Hard work trumps natural talent A good leader stands up for their teamDiscussed in this episode
Get even more ideas from this episode by using the Analysts – Video Transcript expert assistant in MECLABS AI (https://meclabsai.com/). It’s totally FREE to use (for now). (MECLABS is the parent organization of MarketingSherpa).

Female Entrepreneurship and Marketing: Having built a big community doesn't mean you will be able to monetize it (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/entrepreneurship)
PR, Writing, and Marketing Agency Corporate Culture: Think big (podcast episode #49) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/PR)
Marketing Leadership: Aligning the entire team around the unifying vision is an integral part of project management (https://marketingexperiments.com/leadership/aligning-team-around-unifying-vision)
Dive deeper into the minds of marketing mavens with more episodes of 'How I Made It In Marketing.' (https://marketingsherpa.com/podcast) Your next big idea awaits.
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This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/) free digital marketing course.
Apply to be a guest
If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Coders are rewarded for writing new features, not for making their code as efficient as possible, Chirstopher Mims recently reported in The Wall Street Journal. According to the article, bloated software raises many risks, and costs the US alone $2.41 trillion due to cybersecurity issues, operational failures, and other problems.
It would be easy for me to sit here and point the finger at software developers, but are marketers any better? As we focus on getting campaigns out the door, new websites up, and hitting our numbers, what do we sacrifice?
Which is why I love this lesson from a recent podcast guest application – ‘Streamline processes to enable efficiency, smooth operations and get rapid results.’ Not shiny and exciting like new marketing tactics perhaps, but essential for a well-run organization.
So I invited that applicant – Tom Amitay, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Entail (https://entail.ai/) – on How I Made It In Marketing to share the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories. 
Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketing
Here are some lessons from Amitay that emerged in our discussion.
Define and differentiate between experimentation and execution in marketing activitiesPrioritize talent over experience when recruitingProvide talented yet inexperienced people with frequent, short training sessions and support as they tackle new challengesCapitalize on opportunities when they present themselves, even if you don't fully understand their potential value at firstStreamline processes to enable efficiency, smooth operations and get rapid resultsCombine platform expertise with consultative service that builds client trustDiscussed in this episode
Get even more ideas from this episode by using the Transcript Tutor expert assistant in MECLABS AI (https://meclabsai.com/). It’s totally FREE to use (for now). MECLABS is the parent organization of MarketingSherpa.

Leadership Development: Network every day (podcast episode #72) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/leadership-development)
The Invisible $1.52 Trillion Problem: Clunky Old Software Everwhere (https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/the-invisible-1-52-trillion-problem-clunky-old-software-f5cbba27)
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This article is distributed through the MarketingSherpa email newsletter (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters). Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.
For more insights, check out...
This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/) free digital marketing course.
Apply to be a guest
If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

We as marketers, we’re the ones that make the brand promise to potential customers.
So it is our job to make sure our companies actually come through on that promise, are consistent with that promise. We are the defenders of the brand.
I love a lesson from my next guest – don't be afraid to say ‘no’ if it serves the brand.
Which of course sounds good in theory but can be incredibly hard in practice. To get underneath that lesson and hear the story behind it, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I sat down with Hilary Young, Brand Strategist, Hilary Young Creative (https://www.hilaryyoungcreative.com/).
Young runs a consultancy with six figures in revenue and seven contractors.
Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketing
Here are some lessons from Young that emerged in our discussion.
Don't focus on failure, keep moving towards successDon't be afraid to say ‘no’ if it serves the brandChange can be scary, but you have to trust the processOperate without egoIntegrity over compromise in brand visionBranding affects more than just the bottom line, it affects people’s livesDiscussed in this episode

Here’s a prompt you can try in MECLABS AI (https://meclabsai.com/). It’s totally FREE to use, for now. (MECLABS is the parent organization of MarketingSherpa).
‘Review my competitors' value propositions [URL and URL] and let me know any opportunities for messaging exclusivity for my brand [URL]. Put the information in a table.’
NFTs For Brands: It’s OK to say no, always be a student, don’t resist change (podcast episode #26) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/NFTs-for-brands)
Calling All Writers and Marketers: Write the most effective copy for this Consumer Reports email and win a MarketingSherpa Summit package (https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/summit-2016-copywriting-contest)
The De-Branding Campaign: When customers make fun of your new product launch (podcast episode #2) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/debranding)
Get more episodes
This article is distributed through the MarketingSherpa email newsletter (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters). Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.
For more insights, check out...
This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/) free digital marketing course.
Apply to be a guest
If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Here’s something I get to do as a content writer that I never got to do as a copywriter – I sign my name to my work, and that gets displayed publicly.
I’d like to think I was a conscientious writer before, but this makes me 10 times more so. And is a constant reminder that everything needs to be a certain level of awesome – no filler copy.
Even when you don’t sign your name to something, it’s difficult, that commitment to always striving to make something the best it can be – whether that’s an ad or the next rung in your career.
But as our next guest reminds us – don't do something for the sake of ticking a box.
To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Nik Maricic, Marketing Director, Asia Pacific, Ria Money Transfer (https://www.riamoneytransfer.com/).
RIA Money Transfer is owned by Euronet Worldwide, which is publicly traded on NASDAQ. Euronet reported $3.668 billion in revenue for 2023. It has the largest direct bank deposit network in the world. 
Maricic built a team of 10.
Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketing
Here are some lessons from Maricic that emerged in our discussion:
Effective communication plays a vital role in achieving successCreativity takes center stage in the realm of marketingAdaptability also proves to be a critical traitDon't do something for the sake of ticking a boxWin/Win is the concept of not being your way or my way; its a better way, a higher wayAdaptability is pivotal, in all facets of the termDiscussed in this episode
MECLABS AI (https://meclabsai.com/) has a guided headline writing path to write a powerful headline based on your guidance. It’s totally FREE (for now).

How I Made It In Marketing (https://marketingsherpa.com/podcast)
Artificial Intelligence Demo: A look at the output from an AI-powered podcast assistant service (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/content-marketing-2/ai-demo/)
Marketing and Brand: Embrace healthy friction (podcast episode #48) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-and-brand)
How marketers fixed 4 common marketing blind spots  (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/marketing-blind-spot-case-studies)
Leading Through Learning: Chief Growth Officer’s innovative approach to marketing leadership (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/leading)
Get more episodes
This article is distributed through the MarketingSherpa email newsletter (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters). Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes.
For more insights, check out...
This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/) free digital marketing course.
Apply to be a guest
If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Rebranding.
We use that term for companies. But what about for you?
What is your current value proposition, and what would you like it to be…no matter where you are in your career?
Because as my next guest has learned – it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.
Here to share the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, is Carlos Cantú, CMO, Freepik (https://www.freepik.com/).
Freepik is owned by EQT, a public company that trades on Nasdaq Stockholm. It reported 2.131 billion Euros of revenue in 2023, or about 2.41 billion US dollars. Cantú manages a marketing team of 45 people.
Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketing
Here are some lessons from Cantú that emerged in our discussion.
It’s never too late to reinvent yourselfYou don’t need to know everything to do the jobDiverse teams are more challenging in the short term but worth it in the long runClarity and focus are keys to a corporate turnaroundEmbrace discomfort to harness creativityBalance data with intuition for the full storyDiscussed in this episodeLeading Through Learning: Chief Growth Officer’s innovative approach to marketing leadership (podcast episode #79) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/leading)
Marketing & Content in Gaming/Esports: Influencers of all sizes can drive product adoption (podcast episode #55) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-and-content)
Innovation Leadership and Coaching: You should almost always do less than you think (podcast episode #46) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/innovation)
Digital Marketing: Be passionate about the challenge you are trying to solve and not stubborn about the product solution (podcast episode #59) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/digital)
Get more episodes
This article is distributed through the MarketingSherpa email newsletter (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters). Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.
For more insights, check out...
This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/) free digital marketing course.
Apply to be a guest
If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application