B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™

Episode #70: Marketing Measurement and the Dark Funnel with Chris Golec, CEO of Channel 99

Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Greg Kihlström
Guest: Chris Golec (Founder and CEO, Channel 99)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Greg Kihlström dives into the evolving landscape of B2B marketing measurement with Chris Golec, CEO of Channel 99. The focus is on the "dark funnel"—the invisible part of the buyer’s journey where prospects engage with marketing without leaving digital fingerprints like clicks. The conversation examines why traditional click-based metrics are outdated, discusses how AI and new attribution models can illuminate true marketing impact, and explores practical ways B2B organizations can adapt to stay ahead.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Rethinking Success Metrics in B2B Marketing

• Outdated Click-Based Measurement

  • Marketers have long equated clicks with intent and success, but B2B sales cycles are complex and involve multiple stakeholders.
  • Most marketing measurement frameworks built on click data miss vast swaths of valuable intent data.
  • Chris Golec [03:54]:

    "Clicks feels good for marketers... but 85% of those are from people or companies that will never buy anything… Clicks are probably 10% of the signal online."

• The Hidden Value in Off-Site and "Dark Funnel" Engagement

  • Critical buying signals—like researching competitors, consuming organic social content, or viewing third-party sites—are often missed.
  • Much of this activity is categorized as ‘direct’ website traffic, obscuring the true path a buyer took.

The Dark Funnel & Comprehensive Attribution

• What is the “Dark Funnel”?

  • The "dark funnel" refers to prospect interactions (like viewing an ad or a G2 profile) that aren't captured by traditional click-focused analytics.
  • Chris Golec [05:20]:

    "You'd be surprised, but it's probably four to five times the amount of engagement or signal than looking at just clicks."

• AI-Powered View-Through Attribution

  • AI and view-through attribution can connect dots between ad impressions, subsequent website visits, and even pipeline and revenue.
  • Utilizing APIs, tracking pixels, and integrations across media channels for a holistic picture.
  • Chris Golec [06:46]:

    "You want to track impressions and spend to engagement to sales activity… Those days are kind of gone. You should be able to go right to the most effective channels."

Business Impact: Better Alignment with Executive Priorities

• Bridging the Gap Between Marketing Activity and Revenue

  • Marketers focus on MQLs, but C-suite cares about pipeline and revenue—advanced attribution aligns marketing efforts with business outcomes.
  • Chris Golec [08:26]:

    "CFOs and CROs, CEOs—they don’t care about MQLs… What they do care about is pipeline and do I have sufficient pipeline to hit my revenue targets."

• Channel Efficiency and Cost of Engagement

  • New technology gives precise data on what it costs to engage target accounts across platforms (e.g., LinkedIn vs. Google Paid Search).
  • Case Study [14:03]:

    "For every thousand dollars... there were four times as many target accounts engaged using LinkedIn versus Google paid search."

Future-Proofing Measurement Amidst Privacy Changes

• Move Beyond Cookies—Account-Level, Privacy-Safe Measurement

  • Channel 99 leverages account-level identification and smart pixels for tracking—free from cookie reliance, ensuring continuity as privacy rules tighten.
  • Chris Golec [10:07]:

    "Identification... doesn’t have to use cookies. Everything we do is at the account level."

• Attribution to Organic Social and Thought Leadership

  • Ability to connect non-click signals (like social post views) back to business results, validating the ROI of content and thought leadership.
  • Chris Golec [11:25]:

    "CMOs and thought leaders… see the likes and the comments, but now you can actually tie it to pipeline and is it really driving business outcomes?"

Practical Adoption: Getting Started and Mindset Shifts

• From Legacy Mindsets to Modern Attribution
  • Mindset shift required—leaders must embrace new attribution models and test value with accessible, low-friction technology.
  • Initial steps include placing a tracking tag, uploading audiences, and connecting platforms like LinkedIn for self-service experimentation.
  • Chris Golec [12:39]:

    "We make it super easy to create a free account… You'll see how effective we're resolving your audiences and the companies that are coming to your site."

Looking Forward: The Future of B2B Marketing Measurement

• Integration, Interoperability, and AI
  • Tech is headed toward greater AI-driven automation—integrating data from disparate systems, offering predictive analytics, and embedding insights directly into daily workflows (e.g., Slack, email, ChatGPT interfaces).
  • Chris Golec [16:13]:

    "You'll be able to create a campaign, launch it, optimize it, automate everything… All these different systems will be interoperable through APIs and large language models."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clicks as a Misleading Metric:

  "I don't remember the last time I clicked on an ad."
  — Chris Golec [03:54]

• On the Scale of the Dark Funnel:

  "It's probably four to five times the amount of engagement or signal than looking at just clicks."
  — Chris Golec [05:20]

• On Aligning with the C-Suite:

  "CFOs and CROs CEOs, they don't care about MQLs... What they do care about is pipeline..."
  — Chris Golec [08:26]

• On the Practical Power of Attribution:

  "CMOs and thought leaders… now you can actually tie [thought leadership] to pipeline and is it really driving business outcomes? Way more important."
  — Chris Golec [11:25]

• On the Future of AI and Integration:

  "People don’t want another dashboard... all these different systems will be interoperable through APIs and large language models."
  — Chris Golec [16:13]

Important Timestamps

• Strategic Errors with Click-Based Models: [03:54]
• Understanding the Dark Funnel: [05:20]
• Explaining View-Through Attribution: [06:46]
• Bridging Marketing and Executive Priorities: [08:26]
• Privacy-Safe Identification & Tracking: [10:07]
• Proving ROI of Content & Social: [11:25]
• Adoption Steps for New Measurement: [12:39]
• Case Study: Channel Efficiency: [14:03]
• Future Trends in B2B MarTech: [16:13]

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is candid, practical, and focused on action. Chris shares real-world stories and underlines the urgency of adapting B2B marketing measurement in response to rapidly changing buyer behavior and privacy regulations. The episode challenges listeners to leave behind legacy metrics and embrace a data-driven, AI-enabled future that aligns marketing actions directly with revenue impact.