Episode Summary: “Unboring Everything! Money20/20's VP Marketing Kathryn Frankson”

Podcast: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
Host: Guru Media Hub
Special Guest: Kathryn Frankson, VP Marketing at Money20/20
Air Date: December 5, 2025
Episode Number: 459

Main Theme & Purpose

In this energizing episode, host Jay Schwedelson sits down with Kathryn Frankson, VP Marketing at Money20/20, for a bold discussion on how to break the “boring” B2B marketing mold. The conversation explores why creativity, storytelling, and human emotion are essentials—not afterthoughts—in the world of B2B, even in traditionally “dry” sectors like fintech events. Kathryn shares her career journey, practical storytelling strategies, and controversial opinions about attribution in marketing, all while infusing wit and passion. The episode is loaded with actionable inspiration for marketers who want to unboring their work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kathryn’s Journey: From Sales to B2B Storytelling

Timestamp: 01:21 – 06:38

• Transition from Sales to Marketing:
  Kathryn describes her early professional life in hard-core sales (before roles like BDR/SDR were common) and how her curiosity about purchase decisions led her into marketing.

  • “Not once was I in a meeting where I heard anyone say story or creativity or human or love or passion. And I was kind of shocked. And that's what made me realize that there is a void. And actually that's what I was really passionate about...” — Kathryn (02:17)

• Finding Opportunity in B2B:
  She fell in love with B2B because she saw the human stories and creative openings that others missed:

  • “There's humans behind all of this… You won the business by being real, being human, telling a story. If you data dumped, you're going to lose someone or you're going to confuse them.” — Kathryn (04:10)

2. Breaking Boring B2B Norms: Creativity & Emotional Connection

Timestamp: 06:38 – 12:01

• B2B is about People:
  Jay and Kathryn agree that regardless of industry (even plumbing supplies!), there’s a human on the other end who can be moved by a good story.

  • “I'm reaching out to humans and I'm going to connect with them on a human level.” — Jay (06:46)

• Building a Storytelling Culture:
  Kathryn emphasizes that fostering creativity in B2B requires both a supportive culture and a structured process—creativity isn’t chaos, it needs “guardrails.”

  • “You need the right culture... I think you can create that. I think it can be a subculture…But I think the best way to unlock that is to decide that you think creativity is important and real and valuable...” — Kathryn (08:08)
  • “We have a pretty rigored process about wash UPS strategy, how that layers into creative design, sales, marketing, operations, content...” — Kathryn (10:09)

• Examples of Unboring Marketing:
  Kathryn shares real-world instances of “boring” organizations going viral by being playful and human, including a library’s viral trust fall video and a city renaming itself for a basketball player.

  • “Those examples live everywhere in every single industry... never thinking that any of that is boring…” — Kathryn (09:07)

3. The Role of Data & Metrics vs Storytelling

Timestamp: 12:01 – 14:40

• Balancing Measurement and Creativity:
  Kathryn argues that last-touch attribution misses the forest for the trees and can squelch creative risk-taking.

  • “If you're living in Last Touch attribution... you're going to miss a trick or two, to say the least.” — Kathryn (12:47)

• Real-World Marketing vs. In-Office Metrics:
  She calls out disconnects between how humans actually discover things and what marketers measure inside organizations.

  • “I found this making the move into marketing that there was the real world of how we are as humans... and then there was like the four walls inside of an organization and how marketing was operating.” — Kathryn (13:32)
  • “It's a losing battle if that is what all of the decision making is going to be based on.” — Kathryn (14:21)

4. Lighthearted Close: The Power of Tea, Real Housewives, & Brand Personality

Timestamp: 14:40 – 17:39

• Selling Tea to a Coffee Drinker:
  Jay playfully asks Kathryn to “sell” him on tea, which she does by emphasizing its health and cultural richness.
  • “...because of the structure of the tea and the polyphenols, it's absorbed into your musculature as opposed to your central nervous system. So you don't get jittery, you don't get the jolt. You can enjoy it, you can drink it all day without having the crash.” — Kathryn (15:40)
  • “I like my marketing hot, but my tea hotter. Oh, that's my Bravo tagline.” — Kathryn (17:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On B2B being exciting:

  “Oh my God, I love B2B land. I love it because I think there's been a sense that those stories don't exist there or there isn't the opportunity to be creative in those spaces.”
  — Kathryn (03:38)

• On storytelling needing structure:

  “I think you need two things to do it really, really well. I think you do need the right culture... and then I do think you need a process in guardrails or, or it's, it's going to spin out or it's going to be one bright shining moment in a sea of day to day tasks that you can't replicate.”
  — Kathryn (08:11)

• On the myth of perfect attribution:

  “If everyone just took all of their Last touch attribution metrics and if we had to unveil them, if everyone had to post it on LinkedIn at the same time, how much variance do you think there's going to be in that?”
  — Kathryn (13:02)

• On loyalty to tea (and branding):

  “You spilled the tea on tea.”
  — Jay (16:34)

  “I like my marketing hot, but my tea hotter. Oh, that's my Bravo tagline.”
  — Kathryn (17:13)

Prominent Segments & Timestamps

• Kathryn’s Origin Story (Sales to Marketing): 01:21–06:38
• Defending the Creative Soul of B2B: 06:38–12:01
• Attribution & Metrics in Storytelling: 12:01–14:40
• Tea, Taglines & Personal Touch: 14:40–17:39

Episode Takeaways

• B2B marketing can and should be “unboring”; creativity is a competitive advantage, not a risk.
• Human connection—storytelling, empathy, personality—are core to success in any sector.
• Great marketing cultures balance structure/process with permission to play, try, and occasionally fail.
• Last-touch attribution is often misleading; don’t let it dictate your creativity or risk tolerance.
• Personal passions, humor, and authenticity are invaluable in both marketing and leadership.

For more insights, connect with Kathryn Frankson on LinkedIn and check out Money20/20 for cutting-edge B2B event marketing inspiration.