Podcast
Marketing Against The Grain
Hosted by Hubspot Media · EN
Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (Hubspot's SVP of Marketing), lead you down the rabbit hole of marketing trends, growth tactics and innovation. On the way you’ll pick up undiscovered strategies to give you that slight edge for success. These are not your typical twitter thread regurgitated marketing tactics that everyone is doing. These are new methods, with unfiltered examination of successful fresh ideas.
185episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Liquid Death Turned Going Viral Into Millions in Sales
Yesterday00:36:23Summary readyMap your media spend with our full-funnel audit template: https://clickhubspot.com/ckev Ep. 441 Distribution is undefeated—and if you’re not building systems to measure real sales impact, you don’t have a business. Kipp and guest Benoit Vatere (Liquid Death’s Chief Media and Digital Commerce Officer) dive into the untold story of Liquid Death’s explosive growth, and the critical role of full-funnel marketing systems behind the brand. Learn more on how to measure incrementality instead of just chasing ROAS, why big home-run tests matter more than small optimizations, and the approach to creative and channel strategy that actually builds both brand and revenue. Mentions Benoit Vatere https://www.linkedin.com/in/benoitvatere Liquid Death https://liquiddeath.com/ Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://a.co/d/08By5k2w Mike Cessario https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecessario Landman https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/landman/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
Use AI to never run out of winning content ideas
6d ago00:16:48Summary readyWeekly AI Content Ideation System: https://clickhubspot.com/rtjed Ep. 440 Are you still stuck regurgitating the same content ideas that everyone else is using? Kieran dives into the secrets behind building a world-class AI content ideation system that delivers fresh, high-impact ideas every time. Learn more on mapping proven content patterns to your platforms, crafting rich audience profiles (that go beyond basic ICPs), and building a personal content queue to keep your creativity flowing—all while making AI your creative superpower, not a shortcut. Mentions Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://a.co/d/08By5k2w Claude https://claude.ai/ ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/ Substack https://substack.com/ Atomic Habits https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
If Your Team Is Producing AI Slop, Here's How To Fix it
1w ago00:42:15Summary readyAnti-AI Slop Checklist: https://clickhubspot.com/olkw Ep. 439 Are you just passing AI-generated slop back and forth at work? Kipp and guest Hilary Gridley (founder of the newsletter Writerbuilder) dive into how teams can escape the AI slop doom loop and leverage artificial intelligence to scale taste, judgment, and high-performance work—not just automate mediocrity. Learn more on the crucial role of clarity and context in AI-powered teams, why leaders must redefine what “good” looks like, and practical tools to set quality bars, create feedback loops, and eliminate sloppy outputs from your team’s workflow. Mentions Hilary Gridley https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarygridley Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://a.co/d/08By5k2w Writerbuilder https://hils.substack.com/p/writing-is-building-now Maven https://maven.com/hilary-gridley/ai-powered-people-management Whoop https://www.whoop.com/ Claude https://claude.ai/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
How to Automate ALL of your Marketing w/ Claude Cowork
2w ago00:26:40Summary readyFree guide + skill: build social carousels in claude cowork: https://clickhubspot.com/dkhc Ep. 438 How do you differentiate your marketing when everyone else is using the same AI tools? Kipp and Kieran dive into building next-level marketing systems with AI that actually set you apart, featuring digital growth consultant and educator Grace Leung. Discover why context is king in AI marketing, how to build simple but powerful systems that scale, and the secret to making your brand voice and strategy shine through every asset. Learn more on designing reusable AI workflows, structuring context-rich file systems, and maximizing team collaboration while building a future-proof marketing stack. Mentions Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://a.co/d/08By5k2w Grace Leung https://www.youtube.com/@graceleungyl Claude Cowork https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13345190-get-started-with-claude-cowork ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/ Codex https://openai.com/codex/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
Side Hustle King: 3 High Demand AI Businesses I'd Start TODAY
2w ago00:39:30Summary ready200+ Business Ideas: https://clickhubspot.com/wrdj Ep. 437 How do you find business ideas before they go viral—and turn them into real income? Kipp, Kieran, and guest Chris Koerner (entrepreneur and host of The Koerner Office Podcast) dive into the unique mindsets, strategies, and tactics needed to spot opportunities before they explode and build successful businesses from them. Learn more on how to pattern match hidden opportunities, leverage AI to scale new service models, and uncover overlooked markets that are ripe for innovation. Mentions Chris Koerner https://www.chrisjkoerner.com/ The Koerner Office https://www.youtube.com/@thekoerneroffice Buc-ees https://buc-ees.com/ Shopify https://www.shopify.com/ Claude https://claude.ai/ LoopNet https://www.loopnet.com/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
If You Use AI for Work, You Need a Second Brain
3w ago00:21:59Summary readyBuild Your AI Second Brain: https://clickhubspot.com/ldwc Ep. 436 The number one trend in AI right now is the rise of AI second brains—personal operating systems designed to accelerate careers and make work smarter, not harder. Kieran dives into how building your own AI second brain can transform personal productivity, decision-making, and the way you learn. Learn more on how AI second brains store and retrieve knowledge, the core building blocks for setting one up, and why continuous information ingestion helps your personal system compound intelligence over time. Mentions Andrej Karpathy https://karpathy.ai/ Obsidian https://obsidian.md/ Tiago Forte https://www.youtube.com/@TiagoForte Notion https://www.notion.com/ Brian Halligan https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan Claude https://claude.ai/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
If You're A Marketer, Copy These Codex Skills (Or Stay Behind)
3w ago00:32:52Summary readyFree Claude + Codex Skill-Building Starter Pack: https://clickhubspot.com/clzf Ep. 435 Are you just asking AI questions, or are you actually building repeatable skills? Kipp and guest Riley Brown (content creator and AI educator) dive into how to level up your content game and marketing efficiency by strategically creating and collaborating with AI agents. Learn more on why documenting your weekly workflows is a game changer, how to turn AI experiments into scalable skills, and what the frontier of agent-powered team collaboration looks like in platforms like Codex and Slack. Mentions Riley Brown https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMcoud_ZW7cfxeIugBflSBw Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637636105?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_VPTVJUW097F1PLSGOQTH&bestFormat=true Claude https://claude.ai/ Anthropic https://www.anthropic.com/ SupaData https://supadata.ai/ Notion https://www.notion.com/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
How 1 Human + AI Replaced a 15-Person RevOps Team
4w ago00:27:11Summary readyFree GTM Prompt Pack for Perplexity Computer: https://clickhubspot.com/gbvs Ep. 434 Can one RevOps leader and a team of AI agents really replace a 10-15 person operations team? Kieran and guest Nate Follen (Head of strategy and Ops for Perplexity) dive into the real-world impact of Perplexity on modern go-to-market and RevOps workflows. Learn more on automating tedious CRM audits, building thoughtful event workflows with AI-powered model councils, and creating a scalable skills library for proactive, agent-driven teams. Mentions Nate Follen https://www.linkedin.com/in/follen Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/ Ramp https://ramp.com/ Ironclad https://ironcladapp.com/ Apollo https://www.apollo.io/ Nvidia https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ Gemini https://gemini.google.com/app Claude https://claude.ai/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
Build An Army Of AI Employees To Run Your Business (With Hermes AI)
Jul 100:39:11Summary readyBuild Your First AI Employee (Free Workflow + Prompt): https://clickhubspot.com/rkvr Ep. 433 What if you could have an AI employee working right alongside you, automating key business workflows? Kieran and guest Nick Vasilescu (Co-founder of Orgo) dive into how agents are the next big form of business leverage. Learn more on what it actually takes to get a functional AI agent up and running, how new connector tools like Composio make integrations simple, and why giving your agent a second brain with an Obsidian Vault is a game-changer for business productivity. Mentions Nick Vasilescu https://www.nickvasilescu.com/ Orgo https://www.orgo.ai/ Hermes Agent https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/ Composio https://composio.dev/ OpenClaw https://openclaw.ai/ GLM 5.2 https://z.ai/blog/glm-5.2 Obsidian https://obsidian.md/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary
How Top 1% Marketers Are Shifting Their Strategy in Q3 2026
Jun 2500:21:56Summary readyThe marketing trends that matter this year: https://clickhubspot.com/djsk Ep. 432 AI usage does not mean productivity. Kipp and Kieran dive into the radical changes required to thrive in the AI-driven “Loop Marketing” era, and why outcome-obsession is now the only way to win. Learn more on why marketing has been more disrupted by AI than any other profession, how top teams organize for speed and learning, and nine essential principles behind Loop Marketing that will turbocharge your career and completely reshape how modern marketing teams operate. Mentions Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637636105?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_213Z2Q17JG0WJ0J5JHR1_1&bestFormat=true Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
Summary