The Dave Gerhardt Show (Exit Five):

B2B Ad Campaigns That Actually Worked (From Five Demand Gen Marketers)

Date: March 28, 2026
Host: Dave Gerhardt
Guests: Cindy Dubon, Kelly (from Vector), Jeremy Chung, Tess, Richard
Guest Host: Jess Cook

Episode Overview

This episode brings together five hands-on B2B demand gen marketers to share real paid ad campaigns that drove tangible results. With a focus on actionable tactics—not AI hype or recycled LinkedIn advice—each marketer breaks down a live case study, walks through their specific approach, and candidly discusses what worked, what didn’t, and how others can replicate their success.

“We really want to help you separate the signal from the noise... this is the stuff people want. They want the real examples.”
— Dave Gerhardt (05:47)

The episode includes deep dives on influencer marketing, surround-sound ad strategies, direct mail, scrappy conference tactics, and optimizing channel mix beyond LinkedIn.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of B2B Marketing and The Need for Real Examples

• Dave opens by addressing the gap between LinkedIn “AI creators" and what marketers actually achieve.
• The premise: deliver actionable, “no magic” campaign playbooks for listeners overwhelmed by rapid change.
• Audience engagement: live Q&A, audience voting for best campaign, and challenges to post learnings on LinkedIn for swag prizes.
• Notable quote:

“Our job here is to help you separate the signal from the noise.”
— Dave Gerhardt (02:08)

2. Campaign 1: Influencer-Led Product Launch & Paid LinkedIn Distribution

Presenter: Cindy Dubon (Goldcast)
[07:11 – 14:54]

Objective: Relaunch “Content Lab” and drive free trials.

Campaign Breakdown:

• Utilized actual customer-influencers (not paid-only “influencers”) to post about the product authentically.
• Gave loose briefs, encouraged personality/real use cases.
• Focused on target account lists and firmographic/technographic/intent data (via 6Sense, Clay, Vector).
• Paid distribution: Ads amplified influencer posts to prequalified audiences only—$7K ad spend produced $700K in pipeline (year total).

Tips:

• Let “influencers” create their own content—audiences sniff out salesy copy.
• Multi-touch: If the direct conversion isn’t there, retarget with other offers (guides, webinars, blogs).
• Attribution: Tracked with UTMs + site tracking + HockeyStack for broader multi-touch insight.

Memorable Moment:

“If you keep turning $7K into $100K, your CEO’s gonna say, ‘Can I triple it?’... Don’t look at all the other campaigns that didn’t yield this.”
— Dave Gerhardt (09:19)

Budget Details:

• $7K ad spend, additional small budget ($500–$1K) per influencer post, mix of paid/unpaid.
• Tools: 6Sense, Clay, Vector for segmentation; LinkedIn for ad delivery; Salesforce/HockeyStack for attribution.

3. Campaign 2: B2B “Surround Sound” with Connected TV & Cross-Channel Targeting

Presenter: Kelly (Vector)
[15:27 – 22:23]

Objective: Generate pipeline by saturating ICP with consistent cross-channel message.

Campaign Breakdown:

• Ran “surround sound” brand campaign across Connected TV (CTV via LinkedIn), YouTube, and LinkedIn feed.
• One precise ICP audience applied across all channels, tightly controlled targeting (~120–180K contacts).
• Invested in creative—humor and strong brand personality to avoid dull, “typical” B2B ads.
• Retargeted CTV viewers across other digital channels.
• Used LinkedIn CTV’s granular targeting; hand-picked premium channels for higher brand recall.

Early Results:

• +34% net new traffic
• +22% demo requests
• +41% pipeline MoM

Budget:

• Video creative: $35K
• CTV media: Aimed for $30–60K, $15K spent so far

Tips:

• “If you’re going to show up everywhere, you better be worth watching.”
• Multi-channel retargeting is key; invest in creative and talent, treat actor/creative rights seriously.

4. Campaign 3: Hyper-Personalized Direct Mail Sequence for Agency Pipeline

Presenter: Jeremy Chung (Ads by JR)
[25:08 – 32:20]

Objective: Book meetings with VC partners and drive agency selection for their portfolio companies.

Campaign Breakdown:

• Identified VC partners, enriched data with Clay + Claude AI.
• Created highly tailored ad audits of their portcos using Meta/Google Ad libraries and manual+AI research.
• Mailed physical postcard with QR code linking to Loom video teardown; followed with targeted booklets ($1.5 per postcard, $35/booklet).
• Tracked engagement via unique links and QR codes.
• Followed with retargeting: sequenced emails, LinkedIn ads, and served testimonials to maximize surround sound.

Results:

• 1200 postcards sent, 22 meetings booked, $11.5K spend
• $324K closed-won, $500 cost per meeting

Tips:

• Use HQ addresses via data enrichment tools (Clay); careful with home addresses due to privacy.
• “Never pitch—always show value upfront.”
• Direct mail is “still exciting for some reason”—but must connect to real pain and digitally measurable touchpoints.

5. Campaign 4: No-Booth, High-Visibility Event Play with Swag-Driven Branding

Presenter: Tess (Air Vet)
[32:46 – 39:38]

Objective: Drive conference booth-like engagement—without a physical booth.

Campaign Breakdown:

• Sponsored event happy hour (not a booth); targeted attendees and local accounts with pre-event LinkedIn ads offering irresistible branded swag (“wiggle-butt” dachshund dog pens).
• Landing page for registration failed [0 conversions], but LinkedIn ad + Vector attribution showed 65% attendee page visits (exceeded typical event booth engagement).
• Used visitor data to email and schedule meetings on site; staff wore consistent branding.
• Featured team dog at the event; all “hunted for the Air Vet booth” and sought pens.

Results:

• 11 on-site meetings, 5 post-event meetings, 3+ deals opened; over 2000% ROI on $1K ad spend (total event budget $11K).

Memorable Moment:

“Proving to sales they don’t need a booth—absolutely priceless.”
— Tess (38:10)

Tips:

• Creative, scrappy digital branding + great swag can outperform classic event strategy.
• Source attendee lists via sponsorship, even without a booth; leverage LinkedIn for lookalikes.

6. Campaign 5: Diversifying Paid Channel Mix (“Intent Flywheel” Approach)

Presenter: Richard (Go Happy)
[40:00 – 47:31]

Objective: Combat rising LinkedIn CPMs and declining performance by expanding channel coverage.

Campaign Breakdown:

• Realized 90% of spend on LinkedIn = risk; LinkedIn CPMs up 91%, audience penetration down to 23%, meetings booked down 36%.
• Tightened positioning, revamped ICP/account scoring in partnership with sales (firmographic + intent signals, 13+ sources: Vector, Clay, etc.).
• Piloted expansion to Facebook and Google Display using de-anonymized account data (Vector), then scaled when validation proved targeting matched.
• Built an “intent flywheel” by routing engagement/intent data to Clay → HubSpot → ads; more spend to engaged accounts, creating positive intent loop.
• Innovated B2B creative (clear phone imagery, “think outside the inbox” copy), multivariate landing page testing.

Results:

• Moving just 20% of budget off LinkedIn = 2x impressions (1M+), -75% CPM, 3.5x monthly pipeline, 5.2x from paid channels.

Quotes:

“If you aren't able to have adequate account coverage in your ABM strategy, it’s not really an ABM strategy.”
— Richard (46:50)

Tips:

• Validate third-party data/platforms with small pilots before scaling.
• First-party intent data (site engagement) is most valuable; use third-party as supplement.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On “AI Slop” in Marketing
  “AI slop is going to kill deals, kill brand, and kill trust. It’s on us to create things that actually matter, educational, entertaining, useful, specific and relevant.”
  — Dave Gerhardt (00:01–00:27)
• On Paid Campaign ROI
  “Once you start throwing numbers like this, the CEO’s like, ‘So if I give you more?’... Don’t look at all the other campaigns that didn’t yield this.”
  — Dave Gerhardt (09:19)
• On Ad Creative
  “If you’re going to show up everywhere, you better be worth watching... Creative is king.”
  — Kelly (Vector, 19:32)
• On Direct Mail
  “Mail is still exciting for some reason. My kids get the mail, I get the mail. Direct mail works.”
  — Dave Gerhardt (31:16)
• On Scrappy Event Tactics
  “Proving to sales they don’t need a booth, absolutely priceless.”
  — Tess (38:10)
• On Channel Diversification
  “If you aren't able to have adequate account coverage in your ABM strategy, it's not really an ABM strategy. Validate, then scale."
  — Richard (46:50)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment & Speaker | |-----------|-----------------------------------------| | 00:01 | Dave on “AI slop” and content quality | | 03:32 | Episode purpose, format, guest intro | | 07:11 | Cindy Dubon: Influencer + Paid Ads | | 15:27 | Kelly: B2B Surround Sound Campaign | | 25:08 | Jeremy Chung: Direct Mail/VC Targeting | | 32:46 | Tess: Event, No Booth, Swag Ads | | 40:00 | Richard: Multi-Channel “Intent Flywheel”| | 47:32 | Q&A on UTM, targeting, budgets | | 52:36 | Audience voting, campaign winner |

Practical Takeaways

• Creative authenticity and letting real voices speak matters more than ever in influencer and thought leadership campaigns.
• Break out of channel monotony (LinkedIn over-dependence) for dramatic reach/cost improvements.
• Multi-channel, precise audience strategies (surround sound, intent flywheel) multiply touchpoints and reinforce brand message.
• Scrappy, low-budget tactics—when combined with tight targeting and great creative—can drive outsize impact and prove value to sales.
• Attribution evolves: Use UTM tracking, de-anonymization tools, and multi-touch analytics for true ROI insight but acknowledge (and plan for) attribution “leakage.”
• Direct mail and physical experiential touchpoints are still underutilized, and when combined with digital, can delight even cynical B2B buyers.

Closing & Winner

• Live poll lands Tess’s “Dog pens, no booth” campaign as the crowd favorite for ingenuity and ROI.
• All campaigns showcase that the right insight, creative, and data combo is far more potent than “AI hype” or mere channel spend.

Connect with all guests on LinkedIn for deeper dives, and catch the video replay and resources on the Exit Five community website.