The Dave Gerhardt Show (Exit Five)

Episode: How to Build a Brand in B2B with Ryan Narod (VP of Marketing at Rippling)
Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Dave Gerhardt
Guest: Ryan Narod, VP of Marketing, Rippling

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the journey of building a category-defining brand in B2B SaaS, as told by Ryan Narod, VP of Marketing at Rippling. Host Dave Gerhardt and Ryan discuss Rippling’s brand evolution—from a growth-centric, performance-driven marketing engine to a more human, story-led approach. The conversation is packed with actionable examples, creative campaign stories (including their upcoming Super Bowl commercial), and practical advice for B2B marketers eager to make their brand stand out.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ryan’s Background and Rippling’s Position in B2B SaaS

• [02:52] Ryan introduces his career trajectory: Google (developer marketing) → first marketing hire at Mutiny (marketing to marketers) → now building the brand at Rippling.
  • “My background is in growth type of marketing, but at Rippling… I initially joined to build all the brand parts of marketing. So, which is really fun because I love doing things that are new to me…” (Ryan, [03:13])
• [04:15] What is Rippling? Not just HR/payroll—Rippling brings together HR, payroll, finance (bill pay, corporate cards), and IT (device management, access, security) in one automated, interconnected platform.
  • “We think of it as the one system you need to run your entire workforce.” (Ryan, [04:15])
  • “When you onboard a new hire... With Rippling, it all just happens automatically.” (Ryan, [05:11])

2. From Growth to Brand: Why & How Rippling Shifted Its Marketing Playbook

• [08:15] Rippling’s growth engine (ads, performance marketing) was dialed in—Ryan was brought in to build a “0 to 1 marketing startup” focused on brand.
• Brand Building Beyond Billboards:
  • Started with foundational, low-cost content—high-quality, non-salesy, human-first storytelling.
  • Key Principle: “People want to buy from people and trust a brand where there’s humans behind it.” (Ryan, [09:38])
  • Emphasis on staffing a team with personality, comfort on camera, and willingness to be a public face for the company.

Voicing the “Human Brand”

• Adopted a people-centric content approach: real faces, employee subject matter experts, and customer interviews.
• Developed a “content flywheel”:
  • Record podcast/interview style discussions with internal & external (customer) experts.
  • Spin these into written posts, videos, webinars (for lead gen), and social content.
  • [12:01] “We have customers like Liquid Death… we bought Liquid Death cans and sheers. Then again, it makes the whole experience more human.” (Ryan)
• Strategic Message Example: Making the HR buyer the hero—Rippling’s automation doesn’t replace HR, it liberates them.
  • “The message of: we free you up… so you can be strategic and bring insights proactively to your CEO—that really resonates.” (Ryan, [13:29])

3. Developing Rippling’s Story and Messaging

• Focused on developing clear “persona stories” rather than a single, vague, company-wide narrative.
  • HR persona: HR as a strategic, cross-functional, data-driven leader, not bogged down by admin.
  • Company-level: “One system to manage your entire workforce.” (Plain, functional, differentiated.)
  • “Sometimes you try to be too cute... Sometimes just say what you mean.” (Dave, [16:23])
• [19:46] Love for “little nuggets” in messaging:
  • “We have spent more dollars and time than any other player in the space building the underlying platform…” (Ryan)

4. Tactical Brand Plays & Campaign Examples

Webinar Promos & Social Videos

• [21:00–22:28] Repurposed standard webinars into creative, eye-catching promos.
  • Flew a customer (chess.com) to New York, filmed him in a chess-piece costume for a promo video.
  • Kraft Heinz webinar, promoted with team members eating hot dogs on the street—fun, low-cost, effective.
  • “Two people on my team can go walk out to the street with their iPhone and go do this.” (Ryan, [25:03])

Case Studies: High vs. Low Production

• [25:03–28:12] Showed “before/after” instagrams: dull case studies → vibrant employee-customer vignettes, shot on an iPhone.
  • Social team acts as creative gatekeepers, partnering with product/event owners to maintain high content quality.
  • “Her job is… be the gatekeeper for all our social media… keep a high bar.” (Ryan, [25:49])

Higher Production: Customer Films & Partnerships

• [27:16–30:27] “Barry’s” feature film: Treated as a sports sponsorship, full in-house Brand Studio production.
  • Expanded partnership activation at SHRM conference: hosted Barry’s fitness class for hundreds of HR professionals.
  • But: High cost ≠ high impact. “The thing that costs order of magnitude more doesn’t actually outperform by an order of magnitude.” (Ryan, [30:27])
  • For scrappier teams: leverage iPhone, green screen, social assets—impactful, inexpensive.

5. Integrated Campaigns and Channel Strategy

• “HR Deserves Better” Campaign ([32:30–34:12])
  • Valentine’s Day, humor-driven breakup analogy: person breaks up with their old HR software.
  • Spun up “HR Love Songs,” a low-budget, AI-generated retro website; produced a catchy promo video via Quick Frame (LinkedIn partner).
  • Repurposed video for hotel TV loops at SHRM, creating high-recall brand moments.

Creative Iteration & Measurement

• Testing a range of assets (Lo-fi to High Production), for each funnel stage.
  • Measured by CPM (cost per impression), view rates, engagement.
  • “Even low-fi, quick videos can do just as well as expensive production.” (Ryan, [30:27])
• Every creative asset is fuel for paid campaigns.
  • “Everything we’re doing is fuel for our paid engine.” (Ryan, [36:55])

Full Funnel Mentality

• Video ads aren’t expected to drive immediate demos—they build awareness and set up mid- and bottom-funnel conversion.
  • “The goal is… implant seeing Rippling into people’s brains… you get more bottom-of-funnel efficiency.” (Ryan, [39:18])
  • Consistent multi-touch leads to prospects referencing pervasive brand presence on sales calls (e.g., via Gong).

Measurement Guardrails

• Use Mixed Media Modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing with vendors like Paramark to analyze revenue impact.
  • “We pulse media in a specific market and look for the incrementality of that on revenue.” (Ryan, [36:07])

6. Super Bowl Commercial Launch

• [43:00–44:52] Big brand moment: first Super Bowl commercial for Rippling!
  • Focused on the emotion—what it feels like as a leader when mundane work thwarts your big vision.
  • Abstracted product story for mass-market audience; aim is to generate conversation and recognition.
  • Internal excitement: “...our sales org… being able to get on the phone… ‘Hey, did you catch the Super Bowl ad?’”
  • Tight turnaround: decided in Sept-Oct, shot ad over holidays, filmed in LA for that “real Hollywood experience.”

7. Ryan’s Leadership & Brand Philosophy

• Think like a founder: Modern marketing isn’t about being an expert in everything; it’s about orchestrating diverse talents, asking good questions, pushing for excellence.
  • “I try to listen to a lot of podcasts… I think of my role as just not having to be smart on any one thing, but just being a good general manager.” (Ryan, [41:14])
• Key advice for aspiring marketing leaders: Don’t worry about being the expert in SEO, demand gen, or events… focus on the big-picture orchestration.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Human-first Marketer:

  • “People want to buy from people and people want to trust a brand where there’s humans behind it.”
    (Ryan Narod, [09:38])

• On Making the Buyer the Hero:

  • “The message of: we free you up… so you can be strategic and bring insights proactively to your CEO—that really resonates.”
    (Ryan, [13:29])

• On Brand Consistency:

  • “Her job is… be the gatekeeper for all our social media… keep a high bar.”
    (Ryan, [25:49])

• Small Budget → Big Impact:

  • “Two people on my team can go walk out to the street with their iPhone and go do this.”
    (Ryan, [25:03])

• Brand Investment & Measurement:

  • “Everything we’re doing is fuel for our paid engine.”
    (Ryan, [36:55])

• Top-of-Funnel Philosophy:

  • “The goal is… implant seeing Rippling into people’s brains… and you get more bottom-of-funnel efficiency.”
    (Ryan, [39:18])

• Leadership Mindset for Marketers:

  • “I think of my role as just not having to be smart on any one thing, but just being a good general manager. The same skill set a founder would have to hone.”
    (Ryan, [41:14])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:52 – Ryan’s background: Growth to Brand, career history
• 04:15 – What is Rippling? Differentiation in HR/payroll/finance/IT
• 08:15 – Why Ryan shifted from growth to brand at Rippling
• 09:38 – Human-first brand principle, inspired by “This Won’t Scale”
• 12:01 – Building content “flywheel,” heroing the HR persona
• 16:23 – Clear messaging vs. cute slogans
• 21:00–22:28 – Creative webinar promos (chess.com, Kraft Heinz/hot dogs)
• 25:03–28:12 – iPhone case studies vs. high-end customer films
• 30:27 – Scrappy marketing: cost ≠ outsize performance
• 32:30–34:12 – “HR Deserves Better” campaign & HR Love Songs
• 36:07 – Measuring brand with mixed media modeling (MMM) & incrementality
• 39:18 – Full funnel creative strategy; measuring awareness to conversion
• 43:00–44:52 – Super Bowl ad strategy, process, impact
• 41:14 – Ryan’s leadership and marketing philosophy

Key Takeaways for B2B Marketers

• Brand isn’t just billboards or Super Bowl ads—start with telling customer stories, using your people, and making the buyer the hero.
• Human, relatable, “pattern-interrupt” content wins in social and email. Scrappy, fast production can beat expensive creative.
• You don’t need a massive budget—iPhones, green screens, and a creative team can go far.
• Every piece of creative should serve your awareness and demand efforts. Always test and measure, but never wait for “perfect messaging.”
• Brand is built by orchestration: leaders should focus on assembling the right team, maintaining creative standards, and connecting all marketing efforts to business impact.

This episode is a must-listen for B2B marketers at all stages who want to infuse brand, creativity, and energy into their growth engine, while staying true to what makes their buyers tick.