Lab-Grown Marketing by Evidenza

Sales and marketing alignment might be the biggest fantasy in B2B. After decades of dashboards, handoff frameworks, attribution models, and “smarketing” workshops, most companies are still running the same internal knife fight.This week on Lab Grown Marketing, Jon and Peter argue that the problem isn’t failed alignment — it’s the assumption that alignment should exist in the first place. Drawing on new synthetic research and LinkedIn behavioral data across 7,000+ B2B companies, they reveal why sales and marketing almost never target the same customers, why MQLs distort behavior on both sides, and why the pursuit of shared metrics may actually make performance worse.The guys revisit the infamous “Tokyo Test” — the moment LinkedIn’s brand awareness disappeared overnight — to unpack why sales teams dramatically underestimate the power of marketing until it’s gone. Then they introduce a different solution entirely: strategic misalignment. Instead of forcing sales and marketing to do the same job, companies should divide labor correctly, align around customer needs, and let each team execute independently against different parts of demand.Turns out the biggest opportunity in B2B growth might not be tighter alignment. It might be finally admitting alignment was never the goal.00:00 - Introduction – Sales & Marketing misalignment03:40 - The Tokyo Test – what a near-empty event taught us about brand09:10 - The case for strategic misalignment13:00 - Million dollar data – survey of 500 marketers vs. 500 salespeople20:25 - The Circles of Doom – LinkedIn's 7,000-company alignment study28:30 - Division of labor – the Adam Smith prescription for sales & marketing35:55 - The MQL problem – the metric distorting both teams40:00 - Category entry points – the one thing sales and marketing can agree on

What do Weight Watchers, Tropicana, ABRDN, Jaguar, and HBO all have in common?You guessed it — terrible rebrands. In this ep, Jon and Peter are putting risky marketing moves under the microscope to ask the question — just how much risk is too much?First, they’re diving into the feed and covering some of marketing’s biggest acts of brandilism. Why are so many brands turning into blands? And are there better ways for marketing to take the risk out of risky business (like, oh, say… rebranding)? Step away from the computer and drop the rebranding stick immediately because Peter and Jon are explaining why category optionality is a far superior solution, keeping a diverse customer base is king, and how AI can be a clutch component to making your customer research completely risk-free.Plus, how do CFOs and CMOs really feel about risk management? Peter and Jon unpack the data to get to the juicy center of your CFO's cold, steely heart before heading into the Synthetic Salon to chat with Rory Sutherland and Nassim Taleb about the perception and safety of brand in decision-making. 01:17 From the Feed – The Risk of a Rebrand09:33 Million Dollar Data – How Marketers and CFOs Think About Risk16:02 Mental Model – Why Marketing and AI Derisk Business26:38 Synthetic Salon – Sori Rutherland

This week on the pod, Peter and Jon are done talking about the marketing renaissance — so they’re leaping into the new age of marketing maximalism. When it comes to ad targeting, more is more. So why do so many marketers keep trying to hypertarget the “perfect” audience? After all, brands used to succeed before targeting was invented… so is it possible it just isn’t as important as we’ve been led to believe it is?In a recent article, 67% of people targeted as parents didn’t actually have any kids… so that begs the question — how accurate is hyper-specific targeting anyways? And is it possible you’re really just being scammed?Then, the guys reveal what the only number that matters in marketing is and why they live by the mantra “go broad or go broke.” Are you shooting yourself in the foot by limiting your targeted audience? And just how much targeting is too much targeting?And later, Peter and Jon break down the synthetic stats on how B2B and B2B marketers prioritize targeting vs. reach before heading over to the Synthetic Salon for a lively showdown with Helena, a die-hard hypertargeting fan. Can Peter and Jon convince her to embrace the maximalist mindset? TBD. 01:30 From the Feed — When Ad Targeting Goes Wrong04:43 Mental Model — Reach Maximalism12:37 Million Dollar Data — Targeting vs. Reach19:04 Synthetic Salon — The Case for Hypertargeting

If you aren’t standing out, you’re blending into the competition.So, how can you ensure you’re creating distinctive brand assets that stay top-of-mind in buyers everywhere? Jon and Peter break down the data behind what makes brands memorable— and explain how to analyze the numbers to guarantee your assets leave a lasting impression. Why are brands like McDonald's, Liberty Mutual, and Apple so successful at what they do? And what are the top mistakes your creative team is probably making when it comes to branding?Then, the guys chat with the Pocket Professor to glean some foolproof tactics to measure and manage your distinctive brand assets before getting into the weeds about which specific parts of a brand consumers actually remember most. And hint: it’s not what you think. 02:06 From the Feed- Art Imitates Life (and Distinctive Branding)04:57 Mental Model- Distinctive Brand Assets12:25 Synthetic Salon- What Makes a Brand Memorable? 21:08 Million Dollar Data- AI and the Future of Brand Marketing

The customer is always right… right?Bezos knows they are. And if Jeffrey thinks it, you should probably pay attention.In this week’s episode, the guys explain why the king of Amazon keeps an empty chair in his meeting rooms at all times (we swear — it’s not a creepy billionaire thing) before exploring the importance of everybody’s least favorite topic — market research.How is it possible that B2B is a complete sampling desert while B2C is drowning in customer data, yet both can be completely parched of any kind of wisdom? With a little help from their synthetic friends, Jon and Peter suck the real truth out of just how often (or how little) B2C and B2B really survey their customers — and Houston, we’ve got a problem.Plus, was synthetic research cooked before it even got started? LinkedIn influencer Tom Goodwin recently called out all artificial intelligence insights as mid (*ok, shots fired*)….but Jon and Peter play devil’s advocate and explain why being average is actually a good thing. Pacers, it might just be your lucky year.00:24 Benefits and Barriers of Market Research01:48 Mental Model: Market Research10:05 Million Dollar Data: Is Synthetic Research Mid?15:55 The Synthetic Salon: NOT Jeff Bezos

For the past century, marketing has been a human-driven craft. But in the next decade, man-made marketing will be dead. Welcome to the rise of the Synthetic Century.Before you start picturing a Skynet-style takeover, Jon and Peter are here to explain why synthetic technology is actually a good thing—just like lab-grown diamonds, oil, and rubber, it democratizes access and improves efficiency.With the help of their synthetic pocket professor, they’ll break down why traditional segmentation is slow, expensive, and often flawed and why marketers are stuck in the Dark Ages of micro-segmentation and outdated personas—clinging to Maria the Marketer while ignoring how markets actually evolve.It’s time for lab-grown segmentation—faster, smarter, and built for the future. Because if you’re going to do dumb sh*t, you might as well do it faster and cheaper.Jon and Peter will also reveal what makes segmentation powerful (or useless), why complexity doesn’t equal intelligence, and how great marketing starts with broad, meaningful, actionable insights.Ready for the marketing renaissance? Tune in now.