DesignRush Podcast

DesignRush Podcast brings you the best insights and perspectives from industry leaders and C-suite business influencers. Each episode features successful professionals in the digital world, discussing topics ranging from digital strategy and branding to email marketing and entrepreneurship. Whether you're a young professional, a startup entrepreneur, or a business executive, DesignRush Podcast provides valuable knowledge and advice to help you succeed in your career.

DesignRush Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 195 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts DesignRush Podcast, a business show with 195 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #155

  ClickUp Bet $5M on the Super Bowl. Did It Pay Off?

  Sep 30, 202626 minS1

  What can BuzzFeed, ClickUp, and the future of B2B marketing teach us about building an audience you actually own? In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, Kia sits down with Melissa Rosenthal, Co-Founder of Outlever, to discuss platform dependence, organic reach, creative strategy, B2B marketing, AI-generated content, and owned media. Melissa shares lessons from her time at BuzzFeed, Cheddar, and ClickUp, including how platform algorithms can reshape a business, why ClickUp took a consumer-first approach to B2B marketing, and what went into its in-house Super Bowl campaign. They also explore why generic B2B content may become increasingly worthless as AI makes content cheaper to produce, and why perspective, virality, audience ownership, and brand identity are becoming more important. Discover more marketing insights and find top agencies for digital marketing, branding, creative, AI, and business growth at https://r.designrush.com/podcast-155 Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:48 - Why did BuzzFeed decline after becoming a $1.7 billion company? 03:22 - What was the biggest red flag that BuzzFeed’s business model had changed? 05:35 - Why did BuzzFeed’s business model stop working despite its early success? 06:35 - How can content marketing help B2B companies market differently? 08:37 - Which B2B marketing rules can you ignore to create more effective marketing? 09:37 - How much did ClickUp’s in-house Super Bowl ad cost, and what impact did it have? 11:44 - How did ClickUp strategically maximize the impact of its Super Bowl ad? 12:16 - What results made ClickUp’s Super Bowl ad a successful marketing investment? 14:00 - When does leadership input start making creative work worse? 15:33 - How can creative teams push back on CEO feedback without compromising the creative idea? 17:35 - What can borrowed reach and the decline of digital media teach us? 18:56 - Why do some corporate content strategies survive while others lose organic reach? 20:26 - Why is B2B content becoming worthless, and what makes it valuable? 23:21 - How can companies build trust by defining what they stand for? 24:58 - Outro Topics: B2B Marketing • Content Strategy • AI • Owned Media • Brand Strategy • Creative Marketing • BuzzFeed • ClickUp • Outlever #B2BMarketing #ContentMarketing #AI #BrandStrategy #DesignRushFOLLOW DESIGNRUSH Website: https://www.designrush.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designrushmag LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/designrush

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  Episode #154

  What HubSpot Did After Losing 140 Million Visits

  Sep 23, 202624 minS1

  Is the traditional B2B marketing playbook still working? HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar joins the DesignRush Podcast to explain why AI marketing is changing the rules, but human judgment still matters. From the Loop Marketing Framework to AI-native teams and marketing automation, Bodnar explores how companies can experiment faster, improve the quality of their work, and adapt without sacrificing creativity, brand voice, taste, or strategic thinking. He also explains why simply adding AI to existing workflows isn't enough. The real opportunity is to rethink how marketing gets done, with focused experimentation, stronger systems, and faster learning. And as AI changes execution, agencies may need to deliver more of what technology cannot easily replace: judgment, market insight, specialized systems, and strategic expertise. For CMOs, CEOs, founders, and B2B marketing leaders, this conversation offers a practical look at how to balance AI automation with human creativity and build a marketing strategy for what comes next. In this episode: 00:00 Intro 00:49 Why is the old marketing playbook no longer working? 02:18 How do you find the right direction when nobody knows the answer? 04:20 What marketing experiments failed at HubSpot, and why? 05:18 How should CEOs approach marketing experiments in the age of AI? 08:05 What is the Loop Marketing Framework and how does it work? 10:32 How does AI Buyer Simulation help marketers test ideas before spending? 12:03 How can marketers use AI without losing human creativity and judgment? 13:39 How is AI changing the writing and editing process? 15:17 What happens to marketing performance if CMOs don't adapt to AI? 17:01 What marketing skills can't AI reproduce? 17:45 How can traditional marketing teams become AI-native? 19:29 How does HubSpot use AI agents and sprints to accelerate marketing execution? 20:04 What will the future of marketing agencies look like in the AI era? 21:28 Which marketing agency services could become less valuable as AI improves? 22:26 Are clients adopting AI faster than marketing agencies? 23:33 What are CMOs afraid to admit about traditional marketing? 23:50 Outro Discover more marketing insights and find top agencies for digital marketing, branding, creative, AI, and business growth at https://r.designrush.com/podcast-154 Related DesignRush resources: AI in Marketing: Use Cases, Benefits, and Impact in 2026 FOLLOW DESIGNRUSH ☑️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designrushmag ☑️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/designrush DesignRush | Brand Discovery Platform & Agency Directory B2B Media platform driving brand discovery & growth with trends, agency rankings, marketplace & best designs.

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  Episode #153

  AI Founder: 85% Spend More on AI, Only 22% Make It Work | Jeff Finkelstein

  Sep 16, 202633 minS1

  Is AI for business actually worth the hype? Learn how to move past the prototype phase and determine if your project will yield real results. Jeff Finkelstein, founder of Customer Paradigm, joins us to break down the practical realities of deploying new tools. Many companies struggle with scaling their AI investments, often getting stuck in the testing phase without a clear path to production. This discussion focuses on the critical gap between experimentation and generating measurable value. We analyze the metrics that truly matter when measuring AI ROI, ensuring your strategy aligns with long-term growth rather than just following trends. If you are responsible for integrating business technology into your operations, this guide helps you identify when to commit resources and when to pause. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:42 How can businesses turn AI into real business value? 04:16 Why AI strategy must start with the customer? 06:35 Why do AI investments struggle to scale? 10:50 When does AI become a data problem? 12:56 How to test AI before scaling it? 14:27 What makes an AI prototype ready for the real world? 18:09 What should executives consider before deploying AI? 21:47 What AI security risks are businesses underestimating? 23:59 What decisions should AI never make alone? 26:00 Can AI turn weeks of development into hours? 27:53 What should businesses measure to prove AI ROI? 31:07 How should CEOs identify the right AI opportunities? 32:40 Outro Discover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://r.designrush.com/pod Related DesignRush resources: Enterprise AI Deployment Strategy: Nvidia Shows Why AI Deployment Matters Subscribe for more marketing and business strategy breakdowns, and tell us in the comments if you have successfully scaled an AI project yet. FOLLOW DESIGNRUSH ☑️ Website: https://www.designrush.com/ ☑️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designrushmag ☑️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/designrush ABOUT DESIGNRUSH DesignRush.com is a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies through expert reviews and agency ranking lists, awards, knowledge resources, and personalized agency recommendations for vetted projects.

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  Episode #152

  The Ad Targeting Mistake That's Wasting Your Budget

  Sep 9, 202626 minS1

  Is hyper-targeting actually hurting your ad performance? Learn how to fix your creative strategy with lessons from industry veteran Mack Reynolds. Mack Reynolds, SVP of Global Creative Strategy at Shuttlerock, breaks down the tension between data-driven targeting and creative originality. Whether you are at a startup or a global brand, you need to know how to turn business challenges into actionable ideas without losing your brand identity in the process. We discuss the mechanics of creative testing and how to maintain consistency while scaling your content efforts. If you want to leverage AI for efficiency while keeping your human edge, this conversation provides the tactical framework you need to balance immediate brand growth with long-term equity. Subscribe for more expert leadership lessons, and tell us in the comments how you balance creative risk with business goals. Timestamps: 00:00-00:36 Intro 00:36-03:02 What are the biggest mistakes brands make with their advertising? 03:02-04:00 How can brands stay consistent while creating more content? 04:00-05:27 How can brands stay consistent while creating more content? 05:27-08:08 How do you turn a business challenge into a breakthrough idea? 08:08-09:39 How can an experience elevate a brand? 09:39-11:29 What should brands never compromise on? 11:29-12:57 How should brands balance business goals with brand consistency? 12:57-14:55 How should brands rethink targeting in the age of algorithms? 14:55-16:58 How can brands stay relevant without losing originality? 16:58-19:20 How can brands use AI without losing authenticity?19:20-21:09 How can brands scale creativity without losing originality? 21:09-22:35 How do you turn one creative idea into hundreds of assets? 22:35-24:09 How can brands use every campaign to learn and improve? 24:09-25:11 Should CMOs let go of control to get better marketing results? 25:11-25:50 Outro Discover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://www.designrush.com Related DesignRush resources: Structured Creative Testing Is Becoming the Engine Behind Paid Media Performance: https://news.designrush.com/structured-creative-testing-paid-media-performance AI in Marketing: Risks, Rewards, and the Reality Brands Face: https://news.designrush.com/ai-marketing-risks-brands-cant-ignore Subscribe to the DesignRush Podcast for more actionable lessons on marketing, growth, and business strategy. ☑️ Website: https://www.designrush.com/ ☑️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designrushmag ☑️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/designrush ABOUT DESIGNRUSH DesignRush.com is a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies through expert reviews and agency ranking lists, awards, knowledge resources, and personalized agency recommendations for vetted projects. #DesignRushPodcast #MarketingStrategy #AdROI #PaidSocial #CreativeStrategy

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  Episode #151

  Why Your Business Isn't Growing (And How to Fix It)

  Sep 2, 202627 minS1

  Discover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://www.designrush.com Lisa Robbin Young has spent over three decades evolving Ark Entertainment Media, steering the business through market shifts, rapid expansion phases, and major strategic pivots. DesignRush Podcast host Kia Johnson speaks with Lisa about the operational frameworks behind long-term business growth, including how Ark doubled its earnings in 2018 and established an 80% client retention model. Lisa also unpacks how founders can eliminate CEO bottlenecks, why transitioning to flexible month-to-month terms increased long-term retention, and how she repositioned her advisory offers around high-stakes decision-making and organizational resilience. What you’ll learn: How an 80% client retention rate fuels predictable business expansion How founders can remove operational bottlenecks to scale team execution Why high-trust delivery models outperform high-friction lock-in contracts How to reposition core offers for resilience during market shifts About Lisa Robbin Young: Founder of Ark Entertainment Media, leading the company's evolution since 1993 Strategic advisor and keynote speaker specializing in business resilience and high-stakes decision-making Doubled company earnings in 2018 while building a membership model with ~80% retention Related DesignRush resources: Customer retention & web design trends: https://www.designrush.com/agency/website-design-development/trends B2B SaaS marketing strategies: https://www.designrush.com/agency/software-development/trends/b2b-saas-marketing Subscribe to the DesignRush Podcast for more practical lessons from founders, CEOs, and business leaders. #DesignRushPodcast #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #ClientRetention #B2BStrategy

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