Rubina Singh

Attention is the new currency. Get the playbook behind how top agencies are cashing in on conversions: https://lnkd.in/e98CiTyw High-performing teams are breaking down silos, integrating stacks, and aligning brand with performance to drive consistency across the funnel. Download our latest research report to see how top marketers are shaping their conversion strategies: https://lnkd.in/e98CiTyw

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CAC is rising. Demand is softening. And lower-funnel tactics aren’t cutting it. That’s the reality for so many brands, but with the right strategic brand investment, it’s also an opportunity to reset and scale with more clarity. Brand Building: Expanding Beyond Performance is a new guide for marketers ready to move past performance-only loops and build long-term momentum. Inside this guide, New Engen’s leading strategic minds map out everything that brands need to effectively expand beyond performance, including: 🔍 What the performance plateau looks like and how to respond before returns diminish 🌱 Why brand investment is essential to long-term growth, how to approach it with confidence 🛠️ Tactical moves for honing your media mix, creative, targeting, and measurement approach 📋 Real-world planning strategies for 2026, including budget balancing and always-on testing Download your free guide to reform your media approach and build a stronger, more resilient brand in 2026 and beyond. 💡 Access it here: https://hubs.la/Q03WWknY0 #BrandStrategy #BrandBuilding #PerformanceMarketing #UpperFunnel #MediaPlanning #DigitalMarketingStrategies

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Dark patterns don’t just trick users. They trick brands into thinking they’re winning. A bump in conversions. A dip in drop-offs. But beneath the metrics? Erosion. In fintech, where trust is currency, deceptive design—auto opt-ins, buried exits, confusing flows—doesn’t go unnoticed. It breaks the very promise your brand stands on. You may win the click. But lose the customer. And worse—lose credibility. True brand value isn’t hacked. It’s earned. Clean design and user-first flows won’t spike short-term metrics, but they do something better: compound trust over time. Because in the long game, clarity > cleverness. And respect > retention tricks. #BrandBuilding #DesignEthics #Fintech #UserTrust

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“Why are so many B2B CMOs miserable at PE-backed companies?” I asked plaintively. The room went silent, awaiting the response from Darren Herman, Managing Director, Bain Capital, at last week’s Imaginarium Summit. His answer was important, and I’ll get to it. But first, the sources of my question. Misery Source #1: Time Sucks “I spend 70% of my time prepping for or following up on meetings with our PE firm,” shared a CMO from a $600mil PE-backed tech firm. Pressing for details, the CMO explained that they had to prepare a 200-page document for every board meeting that goes through every available data point. “I don’t have time to think, plan, or lead – instead, I’m buried in the minutia.” Misery Source #2: Micromanagement “I have junior analysts going through our Google ad word buys by keyword by bid and asking me questions about them,” explained a CMO from a $300mil SaaS company. Admittedly, this is a subset of Misery Source #1, but it speaks to the hope of the PE firm that they could optimize (via micromanagement) their way to an EBITDA target. Misery Source #3: Budget Allocations “When the PE firm merged us with another company, I was told Marketing would be 7% of ARR and Sales would be 18% without any historical data or justification,” noted the former CMO of a $1B cybersecurity firm that had been growing 15-20% per year. The understanding that Marketing is an investment versus a cost seems to be rare among PE-backed companies. Misery Source #4: Magical Thinking “Our budget was cut 40% while our growth target was increased by 25%” added the CMO from the $1B cybersecurity firm. “The targets seemed arbitrary without any explanation for how they could be achieved – the pressure was literally killing me,” the CMO shared after leaving the job. Rant over (for now). On to Darren’s important counsel. Understand the Investment Thesis  Knowing why the PE firm bought the company and why they believe they can help it grow should help CMOs align their marketing efforts. Fair enough. I want to believe it would make a difference, but I need to check back with a few CMOs who’ve been there and done that. Prepare to Work Fast Ubiquitous sneaker wearing is emblematic of Bain Capital’s expectation of performance speed. Got it. Get it. As should any CMO taking a job for a PE-backed company. That’s why we give our "Huddlers" access to a First 90-Days Quick Wins Cheat Sheet [ping me for the link]. Unfortunately, not every potent marketing lever responds instantly. For example, improving your ratings with key industry analysts takes time (6-18 months) but can have a huge impact on consideration and close rates. Similarly, building out a new partner channel takes time but can bring significant growth, especially during economic downturns. The same is true for becoming a community-led growth company. In fairness to Darren, not all PE firms are the same. Some add value. Or at least try. [See link in comments to Darren's thoughtful advice.]

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At Brand Safety Summit Series’ AI & Safety Summit, Terence Kawaja positioned AI not as another ad tech cycle, but as a fundamental reset for advertising. The message is clear: the shift is structural, not incremental. For anyone wanting to go deeper, NewDigitalAge’s Andy Oakes captured the key takeaways in this in-depth and thoughtful recap: https://lnkd.in/e9FQywEd

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Building Human-Centered Marketing Teams...While Harnessing the Power of AI. Contradiction? Nope. AI, I believe, is a force multiplier for humans. 💪 I recently joined the Clarity Digital Podcast (thank you Al Sefati 🤓!) to share how we’re navigating a pivotal transformation at Crunchbase—and what it takes to lead with empathy, even as technology accelerates around us. At Crunchbase, we’re shifting from an inbound, product-led growth model to an enterprise-focused, outbound motion powered by our own predictive data. Our mission is evolving: we’re not just helping customers access business data—we’re helping them predict the future using AI-backed insights. A big part of the conversation focused on the exciting transformation underway: We’ve developed proprietary predictive models trained on years and years of historical and platform data. These models can anticipate high-impact events—IPOs, layoffs, funding rounds—before they hit the headlines. These kinds of predictive insights can unlock so much opportunity for go-to-market teams, so we are starting by embedding this intelligence directly into our own sales workflows and marketing campaigns. My goal is to build a best-in-class go-to-market engine on top of our own data, proving what’s possible with the product we bring to market. We also talked about: ➡️ Why empathy and accountability are the true foundations of any high-performing team. ➡️ How I engage with CMOs and marketing leaders to have real, vulnerable conversations about what leadership looks like today. ➡️ Why success means balancing metrics with meaning—creative courage with operational excellence. This moment is more than a shift in strategy—it’s a shift in mindset. Crunchbase is becoming a platform for predictive intelligence, and I’m proud to be helping lead that change from the inside out. I hope you will join me on this journey! Would love for you to tune in 🎧 and tell me what you think ⬇️ : https://lnkd.in/gMPRDrqH #MarketingLeadership #AIinMarketing #PredictiveIntelligence #GoToMarket #Crunchbase #CMOConversations

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📈 The biggest force reshaping B2B marketing right now? The macroeconomic climate. Confidence is rebounding across the B2B landscape. Stability is returning—and with it, new momentum for marketers ready to lead the way. This post kicks off a 5-part video series where our CEO Rob Sanchez shares his insights into what’s ahead for B2B marketing: ✅ The macro trends that matter ✅ How marketer expectations are evolving ✅ Why data and AI are the engine of growth Now’s the time to act, adapt, and accelerate. Stay tuned for what’s next. 📼 #FutureOfB2BMarketing #B2BMarketing #DataDrivenMarketing #MarketingLeadership #AIinMarketing #GetInFront

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Why do boards approve massive marketing budgets, then wonder why brand equity does not translate into revenue growth? After spending two decades as an enterprise marketing leader and advisor to executive teams and boards at Fortune 1000 and founder-led firms, I have learned the answer is not what most expect. The problem is that most boards treat brand as something marketing handles rather than something the entire organization builds. Brand equity is not created in marketing departments. It is created when customers choose your company over competitors at premium pricing, when top talent joins despite competing offers, and when partners prioritize working with you. Organizations that treat brand as a marketing function get marketing-level results. Organizations where boards own their brand as a strategic asset get a competitive advantage. The difference comes down to three disciplines. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ec53uY_p

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B2B buying is no longer a solo act—and the old lead-gen playbook built on that idea? It’s broken. Modern B2B buying decisions are rarely made by one person. With 13+ decision-makers on average and nearly 90% of purchases spanning departments, the process is more cross-functional and complex than ever. Whether you’re selling to a startup or a global enterprise, decisions are made by groups—not individuals. It’s time to align with how buying really works: 🔹 Focus on buying groups, not just leads 🔹 Align marketing and sales around shared revenue goals 🔹 Drive early-stage demand—before buyers ever raise their hand Start driving early-stage impact aligned to revenue, not lead volume. Download the “How to Build Early-Stage Demand That Converts into Sales Opportunities” Blueprint to get started: https://hubs.li/Q03z-1wt0 #data #revenue #accountbasedmarketing #b2bmarketing #strategy #marketing #b2bbuyers #b2b #abm #pipeline

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Let’s talk about the most important marketing shift I’ve seen in my 12-year corporate career: the move from saying you care to proving it through your actions. I call it Actionable Authenticity. For years, brands could get away with hollow "brand purpose." Not anymore. Consumers want proof. Just look at the powerful pivots: · Dove built a legacy on real self-esteem action. · Patagonia’s "don't buy this jacket" campaign mirrored its core business. · Victoria's Secret's new diverse and body-positive fashion show is a direct rebrand to align with modern values. This resonates deeply. In our culture, trust is earned through action, ¿verdad? So, how can we champion this as marketers? 1. Audit Your Actions: Does your internal culture and supply chain reflect your marketing? Fix the inside first. 2. Partner, Don't Just Post: A genuine community partnership is louder than a viral hashtag. 3. Hand Over the Mic: Co-create with your community; don't just talk at them. Campaigns that show real people, families and their experiences with your service or product are 10x more engaging. This is how we build real trust. What other brands are nailing this? 👇 #ActionableAuthenticity #BrandStrategy #MarketingTrends #BodyPositivity #VictoriaSecret #LatinaInBusiness

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