Beyond the Dashboard - A Yirla Podcast

Medhi Labidi - Unlocking AI's Potential in B2B Marketing: Insights from LinkedIn's Demand Gen Lead

Summary In this episode of Beyond the Dashboard, Scott Schnaars (CEO of Yirla) interviews Mehdi Labidi about the intersection of AI and marketing. They explore how engineering thinking influences marketing strategies, the challenges of AI adoption in large organizations, and practical tips for leveraging AI effectively. Key topics * AI's impact on B2B marketing and demand generation * Pragmatic problem-solving with an engineering mindset * Challenges of AI adoption in large organizations like LinkedIn * Effective cross-channel budget allocation using media mix modeling * The role of creativity and testing in successful AI marketing campaigns Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Scott Schnaars and the podcast 00:33 - Guest introduction: Mehdi Labidi and his background 01:46 - How engineering thinking influences marketing 03:11 - Destructuring processes for scaling impact 04:50 - Internal pushback and organizational challenges 05:12 - Patterns of successful campaigns on LinkedIn 06:36 - The role of creativity and testing in campaigns 08:13 - Using generative AI for creative campaigns 09:23 - Cross-channel budget decision-making and media mix modeling 11:22 - Adapting to external factors and ROI considerations 13:33 - Challenges of AI adoption in large organizations 16:29 - Governance, security, and responsible AI 17:28 - Building AI tools for different organizational sizes 20:10 - From AI laggards to AI-enabled teams 23:16 - Future of AI in onboarding and employee tools 25:14 - What makes AI adoption easier in small teams 27:20 - The concept of micro-global companies 28:16 - Data-driven decision making in marketing 29:38 - How AI frees up creative and strategic focus 34:13 - Upskilling on prompt engineering and AI mastery 37:57 - The importance of critical thinking in AI use 38:59 - Patience and iteration in prompt engineering 39:48 - Handling variability and unpredictability of AI outputs 44:16 - Structuring prompts with frameworks like BRIGHT 45:40 - Targeting and formatting prompts for specific audiences 46:45 - Using master prompts for recurring tasks 47:54 - The ask-me-questions tip for better prompts 48:24 - Auto-prompting and optimizing prompts with AI 49:52 - Achieving consistency with master prompts 50:45 - Reusing prompts for automation and collaboration 51:52 - The future of AI literacy and competitive advantage 53:12 - Human connection versus AI personalization 55:26 - Where to find Mehdi on LinkedIn RESOURCES * https://linkedin.com/in/mehdilabidi [https://linkedin.com/in/mehdilabidi]

Korstiaan Hardam - The Dairy Farmer in Istanbul

Korstiaan Hardam has spent 25+ years building demand gen engines at some of the most recognizable names in enterprise tech — 8 years at Salesforce during their hyper-growth era, and nearly a decade at SAP where he currently leads global outbound campaign management for the corporate segment. His team supports over 500 sales development executives and is responsible for roughly 40% of SAP's corporate segment pipeline. In this episode, we get into what demand gen actually looks like at true enterprise scale — the organizational structure, the metrics that matter to leadership, and why the playbook that worked two years ago is quietly falling apart. We cover: * How Salesforce's V2MOM framework created alignment from Marc Benioff all the way down to the front line * The "STEAM" model SAP uses to run programmatic outbound at scale * Why a Swiss insurance company complained that they didn't know who to talk to at SAP anymore — and what that broke open internally * Why email-heavy sequences are dying, especially in Europe, and what's replacing them * The "dairy farmer in Istanbul" — Korstiaan's shorthand for what great personalization actually requires * Where AI is genuinely moving the needle in demand gen, and where it's still more hype than reality * The three things that have stayed constant about great demand gen across every era, company, and channel If you want to understand what it takes to build a demand gen machine that holds up at real scale, this one's worth your time. Find Korstiaan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/korstiaanhardam/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/korstiaanhardam/] Beyond the Dashboard is a Yirla podcast. Yirla is an AI platform that unifies your paid campaigns, finds wasted budget, and tells you exactly where to move it. Try it out at http://yirla.com

Jason Seeba - The Playbook is Dead

What happens when the marketing playbook you've spent 20 years building stops working? You rewrite it. In this episode, Yirla founder Scott Schnaars sits down with Jason Seeba, CMO of OneSignal, to talk about what's actually changing in B2B go-to-market — and what most marketing leaders are getting wrong about it. Jason has built growth engines at Bloomreach, Eightfold, MParticle, and Session AI, and advised companies like Clari, OfferFit, and LeadSpace. This conversation covers AI-driven GTM, the death of MQLs, why mass outreach is a losing strategy, and where human judgment still wins in an agent-powered world. If you're a demand gen leader, CMO, or founder trying to build a modern marketing engine — this one's for you. ---------------------------------------- What You'll Learn * Why the traditional B2B marketing playbook is no longer enough * How AI agents are replacing SDR workflows — and what that means for your team * Why MQLs are just a notification threshold — and what to measure instead * How the CMO/CRO relationship directly drives revenue * What the best first marketing hire looks like today * How product discovery is shifting from Google to LLMs ---------------------------------------- Timestamps * 00:00 — Introduction & Jason's background * 01:32 — Lessons from Dynamic Signal: product-market fit and pipeline * 03:36 — Moving beyond MQLs to revenue accountability * 04:54 — Being an early adopter: from high school radio to AI workflows * 07:37 — Why personalization at scale is breaking outbound * 09:47 — How to evaluate early-stage MarTech for real value * 13:08 — What Jason looks for before joining a new company * 15:45 — How to uncover true customer pain as a marketer * 18:13 — What's actually changing with AI — vs. what people think * 21:13 — GTM mistakes Jason sees most often at startups * 24:22 — Who to hire first: brand, demand gen, or ops? * 27:08 — Volume outreach vs. hyper-personalization * 33:08 — Where human judgment still wins * 39:55 — Building a great CMO/CRO relationship * 42:20 — The hardest part of being a CMO right now * 47:00 — What Jason wishes he knew earlier in his career ---------------------------------------- Connect with Jason Seeba onesignal.com [http://onesignal.com] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonseeba/] | seeba.net [http://seeba.net] Connect with Scott & Yirla yirla.com [http://yirla.com] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yirla-ai] ---------------------------------------- Beyond the Dashboard is for B2B demand gen professionals who want real talk on paid media, pipeline, and go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Scott Schnaars, founder of Yirla — the AI platform that consolidates your paid campaigns, finds wasted budget, and tells you exactly where to move it. ---------------------------------------- Want to see your paid campaign data in one place? Visit yirla.com [http://yirla.com].

Dots Oyebolu - B2B Wants to Be Fun

In this episode of Beyond the Dashboard, Scott Schnaars interviews Dots Oyebolu, a fractional CMO and creator of the StrategyMaker framework. They discuss Dots' journey from a computer science major to a marketing expert, the evolving landscape of B2B and B2C marketing, and the importance of understanding the job to be done for clients. Dots shares insights on leveraging LinkedIn for marketing, common mistakes in demand generation, and the impact of AI on marketing strategies. He emphasizes the need for alignment within marketing teams and the significance of closed one revenue as a key performance indicator. Key Takeaways * Dots Oyebolu transitioned from computer science to marketing, driven by a passion for connecting with people. * The StrategyMaker framework integrates market intelligence, brand positioning, and growth strategies. * A fractional CMO should bridge the gap between demand generation and brand strategy. * Understanding the job to be done is crucial for effective marketing. * B2B and B2C marketing strategies are increasingly overlapping. * 90 days is a critical timeframe for assessing marketing strategies' effectiveness. * Digital maturity is often low in organizations, impacting marketing effectiveness. * LinkedIn can provide better ROI when focusing on closed deals rather than leads. * AI can enhance marketing efficiency but requires careful parameter management. Closed one revenue should be prioritized over pipeline metrics in marketing. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Marketing and AI 01:20 Dots Oyebolu's Journey into Marketing 04:32 The Role of a Fractional CMO 07:59 Navigating Marketing Opinions and Strategies 10:36 The Blurring Lines of B2B and B2C Marketing 13:59 Understanding the StrategyMaker Framework 19:26 The 90-Day Transformation as a Fractional CMO 22:17 Identifying Opportunities in Marketing Audits 26:09 Understanding the Job to Be Done 27:01 The Power of Specificity in Marketing 29:28 The Importance of Alignment in Teams 30:44 Understanding LinkedIn Advertising 33:17 The Evolution of Video Marketing 36:07 Common Mistakes in Demand Generation 38:18 Shifts in B2B Marketing Strategies 41:15 The Role of Revenue Operations 45:01 AI's Impact on Marketing Practices 47:29 Insights from Top Marketers 49:39 Lessons Learned in Marketing

Katerina Fotiadi - The Art of Quick Adaptation in Marketing Campaigns

Katerina Fotiadi - Head of Demand Generation SE Ranking - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerina-fotiadi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerina-fotiadi/] Summary In this episode of Beyond the Dashboard, Scott Schnaars interviews Katerina Fotiadi, Head of Demand Gen at SE Ranking. They discuss the nuances of demand generation, the importance of quick adaptation in marketing campaigns, and the role of AI in reshaping marketing strategies. Katerina shares insights on measuring campaign success, engaging with communities for feedback, and the evolving landscape of content strategy in the age of AI. The conversation also touches on regional differences in PPC strategies and the importance of personalized best practices in demand generation. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Demand Generation and PPC Background 02:54 Successful Campaign Strategies and Quick Adaptation 05:41 Measuring Campaign Success and Metrics 08:45 Community Engagement and Customer Feedback 11:40 Sales Alignment and Communication 14:21 Creative Fatigue and Ad Refresh Strategies 17:06 The Impact of AI on Demand Generation 20:08 Navigating Regional Differences in PPC 22:42 The Evolution of Content Strategy 25:45 AI's Role in Speeding Up Demand Generation 28:20 Best Practices in Demand Generation