Data team's role: instruments for the pilot

#346 | Dave sits down with Drew Pinta, Director of Growth Data at Ramp, to talk about what it actually looks like to measure marketing when the hardest things to measure are often the ones working hardest. Drew breaks down how Ramp uses incrementality testing and event studies to put real numbers on brand stunts, how they split budget 70/30 between proven channels and experimental bets, and how scanning thousands of Gong calls with AI surfaced attribution insights that contradicted every model they had. He also makes the bull case for why marketers might be better positioned than engineers in the age of AI, and doesn't shy away from the bear case either.

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro
• (04:25) - - Drew's background: from the Fed to growth data
• (07:15) - - Drew's role as a data partner to marketing
• (09:51) - - How Ramp's funnel works
• (11:34) - - Using AI to scan Gong calls and finding attribution was wrong
• (16:15) - - Why measurement should meet the marketing, not the other way around
• (27:50) - - The 70/30 budget split
• (28:50) - - Ramp's channel maturity framework
• (36:20) - - The marketing leader as pilot, data team as instruments
• (39:35) - - The bull case: why marketers are better positioned than engineers in the age of AI
• (43:20) - - The bear case
• (48:20) - - Real AI workflows Ramp's marketing team has built
• (53:14) - - How Ramp enabled the team on AI
• (55:45) - - Guardrails for AI agents

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

Knak - A no-code, campaign creation platform that lets you go from idea to on-brand email and landing pages in minutes, using AI where it actually matters. Learn more at knak.com/exitfive, or check out the MCP server by clicking this link.

Vector - A contact-level ads platform that lets you build audiences from actual people on your site, clicking your ads, and checking out your competitors. Learn more at vector.co, and get on the waitlist for their new MCP server by clicking here. 

Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand generation agency that helps high-growth cybersecurity, DevOps, and enterprise software companies drive more pipeline through AI SEO, paid media, and go-to-market engineering. Visit compoundgrowthmarketing.com and tell them Dave sent you.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more