Brandformance

In this episode of Brandformance (formerly The Marketing Scientists), Gong’s Chief Evangelist Udi Ledergor breaks down what it takes to be a courageous marketer. He explains how a risk-taker mindset helped Gong supercharge its growth from startup to a brand trusted by half the Fortune 10. Ledergor pulls back the curtain on the strategy behind Gong’s first Super Bowl ad, the surprising reason women often excel in sales, and how psychological safety fuels truly fearless marketing.About the guest:Udi Ledergor is the Chief Evangelist at Gong, where he helped define and dominate the revenue intelligence category, taking the company from zero to hundreds of millions in revenue and achieving a multi-billion-dollar valuation. A five-time marketing leader at B2B startups, he's known for his bold, human-centric approach to branding and storytelling.

In this episode of The Marketing Scientists, TV and media buying powerhouse Tara Silha shares the essential building blocks for building a modern TV advertising strategy. She explains why TV still drives scale, trust and brand credibility in a way few other channels can match, and how blending linear and CTV can help you reach audiences you might be missing. Whether you’re considering TV for the first time or refining your buying playbook, listen in for an actionable framework for integrating TV into your growth engine.About the guest:  Tara Silha is a media executive with 20+ years of experience leading investment strategy and media buying across top brands. Currently Director of Media Strategy and Buying at Angi, Tara has also held leadership roles at Quince, Carewell, and The RealReal, where she drove impactful campaigns across both TV and digital channels.

In this episode of The Marketing Scientists, LinkedIn Senior Director of Product Management Jae Oh challenges marketers to rethink how they measure ad performance. He explains why LinkedIn's new Conversion Lift Testing—which compares exposed and control groups—is more accurate than the traditional attribution used by many brands. Reporting conversion lift as high as 841%, Oh argues that everything in marketing is incremental: each action drives an outcome, the key is defining exactly which actions deliver value.About the guest: Jae Oh develops products that empower marketers to effectively measure campaign performance, improving marketing strategies through data-driven decisions that optimize for future buyers & revenue growth. With over 11 years of product management experience across health-tech, digital advertising, and search, he's passionate about building great products and impactful teams.

In this episode of The Marketing Scientists Podcast, Josh Grant, VP of Growth at Webflow, shares his winning formula for the art and science of growth. He explains how AI is leveling the playing field and making creativity a key differentiator, as brand provides significant leverage beyond what efficiency-focused experimentation alone can achieve. But he also advocates for data-driven strategies and understanding the "why" behind successful initiatives—including how Affirm's "next best action model" predicted consumer spending with 80-85% confidence.About the guest: Josh Grant is Head of Growth at Webflow, and an award-winning marketing executive at the intersection of AI, Growth, and Brand. He's built and sold agencies, taken products from launch to acquisition, and led organizations from lean early squads to 100+ person global teams.

In this episode of the Marketing Scientists Podcast, former Head of Growth at Grammarly, dives deep into his recipe for success with YouTube Ads. He explains how to decide if YouTube could be a winning platform for your brand, and how to build your strategy—from targeting to bidding and structuring. He also decodes platform-specific nuances like post-click optimization, and how to measure the true ROI of your YouTube campaigns. About the guest:Shanik Patel scaled Grammarly's YouTube advertising from zero to hundreds of millions in profitable ad spend. Now, he helps ambitious brands unlock breakthrough growth through strategic YouTube advertising. His specialty is in producing creatives that not only grab attention, but also convert viewers into customers at scale.

In this episode of the Marketing Scientists Podcast, VEED.io CMO Leila Woodington and VP of Growth Roberto Wong reveal why the future of marketing growth lies in interconnected funnels. Drawing inspiration from their integrated org structure, Leila and Roberto explain why the best marketing teams are ditching the brand-versus-performance debate. They also share why VEED.io blends new and old school media (including a big bet on 2000+ New York City billboards) to reach their audiences---and keep the content flywheel spinning.About the guests:Leila Woodington is CMO of VEED.io, having spent the past 20 years building and scaling marketing teams at Snap Inc., Meta, and PayPal. Roberto Wong is VEED.io's VP of Growth, and a pro at building high-performance teams by connecting strategy, processes, and culture.  

In this episode of the Marketing Scientists Podcast, Rucha Fulay, Data VP at Confluent, discusses how real-time data can drive resilient growth for B2Bs. Drawing from her journey at Chime, Credit Karma, and now Confluent’s data streaming platform, she explains why AI makes batch processing obsolete––and real-time data a necessity. Rucha recounts a jaw-dropping $40M rebranding flop that ignored data, shares why even smaller companies should hire full-stack talent, and advocates for B2B marketers to measure success on leads vs. revenue.About the guest: Rucha Fulay is a seasoned data leader with over 20 years of experience––from Series A startups like Invoice2go to late-stage companies such as Credit Karma and Chime. Currently VP of Data at Confluent, she excels at driving growth with data-driven decisions.

In this episode of the Marketing Scientists Podcast, Aditya Vempaty, VP of Marketing at MoEngage, reveals why the future of B2B growth looks a lot like DTC. Drawing inspiration from Apple’s emotional storytelling and Amazon’s experience-driven branding, Aditya explains how the best B2B marketers are ditching playbooks built on CAC and spreadsheets and replacing them with narrative, positioning, and trust.He also dives into why most companies fail at category creation, how to win mindshare with brand-first messaging, and why emotional resonance is the real growth unlock in crowded markets.About the guest: Aditya Vempaty is VP of Marketing at MoEngage, a leading customer engagement platform. With a background spanning high-growth SaaS and a passion for narrative-led marketing, Aditya brings a fresh, strategic lens to B2B go-to-market and brand building.

In this episode of the Marketing Scientists Podcast, Peep Laja breaks down why most B2B marketers are stuck chasing performance metrics — while ignoring the brand fundamentals that actually drive long-term growth. Peep explains why mental availability matters more than MQLs, how category size can make or break your entire business, and why most B2B companies are still decades behind their B2C peers.We dive into the real relationship between brand and performance, how to design category entry points that influence buying decisions, and why tracking brand lift is the smartest marketing investment you can make.About the guest: Peep Laja is the founder of Wynter, CXL, and Speero, and one of the most outspoken voices in B2B growth. With a no-BS approach to brand, positioning, and messaging, he’s on a mission to help companies stop wasting money on short-term hacks and start building brands that actually sell.

In this episode of the Marketing Scientists Podcast, Daniel McCarthy breaks down how top brands like Netflix and Nike use customer lifetime value (CLV) to drive smarter growth decisions — and why most startups are still stuck on outdated metrics.We dive into the science behind CLV modeling, what CAC doesn’t tell you, and how to use predictive analytics to scale efficiently. Daniel also shares how CLV can shape everything from brand strategy to investor valuation, and why cohort retention is the growth metric that actually matters.About the guest: Daniel McCarthy is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. He’s one of the world’s leading voices on CLV, customer analytics, and predictive modeling — with research that’s influenced startups, Fortune 500s, and VCs alike.#CustomerLifetimeValue #CLV #StartupGrowth #MarketingScience #MarketingPodcast