The old marketing playbook is dead. But what's taking its place? In our latest episode of The RevRoom podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Lindsay Tjepkema, brand strategist, growth advisor, and former VC-backed founder who has worked with global brands like IBM, LinkedIn, and Salesforce. Lindsay shared her innovative BRAVE framework for strategic decision-making that helps marketers build trust and drive revenue at every level of an organization.

Brand Is the Foundation of Everything

One of the most powerful insights from our conversation was Lindsay's emphasis on brand as the foundation for all marketing activities:

"Brand isn't just logos and colors—it's building relationships at scale that convert to revenue when prospects are ready to buy."

As B2B marketers, we often treat "brand" as a four-letter word, focusing instead on tactical performance marketing. But Lindsay challenges this thinking, pointing out that without a strong brand foundation, our demand generation efforts lack substance and differentiation.

"When we have conversations that validate mistaken thoughts that brand doesn't have value, then you end up with demand gen programs overly focused on performance marketing... It is not the machine. They end up being things that follow playbooks and look for growth hacks... and that ends up lacking substance."

In an increasingly commoditized world, this approach leads to a race to the bottom where price becomes the only differentiator.

To avoid this, marketers must understand how the modern B2B buying journey has evolved — and how brand trust plays a decisive role in conversion.

The BRAVE Framework Explained

BRAVE isn't just a catchy acronym - it's a powerful strategic decision-making model that helps ensure every marketing action aligns with your long-term goals. Here's what it stands for:

• B: Brand - Is this decision aligned with how we want our brand to be positioned long-term?
• R: Relationships - Will this help build relationships with the people we want to know, like, and trust us?
• A: Audacity - Are we being bold and creative rather than playing it safe?
• V: Values - Does this align with our core values and what we stand for?
• E: Energy - Does this create positive energy for our team and customers?

The power of this framework lies in its applicability at every level. Whether you're a CMO planning quarterly strategy or an individual contributor crafting a LinkedIn post, asking these five questions can ensure your decisions move you one degree closer to your goals rather than off course.For deeper application, explore how campaign planning can turn strategic insights into measurable business growth.

Female Leadership in Marketing

As a female-owned consultancy at Inverta, we appreciated Lindsay's insights on how female leadership shapes marketing approaches:

"When you have any headwinds, when you have anyone questioning whether or not you belong somewhere... it's literally genuine relationships so that people know me and trust me and hopefully like me and know what I stand for."

Lindsay highlighted how the traditional founder and marketing playbooks often aren't written for women or underrepresented groups. Finding guides, mentors, and content that speaks to these differences is crucial for success. Building authentic advocacy networks — similar to the principles behind ABX and customer advocacy - can help marketers amplify these voices and foster inclusion.

Overcoming the Fear of Bold Marketing

Perhaps the most actionable insight from our conversation was Lindsay's perspective on overcoming the fear that keeps marketers playing it safe:

"It can feel safe to do something that feels proven or status quo... but shipping something that is safe and boring and forgettable - that's even scarier. Putting valuable resources behind something that I know before I publish it is not going to work, at least not the way that I hope it will."

This resonates deeply with our experience at Inverta. We see too many marketers stuck in the hamster wheel of activity, continuing with approaches they know aren't working because change feels risky.The true risk, as Lindsay points out, is continuing to invest in marketing that won’t deliver the results you need. Case in point: the transformation stories like From MQLs to Buying Groups demonstrate how bold structural shifts can unlock exponential performance gains.

What You Can Control Today

While organizational change and economic uncertainty create challenges, Lindsay emphasized focusing on what you can control:

"We all make one degree decisions hundreds of times a day, and those decisions have the opportunity to get us to where we hope to go... or to throw us off course no matter how small."

You don't need to overhaul your entire marketing strategy at once. Start with tomorrow's LinkedIn post, that upcoming email campaign, or how you'll approach your next team meeting. Apply the BRAVE framework to these smaller decisions, and you'll start building momentum toward more significant change.

What Listeners Will Learn

In this enlightening episode, listeners will gain:

• A clear understanding of why brand is the critical foundation for all marketing success
• A practical framework for making better strategic decisions at every level
• Insights on bringing empathy and authenticity to marketing leadership
• Strategies for overcoming the fear of bold marketing approaches
• Actionable ways to apply the BRAVE framework to everyday marketing decisions
• Perspective on how building genuine relationships drives long-term revenue growth

Listen Now

Ready to transform your marketing approach with the BRAVE framework? Listen to the full episode with Lindsay Tjepkema on The RevRoom podcast - Apple | Spotify.

For more insights on the new marketing playbook, check out our resource on What's In vs. What's Out in B2B Marketing for 2025.

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