Marketing B2B Technology

Alex Wood, Global Marketing Director at Avnet and Tria, joins the podcast to talk about his journey into tech marketing and why he has stayed at Avnet for eight years through acquisitions, restructures, and multiple rebrands. Wood explains that Tria designs and manufactures customizable compute modules for OEMs across many industries, helping customers start from standard modules and tailor specs such as ports, heat resilience, and vibration resistance, supported by in-house design and manufacturing in Germany and partnerships with Intel, NXP, and Qualcomm.

He describes why Avnet moved from MSC to an independent Tria brand to avoid being perceived as a transactional distributor, and how distinctive pink branding drove awareness and clearer positioning. Wood shares approaches to marketing engineers with bold attention plus useful specs, warns against low-value AI content, and emphasizes lead quality and meaningful customer conversations as key success metrics.

 

About Avnet

Avnet Inc. is a global Fortune 250 tech company that supplies electronics components and solutions to OEMs all over the world. Avnet was founded in 1921 on Radio Row in New York, and today is a multi-faceted corporation comprising a range of well-known electronics and technology businesses worldwide, including Tria. Tria Technologies is an Avnet company that designs and manufactures embedded computing for OEMs and other businesses that need industrial, high-performance computing integrated into their products. From standard off-the-shelf compute modules to full-custom systems and even touchscreens and HMIs, Tria’s innovations have been used in everything from coffee machines to farming equipment.

 

About Alex Wood

Alex is a Marketing Director at Avnet, running marketing and communications globally for Avnet’s Embedded Solutions business unit, which includes the market-leading embedded computing brand Tria. Alex started his marketing journey under the sea, literally, working for a scuba diving brand. Today he specialises in highly targeted technology marketing as well as business strategy for rapid, international growth. In his spare time Alex is a photographer, hiker and outdoorsman, enjoying climbing mountains or finding himself back under the sea where he started.

 

Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

02:32 What Tria Actually Does

03:53 Tria Differentiators

06:06 Why B2B Tech Marketing

07:29 Rebrand to Tria Story

11:31 Bold Pink Brand Identity

14:48 Did the Rebrand Work

16:58 Marketing to Engineers

21:45 Partner Marketing Balance

25:17 Measuring Campaign Success

27:39 Advice and Wrap Up

 

Quotes

“If you’ve got someone’s attention, you need to give them something valuable as quickly as possible and make them want more instead of just bombarding them with content.” Alex Wood, Marketing Director at Avnet.

“Would you buy this? It seems overly simplistic, but a lot of the time marketers fall into this trap of selling a product to the customer in a way that they would never listen to themselves.” Alex Wood, Marketing Director at Avnet.

“The pink logo is superliminal marketing. It is a ‘you cannot ignore us.’ Alex Wood, Marketing Director at Avnet.

 

Follow Alex:

Alex Wood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketingforthewin/

Avnet website: https://www.avnet.com/americas/

Avnet LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avnet/

Tria website: https://www.tria-technologies.com/

Tria LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/triatechnologies/

 

Follow Mike:

Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/

Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/

Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/

 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.

Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Brad Kugler, CEO and co-founder of DirectMail2.0, joins the podcast to talk about moving from his family’s packaged media business hit by streaming-driven revenue declines after 2011–2012 into disrupting direct mail with technology and recurring revenue. Kugler explains how DM2.0 combines “ink on paper” with a bundled SaaS “performance stack” including landing pages, QR codes, email, USPS mail tracking, and attribution to measure real-time engagement rather than just ROI, typically targeting 3–5% engagement and identifying individual responders.

He describes acquiring Who’s Mailing What to expand a direct mail database, using AI propensity modelling across 80,000 campaigns and two billion mail pieces, and applying multiple LLMs to grade creatives and recommend improvements. Kluger notes direct mail fits high-LTV sectors and is underutilized in B2B and advises persistence and learning AI skills.

 

About DirectMail2.0

DirectMail2.0 is the creator of the industry's first Complete Direct Mail Performance Stack, a connected ecosystem that helps marketers plan, optimize, execute, and measure more successful direct mail campaigns. The stack combines Who's Mailing What! for direct mail intelligence and prospecting, DM20.ai for AI-powered campaign prediction and optimization, and DirectMail2.0 for omnichannel campaign execution, tracking, and attribution. Together, these platforms give brands, agencies, printers, and mail service providers everything they need to make smarter direct mail decisions and drive better marketing results.

 

About Brad Kugler

Brad Kugler is the CEO of DirectMail2.0, Who’s Mailing What!, and DM20.ai, three platforms dedicated to helping marketers and commercial printers achieve better results from direct mail. A lifelong entrepreneur and innovator, Brad combines data, technology, and market intelligence to help businesses make smarter marketing decisions, improve campaign performance, and uncover new growth opportunities in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:39 Brad’s Career Pivot

03:56 Why Direct Mail Works

05:01 Direct Mail 2.0 Tech

08:40 Scaling the Platform

10:21 Best Fit Industries

13:04 Tracking Engagement Data

15:33 Who’s Mailing What Data

17:29 AI Creative Grading

23:25 Advice and Wrap Up

 

Quotes

“No gatekeeper... No worrying about them getting 600 emails a day and deleting 590 of them in 10 minutes.” Brad Kugler, CEO at DirectMail2.0.

“Direct mail... turns heads. It’s tactile. You can touch it. You can see it. You can feel it.” Brad Kugler, CEO at DirectMail2.0.

“This AI revolution... will dwarf the internet e-commerce revolution of the early 2000s.” Brad Kugler, CEO at DirectMail2.0.

 

Follow Brad:

Brad Kugler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradkugler/

DirectMail2.0 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directmail2.0/

DirectMail2.0 on X: https://x.com/directmail20

DirectMail2.0 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/directmail2

DirectMail2.0 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcF4C08OsZIRbiMbWtG27hw

DirectMail2.0 website: https://directmail2.com/

 

Follow Mike:

Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/

Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/

Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/

 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.

Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Rafa Flores, Chief Product and Growth Officer of Treasure AI, joins the podcast to talk about his career path from engineering recruiter to “boomerang” leader returning after six years away, and Treasure Data’s rebrand to Treasure AI. Flores says the shift is an evolution based on the company’s machine-learning and predictive heritage, its technical DNA of using AI internally, and a desire to create a lifestyle-like community brand.

He explains Treasure AI Studio, which orchestrates CDP and activation in plain English across web and mobile, enabling faster troubleshooting, campaign deployment, and real-time insights. Flores argues first-party data remains a “goldmine” but must be activated incrementally with governed access; how AI helps answer questions quickly but requires guardrails, discusses fear and overemphasis on speed/cost versus value and predicts growth of “digital workers”.

 

About Treasure AI

Treasure AI is the agentic experience platform helping the world's most loved brands finally activate the customer data they already have. Founded in 2011 and backed by SoftBank, the company spent 15 years quietly building the infrastructure behind some of the most recognizable names in retail, automotive, CPG, and financial services — before rebranding in 2026 to reflect what it had always been building toward. Named a Forrester Wave Leader for B2C CDPs, Treasure AI unifies fragmented first-party data into a single living customer profile and puts AI to work on it in real time, on behalf of human marketers who set the strategy and make the calls. The result for brands like Nestlé, AB InBev, Stellantis, and Condé Nast is measurable: millions in recovered media spend, significant revenue generated, and marketing teams that finally get to go home on time.

 

About Rafa Flores

Rafa Flores is the Chief Product and Growth Officer at Treasure AI, where he leads product strategy and growth with a simple conviction: the best technology gives people their time back. A builder by nature and a father of four, Rafa has always believed that progress is personal — that the products worth building are the ones that free someone up to be more present, more creative, and more human. That belief drives everything from how he runs his teams to the unconventional call he made to give away free access to a platform traditionally reserved for Fortune 500 companies, a bet that raised eyebrows and is already showing results. He brings that same bias toward progress to every stage he walks onto. 

Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:39 Rafa’s Career Journey

01:53 Returning to Treasure Data

03:25 Move at Speed of Now

04:12 Rebrand to Treasure AI

07:22 Lifestyle Brand in B2B

09:57 AI Studio Use Cases

12:37 First Party Data Goldmine

16:29 AI Hype and Real Value

18:38 Digital Workers Ahead

20:31 SaaS Future and Guardrails

23:59 PLG Try Now Campaign

26:02 Advice and Wrap Up

 

Quotes

"It's not just about how much time AI can save you, it's also about how much revenue it can drive for the business." Rafa Flores, CPO at Treasure AI.

"Digital workers are about better supporting the human in the loop." Rafa Flores, CPO at Treasure AI.

"The biggest mistake is everyone wants to rush to deploy AI."  Rafa Flores, CPO at Treasure AI.

 

Follow Rafa:

Rafa Flores on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ref2019/

Rafa Flores on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/people/rafaelflores/

Treasure AI website: https://www.treasure.ai/

Treasure AI YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TreasureData

 

Follow Mike:

Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/

Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/

Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/

 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.

Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Jon Benson, founder and CEO of BNSN, joins the podcast to talk about his path from writing the “Fit Over 40” book to becoming a leading direct-response copywriter and building AI tools for copywriting. Benson explains why video sales letters (VSLs) are effective, combining voice and text, narrative, and emotional pain points to reduce skepticism and improve message retention.

He describes how his software BNSN generates higher-quality copy than generic chatbots by training on strong examples and running multiple rewriting passes to remove common AI artifacts. Benson argues B2B marketers should write to one person, focus on relieving the buyer’s pain rather than company features, and use tactics like strong subject lines and PS sections in emails.

 

About BNSN

BNSN.AI is an AI-powered copywriting platform built for small business owners to create high-converting ads, emails, and sales pages in minutes. It is trained on proven, high-performing marketing campaigns and designed to simplify the process of writing persuasive copy through promptless AI tools and built-in marketing frameworks.

 

About Jon Benson

Jon BENSON is a copywriter, entrepreneur, and AI pioneer whose work has quietly shaped how the world buys things online. Best known as the inventor of the Video Sales Letter, the format that became the backbone of modern digital marketing, he has spent decades writing words that move people to act—not through manipulation, but through what he calls “ethical persuasion.”

In 2010, Jon turned his attention to copywriting software, becoming one of the earliest pioneers at the intersection of AI and sales copy. That work eventually evolved into BNSN, a platform trained exclusively on high-converting marketing campaigns and built for small business owners who sell good things to good people. BNSN reflects Jon’s core belief that the human element of business—community, coaching, and genuine connection—separates sustainable success from a flash in the pan.

Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome and Introductions
02:22 Nontechnical AI Builder
05:33 Why VSLs Convert
08:28 Narrative and Pain
12:14 Customers and Big Ideas
16:31 Beating AI Slop
20:38 Fixing B2B Copy
25:16 Email Subject and PS
27:40 Career Advice on AI
31:58 Resources and Wrap Up

 

Quotes

“There’s no such thing as selling to a business. It doesn’t exist. You’re selling to a person at a business.” Jon Benson, CEO at BNSN.

“If you don’t speak to the pain of your prospect, you’re not ever going to make them feel like they’re seen, heard, or understood.” Jon Benson, CEO at BNSN.

 

Follow Jon:

Jon Benson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbenson

Jon Benson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjonbenson/

Jon Benson on X: https://x.com/itsjonbenson

Jon Benson on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsjonbenson

Jon Benson on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPDvmgurd-rym4pyPjviIuw

BNSN website: https://bnsn.ai/

 

Follow Mike:

Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/

Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/

Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/

 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.

Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

In this episode, Iskren Lilov, Global Marketing Manager at Muck Rack, discusses how the company is evolving from a traditional PR tool into an AI-powered communications platform that combines media monitoring and measurement, journalist intelligence, press release distribution, and generative engine optimization (GEO) capabilities.

The conversation explores why PR and communications teams are uniquely positioned to lead GEO initiatives, drawing on Muck Rack research showing that most AI-generated citations come from non-paid sources, with earned media playing a dominant role. Iskren introduces Generative Pulse, Muck Rack’s GEO monitoring solution, and explains the importance of measuring AI visibility through consistent, prompt-based tracking.

He also offers practical advice on communications measurement, including the need to establish frameworks before launching campaigns, focus on business outcomes rather than vanity metrics, and balance AI-powered efficiency with the human relationships that remain at the heart of successful media outreach.

 

About Muck Rack

Muck Rack is the AI communications platform where trusted data, human expertise, and embedded intelligence come together to drive clarity, speed and impact. Thousands of companies turn to Muck Rack to make sense of the media conversation around them and understand how their brand shows up in the news and in AI-generated answers. Muck Rack combines global media monitoring, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) insights, social listening, trusted media data, AI automation, and analyst advisory to help organizations manage reputation, act quickly, and prove their impact across the PR workflow. Thousands of journalists also use Muck Rack’s free tools to showcase their work and analyze the news. Learn more at muckrack.com.

 

About Iskren Lilov

Iskren Lilov is the Global Marketing Manager of Muck Rack – the AI communications platform where trusted data, human expertise, and embedded intelligence come together to drive clarity, speed and impact. He is responsible for overseeing marketing activities across global markets, fostering strategic partnerships and communicating the value of media intelligence. Iskren is the author of the Circular Marketing Model™ that offers a paradigm shift for marketers in the age of AI, replacing the classic understanding of the funnel with a sustainable circular model. As one of the leading young voices in the industry, Iskren is also an author, GEO consultant for major brands, and university-level lecturer in strategic marketing and comms. He leads the AMEC Comms Taskforce and maintains an active role in collaborative initiatives throughout the media intelligence and communication industries. Prior to his current role, Iskren has experience in marketing, PR, and event management in the NGO and cybersecurity sectors.

Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
02:38 What Muck Rack Does
03:23 Global Reach Beyond US
04:19 PR Role in GEO Era
06:38 Getting PR to Lead GEO
08:45 Generative Pulse and GEO Metrics
11:00 Proving PR Value Without Vanity
13:37 Better Measurement Playbook
17:45 Finding Journalists With AI
19:35 Will AI Replace PR People
21:49 Rapid Fire and Wrap Up

 

Quotes

“”Impressions are not the number of people you've impressed." Very relevant to GEO visibility as well because impressions in isolation tell you nothing.” Iskren Liliv, Global Marketing Manager at Muck Rack.

 

Follow Eric:

Eric Frankel on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iskren-lilov

Muck Rack website: https://muckrack.com/

Muck Rack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/muckrack/

 

Follow Mike:

Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/

Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/

Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/

 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.

Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547