Directive

Marketing should feel as good as it performs. At Directive, we don’t just optimize for pipeline. We obsess over the craft. From the creative to the conversions, everything we do is built to move your business forward and make your brand unforgettable. Because in 2025, performance alone isn’t enough. You need strategy with soul, execution that stands out, and a team that’s in it with you from brief to boardroom. We’re not just marketers. We’re builders of brands that truly scale. Ready to see what winning feels like?

I’ll never know what it feels like to lead as a woman. What I can do is confront the bias that forces them to fight twice as hard just to be heard. Having strong, successful women on your team is different than having men on your team. I’m not going to pretend it’s not. But let’s talk about why. - They’re still underpaid. - They’re still talked over. - They’re still walking on eggshells to not come off as “difficult.” - None of that is their fault. That’s decades of bias baked into the system. Even the most confident woman on your team has probably had to learn how to navigate power without being seen as rude or a threat in situations where a man would be seen as confident and in control. That shapes how she leads. That shapes how she speaks. That shapes how she shows up to meetings. You don’t have to like it. But if you ignore it, you’re a liability to your own team. If you want women to lead at the highest level… You need to create a culture where they don’t have to play defense first. And, by doing this:  - You’ll hear more voices that should have been leading all along. - You’ll keep the talent you say you value. - You’ll build a culture where women don’t have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. The companies that fix this aren’t just better performers. They’re better places to work. I know I’m saying this as a man, and I know I’ll never fully understand. But I want to say something because staying silent does nothing to help fix the problem. I want to be supportive of the women in business, the women in marketing, and the women at my company. Let’s break down the number of women at Directive. 60% of our leaders and managers are women. Almost my entire marketing team is made up of women. It’s not a diversity hire thing. It’s a “they were the best people for the job” thing. Still—look around. Most companies can’t say this. Because they haven’t built the systems to support women in leadership. The real work isn't opening the door - it's what happens after. This isn’t a post about hiring or promoting more women. It's a post about cultivating everyday moments. It’s about how we listen, how we advocate, and how we create space for women to lead without overcoming our male ego. Stop and let that sink in. Take a look around at your business. Have the hard conversations. Let’s do better. 

Last week, our global Directive team came together in Los Cabos, Mexico for an unforgettable retreat. 🌍 Teammates flew in from across the US, Mexico, Canada, the UK, and beyond. Once a year, we step away from our screens to be present with each other in real life. These few days were about more than sunshine and scenery. They were about connection. About sharing meals, catching up face to face, and spending time with the people behind the work. We gathered for dinner and heartfelt toasts. We spent a day out on the water. We sang our hearts out at karaoke, danced under the stars at our beach party, and had the kinds of conversations that don’t happen on Zoom. This wasn’t about deadlines or deliverables. It was about people. And it reminded us what makes Directive so special: a culture rooted in trust, care, and showing up for one another. A huge thank you to everyone who made this possible, and especially Garrett Mehrguth for fostering such a great culture, year after year. Moments like this bring us closer, fill our cups, and carry us into the rest of the year feeling more connected than ever. 🌞

🚨 In 2025, “conversions” won’t save your budget. Marketers win budgets when they show profit, not just activity. Your CFO only cares about one thing: ROAS. Here’s what we found analyzing 1,200+ B2B campaigns:  - Tech (Enterprise): 3.2 avg. ROAS - SaaS (Mid-Market): 2.6 avg. (top 25% = 4.1!) - Manufacturing: 1.8–2.3 avg. Across channels: Google Search → 2.8 ROAS (mid-funnel gold) LinkedIn → 2.2 (high-ACV powerhouse) Facebook → 1.9 (great TOFU, weak BOFU) One enterprise tech cohort?  +237% ROAS just by aligning creative, targeting, and budgets with intent signals. ROAS isn’t a number. It’s how you prove marketing is growth, not spend. Full benchmarks + playbook:  https://lnkd.in/g9_JD4fH 

Most marketing communities promise connection. But once you’re inside, it’s a different story. It’s hard to find real conversations. You’re met with recycled tips, cold DMs, and threads that don’t apply to the challenges you’re facing. Especially when you’re leading a team, owning a number, and trying to make the right calls across demand, brand, and budget. That’s why we built Exec Exchange. It’s a private Slack community for senior marketers. Directors, VPs, CMOs, and above. People who are in the seat, making real decisions, and willing to share what’s working. Inside, it feels different. Someone might ask how to justify headcount during planning season. A few hours later, they’ve got honest replies from peers who’ve had that same conversation with their CFO. Other times, it’s a discussion about AI workflows or how to cut non-performing channels without setting off alarm bells in sales. There’s no noise. No pitches. Just thoughtful marketers solving hard problems together. Exec Exchange is built on the same values we hold at Directive. Transparency. Real outcomes. Strong opinions, loosely held. This is not a content farm. It’s not a growth hack thread. It’s a space to get better alongside people who actually get it. If that’s the kind of community you’ve been missing, come join us. Exec Exchange is where senior marketers get sharper, together. [Apply to join]: https://lnkd.in/gG5cJ3Py

🚨 Directive’s Recruitment Roundup – September Edition 🌐 We’re scaling across key growth roles and looking for marketers who want to build, learn, and grow at one of the top-performing agencies in the game. 🔥 🎯 In High Demand (Hiring Multiples) Paid Media Strategists: https://lnkd.in/gdEbqUsR Demand Generation Managers: https://lnkd.in/geTPJtqk LinkedIn Ads Strategists: https://lnkd.in/guPNUe8w Design Intern: https://lnkd.in/ggCSKC4f Conversion Optimization Strategist: https://lnkd.in/g3Z-e8C3 Director, Demand Generation (Startups): https://lnkd.in/g8RCemu6 📌 Also on the Lookout for Future Hires: Sr. Programmatic Strategists: https://lnkd.in/gnXgrREd Content Strategists (US/CAD/MX): https://lnkd.in/gEDqGCd8 Content Strategist (UK): https://lnkd.in/gTe7WTvz Why join Directive? ✅ Work alongside self-starters, agile learners, and risk-takers who love to win ✅ Drive programs that actually move the needle on pipeline and revenue ✅ Be part of a remote culture that balances high standards with a close-knit team who love winning together What to expect at Directive: From day one, every team member is aligned on our values. That shared foundation fuels an environment where people grow, results matter, and collaboration is the norm. You’ll get the space to do your best work and the support to keep raising the bar. 📍Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gK8t-Z3

Directive is growing, and our Paid Media team is currently at the center of that growth. We don’t run campaigns for the sake of clicks. Our strategists drive real pipeline for B2B SaaS brands. If you’ve managed big budgets, owned client relationships, and are tired of chasing vanity metrics, this is the place to level up. What makes this role different: - You lead strategy, not just execution - You’re a partner to the client, not an order taker - You focus on business outcomes, not platform performance - You’ll join a team built around impact, not volume We’ve built one of the strongest paid media teams in the world by doing things differently. Now we’re looking for more sharp, strategic thinkers to raise the bar even higher. We're hiring in both the U.S. and Canada. If you’re ready to own the work and drive results that matter, this link is for you: https://lnkd.in/gpbQfxaq

It's that time again... 🏆 Player of the Week 🏆 and this time, I am extremely proud to recognize the incredible Michael Bonebright for his contributions to the Content Marketing department. I received so many comments from Michael's peers and Content Strategists that there weren't enough slides in our Office Hours deck to fit all of them, but this one was my favorite: "This one seems like a no-brainer... Michael has such a unique mind and skillset, he is able to mesh so effectively with creatives and technical stakeholders. It can be hard to see because content production is often a behind-the-scenes task but the quality of his work always glows with the effort he and the team puts into it. He is one of those people where the team looks back and says 'How on earth did we do things before we had Michael?' Not only is he integral to the team, but the energy he brings to every interaction solidifies him as a cornerstone of the content department." I couldn't have said it better myself. Hiring exceptional talent is one of the hardest things we do as agency leaders, but when you find someone like Michael it can absolutely transform your department. (Great recruiters like Kelsey Gage can help, too 😜) I feel so lucky to have had him as part of my team over the last 6-months and can't wait to see what else he accomplishes.

Meet Stratos. Directive’s AI-powered operating system built specifically for B2B marketing. We saw a gap in the market: AI that actually understands B2B marketing workflows and can handle the heavy lifting on research, analysis, and reporting. So we built it ourselves. Here's a few examples of what Stratos can do: 🎯 ICP discovery, account enrichment, and TAM expansion that finds your actual best-fit customers 📊 Sentiment analysis across G2, Capterra, and Reddit to understand market perception 🔍 Competitive intelligence and SWOT analysis with real-time market insights 📞 Gong call transcript analysis that identifies messaging gaps and opportunities 🏆 Closed won/lost analysis with source-cited insights for strategic optimization This means our strategists spend less time on data collection and more time on what drives results: strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and building relationships that matter. The outcome? Clients get deeper insights, faster execution, and strategies built on intelligence, not assumptions. With Directive + Stratos, you’ll always be on the winning side. 

& just like that, ANOTHER absolute all-star on my team was recognized as our player of the week at Directive 💪 To know Kyle Brink is to love Kyle. Not only because he is exceptional at his work but because he is genuinely one of the kindest humans you will ever meet. One of his peers said, "Kyle just does everything the right way. If you've had the pleasure of working with him before, you know exactly what I mean. There is a reason he hits all his NSMs and clients love him. If I could clone Kyle, I would." I couldn't agree more. Congrats, Kyle! We're all better at Directive because you're on the team. 🙌