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Pipe DreamA Podcast from B2B Better Author: B2B Better
Pipe Dream is the podcast for B2B marketers, founders, and GTM leaders navigating the post-AI marketing landscape. Each week, Jason Bradwell profiles the companies that have stopped competing on information and started building media that actually differentiates - showing you what works when "helpful content" is no longer enough. --- For years, B2B marketers were told to "educate your buyers." Create helpful content. Answer their questions. Build trust through information. Then ChatGPT happened. Now your prospects can get better answers, faster, without ever talking to a vendor. The playbook that defined a decade of B2B marketing has been commoditised overnight. So what do buyers actually need from you now? What's left for B2B marketing teams to do when information is free and instant? And how do the companies winning today approach go-to-market in this post-information era? Pipe Dream explores the companies rewriting the rules. Each episode profiles B2B brands that have stopped competing on information and started building something AI can't replicate - personality-driven media, opinionated points of view, genuine community, and content that's actually worth a buyer's time. From founders turning their expertise into media empires, to marketing teams building audiences that outlive their products, to sales leaders using shows and newsletters as full-funnel growth engines - these are the stories of companies adapting fastest to the shift. This isn't another podcast about "content strategy." It's about survival, differentiation, and the death of the marketing playbook you spent the last decade perfecting. If you're a B2B marketer, founder, or GTM leader who senses the ground shifting beneath you - and you're looking for what actually works now - this is your show. Because helpful content is dead. Long live whatever comes next. New episodes every week. Hosted by Jason Bradwell, founder of B2B Better, a podcast marketing agency helping B2B companies build media that mat Language: en-gb Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Building a Community-Led Media Model in B2B | David Rowlands, Head of Product at B2B Marketing & Propolis
Episode 17
Wednesday, 11 February, 2026
Level up your B2B marketing and build a brand that actually stands out: subscribe to the Pipe Dream podcast from B2B Better for narrative-driven B2B marketing strategy, media-led content ideas, and practical GTM frameworks from host Jason Bradwell. If "thinking like a media company" feels like empty advice, this episode shows you exactly what it means in practice. In this episode of Pipe Dream, host Jason Bradwell sits down with David Rowlands, Head of Product at B2B Marketing and Propolis, to unpack how a traditional magazine and events business transformed into a community-led subscription media model during the pandemic. David's core point is clear: in a world flooded with AI-generated content and collapsing trust, B2B marketers need to move beyond helpful content and start creating valuable, memorable work. The kind buyers remember weeks later because it's built on proprietary data, real CMO conversations, and peer learning you can't get anywhere else. When COVID-19 hit, B2B Marketing's events business went on indefinite hold overnight. At the same time, digital publishing barriers disappeared and trust collapsed. Anyone could write a blog or publish a report, creating massive noise. B2B marketers needed a place to get clear answers and learn from peers without sorting through the chaos. That's how Propolis was born. B2B Marketing formalised their Leaders Program into a subscription model around expert advisory, private community, and proprietary benchmarking. Instead of competing on helpful content anyone could replicate, they built something AI fundamentally can't: genuine community combined with anonymized member data that powers insights like the Propolis Community Index. David explains why this matters beyond B2B Marketing. The brands winning attention aren't publishing more content, they're creating distinctive IP that connects community, insights, training, and events into one ecosystem. And heading into 2026, measurement and attribution remain the core challenge, not because the tools don't exist, but because proving marketing's commercial impact still feels like an uphill battle. The conversation also covers what AI means for B2B marketing teams right now. While 91% of marketers are experimenting with AI, the real challenge isn't adoption, it's knowing where AI helps versus where it creates problems. The marketers struggling most are stuck in lead generation mode, unable to have strategic conversations about marketing's actual impact on revenue. If you want a blueprint for building a media-first B2B strategy without the "more content" trap, this is it. Chapter Markers 00:00 - Introduction: David Rowlands and the transformation of B2B Marketing 02:00 - From editorial assistant to Head of Product during COVID 03:00 - The pivot moment: Events disappear and trust collapses 05:00 - How Propolis was born from the Leaders Program 07:00 - What "thinking like a media company" actually means 11:00 - Building the Propolis Community Index with anonymized member data 16:00 - Helpful versus valuable content: Creating memorable work 21:00 - Why proprietary data and community can't be replicated by AI 26:00 - The AI content flood and how to differentiate 30:00 - Measurement and attribution challenges heading into 2026 33:00 - Skills marketers need: Communication and financial acumen 36:00 - Why junior marketers need these skills more than anyone 38:00 - Where to learn more about Propolis and B2B Marketing Useful Links Connect with Jason Bradwell on LinkedIn Connect with David Rowlands on LinkedIn Explore Propolis and the Propolis Community Index Visit B2B Marketing Listen to The B2B Marketing Podcast Explore B2B Better website and the Pipe Dream podcast
