Gerardo A. Dada, Author at The Adaptive Marketer

December 12, 2025January 9, 2026

Creating a Category: How Catchpoint Repositioned Itself for Leadership

A little over 3 years ago I joined Catchpoint, a software company who met my criteria for my ideal job: I wanted a medium-sized company (I am not good with big company politics), that had a great product and bad marketing.

My last requirement, which was not negotiable, was that the company had to have a great leader and a good culture. I found Catchpoint to be a company with heart: a passion for customers, for what they do, and for the team that worked together to build a great company.

My Most Important Priority as a CMO

The first job was not to upscale the team, optimize demand programs, or rebuild the website, no. My most important task was to build a strategy that would help the company stand out, build awareness, and earn the business of the biggest companies in the World.

This is how, Catchpoint embarked on one of the most remarkable repositioning journeys in enterprise technology.

December 1, 2025January 9, 2026

The Fundamentals of Effective Positioning

Positioning is one of the most powerful — and most misused — tools in marketing. It’s not a tagline, a clever campaign, or the latest buzzword tossed around in a boardroom. Positioning is the strategic lens through which customers understand who you are, what you stand for, and why you matter.

When done well, it becomes the foundation of every message, product decision, and go-to-market motion. When done poorly, it creates confusion, weak differentiation, and a brand that feels interchangeable. Despite its importance, positioning is often treated as a quick creative exercise rather than a rigorous strategic discipline — which is why so many companies get it wrong.

In this post, I break down the eight rules that define effective positioning — the principles that separate brands that own a place in the customer’s mind from those that simply blend into the noise. Whether you’re refining an established brand or shaping a new one, these rules will give you a practical framework to sharpen your strategy and communicate with clarity and conviction.

October 24, 2025October 27, 2025

Stop the Content Machine – The Seven Deadly Sins of Content Marketing

Every minute, 4.5 million blog posts are published. Yet most go unread.

Content marketing started as a revolutionary idea: educate, don’t just sell. But somewhere along the way, the mission changed — from teaching to churning. The content machine took over.

When done right, inbound marketing builds trust and a steady flow of qualified opportunities especially when you are trying to educate potential customers about a new technology, a new approach, or to establish expertise. But somewhere along the way, the mission changed. What began as a way to build expertise has turned into a production race

“Content Marketing is the only marketing left.”
– Seth Godin

November 13, 2018November 13, 2018

What is Marketing according to Seth Godin

Seth is like the Swami of marketing. Or maybe the shepherd of marketing because for over two decades he has been guiding the marketing profession as it evolves and matures. Seth is the author everyone has to read, no matter what kind of marketing you do.

And it makes sense for him to write a book about what marketing is. This is Marketing is a foundational book. Unlike other books, This is Marketing is not a book focused on one central idea, instead, it covers a wide range of topics from the rationality of buyers to adoption cycles. It’s a book about the core of what marketing is all about.

It also is a book about what marketers are about. It talks about our role in the world, our responsibility to use our talent for the greater good, our ability to change the world, and the importance of doing marketing in an ethical and respectful way.

In a way, this is the book that attempts to encapsulate all of Seth Godin’s wisdom in one tome. It includes the core concepts from permission marketing, written in the 90s, and covers important topics from All Marketers are Liars, which is probably Seth’s most important book.

In this post I will cover a few tidbits of wisdom I particularly liked in Seth’s book:

**What is Marketing, according to What is Marketing?**

“Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem. Their problem. Marketing helps others become who they seek to become”. Continue reading “What is Marketing according to Seth Godin”

August 19, 2018

Marketing Giant Interview With Rob Malcolm

This Marketing Expert Interview is with a true giant of Marketing, Rob Malcolm.

He is currently the Executive in Residence at the Center for Consumer Insight and Marketing Solutions at the McCombs Business School at the University of Texas. He has been a lecturer at the Wharton Business School, Chairman for the American Marketing Association, CMO at Diageo, and spent over 20 years at P&G.

1. What company is an example of good marketing today? Who do you admire?
Two immediately come to mind – Frito Lay and Wendys. Frito has consistently outperformed based on very sound portfolio differentiation, strong unique brand propositions and timely marketing that keep these impulse brands top of mind through culturally relevant marketing. I love Wendy’s “challenger” marketing approach that is leveraging its unique product difference in very clever comparative marketing.
Continue reading “Marketing Giant Interview With Rob Malcolm”

August 20, 2017

The Risks of Following a Blue Ocean Strategy

Adopting a Blue Ocean Strategy, pivoting to a brand-new markets without competitors, is, for many, the holy grail of corporate strategy. Who does not want to make competitors irrelevant and to in grow a vast, blue, new market uncontested? It it smooth sailing or is it too good to be true?

Pursuing a Blue Ocean strategy can be a great choice for many companies, but it is not without risks or challenges. It’s also not easy. Otherwise, every company would pursue a blue ocean. Let’s start with the definition of blue ocean and then let’s explore the challenges and risks in pursuing such a strategy. Continue reading “The Risks of Following a Blue Ocean Strategy”

August 12, 2017

Writing well is an essential business skill

Knowledge is useless unless you know how to communicate it – in writing.

We live in a world where most communication happens in 140 character messages, 7 second videos and short text messages. It’s easy to forget how important is good writing as an essential and personal skill.

I have been inspired by David Ogilvy, the father of advertising. His story is really interesting. His teachings fundamental. His books are some of the first every marketer should read. In the Unpublished David Ogilvy, I found great advice by the master.

“The better you write, the higher you will go in Ogilvy and Mather. People who think well, write well.” Continue reading “Writing well is an essential business skill”

May 13, 2017

Marketing Expert Interview with Margo Aaron on the Essence of Marketing

Today’s interview is a little different. I usually interview marketers I have had the opportunity to know or work with for many years. A few weeks ago I stumbled across Margo’s posts on on Medium and then on her blog. I was immediately hooked by her writing style and her views on marketing, which I am proud to bring to this interview today:

1. What company is an example of good marketing today? Who do you admire?

There’s a famous saying, “When Aeschines spoke, his countrymen said, “How well he speaks.” But when Demosthenes spoke, they said, “Let us march against Phillip.”” In other words, the best marketing doing look or feel like marketing. You don’t want someone to say, “Wow that was a great ad!” you want them to say, “I need those shoes!”
Bench does a fantastic job of this, so does Masterclass.

The copy doesn’t say “Learn how to act” or “take a class on acting” – it says, “Meet your new acting teacher.” It’s speaking directly to it’s target market. They don’t want to “learn acting” – they want to get better and they who want to learn from a pro.

2. Did you have a mentor or a person you learnt the most from? What was a key lesson?
Continue reading “Marketing Expert Interview with Margo Aaron on the Essence of Marketing”

November 14, 2016

What is Product Marketing and why is it so Important?

What is Product Marketing? Why is such an important function so misunderstood?

One of the biggest challenges for marketers today is that we are too often focused on the most tactical aspects of the job: promotion, contacts, reach, social marketing, etc.

We forget that the most important part of marketing, the source of value, is our understanding of customers, what customers want, and how to align your products to their needs and how they buy. Most marketing teams don’t have anyone dedicated to this function.

This is especially important in B2B because buying processes are more complex, there are usually more buyers involved, and products tend to be more technically complex. To solve this problem, a relatively new function has been created, which is often referred to as product, audience or solutions marketing.
Continue reading “What is Product Marketing and why is it so Important?”

October 22, 2016November 13, 2016

B2B Marketing Expert Interview with Christine Viera

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Christine Viera, a B2B Marketing expert, former CMO of Kapost and current VP of Strategic Marketing and Customer Experience at Level 3. Her experience also includes companies like Oracle, Avid, and Avaya. I admire Christine for her customer centricity and her focus on content, which you will se in the interview.

1. What company is an example of good marketing today? Who do you admire?

I admire how Jon Miller at Engagio has changed the conversation in B2B marketing. He and his team have been central to elevating account-based marketing from a tactic to a movement. It’s exciting to see key areas of marketing become the focus on entrepreneurship. Continue reading “B2B Marketing Expert Interview with Christine Viera”