How to Create a Category: Dan Lowden's 8-Exit CMO Playbook

In this episode of Marketing from the Frontlines, we talk with Dan Lowden, CMO of Blackbird AI, who shares his battle-tested marketing playbook developed across eight successful exits. Blackbird AI is pioneering the emerging category of "narrative intelligence," helping organizations protect themselves from narrative attacks that cause financial and reputational harm. With misinformation, disinformation, and AI-generated content becoming increasingly sophisticated threats, Dan reveals how he's positioning Blackbird at the intersection of threat intelligence and social listening to establish a new category in cybersecurity.

Topics Discussed:

• Developing a clear, compelling elevator pitch that captures attention in 10 slides
• Building comprehensive content strategies that serve genuine value to potential customers
• Leveraging analyst relations without paying for coverage
• Creating distinctive brand identities that stand out in crowded markets like cybersecurity
• Balancing AI-powered marketing tools with essential human creativity and relationship building
• Navigating category creation when the problem is emerging in real-time
• Structuring a CMO's first 30-60-90 days for maximum impact

 

Tactical Lessons for B2B Tech Marketers:

• Start with a Definitive Message That Triggers Curiosity: Blackbird's one-sentence positioning statement—"We protect organizations from narrative attacks that cause financial and reputational harm"—creates immediate intrigue. It's specific enough to signal value but novel enough to prompt prospects to ask for more information.
• Make Content Your First Hire: Rather than immediately building demand gen infrastructure, Dan prioritized hiring content expertise (from CBS News) to extract and publish the knowledge trapped in the heads of Blackbird's threat intelligence analysts. This content foundation powers all subsequent demand generation activities.
• Design for Pattern Interruption: At cybersecurity trade shows where 4,000+ vendors look identical, Blackbird's distinctive visual identity with AI-enhanced bird imagery creates immediate visual disruption. Similarly, Dan's previous company created a science fiction bookstore on the trade show floor—proving that creative differentiation drives foot traffic and memorability.
• Value-First Outreach: Every sales and marketing touch must provide concrete value. Replace generic "checking in" emails with meaningful content, reports, or insights tailored to the prospect's needs. This transforms the typical vendor-buyer dynamic from interruption to anticipation.
• Identify and Own Your "Gravity": Within 30-60 days of joining a company, Dan identifies its unique "gravity"—the competitive superpower that makes customers say "wow." For Blackbird, it's their distinctive ability to map harmful narrative networks, which became the foundation of their category creation strategy.
• Leverage Third-Party Validation Strategically: Without paying analyst firms, Blackbird landed in Forrester's Threat Intelligence Landscape report by consistently feeding valuable information to analysts about emerging narrative threats. This strategy involves monthly updates, proactive relationship-building, and helping analysts understand novel threat vectors.
• Create Multi-channel Credibility: Build trust through a combination of content, in-person events, analyst relations, industry awards, press coverage, and community involvement. Each reinforces the others, creating a surround-sound effect that builds momentum over time.
• Apply AI as a "Good Friend": Use AI to accelerate and enhance creativity (like Blackbird's website imagery) while maintaining the essential human voice. Dan notes that many marketing platforms currently offer AI as a "feature" rather than genuinely integrated capability—the real transformation is still coming.

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