Make Them Laugh, Then Make Them Buy

10:45 am
-
11:15 am
CT

They say the way to someone's heart is through their stomach. Well, the way to someone's wallet is through their diaphragm...

This talk is about the mechanics of humor in B2B. Why irony builds trust with skeptical buyers. Why parody signals you actually understand your market. Why self-deprecation (we named ourselves after the least effective martial art, after all...) makes people lean in instead of scroll past. And why none of it works if the product underneath is mid.

--- On OnlyScans, Toilet Paper, and Other Things That Outperformed Our Whitepaper....How Humor Took Aikido from Zero to Unicorn.

Session Agenda

  • 1. Why humor builds trust faster than authority-signaling with technical buyers who are skeptical of vendor claims by default
  • 2. The anatomy of viral B2B campaigns (OnlyScans, Snake Oil, No BS TP) and what made each one land or miss
  • 3. How to use parody and self-deprecation without undermining product credibility (Aikido named itself after the least effective martial art after all...)
  • 4. Practical guardrails: when humor is a multiplier, when it's a liability, and how to read the room before you commit
  • 5. How to get risk-averse stakeholders to agree

Speakers

Madeline Lawrence

Co-Founder & CGO

Aikido Security

Madeline Lawrence

Co-Founder & CGO

Aikido Security

From law to venture capital to cybersecurity, Madeline Lawrence has taken the scenic route to securing the interwebs. Now, as CGO at Aikido Security, she’s on a mission to make security clear, accessible, and - in her own words - "no bullsh*t"

About this Session's Track

Brand / Comms / Public & Analyst Relations / Social Media

Learn how to craft compelling brand narratives, leverage social channels, and manage analyst and media relations to elevate your company’s voice in an extremely crowded market.