What happens when a marketing leader decides to halt 90% of content output? For Ben Taylor, Director of Revenue Marketing and Customer Journeys at Cisco, it wasn’t a gamble—it was a strategy.

In this refreshingly candid episode, Ben makes the case that content marketing is (and should be) dead and explains how empathy mapping, design thinking, and intentional “awkward silence” amongst his marketing & CX teams have become his new north star.

We dive into how Ben transformed Cisco’s approach to customer experience by prioritizing deep understanding over high-volume output — and saw 5x pipeline growth as a result. From redefining how marketing supports sales to slowing down in order to speed up, this episode challenges everything you thought you knew about B2B engagement. If you’re tired of creating content for content’s sake, this one’s your permission slip to stop, rethink, and rebuild.

Key Moments:

00:00 How Cisco’s Ben Taylor Is Redefining Customer Experience
03:17 Why Marketing Is Core to the Entire Customer Journey
07:23 Content Marketing Is Dead: Here’s What Works Instead
13:25 How Design Thinking Transformed Cisco’s Marketing
29:36 Can AI Be Empathetic? The Real Challenge in CX Automation
36:23 Using Empathy Mapping to Build Better B2B Campaigns
38:19 Agile Marketing: Faster Cycles, Smarter Strategy
45:34 Hiring for Fit: Why Empathy Matters More Than Pedigree
52:15 The Emotional Core of Customer Experience Strategy
01:01:56 Breaking Silos: Aligning Marketing, Sales & Success