Featuring Elaine Zelby, Co-Founder and CRO of Tofu
As marketing continues to shift away from short-term performance plays, brand is back in focus. On a recent episode of Beyond the Billboard, Charlie Riley and Greg Wise sat down with Elaine Zelby, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Tofu, to explore how today’s brands can win by being intentional, focused, and emotionally resonant.
If you’re building a brand or supporting one, this post will walk you through key takeaways from the episode that you can apply right away.
Listen to the full episode below.
Define Brand Before You Run Tactics
Elaine opened the episode with a clear point: most marketers jump into tactics too fast. Before you launch a campaign or optimize for clicks, ask a more important question: What does your brand stand for, and who is it for?
“Brand is planting a stake in the ground on what you want to be known for and who you want to be known by.”
In a crowded market, your identity must be clear. A defined brand creates consistency across campaigns, helps customers understand why you exist, and drives long-term loyalty. Without it, your marketing will feel generic or forgettable.
Start Narrow, Then Expand
Elaine shared a key move that helped Tofu grow fast. They focused only on one segment—B2B software companies—and said no to everything else.
“Consumer companies would ask, ‘Can you also do consumer?’ We said no. We are only B2B.”
This early focus helped them create sharper messaging, develop more relevant products, and connect deeply with their ideal customer profile. If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll blend in. Starting narrow lets you build depth and authority. Expansion comes later.
Brand Needs to Feel Something
Great brands make people feel something. Fun. Trust. Energy. Confidence. Elaine pointed to Gong as a great example of emotional branding in a traditionally dull category.
“They had fun colors, a fun logo, fun things they were doing. It wasn’t consumer, but it felt fresh.”
Your brand should match the emotional outcome you want people to associate with your product or service. Whether that’s bold and fun, or calm and reliable, build with emotion in mind.
Integrated Campaigns Matter
Today’s customer journey crosses digital and physical touchpoints. That’s where integrated campaigns come in—especially those that include out-of-home advertising.
Elaine emphasized that brand consistency across all these moments is key. Whether someone sees your company on a billboard, a podcast ad, or a landing page, the feeling should be the same.
Integrated brand campaigns are not about showing up everywhere. They are about showing up intentionally, where your audience is, with a message that aligns with their current context.
Align Brand Strategy to Real Incentives
Another important insight from the episode focused on the pressure that marketing leaders face.
“The average tenure of a CMO is less than 18 months. That means they are scared to make bets they won’t live to see pay off.”
Short-term thinking can kill brand strategy. Elaine shared how she aligns go-to-market incentives to fix this. At Tofu, every GTM team member is compensated based on the same pipeline outcomes—first meetings, second meetings, and closed deals.
When everyone is working toward the same goal, brand becomes easier to defend and invest in.
Key Takeaway: Brand Is a Growth Engine
If your team is stuck in performance mode or unsure how to evolve the brand, start with this:
- Get clear on who you are and who you serve
- Say no to audiences or segments that dilute your focus
- Create a feeling that connects emotionally
- Build integrated campaigns that reinforce your message
- Align your team’s incentives so that brand drives measurable outcomes
Want to hear it straight from Elaine?
👉 Listen to the full episode of Beyond the Billboard featuring Elaine Zelby