01. Become a Marketer Again with Frans Riemersma

What does it really mean to be a marketer in 2026? In this first episode, I take a remote hike with Frans Riemersma, founder of MartechTribe and co-publisher of MartechMap.com together with Scott Brinker, to explore what it really means to be a marketer in 2026. Frans draws on years of experience as a Martech analyst, consultant, keynote speaker, and business university lecturer to explain why sustainable marketing success doesn't come from chasing the latest tools or trends. It comes from understanding your customer, reverse engineering revenue, and having the courage to ignore the noise. Our conversation goes beyond tactics and into the mindset that separates outperforming brands from the rest. Frans explains why so many marketers get lost in vanity metrics, why talking to sales is still one of the most underrated moves in marketing, and how AI is finally giving us the opportunity to become marketers again. He makes the case that the one skill to master isn't new at all – it's the ability to listen to humans, understand their needs, and tie everything back to real business outcomes. You'll learn: ✅ Why the most important marketing skill has nothing to do with technology ✅ How to know if your marketing is reaching real people, not bots ✅ Why AI is making marketing both easier and more demanding at the same time ✅ How outperforming brands reverse engineer customer experience to drive revenue ✅ What clicks and likes are actually telling you (and why it might be misleading) If you're a marketer, founder, or business leader trying to cut through the noise, focus on what actually matters, and build marketing that drives real results, this episode offers hard-earned perspective from someone who's seen what works across hundreds of companies. Connect with Frans Riemersma Guest LinkedIn:   / fransriemersma   Guest Website: https://www.martechtribe.com/ MartechMap: https://martechmap.com/ If you're a B2B company that needs help getting your Marketing Operations in order, PlayMOps might be a fit for you. From MarTech strategy and marketing automation to data quality and lead management – the focus is always on what actually works for your business, not what's trendy. Check out https://playmops.io to learn more. Connect with Odd Morten Sørensen LinkedIn:   / oddmorten   🎧 Subscribe for more episodes. #Marketing #MarketingStrategy #Martech #MartechMap #MarketingOps #B2BMarketing #AIinMarketing #DigitalMarketing #MarketingPodcast #FransRiemersma #MartechTribe #CustomerFirst #RevenueMarketing #MarketingTips #RemoteHike #TheOddinary #OddMortenSørensen 00:00 Intro 00:28 Welcome to Frans Riemersma 01:52 A Remote Hike 03:50 The Evolution of skills in Marketing 08:42 Trust Issues in Marketing 13:09 The Role of AI in Marketing 22:46 The Evolution of Advertising 28:14 Measuring Marketing Success