People wouldn't be running these playbooks if they didn't work. For years and years we've been telling everyone that software is eating the world, and that eve

People wouldn't be running these playbooks if they didn't work. For years and years we've been telling everyone that software is eating the world, and that everyone needs to be more data driven. This is one of those results: software-mediated marketing outreach, measuring various response actions and using them as signals to determine further outreach. I also think it's perhaps a bit unfair to blame marketers in isolation. They are just chasing the best conversion rates, and if they ceased doing so, their bosses would fire and replace them. Honestly, the solution here is to introduce a concept to the software industry that exists in more mature industries: brand management. The second you develop an internal notion of your own brand, you start to develop a mental framework for how customers (and people in general) perceive that brand, and how actions like optimizing marketing automation can have negative consequences on brand perception. You learn to treat marketing strategically, and not just tactically. Brand marketing is the counterbalance that keeps outbound marketing honest.