How Authenticity Is Reshaping Modern GTM with Elaine Zelby of TOFU

Tech Marketing Rewired

I am always looking for ways to improve. Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! - Kevin

The traditional B2B marketing playbook is crumbling before our eyes. Forms, cold calls, and digital ads aren't delivering like they once did – and marketers are scrambling to adapt to a new reality where trust, authenticity, and human connection reign supreme.
Elaine Zelby, founder of AI-powered marketing platform Tofu, brings an electrifying perspective to this seismic shift in go-to-market strategy. With her unique background spanning biomechanical engineering, marketing leadership, and venture capital, Elaine breaks down the perfect storm reshaping how B2B buyers make decisions today.
Three powerful forces are converging: macroeconomic pressures pushing companies upmarket, demographic shifts as millennials and Gen Z take buying positions, and technological disruption from AI that's both enabling creativity and drowning channels in spam. The result? A marketplace where your buyers are starting their journeys in small, trusted circles – not by clicking your ads.
What's working now? In-person events are experiencing a renaissance. Niche influencers with genuine expertise are thriving. Direct mail is back. Most importantly, authentic human connections within small peer communities are becoming the cornerstone of buying decisions. As Elaine puts it, "In-person is the antidote to digital distrust."
This episode isn't just theoretical – Elaine delivers tactical insights on building influence authentically, creating content that genuinely resonates, and leveraging AI as a force multiplier for human creativity rather than a replacement for it. Her philosophy? "The humans need to be the creatives. What is our messaging? Our positioning? People buy emotionally, and good marketing connects at an emotional level."
Whether you're a CMO rethinking your entire go-to-market strategy or a practitioner looking to enhance your daily impact, this conversation will reshape how you think about connecting with today's B2B buyers. Get ready to take notes – this is marketing wisdom you can't afford to miss.

🎧 Tech Marketing Rewired is hosted by Kevin Kerner, founder of Mighty & True.

New episodes drop regularly with unfiltered conversations from the frontlines of B2B and tech marketing.

Catch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

👉 Subscribe, share, and connect with us at www.mightyandtrue.com

📩 Got a guest idea or question? Email us at [email protected]

🔗 Follow Kevin on LinkedIn for more insights and behind-the-scenes takes.

📰 Subscribe to Kevin's Substack at: Subscribe to Kevin's Substack at: https://kevinkerner.substack.com/
📰 Want more tech marketing insights? Subscribe to the Drag & Drop newsletter for fresh thinking, real talk, and tools that make your job easier.

www.mightyandtrue.com

챕터

1. The Collapsing Demand Gen Model (00:00:00)

2. From Engineer to Founder: Elaine's Journey (00:08:43)

3. What's Breaking in Traditional Go-to-Market (00:16:12)

4. The Rise of Authenticity and Influencers (00:23:16)

5. Building Trust in a Digital World (00:28:56)

6. How Tofu Powers Modern Marketing (00:32:40)