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3 minute read
I Didn’t Start in Modern Marketing. I Grew Into It Before It Existed.
Marketing didn’t always look like this.
When I began my career at IBM in 2001, marketing was structured, controlled, and deliberate. There were no growth hacks, no automation, no AI. In fact, there was very little digital marketing at all.
What we did have was clarity.
I was part of shaping a shift in how we approached our audience, becoming deliberate about who we were speaking to and why it mattered.
Because in enterprise environments, decisions aren’t made lightly.
They are shaped.
Jump to:
From IT Conversations to Boardroom Decisions
Instead of targeting IT managers, we moved our focus to the C-suite.
That single decision changed everything.
- The conversations we had
- The messages we crafted
- The way we entered organisations
We stopped talking about systems and features.
We started talking about outcomes, risk, growth, and transformation.
Marketing became less about promotion, and more about influence.
Project Crystal: Precision Before It Was Popular
I later developed a program called Project Crystal together with a small group of colleagues.
At the time, it didn’t have a label. Today, it might be called account-based strategy or data-led marketing.
But to us, it was simply a better way to work.
We used market intelligence and analytics to:
- Identify industries and regions worth entering
- Pinpoint organisations ready for transformation
- Create pathways to start meaningful conversations
This wasn’t about generating leads.
It was about seeding markets, opening doors, and shaping multi-million dollar opportunities.
And it worked.
Then Digital Happened. And Something Was Lost.
As marketing evolved, digital took centre stage.
Websites, social media, paid ads, email funnels—everything became faster, more measurable, more scalable.
But in many ways, it also became:
- More fragmented
- More reactive
- More focused on activity than outcome
Marketing became about:
- Clicks
- Leads
- Traffic
But not necessarily better decisions.
Not necessarily stronger trust.
Not necessarily real growth.
Something important had been diluted.
2015: Building What I Knew Was Missing
When I founded Vermilion Pinstripes in 2015, I wasn’t trying to build another agency.
I was trying to solve a problem I could already see.
Businesses didn’t need more campaigns.
They needed:
- Clarity
- Alignment
- A system
That’s when I created the Modern Marketing Framework 2.0.
It brought together:
- Brand message
- Strategy, content, and channels
- CRM and automation
- The full customer journey—from attract to delight
It helped businesses move from disconnected marketing to something more cohesive.
But even then, I knew we weren’t quite there yet.
Because the Real Vision Was Always Bigger
What I really wanted to build wasn’t just a framework.
It was something more practical, and more powerful:
A personalised marketing growth engine that adapts, learns, and moves people forward naturally.
At the time, the thinking was there.
But the technology wasn’t.
Now, Everything Has Changed
Today, we are operating in a completely different environment.
With AI, CRM platforms, and advanced automation tools, we can now:
- Understand behaviour in real time
- Predict intent
- Personalise messaging at scale
- Align marketing, sales, and service
For the first time, it’s possible to build systems that don’t just run campaigns, but continuously learn, adapt, and influence decisions.
This Is Where Modern Marketing Becomes Something Else
What we’re entering now isn’t just “better marketing.”
It’s a shift from:
- Campaigns → Systems
- Messaging → Meaning
- Leads → Decisions
It’s the ability to:
Design the environment where customers come to trust you, choose you, and grow with you.
Introducing the Next Evolution
This is the natural evolution of everything I’ve been working toward.
A new model built on intelligent, personalised growth engines.
Not just:
- Marketing strategies
- Content plans
- Funnels
But systems that:
- Connect insight with action
- Align teams and touchpoints
- Guide customers through meaningful journeys
- And drive real business outcomes
Why This Matters Now
Many businesses are still operating in fragments.
- Marketing is doing one thing
- Sales is doing another
- Data sits unused
- Technology is under-leveraged
And as a result:
- Opportunities are missed
- Trust takes longer to build
- Growth becomes inconsistent
The gap isn’t effort.
It’s orchestration.
Where I’m Heading Next
This next chapter is about helping businesses move beyond traditional marketing, and even beyond “modern marketing” as we know it today.
It’s about building:
- Intelligent growth systems
- Personalised customer journeys
- Strategic pathways into high-value decisions
Because the goal has never been to sell more.
It has always been to:
Build trust at scale, influence decisions meaningfully, and create growth that sustains itself
Final Thought
Looking back, I didn’t realise it at the time, but I wasn’t just learning marketing.
I was learning how decisions are made.
Even then, what mattered most wasn’t the activity.
It was the message — who we were speaking to, why it mattered, and how decisions were shaped over time.
I was fortunate to be part of shaping those conversations early on, and that perspective has stayed with me.
Because while marketing has evolved, from enterprise boardrooms to AI-driven systems, the foundation remains the same.
Clarity of message is still what moves people forward.
And now, with everything available to us today, we finally have the tools to build systems that support that — properly, intelligently, and at scale.
If you’re starting to feel that your marketing is doing more, but delivering less clarity, less alignment, and less impact, this next evolution may be exactly what you need.
If it’s time to step back and rethink how your marketing is structured, I’m happy to walk through it with you.
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