Welcome to The Spoonful newsletter!
TODAY: November 13 @ 1 p.m. ET - Stay Relevant in the Sea of Sameness: Ideating Content for Trust, Timeliness & Authenticity (Virtual)
Join David J. Ebner (Content Workshop) for a session on crafting content that resonates. Learn to find fresh angles, avoid sameness, and keep your content ideas flowing. Register here
A Major Battle is Brewing Between Threat Actors & Defenders at CyberMarketingCon
It’s happening... slowly, dramatically, inevitably. Watch the below from our Threat Actor, Brick, to get a glimpse of the battle that will wage between them and CyberDefender Ollie at our wrestling show on Monday night.
CyberMarketingCon Countdown: 25 Days to Go
Here’s what matters right now:
- Tickets: Prices increase on November 17, your last chance to take advantage of the final discounted rate.
- Hotel: The rooms at the conference hotel are almost sold out. Lock yours in before they disappear.
- Agenda: 40+ sessions, three tracks, plus the CyberCEO Summit and CyberSales Summit. We also have the Marquee Awards, our night to celebrate the best in cybermarketing.
- Extras: Morning yoga, pro headshots, podcast tapings, and chair massages (yes, really).
Phew...that’s a lot of linking and a lot of words, but the warm-up’s over. The countdown is officially real.
See you in Austin, Dec 7–10.
Tenable Drops the Funniest Holiday Video of the Season
Can cybersecurity companies participate in the funny ‘consumer-grade’ world of holiday hijinks? Aren’t we all too serious and busy saving the world for that? We don't often see cybersecurity companies investing in these sorts of campaigns.
That’s why we were so pleased to see Tenable take advantage of the holiday season and put the human element into a cybersecurity company campaign. Tenable’s new holiday spot, “Never Take It Off,” turns a company sweater into a full-blown obsession (and yes, it’s really well-produced). Cybersecurity meets ugly sweaters, and it’s surprisingly wholesome. Watch the full video.
🇫🇷 Come meet us in Paris!
We’re hosting a Society meetup in Paris on November 25, and if you’re in the area, come hang out with us IRL. Amazing Society Member Oscar Burns & the Varonis crew is hosting!
📍 Varonis France, Courbevoie
🕔 5:00–6:00 PM CET
👉 RSVP with one click: here
Trending News 📰
Do you have cool news from your company? Send it to us! Email media@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com
Ping Identity to Acquire Keyless [🎉CONGRATS ALEX, FRANCESCA, SABRINA and everyone involved!!!]
Big congrats to the teams at Ping Identity and Keyless! Ping announced it will acquire Keyless to expand its global reach in privacy-preserving biometric authentication. This move strengthens its identity security portfolio and signals a growing focus on passwordless innovation.
Read the announcement
Wiz finds 65% of Forbes AI 50 Startups Leaking Secrets.
In a new investigation, Wiz discovered that 65% of leading AI startups featured on Forbes’ AI 50 list had leaked secrets on GitHub, from exposed credentials to overlooked configuration files. The post breaks down what leaked, why it happens, and how to fix it before attackers find it first.
Read the report
How OpenAI Uses Complex and Circular Deals to Fuel Its Multibillion-Dollar Rise — The New York Times
A deep dive into the seven unusual funding and licensing arrangements behind OpenAI’s rapid expansion, and why some experts say the AI boom is starting to look like a bubble.
Read the full article
VulnCheck Achieves Record-Setting ARR Growth [🎉CONGRATS TOM, ASH, HOPE, and EVERYONE AT VULNCHECK]
The exploit intelligence leader is closing out a massive year, expanding its customer base, adding key hires, and redefining what “momentum” looks like in threat intel. Read the story
Armis Raises $435M Pre-IPO at $6.1B Valuation [🎉CONGRATS CONOR AND THE ARMIS TEAM!!]
Led by Goldman Sachs, Armis’ latest round brings its valuation to $6.1B, with over $300M ARR and customers across 40% of the Fortune 100.
Press release
Partner Corner 💼
More ROAS, Less Ad Waste
Report: Contact-Level ABM
A new Forrester report, in partnership with Influ2, explores how marketers are evolving beyond account-only ABM and using contact-level data to reach the people who shape buying decisions.
For more, check them out here.
CMO Corner with Charles Gold
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Alignment Isn’t a Meeting; It’s the Work
By Charles Gold
The mistake we make is treating alignment like a kickoff ritual. We sync once, everyone nods, and then real life pulls teams in different directions.
In long sales cycles, that drift is deadly—weeks go by before anyone notices the plan isn’t the plan anymore.
Make alignment a habit on one page:
- Which market are we focusing on now?
- What is the CEO optimizing for this quarter?
- How will sales create and close the pipeline?
- What people and budget do we actually have?
Keep it literal - names, dollars, dates. Review this page monthly and after significant changes (pricing, hiring freeze, competitor launch).
Use a simple acceptance test: if the CEO, CRO, and you wouldn’t give the same two-sentence summary of the plan, you’re not aligned. Fix the mismatches first; the fastest campaign in the wrong direction still loses.
Ask yourself: What would the CEO, the CRO, and I each say in two sentences about this quarter’s plan—and where do our answers differ?
**
On a separate topic, I’m a firm believer that the CMO role is the loneliest on the estaff. It’s tough to find someone who truly understands your challenges inside your company.
But you are NOT ALONE.
Each month, Gianna and I host Cyber CMO Confidential, a closed meeting for top marketing leaders to discuss challenges, share ideas, and, well, yeah, vent. Sign up here
Not in the “CMOs Only” Slack channel yet? If you’re a CMO or Head of Marketing, reply to this email and we’ll get you in.
From the Community 💌
Members & friends are doing amazing things this week!
New Episode: From Zero Trust to Breach Containment — How Illumio Reframed Its Story (and the Cybersecurity Conversation)
In this episode of Cyber CMO Confidential, Gianna and Charles sit down with Karl Van den Bergh, CMO at Illumio, to discuss dropping the “ing” (Chief Market Officer), rebranding from Zero Trust Segmentation to breach containment, and separating AI innovation from AI hype. Listen here!
Call for Speakers: NHIcon 2026 (Virtual | Jan. 27)
The Cloud Security Alliance and Aembit just opened submissions for their Agentic AI Security Conference. Expect powerhouse keynotes from Phil Venables, John Yeoh, Ken Huang, and Renee Guttman, and they’re looking for technical, hands-on talks. Submit your session
🧟♂️ Scary Movies Meet Security Awareness with Rodrigo Leme, Right-Hand Cybersecurity
When spooky season meets smart marketing: Rodrigo used Sora and Canva to create movie-style posters that give cybersecurity awareness a cinematic twist. See the post
Where We’re Meeting Next:
Check out where the Society will be next!
We are meeting everywhere, all the time! 21 virtual monthly meetups, webinars, and in-person regional events and conferences create plenty of opportunities to connect!
Check out the monthly member & non-member events calendar! It’s packed with exciting networking opportunities and recurring meetups designed just for you.
Marketing Mastery
Cyber Marketing Power Moves: Resources to Stay on Top
The AI search era is rewriting the rules of visibility, so here’s how marketers are adapting.
A New Marketing Playbook for the Age of Zero-Click Search:
AI search is killing clickthroughs. So how do marketers stay visible when users never even visit your site? This piece breaks down how to adapt your SEO, content, and brand strategy for an AI-first search world.
How to Show Up in AI Search Results
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) isn’t replacing SEO; it’s upgrading it. This piece breaks down how to optimize for ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI search engines, with specific tools, examples, and even a fix for outdated AI summaries.
Watch All the Dreamforce 2025 Replays
Missed the keynotes, sessions, or chaos of Dreamforce? Catch every replay, from AI marketing insights to B2B storytelling deep dives, all on Salesforce+.
Heads-up for LinkedIn Advertisers
LinkedIn confirmed an October bug that limited delivery for campaigns running on lifetime budget + max delivery, resulting in ads winning only about 1% of eligible impressions. If your performance has dipped, it’s worth checking with your representative; it might not be a result of your creative work.
Just for laughs: Meme of the Week... 😂
It's officially that time of the year LOL.
That’s it for this edition! Thanks for reading!
Don't forget: you're the best! 💪
Have a great weekend!
❤️ Gianna & Maria
PS: This newsletter is made by humans. We might not reply, but we read all your responses.
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