On the Blog

Should You Hire an Agency, a Freelancer, or Build In‑House? Here’s the Truth

Last week, I broke down the real tradeoffs of agency vs. freelance vs. in-house marketing careers from the marketer’s perspective. This week? The client side. Because if you’re a CEO, founder, or marketing leader trying to decide whether to hire an agency, bring in a freelancer, or build an in-house team, you need to know […]

by Chad de Lisle

18 Years in Agency, Freelance, and In‑House Marketing: Here’s What No One Tells You

I’ve been doing marketing since 2007. Four different agencies. Freelance work on the side for years. And now three years as an in-house marketing leader at Disruptive. That’s 18 years of learning the same lesson over and over: Every marketing career path has tradeoffs. And most marketers don’t realize what they’re trading until it’s too […]

by Chad de Lisle

Top Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Agencies In 2026

In 2026, the traditional list of blue links is no longer the primary way users discover information. We have entered the era of the Generative Engine, where AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity synthesize data to provide direct answers. For businesses, this means that “ranking #1” is no longer enough. You must now be […]

by Chad de Lisle

Top SEO Agencies In The US In 2026

Let’s be honest: the SEO industry is currently being hollowed out. Most agencies are still trying to sell you a 2022 playbook, mass-producing “SEO content” that AI engines now ignore and users find exhausting. In 2026, the game is about authority and trust. Discovery has fundamentally changed. Your customers aren’t just scrolling through a list […]

by Chad de Lisle

Confessions of a Failed Marketer: How I Stopped Pleasing and Started Leading

I have a confession to make. I’ve been marketing for nearly 20 years. Half of that at Disruptive Advertising, working directly with our CEO. And I am a spectacularly bad mind-reader. For years, I was guilty of what I call the “smile and nod.” You know the one. Your CEO walks in asking if the […]

by Chad de Lisle

Stop Being the Bottleneck: How Marketing Leaders Scale Teams

You’re Not the Hero. You’re the Bottleneck. It’s 9:45 PM on a Tuesday. You’re on your couch, laptop burning your thighs, rewriting email copy for tomorrow’s campaign. You worked a 10-hour day. Your team is talented. Your budget is healthy. Yet here you are—fixing a tracking pixel, tweaking a headline, adjusting a targeting parameter—because […]

by Jacob Baadsgaard

Stop Firefighting: The 70/30 Rhythm for Marketing Leaders

Congrats on Being the Hardest-Working Marketer Who Accomplished Nothing It’s 10 PM, and your Slack is blowing up. Again. You worked 50 hours this week. Put out a dozen fires. Answered three “quick questions” from Sales that murdered your entire Thursday. But when the CEO asks, “Is it working?” you go quiet. Because despite all […]

by Jacob Baadsgaard

Your “Green” Marketing Dashboard Is Killing Your Business

Your marketing dashboard is green. Volume is up. Cost-per-lead is down. You’re ready for the high-five. Then sales pulls you aside: “These leads are tire-kickers.” Fulfillment complains onboarding is a slog. Customer service reports tickets are doubling because this new cohort doesn’t fit the product. You hit your targets. The business missed its goals. This […]

by Jacob Baadsgaard

Your 10x ROAS Isn’t Real: Finding True Growth in E-commerce Marketing

Your dashboard looks beautiful. ROAS: 10x. CAC: stable. The numbers are green. The board is happy. Your agency sends you a “wins” email every Friday. But when you look at your actual bank account, something feels wrong. Revenue is flat. Or worse—it’s declining despite those gorgeous efficiency metrics. You’re not failing. You’re trapped in what […]

by Chad de Lisle

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