Spilling the Marketing Tea
Welcome to the ultimate deep dive of marketing opinions you didn’t ask for—but won’t want to miss. At Burnt Waffle Marketing, we are not afraid to challenge norms. Whether it’s an unconventional strategy, the use of AI, communication with clients, or a bold prediction about what’s next—our team has thoughts.
This blog is a collection of hot takes, candid thoughts, and unexpected ideas straight from our team. These hot takes might spark some debate, rethink your approach, or change your perspective on marketing. All that being said, most of all we hope they make you feel something—because that’s what great marketing does.
Let’s get started!
1. Sarah’s Take: “If your marketing strategy requires being everywhere, you don’t have a strategy. You have anxiety.”
To start us off with our sizzling hot takes, is our CEO and founder, Sarah Achler.
Sarah has been in the marketing game long enough to recognize that doing more doesn’t always mean doing better. With years of experience building her own brand, and helping others do the same, she has learned that having a clear and focused strategy is a total game changer. Without a clear strategy, Burnt Waffle Marketing simply wouldn’t be what it is today.
Here are the essential steps to create a marketing strategy:
Set Clear Goals
Know Your Audience
Pick Your Channels and Message
Track and Adjust
As many of us know, it’s tempting to hop on every trend, platform, or tool, but doing this too often spreads yourself too thin and can quickly lead to burnout. A clear strategy can not only help you stay on track but it can also ensure your work is aligned, purposeful, and makes your clients genuinely happy.
Stop trying to do it all. Do what works..and do it well.
2. Morgan’s Take: “Authenticity and transparency aren’t just marketing trends — they’re how real connections happen.”
Next up with our second hot take is our intern, Morgan Kerndt.
From experience in juggling school, work, and everyday life, Morgan has learned that people appreciate realness over perfection. Whether it’s working with a group for a class project or communicating with team members at work, being authentic and transparent can open doors, build trust, and help create meaningful relationships.
In marketing this can be shown through creating authentic work, sharing behind-the-scenes moments, and admitting when things don’t go as planned. By being authentic with clients, you build trust that turns into lasting relationships-because people always want to work with someone that is real, not just polished and perfect.
Don’t forget to be unapologetically you — because that is the authentic person your audience and clients want to see.
3. Jenna’s Take: “Telling your designer to ‘make it pop’ or ‘I feel like it’s missing something’ isn’t an effective way to communicate."
Our next hot take is from our creative director, Jenna Ball.
As the person who guides the creative process — from brainstorming ideas to final execution — Jenna has learned a thing or two when it comes to communication with clients. She knows how challenging it is to bring someone's vision to life when the feedback lacks direction and clarity. Vague phrases might feel expressive in the moment, but they don’t give designers anything actionable to work with.
At Burnt Waffle Marketing, we’d much rather our clients be straightforward and honest about any changes they want to make, instead of holding back to spare our feelings. We want our clients' vision to come to life, just as much as they do. Here are some ways you can be more specific when asking for design changes:
Be visual: “Can we use a brighter shade of blue for the logo?”
Describe the feeling: “I want the design to feel more energetic and playful.”
Point out specifics: “I would like it if we could change the font size from a 12 to a 16.”
Using details like these helps your designer know exactly what to adjust - saving time and avoiding frustration in the long run.
4. Liz’s Take: “AI can assist with creative tasks but can’t replace the originality and empathy of human marketers.”
The final hot take comes from our marketing associate, Liz Craan.
From years of marketing experience and the current rise of AI, Liz has seen firsthand that while AI offers powerful tools for content ideation and copywriting, it lacks the emotional intelligence and human sparks that make creativity truly irreplaceable.
At Burnt Waffle Marketing, we’re not ashamed to say we have used AI to help spark caption ideas and kickstart the creative process. But we never copy anything word for word - instead, we always blend AI-generated suggestions with our own original ideas, because we never want to lose the human spark in the work we create.
Liz reminds us that authenticity can’t be automated. Specifically, the ability to tell a story that resonates, connect with people through lived experiences, and tap into emotion—those are things AI simply can’t replicate. That is why we rely on our hearts and minds, and use AI as a tool, not a crutch.
Thanks for reading! If you want more practical marketing content and strategies that actually work, be sure to follow us and keep a look out for new things to come!
