Bullhorns and Bullseyes

Hosted by Curtis Hays and Tom Nixon

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Jun 2026

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Co-hosted by Curtis Hays and Tom Nixon, Bullhorns and Bullseyes explores a broad range of marketing and advertising strategies. From the art of broadcasting compelling stories and thought leadership in order to grow an audience (Bullhorns) to the science of micro-targeting and retargeting highly specific individuals and buyer personas through advanced digital marketing (Bullseyes), we explore the present and future with a curious eye and honest analysis. Join the community today to help us on our mission to close the loop between marketing activity and client/customer acquisition.

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June 9, 2026Episode 456 min

S3.E4: The Narrative Machine, with Kristian A. Alomá PhD

Kristian A. Alomá, PhD — behavioral psychologist, founder and CEO of Threadline, and author of Start with the Story: Brand-Building in a Narrative Economy — returns to Bullhorns & Bullseyes for a second season to answer the harder follow-up question: once you have the customer truth, what do you actually do with it? Tom Nixon and Curtis Hays dig into signal loss, the STORY Framework, and why most organizations let the best insights die in translation. From Nike and FedEx to Peloton and McDonald’s, this conversation is a field guide for anyone who has ever come back from customer research with something real—and watched it get polished flat.N.B.:Learn more at threadline.com and kristianaloma.com.Connect with Kristian on LinkedIn.Takeaways:Signal loss is the real enemy. You can do the research right and still lose the truth at every handoff—brief to copywriter, copywriter to AI—until what started as something real comes out sounding like everyone else in the category.Your brand is not the hero. If your marketing centers on how great you are, there’s no room for the customer in the story. The relationship doesn’t go far from there.The STORY Framework: Struggle → Tool → Objective → Reward → Yearning. Most brands start at Tool and skip Yearning entirely—but Yearning is where loyalty lives.Build the hymnal. A documented, organization-wide source of customer truth is not a slide deck. It’s the guardrail against drift, the creative brief anchor, and the only thing that keeps the whole team telling the same story.AI amplifies what you give it. Feed it your customer’s reality, and it amplifies signal. Feed it nothing, and it amplifies your own reflection—faster.Show, don’t tell. Claims are unverifiable to anyone who hasn’t already experienced them. Stories are felt before they’re evaluated. The difference is the difference between copy that sells and stories people actually believe.Brand is a relationship, not an asset. The companies that get it right—Nike, FedEx, McDonald’s—invest in the emotional experience of the customer, not just the product or the logistics behind it.Find and Follow:Find all episodes at ⁠bullhornsbullseyes.com⁠.Follow ⁠the show on LinkedIn!⁠Learn more about ⁠Collideascope⁠ and ⁠Creative Mill⁠ at their respective websites.Connect with ⁠Curtis⁠ and ⁠Tom⁠ on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, ⁠Amplify and Aim⁠!

May 27, 2026Episode 351 min

S3.E3: Customers Have Secrets to Tell, with Emily Bielak

Emily Bielak, Director at The Martec Group, returns to Bullhorns & Bullseyes to dig into the hidden costs of customer blind spots…and how behavioral research can expose them. Building on the previous lesson with Will Leach, about the emotional nature of purchase decisions, Tom and Curtis bring Emily in to explain what actually happens when companies think they already know their customer. Emily walks through The Martec Group’s approach to customer segmentation and journey mapping, including the Martec Emotion Score, the Peak-End Theory, and the “what, so what, now what” framework that separates actionable research from reports that collect digital dust. The conversation covers why segmentation goes far beyond the ideal customer profile, how to read the emotional signals at every stage of the buyer journey, and what a minimum viable research program actually looks like—whether you’re a scrappy small business or a company with unlimited budget.N.B.:Learn more about The Martec Emotion Score and Customer Journey Mapping and Segmentation at martecgroup.com.Connect with Emily on LinkedIn.Be sure to subscribe to our Substack to never miss an episode!Takeaways:The most dangerous assumption in marketing isn’t “we don’t know our customer”—it’s “we already do.”Emotions drive 96% of decisions. Rational analysis is the post-game recap, not the game.Segmentation goes beyond your ICP. The customers outside your ideal profile still buy—and understanding them unlocks growth.The Martec Emotion Score quantifies the net pleasantness of emotion the way NPS quantifies advocacy—giving leaders a metric they can actually manage.The peak-end rule says customers remember how they felt at the peak and at the end of an experience. Design for those moments, not the average.Research that sits in a filing cabinet isn’t research—it’s a sunk cost. The “what, so what, now what” framework turns findings into a roadmap.AI is a useful brainstorming and organizing tool, but it can’t replace the human judgment required to act on emotional and behavioral data.The minimum viable research program is a one-on-one customer interview. No budget required—just the willingness to ask.A qual–quant–qual approach is the gold standard: qualitative context, quantitative validation, then qualitative depth to bring segments to life.Misaligned marketing doesn’t mean bad execution. It means execution built on the wrong foundation. Fix the strategy first.Find and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Be sure to subscribe to our Substack to never miss an episode!Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about CollideascopeCreative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!

May 27, 2026Episode 351 min

S3.E3: Customers Have Secrets to Tell, with Emily Bielak

May 12, 2026Episode 249 min

S3.E2: From Mind States to Messaging, with Will Leach

Tom and Curtis welcome back Will Leach, best-selling author of Marketing to Mind States and founder of the Mindstate Group, for a deeper dive into how behavioral psychology and neuroscience should shape the way marketers think, message, and measure. Building on their previous conversation, this episode moves from theory toward practice, examining why even the most intellectually convinced marketers default to feature-first thinking the moment they sit down to write copy or plan a campaign…completely misaligned with the psychology of the buyer.This episode builds and expands upon the themes from episode 1: why marketing drifts, why mirror marketing fails, and why AI can be a false prophet if it’s amplifying the wrong things. How do you know what the right things actually are? Tune in to find out, as Will demonstrates how customers make purchase decisions…and teases our next lesson: How you can find out how your customer truly feels!N.B.:Learn more and get the bookConnect with Will on LinkedInLet’s continue the conversation on our Substack! And please remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode!Takeaways:The brain’s filter—the reticular activating system—blocks most marketing before it ever reaches conscious awareness; only pain points and genuine aspirations get through.Marketers understand consumer psychology as individuals but abandon it when thinking as providers, defaulting to feature comparisons instead.Short-term revenue accountability is the structural reason most marketing stays shallow; optimizing for measurable metrics crowds out deeper customer understanding.Large language models are trained on the world’s data, not your customer’s—what they return sounds good but is essentially a very confident average.Temporal landmarks—predictable moments in time when a specific mind state is likely active—let marketers target context without needing to identify individual psychological states.The CFO conversation changes when you can articulate what makes customers tick and predict messaging outcomes, rather than reporting last month’s clicks.Before any marketing meeting moves to tactics or metrics, it should start with one question: what is the customer’s pain or aspiration right now?Review data, call transcripts, and social media all contain psychological “tells”; AI can help surface them if it’s been grounded in behavioral science frameworks first.Brand is increasingly the only durable moat—not pricing, distribution, or operations—and LLMs will recognize and amplify brands that have earned genuine psychological meaning.AI amplifies whatever you activate—right or wrong. Getting the customer psychology right before scaling is no longer optional.Find and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Be sure to subscribe to our Substack to never miss an episode!Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about Collideascope and Creative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!

April 28, 2026Episode 156 min

S3.E1: The Chaos Tax: Marketing Drift in Action

Season 3 kicks off by exploring marketing drift—the gradual (and often invisible) way businesses lose alignment with their customers over time.As AI makes it easier to execute faster and at scale, many companies are unknowingly accelerating that drift—amplifying the wrong message, chasing tactics, and increasing complexity. The result is what Tom and Curtis call the chaos tax: more activity, more spend, and less impact.This episode introduces a new framework for getting back on course, starting with a simple but critical shift: diagnosis before deployment.N.B.:Let’s continue the conversation on our Substack! And please remember to subscribe the Substack newsletter so you never miss an episode!Takeaways:Warning: AI amplifies whatever you feed it—right or wrong.Marketing drift happens gradually, then suddenly—and most teams don’t recognize it.AI often accelerates that drift by scaling misaligned messaging and tactics.The chaos tax is the cost of drift: increased effort, spend, and complexity without results.Most brands rely on internal assumptions instead of real customer insights.Diagnosis before deployment helps realign marketing before scaling it.The path forward starts by reconnecting with the customer—not doubling down on tactics.The four principles for modern marketing that we will explore in Season 3:→ Diagnosis before deployment→ Coherence before creativity→ Meaning before media→ Revenue before reachFind and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Be sure to subscribe to our Substack to never miss an episode!Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about Collideascope and Creative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!

December 2, 2025Episode 3544 min

S2.E35: Season Finale — Storytelling, Algorithms & The Future of Community

In the final episode of Season 2, Tom and Curtis look back on a year filled with heavyweight guests, big marketing themes, and unexpected insights. From the power of storytelling in a hyper-automated world to the challenges of attribution and algorithmic gatekeepers, they unpack the trends that shaped 2025…and explore what they’re betting on for 2026. They reflect on standout conversations with bestselling authors, agency leaders, and AI innovators, share personal anecdotes about content creation and audience building, and offer a candid, thoughtful look at what’s next for marketers in a fast-changing landscape. Takeaways:Storytelling remains the most powerful differentiator in the age of AI—audiences stay to “see how the story ends.”Algorithms increasingly gatekeep audience access, forcing marketers to balance organic strategy with paid amplification.A look at AI driving the newest, latest digital advertising platforms and what it means for your campaigns going forward.AI literacy is now table stakes, but adding a human layer—empathy, perspective, originality—is what keeps content relevant.Long-form, immersive content consumption is resurging as people tire of mindless scrolling.Brands should prioritize owning their audience—newsletters, communities, and direct channels—to future-proof against platform shifts.The PESO model, attribution challenges, and algorithmic “math” all continue to influence how campaigns perform and how marketers plan.SNEAK PREVIEW: Season 3 may include serialized educational mini-courses to help listeners build real skills over a structured series. And get ready for the Bullhorns and Bullseyes community!Find and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about Collideascope and Creative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!

November 25, 2025Episode 3448 min

S2.E34: Opening the Lead Spigot, with Mario D'Aquila

Tom and Curtis welcome back one of the show’s most frequent and beloved guests: Mario D'Aquila, COO of Assisted Living Home Care Services. Together, they unpack what’s changed since his last appearance, including lessons learned from Performance Max campaigns, the nuance of sending the right conversion signals, and the often-overlooked role of sales ops in marketing efficiency. Then Mario opens the door to a deeper discussion on organizational dynamics through DISC profiling—how it informs hiring, management, sales, and even your website UX. It’s a wide-ranging, entertaining episode that connects storytelling, human behavior, and data-driven marketing into one cohesive playbook.N.B.:Learn more at assistedlivingct.com and assistedlivingtechnologies.com.Connect with Mario on LinkedIn.Takeaways:Fine-tuning marketing signals too narrowly can reduce lead volume—even if conversion rate rises.Real-time data sent back to platforms (Google, Meta) improves campaign learning—and protects budget utilization.Marketing wins should be counted at the moment a qualified lead enters the sales process, not only after sales qualifies it again.DISC profiling can dramatically improve internal communication, hiring, and operational harmony.Sales teams can use DISC cues to better read prospects and adapt communication on the fly.Marketing content must appeal to all DISC types—Ds want clarity, Cs want detail, Is want story, and Ss want reassurance.Growth requires both efficiency and volume; you can’t rely on algorithmic “sure things” alone.Find and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about Collideascope and Creative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!

November 18, 2025Episode 3342 min

S2.E33: Privacy, Please!, with Amy Baddley of Varnum Law

Most businesses still think “privacy compliance” is a big-company problem—but the rules (and risks) say otherwise. In this episode, Amy L. Baddley, privacy and cybersecurity associate at Varnum LLP, joins Curtis and Tom to unpack what data privacy really means for every business owner. From cookie banners and compliance thresholds to the myths around “template” privacy policies, this episode is your plain-English primer on doing privacy right—before regulators, lawsuits, or “privacy chasers” come knocking.If you’ve ever wondered whether your website’s cookie notice is enough… this one’s for you.N.B.:Learn more at VarnumLaw.com.Connect with Amy on LinkedIn.Takeaways:Almost every website collects personal data—even IP addresses and analytics count.Cookie banners must actually work; “fake” ones can expose you to lawsuits.Avoid dark patterns—don’t make it easier to accept cookies than reject them.Privacy laws now exist in 19+ U.S. states, plus GDPR and Canada’s frameworks.Compliance isn’t optional: lawsuits and $20K-per-user settlements are real risks.Privacy compliance starts with data mapping—know what data you collect, where it goes, and who touches it.Privacy policies must match your real data practices; templates can increase risk.“Privacy by design” is cheaper and easier than fixing it later.Partnering with privacy counsel early protects your brand and unlocks new opportunities (many large vendors now require compliance).Consumers expect transparency—it’s not just legal hygiene, it’s a trust advantage.Find and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about Collideascope and Creative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!

November 11, 2025Episode 3243 min

S2.E32: Disrupting the Agency Model, with Janet Tyler

The traditional agency model is cracking—and Janet Tyler, co-founder and president of True Depth, says that’s a good thing. In this candid conversation with Curtis and Tom, the longtime agency leader and M&A advisor breaks down why the future belongs to smaller, smarter, tech-enabled teams. They dive into AI’s impact on creative services, what private equity really wants from agencies, and how reinvention—not resistance—is the new competitive edge.If you’ve ever wondered whether the agency you built can evolve fast enough, this one’s a masterclass in disruption done right.N.B.:Learn more at TrueDepth.com.Connect with Janet on LinkedIn.Takeaways:The old agency model—layers, meetings, and middle-management—is fading fast.Leaders who stop “doing the work” lose their edge (and joy); reinvention starts by reclaiming the craft.Smaller, hybrid “non-agencies” and TeamLance-style networks are outperforming traditional structures.Private equity is still investing—but only in firms showing real evolution and profitability.M&A success depends on integration, not just the deal; culture alignment is everything.AI is both a disruptor and an amplifier: smart teams use it to enhance strategy, not replace people.“Privacy by design” becomes “strategy by design”—adapt or fade.Younger talent will need an apprenticeship mindset to gain real-world strategic skills.Agencies that keep reinventing themselves—not clinging to legacy models—will attract both buyers and clients.The number-one indicator of future value? A strong management bench, not a founder-centric brand.Find and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about Collideascope and Creative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!

November 4, 2025Episode 3146 min

S2.E31: Audience-First, Leading Expert Later, with Brian Clark

Few people embody “audience-first” and “leading expert” like Brian Clark. In this conversation, the Copyblogger founder (now building Further and Leading Expert) traces how trust-driven publishing beat ads and algorithms then—and why it still wins now. He, Curtis and Tom get into building on owned land (email > everything), testing offers with lean content, and pairing lived expertise with AI without losing your voice. If you’re a Gen-X creator, consultant, or founder trying to grow in an algorithmic world, this one’s a playbook.N.B.:Learn more at further.net and leadingexpert.com.Connect with Brian on LinkedIn.Takeaways:Build the audience first, then design the product around validated pain points of that audience.Treat social as discovery; make email your home base and asset.You don’t need a massive audience—just a trusted one.Use “lean content” to iterate: publish → observe → refine → ship.Let AI amplify your ideas and delivery, not replace your voice.Speak to a specific someone (repel to attract); shared identity builds trust.Midlife is a growth edge: seasoned expertise + AI + ownership = leverage.Find and Follow:Find all episodes at bullhornsbullseyes.com.Follow the show on LinkedIn!Learn more about Collideascope and Creative Mill at their respective websites.Connect with Curtis and Tom on LinkedIn.Check out our newsletter, Amplify and Aim!