Brad Schlachter is the Founder and CMO at Rise Business Ventures, a consultancy that provides fractional CMO services and growth strategies for companies in technology, media, and entertainment. With over 15 years of experience, he has led marketing initiatives for major brands like Disney, Microsoft, and Major League Baseball, as well as high-growth startups. His expertise includes scaling customer acquisition, improving conversion rates, and reducing churn through data-driven strategies.

Not all data is created equal — and not every marketing strategy delivers results. In a fast-moving digital landscape where vanity metrics often distract from true performance, how can marketers connect the dots between insight and action to drive sustainable growth?

According to Brad Schlachter, a seasoned full-funnel growth strategist, the key lies in aligning brand storytelling with data-driven performance marketing. He highlights the importance of developing strong brand positioning before scaling acquisition efforts. When startups skip this foundational work, they often struggle to stand out and fail to convert initial attention into long-term growth. Brad also emphasizes the need to test pricing strategies, pointing to his experience with MotorTrend+, where lower pricing unexpectedly led to longer retention and higher lifetime value. With thoughtful experimentation and a cross-functional approach, marketers can transform raw insights into strategic outcomes.

In this episode of the Response Drivers podcast, host Rick Rappe is joined by Brad Schlachter, Founder and CMO at Rise Business Ventures, to talk about turning insights into scalable marketing strategies. Brad shares how to build alignment across the full funnel, why pricing tests can unlock growth, and the overlooked power of emotional brand storytelling. He also gives advice on building trust to implement data-backed decisions.