By Brooklynn Koon Smith, Media & Content Analyst
Basking in the San Francisco sunshine and looking out over the city, I heard someone say, “The marketing hill I will die on is…” As an early-career analyst, I was excited to hear what people further along in their careers felt strongly enough about to take a public stand on.
Big Valley Marketing hosted a Hot Takes Happy Hour to kick off SF Tech Week 2026. Attendees were given ‘Agree’ or ‘Disagree’ stickers and encouraged to place on boards featuring different marketing statements that were positioned around the rooftop bar. One board – “I will die on this marketing hill” – invited attendees to share their passionate opinions.
Two takes that stood out to me were “In person is always better” and “Good marketing makes me feel.” The boards provided a starting point for people to share their opinions and hear others’ perspectives.
This got me thinking about my own marketing hill to die on. My hot take: Marketing means something different to everyone. We are not always working from the same definitions, which can shape how we judge what works. Getting outside our echo chambers is part of that, but so is being curious enough to ask questions before forming opinions.
Looking at the different statements and responses made me wonder how much those definitions influence our agreement or disagreement. For example, when we say marketing “works,” are we talking about building awareness, making someone feel connected to a brand, or generating leads? If we are judging success differently, we could spend an entire conversation disagreeing without understanding why. Asking what someone means helps us identify where our views differ. That gives us a starting point for a more productive disagreement and a better chance to learn from each other.
The thought leadership board was a perfect example. “Most thought leadership isn’t thought leadership” drew strong agreement, but I found myself wondering: if we asked everyone who agreed with the statement to define thought leadership, would we get the same answer?
To me, thought leadership means pushing our thinking forward. It can challenge a familiar assumption, introduce a different perspective, or help us ask a question we had not considered. That takes time to analyze, think, and listen to people whose experiences differ from our own. If we keep drawing from the same perspectives, it becomes harder to contribute something new. Hearing different ideas can help us recognize what we have started to take for granted.
Attending this event early in my career was eye-opening. We can work in the same profession and still have very different takes, and those differences give us opportunities to learn.
As an analyst, I’m learning that asking the right questions is often more valuable than arriving with a strong opinion. Before asking “Do you agree?” it helps to ask, “What do you mean by that?”
