Begin with Empathy - The Heartbeat of Great Marketing (member event)
*** This is a member only event***
In a world where anyone can generate professional grade creative in minutes, the real advantage hasn’t changed: knowing your customer deeply enough to say something true.
You’ve probably seen the backlash to big brands’ recent AI-made ads.
Neil’s take is simple:
AI didn’t make those ads bad. They were bad because they weren’t rooted in truth—how people actually experience the brand, what they care about, and what they don’t believe.
When marketing skips empathy, it becomes noise (or worse: cringe). When it starts with empathy, it earns attention—and trust.
In this talk, Neil will share practical ways to get closer to the customer truth behind great storytelling, clearer positioning, and campaigns that don’t need gimmicks to perform.
Who it’s for
Founders and entrepreneurs shaping narrative, positioning, and go-to-market
Marketers, brand leaders, and growth teams tired of “content for content’s sake”
Product leaders and storytellers building for real humans (not personas on paper)
Anyone navigating the Lisbon ↔ Silicon Valley bridge and wanting marketing that travels well across cultures and contexts
Why it matters
Authentic storytelling isn’t “brand polish.” It’s how founders earn belief—when attention is scarce, trust is fragile, and everyone has access to the same tools (including AI).
When you can articulate what’s true—about your customer, your product, and the change you’re really making—you sell more cleanly: to users, hires, partners, and investors. It becomes easier to position, easier to make decisions, and harder to be copied.
About Neil
Neil Cohen is a brand, marketing, and sales strategist with 35+ years of experience spanning startups to Fortune 500 companies, including leadership roles with brands such as SEGA, Hilton, Arby’s, and McDonald’s.
He consults with companies on marketing, business, and innovation strategy, teaches marketing at San Francisco State University, and mentors founders through accelerators including IndieBio, Startup Mexico, and Parallel18.
Event details:
📍 Online (link to be sent to registered guests prior to event)
📆 14th January, 2026 5pm - 6:30 pm WET