Turning an IPO Into a Multi-Week Demand Gen Campaign

Navan's IPO wasn't just a financial milestone—it was a comprehensive marketing activation. They executed an out-of-home takeover across New York transit hubs, Newark Airport, subway lines, and around NASDAQ, ensuring the brand was "unmissable" for people on the move. For B2B companies selling to enterprises, going public provides credibility that demonstrates stability and scale. The campaign creative emphasized "forward momentum" and was contextually designed for each specific location, turning the IPO into a multi-week brand awareness driver.

Rather than using generic AI writing tools, Navan trained a proprietary LLM specifically on their brand voice, guidelines, and existing content library. This allows team members across different regions and functions to produce on-brand content without bottlenecking through a centralized brand team. The result: they've dramatically increased the volume of cohesive content they can produce while maintaining quality and consistency. This approach transforms AI from a writing tool into a brand governance system.

When Erika joined Navan, marketing teams were siloed across products (travel, expense, payments) and geographies. Rather than trying to align them through documentation or process, she brought people together physically—multiple times. For a company that sells in-person connection as its core value proposition, this approach wasn't just cultural—it was strategic brand alignment. The shared passion for facilitating real-world connections became the rallying point that unified disparate marketers across the US and EMEA.

Beyond content creation and automation, Navan's marketing team uses AI to democratize business knowledge across the organization. By having AI synthesize complex business information, turn it into digestible formats (even podcasts), and make cross-functional data accessible, they're enabling marketers to develop deeper business acumen faster. This creates a more strategic marketing function that can generate comprehensive ideas rooted in company-wide context rather than staying siloed in marketing-specific thinking.

Navan's marketing budget prioritizes reaching upmarket prospects who require high-touch sales approaches—companies that won't self-serve but need education and engagement before buying. Rather than spreading budget across all potential customers, they concentrate resources on generating demand among sophisticated buyers, increasing purchase intent, and feeding qualified opportunities to sales. This focused approach acknowledges that different customer segments require fundamentally different marketing motions.

Erika identifies a creative trend toward mature, elevated humor that respects audience intelligence - citing examples like Eos's steamy shower installations and Hermès' claw machine activation. Rather than explaining the product directly or relying on FOMO and fear tactics, these campaigns provoke thought and inspire with sophisticated creative that audiences want to spend time considering. The goal isn't just capturing attention but creating memorability worth discussing - the difference between a glance and genuine engagement.