August 25, 2022

SentinelOne CMO on Building a Challenger Brand

Want to build a challenger brand? This episode with CMO Daniel Bernard of SentinelOne is for you. SentinelOne has boldly faced off against Goliath (Microsoft’s CrowdStrike), zoning in on the fact that it’s the only next-gen autonomous security platform of its kind and showing up in all kinds of exciting ways.    

From out-of-home airport ads to working with resellers to setting up their booth right next to their biggest competitors, Daniel shares challenger brand best practices that are not to be missed. After all, who wouldn’t want a 7 out of 10 win rate for their business?   

What You’ll Learn in This Episode 

  • How SentinelOne became a challenger brand 
  • The Challenger Approach: Best practices 
  • How to truly differentiate your brand 

Resources Mentioned 

Time-Stamped Highlights 

  • [2:29] Meet Daniel: From investment banking to tech  
  • [6:26] Who is SentinelOne? 
  • [7:53] Becoming an official challenger brand 
  • [13:47] SentinelOne’s rebrand and internal positioning 
  • [16:59] Show Break: CMO Huddles 
  • [17:36] The mic drop moments make a brand promise real 
  • [20:15] A challenger brand goes-to-market  
  • [23:52] The ABCs of working with resellers 
  • [25:15] Content must deliver value 
  • [28:44] Why SentinelOne doesn’t sell FUD 
  • [30:11] Poking the bear (AKA your biggest competitor) 
  • [32:46] The Challenger Approach 
  • [37:24] Measuring SentinelOne’s success 
  • [41:43] Going IPO 
  • [44:24] Daniel’s tips for challenger brands 

Highlighted Quotes

“Being able to break really, really complicated technology down into something that's understandable and simple… That's the role of the CMO. That's the first part of figuring out who you are.” —Daniel Bernard @SentinelOne Share on X 

“Being seen in the right places at the right time was a really important part to being in the flow. You’ve got to be in it to win it.” —Daniel Bernard @SentinelOne Share on X 

“I'm all for taking it to the mat and taking our competitors to the mat, but I want to do it through showing differentiation. I don't need FUD. That’s a waste of time.”—Daniel Bernard @SentinelOne Share on X

“We would strategically position our booth next to our biggest competitor because we had a great story to tell.” —Daniel Bernard @SentinelOne Share on X 

“The Challenger Approach—whether it's digital, in-person, or at our events—everything that we do in marketing is to build the brand and show how we're different and better.” —Daniel Bernard @SentinelOne Share on X

Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 307 on YouTube 

Full Transcript: Drew Neisser in conversation with Daniel Bernard