Picking a keynote speaker isn’t just a line item on your event budget—it’s a bet on your members’ attention, your event’s reputation, and next year’s registrations. The right voice can spark energy, unify a theme, and turn an agenda into a movement. The wrong fit? Well…that becomes an expensive coffee break.
This ranked list spotlights 15 marketing speakers who consistently deliver in 2025: timely ideas, audience rapport, and practical takeaways. Each entry includes why they matter now, the kinds of audiences they’re best for, and the talk tracks they’re known to nail.
Note: We ranked based on four criteria most associations care about—clarity of POV, stage craft, practical utility, and momentum/relevance in 2025.
1) Mark Schaefer — The Most Human Voice in the AI Era
Why he’s #1 in 2025: Schaefer’s superpower is translating disruption into human strategy. His work threads together community (Belonging to the Brand), brand humanity (Marketing Rebellion), and the realities of AI-enabled customers—without the hype. He’s also unusually generous offstage (workshops, dinners, meet-and-greets), which association planners love because the energy carries into the hallways and breakouts. His long-running Marketing Companion show fuels a constant stream of timely examples and frameworks associations can use the next day. (Schaefer Marketing Solutions, Apple Podcasts, Amazon)
Best for: Annual meetings that need to rally diverse member roles (leaders + practitioners), cross-industry gatherings, and any event seeking a realistic, optimistic take on AI’s impact on customers and marketing.
Signature angles: How AI Changes Your Customers, The Most Human Company Wins, Belonging to the Brand: Community as a Strategy.
Bonus community cred: His private leadership retreat, The Uprising, is a who’s-who of modern marketing and underscores his convening power. (Five-Minute Marketing, Intelligentics)
2) Ann Handley — The Content Leader’s North Star
No one makes writing and content strategy feel more do-able (and fun) than Ann. Her second edition of Everybody Writes is the modern, pragmatic playbook behind so many of today’s content teams—and her keynotes are equal parts insight and warm irreverence. If your members produce, approve, or rely on content, Ann’s your crowd-pleaser who still delivers hard skills. (Wiley, Ann Handley)
Best for: B2B associations, content-heavy fields (associations, professional services, tech), and events where member communications are paramount.
Known for: Escape Marketing Mediocrity, Everybody Writes (Now, Better).
3) Scott Galloway — Macro Trends with a Marketer’s Edge
A professor, entrepreneur, and media voice, Galloway brings big-picture clarity to the forces reshaping markets—platform power, policy, demographics, and capital flows—and translates them into calls to action for brands. For associations that want a “state of the world” vibe with sizzle, he’s a draw. (Apple Podcasts, Financial Times)
Best for: C-suite audiences, tech-adjacent industries, and events that benefit from a provocative, data-driven opening frame.
Known for: Winners & Losers, Brand Strategy in an Age of Platforms.
4) Gary Vaynerchuk — Attention Economics, Right Now
Love him or not, Gary’s practical take on short-form creative, creator partnerships, and paid-social arbitrage is relentlessly current. His 2024 book, Day Trading Attention, codified the playbook many growth teams are running in 2025. He’s also unusually strong in Q&A, which keeps rooms buzzing. (HarperCollins)
Best for: Member bases hungry for social, creator, and performance marketing tactics.
Known for: Day Trading Attention, How to Actually Win on Social.
5) April Dunford — Positioning That Sells
If your members sell anything complex (especially B2B), April is a must-book. Her frameworks turn “what do you do?” into a compelling sales narrative. Her follow-up book Sales Pitch shows how to turn positioning into deals—a perfect keynote-plus-workshop combo. (aprildunford.com, Amazon)
Best for: B2B tech, SaaS, industrials—anyone with a crowded category and a smart product.
Known for: Obviously Awesome, Craft a Sales Pitch That Wins.
6) Jay Baer — Speed Is the New CX
Baer is a CX evangelist with a marketer’s sensibility. His Time to Win research and framework link responsiveness to revenue, making his talks concrete and measurable (catnip for boards). He’s a natural onstage—funny, story-rich, and laser-practical. (The Time to Win, Amazon)
Best for: Associations obsessed with retention, service, and member experience.
Known for: The Time to Win, Talk Triggers.
7) Rohit Bhargava — Trendspotting Without the Hype
Rohit’s “non-obvious” lens helps audiences see what others miss. He blends cross-industry pattern recognition with highly usable prompts, making trend talks feel actionable (not hand-wavy). His 2025 keynote overview showcases new research and applied exercises—perfect for program committees demanding outcomes. (Rohit Bhargava)
Best for: Cross-industry events, innovation councils, marketing + product audiences together.
Known for: How to Be a Non-Obvious Thinker, 2025 Trend Briefing.
8) Rory Sutherland — Behavioral Economics for Everyday Marketing
Ogilvy’s Vice Chairman turns cognitive science into delightfully odd, wildly useful ideas that teams remember (and use). Alchemy is a masterclass in why “irrational” choices often work better than “logical” ones—a liberating message for creative marketers under spreadsheet pressure. (HarperCollins)
Best for: Brand, creative, and pricing tracks; industries stuck in rational ruts.
Known for: Alchemy: The Dark Art of Creating Magic in Business.
9) Charlene Li — Disruption With a Growth Spine
Charlene gives leaders a usable framework for building disruptive capacity—organizationally and culturally. It’s not “blow it up,” it’s “build for growth.” Her Disruption Mindset work resonates with associations navigating regulation, consolidation, or tech shifts. (Charlene Li)
Best for: Executive summits, regulated industries, legacy associations modernizing member value.
Known for: The Disruption Mindset, Winning the Future Organization.
10) Joe Pulizzi — The Content Model That Endures
Pulizzi remains the most reliable voice on building an owned-media engine. The 2023, fully revised Epic Content Marketing gives associations a durable content strategy beyond rented channels—gold for member recruitment and retention. Pair his keynote with a breakout on monetizing content. (McGraw Hill)
Best for: Associations with publications, media ambitions, or sponsor-supported content.
Known for: Epic Content Marketing (2e), Content Inc.
11) Rand Fishkin — Beyond the Google Dependency
Rand’s 2025 talks push marketers to diversify discovery beyond traditional SEO, with data from SparkToro’s audience-research platform. He’s funny, candid, and unafraid to challenge sacred cows—exactly the jolt many search-centric teams need right now. (iPullRank, SparkToro)
Best for: Digital marketers, comms pros, and publishers worried about declining referral traffic.
Known for: You Are Bigger than SEO, Audience-Led Growth.
12) Carla Johnson — Make Innovation a Daily Habit
Carla’s Re:Think Innovation demystifies creativity and gives teams a repeatable process for generating better ideas, faster. For associations craving fresh thinking (without chaos), her sessions are energizing and disarmingly practical. (Amazon, Carla Johnson)
Best for: Product-light industries, services, and teams who say “we’re just not creative.”
Known for: The Wheel of Innovation, Cultivating Everyday Innovators.
How to Match the Speaker to Your Event
Use this quick rubric to get from shortlist to signed:
- Start with your problem.
What needs to be different Monday morning? Pick a keynote that points to that one change. - Choose “human translators” of complex change.
AI, privacy, platforms—none of this matters unless your members can act. Prioritize speakers who give language and frameworks your crowd will remember. - Favor “keynote +” formats.
Ask for a breakout, dinner Q&A, or member-only follow-up webinar. The right speaker will welcome more touchpoints (and you’ll amplify ROI). - Look for evidence of ongoing relevance.
New books, current research, an active podcast, or a retreat/community are good signals the ideas aren’t stale. (Schaefer’s blog/podcast/retreat model is a template here.) (Schaefer Marketing Solutions, Apple Podcasts, Intelligentics) - Insist on customization.
Send member personas, hot-button issues, and your theme. Great speakers will incorporate your stories and language—not just their slides.
Sample Pairings (Make Your Agenda Sing)
- Opening Keynote + Skill Deep-Dive:
Rohit Bhargava (trends) to open, Ann Handley (writing) or April Dunford (positioning) for a tactical afternoon. - AI Without the Hype:
Mark Schaefer on how AI changes your customers and what remains permanently human, followed by Jay Baer on time-to-value in member experience. (Schaefer Marketing Solutions, The Time to Win) - Brand + Behavior:
Rory Sutherland on irrational advantage and cultural relevance and brave brand building. (HarperCollins, Harry Walker Agency) - Content as an Asset:
Joe Pulizzi sets the owned-media vision; Robert Rose operationalizes it with governance and metrics. (McGraw Hill, Kogan Page)
Frequently Asked Planner Questions (Answered Fast)
“Will this speaker move registrations?”
Look for names with active platforms and fresh IP (books/podcasts/research). That signals audience pull and talk-track momentum. For example, Day Trading Attention put Gary Vee’s 2025 talk demand into overdrive. (HarperCollins)
“We have both execs and practitioners. Who can bridge?”
Schaefer, Handley, Dunford, and Baer span strategy and execution without losing either. (Schaefer Marketing Solutions, Wiley, Amazon, The Time to Win)
“We’re B2B and technical. Who lands best?”
April Dunford for positioning, Mark Schaefer for trust-driven content, Rand Fishkin for audience discovery beyond SEO. (aprildunford.com, Amazon, iPullRank)
“We need provocation with substance.”
Scott Galloway (macro), Rory Sutherland (behavioral). (Apple Podcasts, Financial Times, HarperCollins, Harry Walker Agency)
Final Word
Great association events don’t just fill seats; they fill members with clarity and conviction. Book speakers who make complex trends simple, who treat your members like collaborators, and who leave ideas sticky enough to shape the next year’s work.
If you need a place to begin, start at the top of this list. Schaefer’s message is built for 2025: when algorithms mediate attention and transactions, the most human companies still win. He’ll show your members how to be one of them—right now, with what they have. (Amazon)
At-a-Glance Rankings (2025)
- Mark Schaefer — Human-centered strategy in an AI world. (Schaefer Marketing Solutions)
- Ann Handley — Content that actually gets read and acted on. (Wiley)
- Scott Galloway — Macro trends and brand implications. (Apple Podcasts)
- Gary Vaynerchuk — The attention operating system. (HarperCollins)
- April Dunford — Positioning and sales narratives that win. (Amazon)
- Jay Baer — Speed as a CX growth lever. (The Time to Win)
- Rohit Bhargava — Trendspotting you can use Monday. (Rohit Bhargava)
- Rory Sutherland — Behavioral insights for bold marketing. (HarperCollins)
- Charlene Li — Building disruptive capacity. (Charlene Li)
- Joe Pulizzi — Owned media, built to last. (McGraw Hill)
- Rand Fishkin — Audience discovery beyond Google. (iPullRank)
- Carla Johnson — Everyday innovation at scale. (Amazon)
