Welcome to the world’s most entertaining marketing podcast.

Note: Beginning in 2026, The Marketing Companion has a new owner and host, Sandy Carter. The podcast will continue to offer the brightest ideas in marketing today and will remain on the same site where you enjoy podcasts today. New episodes of the podcast are available on Sandy’s website.

The archive of past shows hosted by Mark Schaefer over nearly 13 years will remain here.

Mark Schaefer is a globally-recognized marketing author, futurist, college educator, consultant, and keynote speaker. Every other week, Mark brings one of his “marketing companions” alongside him to do a deep dive into the trends of today that forge the marketing innovations of tomorrow.

The Marketing Companion –among the top 1 percent of all podcasts on iTunes — is always fun, always interesting, and always on-target with insights and ideas that will turn up your marketing intellect to an “11.” Find a topic in the guide below or push one of the subscribe buttons to get episodes delivered free to your email account every other week.

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Reviews

Could not be better, two intriguing and thought-provoking minds who possess the perfect balance of intellect and entertainment – Rany Bowden

The marketing podcast equivalent of a Snicker’s bar wrapped in bacon. Satisfying, intreating, and leaves you wanting more. – Rosemary O’Neil

Mark & Tom live up to the podcasting holy trinity: educate/inform/entertain – Jamie Wallace

What’s a pod cast? – Mark’s mother?

It’s time to put an end to an era of lazy marketing

Using new data from political research, there is an imperative for micro-segmentation and marketing fundamentals -- a call for the end to lazy marketing.

The extraordinary power of curated content

There's a lot of pressure to create great original content but maybe success comes through an industry curated content strategy.

Love, politics and content marketing

In this new Marketing Companion episode, Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster review Content Marketing World and why politics and content marketing fell flat

Is it just me, or does it seem like the ad industry is a hot mess?

The ad industry is in trouble and stock valuations are in a freefall. This podcast episode examines the problems in the ad industry.

Choosing the Right Podcast Topic (It’s Harder Than It Sounds)

Advice from an experienced podcaster on choosing a podcast topic that appeals to your audience and aligns with your marketing goals.

I wasn’t a desperate entrepreneur, and that’s why I failed

The business case for becoming a desperate entrepreneur: A corporate intrapreneur will always lose to an entrepreneur running out of money and time

Is Amazon Spark primed for new social network success?

Creating a new social network is a perilous proposition but Amazon Spark may beat the odds. What marketers need to know about this new entry.

What happens to your marketing effort when Google search goes away?

Smart speakers have become part of our lives and voice search has profound implications for marketing. What happens when Google search goes away?

Finding your place on the web, when it seems so crowded out here

If your content niche is saturated, should you give up? No! But you will need to find your place on the web with a little research and resourcefulness.