Before 'sleeping giant' Iron Mountain got loud, it had to be believed | CMO Karen Feldman on earning that trust

Iron Mountain is nearly 75 years old, built on physical records storage, and structured as a real estate investment trust — known for most of its history for warehouses and shredding trucks, not brand campaigns. Then Karen Feldman arrived as the company's first-ever Chief Marketing Officer.Karen joins Joel Harrison to explain what it actually means to become a legacy business's first CMO when marketing already exists, just without a seat at the top table — and the trust-building playbook that got her there. We cover the brand health study that reshaped her budget priorities, the McLaren Racing partnership that mirrors Iron Mountain's own value proposition, how AI is reshaping B2B search behaviour, and her advice for any marketing leader walking into a legacy business.If you find this valuable, please subscribe and leave a rating or review — it really helps other B2B marketers find the show.GuestKaren Feldman, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Iron MountainKaren Feldman is SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Iron Mountain, a role she took on in November 2024 as the company's first-ever CMO. She joined from IBM Consulting, where she spent over 25 years at IBM, including as CMO leading the business's repositioning following the Kyndryl spin-off.Karen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-feldman-217440/HostJoel Harrison, founder of Joel Harrison B2B and host of Trust & Influence in B2B.Joel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/In this episode00:00 Welcome, and introducing Karen Feldman02:27 What Iron Mountain actually does today04:48 Karen's path from IBM Consulting to Iron Mountain11:06 The brand platform: protect what matters, unlock what's possible14:43 Earning the leadership trust to build a real CMO mandate19:09 The McLaren Racing partnership21:59 Brand, demand, and speaking the business's language28:28 AI and trust in the B2B mid-funnel32:25 Advice for marketers walking into a legacy business35:11 Two years in: what's been unlocked so farFollow Karen Feldman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-feldman-217440/Iron Mountain: https://www.ironmountain.com/Closing & Calls to Action 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community: https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/ What would you tell a marketing leader walking into a legacy B2B business for the first time?Let us know in the comments below.Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing: https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/Podcast: https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/Instagram: https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/#JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ThoughtLeadership, #ContentStrategy, #MarketingTrends, #B2BContent, #BrandStrategy, #Storytelling, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BVideos, #B2BStrategy, #CMO, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandTrust, #LegacyBrands, #B2BGrowth, #TrustAndInfluenceInB2B, #IronMountain