Beyond the Buzzwords: Marketing Lessons from the RSAC Floor

I attended the RSA Conference (RSAC) for the first time after spending years in Cybersecurity marketing. I helped with booth designs, rebrand launches, swag, landing pages, you name it, but I never had the pleasure of seeing them in the wild—until this year. 

The experience gave me a fresh perspective on what’s cutting through in today’s crowded cybersecurity marketing landscape. How do you talk about AI in a way that feels meaningful, not just mandatory? Is your logo getting lost in a literal sea of blue? What does a truly cohesive booth experience look like? After seeing it all up close, I’m bringing those answers back to my clients and team to help shape smarter, bolder marketing in 2025 and beyond.

AI, AI Everywhere–But Where’s the Real Benefit?

So, obviously everything was about AI, and I’d say it was to a fault.

Yes, it’s the hot topic. Yes, there is value in it. Yes, it’s here to stay. But there are definitely right and wrong ways to use it in your brand’s message. I was but a wee lad when the Internet came out, but I’ll do my best with an analogy. 

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of someone buying a product when the Internet was just making its way into the average household. Which ad do you think resonated best? “Our customer service department uses the internet!” or “The days of picking up a phone to get help are over. Now you can get instant top-notch support without speaking a word.” 

The reality of dial-up speeds aside, you get my point. Unfortunately, most of the ads I saw were in the vein of the former, and seemed more like they were forcing AI into their messaging without showing any tangible benefit to end users. Paraphrasing here, “Efficiency powered by AI” just doesn’t do it for me.

"When you’re getting ready to inevitably launch your next AI-focused campaign, make sure your messaging actually solves a problem for your audience." 

— CHRIS YERINIDES | SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR

I’d also like to add that I attended one (potentially the only) panel discussion that didn’t mention AI. When it concluded, someone made a comment about it, which received a round of applause from the audience. There’s definitely AI fatigue out there. You should probably be talking about it, but if you’re not talking about it effectively, you’re likely doing your brand and product a disservice.

So when you’re getting ready to inevitably launch your next AI-focused campaign, make sure your messaging actually solves a problem for your audience. Don’t just talk about the shiny new toy, tell them what they can do with the shiny new toy.

Fresh Creative and Messaging Lessons 

I noticed a few things outside of AI that I found interesting. To my dismay, I didn’t see much visual storytelling in ads. A lot of the creative was a quick product pitch in a sans serif font over a pastel color (likely a variation of blue) and maybe some abstract treatment in the background. 

It seems like just recently everyone was doing the opposite and trying to add humans in as often as possible. This is probably connected to AI everything, but you can still have an AI ad with people in it. People or no people though, I feel like there’s still a missed opportunity. The visuals can reinforce your message and give your brand personality (but that’s a whole blog post in itself).

In the land of messaging, there was a lot focused on “doing more with less.” I get it. We’re all facing the same, if not higher, goals that we had last year, with fewer resources to support it. We absolutely should be deploying messaging that speaks to such a relatable pain point across all industries and roles. 

The challenge here is doing so in a differentiated way. RSAC had over 40,000 attendees. If you want to be memorable you have to say it differently. Use humor. Lean on a really strong visual brand. Whether it’s on an expo floor or LinkedIn feed, people are reading the same message nonstop and are only going to remember the ones that stick out.

Highlights: Creative Booths and Memorable Campaign Moments

I’m not here to paint an overly critical picture of all the hard work teams across the globe did for this event. I had a blast, mainly due to some great conversations I had with friends old and new. There were a few booths that really stood out and captured well-earned attention, setting the stage for some fun, memorable examples worth sharing. 

I’ll admit, I’m guilty of dodging glances from quiet booth attendees eager to hit their badge scan numbers — but that wasn’t the case with the Zafran booth.

The Zafran booth was a ton of fun.This one was a party, and everyone was there—the jocks, the nerds.I wish I were kidding. Their booth was high school-themed, and it was a trip. It was a cohesive experience, rather than a random guy shooting fireballs out of his sleeves while a few people tried to give you a demo (I swear I saw this with my own eyes, but I can’t remember which booth. I rest my case). Proof that you don’t need a big booth to make an impact.

I also want to give a nod to the LimaCharlie booth. While it was one of the countless booths to offer Legos this year, it was not just in the “endure a demo for a chance to win a set” kind of way. They had a tub of Lego character parts that you could combine to your liking, beside a Lego model showing how their products fit together. 

Building my own little Lego dude while hearing how LimaCharlie is modular really just made sense. Plus, it's fun to look at whenever my cat hasn't relegated it to the floor.

My favorite ad from my time in San Fran was from Vanta, and I saw it before I even got to Moscone. On my ride from the airport, I caught a billboard that read “Compliance That Doesn’t SOC 2 Much” and had a bit of a giggle (what does that say about my sense of humor?). That chuckle was enough to make their name memorable prior to even setting foot on the expo floor and it enticed me to check out their booth in a way that the feature-forward ads I saw everywhere didn’t.

Turning Insights into Action

How am I using my experience at RSAC for my clients this year? 

Challenge the Messaging

I’m challenging messaging more than ever before. Seeing an ad mocked up on a computer screen seems a lot more impactful in isolation than it does when it’s one in a sea of thousands saying the same. How can we tell stories that are different? 

One of my favorite quotes I heard in a session was from Rick Howard: "If you aren't making decisions with your intel, you're just a newspaper". 

Don’t focus on the number of data points a product can instantly analyze. Focus on how users can better spend their time making decisions because they don’t have to comb through endless data. Forget the technical aspects of your product, what are the human benefits?

Rethink the Visual Identity

I’m going to pretend that the color blue simply does not exist in rebrand/logo projects. We like to think of ourselves as disruptors, so why are we holding ourselves to safe and traditional colors? Okay, If you’re reading this and you want to work together, but love blue, we can still make things work. Let’s pull in a color from your secondary palette to capture attention. Remember, a blue logo isn’t just getting lost on the floor of Moscone, it’s getting passed over on LinkedIn feeds, billboards, etc.

I’m not supporting AI in ad copy unless it clearly provides a differentiated benefit to the audience. Next topic.

Focus on Sales, Not Just Marketing

I’m focusing on the sales teams, not just my marketing points of contact. If our ads talk about helping prospects focus their time and attention on what matters, we marketers should be doing the same thing for our sales teams. 

Proliferation of data gives sales thousands of names that fit an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), but are they all really worth the effort? Let’s use targeted tactics like those used in an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy to get them in touch with the people who matter. 

When we’re conducting our quarterly reviews in July, let’s ditch the back-pats over hitting our lead number goals, and be more critical of whether or not our efforts actually drove revenue. The story doesn’t end when a lead gets passed off to sales, or even when it gets passed from sales to customer success. And since we marketers love storytelling so much, we need to focus on the full story, not just the chapter we’re in.

Apply, Innovate, and Stand Out

If there’s one lesson I’m carrying forward from RSAC, it’s that standing out takes more than joining the latest buzzword bandwagon. It’s about thoughtful, human-centered messaging, bold creative choices, and laser focus on meaningful outcomes. Whether you’re planning your next campaign, designing a booth, or rethinking your brand identity, challenge yourself to break from the expected and push for strategies that truly resonate. Let’s make marketing work smarter, not just harder. If you’re ready to rethink your next campaign or want to brainstorm fresh strategies, reach out — We would love to connect and collaborate.

See you at RSAC 2026 ✌️