Standards shape industries, but tastemakers decide what those standards are.

That’s the real lesson from The Devil Wears Prada. What looks like a simple workplace story is really about judgment, brand influence, and how standards shape decisions for years. In this episode, we break down the marketing lessons behind the film with the help of our special guest Ritu Kapoor, Fractional CMO & Ex-CMO at Observe.AI.

Together, we explore what B2B leaders can learn about the power of taste, the long arc of brand influence, and knowing when to break the right rules.

About our guest, Ritu Kapoor

Ritu Kapoor is a Fractional CMO and Ex-CMO at Observe.AI. In her previous role at Observe.AI, she led brand, product marketing, and go-to-market strategy for AI agents transforming customer service. At Observe.AI, she was building a modern GTM engine for the AI-first enterprise, driving a repeatable demand-generation motion, launching next-generation agentic AI products, and leading a comprehensive corporate rebrand that reflected the company’s expanded mission and rapid customer adoption.

Previously, Ritu served as Chief Marketing Officer at Productboard, the product management platform used by teams around the world to build customer-informed products. She led global marketing functions that helped product and engineering teams better align around customer needs and business outcomes.

Across her career, Ritu has driven both organic and inorganic growth; shaped product roadmaps and narratives; built scalable global marketing and customer success functions across EMEA, APAC, and the U.S.; and created operational efficiencies that accelerated sales velocity, improved deal sizes, and enabled faster enterprise launches.

She is proud to have built and led high-performing global teams and successfully launched more than 30 enterprise products and platforms, including ten first-generation offerings, four acquisitions, and five new software categories.

• Taste is the real moat. In The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda’s authority didn’t solely come from her position at Runway. As Ritu explains, “Her influence isn't from authority. Her influence is from judgment.” The same applies in B2B marketing. The best marketers aren’t just executing playbooks, they’re deciding what’s worth attention and what isn’t. In a world where AI can generate endless content, the real advantage is taste: knowing what’s actually good, what’s differentiated, and what deserves investment.
• Brand influence starts long before the buying moment. The famous blue sweater scene captures a core truth about marketing: decisions are shaped long before someone thinks they’re making them. Ritu frames it directly for B2B: “You can't influence somebody when they're just about to buy. The influence starts years later.” By the time a buyer enters the market, their mental shortlist already exists. That’s why brand work (content, storytelling, and consistent presence) creates leverage long before the sales cycle begins.
• Break one rule and commit fully. Great marketing rarely comes from following every best practice. As Ritu puts it, “The magic really is to know which rule to break.” The key is conviction. The brands that stand out aren’t optimizing for average outcomes; they’re willing to take a focused leap.

“ We've spent so much time creating hype that nobody trusts vendors anymore… We don't lead with honesty, and we've lost the biggest thing, which is buyer trust…  Pick one thing that builds the trust. You have to find that one anchor of trust, and you have to completely go to it.”

Links

Connect with Ritu on LinkedIn

About Remarkable!

Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. 

In today’s episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Head of Production). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. 

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