Driving Foot Traffic for Physical Retail and Restaurants | Brandon Rhoten from GroundTruth

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us out on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Brandon from Ground Truth, Chief Marketing Officer with them. How are you doing today, Brandon?

Brandon Rhoten: Doing awesome. Thanks for having me.

Ernesto: It’s great to have you on today’s show. Well, Brandon, I’m sure our listeners are tuning in wondering what Ground Truth is all about. So let’s kick it off with that. In your own words, tell us a little bit more.

Brandon: Yeah. Ground Truth is a media platform built to drive traffic—real business results, like getting people to show up to a retail or restaurant location.

Ernesto: Perfect. So that way, our listeners can get a good understanding of Ground Truth, what would you say is the key problem you like to solve for clients?

Brandon: The main issue people come to us with is, “I’ve got a marketing plan, I’ve got a media plan, but I don’t know if it’s actually driving business. Are people showing up to my retail or restaurant location because of my media?” With our technology and media, clients get a clear line of sight into what’s working and what’s not. We provide a one-stop shop to drive foot traffic for restaurants or retail locations.

Ernesto: So, is there a certain vertical or ideal ICP for Ground Truth?

Brandon: Mostly, we focus on physical locations—brick-and-mortar businesses. While we can do other things, we’re especially good at helping businesses with physical locations, where over 80% of all retail transactions still occur. We’re the media partner to get people to show up.

Ernesto: Definitely important. How would someone usually find out about Ground Truth? Is there a top client acquisition channel?

Brandon: We use LinkedIn heavily, and we have a sales team actively reaching out and talking about Ground Truth. We also run ads through publications like Ad Age and AdWeek to highlight our positioning and what we bring to the market. It’s mostly traditional media executions and our salesforce.

Ernesto: Great. Listeners can always check you out at groundtruth.com. What role does the website play in client acquisition?

Brandon: In most B2B relationships, especially media ones, clients do their own research before reaching out. Our website helps potential clients understand whether they want to work with us by showcasing case studies and examples that prove we’re the real deal. It’s about building confidence in our capabilities.

Ernesto: Excellent. Are there any tools, tips, or methods you’d recommend for website lead generation?

Brandon: Start with a good funnel to attract the right targets. When they land on your site, tell your story clearly—especially for B2B or media platform websites, which can be confusing. Make it obvious how to reach out. Those three components—targeting, clear storytelling, and contact accessibility—make a strong conversion setup.

Ernesto: Great insights! Let’s switch gears a bit, Brandon. As CMO of Ground Truth, what are some key tasks you focus on daily?

Brandon: My day is split into three components. First, putting the brand in the right places to efficiently generate leads. Second, supporting sales by having conversations about how we can serve clients and secure business. Third, contributing to product development—helping create solutions that marketers actually want, based on my 15 years as a CMO and billions spent in media.

Ernesto: Impressive. How do you stay updated on trends and strategies in marketing?

Brandon: I follow publications like Ad Age, AdWeek, and Forbes for tech and media reviews. But more importantly, I have a network of CMOs and CEOs in the tech space. Following them on social media and having conversations keeps me up-to-date. Plus, at Ground Truth, we experiment with tools and learn a lot from our clients.

Ernesto: Firsthand experience and strong connections—definitely great tools. Let’s jump into our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready?

Brandon: Ready. Hit me.

Ernesto: First, what’s the last book you read?

Brandon: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s about the development of Homo sapiens—a great read if you haven’t checked it out.

Ernesto: Fantastic. Next, what is one single thing your company is focused on the most right now?

Brandon: Getting the product right. We’re working closely with our biggest clients to refine and focus our media platform on driving foot traffic effectively.

Ernesto: If there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d fix for your role as a marketer?

Brandon: Clarity in return on investment. Everyone takes credit for everything, and with 20 tools plugged in, it’s hard to simplify. Clear ROI measurement would be game-changing.

Ernesto: Makes sense. Next, if you could automate one repetitive task, what would it be?

Brandon: HR functions. I love connecting with my team, but there’s a lot of paperwork that comes with a big team. Automating HR would free me up to focus on building the company and driving the business.

Ernesto: Lastly, what’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self as a marketer?

Brandon: Don’t be afraid to take risks. Playing it safe rarely leads to great marketing. Be bold, but calculated—whether it’s exploring a new medium or taking a creative leap. Safety won’t grow your brand.

Ernesto: Fantastic advice. As we wrap up, if someone forgets everything about today’s interview, what’s the one thing they should remember about Ground Truth?

Brandon: Work with a media partner that drives real business results. Get foot traffic out of your media buy and feel confident your investment is working. That’s what Ground Truth does.

Ernesto: You heard it here, folks! Check them out at groundtruth.com. Brandon, thank you so much for joining us today. And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. I look forward to our next episode on Pathmonk Presents.

Brandon: Thanks for having me!