# The Epidemic of Sameness Is Killing Your Brand with Don Jeter

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hacker-valley-studio-344898/the-epidemic-of-sameness-is-killing-your-brand-with-don-jeter
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hacker-valley-studio-344898/the-epidemic-of-sameness-is-killing-your-brand-with-don-jeter.md
Podcast: [Hacker Valley Studio](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hacker-valley-studio-344898)
Published: 2026-04-17T19:11:20+00:00
Episode link: https://HackerValleyStudio.podbean.com/e/the-epidemic-of-sameness-is-killing-your-brand-with-don-jeter/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/866vsrg9nvsk8eh3/HVS26_EP423_Don_Jeter_Rev38ilq6.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hacker-valley-studio-344898/episodes/the-epidemic-of-sameness-is-killing-your-brand-with-don-jeter
Duration seconds: 2084

## Resource

In 2025, Torq brought a monster truck to RSAC. And Don Jeter, Torq's CMO, will be the first to tell you: nobody's buying an AI SOC platform because of a grave digger in the booth. In this episode, Ron sits down with Don to discuss what Torq is actually doing in a category packed with 60 near-identical vendors, and why "the epidemic of sameness" is the real threat to every cybersecurity brand right now. Don explains why Torq builds everything in-house, why he starts every strategy by listening instead of pitching the product, and why the only differentiator left in cyber marketing is how much you genuinely care. It's a conversation about brand, but it's really a conversation about trust, community, and what it takes to make a CISO text you back. Impactful Moments00:00 - Introduction03:50 - How Don landed at Torq06:09 - What the Torq brand stands for07:41 - Giving cybersecurity pros their flowers09:09 - Cookie-cutter booths, cookie-cutter brands12:00 - Why Torq built everything in-house15:34 - Start with listening, not the product18:13 - "We have to out-care the other teams"21:45 - Nobody buys because of a monster truck24:06 - Welcome to the experience age28:30 - Entertain them or lose them LinksConnect with our guest, Don Jeter, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donjeter/ Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/

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## Transcript

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