Vectorscope

Welcome to this week’s edition of Vectorscope, tailored for marketing professionals and leaders in the cybersecurity space. In this newsletter, you’ll find practical strategies, cutting-edge insights, and fresh thinking designed to help your security-focused brand break through a crowded market. My goal is to equip you with the tools and ideas needed to thrive amid shifting threats, buyer skepticism, and evolving industry standards. – Tobias

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INSIDE THIS EDITION

• Deep Dive: Don’t get lost in the hype cycle

• AI agents are a major cybersecurity risk

• Contribute to the 2025 State of Cybersecurity Marketing Report

• and much more…

BEST OF THE WEEK

Links I Love

🔎 Industry Pulse

• AI Agents Pose New Cybersecurity Risks - The rise of autonomous AI agents introduces fresh challenges, as companies grapple with managing these entities to prevent potential data breaches and security lapses. (Axios)

• Cybersecurity Trends and Predictions for 2025 - Industry insiders discuss the shift from chatbots to agent-driven AI approaches, emphasizing the need for organizations to adapt to this paradigm shift. (WSJ)

• Timing is everything in PR - CrowdStrike CEO announces 5% of workforce to be slashed globally, citing artificial intelligence efficiencies created in the business. (The Guardian)

🧠 Thought Leadership

• REPORT: Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 - The World Economic Forum's comprehensive report on cybersecurity trends, challenges, and strategic imperatives for the year ahead. (World Economic Forum)

• Gartner's 2025 Cybersecurity Trends - Gartner outlines key cybersecurity trends for 2025, focusing on secure, AI-enabled business transformation and the importance of formalizing cybersecurity risk accountability. (Gartner)

🛠️ Tools and Innovation

• SentinelOne's Cybersecurity Predictions - SentinelOne presents its top cybersecurity predictions for 2025, emphasizing the need for robust cyber resilience and proactive defense strategies. (SentinelOne)

📚 Case Studies

• Sophos' AI-Driven Cybersecurity Approach - Sophos discusses the integration of AI into their cybersecurity infrastructure, highlighting the benefits and risks associated with AI adoption. (Sophos)

• AMD's AI Integration in Marketing - AMD's CMO shares insights on the opportunities and challenges of using AI in marketing, emphasizing the need for human oversight to maintain accuracy and fairness. (WSJ)

THE DEEP DIVE

Staying Grounded in the Age of Hype Cycles

Every industry experiences hype cycles—moments when excitement around new trends or technologies peaks rapidly, often followed by disappointment when reality falls short of expectations. For cybersecurity marketers, navigating these cycles effectively is crucial. AI is the latest and perhaps most pronounced example, but it certainly won't be the last. Today, let’s explore how marketers can stay anchored to fundamentals, even amidst the strongest hype.

Opportunities and Pitfalls of the Hype Cycle

At first glance, hype cycles present clear opportunities. They draw attention, spark conversations, and open doors for differentiation and innovation. A new trend can quickly catapult lesser-known brands into the spotlight, allowing them to showcase their relevance. This is especially attractive to marketing departments under constant pressure to deliver ever more pipeline and prove ROI.

Yet, there's a downside. During a hype cycle, there's significant risk of over-promising, diluting your brand’s trustworthiness, and focusing too heavily on short-term gains rather than long-term sustainability. Marketers chasing trends without genuine alignment or substance risk damaging credibility, potentially alienating loyal customers. Selling vaporware is never a good strategy.

AI: Today's Example of Peak Hype

Artificial Intelligence has captured immense attention, driving many companies to rapidly claim AI capabilities. Some cybersecurity brands genuinely harness AI to improve threat detection, automate defenses, and provide tangible value. Others are merely chasing buzz, slapping AI labels onto products with limited actual intelligence or innovation behind them—a practice now commonly called "AI washing."

For example, Cisco's recent unveiling of their Foundation AI Security Model at RSAC 2025 illustrates authenticity—real innovation coupled with clear, transparent communication about the technology’s capabilities and limitations.

Contrast this with companies making vague promises of "agentic AI" without clearly defined capabilities or demonstrated value. These exaggerated claims can lead to disillusionment, damaging both the individual brand’s credibility and consumer trust across the entire industry.

Fundamentals Matter More Than Ever

In times of peak hype, marketers should double down on core principles. This includes staying tightly aligned with product teams. When marketing and product are in sync, it's easier to ensure that messaging reflects reality, roadmap updates are communicated clearly, and any emerging innovations are presented authentically.

• Clear Positioning: Consistently communicate your brand's unique strengths. Hype cycles shouldn’t alter your brand promise but can amplify it if leveraged correctly.

• Authenticity and Transparency: Clearly articulate what your products do—and don’t do. Authenticity builds long-term trust.

• Educating the Audience: During periods of uncertainty or confusion, brands that proactively educate customers become trusted authorities. Clarify how your technology genuinely works, rather than leaning into ambiguous buzzwords.

Practical Strategies for Navigating the Hype

Stay True to Your Brand Promise

Marketers must clearly understand and communicate how a new trend aligns with the brand’s established values and strengths. Rather than reshaping your entire narrative to fit into trending topics, use the hype as a platform to underscore your existing, genuine capabilities.

Be Transparent and Authentic

Resist the temptation to overstate capabilities. Clearly differentiate what your solutions currently offer versus what is aspirational or in development. This honesty can significantly enhance credibility, particularly during hype-driven market confusion.

Educate Rather Than Exploit

Focus on creating thoughtful, insightful content that educates your audience. Help your customers separate meaningful advancements from fleeting hype. Positioning your brand as a source of reliable information establishes credibility and customer loyalty that outlasts the cycle.

Preparing for Future Cycles

The AI hype will inevitably cool and make room for the next wave of excitement. Staying closely connected to product teams also helps marketers anticipate what's coming—not just externally, but internally. That alignment allows you to prepare campaigns and messaging that are both timely and credible. Savvy marketers will:

• Continuously monitor emerging trends with skepticism tempered by openness.

• Strategically plan messaging frameworks ahead of the curve, allowing thoughtful, consistent communication rather than reactive noise.

• Regularly revisit core marketing principles, reinforcing foundational strengths even when exploring new trends.

Final Thoughts

Hype cycles will always be part of the technology landscape, presenting both challenges and opportunities for marketers. By remaining steadfast in marketing fundamentals—clarity, authenticity, and strategic customer education—brands can navigate the peaks and valleys effectively, positioning themselves as trusted leaders rather than transient opportunists.

Stay sharp,
Tobias

Help shape the next State of Cybersecurity Marketing Report

Cybersecurity marketing leaders have to navigate a fast-changing, high-stakes industry. Budgets are shifting. AI is everywhere. Everyone’s trying to prove impact with smaller teams and noisier markets. Even worse, specific industry insights can be hard to find or expensive to procure.

I'm putting together the State of Cybersecurity Marketing Report, covering the first half of 2025, and I need your voice in it.

📊 The survey takes 7-10 minutes, and your responses will help paint a more honest picture of what our teams are really facing this year:
✔️ What’s working
✔️ What’s changing
✔️ Where we’re investing
✔️ What’s keeping us up at night

💡 Everyone who completes it can get early access to the full report.
If you're a marketer in the cybersecurity space (or work with one), I’d love your input.

➡️ Take the survey

Thanks in advance!
Tobias

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