Marc Benioff's early marketing tactics for Salesforce serve as a striking case study in aggressive startup promotion. In February 2000, he orchestrated a protest outside a San Francisco conference where competitor Siebel Systems was presenting. With hired actors in red shirts chanting slogans like “death to software,” Salesforce positioned itself as the underdog challenging the status quo. This stunt not only drew media attention, appearing in major publications like the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, but effectively framed Siebel as a symbol of outdated technology. By creating a spectacle, Benioff turned a small startup into a headline-maker. Salesforce didn’t stop with protests. They launched an “End of Software” party that required attendees to bring old software discs to toss in trash bins. The party featured a concert by the B-52s and was filled with themes mocking traditional software. Another bold move involved commandeering every taxi at the Nice airport to promote their brand to Siebel executives, making it impossible for them to avoid Salesforce's messaging. This relentless approach turned the narrative from mere feature comparison to a battle against an obsolete category, making their message resonate deeply with frustrated IT executives. The key takeaways from Salesforce's campaign highlight strategies that founders can still apply today. Creating a villain—like Siebel—transformed their marketing into a compelling story. Physical, visual elements of their campaign made it memorable and shareable, while attacking the entire software category rather than just the competition elevated their message. Consistency in bold marketing efforts kept the momentum going, as did knowing their position as an underdog. Many current B2B founders hesitate to adopt such tactics, often opting for safer, conventional methods that lack the punch required to stand out in a crowded market.