About This Episode
In this episode of the Tactical Business Podcast, host Wade Skalsky sits down Brian Aitken CEO of Topple. Discover how a wrongful arrest sparked a mission to defend free speech. Brian shares his incredible journey from facing draconian gun charges to building the world’s leading free-speech ad platform. Learn how his company empowers firearms and hunting businesses to advertise without fear of deplatforming and shadowbanning.
Insights In This Episode
- Core Mission: Topple’s core thesis is that if a product is legal to sell, it should be legal to advertise.
- Market Need: The platform was born from identifying a systemic gap where mainstream ad tech isolated the firearms, hunting, and conservative communities.
- Niche Focus: While open to all legal products, over 80% of Topple’s business is with the firearms, tactical, and hunting industries.
- Leverage Proprietary Data for Strategy: Use aggregated, anonymized data from all clients to provide tactical recommendations and insights that newcomers to the space can’t access elsewhere.
Today’s Guest
Brian D. Aitken | Topple
Brian D. Aitken is a media entrepreneur and founder of Topple, the world’s most inclusive advertising network. Before Topple, he managed nearly $6 billion in ad budgets for major brands. A dedicated advocate, his work in criminal justice reform has freed multiple individuals from unjust incarceration. He lives in Telluride, CO with his family.
Featured on the Show
About Tactical Business
Tactical Business is the weekly business show for the firearms industry. The podcast features in-depth interviews with the entrepreneurs, professionals and technologists who are enabling the next generation of firearms businesses to innovate and grow.
Episode Summary
From Personal Injustice to a Free-Speech Mission
Brian Aitken, CEO of Topple, shares the powerful and personal story that ignited his passion for free speech. While legally transporting his unloaded, locked firearms during a move to New Jersey, he was arrested and charged under a controversial state directive. Despite following federal and state law, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. After serving four months, his sentence was commuted by the governor, and his convictions were eventually overturned with the NRA’s support. This multi-year legal battle gave him firsthand empathy for businesses that are unfairly “deplatformed” or restricted.
Identifying the Advertising Void
Before founding Topple, Aitken built a successful career at major marketing agencies, managing billion-dollar media budgets for brands like 20th Century Fox and Starbucks. Around 2016, he noticed a critical problem: mainstream ad platforms like Google and Facebook began systematically banning or shadowbanning advertisers in the firearms, hunting, and even adjacent industries. He realized that a huge segment of the American population and legitimate, law-abiding businesses were being isolated by these ad tech policies, creating a significant market need.
What Topple Does: A Safe Haven for Advertisers
Topple is a digital advertising platform designed as a direct alternative to restrictive mainstream options. Its core mission is simple: if a product is legal to sell, it should be legal to advertise. The platform guarantees access to a massive network of premium publishers that serve the “right-to-center” audience, including:
- Conservative news outlets.
- Expanding verticals like farming and agriculture.
Advanced Tools for Authentic Marketing
Topple goes beyond just providing access. It offers sophisticated, AI-powered interest targeting that analyzes user behavior across its network to connect advertisers with a highly relevant audience. The platform provides robust data analytics through conversion tracking pixels, allowing businesses to see exactly which ads drive sales and revenue. This enables advertisers to be their authentic selves, using creative that truly represents their products without fear of censorship, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.
Empowering Businesses of All Sizes
Topple is built to support everyone from bootstrapped small businesses to enterprise-level partners. They offer tiered service levels:
- Self-Serve: A pay-as-you-go model for those who want to start immediately.
- Ad Spend Plans: For committed advertisers, offering account management and strategic support.
- Partner Level: For large-scale advertisers, providing dedicated, expert guidance.