Expert mode marketing technology, AI, and CX insights from top brands and Martech platforms fill every episode, focusing on what leaders need to know to build customer lifetime value and long-term business value. The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® features executives and thought leaders from top brands and tech platforms discussing the industry's trends, like AI adoption, first-party data strategies, artificial intelligence in the consumer journey, consumer data privacy, omnichannel custom ...
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Increasing Customer Lifetime Value Podcasts
Customer onboarding in B2B SaaS is changing fast, but the resources for onboarding teams? Not so much. That's why we're kicking off Onboarding Therapy, a podcast that tackles the real challenges onboarding teams face every day.
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Welcome to Referral Marketing Secrets, the go-to podcast for business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals looking to supercharge their business growth through the power of word-of-mouth marketing and referral networking. Hosted by networking expert Bo Kauffmann, this podcast dives deep into actionable strategies that turn your network into your most valuable asset. Each week, we explore proven referral marketing techniques that help you increase customer acquisition, boost retention, an ...
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#724: Social commerce and the customer journey with Janna Navarro, Wpromote
19:50
19:50
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19:50Are most brands still designing customer journeys, or are they just trying to keep up with where their customers are leading them? Agility requires a willingness to meet your customers where they are—not just where you wish they’d convert. In an era where the consumer journey can begin and end on a social platform or anywhere in between, brands mus…
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#723: Building loyalty across different generations of travelers with Jeff Zotara, arrivia
28:56
28:56
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28:56If you had to pick one of the biggest challenges facing CMOs today, how high on your list would customer loyalty be? Agility requires a deep understanding of your customer and the ability to adapt to their ever-changing needs and expectations. It also requires a willingness to experiment and learn from failures, quickly iterating on strategies and …
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#722: Agentic AI in retail with Dan Russotto, Furniture.com
21:24
21:24
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21:24Building on the talk of AI in recent years, Agentic AI is an exciting area for retailers. But beyond talk, finding real-world examples and best practices can be tricky. Today we are here at eTail Boston, and I am excited to talk today about a company that is innovating in this space, not a traditional retailer, but an innovative aggregator using AI…
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#721: Making the most of peak season with Helaine Rich, ePost
22:47
22:47
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22:47Is your brand ready to thrive, not just survive, in the face of evolving global consumer expectations and market shifts? Agility requires more than just quick reactions; it demands proactive foresight, strategic adaptability, and a willingness to embrace continuous evolution. This is particularly critical in today's ever-changing global ecommerce l…
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#720: Building stronger customer relationships using AI with Noah Zamansky, Stitch Fix
22:44
22:44
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22:44AI can create immersive, human-centric experiences that not only drive sales but also foster enduring brand relationships in a rapidly evolving market. Today we’re going to talk about how AI-driven personalization allows retailers to move beyond generic experiences, crafting unique interactions that resonate with individual preferences and behavior…
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#719: Composable Customer Data Platforms with Tejas Manohar, Hightouch
26:37
26:37
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26:37Are you building your customer data strategy around your goals, or are your goals constrained by your data platform? Agility in today’s marketing technology landscape isn’t just about speed—it’s about flexibility. Brands need data architectures that adapt to their needs, not the other way around. And with the right approach, that agility can fuel p…
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#718: Building trust while building a brand with Meika Hollender, Nara Organics
27:26
27:26
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27:26When consumer trust is more fragile than ever, how can brands, particularly in highly scrutinized categories like infant nutrition, utilize the latest approaches to not only build trust but also deepen consumer relationships? Agility requires not only adapting to evolving consumer expectations and technological advancements but also maintaining eth…
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#717: Understanding customers by simulating them first with Mike Taylor, Ask Rally
28:28
28:28
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28:28Is the most effective way to understand real human behavior to simulate it first? Agility requires a willingness to test ideas that sound strange at first—like asking bots to act more human by narrowing their point of view, or treating synthetic personas as real sources of insight. But when applied correctly, this thinking unlocks entirely new ways…
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#716: Streamlining brand partnerships with Alan Gould, Mutual Markets
26:44
26:44
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26:44What if building a brand partnership with a major entertainment property could happen in 5 minutes instead of 6 months—and drive 10x better results? What would that change for your marketing strategy? Today I’m joined by Alan Gould, CEO of Mutual Markets. Alan is at the forefront of a major shift in digital marketing and advertising—using AI to red…
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#715: Increasing speed to insights with Sid Banerjee, Medallia
29:32
29:32
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29:32What could your CX teams do to strategically move your brand forward if they weren’t tethered to dashboards? Agility requires CX teams to move beyond reactive reporting and embrace proactive insight delivery. In an era where insights are instantly available through conversational AI, the strategic role of CX is about to shift—big time. Today we’re …
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#714: Keeping up with e-commerce evolution with Lena Moriarty, eTail and Worldwide Business Research
20:40
20:40
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20:40One thing is for certain: the world of e-commerce never sits still. But what should retailers be paying attention to now? Agility requires not only adapting to changing consumer behaviors but also anticipating them. It's about proactively shaping the future of retail, not just reacting to it. Today, we're going to talk about navigating the ever-shi…
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#713: Agentic AI that improves the customer experience, with Manisha Powar, Qualtrics
26:36
26:36
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26:36Agility requires more than just speed—it demands relevance and empathy, especially when AI is stepping in to play a bigger role in the customer experience. What if the problem isn’t that AI moves too slowly—but that it moves without context, without empathy, and without earning trust? Today we’re going to talk about how Agentic AI is changing that—…
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#712: Compounding returns on your marketing campaigns with Chris O'Neill, GrowthLoop
30:22
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30:22If your marketing grew like a dividend-reinvestment plan, would you still let a quarterly target dictate every decision? Agility requires stacking returning gains faster than the market changes—think compound interest, but for marketing campaigns. Today we’re going to talk about the Compound Marketing Engine, agentic AI, and why “data-driven” still…
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#711: Making accessibility a priority with Make Paciello, AudioEye
30:14
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30:14The 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was July 26, so today's episode is a special one. Most companies obsess over SEO, performance, and conversion rates—but overlook 25% of their audience entirely. Why do so many businesses miss the opportunity to serve users with disabilities, and what are they leaving on the table? To…
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#710: Empowering Employees to Lead Meaningful Change from Within with Steven Malony, CEO of Belkin
29:06
29:06
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29:06How often do big, meaningful shifts inside a company actually start small? And more importantly, how do you avoid squashing them before they have a chance to grow? Agility requires more than vision—it requires giving your team the power to act on that vision. Today we’re going to talk about how a global company like Belkin empowered its employees t…
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#709: The state of CX and the value of hyperpersonalization with Adrian Swinscoe, Punk CX Podcast
1:01:13
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1:01:13Agility requires that brands have a fundamental understanding of why they’re doing things, and what customer expectations are, rather than chasing trends and implementing the latest tech. Without this, customer satisfaction will continue to slide, and brands won’t be any closer to knowing what to do to solve for that. I am here in Edinburgh with my…
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#708: How commerce media is changing advertising with Eric Brackmann, Koddi
28:15
28:15
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28:15If you think commerce media is just a buzzword or a trend, think again. It’s reshaping the ad landscape—fueled by AI, first-party data, and sector-specific solutions that leave the legacy one-size-fits-all approach in the dust. What’s coming next? Grocery? Autos? Quick commerce? If your brand isn’t already exploring commerce media, it’s probably fa…
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#707: Building ROI in the Creator Economy with Brit Starr, CreatorIQ
25:52
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25:52Agility requires marketing leaders to evolve from campaign-based thinking to relationship-based strategy—especially when working with creators who influence not just clicks, but for a meaningful connection with customers. Today we’re going to talk about the creator economy and how brands like PepsiCo, Unilever, and more are leaning into long-term c…
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#706: Building more connected digital experiences with Eric Stine, CEO of Sitecore
29:45
29:45
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29:45If the web is no longer one-size-fits-all and instead geared towards segments of one, how do brands avoid creating a thousand disconnected experiences, and manage each experience effectively? Agility requires embracing both technology and customer behavior shifts at the same time—without losing your brand voice. Today we’re going to talk about how …
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#705: What happens to your KPIs when both CLV and Customer Acquisition Costs rise? With Jamie Domenici, Klaviyo
24:43
24:43
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24:43Customer lifetime value is a critical KPI, but with customer acquisition costs rapidly rising, what can brands do to successfully build long-term value for the business? Agility requires seeing past vanity metrics to the durable value hidden in customer relationships. When customer acquisition costs climb and privacy affects easy targeting, only ni…
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#704: Delivering personalization at scale with Yaniv Navot, Mastercard
31:05
31:05
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31:05With all the data at our fingertips, why do so many companies still struggle to deliver truly personalized experiences at scale? Agility requires being able to cut through the noise of data and culture shifts to deliver experiences that truly resonate with each individual. Today we’re going to talk about personalization maturity, the role of machin…
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#703: How AI and Deep Learning is affecting advertising with Jaysen Gillespie, RTB House
27:36
27:36
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27:36Are we on the brink of advertising becoming too smart for its own good, or is Deep Learning finally getting us closer to what customers actually want? Agility requires us to constantly evaluate how technology like AI reshapes the relationships between brands and consumers—sometimes for better, sometimes for far more complex. The advertising landsca…
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#702: What it takes to keep customers loyal with Anna Convery, Verint
29:52
29:52
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29:52Does your brand deliver answers faster than your customer can send a text message? Agility in CX is about answering customers before they finish the thought. If you can’t evolve at that pace, you’re already behind. Today we’re going to talk about what Verint’s brand‑new 2025 State of Customer Experience report tells us about loyalty, automation, an…
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#701: No-Code as a Strategic Weapon, with Aytekin Tank, Jotform
24:29
24:29
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24:29If your team spends half its days searching for documents and filling out spreadsheets you built years ago, how long will it be before your competitors automate you out of business? Agility requires turning busywork into bandwidth so people can collaborate and think strategically instead of shuffling pixels. Today we’re exploring how no-code platfo…
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#700: Winning and retaining the distracted consumer with Kelsey Chickering, Forrester
21:13
21:13
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21:13If your brand can’t hold a consumer’s focus for eight seconds, what makes you think you deserve nine? We are here at Forrester CX in Nashville, TN and hearing all about the latest insights and ideas for brands to create better experiences for their customers. Agility isn’t speed for speed’s sake; it’s the discipline of staying useful while everythi…
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#699: Being real about synthetic personas with Narek Vandanyan, Prelaunch
23:29
23:29
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23:29Marketers spend a fortune trying to understand their audience, conducting surveys, focus groups, and market research—but what if they could just ask their ideal customer directly? With synthetic personas, that’s now possible. But how reliable are they? And how far can we really take this technology? Joining me today is Narek Vardanyan, CEO of Prela…
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#698: Staying customer-centric in the race to adopt agentic AI with Stephanie Liu, Forrester
22:30
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22:30We are here at Forrester CX in Nashville, TN and hearing all about the latest insights and ideas for brands to create better experiences for their customers. If your AI roadmap doesn’t include your customer, is it really a roadmap—or just a bridge to nowhere? Agility requires remembering who pays the bills: the customer. When shiny new tech shows u…
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#697: Building the total experience for customers with AJ Joplin, Forrester
23:10
23:10
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23:10Does your AI-based interface talk to customers the way a real person would or is it tech for tech’s sake? We are here at Forrester CX in Nashville, TN and hearing all about the latest insights and ideas for brands to create better experiences for their customers. Agility is less about bolting on new features just because the tech is available and m…
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#696: The network effect on CX of AI plus employees with Jay Pattisall, Forrester
25:55
25:55
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25:55If AI can amplify every employee’s reach ten-fold, how ready is your organization to harness that network effect? We are here at Forrester CX in Nashville, TN and hearing all about the latest insights and ideas for brands to create better experiences for their customers. Agility isn’t about adding more tech; it’s about multiplying human impact. Tod…
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#695: Why Trust Is a Strategy, Not a Sentiment with Dana Bodine, Trustpilot
27:58
27:58
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27:58If nearly half of consumers spend more with brands they trust, why aren’t more companies making trust a core business strategy instead of just a tagline? To help me explore this question, I’m joined by Dana Bodine, U.S. Vice President of Marketing at Trustpilot, the world’s largest independent platform for customer feedback. About Dana Bodine Dana …
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#694: What's your plan for Q5 this year, with Xavier de Baillenx from Ramdam
22:39
22:39
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22:39What if your most profitable campaign window isn’t Black Friday or Cyber Monday… but after the holidays, when everyone else is quiet? While most marketers are winding down, savvy brands are doubling down—tapping into the “Q5” period between Christmas and early January, when ad prices drop, engagement spikes, and consumers are laser-focused on their…
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#693: Optimizing the post-click customer experience with Riikka Söderlund, Katana Cloud Inventory
23:05
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23:05What if your biggest customer experience problem isn’t your marketing… but your inventory spreadsheet? In the era of one-click checkouts, Prime delivery expectations, and endless online channels, brands are pouring millions into customer acquisition—only to lose customers post-purchase. Why? Because they can’t deliver what they just sold. Today’s g…
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#692: The lifetime value of milliseconds in the customer experience with Jaxon Repp, Harper
23:34
23:34
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23:34Agility can often get framed as driving massive transformation—but sometimes it’s the milliseconds that matter. When every digital moment counts, small gains in speed and efficiency can have a disproportionately large impact on customer lifetime value and brand loyalty. If you could speed up every digital interaction your customers have with your b…
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#691: Gaining agility and results with composable CMS, with Mark Wheeler from Storyblok
30:23
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30:23Is your CMS holding your creativity—and marketing growth—hostage? When speed and agility are everything, most marketing teams are still stuck in the slow lane—waiting on developers to publish updates, launch campaigns, or even fix a typo. Sound familiar? Today’s guest says it’s time for marketers to take the wheel. Mark Wheeler, Chief Marketing Off…
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#690: Focusing on long-term customer value using next best action with Tine Van Calster, Telenet
25:47
25:47
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25:47What if your most loyal customers are the ones you helped spend less? Agility in marketing isn't just about moving faster — it's about aligning brand intentions with customer outcomes in real-time, even when that means giving up short-term gains to earn long-term trust. Today we are here at PegaWorld 2025 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and we’re go…
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#689: Building a culture of agility with Eugenie Lamprecht, Reka
18:28
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18:28Welcome to this episode, brought to you by Reka, a developer of industry-leading, multimodal, AI models that enable individuals and organizations to deploy generative AI applications. Agility requires an attention to process and a commitment to continuous improvement. It also requires a culture of agility. Today we’re going to talk about talent in …
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#688: Building a Customer Brain and how it benefits customers and the business with Christian Nelissen, National Australia Bank
25:34
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25:34Agility at enterprise scale means building systems that not only make millions of micro-decisions, but also keep humans at the center — creating experiences that are timely, relevant, and respectful of the customer. What if your data knew your customers better than your frontline employees — and used that insight to serve, not sell? Today we are he…
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#687: Customer Experience Design using Generative AI, with Tara DeZao, Pega
21:34
21:34
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21:34What if you could test drive your entire customer experience — before even writing a line of code? Agility isn’t just about reacting fast — it’s about thinking ahead, designing deliberately, and testing before committing. In an age where customer expectations shift by the minute, businesses can’t afford to just “build and hope.” Today we are here a…
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#686: Autonomous innovation using predictable AI agents with Peter van der Putten, Pega
29:06
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29:06What if your agentic AI could innovate autonomously—and still follow your business rules? Agility in the age of AI doesn't just mean speed. It means predictability, accountability, and the ability to innovate autonomously without businesses losing control of what is important, and what their customers value. Today we are here at PegaWorld 2025 at t…
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#685: Using AI in UX research, design, and testing with Jason Bowman, The Office of Experience
24:54
24:54
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24:54Agility requires finding ways to stay one step ahead of the competition, as well as in anticipating customers’ needs. So how does a brand maintain this speed and agility in the area of UX design, where it has often taken a considerable amount of time, effort, and testing to get to a better result? Today we’re going to talk about using AI strategica…
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#684: The founder of Reebok and CEO of Syntilay talk about AI-generated product design
29:23
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29:23When consumers can get AI-generated designs completely customized to their needs, what does this mean for the future of brands and the customer experience? I have two guests on my show today: one is the founder of one of the world’s most iconic shoe brands, and the other is the co-creator of the first AI-designed commercial shoe. Today we’re going …
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#683: Navigating the effect of AI on marketing jobs and the job market with Sue Keith, Landrum Talent Solutions
22:28
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22:28My guest today has been keeping us up to date with the current state of hiring for marketers on a quarterly basis, which has taken us on quite a roller coaster ride. Today we’re going to look at how marketing and communication execs are responding to the latest developments in the world while still needing to get their work done. To take a look at …
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#682: Consequential AI and customer loyalty with Raj De Datta, CEO of Bloomreach
24:26
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24:26If brand loyalty is so critical, why does it feel like most companies are treating it like an afterthought by propping it up with outdated programs and hoping customers won’t notice? Agility requires a complete rethinking of how we approach customer loyalty — not as an afterthought at the end of the funnel, but as a core driver of long-term brand v…
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#681: Building a cohesive brand while personalizing every message with Emily Ward, Turnitin
24:54
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24:54With AI as an accelerant, marketing is evolving at a breakneck pace, and brands are being challenged to maintain authenticity while scaling globally. How do you build a cohesive, authentic brand identity across diverse markets, cultures, and digital platforms—all while leveraging AI-driven personalization? Joining me today is Emily Ward, VP of Glob…
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#680: Agile is about more than velocity, with Gabrielle Wieczorek
26:12
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26:12This show is brought to you by the Online Scrum Masters Summit, taking place virtually on June 17-19, with more information at: http://www.onlinescrummasterssummit.com What if the most powerful tool for driving agile transformation isn’t a framework or a ceremony—but a dashboard? Today’s guest believes data may be the most underused lever for agili…
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#679: Growing a brand by focusing on the details that matter with Dominic Minogue, Dirty Water
22:23
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22:23There are a lot of great ideas for products and brands out there, but sometimes the difference between success and failure lies in getting the details right and understanding the customers and users of your product. Today we’re going to talk about growing a brand by focusing on the details that matter. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to wel…
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#678: AI gains emotional intelligence with Joshua Goldberg, Zenapse
22:56
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22:56Have you ever wondered why, despite having access to advanced AI tools, your marketing strategies still don’t hit the mark? Could it be that you’re focusing on the wrong data and missing the emotional connections that truly drive consumer behavior? Today we’re exploring the intersection of AI, emotional intelligence, and marketing with Joshua Goldb…
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#677: Why thought leadership is more important than ever with Benjamin Shapiro, host of the MarTech Podcast
34:19
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34:19If content rules, why does it feel like there are 100,000 royal families? In a world drowning in blog posts, videos, and AI-generated everything, content has never been more abundant—or more commoditized. So how do brands cut through the noise? Today’s guest has a few thoughts on that—and more. Ben Shapiro, host of the MarTech Podcast, has had fron…
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#676: The consumer is no longer navigating the map—they are the map, with Ken Hughes, the King of CX
34:22
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34:22The consumer is no longer navigating the map—they are the map. Welcome to the era of the Blue Dot Consumer: always centered, always scrolling, and always expecting the world to orbit around them. What does that mean for your brand? Everything. From the rise of instant gratification to the evolution of seven—yes, seven—active generations, the custom…
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#675: Being true to customers and your values with Phyllis Rothschild, CMO at Pete & Gerrys
29:10
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29:10Consumers today aren’t just buying products, or even experiences—they’re buying into values. As more people align their shopping habits with brands that reflect their personal beliefs, how can companies authentically connect with their audience without coming across as performative? Joining us today is Phyllis Rothschild, Chief Marketing Officer at…
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