Ahead of the Game

Yes - it's that time. For our most popular podcast of the year! We've talked to 6 of our experts about what they see as the key things to look out for during 2024 in digital marketing. AI is of course the main focus, but we get to look more closely at it within the realms of social media, paid ads, marketing strategy, careers, and search (SGE). Just some of the other areas they have sugges...

The AI space is where it's at - so we've launched this series to cut through the noise. We're going to talk about tools and devlopment and what it means for digital marketers and what you can do about it. Our regular host, and digital marketer,  ⁠Will Francis ⁠ is joined by SEO expert ⁠ Danny Richman ⁠. In Episode 2 :  recent changes to OpenAI, some handy Google sheets Danny has create...

Being mindful in marketing can mean anything, from taking a pause before answering an email, to considering your creativity and learning to deal with negative emotions. In this episode, host ⁠Will Francis⁠ has a fascinating conversation with Andrew Simon at SAP in Canada who works in marketing technology but has an official side hustle as a mindfulness coach within this global giant ⁠⁠ . Stay tune...

Just how useful is ChatGPT turning out to be, a year after it blasted onto the scene? How anyone can advise anyone else on how they should be using AI? These are some of the questions that come up in this wide-reaching conversation with two DMI experts, host Will Francis and Clark Boyd . Clark also tells us about his new AI-powered learning solution called Novela . ------------------ The Ahead of...

We're joined on this episode by Jim Lecinski from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, who has been studying and writing about AI in a brand's marketing function for years. He takes host ⁠⁠Will Francis⁠⁠ through a framework for establishing how to incorporate AI in your strategy, considering the (evolving) pros and cons, risks and massive opportunities available wit...

Is Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) actually going to change the world of search? Google's new AI-powered search is still just in Beta, and only avaiable in the US, Japan, and India (as of now) but we wanted to get some insights into it to share with you. Lindsey Schrant, a senior SEO manager with Neil Patel Digital joined host Will Francis to describe how she's using SGE, i...

If most of us feel overwhelmed by social media, how does the owner of a social media agency manage to stay balanced? In this episode, Will Francis chats with Zack O'Rourke of Social Directions agency to find out more. They dig into how he keeps and promotes efficiency, deals with his team and with clients, develops the creative juices, and still finds time for a swim in the sea. --------------...

EPIC is the Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin and it has used both digital and offline channels to become extremely adept at destination marketing, winning several awards along the way. Challenging the notion that museums are dreary rooms full of dusty artifacts, EPIC tells the story of Ireland's heritage using a goldmine of digital, immersive stories that become a content marketer's dream...

Building a business across international borders brings a host of challenges, from staying on top of international legislation and regulations to being mindful of cultural norms and nuanced differences in customer expectations. After all, if you don’t understand your customers, you may say the wrong thing. Successful internationalization of a business stems from the three A’s: access (markets), ap...

User Experience - UX - can be a mystifying term for many. Is it about design, or customer interface, or strategy? It's actually all of those things, along with learning to make commerical decisions based on real customer data. Brian Herron of award-winning UX agency  Each&Other  joins  Will Francis⁠  for a eye-opening discussing exploring the prcoess that is UX. At the end he offers 3 top...

The AI space is where it's at - so we've launched this series to cut through the noise. We're going to talk about tools and devlopment and what it means for digital marketers and what you can do about it. Our regular host, and digital marketer, Will Francis is joined by SEO expert Danny Richman . This week they're talking about where search and AI is going after Google's integr...

We're about to launch a new series within the podcast! Its' called AI with DMI and it'll be a regular chat between Will Francis and SEO expert Danny Richman - a smart, intelligent chat that will cut through the noise about AI and see how it really relates to digital marketers. Have a listen, in the meantime to our earlier podcast on The Impact of GPT on Marketers . ---------- The Ahead...

Are you not quite ready for the full takeover of your world by Google Analytics 4 on July 1st 2023? We have you covered!! In this bonus episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis gets two long-time GA4 users to fill in the blanks, tell us what they like, what they miss about Universal Analytics, and what they'd really like to ask Larry and Sergey to get right in the next version of GA4. Alo...

What does it mean to be a professional in the working world today? According to executive coach Kevin Reid , "it's not just doing your job well. It's having the capability and the ability to be self aware. And to be in command of every aspect of your working life and be comfortable in yourself. It takes practice and it takes failure." Listen to more of Kevin's insights in thi...

Before we tell you about this week's episode - check out our podcast survey and be in with a chance to win an Amazon voucher! Ever wanted to peek inside the world of adver t ising creative, and see how Mad Men operates, in the 21st century, in Dublin? Host Will Francis is joined today by John McMahon , one of Ireland's most experienced (and funny) creative directors in advertising and mark...

Want to hear a first-hand account of running marketing from very early stage? Meet Amrita Mathur , VP of marketing at Superside , a B2B-focussed design services platform. She tells Will Francis how it worked out to join as marketing director before there was even a full product to sell, from essentially the beta stage. A ⁠⁠⁠transcript of this episode⁠⁠⁠ is available on our website, where you'l...

This week's guest is Tom Kendall, head of digital marketing at IBM EMEA region and a member of the DMI's global advisory council . He chats with host ⁠⁠Will Francis⁠ about his experiences at the huge company that is IBM and his background in digital-led initiatives in both B2B and B2C. Tom can be found on LinkedIn . A ⁠⁠transcript of this episode⁠⁠ is available on our website, where you&#3...

We can never stop finding new ways to achieve that all-important balance between life and work, so in this episode host ⁠Will Francis chats with an expert on the issue, with unique experience and insights into dealing with modern work pressures. Catherine Mooney works in the pyschological health team at a multinational social media company in Dublin and deals daily with employees, and their challe...

In this episode we look at how webinars can be included as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. Host Will Francis is joined by Hannah Scherer , head of marketing at webinar and events platform Big Marker to talk about how webinars and live or recorded events can help nurture your audience and enhance your brand value.  Hannah also featured on a DMI webinar on how to plan, run and...

Unless you've been on the moon the last few months, you'll have heard lots about GPT and Chat GPT - the chatbot built upon it. But as a marketer, what does this hyper-acceleration in predictive AI actually mean for your job, the world of search, advertising and content, and how can it actually open new opportunities? This episode features digital transformation expert Clark Boyd and SEO expert Dan...

A brand is every interaction someone has with your business. Your brand identity is one part of that. Host  Will Francis  chats with Jason Byer of Crowdspring about what businesses of all levels, B2B or B2C, need to think about when approaching their branding, elements of authenticity and trust, and trends he sees coming down the line - like personalization and the rise of artificia...

On the first episode of this bright new year, host Will Francis welcomes Rhoan Morgan to the show. Rhoan is founder and CEO of the MarTech agency DemandLab , host of Revenue Rebels podcast and a monthly columnist for CMSWire. "Saying no is actually one of the most important things you have to learn because the agency will die unless you are quite specific and focused about what briefs you take on"...

Consultant, founder, strategist, and author Julie Atherton and customer relationship growth manager at Intercom Sean Gallagher join host Will Francis to tell us why Social Selling is more about value than sales. Julie and Sean discuss their original research, which Sean worked on while undertaking his master’s dissertation under Julie’s supervision. They also talk us through how a personal and com...

It's here! Our roundup of 11 experts across digital marketing with their insights on what to look out for in 2023. Here's just some of the things they see coming up that marketers of all levels need to think about: the need to address cost of living crisis, a shift within infuencer marketing, social media going back to its roots and seeing some decentralization, further personalization and a push...

How do brands know what their audience thinks or expects? By asking them, of course! That's the role of an insights expert like Katrina Noelle , founder of KNow Research . She joins Will Francis on the podcast to explain how that asking is done, and all that happens from that initial point of contact through to the all-important final insights - and even pearls - that come from the process. They c...