The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

eTail West in Palm Springs, CA is coming up in a few weeks and I’m excited to be attending as well as moderating a panel there. To get ready for the event, I have invited the two event directors here today, and we’re going to talk about some of the top trends for retailers to watch out for and certainly topics that will be discussed in much detail at the conference. To help me discuss this topic,...

As marketers, there is a lot to keep up with. From trends like generative AI to platforms and methods, and new channels popping up, there is always more to learn. So much so that some of the time-tested, tried and true channels often get overlooked in these conversations. One of these is phone calls - you remember them, it’s what you did before texting, messaging, emailing, and all the other thing...

As the voice of the customer becomes increasingly important in driving business success, companies are recognizing the need to optimize and personalize every touchpoint along the customer journey. From initial awareness and consideration to purchase and post-purchase support, every interaction matters and can make or break a customer's loyalty and advocacy. Today we’re going to talk about customer...

Recently, Zenni Optical, the world's leading online eyewear retailer with more than 50 million frames sold worldwide, chose the Algolia AI Search platform to improve its customer experience and elevate its position as a leading destination for online prescription eyewear. This change helped contribute to a 34% surge in search revenue, amongst other benefits. Today we’re going to talk about the pow...

Today we’re going to talk about the ethical use of AI, and how the concept of left-brain/right-brain AI can give businesses the best of all things, by helping them to create great customer experiences that are valuable to the business, while using AI in a responsible way. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Peter van der Putten, Director AI Lab at Pega. Resources PartnerHero: to wai...

There is a lot of talk about headless, composable, MACH, and the like these days. And I can say from personal experience that there are many instances where they are the perfect fit. But, as with any technology solution, it’s not always a one-size-fits-all. Sometimes headless isn’t the right fit, or a more nuanced approach is needed. Today we’re going to talk about this as well as how low-code or...

Algolia, the world’s only end-to-end AI Search and Discovery platform, powering over 1.75 trillion search requests a year, has made some exciting announcements hear at the NRF show. Today we’re going to talk about two of these announcements, and how AI-powered search and discovery to build dynamic, customer-centric e-commerce experiences. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Bernadet...

Eagle Eye have recently released their new retail marketing book, Omnichannel Retail: How to Build Winning Stores in a Digital World and in it there are a number of insights about the state of retail marketing. Today we’re going to talk about a few of the insights in the report, including how contextual personalization and an omnichannel approach are becoming more important in the physical and dig...

Today we’re going to talk about building better customer relationships while optimizing the customer lifetime value, to the benefit of both customers and brands. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Neil Hoyne, Chief Strategist at Google and best selling author of the book Converted: The Data-Driven Way to Win Customers’ Hearts. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  htt...

Recent consumer research by Sinch MessageMedia showed that 32% of customers expect an immediate response when they contact your business, and many brands are simply not equipped to handle that at scale. Today we’re going to talk about the importance of speed of communication when optimizing the customer experience. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Doug Rubingh, President US &...

Many brand customer journeys start with a search that results in a list of irrelevant answers or products, ultimately leading to lost prospects. Instead a true dialogue between brands and customers — which starts with the brand asking basic questions instead of immediately sharing wrong answers — is key to personalization for marketers. Today we’re going to talk about how brands can create meaning...

Today we’re going to talk about mixed reality, what it is, how it can be beneficial, as well as how learning from one experience in marketing can improve the next. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Dave Kaufman, Senior Director, Global Marketing | VR & Metaverse at Meta. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  https://partnerhero.com/agile and mention “The Agile Br...

Today we’re going to talk about building a change maker culture and how you can help your teams to thrive among change, instead of being disrupted by it. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Steve Blum, Chief Operating Officer of Autodesk. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  https://partnerhero.com/agile  and mention “The Agile Brand” during onboarding! RainFocus INSI...

Today we’re going to talk about the importance of great data in digital advertising, and how brands can maximize business impact by utilizing it correctly. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Gruia Pitigoi-Aron, SVP Product at The Trade Desk. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  https://partnerhero.com/agile  and mention “The Agile Brand” during onboarding! The Trade...

Netlify recently announced the findings of The State of Web Development, previously known as the Jamstack Community Survey, which is a guide to the trends and strategies shaping the future of web development. Today we’re going to talk about some of the findings in this report, including building agility into the enterprise through a composable approach to an organization’s digital presence.  To he...

Today we’re going to talk about successfully finding the right candidates in a continually challenging job market, and how recruitment advertising plays a role in this. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Neil Costa, Founder & CEO at HireClix. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  https://partnerhero.com/agile  and mention “The Agile Brand” during onboarding! HireC...

Today we’re going to talk about how to make a bigger and more meaningful impact in highly competitive industries, and get some insights on what we learned from 2023 and what that means for brands and marketing leaders in 2024. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome back to the show Mark Nardone, Chief Marketing Officer at PAN Communications. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees,...

It’s increasingly clear that businesses that invest in their employees to achieve great employee experience are investing in their own future. To achieve this, inclusion across the organization, programs for professional development, and opportunities for employees to pursue their passion and purpose are critical for businesses. Today we’re going to talk about how leading organizations need to thi...

First, there was the promise of big data solving many of our business challenges, yet now here we are, flooded with data, and many business are having a hard time knowing what to prioritize and which data to pay attention to. Today we’re going to talk about prioritizing the right data and signals to make a meaningful impact on your business. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Prasa...

Today we’re going to talk about the role of artificial intelligence in creative roles and creative work, and how they can work together, conflict, and all of the above. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Toby Barlow, Co-Founder and Creative Chief at Lafayette American. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  https://partnerhero.com/agile  and mention “The Agile Brand” d...

Today we’re going to talk about AI and cybersecurity, and the promises, myths, and reality of how the two can work together to keep businesses and customers more secure. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Gary Guseinov, CEO at RealDefense. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  https://partnerhero.com/agile  and mention “The Agile Brand” during onboarding! Sign up for...

Today we’re going to talk about collaboration between product and marketing teams and how, when done well, this can drive business growth and an improvement in the customer experience overall. Some of what we will be discussing will be directly from Kameleoon’s 2023 Experimentation and Growth Survey and report, and we’ll make sure to put a link to access that report in the show notes. To help me d...

One of the biggest challenges business leaders face today is managing multiple stakeholders. For the past half-century, most CEOs have simply sought to please board members and shareholders, with less regard to other stakeholders like employees, government entities or suppliers. But as demands for corporate responsibility have increased, CEOs are under increasing pressure to cater to a wide variet...

Today we’re going to talk about a topic we don’t talk about much on this show - nonprofits, and more specifically since it’s December, end of year giving. If you’re like me, you’re probably currently being inundated with calls to donate from nonprofits on TV, email, social media, and any other channel you interact with. Just like other much larger brands, nonprofits struggle with acquisition and r...

Today we’re going to talk about the role of product leaders in shaping the customer experience, and how continuous learning and continuous improvement help build great product teams. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Jess Keeney, Chief Product Officer at Duck Creek Technologies. Resources PartnerHero: to waive set up fees, go to  https://partnerhero.com/agile and mention “The Agil...