Grow & Thrive: A Call to Action

Marketing is challenging and a competitive career, and it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. You might feel like you need to be on track, get the promotions that your boss did, stay in your lane to succeed. And often, there is this misconception that the only way to grow is up. However, we know that true innovation often means zigging while others are zagging. In this episode, we speak to Intuit’s Alison Ganz about her unexpected career path - and how it paid off.

Whether at a startup or an established organization, marketers see products fail all the time. According to today’s guests, that’s largely because there wasn’t a product/market fit from the start. Sean Ellis, a podcaster and marketing expert who helped grow companies like Dropbox and Eventbrite; and Ben Blank, Innovation and Product Leader at Intuit, join hosts Bri Amarillas and Mos’ Okediji in taking about the right and wrong ways to test for product/market fit, and why that’s essential for rapidly growing any business.

Marketers and communicators have access to an ever-expanding selection of marketing technology to solve customer problems and unlock business growth. But, with so many tools in the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s important to have a clear understanding of which technologies are most fundamental to their business goals, and what can drive growth. Kiki Burton is passionate about the critical role marketing and technology play in delivering value for the customers through personalized experiences. She's in growth marketing at Plaid, and previously was Head of Growth Marketing at Credit Karma, and she shares her views on how to think about, and execute on, growth marketing.

It's challenging to predict the future. As Marketers or Communicators, it's easier to default to continue following trends that are already in motion. Ty Heath, director of market engagement at the B2B Institute at LinkedIn, says that instead, as we look ahead to the next decade, we should think about bold, contrarian ideas. The trends LinkedIn identified include the "war on brand," blockbuster marketing, and more.

A go to market strategy is about much more than just launch products. Strong marketers need to think about the process the team will go through to adapt to evolving needs of customers. Guest Catherine Crevels, who leads US Marketing at Quickbooks Online Services at Intuit, explains how she approaches go to market strategy, with some help from classic marketing principles.

It's vital to know how approach underserved audiences – how to identify them, how to find them, and how to get your message to them efficiently and effectively. As markets continue to segment further and further, it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out where to focus your energy for the best payoff and to reach the relevant audiences. Guest Maria Twena, Partner and Global Head of Consumer X at 9th Wonder, says a bottom up, cultural approach to finding audiences is the place to start.

We're all more overwhelmed by our workload and digital distractions than ever. But Parneet Pal, Chief Science Officer at Wisdom Labs, says there are things we can do to help us increase mindfulness, reduce stress, and ultimately boost our creativity and productivity. She offers tips on how to reset for the New Year.

In this episode, we’ll look at the power of experimentation to learn from customer behavior and create products, messaging, and experiences that deliver the customer benefit. Intuit's Josh Rab and Dylan Lewis share what they've learned about the best way to experiment and gain actionable results.

A very important part of marketing communications is our understanding of customers, what customers want, and how to align your products to their needs and how they buy. This episode will cover how Marketers can influence the product roadmap and discuss different approaches to bringing innovations to market. Intuit’s Jessy Hanley, who spent time in marketing and retention at Uber and Wag, explains how she approaches product marketing.

In this episode, we’ll look at how AI and ML can create personalized experiences, drive data-backed decisions, and give marketers a tool to deliver the right message at the right time. Intuit’s John Jack and Justin Brock talk about how artificial intelligence and machine learning is empowering the modern marketer and communicator.