In the Key of D: Using Digital to Transform Your Business

One primary goal of digital transformation is to streamline the consumer experience. And while technology is the key enabler, real change often happens at the cultural center of an organization. The marketers and leaders in the middle might need an outside champion to unlock digital’s full potential within a company. Jim Cuene is the Founder & CEO at Fahren, a consultancy that offers expert talent, guidance and advising to large organizations that are seeking digital transformation. In this episode, Jim lends his wealth of digital knowledge to incisive conversations around making cultural shifts, balancing slow leadership with fast action, adhering to the leadership stack, and why there’s never been a better time to be a marketer than right now.

Jake Miller is a human mission statement. The Founder and CEO of Fellow embodies his company’s mission to help people brew ridiculously good coffee by offering the best gear and guidance on the market. Fellow has seen incredible growth in part because of Jake’s steadfast belief in human-centered design and valuing relationships over transactions. Digital has enabled entrepreneurs like Jake an opportunity to start conversations directly with customers and it’s transforming almost every industry. He joins the podcast to discuss getting as close to your customer as you can, using digital to creatively market and sell physical products, and how taking the right risks can pay off.

Can you hear that? It’s your data speaking, and Adam Dince wants you to listen.

From the early days of building websites to leading digital experience teams, Adam’s career spans over 20 years of digital marketing evolution, with a focus on using organic and paid search to reach the right person at the right time with the right content. Adam is a lifelong student of data who wants to know what can be learned about the customer through search behavior and history. Adam joins the podcast to discuss the necessity of an omnichannel digital marketing strategy, best practices for reaching customers online; the evolution of paid, owned and earned media (P.O.E.M.); and his pivotal 80/20 social listening rule to help grow your audience.

Every brand wants to go viral. But as a marketing or business leader, how do you know when your messaging is going off the road? Install guardrails, says executive Kymm Bartlett Martinez. Staggering success has followed Kymm from her work with CPG giant General Mills to her current role as VP/Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at the University of St. Thomas. She understands that as digital evolves, trendsetting marketers must pay attention to cultural transitions, take risks on experimental channels, and understand brands as more than just products, but also as the people who use the brand. In this episode of In the Key of D, Kymm shares a wealth of insight on leadership and marketing freedom that stays between the rails.

Knowing and anticipating what your customer needs from digital experiences is easier said than done. For business leaders first entering this evolving world of user experience strategy and the “tech stack,” it can feel like climbing an ominous mountain. Thankfully, Cole Ranzau, who leads an experience strategy team at Strategic Education, Inc. (SEI), joins the podcast to help us get our footing on how to use digital to create compelling experiences. Cole digs into using focused data and analytics to tell engaging stories, breaks down his “3-Headed Attack” for solving UX challenges, and explores why the “making easy things even easier” mindset is pivotal to building successful digital experiences for customers.

Startups don’t have the luxury of being sluggish out of the gate. Analytics are more rigorous, budgets are more constrained, and investors are watching the clock. It’s not so much “less is more” as “do more with less and do it quickly" for these small to midsize businesses working to launch their company and products. Pete Harrison, seasoned startup advisor and digital marketing leader, joins the podcast to share his insights on leveraging digital channels and testing to get to market more quickly. He explains how OTT (over-the-top) TV Advertising (ads for streaming TV) compares to Linear TV Advertising (ads for broadcast TV), plus why and when to use these channels.

For the Star Tribune, delivering quality journalism to the people of Minnesota for 153 years has made it the largest newsgathering force in the Midwest and one of the most touched newspaper brands in the US. But the advent of the digital age has brought the challenges of adapting to changing reader behavior, an accelerated news cycle and the prospect of a print-less future. How do they navigate these massive global shifts? Steve Yaeger, CMO at the Star Tribune, joins the podcast to talk about the award-winning media brand’s digital transformation journey, customer acquisition, and the company’s focus on long-term sustainability.

When you’re a leader in uncharted territory—like trying to plan a mega-event during a pandemic—what do you do? Make your own map. Brand visionary and dynamic leader Wendy Blackshaw has been making her own map using digital tools throughout an adventurous career. Wendy joins the podcast to talk about how digital has changed what’s possible in marketing, her experience building mega-event brands (including Super Bowl LII & the upcoming NCAA Women’s Final Four 2022), and why trusting your team of experts is vital to successful outcomes.

We are living in an increasingly digitized world, but we'll always be physical beings. Good design is no longer either only digital or only physical—it must function in both spaces, harmoniously. Capsule co-founder & CMO, design philosopher and author Aaron Keller brings his thoughtfulness to the show to discuss digital design theory and practice, sustainable packaging, and why designers must see the consumer as a human being first.

Dust from the Digital "big bang" is still settling. Global retail executive & Advisory Board member Craig Herkert knows the digital world is in its infancy and that change is just what business leaders and professionals sign up for. Craig joins the podcast to talk big picture: adapting to survive, the ethics of moving with—not in front of—your consumer, and why Sears failed to become Amazon.