It's a Customer's World with Andy Murray

In this episode of “It’s a Customer’s World” podcast, @Andy Murray is joined by @Chris Wallace, Co-Founder and President of @InnerView Group. Chris has a rich background as customer experience (CX) strategist and is frequently published in popular outlets including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Ad Age. 

In this show, Andy and Chris take a deep dive into customer experience strategy. Listen in to the full conversation as they define CX, why it is important for businesses today, the biggest challenges organizations face today in finding alignment around CX, and much more. 

00:00 Podcast Introduction

01:17 Introducing Chris Wallace

02:22 Getting started in Customer Experience (CX)

03:36 Defining CX

05:00 Identifying if a brand is truly customer centric

06:06 What are the greatest challenges in becoming customer centric today?

08:15 Where does CX live within an organization?

11:16 How to measure the impact of CX

14:38 How brands can listen and understand their customer

16:52 The importance of a human touch in CX

19:50 What is the most important aspect of CX?

23:23 Trying to understand consumer sentiment at scale

26:01 The strong correlation between company culture and CX

31:03 What is the role of technology in-store?

36:00 Companies that are currently excelling at CX

38:00 What does InnerView do for their clients?

40:52 What insights have been uncovered through the work of InnerView?

42:42 Advice for students and young professionals

Chris Wallace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherewallace/

InnerView Group LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/innerviewgroup

Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/

bigQUEST LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/thebigquest

Andy is joined by Simon Francis, Executive Chair of Flock Associates. Simon has extensive experience leading transformation through integrated and effective marketing and communications. Since founding Flock Associates, Simon has helped brands like Amazon, Ford, Shell, Toyota, McDonalds, and ASDA navigate marketing transformation at many levels.

Their conversation covers a wide range of topics including the entrepreneurial journey, navigating the growing complexity of MarTech, practices that drive successful transformation, the potential impact marketing has on society, and much more.

00:17 Guest Introduction

03:30 Simon’s entrepreneurial journey

04:58 What new challenges do marketers face today?

06:11 Dealing with variable challenges in marketing today

09:30 The fundamental underpinning of technology and DEI at Flock Associates 

11:15 Flock Associates Pillar 1: People

14:04 The blurred lines between marketing and commerce

16:45 Handling the growing complexity of MarTech and AdTech

20:35 Flock Associates Pillar 2: Partners

24:53 Flock Associates Pillar 3: Procurement

27:30 Bringing in finance

31:16 The power of testing

32:04 Flock Associates Pillar 4: Process

39:02 Advice for students

42:36 The need for leadership today

44:12 Hope for the future

Andy Murray is joined by Ted Wright who currently serves as CEO of Fizz, a global leader in Word of Mouth Marketing. Ted is recognized as a top thought leader in the space and has won numerous public speaking awards for his talks on Word of Mouth Marketing.

In their conversation, the two explore the power of WOMM, key differences between an advocate and an influencer, misconceptions around measurement, and much more.

Topics and Questions:

01:14 Guest Introduction

03:32 When did you first see success with Word of Mouth Marketing?

07:00 Re-igniting the Pabst Blue Ribbon brand

14:40 The connection between advocacy and culture

17:22 Misconceptions around brand advocacy 

25:12 How advocates differ from influencers

28:35 Taking on attribution in WOMM

35:46 Ratings and reviews

40:06 How you can learn more about WOMM

Andy Murray is joined by long-time CPG expert, Kelly Downey. Kelly currently serves as a strategic consultant at Oxford SM and has over 30 years of experience working within the CPG industry. Her career has driven change in field and headquarter sales, trade planning, shopper marketing, and digital/agile transformation.

Their conversation explores the strategic challenges facing the CPG industry as Retail Media Networks continue to transform the way business is done both internally and externally.

Topics and Questions

00:50 Guest Introduction

03:59 Consistent themes and challenges across Retail Media Networks

6:54 How the complexity of RMNs has changed the way leaders are viewing the industry

10:02 The recent shift in expectations and investment in Retail Media Networks

13:27 Where should leadership come from internally on Retail Media Networks?

15:41 How RMNs will impact investment in Shopper Marketing

21:12 What should senior leaders know about the current reality of RMNs

26:04 Reorganization in a rapidly changing Retail Media environment

29:04 Setting boundaries in how you approach spending

30:22 Discussing ownership of RMN dollars

32:45 What senior leaders can learn from those with hands on keyboard

38:26 The power of collaborating with the finance team

41:27 Being strategic vs reactive in an emerging RMN space

43:20 Managing varying brand expectations

44:21 Advice for senior leaders

47:18 The benefit of industry share groups and collaboration

Show Links

Kelly Downey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-dow...

Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmu...

CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cust...

bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com

RMN White Paper: https://tinyurl.com/ymjaxuch

Andy Murray is joined by industry expert, John Sheehy. John has over 30 years of experience in media and technology and recently served as Global Brand President for Starcom Worldwide.

Their conversation addresses how the emergence of retail media networks will shape the media industry of the future, and wraps up with John sharing sage advice to graduating seniors.

Topics and Questions

00:00 Welcome to the show

00:50 Guest introduction

04:10 Characterizing the change we see in media today

06:13 How have clients adapted to a changing retail landscape?

08:09 What challenges do new brands face in terms of discovery?

12:20 Are marketing fundamentals still relevant today?

15:01 Any advice to mid-tier brand CMO’s?

18:23 What is New Road Capital?

23:29 Where do you see opportunity in an emerging RMN space?

27:36 The importance of collaboration

30:09 Questions from Walton College students

30:33 Leveraging varying expertise to take on new challenges

35:14 What moment in your career has refined you the most?

36:45 How early did you know what you would be passionate about?

Show Links

John Sheehy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sheehy-a97b1275/

Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/

CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/

bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com

New Road Captial: https://newroadcp.com/

RMN White Paper: https://tinyurl.com/ymjaxuch

Andy Murray sits down with Jeff Bustos, VP of Commerce and Measurement at the Interactive Advertising Bureau to discuss their journey to develop standards and definitions in an evolving retail media space. Their conversation addresses numerous challenges the retail media industry is facing today, and how collaboration can lead to a brighter future.

Topics and Questions:

00:51 Guest Introduction

3:44 How have you seen the retail media space evolve over the last few years?

5:03 What is IAB?

7:00 How standards across definitions and metrics can elevate the industry

9:38 What challenges are IAB facing in reaching uniformity in industry standards?

11:28 What is the timeline on defining and alignment on industry terms?

12:17 What challenges are ahead on the standardization of measurement?

14:05 How can non-endemic brands use RMN to meet their marketing objectives?

16:35 How will media agencies evolve with the growth of the RMN space?

18:26 What metrics are being sought out on the commercial side of RMNs?

20:55 The benefit of narrowing down on key metrics

22:28 What has surprised you on your journey with IAB?

25:45 What changes were key in forcing the introduction of RMNs?

29:46 The importance of classifying different RMNs

31:00 Global perspective on RMNs

32:26 Viewing Retail Media in an in-store environment

34:19 How you can work with Jeff or IAB

Show Links

Jeff Bustos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bustosjeffrey/

Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/

CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/

bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com

IAB: https://www.iab.com/

RMN White Paper: https://tinyurl.com/ymjaxuch

In this episode, Andy is joined by longtime retail and sustainability expert, Laura Phillips. Laura spent over 2 decades at Walmart where she served as SVP for Corporate Sustainability as well as SVP of Global Sourcing. Andy and Laura explore the evolution of sustainability, in-store challenges in an omnichannel world, and answer questions from Walton College of Business students. Big thank you to Molly Rapert, Katie Fowler, Arthur Cummisky, Megan Maciulski, and Kendall Wentworth for their questions!

Questions and Topics

00:00 Welcome to the Show

00:50 Introducing Laura Phillips

03:28 How do consumers view sustainability?

6:01 The impact of personal sustainability

8:30 How can supplier collaboration generate innovation?

10:47 How can merchants be customer-centric?

13:54 The power of observation

15:24 How important is the in-store space in an omnichannel world?

18:00 How can packaging impact the in-store effectiveness of a product?

21:17 Questions from Walton College of Business students

22:10 The role of curiosity in career growth

24:30 How can corporations regain consumer trust regarding sustainability?

26:29 What is the most unexpected challenge faced in sustainability?

28:00 How can young adults lead a sustainable lifestyle?

29:07 What is one thing you wish you knew entering the workforce?

30:39 How a positive approach to difficult challenges can lead to success

32:43 What the future looks like for Laura Phillips

Show Links

Laura Phillips: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-phillips-5412a52/

Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/

CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/

bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com

Student Profiles:

Katie Fowler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-fowler-144989248/

Arthur Cummisky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-cummisky/

Megan Maciulski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmaciulski/

Kendall Wentworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendall-wentworth/

It's a Customer's World podcast host Andy Murray sat down with Eric Howerton, Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Whyte Spyder. 

Eric is an expert in optimizing a brand’s digital shelf and in this episode he covers his journey into this space and how important an optimized digital shelf is for a brand’s e-commerce growth. 

Questions and Topics:

00:51 Guest Introduction

06:27 How to manage conflicting goals to create effective PDPs

08:33 How do retailers vary in the e-commerce space?

10:25 Do people understand the challenges in this space?

11:17 The interconnection of RMNs and e-commerce

14:42 The underestimated investment it takes to be effective in an evolving retail space

16:11 Who does Whyte Spyder work with?

18:30 Is there a difference in marketplace PDPs vs 1st Party PDPs

19:28 How to achieve better returns on ad spend by improving PDPs

21:45 How to stay on top of such a fast moving space

24:00 The profile of a person that would be successful in this space

27:07 The importance of problem solving in an ambiguous space

29:07 How do you see the industry evolving in the next few years?

30:55 The journey of selling a company you started

33:30 Advice for prospective entrepreneurs

35:00 The future of PodcastVideos.com

37:55 Promo code for first recording session

In this episode of It's a Customer's World, Andy is joined by long-time industry leader, Bryan Gildenberg. Bryan has decades of experience in CPG and e-commerce and currently is the SVP of Commerce at OmniCom Commerce Group. Their conversation focuses on the ever-changing retail landscape and explores the promise and reality of retail media networks.

Topics and Questions:

00:50 Guest Introduction

03:32 How retail media networks have blurred the lines in retail

04:48 How would you describe the promise of retail media networks?

07:08 How would you describe the current reality of retail media networks?

09:22 How the industry is underestimating the tech investment Amazon made to get to this point

11:33 Connecting paid search results to traditional retail strategy

13:00 The importance of inventory forecasting in an evolving retail space

14:20 Understanding how RMNs vary across different retailers

15:30 How can traditional retailers leverage their physical presence?

18:30 Can the industry support the rapid emergence of countless RMNs?

21:20 How will the evolution of retail impact aggregation amongst CPG companies and retailers?

23:10 How will the evolution of retail impact agencies participating in this space?

25:54 What challenges are media teams facing?

30:45 The fundamental difference between performance marketing and shopper marketing

33:47 What new challenges will young brands face in terms of discovery?

37:13 How social media platforms are serving as a source of discovery

39:12 How Amazon’s removal of friction has set them apart

42:37 The positive impact of relevance engineering teams

44:10 How will retailers adapt as consumers grow weary of heavy ad loads

46:50 What will the future of RMNs look like in 2-3 years?

49:07 Will there be more or less RMNs in 2-3 years?

52:41 Wrapping up

The democratization of data is changing the retail landscape. Michael Ellgass, EVP Retail Marketing Solutions at IRI, discusses how insights teams need to adapt to meet the demand for data.

Questions and Conversations:

01:33 Guest Introduction

02:22 Where does IRI come into play for most companies?

03:59 How does the RMN trend play out from a data/insights perspective?

05:33 What challenges are retailers having to work through to get good customer data?

07:32 How do you get to insight as opposed to having an abundance of insights?

09:14 What are you learning about the ability to predict human behavior?

10:25 How should the customer be viewed from a measurement standpoint?

12:23 How do we simplify challenges related to attribution?

13:58 How has the technology evolved around attribution and market mixed marketing?

15:55 How do you view the value of the traditional sales funnel in today’s environment?

17:30 What has surprised you working in the data industry for the last 7 years regarding the consumer?

19:44 How important is storytelling alongside the ability to find insight?

21:47 What do you wish you knew in your career before being exposed to the importance of data and insights?

24:00 Has there been a trend towards treating customer-centricity as the true north?

25:51 What would you say to a graduating student that is looking to join a data and insights company?

28:29 How has the demand for insights and talent evolved?

30:43 What questions should senior executives have on their mind regarding data?

33:28 Any final thoughts for graduating seniors?