AI implementations fail when companies eliminate human touchpoints entirely. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, specializes in integrating machine learning models for Fortune 500 brands like McDonald's and Hyundai. He advocates for strategic handoff triggers that route complex queries to human agents and contextual personalization systems that adapt AI responses to individual customer profiles. The discussion covers designing AI experiences that enhance rather than replace human interaction across customer service workflows.

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Most marketing leaders are automating AI without human oversight. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, explains why customers reject purely automated experiences and demand human interaction. He outlines designing better handoff triggers between AI and human agents, implementing contextual personalization that adapts to individual customer plans and needs, and creating quality checkpoints where humans validate AI outputs before customer-facing deployment.

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AI customer interactions fail when companies prioritize automation over human connection. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, explains why Fortune 500 brands need strategic human oversight in their AI implementations. He outlines better handoff triggers between AI and human agents, contextual personalization frameworks that adapt to individual customer needs, and experience design principles that integrate AI without eliminating the human element customers actually want.

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• AI integration fails when companies ignore human interaction needs. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, specializes in balancing automation with human-centered customer experiences for Fortune 500 brands. He outlines designing better handoff triggers between AI and human agents, implementing contextual personalization that adapts to individual customer plans and preferences, and creating AI systems that enhance rather than replace human touchpoints in customer service workflows.
• Stephen Roach: Website // LinkedIn
• The MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // Twitter
• Benjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn //  Twitter

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Sales and marketing alignment fails when teams optimize for different metrics. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, explains how shared pipeline accountability transforms B2B revenue operations. She details moving SDR teams under marketing leadership while aligning both organizations to pipeline metrics instead of separate SQL and closed-won targets. The discussion covers implementing weekly funnel reviews and restructuring compensation models to create true cross-functional partnership.

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Balancing short-term demand generation with long-term brand health creates constant budget tension. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, explains how enterprise B2B companies maintain pipeline flow without emptying the funnel. She outlines the demand creation versus demand capture framework as a bank account model and demonstrates how modern digital brand marketing can drive immediate conversions through QR codes, form fills, and content CTAs while building trust for high-value software purchases.

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Sales leaders resist marketing initiatives when they don't see immediate pipeline impact. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, shares strategies for building trust with skeptical sales teams while maintaining long-term brand health. She explains how to balance demand creation with demand capture using a "bank account" approach and demonstrates how modern brand marketing can drive measurable conversions through QR codes, content CTAs, and digital touchpoints.

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Marketing and sales teams clash over lead quality versus pipeline readiness. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, explains why sales teams dismiss marketing's lead generation efforts. She reveals that sales wants fully qualified pipeline with verified budget, timing, and buyer intent rather than raw lead volume. The discussion covers how marketers can shift from vanity metrics like website visitors to pipeline metrics that sales actually values.

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Sales and marketing alignment remains elusive despite decades of effort. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, shares proven strategies for bridging the costly departmental divide. She outlines three critical alignment tactics: establishing shared pipeline metrics as the universal success measure, restructuring RevOps to report independently from both departments to eliminate territorial data disputes, and implementing AI-powered SDR tools like Reggie for automated follow-up and Nooks for increased outbound volume.

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Marketing budgets aren't growing but AI investments are essential. David Rabin, CMO at Lenovo Solutions & Services Group, explains how enterprise marketers can fund AI transformation by cutting underperforming programs. He advocates for breaking organizational inertia by eliminating low-ROI sponsorships, ineffective tools, and wasteful staff allocations to create budget space for AI experimentation. Rabin emphasizes using AI's enhanced targeting capabilities to deliver personalized content that connects with prospects at the right moment.

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