Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Corrine Kasman interviews Daniella Latham on the evolving landscape of product marketing. Daniella emphasises the importance of voicing customer needs from the outset of product development, advocating for oneself, and crafting compelling, data-backed narratives. Her approach to building strong, genuine relationships across departments, particularly between product marketing and sales, underscores the necessity of understanding and aligning with sales goals for mutual success. She also shares insights into the role of AI in product marketing and how marketers can utilise AI as a tool to augment human capabilities to focus on solving customer problems.

About the Guest

Daniella Latham is a curious product marketer with experience leading marketing and growth strategies at some of the fastest-growing and innovative SaaS companies in the world She is passionate about product marketing craft, product-led growth, crafting rich narratives, and AI for business. Daniella has twice been named a top 100 product marketing influencer by the Product Marketing Alliance. Daniella is currently working at Atlassian on AI features across their product portfolio.

Connect with Daniella Latham

Key Takeaways

- Voice customer needs and opinions from the beginning of the product development process.

- You need to advocate for yourself. Promote your work and achievements, ensuring visibility and recognition within your organisation.

- Develop the ability to craft compelling narratives backed by data to communicate with target audiences effectively.

- Proactively contact sales teams to offer feedback and insights, fostering solid interdepartmental relationships.

- Recognise the sales team's objectives, such as closing deals and customer satisfaction, to align marketing strategies accordingly.

- Build genuine relationships rather than viewing interactions as mere transactions.

- AI should be used to augment, not replace, human capabilities.

- Focus on how AI solves customer problems rather than just listing features.

- Listen to sales calls to identify knowledge gaps and customer concerns.

- Embrace AI for automating tasks and mining insights from various data sources.

- Shift towards more targeted, specific marketing that addresses core customer segments.

- Recognise the growing importance of community in establishing brand trust and authenticity.

- Prioritise genuine, human-centric approaches in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Quote

"Understand what the sales team’s goals are and then frame how you build relationships around that."

Recommended Resource

Wes Kao’s Newsletter

Lenny’s Newsletter 

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career with Lenny Rachitsky

Product Marketing Alliance

Shout-Outs

Matt Hodges – Head of Product Marketing at Equals

Andrew Capland – Founder of Delivering Value

Mary Sheehan – Head of Lightroom Product Marketing at Adobe

⁠Connect with Daniella Latham⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Chris Moody interviews Jana Eggers on explainability, trends, and tools in AI marketing. Jana emphasizes the need for transparency to identify and correct biases, urging the prioritization of user needs over technological capabilities. She argues that explainability should not be an afterthought but a fundamental aspect of AI. Chris and Jana discuss trends in AI-driven personalization in marketing, pointing out the need for more nuanced feedback mechanisms. The conversation then shifts to best practices for utilizing AI in marketing strategies. Jana advises a balanced approach, combining trust in AI with human expertise and scepticism. 

About the Guest

Jana Eggers is CEO of the neuroscience-inspired artificial intelligence platform company Nara Logics. She’s an experienced tech exec focused on inspiring teams to build great products. She’s started and grown companies and has also led large organizations at public companies. She is active in customer-inspired innovation, the artificial intelligence industry, as well as running and triathlons. She’s held technology and executive positions at Intuit, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Basis Technology, Lycos, American Airlines, Spreadshirt, and more. 

Connect with Jana Eggers

Key Takeaways

- Understanding the reasoning behind AI's decisions is crucial for practical sales, marketing, and healthcare applications.

- Transparency in AI helps identify and correct biases, ensuring fair and ethical use of technology.

- Prioritise understanding user needs over purely focusing on technological capabilities.

- Explainability in AI should be viewed not as an add-on but as a crucial element for effective and contextualised user interaction.

- Challenge the 'better results' notion to include practical usability and relevance to users' contexts.

- Engaging with LLMs helps develop a broader understanding and literacy of AI among users and organisations.

- Popular items can sometimes skew AI recommendations, leading to less relevant suggestions.

- The goal is to evolve AI systems to a point where users feel that recommendations are genuinely tailored for them.

- Don't over-trust AI; use it as a tool while maintaining critical thinking and scepticism.

- Employing AI when scaling beyond human capabilities, such as handling multiple data segments, is needed.

Quote

"Tuning these AI systems without having that explainability is really kind of like surgery with your eyes closed." – Jana Eggers

Recommended Resource 

Elements of AI: https://www.elementsofai.com

⁠Connect with Jana Eggers⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Kelly Hopping interviews Jane Lee on her transition from B2C to B2B marketing. Jane discusses the significance of a strong brand as a sustainable competitive advantage, the necessity of aligning brand position with company vision, and the importance of building brand equity and customer connections. Jane emphasises adapting marketing strategies to support overall business goals, aligning them with sales objectives, and focusing on processes that lead to measurable outcomes. Jane also shares her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for rapidly adaptable marketing strategies in crises. Lastly, we discuss the shift from B2C to B2B marketing regarding data strategies, emphasising the value of direct customer data. 

About the Guest

Jane Gasparian Lee is the Managing Director of B2B Marketing at United Airlines. She leads the United for Business marketing strategy and B2B product development. Prior to joining United Airlines, Jane worked for 10+ years in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry at PepsiCo.  Most recently, she led the product innovation team at Quaker Foods, developing a robust innovation pipeline to drive category growth.  During her time at PepsiCo, she also launched a healthy snacks portfolio for the Chinese market.

Connect with Jane Lee

Key Takeaways

- A robust and well-defined brand is a key sustainable competitive advantage in any market.

- Clearly define your brand's position and ensure alignment with the company vision.

- Prioritise building brand equity and customer connection, which is crucial for long-term success.

- Shift focus from isolated marketing tasks to strategies that align with and support overall business goals.

- Align marketing strategies with sales objectives for cohesive and effective business operations.

- Prioritise strategies and tactics that lead to specific, measurable business outcomes.

- Steer clear of metrics that do not contribute to actual revenue or business success.

- B2C digital experiences shape customer expectations in B2B environments.

- Develop self-service digital options for B2B customers, allowing for efficient and independent transactions.

- Stay attuned to changing digital preferences and behaviours, especially post-pandemic shifts in online purchasing.

- Quickly adapt marketing strategies in response to sudden industry changes or crises.

- High data quality helps you use verified information for more accurate insights.

- Prioritise hiring skilled data scientists to effectively manipulate and draw insights from the data.

- Be transparent and proactive in identifying and addressing data collection and analysis gaps.

Quote

"The only sustainable competitive advantage is your brand." – Jane Lee

Recommended Resource

Podcast: The Daily Podcast

Book: Getting More by Stuart Diamond

⁠Connect with Jane Lee⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Chris Moody interviews Dora Boussias on the nuances of developing a robust data strategy and balancing immediate data requirements with a long-term vision. She underscores the need to align teams, particularly sales and marketing, around a unified set of goals and metrics and foster an environment encouraging transparency and teamwork. Dora also stresses the critical balance between data-driven storytelling and emotional intelligence, emphasising the need for professionals to build relationships and communicate effectively in the workplace. Throughout the conversation, they discuss the importance of adapting to change, investing in soft skills, and the mutual respect required for successful collaboration.

About the Guest

Dora Boussias is a business data and technology strategic thought leader and practitioner with deep domain expertise in data & analytics, enterprise architecture, and digital transformation; accustomed to walking the line between Business & IT, comfortable with driving change at global organizations.  Dora is a passionate frequent speaker on the topics of data, organizational culture, and transformational leadership. She advocates for ‘women in tech’ and was recognized on the ‘Global Data Power Women List 2023’. Dora is a sought-out mentor/coach by early to senior career professionals. She also serves on several advisory boards leveraging her domain expertise and exposure to Financial Services, Insurance, Retail, Education, and Healthcare/MedTech over her 29-year career.

Connect with Dora Boussias 

Key Takeaways

- Coupling technical expertise with a firm grasp of business operations is essential.

- Aim to rapidly access and trust your data, ensuring it meets operational needs and scalability.

- Align your team with a shared language and common goals to prioritise data initiatives effectively.

- Immediate solutions should consider potential future applications to avoid costly revisions later on.

- Build what is necessary for the present while strategically advancing toward a well-defined target state methodically.

- Design data systems that adapt to the macro economy, industry, and technology changes.

- Clear, shared goals and understanding standard success metrics are foundational for effective teamwork.

- Transparency and accountability in roles and expectations encourage a united effort towards organisational objectives.

- Asking "What can I do to help you?" rather than "What can you do for me?" shifts the focus to mutual support and expected progress.

- Change is inevitable, and resisting it is futile. Instead, embracing change and seeking collaboration leads to shared success.

- Respecting what each person brings and approaching interactions with curiosity can drive better collaboration.

- Recognise the importance of personal development in soft skills, often overlooked in traditional education, to improve workplace dynamics.

Quote

"When we work together, we are going further together." – Dora Boussias

Recommended Resource

https://dataverse.com 

Some good people: Could you share the names of 3 inspirational people in the B2B space that you recommend we bring to the show?

George Firican – Founder of LightsOnData Consulting & Training

⁠Connect with Dora Boussias⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Kelly Hopping interviews Jane Lee on her transition from B2C to B2B marketing. Jane discusses the significance of a strong brand as a sustainable competitive advantage, the necessity of aligning brand position with company vision, and the importance of building brand equity and customer connections. Jane emphasises adapting marketing strategies to support overall business goals, aligning them with sales objectives, and focusing on processes that lead to measurable outcomes. Jane also shares her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for rapidly adaptable marketing strategies in crises. Lastly, we discuss the shift from B2C to B2B marketing regarding data strategies, emphasising the value of direct customer data. 

About the Guest

Jane Gasparian Lee is the Managing Director of B2B Marketing at United Airlines. She leads the United for Business marketing strategy and B2B product development. Prior to joining United Airlines, Jane worked for 10+ years in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry at PepsiCo.  Most recently, she led the product innovation team at Quaker Foods, developing a robust innovation pipeline to drive category growth.  During her time at PepsiCo, she also launched a healthy snacks portfolio for the Chinese market.

Connect with Jane Lee

Key Takeaways

- A robust and well-defined brand is a key sustainable competitive advantage in any market.

- Clearly define your brand's position and ensure alignment with the company vision.

- Prioritise building brand equity and customer connection, which is crucial for long-term success.

- Shift focus from isolated marketing tasks to strategies that align with and support overall business goals.

- Align marketing strategies with sales objectives for cohesive and effective business operations.

- Prioritise strategies and tactics that lead to specific, measurable business outcomes.

- Steer clear of metrics that do not contribute to actual revenue or business success.

- B2C digital experiences shape customer expectations in B2B environments.

- Develop self-service digital options for B2B customers, allowing for efficient and independent transactions.

- Stay attuned to changing digital preferences and behaviours, especially post-pandemic shifts in online purchasing.

- Quickly adapt marketing strategies in response to sudden industry changes or crises.

- High data quality helps you use verified information for more accurate insights.

- Prioritise hiring skilled data scientists to effectively manipulate and draw insights from the data.

- Be transparent and proactive in identifying and addressing data collection and analysis gaps.

Quote

"The only sustainable competitive advantage is your brand." – Jane Lee

Recommended Resource

Podcast: The Daily Podcast

Book: Getting More by Stuart Diamond

⁠Connect with Jane Lee⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Chris Moody interviews Meredith on B2B marketing. She discusses the need to understand buyers' functional and emotional needs and stresses the importance of authenticity and empathy in marketing. Meredith greatly advocates for realistic communication and tangible evidence to support product claims. Her key strategies include developing detailed customer personas, engaging with sales teams for direct feedback, and continuously testing marketing messages to ensure relevance. Meredith highlights the effectiveness of conversational marketing and the importance of comprehensive strategies that focus on customer retention and acquisition. This conversation offers valuable takeaways for anyone in the B2B space looking to enhance their marketing strategies and build stronger customer relationships.

About the Guest

Meredith has an extensive career in marketing and product management with leadership roles at high-growth and Fortune 500 companies in healthcare and financial services. Most recently, Meredith was Director of Enterprise and Collaborative Marketing at Walgreens, where she led B2B product and brand marketing for the company. A data-driven go-to-market strategist, Meredith is excited about identifying innovative solutions that address current and future customer needs.

Connect with Meredith Hein

Key Takeaways

- Understand and cater to the functional and emotional requirements of your B2B buyers.

- Make sure to communicate realistically about your products and services to build trust with your buyers.

- Demonstrate, don't just claim. Use tangible evidence like data, demonstrations, and customer testimonials to substantiate your claims.

- Foster genuine connections with customers by being authentic and empathetic in your marketing communications.

- Understand the full scope of customer personas. Consider both the role of the customer within their organisation and their stage in the buying process.

- Develop specific personas for important targets to tailor your approach effectively.

- Engage with sales and account management teams for direct customer feedback and insights.

- Focus on understanding what worries your customers, which can inform how to position your services to address their concerns.

- Continuously test your marketing messages with essential target buyers to ensure relevance and engagement.

- Foster genuine, conversational interactions with B2B buyers to create a more human and relatable marketing experience.

- Employ a comprehensive marketing strategy surrounding your customers with positive messages about your product.

- Focus on current and potential clients in your marketing efforts to build stronger relationships.

- Aim not just for customer retention but also for turning customers into advocates for your brand.

Quote

“The B2B buyer is supporting an entire organization, even if it is a small business, and they have emotional needs as well. As a B2B marketer, you need to think about partnering with your account and sales team to help support those emotional needs.” – Meredith Hein

Recommended Resource

Range by David Epstein

Shout-outs

Adam Terenas – CEO & Founder of Health Launchpad

Chris Rahill – Chief Strategy Officer at Yamamoto

Dawn-Marie Kerper – Executive Consultant at Ogilvy

⁠Connect with Meredith Hein⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Corrine Kasman interviews Helana Zhang on her role in shaping Atlassian’s ABM strategy. Helena delves into her career from the semiconductor industry to leading Atlassian's global ABM team. Helena shares her key strategies, such as aligning marketing with sales goals and focusing on top-tier enterprise accounts. She highlights the significance of differentiating between one-to-one and one-to-few strategies, particularly for global accounts with complex structures. Helena emphasises the importance of detailed documentation and goal-setting for effective collaboration across teams and also discusses integrating events into ABM strategies and balancing operational and strategic roles.

About the Guest

Helana is a seasoned enterprise marketer and is currently the Head of Global Account-based Marketing at Atlassian. She has over a decade of experience in ABM, demand generation, and event marketing roles. Prior to Atlassian, Helana led demand gen and campaigns teams at Zuora, Optimizely, and Cisco Meraki, but began her career in the semiconductor space at Texas Instruments in Dallas. Outside of work, Helana enjoys hiking and running around Marin County and chasing around her two-year-old daughter.

Connect with Helena Zhang

Key Takeaways

- Recognise the importance of clearly defining roles within a team, as Helena does with strategists, campaign managers, and others on the ABM team.

- Marketing efforts must be closely aligned with sales goals, as seen in the strategists' role of owning pipeline numbers and aligning with sales.

- Pay attention to specific areas like top-of-funnel and executive journey marketing to reach the right audience.

- Deepen engagement with key accounts by developing in-depth strategies for top-tier enterprise accounts.

- Target CXO and Top-of-Funnel Marketing: Allocate dedicated resources to these areas, emphasising analytics and conversion rates.

- Shift from broad marketing influence metrics to detailed milestone-based assessments.

- Consider the entire journey from deal acceleration to customer loyalty and adoption.

- Coordinate with sales teams to ensure marketing efforts complement sales strategies, particularly in competitive or coexistent environments.

- Manage the trade-offs between one-to-one and one-to-few campaigns, allocating resources effectively.

- Use events as opportunities for high-touch, personalised engagement with key decision-makers.

- Document processes and playbooks diligently to ensure clarity and accountability.

- Clearly define the goals of collaboration in initial conversations with new teams.

Quote

“We really have to start to shift that narrative around ABM to focus more deeply on the milestones that we are delivering in each campaign.” – Helana Zhang 

Recommended Resource

Morning Brew

The Hustle Daily Newsletter 

Robinhood Snacks

⁠Connect with Helena Zhang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Gareth Noonan interviews Alex Donics on Spotify’s evolution in mastering engagement and measuring success. Alex highlights the importance of personalisation, noting that Spotify prioritises individual user experiences. This focus on personalisation, coupled with an emphasis on the needs of creators and listeners, has contributed to Spotify's incredible reach across 184 markets with 550 million listeners. Podcasts, especially during COVID-19, have emerged as powerful tools for topical exploration, allowing creators and brands to connect deeply with audiences. Alex dives into how Spotify has refined its strategies to offer brands effective means of engagement and debunks common myths about audio advertising's measurability.

About the Guest

Alex is the Global Director of Demand Marketing at Spotify, where he leads a global B2B marketing team that is responsible for growing demand for Spotify Advertising. In his five years at Spotify, Alex has held leadership roles that span marketing, strategy, and partnership development. Prior to joining Spotify in 2018, Alex held several B2C marketing roles at PepsiCo, covering product innovation, channel marketing, and brand communications, working with several of the company’s most-loved trademarks. Before his time at PepsiCo, Alex spent over six years on the agency side, working in communications planning at Publicis Groupe’s Starcom Worldwide. 

Connect with Alex Donics

Key Takeaways

- Personalisation lies at the heart of Spotify's user experience, ensuring no two listener experiences are identical.

- By focusing on the needs and preferences of creators and listeners, Spotify has ensured consistent growth and user engagement. Their emphasis on discovery features enhances their value proposition to both parties.

- Spotify's reach across 184 markets and 550 million listeners is a testament to its adaptability and understanding of global music and audio content trends.

- Collaboration and open-mindedness in leadership can lead to unexpected successes, as in the evolution of the "Discover Weekly" feature.

- Personalisation isn't just a feature—it's a core philosophy that drives growth and user loyalty.

- While scale is essential, ensuring quality reach for brands is paramount for impactful advertising.

- Audio shouldn't be boxed into just upper-funnel campaigns; it has potential across various marketing funnels.

- Successful audio campaign measurement hinges on three pivotal metrics: reach, resonance, and reaction.

- Effective communication is more than just data-driven precision; it's about connecting with audiences on a deeper level.

Quote

"What drives our engagement is that we always put the creator and the listener first.” – Alex Donics 

Recommended Resource

Exit Five - B2B Marketing with Dave Gerhardt

The B2B Marketing Podcast

The Bigger Narrative with Andy Raskin

⁠Connect with Alex Donics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Erik Blaze interviews Carolyn Crandall on the evolving world of marketing and AI integration. She discusses the importance of personalised customer experiences and adopting a full-stack marketer mindset. Marketers should strategise effectively, embrace continuous learning, and recognise AI's diverse impact beyond content creation. Forward-thinking leaders and tools like Imperative drive innovative marketing initiatives through data correlation and sentiment analysis.  

About the Guest

Carolyn Crandall is a technology CMO and executive with over 30 years of experience in building emerging technology markets in security, networking and storage industries. She has a demonstrated track record of successfully taking companies from pre-IPO through to multibillion-dollar sales and has held leadership positions at Attivo Networks, Cisco, Juniper Networks, Nimble Storage, Riverbed and Seagate. Carolyn is recognized as a global thought leader on technology trends and for building strategies that connect technology with customers to solcomplexult information technology challenges.

Connect with Carolyn Crandall

Key Takeaways

- The interconnectedness of today's world demands a seamless and personalised customer experience. It's crucial to ensure that your brand resonates with the audience, making them want to engage in business with you.

- A full-stack marketer mindset focuses on the holistic customer experience.

- Amidst rapid changes, it's essential to strategise effectively, start with small steps, and move quickly in executing projects.

- Emphasise ongoing self-improvement and learning. Dedicate your day to learning and development to stay ahead of the curve.

- While AI might not replace all functions, its integration can significantly improve efficiency, enabling marketers to undertake more activities and experiments.

- Recognise AI's role beyond content and creativity, particularly in reporting, analytics, and predictive modelling.

Quotes

“So much has changed that I just encourage people to think strategically and think big but move fast and start small wherever you can to move your projects and initiatives.” –  Carolyn Crandall.

Recommended Resource

Marketing AI Institute

CMO Alliance

National Cybersecurity Society

Shout-outs

Leslie Alore – GVP, Growth Marketing at Ivanti 

Daniel Raskin – Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer at Mperativ

Melissa Turek – Integrated Marketing Strategy Director at Matter Communications

Connect with Carolyn Crandall⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Episode Summary

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Chris Moody interviews Brian Kotlyar on today’s challenges and opportunities in B2B marketing. Brian emphasizes the pivotal role of data warehouses in refining marketing strategies, noting that traditional methods are waning in effectiveness. He champions smaller, targeted projects for better risk management and stresses the significance of tailoring strategies to individual needs. Even as technology advances, Brian underscores the enduring value of foundational business skills. The discussion guides B2B marketers, urging adaptability, foresight, and a data-driven approach in the modern marketing era.

About the Guest

Brian Kotlyar is VP of Marketing and Growth at Hightouch, a Data Activation company that helps businesses automatically get their most valuable data into the hands of their business teams. Before this, he was SVP of Marketing at New Relic, where he helped to lead a tripling in growth rate under the watchful eye of the public markets. He has worked extensively in building and growing multiple B2B startups successfully, including Sprinklr, Intercom, and Dachis Group (acquired by Sprinklr).

Connect with Brian Kotlyar

Key Takeaways

- Achieving growth targets requires revisiting and redefining strategies, especially with old playbooks proving less effective.

- Start small and specific. Initiating projects on a smaller scale allows for better risk management and paves the way for innovative solutions.

- Massive system-wide projects often fail due to their complexity and need for clear direction.

- Data warehouses can efficiently ingest and manage vast amounts of data, making them invaluable for B2B marketing.

- Tailoring marketing strategies to individual or account-specific needs can significantly improve outcomes.

- Sometimes, the most effective solutions are straightforward and don't require overly complex technological implementations.

- Innovative data utilisation can lead to impressive efficiencies and results even with limited resources.

- Properly used, data can replace the need for large teams or budgets by automating and optimising processes.

- Thoughtfully constructed advertising campaigns with a data-backed foundation can achieve remarkable cost-effectiveness.

- Don 't be confined to conventional B2B platforms; explore and leverage B2C platforms for targeted advertising when the data supports it.

- Ground all strategies and innovations in reliable data, using it as a foundation to build upon.

- Despite technological advancements, specific fundamental business and marketing skills remain crucial.

- Marketers should focus on future outcomes, understanding that today's efforts will yield results in the longer term.

Quote

"If you're not figuring out how to build up a deep well of first-party data, manipulate it, and then use it to resurrect old tactics and invent new ones, You're in some trouble." – Brian Kotlyar 

Managing Oneself by Peter F. Drucker

Wynter

Shout-outs

François Dufour – Marketing Partner and CMO in Residence at Decibel Partners

Manav Khurana – Chief Product Officer at New Relic, Inc.

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