If your best marketing people feel like they're doing the work of three, is that a workload problem or a structure problem?

Agility isn't just moving faster. It's being able to change how your team is built, repeatedly, without the work coming apart in the process.

Today we're talking about the architecture of the marketing team itself. Budget pressure, a tight talent market, and rising expectations for output have a lot of leaders asking people to do more inside a structure that was designed for a different set of demands. We'll get into:

- What actually belongs on the core team — and what doesn't.

- How to bring in outside talent without the brand behaving differently depending on who's doing the work.

- What to measure when the team is no longer all in one place, or all human.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Pranav Dalal, CEO & Founder at Office Beacon.

About Pranav Dalal

Meet Pranav Dalal, a Harvard Business School alumnus with decades of global business experience. A visionary entrepreneur, Pranav has successfully scaled companies from small teams to operations with thousands of employees. A published writer in prestigious publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur.com, he has been honored with the Vistage Business Impact Award and is a Member of The Forbes Business Council. As Chairman and CEO of Office Beacon, Pranav leads the company to new heights, expanding its presence across the USA, India, the Philippines, Mexico, and South Africa, with even greater growth on the horizon.

Pranav Dalal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranavdalal/

---------- Resources ----------

Office Beacon: https://www.officebeacon.com/

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%. https://aglbrnd.co/r/c70c250b8d52dff3

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms. See more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f76be3a33cc491bb

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deena Zenyk, VP of Customer Engagement, Service Delivery at Spotlight, argues that customer advocacy stopped being a content quota the moment AI tools started assembling B2B shortlists from analyst research, peer reviews, and community threads. She and Greg Kihlström get into what that changes.

The first reader of your customer's testimonial may not be a buyer. Zenyk co-wrote The Messenger is the Message on the premise that a credible messenger carries the message — and revisits whether that holds when a model summarizes the messenger first.

Scaling authentic voices can fragment the company they describe. More reference calls, review posts, and analyst conversations running in parallel produce plenty of credible stories that don't add up to one recognizable company. Zenyk on what holds them together.

Advocacy earns standing through measures a CFO recognizes. Deal velocity, expansion, and competitive win rate versus the roadmap changes and early objections that never land in a number — and how to argue for both.

About Deena Zenyk

Deena Zenyk is VP, Customer Engagement at Spotlight. With more than 10 years' experience in advocate marketing, she is a world-leading expert and pioneer in advocate marketing. Her guiding professional principle is to make leading-edge marketing philosophies and practices accessible and actionable for the everyday marketer.

Deena Zenyk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dzenyk/

---------- Resources ----------

Spotlight: https://www.spotlight-io.com

This episode is brought to you by Spotlight. Spotlight is pioneering the future of influence orchestration in the B2B buyer journey. Trusted by over 165 teams globally, Spotlight is the world’s leading analyst relations consultancy and industry platform. Learn more at www.spotlight-io.com

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Airstream CMO Mollie Hansen and Nomadics founder Chris Pendl built Camp Airstream as a product owners pay to attend, not a campaign — then had to prove to the business what that community is actually worth.

An experience becomes a product when people come back to it. Camp Airstream runs as an ongoing program rather than a campaign moment, which changes who owns it, how it's staffed, and what "finished" means.

The hard part is internal. Hansen and Pendl on the people, processes, and technology behind a consistent experience, and on making the investment case when the return doesn't land on a quarterly dashboard.

Trust has real economics behind it. How brand affinity and community connect to loyalty, lifetime value, and acquisition — and what the team decided was a credible stand-in for community health.

About Mollie Hansen

Mollie Hansen is CMO at Airstream, where she leads the brand’s approach to marketing, experience and community. Since joining Airstream’s executive team in 2011, Mollie has helped guide the brand through a period of sustained growth and renewed cultural relevance by focusing on the complete customer journey from inspiration to ownership. Her work emphasizes experience as a driver of loyalty and long-term value, while staying grounded in Airstream’s enduring promise of exploration, craftsmanship and connection.

Mollie Hansen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-hansen-5678185/

About Chris Pendl

Chris Pendl is the founder and principal of Nomadics, a strategy and experience design agency working at the intersection of brand, loyalty and live experiences. He partners with premium outdoor, travel and lifestyle companies to turn experiential marketing into measurable growth, designing membership programs, experiential platforms and brand-led communities that drive retention, advocacy and revenue. Nomadics’ work combines strategic insight with real-world execution, enabling brands to move beyond one-off moments and build lasting customer relationships.

Chris Pendl on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispendl/

---------- Resources ----------

Airstream: https://www.airstream.com

Nomadics: https://www.nomadics.work

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Giordano, Head of DoorDash Ads at DoorDash, argues that retail media stopped being an ad channel the moment the gap between an impression and a delivered order collapsed to minutes. He and Greg Kihlström get into what that changes for enterprise brands.

Commerce platforms are becoming full-funnel media, not a lower-funnel add-on. DoorDash isn't a traditional retailer, and Espinosa explains what its data shows about consumer intent that a retailer's doesn't — and what strains first in an enterprise media plan built around flighting and frequency when the purchase happens in minutes.

"AI" hides very different decisions inside an ad system. Giordano draws the line between where a model is genuinely making the call — bidding, ranking, creative assembly — and where a person is still setting rules that a system simply executes faster.

Retail media's credibility problem is that the network grades its own homework. On the LiveRamp partnership, what an advertiser has to be able to verify independently before an incrementality number means anything, and where DoorDash draws the line on data collaboration.

When an AI agent places the order, there's no creative to persuade it. What has to be true about a brand's product data, pricing, and availability to get selected by a machine acting on the customer's behalf.

About Peter Giordano

Peter Giordano is GM of Platform & Growth Services for DoorDash Ads. In this role, he is responsible for a variety of initiatives including global expansion; agency partnerships; scaling platform operations and productivity; and developing external integrations and offsite expansion.

Previously he was COO at Seva, a venture-backed enterprise software business, where he led go-to-market for their early stage knowledge automation SaaS platform. Before Seva, he held various positions in Revenue Operations and Marketing at Simulmedia, a video advertising technology company, eventually serving as SVP of Sales Operations & Strategy. He started his career in various facets of the media industry in New York – including positions in strategy and marketing at Time Inc.; and roles in the network news division at NBC Universal, including that of producer on the “TODAY” Show. 

Peter received his undergraduate degree in Government cum laude from Harvard University, and an MBA with honors from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He lives outside of New York City with his wife and two daughters.

Peter Giordano on LinkedIn

---------- Resources ----------

https://www.doordash.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems.

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save!

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit!

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose.

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off.

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show.

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology.

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if, by the time a B2B buyer ever talks to your sales team, the decision is already mostly made, and somewhere you can't see and can't measure?

For years, agility meant being quick with the latest tools. Now it means something harder: letting go of long-held assumptions about the buyer's journey and accepting that influence has scattered across a decentralized network of peers, creators, and AI — much of it happening in places brands don't control and can't track.

Today we're digging into a fundamental shift in how B2B buyers, especially the next generation, actually make decisions. We'll explore:

• How generational change, led by the most AI-forward buyers yet, is reshaping the B2B buying landscape.
• Why linear demand-gen models strain in an era of communal buying and AI-driven discovery.
• The rising pull of peer reviews, independent creators, and AI-generated answers, and what that does to your brand's credibility.

To help me dig in, I'd like to welcome Katie Allison, Senior Manager of Research and Insights at TrustRadius by HG Insights.

About Katie Allison

Katie Allison, Senior Manager of Research and Insights at TrustRadius, HG Insights, looked into how generational behavior is reshaping go-to-market strategy. She brings a data-backed perspective on how AI, social proof, and digital-native expectations are colliding to change who buyers trust, with recent findings from the From Boomers to Zoomers report.

Katie Allison on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kathryn-allison

---------- Resources ----------

TrustRadius by HG Insights:

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If a growing share of your customers now begin their shopping journey on a platform you don't own — and can't see into — is your website still your most important marketing asset?

Agility here isn't just about reacting to new customer behavior. It's about building an infrastructure that can meet customers wherever they show up, and still have the brand behave like one company when it gets there.

Today, we're going to talk about:

- The great fragmentation of product discovery and why traditional marketing funnels are becoming obsolete.

- Strategies for maintaining brand and data consistency across countless channels when only 14% of consumers say it's done well today.

- The role of AI and automation in not just personalizing experiences, but optimizing for new discovery engines.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Gary Lombardo, CMO at Athos Commerce.

About Gary Lombardo

Gary Lombardo is Chief Marketing Officer at Athos Commerce, where he leads marketing, brand strategy, communications, and thought leadership. With more than 20 years of experience in retail technology, ecommerce, and SaaS, he helps retailers navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI-powered commerce. Gary is a frequent speaker on topics including artificial intelligence, digital merchandising, product discovery, customer experience, and the future of retail.

Gary Lombardo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garylombardo

---------- Resources ----------

Athos Commerce: athoscommerce.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hilary Smith, CMO at Linnworks, argues that most ecommerce brands believe their operations are already automated — and that the manual work quietly grows as they scale. She and Greg Kihlström get into where it hides and what it costs.

AI's most consequential move in retail is happening in the back office, not the front end. After years of chatbots and personalization, the investment is shifting into inventory, fulfillment, and order management — where being wrong is expensive and visible.

Peak season is a volume-and-velocity problem, not a basket-size problem. Smith on which parts of the traditional peak playbook break first when order throughput climbs, and how a tech freeze changes what a brand can realistically fix in-season.

A stockout is a brand moment. Operational failures are where customers decide what a company is actually like — which puts a CMO on the hook for outcomes they don't directly own.

About Hilary Smith

Hilary Smith is Chief Marketing Officer at Linnworks. She brings 12+ years of experience driving growth through data-informed strategy across supply chain, ecommerce and FinTech. Hilary thrives at the intersection of brand, product and demand, translating complex customer and commercial data into campaigns that drive revenue, sharpen positioning and move the business forward. Her leadership style is grounded in empathy, curiosity and a deep understanding of how customers discover, convert and keep coming back.

Hilary Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarypaigesmith/

---------- Resources ----------

Linnworks: https://www.linworks.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%. https://aglbrnd.co/r/c70c250b8d52dff3

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms. See more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f76be3a33cc491bb

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As companies invest billions in AI and automation to scale customer interactions, are they unintentionally building a wall between their brand and the very people they're trying to serve?

Agility requires that as technology accelerates, our ability to listen to and understand the customer must accelerate even faster.

Today, we're going to talk about how organizations can maintain and deepen their connection to consumers in an era increasingly defined by technological distance. We’ll explore:

- Why the more we lean on AI for efficiency, the more we need to invest in genuine human understanding.

- How to translate abstract consumer insights into tangible actions that resonate across the entire organization, not just the marketing department.

- The skills and cultural shifts necessary to prepare marketing teams for a future where empathy is as critical as data analysis.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Melissa Blunte, Director, Consumer Experience at Georgia-Pacific.

About Melissa Blunte

Known for: A “get it done” attitude. With an ownership mentality, strategic thinking, clear communication, persistence, and a willingness to do things differently, I will find a way to get things done.

I am a strategic brand and commercial leader with 20 years of experience driving growth and innovation across Fortune 500 companies and billion-dollar brands such as Zyrtec®, Lipitor®, Similac® Infant Formula, Quilted Northern®, and Angel Soft®.

Throughout my career, I've thrived at the intersection of brand building and business results. From launching products and crafting integrated marketing strategies, to leading high-performing teams and managing P&Ls, my focus has always been on delivering measurable impact.

I bring a unique combination of big-company discipline, cross-functional leadership, and entrepreneurial agility — and I’m energized by the challenge of crafting strategy and turning them into actions that drive value.

Melissa Blunte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mapp-blunte-b452359/

---------- Resources ----------

: https://www.gp.com/

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Kaput, Chief Content Officer at Marketing AI Institute, joins Greg Kihlström to unpack the gap between an AI pilot that demos well and an AI capability the enterprise can actually run on.

"AI strategy" describes very different things at different companies. Kaput on what he finds underneath the phrase once you start asking what the systems actually do, and who is accountable when they do it wrong.

The pilot-to-production gap is an operating problem, not a technology one. What changes about marketing operations, decision ownership, and oversight when execution moves to machines and the team's job shifts toward judgment.

Hours saved is not a business case. How more mature organizations connect AI work to outcomes a CFO recognizes — and how a marketing leader spots a brand becoming faster and less consistent at the same time.

About Mike Kaput

Mike Kaput is a recognized expert on marketing, content, and artificial intelligence. He is also a writer, speaker, and author. Mike currently serves as Chief Content Officer at Marketing AI Institute, where he uses marketing, content, and AI to grow traffic, leads, and revenue. Mike previously served in a marketing leadership role at HubSpot's first-ever partner agency.

Mike Kaput on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekaput/

---------- Resources ----------

: marketingaiinstitute.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

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Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

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Melissa Ryan, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Federated Hermes, moved a global investment manager's website onto Optimizely and found the technology was the easy part. She joins Greg Kihlström at Opticon.

A migration surfaces the questions nobody had to answer before. Who owns a page, who signs off, and what finally gets retired all become unavoidable once the platform changes — and settling them is harder than the build.

Segmentation runs on self-declaration until it doesn't. Financial advisors, institutional investors, and individual investors need genuinely different content, and Ryan gets into the gap between what visitors tell you about themselves and what their behavior reveals.

"AI" hides two very different decisions. A tool that speeds up a human's draft is not the same commitment as a system that produces and ships on its own — Ryan on which one is realistically usable inside a regulated firm in the next year.

About Melissa Ryan

Melissa Ryan is Vice President and Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Federated Hermes, where she leads strategic digital initiatives that strengthen the firm’s global brand and advance key marketing objectives. She specializes in transforming business goals into scalable, data-driven solutions that improve efficiency, enhance stakeholder engagement, and drive innovation across digital channels. Melissa has extensive experience leading complex cross-functional projects and delivering executive-level insights that support strategic decision-making. She holds an MBA in Management from Point Park University and a BA in Media Communications and Social Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Melissa Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-ryan-9a446411/

---------- Resources ----------

: https://www.federatedhermes.com/

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

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Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.