The Marketing Meeting with Itir Eraslan

In this episode, Allan Dib, founder of Lean Marketing and author of two bestsellers, shares his approach to setting loose goals and tight systems for continual progress—including how traditional goal-setting frameworks fall short. He explains the fundamentals of the lean marketing approach, and argues that today's marketers need to niche down—way down.

Allan is the founder of Lean Marketing, a marketing accelerator that helps individuals and organizations learn and implement marketing best practices in-house. He is best known as the author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan and Lean Marketing (almost a million copies sold).

Allan recommends Via Battisti coffee in Melbourne: https://www.viabattisti.com His book recommendation is The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Mountain-David-Brooks/dp/0812993268

Connect with Allan Dib on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allandib/

If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this podcast, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itireraslan/

In this episode, Itir chats with Chris Do, an Emmy-winning designer and founder of Blind and The Futur. They touch on Chris's pivot from brand design to education, and dig into his practical advice for new entrepreneurs. Chris highlights the importance of staying financially secure before starting a business, finding market gaps that fit your skills, and offering free or low-cost services to build your experience. They also dive into client engagement tips, the pros and cons of project-based pricing, and the essentials of personal branding in today's digital world.

Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur—an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love. He currently serves as the chairman of the board for the SPJA, and as an advisor to Saleshood. He has also served as: advisory board member for AIGA/LA, Emmys Motion & Title Design Peer Group, Otis Board of Governors, Santa Monica College and Woodbury University.

Chris doesn't drink coffee, but he likes the matcha latte at Sunright Tea Studio (various locations, including southern California): https://www.snrtea.com/location-category/southern-california/

His book recommendation is 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness: Power Ideas from America's Foremost Business Philosopher, by Jim Rohn: https://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Wealth-Happiness-Americas-Philosopher/dp/0761506160

Connect with Chris Do on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechrisdo

If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this podcast, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itireraslan/

Professor Anindya Ghose discusses his upcoming book on AI and wellbeing, explaining the "House of AI" framework that corporate leaders can use to build an AI-driven organization and its applications in marketing. He covers topics like data engineering, marketing mix modeling, and the future of mobile advertising. He also shares insights on maintaining traditional marketing principles while embracing AI technologies, and why human creativity and intuition aren't going anywhere in the age of AI.

Anindya Ghose is the Heinz Riehl Chair Professor at NYU Stern, specializing in quantitative marketing and tech economics. Recognized as a Top 40 Under 40, and Thinkers50, he authored the best-selling and award winning book TAP: Unlocking the Mobile Economy and the upcoming release Thrive: Maximizing Well-Being in the Age of AI. He has been interviewed and his research has been profiled numerous times in the BBC, Bloomberg TV, CNBC, The Economist, Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere.

You can pre-order his new book, (with Ravi Bapna), THRIVE: Maximizing Well-Being in The Age of AI: https://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Maximizing-Well-Being-Age-AI/dp/0262049317

Anindya's preferred coffee spot in New York City is Blue Bottle Coffee: https://bluebottlecoffee.com/cafes

His favorite book is No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs with David Roberts: https://www.amazon.com/No-Shortcuts-Top-Climbing-Highest/dp/0767924711

Connect with Anindya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jeffrey-funk-a979435

Anindya's personal website: https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~aghose/contents/bio.html

If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itireraslan/

Dr. Jeffrey Funk offers a balanced perspective on AI hype, discussing the importance of understanding processes, evaluating technological progress, and critically assessing market signals. He emphasizes the need to look beyond superficial claims, like the idea that AI will replace 95 percent of marketers' workload. He also highlights potential pitfalls in AI adoption, and provides insights on avoiding investment bubbles in the tech industry.

Jeffrey's recommended book is Emmanuel Maggiori's Siliconned: How the tech industry solves fake problems, hoards idle workers, and makes doomed bets with other people's money: https://www.amazon.com/Siliconned-industry-problems-workers-peoples-ebook/dp/B0D7MRG775

He doesn't drink coffee, but likes to meet people at Tiong Bahru bakery near his home in Singapore: https://www.tiongbahrubakery.com/

Connect with Dr. Jeffrey Funk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jeffrey-funk-a979435

If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itireraslan/

Ashley Gross, AI marketing strategist and founder of the Prompt community, discusses how entrepreneurs can leverage AI to build businesses rapidly. She shares insights on overcoming challenges, creating personalized marketing campaigns on a budget, and using specialized AI tools. Ashley also details her journey from corporate marketer to AI-empowered entrepreneur. Ashley is an AI marketing strategist and entrepreneur with ten years of marketing experience and four years of expertise in AI-driven strategies. She is the founder of a company dedicated to making AI education affordable and accessible, bridging the gap in AI literacy.

Ashley's favorite coffee spot is A Place at the Table, the first pay-what-you-can café in Raleigh, NC. Her book choice is Brené Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection. Connect with Ashley Gross on LinkedIn. If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Itır talks to Irit Levi, founder of Day by Day, about how marketers can optimize software selection and automation. Irit introduces the "Three Ps"—Purpose, Process, and People—framework for choosing software and stresses the need for automation to follow defined processes. They discuss ethical email list building, choosing email marketing platforms, and the importance of maintaining ownership when outsourcing. Irit also emphasizes the benefits of specialized tools like Zapier and Airtable for automation and data management, and provides insights on balancing free and paid software options.

Irit Levi helps coaches, creatives, and consultants scale their businesses with process, strategy, software, and automation. She has provided 13,697+ software recommendations over the years. But at her core, she's about SCALABILITY, not software. Her approach is different because she believes technology is just a tool. It's only as valuable as it is helpful.

Irit enjoys the coffee and sandwiches her son makes for her at home. She's currently appreciating The Home We Build Together, Recreating Society by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

Find Irit on LinkedIn. If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn.

Harvard professor Iavor Bojinov joins the show to discuss how businesses should experiment to learn how AI can best support their efforts. The conversation also touches on how AI models are developed, the importance of trust, and the fundamental shift in marketers' roles in the AI era. Iavor is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration and the Richard Hodgson Fellow at Harvard Business School. He is the co-PI of the AI and Data Science Operations Lab. Iavor's favorite coffee spot in Boston is Intelligentsia. His recommended read is Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World by Marco Iansiti and Karim Lakhani. Connect with Iavor Bojinov on LinkedIn.

If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Reid Robinson, Lead AI Product Manager at Zapier and self-proclaimed "student of social media," discusses the impact of AI and automation on marketing. He explores how AI can help us personalize customer communication, repurpose content, and streamline internal processes. You'll learn about the importance of providing context to AI models to drive more valuable outputs—and what can go wrong when you let AI write all your social media content!

Reid harnesses the powers of AI and automation at Zapier, leading the development of innovations such as the AI Actions and the OpenAI’s GPTs. His eclectic career, fueled by curiosity, determination, and a healthy dose of professional schmoozing, started with making 120 cold calls a day sans computer, selling conference tickets. Since then, he’s established strategic partnerships at both Zapier and Hootsuite, co-founded and led cocoNFT to acquisition, and returned to Zapier to spearhead AI product management. Outside of work, Reid enjoys a heated game of Root or Clank, trying new restaurants, and traveling with his wife and their 2-year-old explorer-in-training.

What Reid has been reading: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Reid's favorite coffee shop in Vancouver: Milano Coffee

Connect with Reid Robinson on LinkedIn and Twitter.

If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn.

In this thought-provoking episode, Itır Eraslan interviews Jason Fulton, an old friend and colleague and expert in consumer insights. They delve into the significance of qualitative research, emphasizing empathy, human-centric strategies, and storytelling in understanding consumer behavior. Fulton shares experiences from his agency, This Memento, discussing innovative approaches to marketing and insights, including the impact of AI on consumer research, and his agency's proven three-step "DIG" (Discover, Ideate, Go) approach to every project.

Jason is the founder of This Memento Amsterdam⁠, a people-centric insights and strategy agency. He has always been a disrupter with the need to make decisions with intuition, informed by people.

Jason loves to enjoy the live music and waterfront view (and the coffee) at Pllek in Amsterdam.

Jason's chosen book: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.

Connect with Jason Fulton on LinkedIn.

If you have any questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn.

Nemanja Zivkovic, founder of Funky Marketing, joins the podcast to discuss trends and best practices in B2B marketing, what it means to be a fractional CMO, why a relationship-based approach is the way to win, and how he leverages AI tools for success in his business. Nemanja is a B2B tech and SaaS growth strategist and the founder of Funky Marketing, a strategic marketing company that uses research, strategy, and creative to help B2B tech firms grow and build demand for how buyers buy (social, communities, relationships) by enhancing positioning, planning, and execution. Connect with Nemanja: Website: https://funkymarketing.net/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zivkovicnemanja/ If you have questions about brands and marketing, connect with the host of this channel, Itir Eraslan, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itireraslan/