In this episode, Alan and Jessica talk about the evolution of Calendly from serving solopreneurs to enterprise organizations, the success factors that have made that shift possible, how she thinks about the RIO and effectiveness of marketing spend, and balancing the need to drive results and be creative through “creative destruction.”.  Jessica Gilmartin is an amateur baker, an ex-yogurt mogul, and the new Chief Revenue Officer at the scheduling automation platform Calendly. She took her first marketing job at Dell, which prompted a move to the Bay Area, where she also started and sold a chain of yogurt stores. Before joining Calendly in 2023, Jessica was Head of Revenue Marketing at Asana and had also served as CMO of three high-growth, venture-backed startups, building their global enterprise marketing engines during rapid growth periods.  Calendly started with a basic scheduling link for individuals, but business users needed more team features, and enterprise users needed more admin and security features, so the product grew to meet those needs. Jessica tells us they are building for scale but are sure to never lose sight of the individual user's success. Her team is focused on how to tell a complete story with comprehensive features while maintaining simplicity in the product and the messaging. To do that, Jessica and her team have to experiment. Marketing changes all the time, and what worked then will not work now, so marketers have to be creative to drive results. She refers to this as “creative destruction” and encourages her team to make 70–80% of what they are doing every quarter new. However, to make this work, her team must trust that failing is not career-ending as long as they learn from it. Jessica also outlines how her approach to segmenting and communicating expectations around marketing spend facilitates experimentation. AI is a place where many companies are experimenting. However, within their product, the Calendly team sees a huge amount of opportunities they are pursuing, but they are taking a measured approach to keep their users' interests top of mind. Alan and Jessica wrap up by talking about accepting and embracing hard feedback, the importance of listening to her gut feelings, why markets have to learn sales, and the shifts coming from the consumerization of B2B tech.  In this episode, you'll learn about:How Calendly developed through user feedbackWhat “creative destruction” is and the culture needed to make it work How Jessica segments out her budget to maximize RIO and the effectiveness  Key Highlights:[01:55] A love of baking born out of necessity [03:10] From investment banker to CMO[04:40] Wait… a yogurt shop?[06:20] Where Calendly started and where they are now[08:00] Comprehensive solutions rooted in simplicity[09:20] Success factors for shifting from serving one to many[11:00] ROI and effectiveness of marketing[14:00] Fulfill your commitments and build trust to get more wiggle room. [14:45] Balancing the need to drive results and be creative [17:10] The AI portion of the show is a little different this time.[19:45] How Calendly is using AI[21:30] Learning to accept and embrace really hard feedback[24:25] Advice to her younger self[25:20] Advice to other marketers [26:05] Trends and subcultures[26:45] Marketers basically have to be magicians Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jacqueline Woods is the Chief Marketing Officer for Teradata, the cloud analytics and data platform for AI, headquartered in San Diego, California. Jacqueline joined Teradata from NielsenIQ, where she was a member of the executive leadership team and Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. She also spent nearly 10 years as CMO of the IBM Global Partner Ecosystem Division, where she focused on building cloud, data, AI, and SaaS strategies. Before that, she was Global Head of Customer Segmentation & Customer Experience at General Electric and also held roles of increasing responsibility at Oracle for 10 years, as well as leadership roles at Ameritech and GTE, now Verizon. Thankfully, Jacqueline has always loved math, because, as she points out, marketing today is based mostly on data. However, she also emphasizes the importance of empathy and notes that it is essential in creating a space where people can be authentic and drive innovation, productivity, and product design.In this episode, Alan and Jacqueline talk about where trust fits into the AI conversation, what leaders need to know before launching an AI initiative, and how AI can boost efficiency and productivity. Jacqueline also tells us why underrepresented people, like black female business leaders, need to be involved in AI as it evolves. While AI has been around for a while, it became all the rage at the end of 2022 with public access to tools like ChatGPT. AI is based on patterns, some factual and some non-factual. So that poses the question: how do we trust AI? That's where Teradata comes in. By having responsible people create the models, take responsibility, and think critically about the training, governance, and outcomes, Teradata is focused on building the trust required to use artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence, and large language models for their “global 10,000” clientele, like American Airlines and United Healthcare. These companies rely on Teradata for their cloud data and analytics workloads. Teradata has been stewards of trusted information and data since they were founded about 40 years ago, and they believe people thrive when empowered with better and entrusted information.In this episode, you'll learn about:Why is empathy important for marketers?The importance of clean data Why do underrepresented people have to participate in the evolution of AI?Our Sponsor:Download Emailtooltester’s free comparison spreadsheet to find the best email marketing service for your business.Key Highlights:[02:10] What is empathy?[03:45] Why marketers need empathy [07:00] How a love of math led her to marketing [10:30] Her path to Teradata[19:00] How can business leaders ensure AI can be trusted?[21:50] What to do before launching an AI initiative?[26:45] Remaining authentic using AI[30:20] Creative AI use cases as workforce multipliers[33:00] Why underrepresented groups need to participate in AI [36:20] What we can all learn from Moe[41:45] “Of course it’s Ai!”[42:10] Watching the shifting nature of work[44:40] Can you explain what marketing does and why it’s important?Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alan and Robin discuss his path from Wall Street to citizenM, their focus on affordable luxury, the innovations they are bringing to the hospitality industry, and who they are working to serve. Robin also tells us about their unique citizensOf campaign and how it is helping them integrate into communities, as well as their partnership with World Bicycle Relief and how they encourage their guests to participate in impactful ESG initiatives. Robin Chadha is the Amsterdam-based Chief Marketing Officer of citizenM, where he leads the Brand & Communications team. Robin is half Indian, half Dutch, and was educated in American schools his entire life, giving him a deep understanding and appreciation for different cultures from a young age. He spent his first year after graduation on the floor of the NYSE and did another year in the offices, but knew it wasn't the place for him. He made the move into fashion by joining Tommy Hilfiger in New York, where he fell in love with the industry. He then moved back to the Netherlands to join his father's fashion company, Mexx, but left shortly after it was sold to Liz Claiborne. In 2005, Robin entered hospitality by launching Rain, a unique design-led food and drink experience venue in Amsterdam. Robin has always had a passion for travel, so he sold Rain in 2008 to join the budding citizenM team, where he has since been responsible for growing citizenM into the worldwide, distinctly recognizable hotel and lifestyle brand it is today.citizenM was founded by Robin's father, Rattan Chadha, and opened its first hotel at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in 2008. When Rattan ran Mexx, he saw his designers traveling the world unable to find affordable luxury hotels to stay in, so they became the pioneers in affordable luxury with a focus on emotional connections, efficiencies, and experiences. Today, citizenM owns and operates 30 hotels in most major cities across the world. They focus on Bleisure travelers that are blending business and leisure, leverage their citizenOf campaign to overcome issues when integrating into new cities, and maintain impressive ESG and charity initiatives to encourage their guests to improve the world citizenM is helping them experience. In this episode, you'll learn about:The market gap citizenM was created to fill, and what a Bleisure Traveler is How citizenM inspires their guests to participate in ESG and charitable giving initiatives The creative citizenOf campaigns being used to launch new locations Our Sponsor:Download Emailtooltester’s free comparison spreadsheet to find the best email marketing service for your business.Key Highlights:[01:50] Polar opposites in travel, from Thailand to Dubai[03:40] From Wall Street, to fashion, to founder, to here[08:50] The idea behind citizenM Hotels[11:55] daring to disrupt and gain ground [14:45] 4 pillars it’s all built on [16:30] What is “Bleisure”?[19:05] citizensOf Campaign [26:15] citizenMovement initiative [30:40] The impact of growing up in three distinct cultures [33:30] What AI cannot do and what we do with data[35:10] Art and fashion trends Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover how Circle mastered community building in their all-in-one platform. Learn about finding the right community members, creating valuable interactions, and leveraging signature gatherings. Dive into the world of AI in marketing and the importance of creativity in navigating the evolving landscape.

Lee Thompson is the co-founder and CMO of Flash Pack, a travel brand dedicated to small group adventures rooted in friendship that he founded with his now wife and CEO, Radha Vyas. Lee’s career merged with his passion for adventure as a self-employed photojournalist. He met Radha on a chance first date between gigs, and they immediately started planning what became Flash Pack. By 2016, they were married, had both quit their jobs, and were starting their new adventure as business owners. Initially, they successfully bootstrapped their business, but COVID and closed borders had other ideas. The pandemic was in full swing, they had a one-year-old baby, all of their investors wanted refunds, and by November 2020, they had filed for bankruptcy and lost everything. Thanks to teamwork, creative problem-solving, and dedication, Lee and Radha were able to relaunch in November 2021 and are in a better place today than ever before. Now, he is using the storytelling skills he learned through photojournalism to tell the story of Flash Pack, a story of friendship.In this episode, Alan and Lee discuss who Flash Pack is for, the unique experiences they offer their customers, and why they are all in on marketing friendship. Flash Pack is a London-based start-up, but with a large American user base, they are beginning the transition to become a US-based company with several existing US-based employees and an upcoming family move to the States. They have over 75 employees in 12 different countries, and revenue is higher than it ever was pre-pandemic. Lee says business is booming due to an increase in loneliness and awareness of the damage it can do. That is why all Flash Pack marketing is centered around friendship forged through adventure.In this episode, you'll learn:How Lee’s photojournalism skills serve him as a CMOThe solo travel market and why Flash Pack marketing is all friendship-basedWhat Lee has learned from failure and predicts for the future of marketingKey Highlights:[01:45] Historic adventures in photojournalism[04:40] The art of storytelling through photos and marketing efforts[05:25] From the first date to founding a company[07:40] Building a life together is the greatest adventure.[09:00] What is a Flash Pack?[11:35] Everything was great until COVID hit.[15:45] Starting a Business: Part 2[18:40] The market for solo travel[21:00] Friendship forged through adventure[21:55] Flash Pack across the Pond[23:55] Generating buzz about friendship on the streets of New York[27:15] The next big thing to target is isolation on the streets of New York.[28:55] Learning how to fail early on[30:00] Advice to his younger self[32:05] Marketing is not just the marketer's job.[34:20] User-generated content[35:55] The opportunity for diversity and the threat of getting lazyLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly Cook does it all! She is a mother of five who plays the drums AND serves as President of Marketing, IT, and Finance at David’s Bridal. Her love of learning and trying new things can be seen in her impressive and varied work history. From Continental Airlines, to Waste Management, Inc. to DSW, Pier One, Sears, Kmart, and now David’s Bridal, Kelly tells us she learned a lot about herself and her craft by challenging herself in new industries and encourages other marketers to try the same.In this episode, Alan and Kelly discuss her unique role combining brand, tech, and finance and what those three aspects may mean for the future of brand experiences at retailers. Kelly also tells us how David’s Bridal views their role in the wedding planning process, as well as how their unique omnichannel approach and crowdfunded loyalty programs help them connect with brides on a deeper level.David’s Bridal sells 1 out of every 4 bridal gowns in the US, so they know brides, and they know brides are stressed out. That is why David’s Bridal is on a mission to make every step of the process as easy as possible, expand its scope to fill gaps in the market, add more value for its brides, and help them keep costs down. It was the creativity of the brides they serve and the dedication of their employees through COVID that inspired David’s Bridal's new “The Things We Do for Love” campaign. Even with the rise of AI, automation, and neuromarketing, Kelly and her team at David’s Bridal know the in-store human connection is a part of their business that will never be replaced.In this episode, you'll learn:How is David’s Bridal blending brand, technology, and finance to prepare for the future of retail brand experiences?How do they structure their unique omnichannel approach and crowdfunded loyalty programs?What inspired the “The Things We Do for Love” campaign?Key Highlights:[02:00] A mom of five on the drums[03:10] Her start and the stops along the way[04:05] Growing intellectually by switching industries[05:55] Brand, and technology, and finance, oh my![07:35] David’s Bridal market share and value prop[10:20] Keeping wedding costs down[11:25] The omnichannel approach to being there when brides need them[14:40] A loyalty program? Like, for repeat weddings?[19:05] “The Things We Do for Love."[24:40] Mentorship in prioritization, communication, and paying it forward[31:05] Advice to her younger self[33:05] How to not lose humanity in technology[35:35] Brand-on-brand social interactions[37:30] We are often our own worst enemies.Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regina Lawless is an inspiration. She is a recent empty nester, founder of Bossy & Blissful, a community for black women executives and business owners, and author of Do You: A Journey of Success, Loss and Learning to Live a More MeaningFULL Life.After graduating with her BA in communications from California State University-Sacramento, Regina got her first job in human resources at Target. After about 8 years in retail HR, she did a stint in banking, then moved to the airline industry, and in 2016 she pivoted to tech. This led her to Meta, where in 2020 she became the head of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Instagram. About 6 months into that role, her husband of 21 years, Al, passed away unexpectedly. This life-changing loss set her on a journey of healing and rediscovery inspired by her late husband’s last text message to her: “Do you, babe. Don’t worry about anything else.”Through that journey, she realized that she had learned some lessons the hard way that could really help others. So, in 2023, she left corporate America, launched the community she was looking for, Bossy & Blissful, and wrote her first book that outlines a five-part framework she has developed to help you live a “MeaningFULL Life".In this episode, Alan and Regina discuss why she wrote the book, what she hopes people get out of it, the state of DEI today, and what life is like on the other side of corporate America. Regina also talks about how her childhood impacts the work she is doing today, the double-edged knife of constant connectivity without real community, the way Gen Z is rolling back the clock, and what the loneliness epidemic could mean for employers. In this episode, you'll learn:How the death of her husband changed everything in Regina’s lifePractical ways to navigate grief and start finding yourself againWhat the loneliness epidemic could mean for employersKey Highlights:[01:55] Thriving as a new empty nester[03:15] Regina path[05:05] What inspired “Do You”?[06:25] Tips for grieving[09:10] How do you “do you”?[12:50] Navigating fear around making the leap[16:50] What’s it like to leave corporate America?[20:50] The current state of DEI[25:05] From NoCal to the Burbs[29:00] Don’t be afraid to “do you."[30:30] The AI portion of the show[31:40] Back to flip phones![34:15] The loneliness epidemicLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Stonick is a punk. Like, an “opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers before they were cool” kind of punk. He started in web design in the mid-90s, then pivoted to UX in 2012. With 18 years in e-commerce, fashion, beauty, home improvement, and automotive, as well as 15 years in executive design leadership roles, he has over two decades of “tra-digital” experience in brand creative, visual, and UX design. Now, in the third act of his career as Vice President of SCADpro at Savannah College of Art and Design, Paul tells us it's the opportunity to develop the next generation of design leaders as they work to integrate design innovation and overcome old-school obstructionism that inspires him. Savannah College of Art and Design is not an art school. They are a creative university, preparing students for their creative professions. SCAD was founded in 1978, and today they have over 17,500 students, over 100 different majors and minors, and a 99% rate of employment after graduation. SCADpro, Paul's department, is the university's collaborative innovation studio. He tells us they sit at the intersection of art design and business by generating business solutions for the world's most influential brands, like Google, Amazon, Apple, NASA, Delta, BMW, Volvo, Uber, Mayo Clinic, The Home Depot, P&G, and Chick-fil-A.In this episode, Alan and Paul discuss the new book he contributed to, his early brushes with punk royalty, and what makes Savannah College of Art and Design more than just an “art school." They talk about what SCADpro is doing, some of the partnerships they have developed, and what type of work they have done to date. Paul also tells us why design has to be integrated into the top ranks of businesses, what he is teaching students about navigating corporate obstruction and finding like-minded people, and how the punks are taking over corporate America.“Some of my greatest work will never appear in my portfolio.”In this episode, you'll learn:Why Savannah College of Art and Design is NOT just an “art school”The Chick-fil-A drive-through and other SCADpro projectsHow the punks are taking over corporate America Key Highlights:[02:20] A lover of music, maybe even INXS[03:40] Opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers?! [05:15] From Anthony Kiedis to the next generation of design leaders[07:20] Savannah College of Art and Design is not an art school.[08:00] SCADpro: the university's collaborative innovation studio[09:00] The BDR side of SCADpro[09:45] Love the Chick-fil-A drive-through? Thank SCADpro![12:10] “Innovation” is being abused.[13:25] Show the math![15:05] Navigating corporate obstruction and finding like-minded people[18:05] Punks and Pinstripes [21:40] Be unconventional[23:45] “The data will set you free.”[24:50] It’s all about the Gen Z mindset.[25:45] No, really, it’s all about the Gen Z mindset (and AI).Looking for more?Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Llibert Argerich is a hardworking triathlete from Andorra, one of the smallest countries in the world. At 11, Llibert lost his father and learned his work ethic firsthand as he watched his mother raise three children on her own as a waitress. His desire to expand his worldview beyond the valley has led him to live in five different countries on two continents over the last 20 years. After completing his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Toulouse in France, Llibert started doing market research for a small start-up, but it didn't take long for him to fall in love with marketing. After moving to London to learn English, he got his “lucky break” by faking it until he was making it and got hired on at Expedia. From there, he went to work for eBay, where he was able to achieve his 16-year-long goal of moving to the US. Most recently, Llibert served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Udemy before he was hired as Chief Marketing Officer at Thumbtack in August 2023.In this episode, Alan and Llibert discuss how he approached his first 100 days at Thumbtack, his view on integrating brand and performance, what is and is not working in marketing today, and how to become your CFO’s best friend. Llibert also outlines the guiding principles and operating philosophy that Thumbtack implements based on data and testing to determine how they spend marketing dollars.Thumbtack is a platform that connects homeowners to professionals in the home service area, making it a dual-sided marketplace. As CMO, Llibert oversees the entirety of the marketing and communications platform, and he is also the DIR (Directly Responsible Individual) for the consumers and all company metrics that link to the homeowners (the demand-side consumer). Llibert tells us he and his team have found a more functional synergy by leveraging the Directly Responsible Individual structure rather than breaking the team into supply and demand sides. Marketers are often unfairly categorized as either performance experts or brand experts when in reality, they should be fluent in both languages. Llibert believes that true success will come from a 360-degree approach that leverages various channels to meet consumers where they are and can measure impact and performance across the whole spectrum.In this episode, you'll learn:Llibert's approach to his first 30, 60, 90, and 100 days in his new roleStructuring marketing to benefit both sides of a dual-sided marketplaceThumbtack's guiding principles and operating philosophy that drive brand and performanceKey Highlights:[02:00] Growing up in one of the smallest (and oldest) countries in the world[05:30] “The right path is the hard path.”[10:15] What is Thumbtack?[16:00] First 30, 60, 90, and 100 days in a new role[20:00] Structuring marketing with a dual-sided marketplace[23:15] Directly Responsible Individuals[23:50] Getting brand and performance to work together[28:30] The gaps in marketing[32:10] How to befriend your CFO[34:45] Teamwork makes the dream work.[35:30] The impact of losing his father at a young age[37:10] Advice to his younger self[38:30] The Gen AI portion of the show[41:37] Trends in fashion and sports marketing[42:40] The dangers or false sense of marketing precisionLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Vasallo is not only a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, but he is also their Chief Marketing Officer. Since joining the organization in 2018, he has been leading his team in generating awareness for the mission, inspiring volunteerism, and bringing the organization’s brand and commitment to youth equity and empowerment to life on national stages. Prior to joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Adam spent 11 years at HSN, where he held several senior-level development and marketing roles, including Director of New Business Development and Entertainment Marketing. During his time at HSN, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America came to their offices to recruit mentors, and Adam, being a young professional who knew he wanted to give back, signed up to become a "big" that very same day. Adam is now a two-time Big Brother and is currently matched with his Little Brother, Giovanni.In this episode, Alan and Adam discuss his experience as a Big, what Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is trying to accomplish through their new national campaign, and the innovative ways they are showing up in the culture. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America was founded in 1904 in NYC as an innovative alternative to the juvenile justice system. Over the past 120 years, it has grown from a small start-up to more than 230 agencies serving more than 5000 communities operating in all 50 states.Currently, 1 in 6 American kids says they are growing up without a caring mentor. This statistic inspired Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's new campaign, “It takes little to be big." Created as a marketing platform without an ending, "It takes little to be big” is intended to be versatile, attract volunteers, and resonate with donors. Through market research, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America identified the main barriers people felt in regards to becoming mentors, then designed the campaign to intentionally change the narrative and encourage involvement. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is targeting specific pop culture spaces where mentorship is already happening, like sports, fashion, and music, to partner with existing brands and individuals who help advance their message in innovative ways.In this episode, you'll learn:Adam's experience as a Big and what it’s like to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaThe innovative ways Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is changing the narrative around mentorshipInspiring volunteers and donors with the “It takes little to be big" campaign and culturally relevant partnershipsKey Highlights:[02:30] Adam’s first experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America[04:15] From TV Journalist to CMO[08:40] What is Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and why was it founded?[12:30] "It takes little to be big."[14:45] Alumni messaging specifically for volunteers and donors[16:10] Barriers to overcome with recruitment and reactivation of volunteers[20:40] Executing authentic cultural connections[28:05] Understanding mentorship as a first-generation American[33:00] Advice to his younger self[34:45] Automations with authenticity and impact storytelling[37:10] Intergenerational sneakerhead subcultures[40:35] Maximizing time and riding the rapid change Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.