The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

Does your AI-based interface talk to customers the way a real person would or is it tech for tech’s sake? We are here at Forrester CX in Nashville, TN and hearing all about the latest insights and ideas for brands to create better experiences for their customers. Agility is less about bolting on new features just because the tech is available and more about making tomorrow’s experiences feel intuitive and natural to the end customer using them. Today we’re diving into designing for the future of experiences with AJ Joplin, Senior Analyst at Forrester. About AJ Joplin AJ is the lead analyst for Forrester’s research on experience design (XD), design organizations, and design leadership. Helping XD and customer experience (CX) leaders develop and deliver on research-based strategy is AJ’s professional passion. She has observed that the most effective organizations combine clear purpose with the right people and leverage systems to clarify decision-making, prioritization, and workflows. AJ also has years of workshop facilitation experience in human-centered design and design thinking. Using her professional coaching skills, AJ bring clients through ambiguity and into alignment on what matters and what’s next. Resources Forrester: https://www.forrester.com https://www.forrester.com Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brandsDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150" Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show 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

If AI can amplify every employee’s reach ten-fold, how ready is your organization to harness that network effect? We are here at Forrester CX in Nashville, TN and hearing all about the latest insights and ideas for brands to create better experiences for their customers. Agility isn’t about adding more tech; it’s about multiplying human impact. Today we’re exploring the network effect of AI and how it helps employees create powerful experiences with Jay Pattisall, VP & Principal Analyst at Forrester. About Jay Pattisall Jay’s research focuses on marketing services (creative, media, digital, in-house agencies); AI marketing (applications of generative and predictive AI to media and content); and genAI for visual content technologies. Jay helps CMOs and business leaders make sense of the complex and ever-changing marketing services landscape as it embraces AI and automation technologies as part of media management, creative services, and the future of agencies. Resources Forrester: https://www.forrester.com https://www.forrester.com Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands. Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150" Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show 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

If nearly half of consumers spend more with brands they trust, why aren’t more companies making trust a core business strategy instead of just a tagline? To help me explore this question, I’m joined by Dana Bodine, U.S. Vice President of Marketing at Trustpilot, the world’s largest independent platform for customer feedback. About Dana BodineDana is an experienced marketing executive and currently serves as Vice President of Marketing for the US at Trustpilot. Prior to this role, Dana held multiple leadership positions including Vice President of Marketing and PR at Pagaya, and Vice President of Global B2B Marketing for Strategic Growth at Mastercard, where responsibilities encompassed inclusive growth initiatives and enterprise partnerships. Additional experience includes Vice President of Global Marketing at Mastercard Labs, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Brand Development at Time Inc., and strategic marketing roles at Apple and NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Dana's early career featured positions at The New York Times and Warner Bros., focusing on advertising and digital marketing. RESOURCES TrustPilot: https://www.trustpilot.com https://www.trustpilot.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brandsDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150"Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck 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

What if your most profitable campaign window isn’t Black Friday or Cyber Monday… but after the holidays, when everyone else is quiet? While most marketers are winding down, savvy brands are doubling down—tapping into the “Q5” period between Christmas and early January, when ad prices drop, engagement spikes, and consumers are laser-focused on their New Year goals. Today we’re digging into how AI is revolutionizing brand partnerships, why micro-influencers might be your secret Q5 weapon, and what smart marketers are doing to turn a slow season into a sales surge.To discuss this, I’d like to welcome Xavier de Baillenx, CEO of Ramdam, an AI-powered creator platform working with over 50,000 influencers globally. About Xavier de Baillenx Xavier de Baillenx is a serial entrepreneur and the Co-founder and CEO of Ramdam, an AI-powered platform that streamlines user-generated content (UGC) production for brands, optimizing every step of the creative process. Launched in 2023 by the same team known for their previous venture, Pretty Fun Therapy, acquired by Match Group (the company behind Tinder and Hinge), Ramdam empowers advertisers to connect with the right creators, delivering high-performing ads that elevate social media campaigns and eliminate the guesswork of the creative lottery. The platform quickly gained recognition, with brands like Allianz, Voodoo, and Colgate-Palmolive leveraging Ramdam to achieve up to an 80% improvement in performance compared to traditional UGC marketplaces. Ramdam's rapid success also led to securing $3.15 million in funding in October 2024 to accelerate its global expansion. Xavier’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2013 when he co-founded Pretty Fun Therapy with his current team, a venture that was acquired by Match Group, the company behind Tinder and Hinge, in 2016. At Match Group, he led AI innovation, pioneering some of the industry’s first consumer brand chatbots that engaged millions of users. With a background in digital development from his time at Universal Music, Xavier brings extensive experience in combining technology and creativity. He holds an engineering degree from CentraleSupélec. Resources Ramdam: https://www.ramd.am/ https://www.ramd.am/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show 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

What if your biggest customer experience problem isn’t your marketing… but your inventory spreadsheet? In the era of one-click checkouts, Prime delivery expectations, and endless online channels, brands are pouring millions into customer acquisition—only to lose customers post-purchase. Why? Because they can’t deliver what they just sold. Today’s guest says the future of e-commerce success doesn’t lie in a flashier storefront or a new influencer strategy—it lies in mastering the messy, invisible world of inventory. I’m excited to welcome back Riikka Söderlund, now Chief Operating Officer at Katana Cloud Inventory. About Riikka SoderlundRiikka Söderlund is the Chief Commercial Officer at Katana Cloud Inventory, where she leads the company’s go-to-market strategy, driving growth across marketing, sales, and customer success. With a background as CMO and a proven track record in building scalable systems and high-performing teams, she brings deep expertise in data-driven growth, B2B SaaS, and customer-centric strategy. Her work at Katana has helped power over $2 billion in annual sales order volume by enabling small and medium-sized manufacturers to modernize their operations and scale efficiently. Resources Katana: https://katanamrp.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Online Scrum Master Summit is happening June 17-19. This 3-day virtual event is open for registration. Visit www.osms25.com and get a 25% discount off Premium All-Access Passes with the code osms25agilebrand Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 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://www.theagilebrand.show 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

Agility can often get framed as driving massive transformation—but sometimes it’s the milliseconds that matter. When every digital moment counts, small gains in speed and efficiency can have a disproportionately large impact on customer lifetime value and brand loyalty. If you could speed up every digital interaction your customers have with your brand by a full second, what would that be worth to your business?Today we’re going to talk about how even seemingly minor improvements in speed and performance can have outsized impact on customer experience—and revenue. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Jaxon Repp, Field CTO at Harper. About Jaxon ReppJaxon Repp, Field CTO at Harper, has over 25 years of experience architecting, designing, and developing enterprise software. He is the founder of three technology startups and has consulted with multiple Fortune 500 companies on IoT and Digital Transformation initiatives. A partially-reformed developer, he understands what it’s like to wrestle with technology instead of benefiting from it, and believes passionately that if the Jetsons never had an episode where a config file error brought down the food-o-matic, it surely should not be a problem now. RESOURCES Harper: https://www.harpersystems.dev/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brandsDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150"Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck 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

Is your CMS holding your creativity—and marketing growth—hostage? When speed and agility are everything, most marketing teams are still stuck in the slow lane—waiting on developers to publish updates, launch campaigns, or even fix a typo. Sound familiar? Today’s guest says it’s time for marketers to take the wheel. Mark Wheeler, Chief Marketing Officer at Storyblok is here to talk about redefining what a CMS should be—with a composable, API-first platform that puts control back in marketers’ hands. With clients like Netflix and Adidas, Storyblok is helping to lead a movement away from bloated, outdated systems and toward a faster, smarter, more flexible way of working. About Mark WheelerAs CMO of Storyblok, Mark Wheeler leads the marketing strategy and execution to drive business growth and redefine the CMS category. Recognized as a Top 100 B2B global CMO, he's dedicated to building communities for marketers and developers. With a deep understanding of digital experiences, Mark ensures Storyblok delivers exceptional value. Previously, as CMO of LeanIX, he played a key role in doubling customers in two years and contributing to its successful acquisition by SAP. He has also held senior marketing roles at Nutanix, EMC, Sitecore, and Adobe. RESOURCES Storyblok: https://www.storyblok.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Online Scrum Master Summit is happening June 17-19. This 3-day virtual event is open for registration. Visit www.osms25.com and get a 25% discount off Premium All-Access Passes with the code osms25agilebrand Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 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://www.theagilebrand.show 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

What if your most loyal customers are the ones you helped spend less?Agility in marketing isn't just about moving faster — it's about aligning brand intentions with customer outcomes in real-time, even when that means giving up short-term gains to earn long-term trust. Today we are here at PegaWorld 2025 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and we’re going to talk about how Telenet is transforming customer loyalty in a saturated market — not with discounts or gimmicks, but with ethical, AI-driven decisions that prioritize long-term value. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Tine Van Calster, Product Owner Segment of One at Telenet. RESOURCES Telenet: https://www.telenet.be https://www.telenet.be The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Online Scrum Master Summit is happening June 17-19. This 3-day virtual event is open for registration. Visit www.osms25.com and get a 25% discount off Premium All-Access Passes with the code osms25agilebrandDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show 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

Welcome to this episode, brought to you by Reka, a developer of industry-leading, multimodal, AI models that enable individuals and organizations to deploy generative AI applications. Agility requires an attention to process and a commitment to continuous improvement. It also requires a culture of agility. Today we’re going to talk about talent in an AI environment, and the critical role that human teams play in an AI environment. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Eugenie Lamprecht, Chief of Staff at Reka. About Eugenie LamprechtEugenie is the Chief of Staff at Reka, where she oversees day-to-day operations across People, Finance, Legal, and other core functions, making sure the company stays on track and aligned. Eugenie works closely with the CEO to help execute the company’s priorities and keep things moving behind the scenes. RESOURCES Reka 3: This episode is brought to you by Reka.ai Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Online Scrum Master Summit is happening June 17-19. This 3-day virtual event is open for registration. Visit www.osms25.com and get a 25% discount off Premium All-Access Passes with the code osms25agilebrand Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 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://www.theagilebrand.show 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

Agility at enterprise scale means building systems that not only make millions of micro-decisions, but also keep humans at the center — creating experiences that are timely, relevant, and respectful of the customer.What if your data knew your customers better than your frontline employees — and used that insight to serve, not sell? Today we are here at PegaWorld 2025 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and we’re going to talk about how National Australia Bank has built what they call a "Customer Brain" — a centralized, intelligent decisioning layer that unifies engagement across service, sales, and relationship-building at scale.To help me explore this, I’d like to welcome Christian Nelissen, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at NAB. RESOURCES National Australia Bank: https://www.nab.com/au https://www.nab.com/au The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brandsOnline Scrum Master Summit is happening June 17-19. This 3-day virtual event is open for registration. Visit www.osms25.com and get a 25% discount off Premium All-Access Passes with the code osms25agilebrandDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck 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