Today’s consumers not only expect a lot from brands, they also capitalize on AI, IoT, mixed reality and other immersive and emerging tech. This puts tremendous pressure on marketing organizations to reinvent their operating models so they can act in the moment.
But if you think today’s consumer expectations are hard to meet, you haven’t seen anything yet. Tomorrow’s level of customer experience and personalization will need to be even smarter, more immersive, more trust-enabling. The question is, are brands and consumers ready?
This CX podcast series will answer that question and many more as we ponder the future of customer experience. Just click on any of the episodes below to start listening.
Stay in touch and share your topic or guest ideas by emailing us at reimaginemarketingpodcast@sas.com.
Season 3
Ep. 10: Reimagining Buzzwords
What the heck is phygital? Is it the latest toy to help pass the time? Or does it refer to a much more critical consideration for marketers…albeit named in a way that diminishes its importance? In this episode of the Reimagine Marketing podcast, Brian welcomes Lisa Loftis to discuss the hybrid digital/physical customer engagement model, a model that is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of customer experience.
Ep. 9: Reimagine Marketing in 2023
Will 2023 really be any different in marketing? According to SAS’ Mike Turner, yes it will. In this episode of the Reimagine Marketing podcast, Brian welcomes colleague Mike Turner to discuss his recent MarTech Series article and to dive a little deeper into the four main areas of marketing where Mike sees change happening in 2023.
Ep. 8: Reimagine Implementation
In this episode of the Reimagine Marketing podcast, Brian welcomes Marisa Scorsone, a marketing operations and management consultant, to discuss many of the ideas from the first half of this season, including setting goals, change management, implementation pitfalls and success strategies – all that can ring true as you embark upon any software implementation project.
Ep. 7: Reimagine Reflection
In this episode of the Reimagine Marketing podcast, Brian reminds us that work is just one part of your existence and that this time of year offers the opportunity to relax into and enjoy the other important things in life. Subscribe to the Reimagine Marketing podcast today for show notes, to hear previous episodes and to catch more Season 3 content as it drops in the new year.
Ep. 6: Reimagine Motivation
What does the Rush album, “Exit, Stage Left” have to do with marketing and decision-making? In this episode, Brian takes his usual roundabout from a discussion about his lifelong obsession with bass playing to a confab about why some companies are trapped in the mindset that if they can just find the perfect marketing tool, they’ll be successful. How many organizations go out and get the latest trendy and self-proclaimed innovative software only to find out that not only is it not what they need, but that it's added minimal to no additional value whatsoever? Companies must consider their own goals, abilities and situations when selecting the “perfect” tech stack.
Ep. 5: Reimagining Change...Management
In this episode of the Reimagine Marketing podcast, Brian welcomes Kate Parker, Director of Markets and Growth for SAS Customer Intelligence. Brian and Kate discuss why change is such a challenge – whether you're renovating your kitchen, moving to a new room at day care or implementing a new martech stack. How do you adapt in times of constant change? It's not easy, but it just might be simple. Listen as Brian and Kate share the importance of identifying the why behind any change and the significance of communication.
Ep. 4: Reimagine Change
What does a kitchen reno have to do with reimagining your marketing? In this episode, Brian acknowledges that whether you're doing a wholesale marketing transformation or adding a coat of paint to your tech stack, change is change. Avoid fear, uncertainty and doubt in your organization – give people time to understand what's changing and be sure to communicate why the change is being made in the first place.
Ep. 3: Reimagine Digital Advertising
Our host Brian Alfond welcomes Roy Reeves, principal business development specialist at SAS, to the studio to discuss digital advertising. Digital advertisers are no longer buying their ads the old-fashioned way; the successful ones are reimagining their approach. This discussion also hits on the topics of third-party cookies (be sure to catch season 3, episode 2 to learn more) and the new frontier of advertising in the streaming service ecosystem, including Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+ and more.
Ep. 2: Reimagine Your Cookies
In this episode, our host Brian Alfond discusses the demise of third-party cookies. Companies spending much of their marketing dollars at the top of the funnel should now consider investing in approaches that provide for deeper customer understanding, longer customer relationships, improved customer experiences and better profitability. First-party data may be the answer marketers are seeking.
Ep. 1: Welcome Back to the Reimagine Marketing Podcast
In this inaugural episode of Season 3, you’ll meet our new host, Brian Alfond from SAS’ global customer intelligence group. In upcoming episodes, Brian will go beyond technology to the human aspects of things like privacy, the metaverse, social media, and dopamine exhaustion – and will address how marketers are trying to keep pace.
Season 2
Ep. 9: Reflections & Projections: Season Two
The Reimagine Marketing podcast explores how marketing organizations are re-inventing themselves in the age of the digital consumer. This episode features our global co-hosts, Wilson Raj, Justin Theng and Steven Hofmans, as they review Season Two episodes and guests and ponder some of the potential topics we’ll explore during Season Three.
Ep. 8: Marketers on the Rise: Findings from The CMO Survey
Digital transformation is a fixed, yet fluid reality in our post-pandemic world. Brands are shifting to a digital-first economy where prospects and customers expect genuinely tailored experiences. In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Wilson Raj welcomes Christine Moorman, T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University where she specializes in marketing. They discuss the findings from the latest CMO Survey – the longest running non-commercial survey for and about the field of marketing, and how marketers can leverage their deep knowledge of the customer to help steer their companies during these complex times.
Ep. 7: Rule the World with Customer Experience
Extreme consolidation and accelerated digital transformation are changing the global business landscape. To win, businesses must embrace agility and analytics, and use automation to address customer needs. In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Wilson Raj welcomes R "Ray" Wang, founder, chairman and principal analyst of Silicon Valley based Constellation Research, to discuss the importance of adopting a CX strategy that speeds decisions, reduces risk, and enables real-time customer engagements – to stay relevant, valued and in demand.
Ep. 6: People-First Approach: How to Implement Successful MarTech Rollouts Around the Globe
You can choose the right marketing technology for your organization and implement it in the right way, but if you don’t have your people on board, failure is an option. In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Steven Hofmans welcomes Geert Moens, former global digital program manager at Atlas Copco, to discuss the importance of trust – and people – in global technology rollouts.
Ep. 5: Match MarTech with Customer Experience Goals
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Wilson Raj welcomes guest Scott Brinker, VP Platform Ecosystem at Hubspot; Editor at ChiefMartec.com and program chair of MarTech. Wilson and Scott discuss various martech stack considerations and the importance of operations in bridging the gap between high-level marketing vision and strategy and on-the-ground marketing and CX delivery.
Ep. 4: MarTech Perils and Promises
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Wilson Raj welcomes guest Scott Brinker, VP Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot; editor at chiefmartec.com and program chair of MarTech. Wilson and Scott discuss the impacts of disruptions (COVID-19, economic uncertainty, digital transformation, etc.) and changing consumer behaviors on both martech and customer experience (CX). They look to answer key questions about how consumer engagements and brand relationships may be shifting or evolving in this new environment.
Ep. 3: Digitizing Beauty Experiences
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Wilson Raj welcomes guest Kelly Mahoney, Vice President of Customer Marketing at Ulta Beauty. Wilson and Kelly discuss the impacts of disruptions and digital transformation on consumer behaviors and CX trends in the beauty industry. They aim to answer key questions about how consumer engagements and brand relationships may be shifting or evolving in this new environment.
Ep. 2: Experiential Tech: Happier Customers, Increased Profitability
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Justin Theng welcomes guest Matt Kuperholz, PwC Australia's Chief Data Scientist and one of the global top 100 tech innovators. Justin and Matt discuss the underutilization of exponential technology and how technology is literally redefining how companies do business.
Ep. 1: Marketing Planning: An Objective Without a Plan is Just a Dream
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Steven Hofmans welcomes guest Sandy Kirchhoff, senior marketing manager at Office Depot Europe. Steven and Sandy discuss marketing planning, which allows an organization to plan where the organization is going based on the objectives that need to be met, accelerate the plan if needed and ensure there is a fair chance of hitting the set KPIs.
Season 1
Ep. 10: Reflections & Projections
The Reimagine Marketing podcast explores how marketing organizations are re-inventing themselves in the age of the digital consumer. This episode features two of our global co-hosts, Wilson Raj and Steven Hofmans, as they review Season One episodes and guests, explore some of the hot topics facing marketers today and share some of the potential topics we’ll unpack during Season Two.
Ep. 9: Digitizing Southern Hospitality
In a “socially distant” market, the hotel industry is among the hardest hit. In this episode, Wilson Raj welcomes Clark Twiddy, president of Twiddy & Company, a hospitality and real estate asset management firm located on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Wilson and Clark will examine a set of recovery scenarios for hotels and explore what guests say will make them feel safe when traveling.
Ep. 8: Ethical AI Meets Privacy – Avoid the Paparazzi Effect
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Steven Hofmans welcomes Mieke De Ketelaere of IMEC and Ruben Missine of Colruyt Group to discuss artificial intelligence and ethics. Steven, Mieke and Ruben explore the potential risk of AI for consumers and citizens today, how consumers can protect themselves from unethical AI, and how companies should organize to ensure ethical AI approaches.
Ep. 7: Experience 2030 – Actions for a New CX Operating Model
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Wilson Raj and Daniel Newman discuss one of the key goals of our Experience 2030 global research – to identify the buzzwords we’re all hearing and to identify what’s real and what’s not, what’s practical and what’s hype. This episode highlights some key actions brands can take NOW to prepare for customer experiences in the future.
Ep. 6: Experience 2030 – The Evolving Nature of Digital Trust
There’s no doubt that the brands that can create personalized engagements with smart and immersive technologies will also boost both loyalty and profitability. But there’s a catch. Customers have some serious concerns about how their data is being used, stored and shared. In this episode of Reimagine Marketing,Wilson Raj and Daniel Newman discuss how brands can offer the perfect blend of trust and technology.
Ep. 5: Experience 2030 – Loyalty in the Digital Age
In this episode of the Reimagine Marketing podcast, Wilson Raj and Daniel Newman discuss how loyalty begins before a customer becomes – or even considers becoming – a customer. Wilson and Daniel showcase the Orlando Magic as an example of implied loyalty (recognition, engagement, transaction loyalty), and share examples of brands who use these loyalty types to infuse loyalty throughout the customer journey.
Ep. 4: Experience 2030 – Immersive Tech > Bridging the Customer CX Divide
How immersive do people really want their tech to be? Consumers are dipping their toes in immersive technology, whether they even realize it or not. And the opportunities created for brands to engage with their consumers through Snapchat and Instagram filters, heads-up driving displays, and augmented reality shopping experiences. In this episode of the Reimagine Marketing podcast, Wilson Raj and Daniel Newman chat about how brands need to reinvent themselves to keep up with tech-savvy consumers.
Ep. 3: Experience 2030 – Future-Proof Your Customer Strategy
From an idea that started at a trashcan, Wilson Raj welcomes Daniel Newman, Principal Analyst and Founding Partner of Futurum Research, to discuss what the future of customer experience will look like and how technology will change the way we engage – with brands, with content and with each other.
Ep. 2: Butcher Shop as Math House – Connecting with Tomorrow's Digital Consumer, Today
In this episode of Reimagine Marketing, Wilson Raj welcomes guest Bernard Marr, best-selling author, futurist and strategic business advisor. Wilson and Bernard discuss the impacts of disruptions (COVID-19, economic uncertainty, etc.) on consumer behaviors and CX trends and answer key questions about how the consumer engagements and brand relationships may be shifting or evolving in this new environment.
Ep. 1: Welcome to the Reimagine Marketing Podcast
In this debut episode of Reimagine Marketing, marketing pundits Steven Hofmans, Wilson Raj and Justin Theng dive into the key challenges that marketers are facing today, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on brands and customer loyalty.