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

Whose job is it to ensure the brand promise you market is the same one your customers and employees actually experience?Real agility isn't just rapid execution — it's a whole organization responding as one to what customers, employees, and the market actually need.Today, we're talking about "Total Experience" and what it takes to make brand, customer, and employee experience add up to one company, not three. Specifically:- How to orchestrate brand, customer, and employee experience so they reinforce each other instead of competing.- The operational shifts that turn siloed functions into a single, trustworthy experience.- Why the CMO is uniquely positioned to champion this, and where that means owning parts of the business marketing hasn't traditionally touched.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Mack McGee, CMO at CareFirst, which was recently recognized at Forrester’s CX Forum West as the top insurer in Total Experience.About Mack McGeeWith more than 20 years of experience in marketing and storytelling, Mack excels at connecting people and communicating impact in creative and meaningful ways. He also brings extensive fundraising experience, evidenced by his success in helping the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation raise nearly $5 million as chair of their annual Passion for Food and Wine event.Mack McGee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackmcgee/---------- Resources ----------: https://www.carefirst.comWe’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/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fChaser 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/60a7299222a7bcf1Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3Connect 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716baCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.comThe 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 the AI tools you bought to make your team faster are quietly making that team harder to coordinate?Agility depends less on how quickly you adopt new technology and more on how well you understand the work that technology is supposed to improve.Today, we're going to talk about:- The operational costs buried inside customer-facing work — and why they're so hard to see, let alone measure.- Why layering more automation onto a coordination problem often makes the problem worse.- What it takes to build AI into core workflows so that efficiency and customer experience improve together instead of trading off against each other.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Kevin Yang, Director of AI at Front.About Kevin YangKevin Yang is the Director of AI at Front, the only customer operations platform built for B2B complexity, where he leads the company’s AI strategy across automation, analytics, and customer insight. His work is grounded in the belief that the most valuable business intelligence lives inside customer conversations. At Front, Kevin is building AI systems that operate within real workflows—helping over 9,000 businesses better understand what their customers are saying and translate those insights into action with full visibilityKevin joined Front through the acquisition of Idiomatic, the AI-powered voice-of-the-customer platform he founded and led as CEO. Earlier in his career, Kevin worked in frontline support while building his first company, EAT Club, a leading virtual cafeteria serving over 1,000 companies, including Google, Netflix, and Tesla. Kevin Yang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yangkevin/---------- Resources ---------- Front: https://www.front.comFront is a customer operations platform that helps organizations manage customer communication across email, chat, voice, SMS, and other channels in one place. The platform is designed for teams handling complex customer relationships, where resolving an issue often requires coordination across multiple people, systems, and departments.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/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fChaser 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/60a7299222a7bcf1Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3Connect 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716baCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.comThe 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 happens to a brand when the story it tells about its AI adoption moves faster than the results it can actually show?Agility isn't about telling that story faster. It's about being able to change what you say — repeatedly, as the technology changes — without losing the thread of what your company is actually for.Today, we're going to talk about the widening gap between AI ambition and business reality, and what that means for enterprise marketing leaders. Specifically, we'll cover:- The shift from selling an AI vision to proving tangible value.- How AI is pushing marketing into closer alignment with product and revenue.- What it takes to build trust — inside the company and out — when the outputs of AI systems are hard to explain.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Mark Abramowitz, Chief Marketing Officer at Dataiku.About Mark AbramowitzMark Abramowitz is Chief Marketing Officer at Dataiku, The Platform for AI Success. In his role, he oversees global brand and demand strategy, and is responsible for building awareness of Dataiku as the platform that unifies people, governance, and AI systems to deliver real results at scale.Mark brings extensive experience scaling enterprise platform businesses. Prior to Dataiku, he served as SVP of Product and Solutions Marketing at ServiceNow, leading product marketing as the company scaled from $6 billion to nearly $11 billion in revenue and spearheading the launch of Now Assist—the fastest-selling product in ServiceNow history. Before ServiceNow, Mark spent 15 years at Salesforce and 5 years as SVP of Product Marketing for Service Cloud.Mark Abramowitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markabramowitz/---------- Resources ---------- Dataiku: https://www.dataiku.comThe Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703We’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/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fChaser 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/60a7299222a7bcf1Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3Connect 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716baCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.comThe 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 the real risk in your AI adoption plan isn't that the pilot fails — it's that it succeeds, and you still can't get it into production?Agility isn't how fast you can launch a pilot. It's whether the organization can absorb what works and still behave like one company while it does.Today, we're going to talk about moving enterprise AI from theory to practice in customer experience. Specifically, we'll cover:- What separates an AI pilot that scales from one that quietly stalls.- How to govern AI agents proportionately — enough accountability to be defensible, not so much that nothing ships.- How to tell a program that's creating business value from one that's simply handling volume.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Kevin Lee, CTO at NiCE.About Kevin LeeKevin Lee serves as Chief Technology Officer and Key Pursuits Leader at NiCE, where he leads the company’s technology vision and its most strategic customer engagements by aligning platform capabilities, AI strategy, and architectural vision to deliver differentiated outcomes.Kevin joined NiCE in 2021 and has held multiple leadership roles across the company’s digital and go-to-market organizations. He founded and scaled the Customer Service Automation team, transforming it into a cornerstone of NiCE’s growth strategy. He has played a pivotal role in many of NiCE’s most competitive and highimpact pursuits, shaping both technical and commercial strategy across global opportunities. Prior to his current role, Kevin served as Global Head of Digital Sales & Strategy, where he led the growth of NiCE’s digital portfolio and helped customers transition into the self-service era. With more than 15 years of experience in cloud and software sales, Kevin brings a comprehensive approach to account strategy, technical storytelling, and executive engagement. Kevin Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thekevinlee/---------- Resources ----------Coca-Cola FEMSA, NiCE: https://www.nice.comThe Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703We’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/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fChaser 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/60a7299222a7bcf1Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3Connect 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716baCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.comThe 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.

Jose Martinez, Global Chief Data Officer at Coca-Cola FEMSA, says customers don't experience an AI system's mistake as a data problem — they experience it as a company that doesn't know them. Recorded live at Ai4 at the Venetian in Las Vegas, he and Greg Kihlström get into what has to be true underneath before AI systems can act on your data at all.A data foundation AI can act on is a different thing from one that produces reports. Martinez on what actually separates the two, and why a company can have working dashboards and still not have the foundation an automated decision requires.Across many markets and millions of points of sale, consistency is the constraint — not speed. Agility isn't really about moving faster; it's being able to change repeatedly without the company starting to contradict itself. Martinez on what keeps decisions consistent as more of them get automated.Foundational data work has to be justified without a campaign-shaped payoff. How to make the case internally when the return doesn't show up as a lift number, and what enterprise leaders can use instead.About Jose MartinezJose De Jesus Martinez Camara, MS, PMP, is an innovative executive currently serving as the Global Chief Data Officer at Coca-Cola FEMSA. Previously, he served as the Americas Head of Data & Analytics at Nissan North America for Finance, with a dual track record as well as Chief Information Officer.With over 20 years of experience driving organizational excellence, Jose specializes in managing complex IT portfolios and commercializing technology products across the consumer goods, automotive, finance, entertainment, and consultancy sectors. He is a visionary professional known for aligning technology initiatives with long-term business objectives and fostering Agile and DevOps cultures.In his current global role at Coca-Cola FEMSA, he leads the enterprise data strategy, governance, and advanced analytics capabilities to drive digital transformation and value creation at scale. Prior to this, as Americas Head of Data & Analytics for Nissan Finance, Jose oversaw the data landscape across Mexico, Canada, and the United States, ensuring strategic alignment with corporate needs. Jose Martinez on LinkedIn---------- Resources ----------Coca-Cola FEMSAThe 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 at and give us a rating so others can find the show.Connect with Greg on LinkedInDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more.Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and 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.

What if the 'winning' variation from your A/B test is actually the wrong choice for the majority of your audience?Agility requires shifting from a mindset of finding a single 'winner' to one of continuous learning and adaptation for every customer interaction.This show is brought to you by Eikona, an agentic marketing system for retention teams that produces double-digit uplifts from email and SMS channels by automating A/B testing. Using GenAI to send the right content to the right user, at the right time. Eikona. End generic marketing. Learn more at www.eikona.ioToday, we're going to talk about:- Moving beyond the limitations of traditional A/B testing with reinforcement learning.- How AI can be used to dynamically optimize and personalize customer experiences in real time, not just find a single best-fit.- The practical impact of AI on marketing roles and how to structure teams for a future of human-machine collaboration.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Nir Weingarten, CEO & Founder at Eikona. About Nir WeingartenNir Weingarten is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eikona, a start-up which is using generative AI and reinforcement learning to transform lifecycle marketing. A published AI researcher with a master's degree in machine learning from Reichman University, Nir spent over a decade leading multi-disciplinary technical and product teams in the fields of AI, data and performance.Nir Weingarten on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nir-zvi-weingarten/---------- Resources ---------- Eikona: https://www.eikona.ioWe’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/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fChaser 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/60a7299222a7bcf1Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3Connect 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716baCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.comThe 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 the biggest threat to your market share a traditional competitor, or is it a wave of thousands of hyper-specialized small businesses powered by accessible AI?Agility requires not just adapting to change, but also understanding the forces driving it at every level of the market. This includes recognizing how the barriers to entry for starting and scaling a business have fundamentally changed.Today, we're going to talk about the powerful, often overlooked engine of the economy: small business. We'll explore how a new generation of entrepreneurs is leveraging sophisticated, accessible technology to compete, and what enterprise leaders can learn from their nimble approach to growth, automation, and customer engagement.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Patricia Rollins, Executive Director of Growth Marketing at Thryv.About Patricia RollinsPatricia Rollins is Executive Director of Marketing at Thryv, a global AI-powered marketing platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Inspired by her roots as the daughter of small business owners, Patricia’s career has focused on equipping entrepreneurs with the technology and tools they need to thrive. A career-marketer and growth architect, she led the worldwide performance marketing team that launched IBM Watson and spearheaded digital marketing campaigns and events at Oracle CX Cloud. Patricia also accelerated the adoption of emerging technologies at Smartsheet, Typeform and Wellsaid, an AI text-to-speech provider. Known for blending creativity with data-driven strategy, she builds momentum for technologies that expand what’s possible.Patricia Rollins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rollinspatricia/---------- Resources ---------- Thryv: thryv.comThe Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703We’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/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fChaser 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/60a7299222a7bcf1Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3Connect 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716baCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.comThe 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 happens when the thing evaluating your brand isn't a person — but an agent shopping on their behalf, one that doesn't respond to a great story and doesn't care how your homepage makes anyone feel?Agility has usually meant adapting faster than the market. This is a different kind of adaptation: the audience itself is changing shape, and the brands that handle it well will be the ones that adapt without becoming unrecognizable in the process.Today, we're going to talk about:- What actually changes for a brand when autonomous agents enter the discovery and purchase path- Creating content that holds up to an agent's evaluation without flattening into sameness- Closing the AI capability gap inside marketing teams — and what that unlocksTo help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Rachel Thornton, CMO Enterprise at Adobe.About Rachel ThorntonRachel Thornton is committed to helping businesses create amazing customer experiences at the intersection of marketing, creativity and AI. As Chief Marketing Officer for Adobe's enterprise business, Rachel is responsible for Adobe's global enterprise Creativity & Productivity and Customer Experience Orchestration marketing.Rachel develops marketing, messaging, positioning strategies and activations that expand awareness of Adobe as the world's best marketing and AI platform for delivering brand-changing customer experiences. Her team amplifies Adobe's unique enterprise story in ways that energize, celebrate and empower CMOs and experience makers worldwide.Rachel has more than 25 years of experience in B2B technology marketing, having held leadership roles at Amazon/AWS, Salesforce, Cisco Systems and Microsoft. She has deep experience building and scaling enterprise marketing, customer acquisition, and self-service revenue contributions.Rachel Thornton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhthornton/---------- Resources ---------- : adobe.comThe Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fEnjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3Connect 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716baCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.comThe 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