The Virtual CMO Podcast
Season 7, Episode 1
This week, host Eric Dickmann talks with Greg Kihlstrom- author and host of The Agile Brand. He is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur who is passionate about agile marketing. Greg hosts “The Agile Brand” podcast (formerly The Agile World).
The Agile Brand is a podcast that talks about topics such as customer and employee experience and digital transformation in this digital age. Greg’s show features leaders and industry experts who share their perspectives on the evolving dynamic between brands and customers.
He currently serves on the University of Richmond’s Customer Experience Advisory Board, is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, and holds a certification in Business Agility from ICP-BAF.
You can connect with Greg on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Change and The Need for Agile Marketing
The pace of change in marketing is astounding. It wasn’t that long ago that radio, newspapers, magazines, and billboards were nearly the only options available to build brand awareness. Then came television which ushered in a new era of creativity and marketing opportunity. But it was nothing compared to what happened with the advent of the internet, email, websites, apps, social media, and more. This digital revolution unleashed marketing opportunities everywhere people wanted to be. The power to create incredibly engaging content moved away from agencies and was literally available in people’s pockets. What used to be the exclusive domain of Madison Avenue now was available to everyone who wanted to be a creator or promote their brand. Marketers needed to adapt to stay relevant with all this disruption and adopt processes and structures to keep pace with this ever-changing landscape. Agile marketing is the result and it’s changing the way marketers approach their job.
What is Agile Marketing?
Agile marketing is an approach to marketing that utilizes the principles and practices of agile methodologies. This includes having self-organizing, cross-functional teams doing work in frequent iterations with continuous feedback. It requires a strategic vision, as well as short, medium, and long-term marketing planning.
Agile marketing is different than traditional marketing in several ways:
- Focus on frequent releases
- Deliberate experimentation
- Unrelenting commitment to audience satisfaction
Highlights from Our Conversation with Greg:
“There's too much variation, there's too many options, and there's too many ways to collect data. So we can't have egos about this stuff anymore. We've got to let the data help us make better decisions."
- [00:02:37] What does digital marketing look like then?- Back in 2003, Facebook, YouTube, and Myspace were the leading social media channels. Now, there are almost too many digital platforms and channels to count.
- [00:09:15] Identifying your metrics for success- Having a strategy is crucial for any business. Some companies spend a lot on marketing but still fall short in the long run.
- [00:13:46] How does agile apply to marketing and digital transformation?-Big “A” Agile is about creating processes that are repeatable and implementing continual optimization. On the other hand, Small “A” Agile is focused on thinking scientifically and methodically about change and iteration.
- [00:19:30] Agile marketing is trying different things- A leader's way of thinking is what spearheads a company's agile marketing. Greg urges business owners to put their egos aside and listen to what the data is telling them.
- [00:23:22] Is adopting agile marketing worth it?- Marketing can easily become a rinse and repeat cycle. Greg  This can be a trap for many businesses since they fail to experiment and find better approaches or evaluate old tactics to find out if they’re still working effectively.
Agile Marketing and Other Resources Mentioned
- The Agile Brand- Apple Podcasts
- Greg Kihlstrom’s Books List