The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® | What CMOs Need to Know About Marketing Technology, AI & CX

Deena Zenyk, VP of Customer Engagement, Service Delivery at Spotlight, argues that customer advocacy stopped being a content quota the moment AI tools started assembling B2B shortlists from analyst research, peer reviews, and community threads. She and Greg Kihlström get into what that changes.
The first reader of your customer's testimonial may not be a buyer. Zenyk co-wrote The Messenger is the Message on the premise that a credible messenger carries the message — and revisits whether that holds when a model summarizes the messenger first.
Scaling authentic voices can fragment the company they describe. More reference calls, review posts, and analyst conversations running in parallel produce plenty of credible stories that don't add up to one recognizable company. Zenyk on what holds them together.
Advocacy earns standing through measures a CFO recognizes. Deal velocity, expansion, and competitive win rate versus the roadmap changes and early objections that never land in a number — and how to argue for both.

About Deena Zenyk
Deena Zenyk is VP, Customer Engagement at Spotlight. With more than 10 years' experience in advocate marketing, she is a world-leading expert and pioneer in advocate marketing. Her guiding professional principle is to make leading-edge marketing philosophies and practices accessible and actionable for the everyday marketer.

Deena Zenyk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dzenyk/

---------- Resources ----------

Spotlight: https://www.spotlight-io.com

This episode is brought to you by Spotlight. Spotlight is pioneering the future of influence orchestration in the B2B buyer journey. Trusted by over 165 teams globally, Spotlight is the world’s leading analyst relations consultancy and industry platform. Learn more at www.spotlight-io.com

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/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

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. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

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 check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

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://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765
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Airstream CMO Mollie Hansen and Nomadics founder Chris Pendl built Camp Airstream as a product owners pay to attend, not a campaign — then had to prove to the business what that community is actually worth.
An experience becomes a product when people come back to it. Camp Airstream runs as an ongoing program rather than a campaign moment, which changes who owns it, how it's staffed, and what "finished" means.
The hard part is internal. Hansen and Pendl on the people, processes, and technology behind a consistent experience, and on making the investment case when the return doesn't land on a quarterly dashboard.
Trust has real economics behind it. How brand affinity and community connect to loyalty, lifetime value, and acquisition — and what the team decided was a credible stand-in for community health.

About Mollie Hansen
Mollie Hansen is CMO at Airstream, where she leads the brand’s approach to marketing, experience and community. Since joining Airstream’s executive team in 2011, Mollie has helped guide the brand through a period of sustained growth and renewed cultural relevance by focusing on the complete customer journey from inspiration to ownership. Her work emphasizes experience as a driver of loyalty and long-term value, while staying grounded in Airstream’s enduring promise of exploration, craftsmanship and connection.

Mollie Hansen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-hansen-5678185/

About Chris Pendl
Chris Pendl is the founder and principal of Nomadics, a strategy and experience design agency working at the intersection of brand, loyalty and live experiences. He partners with premium outdoor, travel and lifestyle companies to turn experiential marketing into measurable growth, designing membership programs, experiential platforms and brand-led communities that drive retention, advocacy and revenue. Nomadics’ work combines strategic insight with real-world execution, enabling brands to move beyond one-off moments and build lasting customer relationships.

Chris Pendl on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispendl/

---------- Resources ----------

Airstream: https://www.airstream.com
Nomadics: https://www.nomadics.work

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

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/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

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. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

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 check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

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://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Giordano, Head of DoorDash Ads at DoorDash, argues that retail media stopped being an ad channel the moment the gap between an impression and a delivered order collapsed to minutes. He and Greg Kihlström get into what that changes for enterprise brands.
Commerce platforms are becoming full-funnel media, not a lower-funnel add-on. DoorDash isn't a traditional retailer, and Espinosa explains what its data shows about consumer intent that a retailer's doesn't — and what strains first in an enterprise media plan built around flighting and frequency when the purchase happens in minutes.
"AI" hides very different decisions inside an ad system. Giordano draws the line between where a model is genuinely making the call — bidding, ranking, creative assembly — and where a person is still setting rules that a system simply executes faster.
Retail media's credibility problem is that the network grades its own homework. On the LiveRamp partnership, what an advertiser has to be able to verify independently before an incrementality number means anything, and where DoorDash draws the line on data collaboration.
When an AI agent places the order, there's no creative to persuade it. What has to be true about a brand's product data, pricing, and availability to get selected by a machine acting on the customer's behalf.

About Peter Giordano
Peter Giordano is GM of Platform & Growth Services for DoorDash Ads. In this role, he is responsible for a variety of initiatives including global expansion; agency partnerships; scaling platform operations and productivity; and developing external integrations and offsite expansion.

Previously he was COO at Seva, a venture-backed enterprise software business, where he led go-to-market for their early stage knowledge automation SaaS platform. Before Seva, he held various positions in Revenue Operations and Marketing at Simulmedia, a video advertising technology company, eventually serving as SVP of Sales Operations & Strategy. He started his career in various facets of the media industry in New York – including positions in strategy and marketing at Time Inc.; and roles in the network news division at NBC Universal, including that of producer on the “TODAY” Show.

Peter received his undergraduate degree in Government cum laude from Harvard University, and an MBA with honors from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He lives outside of New York City with his wife and two daughters.

Peter Giordano on LinkedIn

---------- Resources ----------

https://www.doordash.com

The 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 and give us a rating so others can find the show.

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out 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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if, by the time a B2B buyer ever talks to your sales team, the decision is already mostly made, and somewhere you can't see and can't measure?
For years, agility meant being quick with the latest tools. Now it means something harder: letting go of long-held assumptions about the buyer's journey and accepting that influence has scattered across a decentralized network of peers, creators, and AI — much of it happening in places brands don't control and can't track.
Today we're digging into a fundamental shift in how B2B buyers, especially the next generation, actually make decisions. We'll explore:
How generational change, led by the most AI-forward buyers yet, is reshaping the B2B buying landscape.
Why linear demand-gen models strain in an era of communal buying and AI-driven discovery.
The rising pull of peer reviews, independent creators, and AI-generated answers, and what that does to your brand's credibility.
To help me dig in, I'd like to welcome Katie Allison, Senior Manager of Research and Insights at TrustRadius by HG Insights.

About Katie Allison
Katie Allison, Senior Manager of Research and Insights at TrustRadius, HG Insights, looked into how generational behavior is reshaping go-to-market strategy. She brings a data-backed perspective on how AI, social proof, and digital-native expectations are colliding to change who buyers trust, with recent findings from the From Boomers to Zoomers report.

Katie Allison on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kathryn-allison

---------- Resources ----------
TrustRadius by HG Insights:

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

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/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

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. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

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 check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

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://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If a growing share of your customers now begin their shopping journey on a platform you don't own — and can't see into — is your website still your most important marketing asset?

Agility here isn't just about reacting to new customer behavior. It's about building an infrastructure that can meet customers wherever they show up, and still have the brand behave like one company when it gets there.

Today, we're going to talk about:

- The great fragmentation of product discovery and why traditional marketing funnels are becoming obsolete.

- Strategies for maintaining brand and data consistency across countless channels when only 14% of consumers say it's done well today.

- The role of AI and automation in not just personalizing experiences, but optimizing for new discovery engines.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Gary Lombardo, CMO at Athos Commerce.

About Gary Lombardo
Gary Lombardo is Chief Marketing Officer at Athos Commerce, where he leads marketing, brand strategy, communications, and thought leadership. With more than 20 years of experience in retail technology, ecommerce, and SaaS, he helps retailers navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI-powered commerce. Gary is a frequent speaker on topics including artificial intelligence, digital merchandising, product discovery, customer experience, and the future of retail.

Gary Lombardo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garylombardo

---------- Resources ----------

Athos Commerce: athoscommerce.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

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/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

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. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.