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

John Rockhold, VP Market Engagement at Spotlight, says AI answer engines treat a company's own content as a ceiling — the citations that move buyers come from sources it doesn't control. He and Greg Kihlström get into what replaces the old B2B influence playbook.
Self-citation is a ceiling, not a strategy. Publishing more owned content doesn't raise AI visibility past a point; third-party validation does the lifting.
Analysts shape the vocabulary, peer platforms get the citation. The two do different jobs, and budget allocated as if they were the same tends to underperform.
Influence is owned by everybody and therefore nobody. Rockhold on what has to change week to week across analyst relations, comms, and customer marketing — not just who it reports to.
By the time a buyer contacts you, the influencing already happened. What that does to a marketing organization still structured around lead generation and MQLs.

About John Rockhold
B2B buying has become AI-mediated and trust-driven, long before buyers engage a vendor. I spend my time observing how influence is formed, synthesizing signals from analysts, buyer research, and market behavior, and helping organizations make sense of what actually shapes modern buying decisions.

As VP of Market Engagement at Spotlight, I draw on a background that includes journalism, analyst relations, and years of close collaboration with industry analysts. I’m trusted by analysts because I respect their role, understand how their work evolves, and prioritize accuracy, context, and long-term relationships over short-term outcomes.

Much of my work focuses on how influence, visibility, and trust are earned in the modern B2B buyer journey. I help B2B brands understand how experts, customers, vendors, partners, and employees all shape visibility and credibility. At Spotlight, we refer to this coordinated approach to earning and sustaining trust across analysts, customers, and AI systems as Influence Orchestration.

John Rockhold on LinkedIn

Resources

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.

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%.

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!

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms.

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).

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off.

View the Spotlight Influence Orchestration report.

Learn more about the Spotlight Future of Influence Awards.

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. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging & informative content.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brands have spent millions building out customer experience platforms — so why does the experience so often fall apart at the exact moment it matters most?

Agility isn't just about moving faster or scaling up. It's about staying recognizably yourself when the pressure is highest — so the experience still holds together when every system is under strain.

Today we're going to talk about what happens when the experience you designed on paper collides with the reality of peak customer demand. Specifically, we'll cover:

- The idea of "experience debt" — and why high-traffic moments are where the hidden fractures in a customer journey finally show up.
- Turning digital intelligence into actual decisions, not just dashboards, so friction gets fixed at the root instead of patched at the surface.
- Where AI should predict and flag a problem versus act on its own — and what has to change across teams to own the experience end to end.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Jonathan Moran, Senior Manager, Horizontal Solutions Marketing at SAS.

About Jonathan Moran
Jonathan Moran is responsible for global marketing activities for SAS’ marketing solutions. He has more than 20 years of marketing technology and customer analytics industry experience. Jonathan has designed, developed and implemented analytical software solutions that helped Fortune 500 customers solve unique analytics business issues.

Jonathan Moran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmoran/

---------- Resources ----------
SAS:

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

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%. https://aglbrnd.co/r/c70c250b8d52dff3

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

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms. See more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f76be3a33cc491bb

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/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).

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.

What happens when an organization's AI ambition moves faster than its frontline's ability to absorb it?

Agility isn't just deploying new technology quickly. It's whether the people and processes closest to the customer can change alongside it without the experience coming apart at the seams.

Today we're going to talk about the friction between enterprise AI deployment and frontline readiness — and why the last mile of service is where AI investment either proves out or quietly falls apart. We'll get into:

- What actually breaks between a strategic AI decision and the moment a technician has to act on it
- Why fragmented data access is so costly when the person standing in front of the customer can't see the whole picture
- How to measure success in field service when closing tickets faster isn't the same thing as a better outcome

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Taksina Eammano, EVP and GM of Agentforce Field Service at Salesforce.

About Taksina Eammano
Taksina Eammano is the Executive Vice President & General Manager of Field Service at Salesforce. She is responsible for the overall strategy and vision, product and innovation narrative, and financial performance of Field Service.

Taksina Eammano on LinkedIn

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

Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com

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

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%. https://aglbrnd.co/r/c70c250b8d52dff3

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

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms. See more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f76be3a33cc491bb

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/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).

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.

Matt Spiegel, EVP of TruAudience Growth Strategy at TransUnion, says AI is not a shortcut around your data problems — it's a force multiplier that makes them bigger. New TransUnion research found 89% of marketers are increasing AI investment while only 13% have fully scaled it.
Adoption is not the same as scale. Nearly half of surveyed leaders say AI now spans multiple core marketing functions, but only 13% have scaled it fully. Spiegel on what stalls organizations between a working pilot and enterprise integration.
Confidence is running ahead of readiness. 64% are confident they'll hit their AI goals, yet just 42% rate their people readiness as high and only 36% say the same of data and process. Spiegel on what "data ready" actually requires — unification, identity resolution, or governance.
Efficiency metrics are hiding the real question. 65% of marketers measure AI success primarily through time and cost savings, while fewer than half use marketing mix modeling, multi-touch attribution, or incrementality testing. Spiegel on building a measurement framework a board will accept.

About Matt Spiegel
At TransUnion, Matt drives the growth strategy for TruAudience, the company’s suite of marketing data products. He partners with product and market leaders to align client needs with innovation, ensuring strategic synergy across teams. His leadership stems from deep experience: he previously led TransUnion’s Marketing Solutions and Media & Entertainment businesses, and has spent decades at the intersection of marketing, media, data, and technology.
Before joining TransUnion in 2018, Matt was SVP at MediaLink, where he managed Fortune 100 client relationships and built their Data and Technology Practice. Earlier, he founded Resolution Media, Omnicom’s search marketing agency, and as Global Digital CEO of Omnicom Media Group, he launched the company’s programmatic buying capabilities.
A recognized business builder and change agent, Matt has held roles as an entrepreneur, agency executive, and strategic consultant. He’s a Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 honoree and currently advises startups and young entrepreneurs. He also serves on the board of The KWOE Foundation. Matt lives in Chicago with his wife, Marnie, and their two children, Leo and Penny.

Matt Spiegel on LinkedIn

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

TruAudience by TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/solution/truaudience

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems.

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%.

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!

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms.

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit!

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

If your best marketing people feel like they're doing the work of three, is that a workload problem or a structure problem?

Agility isn't just moving faster. It's being able to change how your team is built, repeatedly, without the work coming apart in the process.

Today we're talking about the architecture of the marketing team itself. Budget pressure, a tight talent market, and rising expectations for output have a lot of leaders asking people to do more inside a structure that was designed for a different set of demands. We'll get into:

- What actually belongs on the core team — and what doesn't.
- How to bring in outside talent without the brand behaving differently depending on who's doing the work.
- What to measure when the team is no longer all in one place, or all human.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Pranav Dalal, CEO & Founder at Office Beacon.

About Pranav Dalal
Meet Pranav Dalal, a Harvard Business School alumnus with decades of global business experience. A visionary entrepreneur, Pranav has successfully scaled companies from small teams to operations with thousands of employees. A published writer in prestigious publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur.com, he has been honored with the Vistage Business Impact Award and is a Member of The Forbes Business Council. As Chairman and CEO of Office Beacon, Pranav leads the company to new heights, expanding its presence across the USA, India, the Philippines, Mexico, and South Africa, with even greater growth on the horizon.

Pranav Dalal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranavdalal/

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

Office Beacon: https://www.officebeacon.com/

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

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%. https://aglbrnd.co/r/c70c250b8d52dff3

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

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms. See more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f76be3a33cc491bb

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/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).

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.