Room For Growth (WillowTree)

Fashion retail is notoriously competitive and constantly evolving, creating many unique challenges for marketers. With the largely forgotten in-store experience taking a backseat to its digital counterpart, how do we bridge that gap? Ultimately, in today’s climate, success comes down to effectively using technology to gain customer insight.

For Sara Griffin, Chief Marketing and Analytics Officer at Saks OFF 5TH, data-driven decisions and personalized customer experiences reign supreme. Sara calls customer-centric marketing her “North Star,” as evinced by the loyalty program she launched a year ago, amassing 2.7 million members. As a leader in marketing and analytics, Sara dives deep into the company’s move from segmentation to personalization and the robust customer research behind this evolution that have earned Saks OFF 5TH a competitive edge in the dynamic fashion retail industry.

Hot topics discussed:

• How to launch a successful customer-centric loyalty program
• The potential of artificial intelligence in driving personalized marketing
• How customer research affects every aspect of branding

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Sara Griffin, Saks Off 5th Chief Marketing and Analytics Officer on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

It’s a bittersweet 50th episode of Room For Growth as Billy Fischer announces his departure from the podcast and from WillowTree. In this, their last episode as co-hosts of Room For Growth, Billy and Billie discuss their top 5 reflections, their favorite projects, and other rewarding experiences they’ve shared working together over the past 12 years developing WillowTree’s Growth Marketing practice. They touch on their appreciation for the rich client and partner relationships they’ve built and the priceless insights and friendships they’ve gained while cultivating an enriching work life. 

As we wish Billy Fischer a fond farewell, our co-hosts acknowledge the exciting future of the martech landscape.

Hot topics discussed:

• Embracing new opportunities beyond your usual scope
• The value of partnerships (and some favorite RFG episodes) with tech platforms like Braze, Adobe, mParticle, Amplitude, and more
• How to balance friendship with professionalism
• Growing investment in martech, even and especially during challenging macroeconomic conditions
• Unique and varied client experiences, including the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, Dairy Queen, and many more.

Keep the growth going:
Connect with Billy Fischer on LinkedIn
Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

The days of companies announcing core values and automatically earning public trust are over. Authenticity and proof through action are crucial, and in designing loyalty programs and growth campaigns for clients, WillowTree’s Design practice works with clients to leverage more than technology and data as growth drivers — they’re leveraging the brand itself. 

As Director of Brand & Content Strategy at WillowTree, Adam Nemett shares how positive brand reputation and personal, substantial storytelling can have powerful business implications in engaging internal and external audiences. Adam speaks about the importance of retaining ownership of your brand story while producing original content showcasing the real human challenges and triumphs within an organization. He and Billie also discuss the benefits of AI in streamlining workflow and the pitfalls of allowing AI to create a sea of homogenous, vanilla content. This episode ultimately explores how branding transcends traditional logos, taglines, and visual identity and delves into what truly connects a brand with the market — authenticity, personality, and relatable human experience. 

Hot topics discussed:

• How to achieve brand differentiation through authentic storytelling
• How AI will impact content quality and quantity
• How brands can show up differently across channels
• The power of employee advocacy in brand ambassadorship

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Adam Nemett, WillowTree Director of Brand & Content Strategy on LinkedIn and visit his website 
• View WillowTree’s Insights content, including video and podcast series
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

In this episode of Room for Growth, Billie sits down with accomplished CMO Pauline Reader. With a career that includes CMO and SVP marketing leadership positions with renowned brands such as eBay, Minted, and Stitch Fix, and most recently Podium, a communication SaaS platform for SMBs and larger enterprises. Pauline now runs Reader Consulting, where she offers fractional CMO and consulting services, and in this episode, she brings valuable insights into the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in B2C and B2B marketing strategies.

Pauline isn’t new to AI — for years she’s been actively leveraging traditional data science methodologies to enhance customer experiences (e.g., providing personalized clothing recommendations) and improve business operations. She shares pragmatic and tangible examples of interpreting data-driven insights and combining human judgment with technology for the most effective results.

Throughout the discussion, Billie and Pauline explore topics including data collection, personalization strategies, maintaining customer privacy, decision-making in technology investments, and finding a balance between short-term goals and long-term AI strategy.

Additional Resources

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• Using AI and data science models to better understand customer preferences in eCommerce platforms
• Overcoming obstacles with data compliance and privacy in AI-driven marketing strategies.
• Ways of leveraging unstructured data through machine learning to extract relevant information.
• Key considerations for rolling out AI features or changes in customer-facing technology.
• Connecting and measuring customer data within brand loyalty platforms

KEEP THE GROWTH GOING

• Learn about WillowTree's Data & AI Consulting services 
• Explore how WillowTree can enhance your brand’s customer loyalty program
• Connect with Pauline Reader on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen on LinkedIn

Preparing for the future of AI is a top priority for startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. Where’s the best place to start? When it comes to brand messaging in digital marketing, how will AI impact the ‘era of authenticity’? How will increasingly ubiquitous AI chatbots affect customer engagement as they become another competitor for attention and information retrieval? 

Bret Kinsella, Founder, CEO, and Research Director of Voicebot.ai, explores these challenges and offers solutions to effectively leverage generative AI’s transformative potential. His insight on the future of AI takes cues from the lessons of pre-generative AI applications: he doesn’t believe content creation should blindly increase simply because AI offers efficiency. Marketers need to act differently. 

In this far-reaching conversation, Bret leads us through the path of AI production and implementation, where ethical quandaries surrounding policy and data governance loom. As a leading voice in artificial intelligence, Bret dives into best practices, keeping in mind the changes in customer expectations, the trend towards more polished marketing productions, and the future of online monetization. This episode is essential listening for longtime AI enthusiasts as well as new initiates grappling with AI adoption.

Hot topics discussed:

• Is artificial intelligence really going to take your job?
• AI's impact on customer expectations and engagement
• Challenges in delivering personalized experiences
• The best AI apps for productivity and quality
• Strategies for preparing for an AI-driven future

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Bret Kinsella, Voicebot.ai Founder, CEO, & Research Director on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to Bret’s newsletter Synthedia on Substack
• Subscribe to Voicebotai + Synthedia’s Generative AI News (GAIN) weekly rundown on YouTube
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn

Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Join hosts Billie Loewen and Billy Fischer for a deep dive into growth marketing. WillowTree experts discuss the latest news and topics in lifecycle marketing, chatting with a wide array of guests including colleagues, client-partners, and industry thought leaders. Let's grow!

Fan experience is top of mind for any marketer involved in the sports world, but very few brands have nailed the strategy and execution of omnichannel fan engagement in live sports. In the pilot episode of Room for Growth, Billie and Billy are joined by WillowTree Growth Manager Alyssa Baker to talk about her experience managing touchpoints such as email, push, and in-app notifications to engage NCAA fans throughout the March Madness tournament. Alyssa shares how her team balanced a hybrid of manual and automated messaging, controlled notification frequency, and adjusted their strategy based on how fans responded to the broader context of the tournament.

Connect with Billie on LinkedIn: Link

Connect with Billy on LinkedIn: Link

Connect with Alyssa on LinkedIn: Link

If you’ve purchased a book in the past 10 years, chances are you’ve picked up a product made by Penguin Random House. On this week’s episode of Room for Growth, Penguin Random House’s Director and VP of Growth Marketing, Anne Bono joins the podcast to share insights from her 20+ years of gutsy, fascinating experience as a “homegrown” marketer. 

Anne discusses how being an early adopter of marketing channels has given her a wide range of experience across industries, leading to her current responsibility of growing the Penguin Random House (PRH) brand. She explains how PRH stood up as a direct-to-consumer arm during the pandemic, and how they use customer data to make product recommendations based on niche interests. As a Latina and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Anne is deeply passionate about how organizations take action to include underrepresented identities beyond window dressing, and she gives candid advice on how marketers can own it when they make mistakes in their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. 

A self-described “violently happy” individual, Anne shares all the above and more with Billie and Billy on this week’s episode – you don’t want to miss it.

Airline miles, hotel points, fast food stars—no matter what industry you’re in, loyalty programs play an important role. Taking your brand’s loyalty program from “earn and burn” to “true brand love” is no easy task, but this week’s guests from CKE Restaurants—the parent company of the beloved Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. QSR brands—have built an impressive track record of brand love and loyalty.

Jason Seeley, Sr. Director - Digital Strategy and Integrated Technology at CKE Restaurants, and Apryl Felver, Director of Loyalty and CRM, launched a revamped rewards program for CKE Restaurants in 2022, moving from concept to live in just nine months. Along the way, they learned directly from their consumers how to create a loyalty program that would exceed expectations and differentiate their brands with unique campaigns, including partnerships with Fandango for the recent release of Jurassic World: Dominion. While taking the burden off restaurant operators by expanding features in their digital properties, Jason and Apryl are also exploring how to enhance their on-premise loyalty experience. 

Given the growing opportunities and ever-evolving technology in the loyalty space, you won’t want to miss our guests’ insights in this episode!

Traveling and learning about communities across the globe helps this week’s guest Margo Bulka better understand how people interact with technology—and she uses that perspective every day in her role as WillowTree’s Product Strategy Director to envision best-in-class digital experiences. 

Billy and Billie share their insights on the current crowded ecosystem of MarTech, and how many companies fall into the trap of choosing a platform to grow their digital product before fully understanding the perspective of the user. To prevent WillowTree’s clients from making this understandable misstep, Margo employs a lean "Jobs to Be Done" process to fully understand the problems that users have and how they can use the digital product to solve them. Spoiler alert: getting in front of users and learning about their problems doesn’t have to be a big, long cycle. 

Margo also recalls from her travel experience the dominance of super apps in the eastern hemisphere, and how functionality consolidation goes beyond apps but also into operating systems. Finally, Margo, Billy, and Billie share how the team at WillowTree brought a bold vision to life in partnership with Pepsi for the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show mobile app. 

Connect with Margo on LinkedIn: Link

Learn more about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show App: Link 

Read another interview with Margo on Data-Driven Storytelling: Link

How can a company drive growth and become a differentiator through brand positioning? Exceptional branding has the power to impact top-line KPIs,  increasing revenue and customer engagement across both traditional and digital media.

This week we spoke to Alvin Chow, VP of Global Brand Marketing at Hanesbrands Inc., about all things brand. Before his current role, Alvin worked for other powerhouse brands such as Coke, Nike, and McDonald’s. Fun fact: you can thank him for the existence of indulgences like the McFlurry and McGriddle. 

To Alvin, an exceptional brand creates a rockstar proposition, consistent global experience, and an emotional connection with consumers. Billie and Alvin discuss how brands can shift from transactional to emotional relationships, as well as the challenges of balancing acquisition and retention efforts and measuring awareness-level KPIs through traditional media. 

Connect with Alvin Chow on LinkedIn here. 

Topics Discussed:

• The importance of having a CDP, CRM, and PIM for seamless integration
• What makes an exceptional brand? What makes a cult brand?
• Tracking attribution and striking a balance between digital and traditional media  
• Nurturing talent and helping marketing teams get where they want to go

The most powerful digital platforms are ones that effectively capture a live, real-world experience.

That’s exactly what this week’s Room For Growth guest, Phil Michaelson, has done as CEO of LiveAuctioneers, a digital auction house solution for buying and selling one-of-a-kind treasures.

Translating the fast and furious experience of a live auction into web and mobile is complex, but Phil credits the success of the platform to a strong, cross-functional team that includes research, design, product, and advanced analytics.

Throughout the pandemic, consumer interest in estate sales has grown exponentially, and Phil joins Billie and Billy to discuss how his team examines search data and recent trends to reach this growing market and compete with analog auction experiences. As a long-time entrepreneur, Phil is always thinking about the best channels to leverage and how to fulfill user needs on both sides of the marketplace.

From jewelry to gazebos to knights in shining armor to David Hasselhoff memorabilia, LiveAuctioneers’ customers are always bidding on something completely unique. You can hear about all things niche eCommerce and more in this episode, so be sure to tune in.
 
Connect with Phil Michaelson on LinkedIn here. 

Topics Discussed:

• How consumer behavior has changed with the ebb and flow of the pandemic, after more than two years of seismic change
• The age-old profession of auctioneering and the origin story of LiveAuctioneers’ online platform
• “Treasure hunting” as a value proposition in both brick-and-mortar and eCommerce
• The importance of cross-functional collaboration for a digital product team
• The value of entrepreneurship vs. prestigious MBA degrees

Billie and Billy are trusted advisors to some of the most influential marketing and IT professionals in the country, and they hear the same questions time and again. In each Growth Marketing Master Class segment, they’ll dig into these burning FAQs, offering guidance, industry expertise, and a little attitude. 

For our inaugural Master Class segment, we’re tackling the single MOST frequently asked question: Is there a “right” order of operations for platform implementation, and if so, what comes first? The answer may surprise you.

If you have a burning question that you want Billie and Billy to answer, email us at roomforgrowth@willowtreeapps.com. In the meantime, grab a pen, because Billie and Billy are about to drop some serious knowledge. 

Topics Discussed:

• The “right” order of platform selection and implementation
• Do I need a CDP?
• Billie’s current favorite customer engagement platform 
• The impact of messaging on conversion goals 
• When to start with a product analytics platform

This week we are joined by Kristen Castle and Lorraine Terry, two talented marketers from WillowTree client Ohio Liquor—a public-private partnership that helps promote safe consumption of liquor in the State of Ohio. Kristen and Lorraine share how OHLQ creates stellar marketing experiences while safely promoting the sale of high-proof liquor products and directing profits toward statewide economic development.

In this episode, Billie reveals how OHLQ achieved record-high performance rates (in terms of click-through, engagement, and attribution) and OHLQ discloses its unique tech stack. Our liquor experts also share their go-to cocktail and mocktail recipes. Meet us at the bar for an educational and “spirited” fifty minutes of marketing insights.

Topics Discussed:

• The changing landscape of spirits marketing 
• The increase of marketers intersecting with company operations
• Learning customer preferences to prioritize and personalize messaging 
• The value of adding touch points that focus on delighting customers

From singer-songwriter to author-CEO? In this week’s episode, Billie and Billy speak with Tim Schurrer of David Novak Leadership, and unpack his untraditional career path, exploring the ways that failure shapes us and the benefits of servant leadership.

Tim's book, The Secret Society of Success: Stop Chasing the Spotlight and Learn to Enjoy Your Work (and Life) Again, reframes what it means to be successful. Sharing powerful stories from CEOs (Apple’s Tim Cook and Ford’s Alan Mulally), all-star athletes (LeBron James), and cultural icons (Fred Rogers), Tim teaches readers how to capture meaningful and sustainable success by joining what he calls The Secret Society—a community of people who know how to make an impact, whether or not they have the spotlight. 

Can't get enough of Tim? Grab a copy of The Secret Society here, or check out his podcast, Build a Winning Team. 

Topics Discussed:

• Billie and Billy’s distinct leadership styles as seen through the lens of WillowTree’s core values such as Realistic Optimism and Craft
• The unspoken stress of pushing send on a client’s massive email campaign. 
• The art of servant leadership
• Coaching strong individual contributors in lessons of kindness, creating safety, recognition of work, and clarity of expectations

We had the pleasure of speaking with an analytics industry veteran, Amplitude product evangelist, and author of the definitive book on Adobe Analytics, Adam Greco. Joining Billie and Billy for their deep dive with Adam is a special co-host, Jeremy Stern, who leads our Analytics practice at WillowTree. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about Adam's decision to leave his role in consulting to become a product evangelist for Amplitude and his insights on how product and marketing teams can increase collaboration. Adam also does some vision casting, predicting a massive convergence of digital analytics platforms in the future. Whether you’re just starting out in analytics or leading a large product team, this episode is an invaluable resource. 

Topics Discussed:

• Product Analytics vs. Marketing Analytics 
• The rise of the Product Team, and what’s driving this organizational shift
• How Amplitude is leading the way in analytics tooling
• Adam's recommendations for building the best life-cycle marketing and analytics tech stack 
• How to turn product analytics into a profit center by experimentation and rapid iteration 
• How to write a use case through his "Digital Analytics Jeopardy." 

Related Materials:

• Are you interested in learning more about Google's Universal Analytics Sunset? Here is a WillowTree look at GA4 and alternative platforms. 
• Do you want to learn more bout how to write a use case? Check out Adam’s blog here. 

It’s that time of year: Q4 is typically when brands set their vision for the coming year and take a hard look at their loyalty programs. Is it time for an overhaul?

Billie and Billy dive into the reasons why it may or may not be the right time to shake things up. Whether trying to regain market share, revisit your tech stack, or re-examine how loyalty programs play out across various platforms, this episode is all about unlocking an exceptional personalization and omnichannel strategy around loyalty.  

Topics Discussed:

• Artificial boosts in loyalty metrics observed during Covid lockdown
• How loyalty plays out across multiple tech platforms versus a single choice
• What consumers care about in a loyalty program
• The value of in-person loyalty experiences, especially for point of sale
• How to design CDP architecture for loyalty program strategy 

Why does “networking” get such a bad rap? This week’s guest, Matt McRoberts, SVP of Global Alliances at Braze — one of our favorite partners at one of our favorite platforms — explores why too many of us are “fair-weather networkers,” leveraging our contacts only when we need something. Matt shares a better, more consistent approach — cultivating and connecting with our professional communities and customers digitally and in person aiming for authentic, win-win relationships. 

Matt is one of the OG Braze employees — starting way back when Braze was still Appboy — and has watched the platform grow into a publicly-traded company and a leading provider of automated and personalized omnichannel messaging. 

In his role, Matt oversees the ecosystem strategy at Braze focusing on technology integrations, regional reselling, and channel development as well as partnerships with MSPs including GSIs, consultancies, and agencies. All of the above is ultimately about relationships — with customers and your professional network — and Matt is here to demonstrate how great relationships are forged and nurtured over time.

Topics Discussed:

• How Braze is changing in the coming months
• What it means to be a CRM
• Matt’s favorite Braze client success stories
• Providing value to networks in good times and bad
• Key messaging and engagement that customers and fans expect from brands 

In today’s episode, we discuss all things strategy with our guest, Jarrod Cady, SVP of Commercial Strategy and Operations at WillowTree. Jarrod has been crowned "The King of Frameworks," for decision-making, analysis, and communication. He sits at the intersection of go-to-market strategy, business development, and delivery and brings a strategic perspective to WillowTree clients' businesses at every step of the customer journey by imaging what is possible and delivering a strong point of view on how to execute. 

Jarrod is a trusted advisor to clients and executives alike, and this episode gives a glimpse of what it’s like to work with him. If you’re looking to overhaul your commercial or engagement strategy, use this conversation as a starting point. And if you’re going to take anything from this episode, let it be Jarrod’s advice to make friends with the people who can help you intimately understand the entire picture of the business that you're running or a part of. 

Did this conversation leave you wanting more? Reach out to Jarrod here.

Topics Discussed

• What makes a successful strategist 
• What differentiates a “good strategy” versus a “bad strategy"
• Business lessons Jarrod learned from Disney, AmEx, and Deloitte that he carries with him today 
• The value of being customer-obsessed
• What true business differentiation looks like at a corporate level 

Being both a beloved people manager and a lifecycle marketing visionary is a major balancing act. How do we find the balance? Our guest this week, WillowTree’s Associate Growth Director Caitlin Watson shares her secret: it’s all about grit. 

Growing up in Philadelphia and being raised by two "gritty" individuals shaped how Caitlin sees the world and approaches her varied roles as a marketer and manager. We discuss how this same learned characteristic of grit can make us better marketers and extend to our everyday lives outside the workplace. 

Listen to learn more. And let us know what you think. 

Topics Discussed:

• How a gritty mindset can push brands to experiment, fail, learn, and try again
• Moving through ambiguity, incomplete data, and subjective creative work with resilience
• How to stay focused on "outcomes" and "strength of ideas" without being a jerk—and how to coach teams and brands to do the same
• Frameworks for judging the impact of campaigns in subjective spaces

We know that the upcoming Fall and Winter holidays are the Olympic games of marketing. Today’s episode is a special gift from Billie and Billy to our listeners.

Billie and Billy’s sage advice will guide 2022 holiday campaigns, aid in decision-making, and suggest incredibly intentional messaging and frequency choices. ‘Tis the season for smashing success.  

*Warning for parents with small children and hyper-intelligent pets: episode contains spoilers about Santa Claus. 

Topics Discussed:

• Billie’s holiday 2022 trend predictions 
• Quality over quantity: how to be intentional about holiday messaging
• The importance of good data hygiene 
• Testing your holiday campaigns 

What happens when you get 60 lifecycle marketers together in one room? Find out in this week's episode that offers a rare window into the energetic and talented team that makes up WillowTree’s Growth Marketing practice. 

In our first segment, "Cool Sh*t Stories," two teammates discuss dating app messaging qualms and QSR client work. 

In our second segment, "Burning Questions," the team launches rapid-fire questions to Billie, which she answers with quintessential candor. 

It's spicy. It's entertaining. It's worth a listen. 

Topics Discussed:

• Is content really king? 
• The difference between growth marketing and other areas of marketing 
• How organizations should be thinking about growth skillsets and new hires 
• Billie’s dream brand engagements (we’re looking at you Delta and Sephora)

For David Leiberman, Web3 and music share more similarities than differences. Notably, they connect, empower, and inspire. That’s at the core of the three chart-topping apps that David launched with co-founder Sammy Rubin: the kids’ music and illustration app Mibblio, short-form video creation, and editing platform Triller, and Disney Karaoke: Frozen (no explanation needed). Here, David reveals how he and co-creator Sammy Rubin’s products garnered accolades like the highest-grossing app in 100 countries and a surprise feature in the iOS App Store. Hint: it involves a little bit of marketing magic.

Now, David’s about to launch another big product: Console.xyz. Think next-gen Discord — a chat platform designed for decentralized Web3 and NFT communities that puts data ownership back in the hands of the individual. Did we just hear a collective gasp from growth marketers everywhere?

Topics discussed:

• The best Web3 definition we’ve ever heard
• The marketing brilliance of Taylor Swift’s Midnights album 
• The most embarrassing app Billy uses every day
• Structured creativity in the music industry and childhood education spaces 
• Metrics to measure an app’s “stickiness” — they’re probably not what you think 

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Connect with David Leiberman, Co-Founder of Console.xyz, and Triller on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Ever get the feeling that Instagram is listening to you? It might be — or it might not. In the words of one of our favorite Facebook relationship statuses, it’s complicated. Here, our experts explore how customer data platforms (CDPs) can take out the “ick” factor for brands in search of more personalized, automated customer experiences.

Guided by the use cases proposed in the MarTech article “19 CDP Use Cases That Can Annoy or Engage Your Audiences,” Billie and Billy break down when marketing and re-marketing tactics are creepy vs. cool, and when they’re annoying vs. appreciated. We’ll explore how to take the pushy out of push notifications, the differences between CDPs and CRMs and CEPs, and examples of when location tracking works like gangbusters — or when it breaks up the party. Let’s not make it weird, k?

Hot topics:

• The power of content to change intent
• How investing in a CDP is like building a house
• Which brand Billy recently bought a shirt from — and is now already on his way toward VIP status
• What kind of push will send you to Burger King instead of McDonald’s 
• What kind of push will not send you to the movies instead of driving on the freeway

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Ashley Elleby wants Amazon Music to differentiate rather than duplicate. As Global Head of Lifecycle Marketing at Amazon Music, she drives customer awareness of and engagement with the retailer’s ad-free and unlimited music streaming platform for Prime members. It’s a tall order, but as Ashley discusses, her bias toward action comes with a big reward: it’s the same “no fear” mindset she had as a college athlete, engineering student, MBA grad, fashion founder, former Google marketer, and mentor for underrepresented communities in tech. 

We’ll explore how Ashley helps Amazon Music surprise and delight its customers amid the cacophonous, competitive landscape of music streaming services. We discuss metrics to determine customer LTV, the benefits of speaking the language of engineers, marketers, and executive leadership, and how to hit the mute button on all of our annoying internal “What ifs?” 

Hot topics discussed:

• Balancing customer personalization with corporate monetization in the music industry
• Empowering Black and brown people and women in the tech sector
• How foresight, creativity, and collaboration help product teams progress 
• Why past marketing performance isn’t always an indicator of future success 
• The extreme care and audience specificity growth marketers must bring to channels like email, push notifications, and splash screens

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Connect with Ashley Elleby, Amazon Music Global Head of Lifecycle Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

What drives the deep craving for a White Castle burger? Why do “Cravers” wait in line for hours, even days, before the opening of a new location? And how has the 101-year-old, family-owned hamburger chain — the first in America — facilitated collabs with the likes of PUMA and Wu-Tang Clan? For chief marketing officer Lynn Blashford, it’s a marketing special sauce that drives the brand to reach new heights in quick service retail (QSR) locations in the Midwest and coast-to-coast go-to grocery markets. 

Lynn and Billy discuss the niche, nuanced definition of a “cult-like” brand, the importance of trial-and-error in building loyalty programs, and how White Castle has among the lowest employee turnover in the industry. A word for the wise before you start this episode: make sure you have a Crave Case nearby or a slider heating up in the microwave. You’ll definitely be craving one by the end of this delectable episode. 

Hot topics discussed:

• Bringing your brand to new, passionate consumers in other industries
• Establishing multi-generational brand loyalty 
• Driving innovation through flat organizational structure, accessible leadership, and cross-functional collaboration
• How White Castle was well-positioned to pivot to online ordering and address staffing shortages during the height of the pandemic

Jason Lambert, VP of Beyond Labs and BEES at AB InBev, thinks of a customer data platform (CDP) as a circulatory system: it powers the instantaneous flow of data to all business functions.  It’s not the “perfect” metaphor, he says, but it does summarize the impact of a platform that’s become a buzzword for marketers. 

Part of Jason’s role at the largest and oldest brewing company in the world involves a few more buzzwords that we can definitely get behind — empowerment, transparency, and inclusivity within the B2B e-commerce space. With over 500 iconic brands and 10 million small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMB) in the AB InBev portfolio, Jason wants to solve pain points and elevate the experiences of these worldwide retail partners.

Enter BEES: it’s a B2B e-commerce and SaaS platform co-created by AB InBev and Ambev that is reinventing the digital ecosystem for retailers through highly personalized reward and loyalty programs, expanded portfolio visibility, flexible fulfillment, and more. As the platform matures, Jason creates space for even more tech innovation at BEES’ incubator, Beyond Labs, and in his role as an adjunct professor of product management at the Columbia Business School.        

Here, Billy and Jason discuss best-in-class, consumer-grade platforms, and processes in the massive yet oft-neglected B2B market. Our host and guest also explore the hyper-local yet global nuances of the beverage industry, and how to incorporate a modern tech stack and business development strategy into a 650-year-old commercial business. It’s a deep dive into MarTech that will leave you feeling all the Budweiser.

Hot topics discussed:

• Taking a problem-first approach to investing in CDPs, data analytics, and broader strategic digital transformation
• Elevating online and offline B2B experiences through technology and process improvements
• How — and why — marketers must bring the best practices of B2C into the B2B space
• Training and upskilling the next generation of great product leaders

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Connect with Jason Lambert, VP of Beyond Labs and BEES on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

The six different “likes” in the English language each have a functional purpose, explains speech and dialect coach Samara Bay, whose A-list clientele includes the likes of (ahem…) Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Gal Gadot, and Keegan-Michael Key. For Samara, identity and voice are intertwined. Her work asks listeners to reimagine what we think strength, warmth, power, and passion sound like in settings that include the boardroom, big screen, campaign trail, and beyond. 

Samara’s forthcoming book Permission to Speak discusses voice standards and stories, historical biases, and how to establish ownership of our own voices. With Billy and Billie, she explores how to bring passion and joy into authentic messaging and public speaking, dialing up or down the energies, we bring into a room or marketing tactic. Samara also shares her experiences as a young actor and mentor for women that have shaped her approach to speech coaching. Grab some tea with honey to go along with this episode: you’ll probably be talking about it for quite a while.

Hot topics include:

• Creating an authentic brand voice through diverse representation and market research
• Coaching for executive presence through love rather than fear
• The role of joy, mischief, and pleasure in presentations, pitches, and other high-stakes conversations
  
  

Keep the growth going:

• Get tips from Samara on how to best prepare before an important conversation
• Preorder Samara’s book Permission to Speak
• Follow Samara on Instagram, where she shares weekly voice tips
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

The customer data platform (CDP) space is crowded and confusing. Do CDPs drive ROI? Will they even be relevant in five years? (Spoiler alert: The answer to both questions is “Yes, and…”) This week, mParticle CEO Michael Katz brings clarity to what’s become a controversial topic in the technology space. At its core, mParticle is a CDP that gathers data across diverse sources and organizes that into individual profiles to inform audience segmentation, custom attributes, marketing redeploys, and more. 

Before Michael launched and grew mParticle, he founded InterCLICK, an advertising technology company that grew revenue by 7x in two years, went public, and was sold to Yahoo for $270 million. At one point, Michael was the youngest CEO on Nasdaq. Hear Michael’s leadership lessons, and how in spite of all of his entrepreneurial pursuits, he still manages to read a book a week. As Michael says, “It’s all interconnected.”

Hot topics discussed:

• The cyclical nature of the three primary CDP use cases: streamlining data collection, unifying data from different sources, and targeting custom audiences
• How data strategies drive personalization and customer LTV
• Using your tech stack to create trust, transparency, and control

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Michael Katz, mParticle CEO on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Grocery shopping is one of Jeff Tang’s favorite past-times. As VP of Marketing and Revenue Generation for the plant-based food startup Wicked Kitchen,  it’s a “lost art” that offers a window into the way CPG companies and consumers think. And, it’s one way that brands can build authentic connections with consumers — a strategy that underpins Jeff’s human-centric approach to digital marketing in the quick service retail (QSR) space. 

As a former Emmy-winning journalist who cut his marketing chops at General Mills and Clif Bar, Jeff believes marketing must fulfill consumers’ functional, social, and emotional needs first. He joins Billie and Billy to explore global customer acquisition in the vegan food space, how a meaningful founder story can spark a startup’s growth, and (perhaps most notable for our vegan-curious, sweet-toothed listeners) where you can find Wicked Kitchen’s vegan ice cream that Jeff claims will change your world.

Hot topics discussed:

• The critical building blocks in a data-driven marketing strategy
• Brand integrity, credibility, and inclusion as a means to drive marketing ROI
• How the “jobs to be done” framework structures personalization, customer acquisition, and conversion
• Why appealing to consumer emotion drives deep brand loyalty

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Jeff Tang, Wicked Kitchen VP of Marketing and Revenue Generation on LinkedIn
• Follow Jeff’s vegan journey on Instagram, @workinonvegan
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Add another celebration to your holiday circuit, as we mark our 25th Room for Growth episode this week! Our hosts Billy and Billie share their MarTech resolutions for 2023 and reflect on what we learned in 2022. 

We’ll discuss how even amid unprecedented layoffs in the tech sector, brands should nonetheless invest in marketing strategies to deliver on — and exceed — customer expectations. That happens when companies get crystal clear on their “North Star” metrics and how those impact ROI. And (hint hint…), all that hard work all happens in Q1. 

Hot topics discussed:

• Consumers’ rising expectations for digital experiences in 2023
• Tech’s evolving labor market and economic impact
• The power and potential of AI-generated content — are we scared or stoked? 

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

What do marketing teams at Fortune 1000s and local nonprofits have in common? A lot, if you ask WillowTree growth marketing expert Rebecca O’Connor. Large and small shops alike have to demonstrate ROI and stay current with rapidly changing capabilities of software such as customer relationships management (CRM) systems or customer data platforms (CDPs).

Rebecca joins the podcast to explore solutions for such cross-industry challenges facing growth marketers as well as CRM and CDP users. (Bonus: many of Rebecca’s recommendations are easily implemented and widely available.) She and Billy explore the power of effective preference centers, why real-time data benefits content strategy, marketing *and* communications, and how Rebecca’s unique background in Latin American policy analysis jump-started her growth marketing career. 

Hot topics discussed:

• How to honor and leverage a customer’s “gift” of zero-party data 
• Key features for some of our favorite, constantly evolving growth marketing platforms — Braze, Amplitude, and mParticle, among others
• Why proving ROI on CDP and CRM investments is a lot like a product roadmap

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Connect with Rebecca O’Connor, WillowTree Senior Growth Manager on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn

Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Hungry to solve sticky problems, drive business outcomes, and learn the latest technical skills? Growth marketing might be the career for you, as our host and growth expert Billie Loewen explains. Here, Billie explores the skill sets and mindsets she seeks in growth marketing candidates, including familiarity with growth- and marketing-specific frameworks, analytics and measurement tools and tactics, overall product and user experience, and many more. So brush up on those interviewing skills, growth job seekers: we’re hiring!

Hot topics discussed:

• How experience in business environments ranging from agencies to nonprofits helps upskill growth marketers 
• The value of cross-functional skills and tactics like HTML, SQL, A/B testing, journey mapping, writing use cases, and more
• Curriculum from programs like Reforge and Khan Academy to help you brush up on a wide variety of growth-related skills 

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Sure, January has nearly come and gone (thank goodness…), but there’s still plenty of time left in the year to incorporate these emerging MarTech trends into your growth marketing strategy. On the heels of CES 2023, growth marketing experts Billy Fischer and Billie Loewen share the digital products that drove the most buzz at the most influential tech event in the world and dive deeper into their predictions and recommendations for the year ahead. 

From facilitating more co-branded partnership experiences to restructuring and revitalizing your brand’s loyalty program to anticipating big-name mergers and acquisitions, there are a lot of exciting developments in store for the rest of 2023. 

Hot topics discussed:

• Why brands will need to demonstrate ROI of COVID-driven digital investments, and sooner rather than later
• How recent conversations around social media regulation might inspire changes in influencer marketing tactics
• The increasing impact of emotionally- and ethically-driven brand loyalty
• Billy’s favorite digital products and experiences from CES 2023, where WillowTree unveiled its new Voice Innovation Team

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Ever come across the iconic “Shot on an iPhone” campaign? Yep, Simon Cassels is behind that. In addition to directing one of Apple’s longest-running ad campaigns, Simon has lent his advertising chops to Ring, Amazon, Duolingo, and now GoodRx as the telemedicine platform’s senior vice president of marketing and chief brand officer. 

Billie and Simon discuss the need for truth-telling and brand authenticity in an era of burgeoning AI and fear-based marketing tactics that value profit over peace of mind. And as two creative leaders themselves, Simon and Billie discuss how to empower and foster innovation on creative teams, and many more topics. With the Super Bowl — that behemoth of advertising and brand-building — just around the corner, Billie and Simon also explore the lively, ever-changing dynamics between leadership, MarTech, performance marketing, and creative entertainment.

Hot topics discussed:

• How diversification of marketing channels can lead to fragmentation in advertising 
• Which methods and media can most effectively communicate ideas to a wide variety of audiences that range from advertising executives to cross-disciplinary digital product teams
• Why creativity and consumer empathy drive revenue and brand loyalty 

Keep the growth going:

• Follow Simon Cassels, GoodRx Senior Vice President of Marketing and Chief Brand Officer on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

The Adobe Experience Platform has the firepower for the most advanced marketing functions the field has ever known. So how do you unlock the power of that platform — and ultimately, derive the greatest value possible? Mike Colombo partners with some of the world’s biggest brands to accomplish exactly that. As Partner and Managing Director of our Adobe Practice at MAARK, a WillowTree Company, he’s an expert in orchestrating brands’ digital infrastructure to amplify customer experiences through the Adobe tech stack. 

Mike and Billy explore the three unique pillars underpinning WillowTree and MAARK’s approach to scaling the Adobe platform across enterprises in order to drive high-velocity ROI. And, spoiler alert: the Adobe Experience Platform offers the most comprehensive capabilities set to accomplish exactly that. 

Hot topics discussed:

• What we’re looking forward to at the 2023 Adobe Summit (hint: it’s much more than an appearance from Shaq)
• How to build microservices, API-first, cloud-native, headless (MACH) architectures for the future using Adobe’s commerce, content, and assets offerings
• Why mapping your infrastructure to a clear customer journey — and moving that infrastructure quickly to market — requires more customization than an out-of-the-box enterprise software solution

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Mike, WillowTree and MAARK at our Adobe Summit session, “How Manulife Drives AUM Through Digital Channels”
• Learn more about the Adobe Experience Cloud in our eBook
• Follow Mike Colombo, Partner and Managing Director at MAARK on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

The most popular day for flower deliveries? Here’s a hint: it’s not Valentine’s Day… Find this trivia tidbit and many more growth marketing insights shared by Megan Bailey Darmody, senior director of brand marketing for online gifting company UrbanStems. 

Megan, Billie, and Billy explore how proactive communication improves customer satisfaction and loyalty, and how the shifting landscape of supply chain logistics for perishable products impacts long-term marketing strategy. Megan shares her expertise in cross-functional collaboration, data, and insights, and why the best strategy is treating people well. 

Hot topics discussed:

• How marketers benefit from understanding customer service, supply chain, operations, and logistics — especially in the CPG sector
• The connection between customer acquisition and corporate adaptability, creativity, and agility
• Driving engagement through consumer sentiment analysis, cross-channel content, and delightfully unexpected brand partnerships (cheers to you, Budweiser and Bridgerton)

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Megan Bailey Darmody, UrbanStems Senior Director of Brand Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

What do brands like Zillow, BarkBox, WHOOP, Wegman’s, and Frontier Airlines have in common? They all stand out in the world of in-email and in-app growth marketing tactics. But are they standing out for the right reasons? Find out which growth tactics resonate with consumers and which tactics leave your audience feeling a little… icky. Here, Billy and Billie swipe left or right — and sometimes both — on the stand-out messages landing in their inboxes.

Hot topics discussed:

• Unique ways that zero-party consumer data informs personalization, upsells, preferred channels, and frequency
• Why transactional messages (i.e., purchase confirmations and account provisioning) *must* be engineered by a marketing department rather than IT (hint: transactional messages have an 80-90% open rate)
• What small brands have to teach big brands in email marketing voice, intensity, and overall positioning

Keep the growth going:

• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

WillowTree President Tobias Dengel knows firsthand what it means to be a great leader. Tobias (affectionately called “TD”) earned the #2 spot on Glassdoor’s list of Top CEOs for small-to-medium businesses and was a featured speaker at the Consumer Electronic Show’s VOICE Summit in 2022 and 2023. Before WillowTree, Tobias stewarded strategic partnerships and acquisitions for companies including AOL and Kearney. 

Tobias’ forthcoming book, The Sound of the Future, explores how innovations in voice technology will change the way we work at every level and every function, drive down costs, boost productivity, and create entirely new business models.

In today’s episode, Tobias and our hosts explore the complexities — and importance — of committing to and iterating on WillowTree’s core values, especially amid rapid growth. TD shares the use case that inspired the launch of our growth marketing practice, several book recommendations, what excites him most about joining the TELUS International family, and a little teaser on a future episode topic — innovations in voice technology. 

Under Tobias’ leadership, WillowTree grew from a three-person app development team to a leading digital product consultancy with 1,200+ “Trees” partnering with iconic global brands. In January 2023, WillowTree became a publicly traded company after being acquired by TELUS International for over $1.2 billion.

Hot topics discussed:

• The use case that prompted the launch of WillowTree’s growth marketing practice
• Why getting comfortable and skilled in facilitating difficult conversations is an essential leadership quality
• Which WillowTree core value is Tobias’ favorite — and why

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Tobias Dengel, WillowTree President on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

Bow down, growth fans. It’s time to discuss Queen Bey and the “Renaissance” tour experience. Superfans Billie Loewen, Quin Hicks, Alicia Rose, and Zana Johnson evaluate and reimagine lifecycle marketing for Beyoncé’s global “Renaissance” tour. Together, they explore how a customer data platform (CDP) like Braze might have provided better experiences for ticket buyers.  

Before ticket pre-sales launched, ticketing platforms anticipated that demand would exceed available tickets by at least 800%, prompting some superfans to pay thousands of dollars or travel thousands of miles to see the Queen slay. But never fear: we’re not letting price-gauging, poor communication, and subpar experiences break our souls.

Hot topics discussed:

• How ticketing platforms can improve the state of ticket sales for high-profile events
• The importance of uncomplicated communication in high-stress situations
• Setting expectations upfront yields better results with users and fans

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Alicia Rose, Growth Manager
• Connect with Quin Hicks, Growth Manager
• Connect with Zana Johnson, Growth Manager
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

The average Delta flier takes 22 years to reach Million Miler® status. A lot can happen in two decades and one million miles: our flight patterns shift, our jobs change, pandemics come to pass, and the technology powering the airline industry evolves. And yet, Delta has enabled a smooth ride through such an extended time horizon, building a best-in-class loyalty program and overall customer experience. 

Courtney Bradley is Delta’s General Manager of SkyMiles® Engagement and Growth. She’s well acquainted with cult-like consumer bases: Courtney’s resume includes the likes of Nike, JetBlue, and Virgin Airlines. Courtney joins Billy and Billie to explore how her team engineers joyful brand interactions for its diverse consumer base. WillowTree and Delta’s growth experts discuss innovations in growth marketing, like brand partnerships and tech stack evolution, while underscoring the importance of cross-functional collaboration and human-centric communication. 

Hot topics discussed:

• Which growth marketing metrics and KPIs Delta uses to measure loyalty program success  
• Why and when Delta restructured its SkyMiles® and Million Miler® programs — and what strategies and tactics were critical to achieving such massive overhauls
• How Delta engages with (and ultimately delights) consumers across different demographics and behaviors

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Connect with Courtney Bradley, Delta General Manager of SkyMiles® Engagement and Growth on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

Join Billie and Billy as they discuss their upcoming trip to the Adobe Summit Digital Experience Conference and share their top recommendations for making the most of your attendance. As a Platinum Sponsor at Adobe Summit 2023, WillowTree will provide guided tours on the latest Adobe technology. Swing by and introduce yourself at Booth 806 in the Community Pavilion to explore our demos and sponsored events (spoiler, there will be a bourbon bar and a chance to win a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle!). See you in Vegas, baby!

Not attending Adobe Summit in person this year? No problem. Schedule a virtual meeting with our team prior to the show to learn more about each demo and our capabilities. View our full conference guide here:

https://www.willowtreeapps.com/adobe/summit-2023

The AI space is booming. And it’s evolving every day. One thing we know for sure? Generative AI has the potential to transform how users engage with content. But are businesses ready to deploy this supercharged tech? What foundations are fundamental to have in place first? 

Our growth experts, Billy and Billie, explore these questions and more with Fabien-Pierre Nicolas, co-founder of the news aggregation product SmartNews and COO of the diversity, equity, and inclusion SaaS platform Remixt.

We also address another hot topic in tech: budget cuts. Fabien-Pierre shares lessons learned on navigating layoffs with empathy, optimizing tech stacks to do more with less, and aligning growth goals with top-level company goals. 

Bring your notepad, growth fans: this episode is brimming with clear, actionable advice for product leaders in any sector.   

Hot topics discussed:

• Considerations and essential cross-functional partnerships for growth marketers building or re-evaluating their tech stack
• Leadership steps to prepare individuals and repair teams facing layoffs 
• Balancing user feedback with user preference when launching highly personalized digital products  

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Connect with Fabian-Pierre Nicolas, Remixt COO, and SmartNews Co-Founder
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

Billy and Billie join us live from Adobe Summit in Las Vegas with empty pockets but full hearts about the future of MarTech. Our digital experts share key insights and takeaways from their three days in Sin City. In just 15 minutes, we cover AI, automation, CDP ROI, #bilingualmarketers, and more. 

But first, we discuss the MarTech foundations a brand needs before pursuing the latest trends in generative AI and automation, and how WillowTree helps the world’s biggest brands unlock the power of the Adobe Experience Cloud. 

Hot topics discussed:

• The critical dilemma facing modern marketing organizations today, according to BlackRock Chief Digital Officer Nilanjan Adhya  
• Advanced capabilities that AI will unlock for marketers, especially in tandem with Adobe Experience Cloud tools like Adobe Real-Time CDP and Adobe Journey Optimizer
• Achieving truly niche, end-to-end personalization that drives deep ROI 

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Learn about WillowTree’s Adobe Practice and AI Advisory Services
• Download our guide to the Adobe Experience Cloud, “Unleash the Power of Your Platform”
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

“Spicy auto-complete” with many great use cases. That’s Rand Fishkin’s hot take on generative AI technologies like ChatGPT. It’s a stance that might not surprise long-time followers of the Moz founder and Inbound.org co-founder (acquired by HubSpot), who’s an SEO and content marketing “legend,” according to WillowTree Director of SEO Kurt Peterson.

Now the CEO and co-founder of the audience intelligence platform SparkToro, Rand joins Billy, Billie, and Kurt to explore emerging topics in growth marketing, such as what makes for good LLM or AI use cases and how these technologies might drive innovation across sectors and functions.

As an entrepreneur, digital thought leader, and author of Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World, Rand shares his wisdom on building great corporate culture, which involves weaving company values into every fabric of a business. It’s a vision we can definitely get behind at WillowTree. 

Hot topics discussed:

• The value of audience segmentation research and intelligence when it’s delivered in seconds rather than weeks
• How brands can act strategically to avoid common pitfalls as they adopt AI technologies
• Challenges and opportunities associated with “zero-click searches” and “zero-click content,” which are queried and delivered natively in social platforms and LLMs 

Keep the growth going:

• Read the episode transcription
• Follow Rand Fishkin, SparkToro CEO, and Co-Founder on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Connect with WillowTree on LinkedIn

We’ve all had delightful digital experiences. They’re the surprising, novel moments we didn’t know we wanted but suddenly can’t live without. According to a recent Forrester report, delight drives business revenue: a one-point improvement in a company’s customer experience score can lead to an additional $175 million in revenue over three years, higher customer retention rates, and lower customer acquisition costs. 

WillowTree Partner and VP of Commercial Strategy Nate Wootten helps the world’s most beloved brands build and incorporate delightful digital product features into their growth strategies. Recognized as a “40 under 40 Top Mobile Innovator,” Nate leads our award-winning strategy and design thinking practice and has spoken on digital innovation worldwide — from Apple’s Cupertino campus to client conferences in Hong Kong. 

Nate joins Billie to discuss how companies can architect moments of delight that drive customer adoption, loyalty, and revenue. We explore frameworks our teams use to help clients categorize and compare delightful product features to other feature categories, such as must-haves, performatives, and thresholds. Join us as we lay out the roadmap to delight across product practices like research, strategy, design, and growth. 

Hot topics discussed:

• Using the Kano Model to measure consumer value and identify our clients’ delightful, premium price-point product features
• Helping our clients identify actionable next steps in their journey map through the tech-agnostic Jobs-To-Be-Done framework
• UX thought leader Don Norman’s “three-legged stool” is another model to visualize delight — built on what’s visceral, behavioral, and reflective 

Keep the growth going: 

• Explore additional frameworks and strategies at The UXR’s Annotations and Nate Wootten’s website
• Connect with Nate Wootten, Partner and VP of Commercial Strategy, on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

According to a recent McKinsey report, 81% of companies don’t have an integrated MarTech stack to deliver personalized cross-channel experiences, and 76% don’t operate sprints or follow a formal Agile process. The same study cites 67% of CMOs as overwhelmed by the quantity of marketing data available. 

The technical expectations for today’s marketing teams continue to rise — questions and concerns around generative AI, data science, cross-functional communication, budget cuts, and more. And on top of that, how can teams produce creative content that truly stands out from the competition? It’s a topic Billy and Billie feel empathetic toward as they look toward Q2 and beyond, discussing how the digital transformation “floodgates are opening.”

Hot topics discussed:

• Our spicy take on table-stakes technical and creative skills for today’s marketer
• The benefits of reducing silos among marketing, product, insights, and engineering teams
• Why thoughtful digital strategy is essential to surpassing consumer expectations, especially in the post-COVID era 

Keep the growth going: 

• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

What does an exceptional in-store shopping experience look like? What about a frictionless visit to your doctor’s office? Or your bank? One BCG study estimates that retail, health care, and financial services brands creating highly personalized moments for their consumers will drive 6–10% revenue growth or an $800 billion income shift for the 15% of companies nailing this growth marketing fundamentals. Moreover, brands integrating advanced digital technologies with proprietary data will realize that profit is two to three times faster than brands that don’t. 

Today, we’re exploring this big business showdown as Billie and Billy highlight top performers making quick wins in the race to profitable personalization. Spoiler alert? It might not be the digital-native brands you’ve come to expect.

Hot topics discussed:

• The low-hanging fruit where companies can most easily create customized experiences to drive quick rewards
• Blending in-store and digital experiences to boost delight and unlock new personalization opportunities
• Why experimentation is an essential tool for identifying successful (or unsuccessful) personalization tactics 

Keep the growth going: 

• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Some tech leaders are voicing their concerns as generative AI continues advancing at its breathtaking pace. In March, over 1000 tech leaders signed an open letter calling to halt AI development. Just recently, the “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton quit his role at Google, joining a growing body of technologists warning companies of the danger of AI. After all, isn’t fear of the unknown what makes us uniquely human?

SafeGuard Cyber Senior Director George Kamide is similarly interested in what differentiates distinctly human experiences from artificial ones. George believes safety and trust are critical elements in human-centric growth marketing and product development strategies. As we enter an increasingly “synthetic” or digitally-mediated reality, George encourages marketers and brands to stand out by employing what makes us human: creativity. 

Hot topics discussed:

• Generative AI use cases that quickly boost consumer empathy and brand loyalty without sacrificing connection and innovation 
• Common pitfalls in B2B marketing, such as prioritizing quantity over quality
• The increasing importance of multidimensional diversity in the workplace

Keep the growth going:

• Tune into George and co-host George Al-Koura’s cybersecurity podcast, Bare Knuckles and Brass Tax
• Connect with George Kamide, SafeGuard Cyber Senior Director on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

The COVID pandemic upended education as we know it. School closings affected 1.5 billion students globally, demand for virtual learning surged, and new concerns emerged around teacher shortages. Even as this week marks the “official” end of the COVID-19 global health emergency, no signs indicate that the education sector will return to its pre-pandemic sense of “normalcy.” 

For Michael Collins, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment Services at online learning services firm Pearson, it’s an industry rife with new opportunities for digital innovation. Gen Z poses new, exciting EdTech marketing challenges as the digital-native generation gains spending power. And, as generative AI technologies proliferate, companies will need to pair newfound efficiencies with human-centric strategies to foster meaningful, long-term consumer relationships.

Hot topics discussed:

• The emerging impact of generative AI in the education and online course development space 
• How rich, consumer-focused content drives organic lead acquisition
• Getting consumers to “bond” with your brand, ultimately leading to higher LTV

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Michael Collins, Pearson's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment Services on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

As we bid farewell to our second season of Room For Growth, we can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for our incredible listeners and supporters. 

Throughout Season Two, we had the privilege of hosting memorable guests, including Rand Fishkin (SEO and content marketing "legend"), Courtney Bradley from Delta, Simon Cassels from GoodRx, Michael Collins from Pearson, and our WillowTree President Tobias Dengel. Thank you, to all of our incredible guests for sharing your valuable insights and enriching our discussions. Your contributions have made Season Two unforgettable.

Although Season Two may be ending, fear not! Season Three is just around the corner, ready to bring fresh, thought-provoking content. June 14th, we'll kick off Season Three with new guests, exciting discussions, and plenty of room for growth.

Thank you for listening, and get ready for an unforgettable Season Three of Room For Growth!

After three inspiring days at Braze Forge 2024 in Las Vegas, Billie sits down with Mitch Walden, Senior Director of Digital & Loyalty at Scooter's Coffee, to discuss the company's remarkable digital transformation journey. 

Scooter’s Coffee, one of the nation’s fastest-growing drive-thru coffee franchise companies, partnered with WillowTree to assist their rapid expansion. In just nine months, Scooter’s completely overhauled their app, loyalty program, and overall technology stack. 

Billie and Mitch discuss how the company's strategic shift from national promotions to a more personalized, data-driven approach has had a profound impact, deepening franchise/brand collaboration and powering game-changing loyalty campaigns. Their conversation also highlights the importance of a seamless integration of technology platforms, like Braze, for achieving real-time customer engagement and driving revenue growth.

Mitch walks Billie through helpful examples of how these new digital tools have leveled up his team’s creativity and generated significant incremental revenue for Scooter’s. Plus, he shares insights on ensuring a brand’s digital experience upholds its brand promise. In the case of Scooter’s Coffee, that’s “Amazing People, Amazing Drinks…Amazingly Fast.”

Additional Resources

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• Prioritizing real-time data and integration between platforms for loyalty campaign success
• Using data to build trust and enhance communication with franchisees in the QSR space
• Ensuring tech stack sustainability and building a program that can adapt to future trends

KEEP THE GROWTH GOING

• Read our report on Increasing QSR Emotional Loyalty and Customer Lifetime Value
• Explore loyalty solutions for your use case: How to Select the Right Loyalty Platform for Your Business 
• Connect with Mitch Walden on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen on LinkedIn

In this episode of Room for Growth, Billie is joined by two WillowTree colleagues, Kate Gallaher (Partner & VP, Head of Financial Services) and Caitlin Watson (Partner, Marketing Services), as they delve into global loyalty in financial services. Focusing on credit card payment processors and retail banks, they explore the complexities of building brand loyalty in a regulated market, discuss the impact of digitization on customer behavior, and share insights into the most effective loyalty programs in today's digital age, competing with digitally-native FinTech upstarts.

Billie, Kate, and Caitlin also unpack our recent research study, authored by WillowTree Senior Product Researcher Rachel Vanderbilt, PhD. The study explores the nuances in credit card loyalty programs across five global markets — North America, South America, Europe, Middle East–Africa, and Asia–Pacific — and underscores the dangers of adopting a US-first mindset on the global stage. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• How digitization leads to increased product diversity and brand disloyalty.
• How data integrity and personalization create relevant offers and user-centric experiences.
• How brands can build loyalty in a B2B2C model while keeping CX at the forefront.
• Why considering a global perspective is essential in designing loyalty programs for diverse regional customer bases.

KEEP THE GROWTH GOING

• Preview WillowTree’s forthcoming research study, Global Credit Card Rewards Programs: How Consumer Loyalty Preferences Differ by Region
• Explore WillowTree's Loyalty Strategy & Consulting practice
• Explore WillowTree’s Financial Services expertise
• Connect with Kate Gallaher on LinkedIn
• Connect with Caitlin Watson on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen on LinkedIn

We are just days away from Adobe Summit: our bags are packed and we are bringing an all-star crew to Las Vegas. But before we head out to one of the largest MarTech conferences in the world, we’re connecting with Mike Kellner, TELUS Director - AI Data & Analytics. Mike shares win stories from the leading global telecommunications providers’ recent innovations, driven by Adobe Customer Journey Analytics.

We explore how Mike’s team at TELUS taps into Customer Journey Analytics’ powerful capabilities to optimize critical moments in the customer journey, like onboarding, billing, and opportunities to cross-sell or upsell products and services. What’s unique about Customer Journey Analytics are its analytics and business intelligence capabilities: through the platform, TELUS has connected offline data from call centers and retail interactions with online data from its app, websites, chatbots, and other digital channels to create more holistic, omnichannel customer experiences.

TELUS prides itself on providing a truly personalized customer care experience when and where customers need it most — whether online, by phone, or across its retail footprint. Now, other business units at TELUS are utilizing Customer Journey Analytics to enable similar use cases and, with WillowTree’s help, ensure that using the platform is as cost-effective, collaborative, and efficient as possible.

Additional Resources

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• Resolving common customer pain points with Adobe Customer Journey Analytics’ robust online and offline data activation capabilities
• Facilitating more seamless, cost-effective user adoption of new technologies across Adobe Experience Cloud
• Connecting with WillowTree at Adobe Summit 2024 (see us at Booth 1127!)

KEEP THE GROWTH GOING

• Connect with Billie Loewen on LinkedIn
• Follow Mike Kellner on LinkedIn

Digital sports media offers many immersive options for fans, whether they’re streaming pre-game analysis, attending games live at the stadium, or interacting with player content during their commute. But with all that noise, it can be challenging for sports media brands to break through, especially with so many gaps and roadblocks in the fan experience. Some find it challenging to locate and access online streaming options. Other segments feel ignored or receive irrelevant messages. How can sports franchises and digital networks tap fan loyalty during the off-season?

Working with our tech partners at Braze, WillowTree’s Growth Marketing experts (and in-house sports fans) explored these questions and many more in Episode 4 of the WillowTree docuseries, 2 Weeks To Better. Throughout a two-week sprint, our team built solutions that enhance personalization across all forms of fandom, from dormant to die-hard. 

On today’s episode, Billie goes behind the scenes with three members of the team — Alyssa Baker, Rebecca O’Connor, and Teresa Ceballos — who share their ideas for driving business value as well as user value in the sports media landscape. Their concepts for the fictional “WillowTree Sports Network” digital experience include a robust and nuanced onboarding experience, differentiated in-stadium and at-home experiences, a streamlined approach to live event ticketing, and data capture and delivery processes that help marketers make informed decisions about relevant content. Lastly, the team shares their favorite aspects of the Braze platform, including the automation, integration, and new AI features that supercharge their marketing workflow. 

Hot topics discussed:

• Familiar pain points for sports fans
• How to approach complex and fragmented audience segments
• Creating a robust onboarding and preference center 
• Custom player cards and personalized content
• WillowTree’s unique sports-driven client experiences, including the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, Warner Media, Fox Sports, WWE, and more

Keep the growth going:

• Attend Braze Forge and meet the WillowTree team
• Book a “2 Weeks to Better” sprint with the WillowTree Marketing Services team
• Connect with Alyssa Baker, WillowTree Growth Marketing Director on LinkedIn
• Connect with Teresa Ceballos, WillowTree Growth Content Strategist on LinkedIn
• Connect with Rebecca O'Connor, WillowTree Senior Growth Manager on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Fresh off her whirlwind experience at Forge 23, Braze’s annual customer conference for marketers and their tech partners, Billie highlights some of the biggest brands there, her favorite moments, and the most exciting predictions for 2024. Spoiler alert: It’s an exciting time for marketing, and you’ll want to listen before deep-diving into strategy season.

But before diving into her key takeaways, Billie takes a moment to share some big WillowTree news: our CEO Tobias Dengel’s new book is available now and already a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller. She also encourages listeners to check out Episode 4 of WillowTree’s docuseries 2 Weeks To Better, which details our recent collaboration with Braze.

Speaking of Braze, Billie gives a preview of the new ways marketers can save time and communicate more effectively using the engagement platform’s upcoming product innovations. She also recaps lessons from the Forge panel she hosted, featuring media experts and marketing leaders like Eric Vander Voort from Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and Allyson Kurth from Braze. Their fresh approaches to seasonal content strategy, newsletters, user preferences, and geolocation inspired lively discussion.

Overall, the trends, expertise, and discoveries shared at Forge this year reinforced the importance of implementing best practices (especially with advancements in AI), optimizing personalization, and increasing efficiency.

Hot topics discussed:

• New product features released by Braze, including Sage AI, Landing Pages, and Feature Flags
• Billie and the Growth Marketing team collaborating with Braze to enhance the sports media experience on the latest episode of WillowTree’s docuseries, 2 Weeks To Better 
• WillowTree CEO Tobias Dengel’s new book, The Sound of the Future: The Coming Age of Voice Technology
• Inspiring marketing campaigns from brands like Disney+, Intuit, Marvel, and more
• Preparing for AI implementation
• Investing in long-term retention and customer loyalty

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

We’re back with Season 3 of Room For Growth, taking a deep dive into the financial services industry with Chris O’Brien from M&T Bank.

With artificial intelligence proliferating in more and more industries, many financial marketers are in a test-and-learn phase to discover AI use cases with truly impactful business outcomes. In contrast, large banks have begun leveraging AI to tailor messaging based on customer behavior. In turn, there may be a major opportunity to maximize the use of business intelligence tools and the resulting data analytics to further optimize targeted segmentation efforts. 

Chris O'Brien, Senior Product Manager at M&T Bank, is optimistic about AI’s future in this space, especially with use cases like content generation and experimentation as drivers for operational efficiency and growth. As a MarTech strategist, he directly addresses the challenges of balancing centralized control and agility while maintaining trust and making investment decisions in a limited-budget environment. With the financial industry’s increased capacity to collect and analyze behavioral data, firms will have to decide on the importance they place on segmentation versus one-to-one personalization. Ultimately, Chris believes aligning MarTech strategy with business goals and customer needs is paramount.

Hot topics discussed:

• The role of AI and emerging technologies in understanding customers
• Trends and challenges in Finance MarTech
• How to adapt to changing customer behaviors
• Examples of AI integration in business systems

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Chris O'Brien, M&T Bank Senior Product Manager on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Connect with Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

Earning a competitive edge through customer experience is vital to building consumer trust and loyalty. But often this responsibility is shared across multiple departments with different motivations and communication styles. Another challenge many companies face is adapting to emerging trends in the MarTech landscape, including AI, personalization at scale, and changing customer needs.

Adobe Experience Cloud expert and WillowTree Senior Growth Director Tony Ferreira worked in diverse industries and roles — including marketing, data analytics, web development, eCommerce, and UX design — before making a name for himself in the Adobe space. He shares his philosophy on where Adobe is a good fit and the key factors to consider, including affordability, team capabilities, systems integration, and adopting Adobe Real-Time CDP and Adobe Journey Optimizer for automation and engagement. Though the Adobe ecosystem may not work for every organization, Tony shares this robust solution's strategic imperatives and potential tradeoffs.

Hot topics discussed:

• Martech platform recommendations for different use cases
• When is Adobe the right choice?
• The four most important integration considerations
• Exploring how to adapt to current MarTech trends

Keep the growth going:

• Connect with Tony Ferreira, WillowTree Senior Growth Director (Adobe) on LinkedIn
• Read Tony's Guidebook, 10 Steps to Launching Adobe CDP
• Connect with Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn

On the heels of Adobe Summit, we’re joined by Brightline Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer Kevin McAuliffe as he and Billie dive deep into brand loyalty, building trust, technology innovation, and what it means to be a leader today. 

Brightline partnered with WillowTree to achieve its vision of fully modernizing train travel. Tapping into our end-to-end suite of capabilities, WillowTree teams delivered a revamped website, native apps (iOS and Android), kiosks, digital signage, and a digital marketing engine fueled by Adobe Experience Cloud. 

By prioritizing guest experience and agility, the high-speed private rail service is delighting travelers with a best-in-class, omnichannel digital experience worthy of Brightline’s premium brand. Our host and guest explore some of the integrated experiences that have launched across Brightline’s digital platforms, improving travel experiences at every step of the journey — from pre-booking to post-arrival. 

Additional Resources

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• Building loyalty by meeting your users where they are, even amid ongoing tech stack evolution
• Activating technology, people, and processes to inform and encourage decision-makers
• Evolving MVPs through data and feedback to enable controllable, scalable changes

KEEP THE GROWTH GOING

• Read our case study on How Brightline High-Speed Rail Increased Ridership & Revenue
• Explore Kevin’s Adobe Summit 2024 keynote, presented with WillowTree Chief Marketing Services Officer Mike Colombo: Breaking Down Silos to Deliver an End-to-End Customer Experience 
• Connect with Kevin McAuliffe on LinkedIn
• Follow Billie Loewen on LinkedIn