The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlstrom

For the last two decades, the primary question for marketers has been "How do we rank on Google?" What happens when the primary question becomes "How do we become the answer for an AI?" Agility requires not just adapting to new tools like AI, but fundamentally rethinking the systems and organizational structures that support them. It’s a shift from optimizing channels to engineering a connected growth engine for the entire business. This show is brought to you by Moburst, an award-winning digital marketing agency leading how brands succeed in the age of AI. Moburst helps brands grow through data-driven strategies across app marketing, media buying, creative, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), helping you win visibility in AI-powered search and generative engines. Everything they do is built to connect brands with the right audience and drive measurable growth. Learn more at moburst.com. Today, we're going to talk about the significant disruption AI is causing not just to marketing tactics, but to the very foundation of how customers discover and interact with brands. This isn't about a new channel to manage; it's about the emergence of a new operating system for marketing, one that demands a move from siloed activities to integrated systems, from Search Engine Optimization to Answer Engine Optimization, and a new way of thinking about the teams we build. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Gilad Bechar, CEO at Moburst. About Gilad Bechar Gilad Bechar is the CEO & Founder of Moburst, an award-winning digital marketing agency helping brands succeed in the age of AI. Moburst helps brands grow through data-driven strategies across app marketing, media buying, creative, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Gilad brings a practical, operator-level perspective on how brands can stay visible, relevant, and competitive as marketing shifts toward AI-powered discovery and performance-driven growth.,Yes,This will be completed shortly Gilad Bechar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/begilad/ ---------- Resources ---------- Moburst: https://www.moburst.com/ This show is brought to you by Moburst, an award-winning digital marketing agency leading how brands succeed in the age of AI.Moburst helps brands grow through data-driven strategies across app marketing, media buying, creative, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), helping you win visibility in AI-powered search and generative engines.Everything they do is built to connect brands with the right audience and drive measurable growth.Learn more at moburst.com. Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658 Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f Don't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2 The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

If AI can now execute an entire marketing campaign from a single prompt, what is the new primary function of a marketing leader? While agility often requires adapting to new tools, it can also require fundamentally rethinking the operating model of a marketing organization. It’s about reallocating your most valuable resource—your team’s strategic thinking—to where it can have the greatest impact. Today, we're going to talk about the shift from AI as a tool to AI as an autonomous agent. We'll explore how these "agentic" AI systems, which can independently execute complex tasks based on strategic goals, are poised to redefine the marketing function, separating real value from hype and forcing us to reconsider the balance between human creativity and machine execution. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome back to the show, Jamie Domenici, CMO at Klaviyo. About Jamie Domenici Jamie is Chief Marketing Officer at Klaviyo, the only CRM built for consumer brands. She has served as the Chief Marketing Officer since August 2023. With more than 20 years of experience in SaaS Marketing, Jamie has become a pioneer in SMB Marketing and a champion for small businesses. Prior to Klaviyo, Jamie served as the CMO of GoTo, a provider of SaaS and cloud- based remote work tools for collaboration and IT management, and before that, she held various marketing leadership positions at Salesforce for over ten years. Jamie holds a B.A. in International Relations from California State University, Chico. Jamie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two daughters. Jamie Domenici on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdomenici/ Resources Klaviyo: https://www.klaviyo.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fDon't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

What if the biggest obstacle to delivering a world-class customer experience isn't your technology or your strategy, but the very way your teams are structured and enabled to work? Agility requires creating an internal environment that can fluidly adapt to—and even anticipate—the needs of the external customer. Today, we're going to talk about: the often-overlooked foundation of successful business transformation: the human experience. We’ll explore: Why the employee experience isn't just an HR initiative but a direct driver of customer outcomes How designing systems around the way people actually think—not just how we’re organized on a chart—is critical. The practical application of a human-centered lens to business processes Why so many large-scale changes fail when they don't properly connect the dots between people, processes, and technology. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Jennifer Jones, Chief Strategy & Experience Officer at RGP. About Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones is Chief Strategy & Experience Officer at RGP, a global professional services firm, where she leads enterprise strategy and experience end-to-end—aligning go-to-market, customer and employee experience, and operating models to accelerate growth and retention. She is responsible for translating strategy into execution across the business, partnering across sales, delivery, finance, technology, HR, and talent to remove friction, strengthen adoption, and drive measurable outcomes. Jennifer also leads global marketing and communications, shaping RGP’s market voice, positioning, and demand generation engine. Previously, she served as Chief Marketing Officer, where she unified the company’s brand, go-to-market strategy, and growth programs to support its evolution into a differentiated, execution-focused consulting firm. With more than 28 years of experience, Jennifer is known for closing the gap between vision and execution. She has led large-scale transformations across brand, customer and employee experience, service design, and AI-enabled operating models—helping Fortune 500 organizations modernize in ways that drive adoption, unlock value, and deliver sustained impact. Her work is grounded in human-centered design, ensuring transformation is not only strategic, but people-focused, actionable and enduring. Jennifer Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifergardnerjones/ --------Resources-------- RGP: https://rgp.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658 Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f Don't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2 The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

As a leader, you often spend so much time on the strategies and tactics that keep your brand growing that it’s difficult to keep up with what’s going on in the background with the platforms and the companies behind them. That’s why I’m always glad to talk with our guest today, who is both focused on the business of CX as well as the business behind CX and the SaaS platforms driving so many customer experiences. I’m excited to talk again with our Resident Expert on the CX and MarTech platform landscape. We talked right at the beginning of 2026 as a look back at last year. Now that we’ve had a quarter behind us in 2026, it’s time to talk about how this year is shaping up and what we can expect in the months ahead. To help me discuss these topics, I'd like to welcome, Bill Staikos, Founder at Be Customer Led. About Bill Staikos Bill Staikos is a senior customer experience executive with over 20 years of leadership across financial services, consulting, and technology. He has held senior roles at American Express, Freddie Mac, JP Morgan, and BNY Mellon, where he led global initiatives to transform client and employee experiences. A former SVP at Medallia, Bill helped organizations turn insights into measurable outcomes. Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and one of the Top 50 Global CX Influencers, Bill is also the founder of the Be Customer-Led podcast and is now preparing to launch The Multimodal Experience. Known for his pragmatic, impact-driven approach, Bill advises leading brands, including Apple, Bank of America, Marriott, and T-Mobile, on connecting customer experience to business growth. Bill Staikos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstaikos/ Resources Be Customer Led: https://becustomerled.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658 Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f Don't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2 The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

With the half-life of professional skills shrinking every year, is the traditional model of corporate learning and development fundamentally broken, and what role should employers play in the new era of continuous education? Agility requires a workforce that can adapt and acquire new skills as quickly as the market changes. This means the old models of education and professional development must be re-engineered for a world that demands continuous learning integrated with professional life. Today, we're going to talk about the evolution of higher education, specifically how online programs are being redesigned from the ground up to meet the complex needs of working adults. We'll explore how concepts we often discuss in customer experience—like personalization and flexibility—are being applied to learning to help professionals advance their careers without putting the rest of their lives on hold. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Ruth Veloria, Chief Strategy and Customer Officer at University of Phoenix. About Ruth Veloria Ruth Veloria is Chief Strategy and Customer Officer at the University of Phoenix, where she leads strategic vision, customer experience innovation, and the use of student data to support progress, graduation, and career success. She joined the University in 2009 and has held roles including chief customer officer and executive dean of the Business School, with prior strategy experience at Booz Allen, BCG, and Charles Schwab. Veloria holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from New College at the University of Oxford and a master’s in management from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. Ruth Veloria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthveloria/ Resources University of Phoenix: https://www.phoenix.edu/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company