Nearly every marketing leader has been told to "do more with AI" — and many of them are now sitting on a pile of pilots, a growing bill, and not much to show their CFO. So why is it that adoption of AI in marketing is so high, while the number of organizations actually getting predictable returns from it is so low?


Agility requires the discipline to reimagine how work gets done before automating it — because pointing AI at a broken process just produces a faster broken process.


Today, we're going to talk about:

- Why so many enterprise AI initiatives stall between ambition and production, and what separates the organizations that succeed from the ones that quietly cancel their projects

- How marketing and CX teams can move from disconnected experiments to a governed, agent-powered operating model that turns a brief into live 1:1 engagement

- How to make the economics of AI predictable — so the people approving these investments can actually forecast both outcomes and cost


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Don Schuerman, CTO & Head of Marketing at Pega.


About Don Schuerman



As CTO and Vice President of Marketing & Technology Strategy at Pegasystems, I see my role as being a "Chief Translation Officer" – bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world business value. With 25 years of experience in orchestration and AI technology, I'm passionate about translating complex technical concepts into meaningful solutions that drive digital transformation for global organizations. My approach to technology leadership has been shaped by an unexpected source: 20 years of improv comedy at ImprovBoston's Mainstage. The skills I honed there – active listening, storytelling, and thinking on my feet – now help me connect with both technical teams and business leaders. It's where I also met my wife, proving that sometimes the best partnerships form when you say "yes, and..." At Pega, I lead the intersection of technology and go-to-market strategy across our enterprise AI decisioning and workflow automation platform. My focus is two-fold: translating the power of technology into tangible value for our Fortune 500 clients, while ensuring our technology roadmap reflects the evolving needs of these organizations.



Don Schuerman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donschuerman/



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



: https://www.pega.com [https://www.pega.com/]



Pega provides the leading AI-powered platform for enterprise transformation. The world’s most influential organizations trust Pega’s technology to reimagine how work gets done by automating workflows, personalizing customer experiences, and modernizing legacy systems. Since 1983, Pega’s scalable, flexible architecture has fueled continuous innovation, helping clients accelerate their path to the autonomous enterprise. Learn more at Pega.com



We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


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


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

 From PegaWorld: Pega CTO Don Schuerman on AI ambitions versus reality

How many marketing leaders can confidently tell their CEO which specific AI use cases are actually driving revenue right now, and which ones are just running up the bill as experiments?


Agility isn't just about adapting to new tech like AI. It's about building the solid data and operational models that let you connect those innovations directly to business growth.


Today, we are here at CRMC 2026 in Frisco Texas, and we're going to talk about:


- Moving beyond campaign metrics to directly link lifecycle marketing programs to revenue.

- Separating the hype from reality to identify where AI is delivering tangible results in marketing right now.

- Rethinking your operating model—what to own, what to outsource, and how to build a first-party data foundation that supports it all.


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Matt Kelly, Growth Strategy Partner at Mavlers.



About Matt Kelly



Matt Kelly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewscottkelly/



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



: mavlers.com



This episode is brought to by CRMC. 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://www.thecrmc.com [https://www.thecrmc.com/]



We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


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


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 [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 [https://www.missinglink.company/]

Hosted on

Mavlers' Matt Kelly on Lifecycle Marketing in the AI Era

What if the future of marketing isn’t about creating better campaigns, but about designing intelligent agents that render campaigns obsolete?


Agility requires not just adapting to new technologies, but fundamentally re-architecting our operating models to harness their potential.


Today, we’re going to talk about the move from personalization to agentic experiences and what that means for enterprise marketing.

We’ll cover:

- How “agentic experiences” are moving beyond simple personalization to fundamentally change the economics of customer acquisition and retention.

- The shift in talent and technology required, moving from managing campaigns to orchestrating AI agents across the customer journey.

- The practical first steps for building an “agentic foundation” within a complex enterprise environment, focusing on governance and core systems.


To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Kathleen Managing Director of Marketing and Anuj Mathur, Managing Director of CX Transformation at Brillio


About Kathleen Ulrich



Kathleen Ulrich is Managing Director of Marketing at Brillio, where she leads the company’s global marketing strategy and brand growth. She oversees brand, content, digital marketing, social media, corporate communications, analyst and media relations, research, and insights. Known for her multifaceted leadership, she brings together cross-functional teams around a unified vision, driving measurable impact across a rapidly evolving marketplace.



Kathleen Ulrich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kulri/



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



Brillio: https://www.brillio.com [https://www.brillio.com/]



This episode is brought to you by Brillio. Founded in 2014 as a full-service digital transformation services and consulting firm, we apply our expertise in customer experience transformation, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), platform and product engineering, cloud infrastructure, and security to help customers quickly innovate for growth, create digital products, build service platforms, and drive smarter, data-driven performance. We strive to provide not only what the customers want, but also what they need. To us, success means leading our customers to better outcomes, and aligning our priorities so that we win when they win. We ensure that every individual is fully invested in the success of our customers.



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:

Brillio's Kathleen Ulrich and Anuj Mathur on moving from personalization to agentic transformation

As brands invest billions in AI to personalize the customer experience, are they inadvertently creating a more transactional, less human relationship with their most valuable customers?


Agility requires not just the rapid adoption of AI-based solutions, but the wisdom to know when and how to apply them to enhance—without replacing—the human element of the customer relationship.


Today, we're going to talk about:


- The growing disconnect between what AI-powered loyalty programs deliver and what discerning consumers actually value.

- Practical strategies for using AI to understand non-transactional signals and create more meaningful customer interactions.

- How to evolve measurement beyond simple engagement metrics to quantify the strength of genuine brand affinity.


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Jaclyn Wands, VP of Product & AI at Phaedon.


About Jaclyn Wands



Jaclyn Wands is an AI Practicalist and VP of Product & AI at Phaedon, a loyalty enterprise SaaS and strategic services company. A product leader at the intersection of human-centered AI and customer experience, Jaclyn brings technical fluency in machine learning, NLP, and data operations to a discipline that's fundamentally about people. She has built and launched products across large enterprise SaaS platforms and founded her own human-centered AI application. All experience that shapes her belief that the most powerful technology disappears and make room for the human moment.

At Phaedon, Jaclyn leads the product and AI strategy behind loyalty programs that go beyond points and discounts to build genuine emotional connection between brands and their customers. Her work bridges the gap between what AI can do and what customers actually want. A balance she explores through Phaedon's Humanizing Loyalty research and its practical implications for how brands design, measure, and evolve their loyalty strategies.



Jaclyn Wands on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaclyn-wands-bb507a24/



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



Phaedon: https://www.phaedon.com [https://www.phaedon.com/]



This episode is brought to by CRMC. 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://www.thecrmc.com [https://www.thecrmc.com/]



We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


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


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:

From CRMC: Phaedon's Jaclyn Wands on humanizing loyalty in an AI-driven world

What if the biggest risk of AI in marketing isn't about job replacement, but about creating more fragmented, siloed work?


Agility requires more than just adopting new tools; it demands a fundamental rethinking of how teams collaborate and orchestrate work. When a technology like AI promises to accelerate individual tasks, true agility means ensuring that acceleration translates into collective momentum, not organizational friction.


Today, we're going to talk about moving beyond the hype of AI experimentation and into the reality of its operational impact on marketing teams. We’ll explore what happens when AI graduates from being a personal productivity tool to becoming an integrated part of a team’s workflow, and how that shift changes everything from campaign execution to the very structure of marketing itself.


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Prachi Gore, CMO at Asana.



About Prachi Gore



Prachi Gore is the Chief Marketing Officer at Asana, where she leads the company's global marketing strategy and brand development. Prachi brings extensive experience scaling product-led B2B organizations, having previously served as SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Checkr, where she built the company's demand engine, elevated its brand, and launched its product-led growth business. Prior to Checkr, Prachi led Marketing at SmartRecruiters, guiding the company's evolution from an SMB-focused product to a leading enterprise talent acquisition suite. This diverse background across consumer, SMB, and enterprise markets gives her deep expertise in demand generation, brand strategy, and AI-enabled go-to-market innovation. Prachi is passionate about creating marketing that combines human creativity with rigorous, data-driven execution, and is committed to helping teams work more effectively and tell clearer stories.



Prachi Gore on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prachigore/



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



Asana: asana.com



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



We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


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


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

Asana CMO Prachi Gore on realizing AI's true potential for marketing operations

To keep up in a changing market, are you building a responsive brand, or are you constantly playing catch-up?


Agility requires more than just quick reactions; it demands a proactive understanding of evolving customer needs and emerging technologies. It also means building adaptable processes and systems that can flex with market demands.


Today, we're going to talk about navigating the complexities of modern business strategy in a world of constant disruption. Specifically, we'll explore how Chief Strategy Officers can balance long-term vision with the need for near-term execution, particularly in the face of external pressures like economic shifts, competitive dynamics, and the transformative power of technologies like AI.


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome JD Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at Vasion. JD, welcome to the show!



About JD Carter



JD Carter is the Chief Strategy Officer at Vasion. JD joined Vasion in 2013 as employee number five. A self-described “jack of all trades” executive, he has served during his tenure as the company’s VP of sales, CMO, and chief experience officer. In his current role, he helps develop the company’s strategy and works with his executive peers to drive performance across the organization. JD also oversees Vasion’s mergers and acquisitions function and plays an active role in defining the culture and values by which the company operates.



JD Carter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdcarter/



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



Vasion: https://www.vasion.com [https://www.vasion.com/]



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



We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


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


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 [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 [https://www.missinglink.company/]

Hosted on Acast. See

Vasion Chief Strategy Officer JD Carter on Building a responsive brand

Is the relentless pursuit of measurable ROAS fundamentally at odds with building long-term customer trust in a privacy-first world?

Agility requires marketers to move beyond legacy attribution models and embrace a more dynamic approach to measurement and monetization. This is especially true in the rapidly evolving mobile ecosystem, where the rules of engagement are constantly being rewritten.


Today, we're going to talk about the new playbook for performance marketing in the mobile app ecosystem. We'll explore how to drive growth and measure return on ad spend in an environment defined by signal loss, look at the innovative ad formats that are capturing user attention, and discuss the role of AI in balancing automation with creative effectiveness.


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Phoena Pang, Vice President of Sales and Global Partnerships at Mintegral.



About Phoena Pang



Phoena Pang is the Vice President of Sales and Global Partnerships at Mintegral, a leading global mobile advertising platform. Based in the US, Phoena brings deep expertise in mobile advertising, strategic partnerships, and business development to drive Mintegral’s go-to-market growth and operational excellence across global markets. Phoena has held senior roles at top-tier technology companies including Google, Moloco, Vungle, and Chartboost. At Moloco, she led product go-to-market strategy and partnerships for mobile performance marketing. During her time at Google, she served as Global Product Lead and Strategic Partner Lead, where she spearheaded global gaming ads solutions and scaled high-impact partnerships worldwide. At Mintegral, Phoena focuses on optimizing operational performance and cultivating strong, strategic partnerships with advertisers and publishers, reinforcing Mintegral’s leadership in programmatic mobile advertising solutions.



Phoena Pang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phpang/



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



Mintegral: https://www.mintegral.com [https://www.mintegral.com/]



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



We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


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


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:

Mintegral's Phoena Pang on the new playbook for performance marketing

Twenty-five years ago, the goal was to build a website as a digital "single source of truth." In an era of AI agents and hyper-personalized realities, is the very concept of a single, universal brand "truth" now an obstacle to creating a truly relevant customer experience?


Agility requires not just adopting new channels and technologies, but fundamentally rethinking the role of content and data in a constantly shifting landscape. It's the ability to move from managing a static digital property to orchestrating a fluid, dynamic relationship with your audience.

Today, we're going to talk about the 25-year evolution of digital experience, from the early days of enterprise content management to today's complex ecosystem of AI-driven, composable platforms. We’ll explore how seismic shifts—from the introduction of the iPhone to the rise of agentic AI—have not just changed the tools we use, but have fundamentally redefined the relationship between brands and their customers.


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek, CMO at Sitecore, a company that is turning 25 this year and has managed to maintain its leadership in the space through many changes and a few curveballs.



About Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek



Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek (BB) is the Chief Marketing Officer at Sitecore, where she leads a global team of marketers who are redefining what’s possible in modern marketing. Together, they’re putting the power of generative and agentic AI to work – creating digital experiences that connect people and possibilities across the globe. Michelle is a trailblazer in bringing AI into marketing. At IBM, she served first as Global Head of B2B Marketing at the Weather Company, and then as CMO of IBM Watson, the company’s pioneering AI platform. There, she served as the steward of the Watson brand, helping the world understand how AI can transform both work and life. Since then, she’s become a Fellow at the Marketing Academy, a founding member of CMO Huddles, and has held CMO roles at both Skillsoft and IDC. At IDC, Michelle reimagined marketing as a strategic growth engine, launching a bold new brand identity, spearheading the company’s first GenAI initiatives, and aligning brand, demand, and strategy to drive global impact. Michelle is a frequent speaker on marketing leadership, AI, and purpose-led growth. A lifelong learner, she’s also a runner, rescue dog mom, and dark roast devotee. Her best ideas rarely arrive in a meeting, but often hit mid-stride or mid-walk.



Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellebb/



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



Sitecore: sitecore.com



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



We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


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


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 leader

Sitecore CMO Michelle BB on 25 years of marketing technology evolution plus what lies ahea

What's the hidden tax your organization pays every time a creative asset moves from a design tool to a marketing platform, and how can you shorten the time to gain important insights about how your campaigns perform?


Agility requires more than just speed. It demands that we eliminate the friction between our systems and processes so teams can move from concept to customer with minimal translation errors and maximum impact. It also means that we need to find the best ways to understand campaign performance without requiring everyone in marketing to be a data scientist.


We're going to discuss:

- the persistent gap between creative design and marketing execution

- the value that AI-based capabilities can add to the understanding of analytics and performance


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Ose Amiegheme, Head of Email Product at Intuit Mailchimp.



About Ose Amiegheme



Ose Amiegheme is a product leader building the future of creation and growth tools.

Today, he leads product for Intuit Mailchimp’s Email and omnichannel campaigns creation experiences, shaping how small businesses create content, launch campaigns, and grow across channels.


Previously, he led advertising products at TikTok supporting multi-billion-dollar revenue businesses and helped launch products spanning GenAI creative tooling, campaign optimization, and advertiser control systems.


Before TikTok, Ose spent four years at Adobe helping build Adobe Express, where he worked across editor experiences, AI-assisted creation, and products used by millions of creators globally. His career has followed a consistent theme of building products that empower creators and marketers to tell their story in a way that feels genuine but also standout.


Outside of work, Ose is a huge soccer fan and he is excited for the upcoming soccer World Cup.



Ose Amiegheme on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ose-amiegheme/ / https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyejones/



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



Intuit Mailchimp: https://mailchimp.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 J

Intuit Mailchimp's Head of Email Product discusses removing friction from martech

In an era of relentless pressure for quarterly growth, is it even possible for a large brand to stay true to its core mission, or is compromising a brand’s values just an inevitable part of achieving scale?


Agility requires more than just reacting quickly to market changes. It requires a resilient, long-term mission that acts as a north star, ensuring that every pivot and experiment builds enduring value, not just short-term gains.


Today, we're going to talk about the tension that every marketing leader feels: the conflict between the relentless demand for measurable, short-term results and the need to build a brand with a durable, long-term mission. We’ll explore how the very systems designed to measure success can sometimes corrupt a company's purpose, and how a new definition of value can create a strategic advantage that outlasts fleeting market trends.


To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Eric Ries, Author of The Lean Startup, and the new book, Incorruptible.



About Eric Ries



Over the last two decades, Eric Ries’s ideas about continuous innovation, long-term thinking, governance, and market reform have reshaped company building and management practices. He is the creator of the Lean Startup method, and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup; The Leader’s Guide; and The Startup Way. As a founder, he has put his own ideas into practice with The Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE); Answer.AI, an AI R&D lab; the Lean Startup Co, which teaches and supports the implementation of Lean Startup; Virgil, a legal services startup; and IMVU, where the ideas that became the Lean Startup method were forged. On his podcast, The Eric Ries Show, he talks to guests including world-class technologists, thought leaders, and executives working to build profitable companies for the long-term benefit of society. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.



Eric Ries on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eries/



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



The Lean Startup: https://www.leanstartup.co [https://www.leanstartup.co/]



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



Get Incorruptible by Eric Ries: https://amzn.to/4dERCRy


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, Septembe

Lean Startup author Eric Ries on building a brand for the long term

Agile brands understand that customer experience, employee experience, and digital transformation all combine to form brand experience. The Agile Brand is hosted by Greg Kihlström, entrepreneur, advisor, speaker, and best-selling author. It features leaders of top organizations around the world and provides a fresh perspective on the continually evolving dynamic between brands and the audiences they serve.

The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlstrom

Welcome to the Innovation Economy podcast, where we look at the factors that drive business growth, including how people, processes, platforms, and places work together to create the future of work.

The Innovation Economy

From the creators and host of the award-winning The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast, comes B2B Agility, a podcast focused on how B2B marketers and the brands they represent become category leaders and drive optimal results.

The show looks at B2B success in a variety of ways, all with a focus on the intersection of sales, marketing & technology. Guests will represent brands, consultancies, and platforms that enable B2B marketers to do their best work.

B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström

According to a Bain Consulting study, 80% of CEO’s believe their companies deliver a superior customer experience but only 8% of their customers agree. I talk to guests with a wide range of expertise, who share meaningful insights and wisdom to help you close that gap.  We give you practical tips, proven frameworks, and share ways to help you delight YOUR customers.

Delighted Customers with Mark Slatin

The Composable Roadmap isn’t just a listen; it’s a journey. It challenges you to rethink how you view your organizational capabilities and equips you with the foresight to build not just for today, but for a future that is perpetually just around the corner. For anyone serious about making agility a core competency of their organization, this podcast s your starting point.

The Composable Roadmap

Greg Kihlstrom's Show

Clips for marketers that want to drive greater customer engagement

Greg Kihlstrom

Shows