Room For Growth
WillowTree
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Top 10 Room For Growth Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Room For Growth episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Room For Growth for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Room For Growth episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
04/19/23 • 20 min
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
04/12/23 • 32 min
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
03/29/23 • 13 min
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
Accelerating Growth and Enriching Loyalty in QSR feat. Scooter’s Coffee’s Mitch Walden
Room For Growth
10/14/24 • 55 min
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
Owning Your Brand Narrative feat. WillowTree's Adam Nemett
Room For Growth
09/27/23 • 36 min
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
10/04/23 • 19 min
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
09/20/23 • 43 min
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
09/13/23 • 49 min
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
04/05/23 • 44 min
“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
Financial Services Loyalty on a Global Scale feat. WillowTree's Kate Gallaher and Caitlin Watson
Room For Growth
06/05/24 • 44 min
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
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FAQ
How many episodes does Room For Growth have?
Room For Growth currently has 59 episodes available.
What topics does Room For Growth cover?
The podcast is about News, Digital Transformation, Marketing, Growth, Tech News, Podcasts and Business.
What is the most popular episode on Room For Growth?
The episode title 'Reducing Call Center Volume with Adobe Customer Journey Analytics feat. TELUS’s Mike Kellner' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Room For Growth?
The average episode length on Room For Growth is 37 minutes.
How often are episodes of Room For Growth released?
Episodes of Room For Growth are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Room For Growth?
The first episode of Room For Growth was released on Jun 1, 2022.
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