Over the years, the podcast Brave Business Triumphs has featured successful professionals across a diverse span of industry and topical issues.
In our most recently completed season, we’ve had the privilege to speak with six amazing guests who are very accomplished within their respective fields: professionals in brand strategy and creative development, social media, data analytics and research, film/video production, banking and architecture.
In retrospect, it is interesting to notice the integral traits of success our guests in season 4 have in common, such as, 1.) a sense of entrepreneurialism, 2.) a concern for customer service/experience and 3.) an instinctual drive to be a thinker AND doer as a way to motivate and inspire others around them.
Here’s a quick review of last season’s big take-aways from our esteemed guests:
Tech has always been a game changer to help people do more, to do it faster, and do it better. But with generative AI, the creative world is still a-buzz with what’s going to happen to our industry and to me?
Jeff shares an urgent message for his fellow agency creatives. This technology is just another tool. It may have more far-reaching implications than tech innovations of the past, and it may be disrupting the industry faster than usual, but it is still something we need to embrace.
Explore the different platforms for writing, images and video. Test it out. See what the hype is all about and find ways to make it work for the work you are doing.
Although content is still king in the age of digital media, that doesn’t mean business and their brands see a big ROI by pushing out volumes of crappy content at scale.
Ash believes it is imperative to start with a strategic roadmap for social media content that is aligned with the goals of the business it is meant to support and of interest to the audience they need to reach.
At the same time, you need to make sure your content is not full of filler based on corporate mumbo-jumbo. Keep it real. Less is more, as long as less is compelling. And integrated content that is compelling approaches nirvana.
There are many businesses that view data as the panacea for reliable (and possibly flawless) decision making. Jamie pulls the curtain back on this mythical presumption to set the record straight.
Data is a critical component to helping business make decisions that are based on more than a leader’s gut feeling. When good, clean data can be utilized to better inform decision makers, the choices that need to be made faster and with more confidence.
But, to get to that point, your organization needs ask the following questions 1.) how accurate is the existing data? 2.) do you have best-in-class collection and storage mechanisms in place? and 3.) what type of governance models are needed to protect and secure your data from internal and external threats.
Until these strategic issues are addressed, relying on your data is still a risky prospect.
We’ve all had an experience with a company that either we were completely delighted, or it didn’t go the way we wanted or expected. Too often, it’s a crap shoot of which experience we will receive.
For Christian, his 10+ years as a retail banking branch manager provided the perfect environment to see how important it is to develop strong relationships with customers, and to realize how fickle those relationships can be when your customers’ experience goes sideways.
That’s why in his current role leading a growing lending team, he espouses proactively and continuously teaching the value of a customer service mindset.
The architectural design process has a lot of similarities with the creative and strategic processes at many marketing agencies. Marcus provided an in-depth look at the approach he and his company take to ensure the end result is aesthetically pleasing, functionally astute and structurally sound.
It all starts with a discovery phase. One that directly involves and engages their clients in the process. This leads to collaboration both internally as well as with suppliers and other external service level partners. Then, there is the concept presentation and revision phases that lead up to an approved design.
In the collaborative design process he leads, the journey is what makes the end product worth it. The journey is the interaction of people with a shared goal to build a relationship based on rising to the challenges. And, that leads to integrity – with your client relationship as much as the completed building.
Generative AI strikes again! The creation and editing of video content is changing. But the originality of a strategic idea with the creativity and empathy of a real person’s ability to evoke human emotions will never be become outdated, or unwanted.
That is at the heart of the conversation with Max. AI may change the workflows for creative production for the lower end of the marketing funnel. But the BIG ideas at the top of those funnels can’t be conjured out of cyber space, and the production values associated with the top of the marketing funnel’s brand messaging should be representative of a real person’s intuitive vision to differentiate.
Ultimately, to zig when all the others choose to zag, whether it’s reviewing data, reading tea leaves or trusting your gut, knowing when and how to make your move is just a fraction of the mystic powers of humanity.
That’s a Wrap!
Season 4 was cut short by one episode due to a scheduling issue. But that does not take away from the great conversations with our amazingly talented guests. I’d like to once again express my gratitude to Jeff Kurek (//NKST), Ash Ahmad (Social Media Entrepreneur), Jamie Jurgaitis (Deep Lake Insights), Christian Heckman (Ephrata National Bank), Marcus Rosenau (SSP Architects) and Max Zug (Make/FILMS).
Currently, we have recorded seven episodes of season 5 with a lot more on the way. With our newest season we’re introducing Tara Baumgarten as a co-host, as well as exploring other formats like regular panel discussions with the business and brand consulting team from //NKST. Plus, an upcoming CMO 2025 Outlook series and a bite-sized podlet with just Doug and Tara taking industry issues head-on.
If you know of someone you think would love to be on Brave Business Triumphs, please email us at doug.l@whatsnkst.com – even if that someone is you!
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