#Hashtags, The Gartner Marketing & Communications Podcast

In this episode, Gartner Director Analyst Amber Boyes discusses the reputation management challenges CCOs face and why it's more important than ever to shift away from a reactive approach to long-term, proactive strategy. The discussion includes typical misconceptions, guidance around reputation measurement and advice on adjusting for the impacts of AI.Amber Gallihar Boyes is a director analyst helping equip CCOs with reputation and brand management, crisis communications, PR and social media best practices. As a former practitioner, Amber is highly skilled at navigating complex external organizations to drive communication effectiveness across various audiences and channels. Amber's experience spans social media, influencer and content marketing, media relations and integrated creative brand campaigns as a former lead counselor at an integrated marketing communications agency.Disclaimer: Gartner is an impartial, independent analyst of the Information Technology industry. All content provided by other speakers is expressly the views of those speakers and their enterprises. The information should not be construed as a Gartner endorsement of said enterprise's products or services.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Kate Muhl and Gartner researcher Emily Weiss discuss evolving consumer perceptions of GenAI, breaking down the demographics and drivers behind four key groups: enthusiasts, pragmatists, passives, and rejectors. They also cover what GenAI use cases consumers are most receptive to and which ones they are most wary of — and how that translates into risk to your brand.Kate Muhl is a Gartner analyst specializing in cultural and consumer insights. She has been researching and advising on the consumer and U.S. culture for nearly two decades.Emily Weiss is a Gartner senior principal researcher supporting the consumers and culture team; she covers marketing channels, content and campaigns. Emily works collaboratively with analysts and other researchers to identify and track consumer trends, produce syndicated content about generational cohorts, and translate the implications of those trends for marketers.

In this episode, Gartner Analyst Iliyana Hadjistoyanova discusses key findings from the 2025 Gartner CCO Spend Survey. Communications leaders will get access to a unique dataset that will enable them to pressure-test their investment decision, defend their current budgets and give them the confidence to ask for more resourcing, if needed.Iliyana Hadjistoyanova supports communications leaders in managing their functions and teams. Her research and advisory work covers areas such as strategy building, operating models, governance, measurement, agency management and talent development. She is passionate about helping clients prioritize high-value work and connect it to business goals in clear, measurable ways. 

In this episode, Gartner experts Sharon Cantor Ceurvorst and Alexandra Bellis discuss how successful B2B CMOs expand their focus from helping buyers buy to helping buyers manage change. This approach breaks through customers' uncertainty and builds their confidence to buy and change with you. The discussion includes how to segment your buyers using Gartner's change readiness profiles.Sharon Cantor Ceurvorst is a VP of research in the Gartner Marketing practice, finding new ways of solving B2B and B2C strategic marketing challenges. Her role involves setting annual research agendas and harnessing the collective expertise of marketing analysts and research methodologists to generate actionable insights.Alexandra Bellis, Ph.D. is a director of quantitative analytics and data science on the Gartner for Marketing Leaders' Quantitative Innovation Advanced Analytics team. In this role, she primarily focuses on survey data collection and analysis for the Marketing and Communications Peer and Practitioner Research teams.Disclaimer: Gartner is an impartial, independent analyst of the Information Technology industry. All content provided by other speakers is expressly the views of those speakers and their enterprises. The information should not be construed as a Gartner endorsement of said enterprise's products or services.

In this episode, Gartner advisor Brianna Lux and Gartner researcher Michelyne Chavez discuss Gartner's updated Toolkit: Communications Core Competency Framework and Assessment.This Toolkit enables chief communications officers (CCOs) to assess their team on competencies critical to delivering value to the organization. The discussion includes an overview of the structure and function of the Toolkit, as well as a conversation around six new competencies that are increasingly important for communicators to thrive in today's evolving business environment.Brianna Lux is a director of advisory for Gartner. In this role, Brianna partners with CCOs and communications leaders to identify, understand and advise on their challenges related to leadership and functional management. This includes strategy, org structure, budget, measurement and team development, as well as internal communications, including leader and manager comms, change comms and strategy comms.Michelyne Chavez is a principal on Gartner's Communications research team. She has experience researching corporate branding, employer branding, corporate reputation management and executive communications.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analysts Matt Moorut and Leah Leachman discuss Gartner's annual Genius brand research. This discussion covers key areas distinguishing Genius brands from their peers, and the specific tech and talent strategies that drive these. These insights form a roadmap that CMOs can learn from to improve their own performance.Matt Moorut is an analyst for Gartner for Marketers. He provides Gartner's clients with guidance on various channel marketing topics. He is principally responsible for producing Gartner's analysis on email marketing and supports clients on search marketing, mobile marketing and omnichannel strategy.Leah Leachman is an analyst with Gartner for Marketing Leaders. She advises customer experience and marketing leaders on how to develop strategies that drive customer loyalty, retention, advocacy, and growth.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner VP Analyst Nicole Greene, and Quantitative Analytics and Data Science Advanced Analytics Director Alexandra Bellis use new data to discuss how CMOs and CCOs can effectively move to a more strategic implementation of AI in order to drive growth and navigate reputation management. They explore the disconnect between widespread AI spending and measurable benefits, why productivity gains are uneven, and the importance of culture for AI adoption. This episode is a must-listen for any business leader looking to harness the potential of AI while mitigating its risks across strategic planning horizons.Nicole Greene is a VP Analyst for Gartner for Marketers who analyzes marketing strategy, trends and practices with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, content marketing and digital experience. Nicole's cross-functional work on AI helps Gartner clients who are preparing their organizations for disruption.Alexandra Bellis, Ph.D. is a director of quantitative analytics and data science on the Gartner for Marketing Leaders' Quantitative Innovation Advanced Analytics team, with expertise in survey data collection and analysis.

CMOs and CCOs dealing with a social media landscape that's more fluid than ever are asking themselves and their teams: “What's the big picture, and how do we prioritize our social media efforts?” On this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner social media expert Claudia Ratterman unpacks the complexities of the social media landscape, focusing on consumer insights and shifting behaviors. She also goes into potential TikTok ban, its impact on influencer marketing, and changes to Meta's policies that could affect brand safety.CMOs and digital marketing leaders will hear about strategies to future-proof their efforts by staying agile and informed, as well as gain actionable insights to maintain a strong social media presence and keep their marketing strategies effective.Claudia Ratterman is a director analyst for Gartner for marketers, based in Los Angeles, California. For the last 16 years, Claudia has been helping brands achieve business results by providing actionable, objective insight around social media marketing.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Brianna Lux discusses how ongoing change in organizations is requiring chief communications officers (CCOs) and chief marketing officers (CMOs) to constantly re-establish themselves, disrupting their ability to influence within their networks. The discussion includes how to use best practices from the world of corporate brand and reputation management and apply them to interpersonal relationships.Brianna Lux is a Director of Advisory for Gartner. Brianna partners with CCOs and communications leaders to identify, understand, and advise on their challenges related to leadership and functional management, including strategy, org structure, budget, measurement, and team development, as well as internal communications, including leader and manager comms, change comms, and strategy comms. Her unique experience of having a certificate in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance, along with her 10+ years of performing improv comedy outside of Gartner, allow her to bring her empathetic listening skills, collaboration, and creative energy to every client interaction.

In this episode, Gartner VP Distinguished Analyst, Andrew Frank, discusses how comms and marketing leaders can adapt generative AI (GenAI) models to reflect their brands, both stylistically and substantively. The discussion includes how organizations can use various tools and techniques to create unique, proprietary models and realize the benefits of increased scale and efficiency, consistency of voice and messages, and better support for creative thinking.Andrew Frank is a VP distinguished analyst with Gartner for Marketing Leaders. Mr. Frank specializes in best practices for data-driven marketing, including how organizations can use data to drive sales, loyalty, innovation, brand value and other business goals. He also focuses on emerging marketing technology and trends, including marketing applications of AI and machine learning, algorithmic marketing and marketing in emerging environments, such as metaverse and Web3.

On this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Kate Muhl leverages Gartner's proprietary quantitative and qualitative consumer research to paint a vivid picture of consumer life — and brand challenges — in the postinflation era. The discussion hones in on the consumer trends and cultural themes that will matter to CMOs and their organizations in 2025, as well as thought starters on making the most of those trends.Kate Muhl is a Gartner analyst specializing in cultural and consumer insights. Kate has been researching and advising on the consumer and U.S. culture for nearly two decades.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Augie Ray discusses how to consider customer attrition throughout the end-to-end journey. By assessing not just where customers are lost but the cost of that loss as well, CMOs can best identify the touchpoints where customer abandonment most harms business outcomes. Doing so permits them to proactively work to prevent churn or to monitor for signals to reactively prevent attrition, delivering growth and improved lifetime value.Augie Ray is a Gartner Vice President Analyst covering customer experience (CX) for marketing and CX leaders. His coverage topics include the ROI of CX, CX strategy and governance, how CX leaders secure and retain sponsorship, the buy/own/advocate customer journey, voice of the customer (VoC) and survey strategies, customer journey mapping, CX analytics and measurement, the importance of word of mouth (WOM) in CX, persona development and marketing's role in corporate social justice initiatives.

In this episode, Gartner analysts Eric Schmitt and Mike Froggatt discuss the complexities of advertising, and what new data says about what really separates high-performing marketers from others. The discussion covers campaign and channel strategies, skills gaps and media agency management and insourcing.Analyst Mike Froggatt helps marketers develop strategies for digital advertising, multichannel marketing and digital commerce.Analyst Eric Schmitt counsels marketers on advertising strategy and planning, data and analytics, targeting, measurement, testing, identity resolution, privacy, attribution, data management, customer modeling and analytics, segmentation and marketing automation.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Joesph Enever discusses insights from Gartner's latest research on what really makes a difference in whether CMOs get credit for the value they create. The discussion includes how CMOs can approach telling the story of value, strategically alter their relationship to marketing analytics, and adjust their approach to metrics and talent to solidify their standing with the C-suite.Joseph Enever is a senior research director covering Marketing Data and Analytics. Joesph is focused on how marketing teams can evolve their marketing data and analytics capability, and navigate the key issues and technologies to achieve the best possible results. He has a deep understanding of digital analytics and optimization, from both digital transformation and practitioner perspectives.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Ant Duffin discusses how top brands win in digital commerce. The discussion will provide insight into what top brands focus on and prioritize to create differentiated commerce experiences, as well as the key traits that top brands win with. The discussion will help digital commerce leaders to crystalize priorities and areas of focus as they head into annual strategic planning.Ant Duffin is a Vice President Analyst in the Gartner for Marketing Leaders practice based in the U.K. specializing and leading Gartner's research efforts in digital commerce. Ant advises on and provides insights into the complete end-to-end digital commerce customer journey across digital marketing, routes to market, and operational capabilities (people, process, technology, structure).

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Kate Muhl discusses findings — including some surprises — from recent consumer research into how consumer targets and audiences in the U.S. are thinking about — and coping with — this election season. We also discuss what those findings mean for CCOs and CMOs trying to make the right kind of connection with them.Kate Muhl is an Gartner analyst specializing in cultural and consumer insights. Kate has been researching and advising on the consumer and U.S. culture for nearly two decades.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Jason Daigler discusses how CMOs and digital commerce leaders can use consumer insights to make better digital commerce decisions. The discussion includes insights discovered in recent consumer surveys and how the data paints a picture of where CMOs should invest and where they should pull back.Jason Daigler is a vice president analyst at Gartner focused on digital commerce technologies, including topics such as launching a commerce site, multichannel strategy, B2B commerce, channel integration, digital shelf analytics and marketplaces. Jason has 20+ years of business experience in digital commerce, software development and product management.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Rick LaFond discusses how to create compelling value propositions and marketing communications that address the emotional side of B2B buying. Conventional wisdom suggests that while B2C buying might be emotionally charged, B2B buying is highly rational. However, B2B buying is heavily driven by emotions, and buyer perception of “personal value” from a brand is nearly 3x more strongly associated with positive brand outcomes than perception of “functional value.”Rick LaFond is a Gartner Senior Director Analyst for Gartner for Marketers. He leads Gartner's B2B customer acquisition & account growth research. As an analyst, Rick supports Gartner's clients with insights and guidance on various marketing topics, including demand generation, digital marketing strategy, sales enablement, content marketing and account-based marketing.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Audrey Brosnan shares how to build a clear vision for journey orchestration, highlighting key differences between campaign management and journey orchestration. The discussion offers practical advice on achieving results, using agile strategies, and overcoming challenges to position CMOs for success.Audrey Brosnan helps marketing leaders and digital marketers understand, evaluate, and optimize first-party marketing technologies to deliver results. She analyzes how capabilities like multichannel marketing, customer journey orchestration, personalization, and customer data management contribute to successful digital marketing programs.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Halle Stern discusses how to ensure that personas are created using prescriptive data to create customer understanding assets that improve marketing strategies. The discussion covers how to involve stakeholders from other functions in the creation of personas and to see the value in using personas in their day-to-day work. Halle also discusses how to keep personas relevant and refresh them to change as target customers change.Halle Stern is a Senior Principal Analyst in Gartner's marketing practice. She helps clients to better understand their customers' needs and challenges to improve customer experience outcomes such as customer satisfaction, loyalty, retention and advocacy.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Alex de Fursac Gash explores the evolution of personalization and shares how CMOs are placing their bets right now based on a flawed set of underlying beliefs and assumptions. The discussion includes how CMOs should revise their bets and investments in order to drive more effective personalization outcomes.Alex de Fursac Gash is a Gartner VP Analyst who supports Gartner's clients with insights and strategic guidance on a wide range of areas, including marketing and brand strategy, performance measurement, marketing budgets and organization design.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Noam Dorros discusses the current state of the rapidly evolving landscape that is search marketing. The discussion includes the missteps of AI releases from Google and the aftermath, search algorithm updates, and where CMOs and digital marketing leaders should focus their efforts to maintain success amid the turmoil.Noam Dorros is a director analyst for consumer goods at Gartner. Noam transforms data driven insights into actionable opportunities for various clients within the consumable goods sector. Working with top brands in the consumer packaged goods, personal care and food and beverage categories, Noam advises on everything from best practices and industry trends to deriving customized digital recommendations that fit various client objectives.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Jay Wilson discusses trends in agency spend, roster consolidation, and marketing sourcing strategies. How should CMOs evaluate their agency rosters in the context of these trends and ongoing budgetary pressure? And are agencies destined to be the victims of renewed insourcing and emerging technologies and GenAI, or will they once again reinvent themselves to prove their value to marketing leaders?Jay Wilson focuses on helping CMOs achieve optimal results from their agency rosters, including agency selection. He works with clients on their social media marketing strategies, including influencer and employee advocacy programs. Jay led social marketing efforts at a large digital advertising agency in New York, with hands-on experience in the airline, consumer packaged goods (CPG) and high-tech industries.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Rene Cizio discusses how content marketing is evolving into asset management and setting the stage for more efficient modular content and personalization at scale. The discussion includes how CMOs can use digital asset management (DAM) technology to meet their goals and apply new ways of thinking to age-old problems.Rene Cizio is a Gartner director analyst guiding CMOs and digital marketing leaders with insights to create strategic integrated content across teams and channels. Her experience spans journalism, digital marketing, public relations and advertising.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Claire Alexander, discusses how marketing organizations are currently using Generative AI across teams. She shares practical tips for increasing the pace of Generative AI adoption in your organization and key watch outs on that path.Claire Alexander is an Analyst in the Gartner for Marketing Leaders practice, advising CMOs and marketing leaders interested in raising the bar on their leadership and business outcomes. Ms. Alexander provides guidance on developing effective marketing strategies; improving marketing effectiveness through deliberate investment in talent, technology and operations; and on Digital and B2B marketing generally.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Amber Gallihar Boyes discusses the internal and external threats that generative AI (GenAI) poses to reputation, and the key defensive strategies CCOs and CMOs should implement to prepare. The discussion includes how to plan for the most harmful potential GenAI attacks and the urgency of establishing owned media credibility.Amber Gallihar Boyes helps equip CMOs and brand and communications leaders with reputation and brand management, crisis communications, PR and social media.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analysts Matt Moorut and Suzanne Schwartz discuss the annual 2023-2024 Genius brands research, which identifies trends across top performing digital marketing brands. This discussion includes how CMOs can emulate, learn from, and surpass this year's Genius brands' digital marketing efforts by executing robust marketing operations, brand governance, and cross-channel activation.Matt Moorut supports Gartner's clients in the retail industry with insights and guidance on various marketing topics, ranging from budget strategy to digital marketing trends and best practices. He is the lead analyst for Gartner's In the Company of Genius research, which highlights cross-sector digital marketing best practices.Suzanne Schwartz advises on multichannel marketing strategy and execution, orchestrating campaign execution across channels, scaling marketing content across channels, analyzing cross-channel campaign performance, and mobile marketing strategy.

In this episode of the #Hashtags Podcast, Gartner analysts Aprill Baughns and Iliyana Hadjistoyanova discuss how CMOs can ensure their teams succeed in the face of ongoing disruption. We'll talk about current marketing employees' concerns and anxieties, as well as their assessment of existing career opportunities. The conversation will also advise CMOs on how to leverage collaboration, martech and smart skills development to improve employees' well-being, engagement and readiness to embrace and benefit from change.Iliyana Hadjistoyanova supports marketing and communications leaders in managing their functions and teams. She covers areas such as strategy building, operating models, governance, measurement, benchmarking and talent development. She is passionate about helping clients prioritize high-value work and connect it to business goals in clear, measurable ways.Aprill Baughns analyzes marketing and communication's organizational structure, development, transformation and effectiveness trends, resulting in scalable, actionable solutions. With experience spanning a vast array of unique industries, she partners with Gartner clients to provide outcome-oriented, human-centric solutions.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Lizzy Foo Kune talks shop on Gartner's first-ever Magic Quadrant for Customer Data Platforms, providing an overview of trends in the customer data platform (CDP) market. The discussion includes how CMOs can manage through an era of change, as customer data becomes not just a marketing asset, but also an enterprise asset.Lizzy Foo Kune is a Gartner VP Analyst, specializing in marketing data and analytics. She co-leads the Gartner Futures Lab. Her research focuses on customer data management, including customer data platforms. In addition, she covers marketing dashboard technology and reporting processes, and marketing analytics organization and operations.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner experts Kassi Socha and Emma Mathison discuss what more than 2,000 U.S. consumers surveyed in December 2023 are feeling and reacting to. These timely consumer insights inform B2C CMOs on how to prepare for 2024 — a year that holds an election, the Olympics, and tech challenges in the form of continued cookie deprecation and the rapid impacts of generative AI (GenAI). The discussion includes how CMOs can anticipate and respond to the shifting consumer landscape — and actually acquire and retain consumers who are signaling they are wary and more disloyal than ever.Kassi Socha is a Director Analyst in the Gartner for Marketers business, and is based in California. She is responsible for delivering cross-industry insights on strategic website redesigns and supporting retail CMOs on their most pressing mission-critical priorities. Her expertise is uncovering trends, specifically in e-commerce, digital marketing, emerging tech, organizational and consumer insights.

In this #Hashtags episode, Gartner analyst Halle Stern surfaces a glaring flaw in many loyalty programs: the lack of a clear plan for communicating about them. The discussion includes how marketing leaders should leverage customer insights to communicate about the program across the customer journey, and how to collaborate with internal partners to get buy in for the program.Halle Stern is a Senior Principal Analyst in Gartner's marketing practice. She helps clients to better understand their customers' needs and challenges to improve customer experience outcomes such as customer satisfaction, loyalty, retention and advocacy.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analysts Nicole Greene and Suzanne Schwartz discuss how to establish a firm foundation for generative AI (GenAI) initiatives within your organization. The discussion includes how CMOs can stand up pilot programs, understand use cases, instill governance initiatives and lead on responsible use policies.Nicole Greene analyzes marketing strategy, trends and practices with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, content marketing and digital experience. Nicole helps clients lead transformation through the use of creative, technology and data. Her work on generative AI crosses these disciplines and includes responsible use and risk management.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Kate Muhl leverages Gartner's proprietary quantitative and qualitative consumer research to resolve the seeming disconnect between indicators and attitudes in 2024. The discussion hones in on the consumer trends and cultural themes that will matter to CMOs in 2024, potential impacts of the 2024 presidential campaign and how all of that is shaping consumer expectations for brands.Kate Muhl is a Gartner Analyst specializing in cultural and consumer Insights.She has been researching and advising on the consumer and U.S. culture for more than a decade.

In this episode, Gartner researchers Jessica Dervyn and Wilson Zhao join to discuss the impact of generative AI on search marketing. The discussion includes how the changes in the search landscape are driving a decrease in brand visibility on Google SERP, challenging brand website traffic from organic search. Consumer search behavior is constantly changing, and Google SGE (Search Generative Experience) further transform how consumers search and receive information. Digital marketing leaders must experiment with Google SGE, monitor top-performing content, and strategically refine onsite content for optimal engagement and differentiation in this evolving GenAI area.Jessica Dervyn is a researcher in the Digital Performance Benchmarking team. She leverages her digital expertise and experience along with Gartner data to write valuable research for CMOs and digital marketing leaders.Wilson Zhao is a digital advisor at Gartner for Marketer with coverage in consumer retail (i.e. beauty, luxury, activewear, CPG) in the APAC and U.S. market. He provides data-driven market insight, performance benchmarking, competitive analysis, and growth strategy to C-suite clients at major global consumer brands.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Rick LaFond discusses how B2B CMOs should align their customer acquisition and account growth strategies to the preferences and behaviors of the modern B2B buyer. This discussion includes the latest trends in B2B buying, as well as strategic and tactical tips for how CMOs should respond accordingly.Rick LaFond works with marketing leaders to optimize customer acquisition and account growth strategies, specializing in B2B marketing and the manufacturing and natural resources industry.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Ant Duffin discusses how CMOs can decide if D2C is the right strategy for brands based on the strength of the Three Ps — Purpose (why), Potential (how) and Priority (what). The discussion will provide CMOs with strategic D2C guidance as to whether they should start, shift or stop D2C depending on that assessment.Ant Duffin is a Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner for Marketing Leaders practice covering digital commerce.Ant advises on digital commerce business transformation across the end-to-end value chain, including digital marketing, multichannel ecommerce, business capabilities (talent, partners and martech), and cross-functional enablement (i.e., IT, HR, supply chain).Ant has over 15 years global digital consumer/brand experience across a range of industries including CPG, retail, UK government and automotive.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Michael McCune discusses the evolution of marketing operations and its role in changing the way marketing works. How can CMOs effectively leverage investment in the MarOps function? What capabilities do they need in a MarOps leader? What metrics should they track as leading indicators of commercial impact? Many ask if rapid transformation is even possible. Is it?Michael McCune is a Gartner advisor who works with marketing leaders on organization strategy and operations. His current research focuses on driving transformation through the advancement of journey orchestration capabilities, martech optimization, and the pursuit of operational excellence in marketing.

Gartner analysts Julie Reeves and Augie Ray discuss the importance of supplementing brand-building with increased down-funnel emphasis on customer experience — ultimately leading to more growth. They offer tips for bringing Brand and CX teams together: their relative strengths, where they differ in approach, how to collaborate effectively, and more. This is the catalyst and context you need to effectively plan for growth and better brand experiences in 2024.Julie Reeves is a Gartner Senior Analyst who helps clients to better position their brands for success through strategic use of consumer insights and executional considerations. She has a deep understanding of brand strategy, architecture and positioning creation and management in various stages of business maturity across a multitude of industries and competitive situations.Augie Ray is a Vice President Analyst covering customer experience (CX) for marketing and CX leaders. His coverage topics include the ROI of CX, CX strategy and governance, how CX leaders secure and retain sponsorship, the buy/own/advocate customer journey, voice of the customer (VoC) and survey strategies, customer journey mapping, CX analytics and measurement, the importance of word of mouth in CX, persona development and marketing's role in corporate social justice initiatives.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Leah Leachman discusses how to ensure that your organization has the customer experience capabilities that support your brand promise. The discussion includes how CMOs can improve their approach to designing and measuring experiences that drive customer loyalty and growth.Leah Leachman is a director analyst with Gartner for Marketing Leaders. She advises customer experience, customer loyalty, and marketing leaders develop strategies that drive customer loyalty, retention, and advocacy. Her coverage topics include how brands can develop a customer-first experience design strategy for omnichannel experiences; customer journey mapping; enhancing customer listening effectiveness (VoC); developing customer-centric culture; competitive differentiation through CX; and the prioritization of projects to enhance the customer experience.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Chris Ross discusses how CMOs and CCOs can improve how they communicate about value and impact, transcending the limitations of dashboards and KPIs. The discussion includes how CMOs can better assess and understand the value they create, how to distill a core value narrative, and how to deliver marketing value stories with more resonance and fidelity.Chris Ross is a Gartner analyst working with CMOs at the world's leading organizations on marketing strategy, brand, leadership and innovation. As the author of over 100 Gartner research documents, his insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, AdAge and other leading industry publications. 

Benjamin Bloom is a VP, Analyst helping marketing leaders with martech stack optimization, personalization, and customer data management.Mr. Bloom's experience spans customer engagement, direct response, CRM, data management, analytics, web development and brand marketing roles, as both a consultant/strategist and client-side team leader. He has developed and optimized marketing campaigns, as well as selected and implemented technology and advertising solutions for over 10 years. Prior to entering the marketing world, he analyzed the technology, media and telecommunications industries at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information at Columbia University.

In this episode, Gartner analysts and authors of When Machines Become Customers Don Scheibenreif and Mark Raskino discuss how the rise of machine customers will impact the discipline of marketing and the marketing profession itself. What does it mean to market to a machine? What are the implications for how you position your brand? And what do marketing leaders need to start doing right now to take advantage of the huge growth opportunities on the horizon, as potentially billions of machine customers are headed their way?Don Scheibenreif is a Vice President, Distinguished Analyst with Gartner's Customer Experience research group. Mr. Scheibenreif works with customer experience and IT leaders on how emerging trends and digital business will impact customer experience. He is a founding member of Gartner's research on digital business and digital business transformation and he has served clients in Gartner's Industries Research and Technology Innovation practices.Mark Raskino is a Gartner Fellow in the CEO and Digital Business Leadership research team. Mark works primarily with CIOs and their business executive colleagues. He covers business and technology trends and their implications for business strategy, innovation, business models, leadership and executive relationships. Mr. Raskino's research includes Gartner's annual CEO survey and CIO resolutions. He co-authored the books “Digital to the Core” (Gartner, 2015) and “Mastering the Hype Cycle” (Harvard Business Press, 2008). He is a frequent keynote speaker and keynote interviewer.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Kassi Socha and researcher Emma Mathison join to discuss Gartner's latest findings around incentives. The fear of continual price increases and, an appetite to try new brands, and XX are driving consumers to react differently to discounts and promotions than they have in the past. For those targeting a younger consumer, learn how the coupon became cool again, and free shipping is a mandate. To exceed consumers' expectations, B2C CMOs must prioritize discounts with customer appeal, tailor discounts to specific audiences, and make discount experiences more interactive.Kassi Socha is an analyst covering trends across the retail industry, specifically eCommerce, digital marketing, and consumer insights. Key expert in Industry Marketing Execution, Digital Marketing Strategy and Execution, as well as Customer Acquisition and Retention.Emma Mathison is a Research Analyst, with the consumer insights team in the Gartner for Marketers business. She studies consumer values and attitudes as well as cultural shifts and patterns that impact consumer behaviors.Her current research focuses on studying young consumers, parents and family, LGBTQ and gender topics as well as global consumers.

Digital engagement is getting more complex, and CMOs are under pressure to show results. In this episode, Gartner analyst Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone shares Gartner's latest research on “catalytic” digital interactions that change customer behavior, increase customer confidence and, most importantly, generate business value. The discussion includes how CMOs can find the perfect moment for “catalytic” experiences, examples of what a great catalytic digital interaction looks and feels like, and how this new approach might fit into the rest of your marketing strategy.

In this episode, Gartner analysts Ewan McIntyre and Alex de Fursac Gash share insights and explore key themes from Gartner's 2023 CMO Spend & Strategy Survey. The discussion includes how marketing must learn to do more with less, the trap of digitization for the sake of digitization, and the growing pressures for CMOs to reduce marketing technology spending.

In this episode, Gartner analyst Penny Gillespie discusses rogue thinking, Gartner's approach to idea generation and execution. Rogue thinking uses a fresh perspective, often going against conventional, mature business wisdom. Discover the common habits of rogue thinkers, the key skills they share and the barriers that often get in the way.Penny Gillespie is a Vice President and Gartner Fellow within marketing and communications. Ms. Gillespie is responsible for conducting research and developing publications aimed at helping executives recognize digital opportunities, develop a competitive strategy for digital commerce, and improve digital commerce performance and value. She focuses on best practices for digital customer experience (CX) interactions, personalization and trust building, as well as overcoming hurdles to online selling.

In this #Hashtags episode, Gartner VP Analyst Andrew Frank discusses how marketers and communicators should organize their thinking around generative AI and what they can do to position themselves and their brands for success amid this generational disruption.As VP Distinguished Analyst with Gartner for Marketing Leaders, Andrew Frank specializes in best practices for data-driven marketing, including how organizations can use data to drive sales, loyalty, innovation, brand value and other business goals. He also focuses on emerging marketing technology and trends, including marketing applications of AI and machine learning, algorithmic marketing, and marketing in emerging environments such as metaverse and Web3.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Jason McNellis discusses how CMOs can be more data–driven without having to be experts in analytics or machine learning. Today, cherry-picking results and going with one's gut are serious obstacles for CMOs who want their teams to make better and more timely decisions. We'll cover how CMOs can assess their teams current use of analytics. Then we'll use marketing examples from multiple companies as we discuss how experimentation, better questions and a “caterpillar's-eye view” – not more data science – improve data-driven decisioning.Jason McNellis is a Gartner senior director analyst who specializes in marketing analytics and building insight-generating organizations with a focus on enhancing marketing through machine learning, artificial intelligence, marketing mix modeling, and campaign measurement. Jason helps clients concentrate on the right data and right approach to guide their critical decisions.

In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Jason Daigler discusses how digital commerce practitioners often cross the line in the way they sell products. The discussion includes how marketers and digital commerce practitioners can avoid unscrupulous behavior and build customer trust — and what will happen if they don't. Jason Daigler is a Gartner VP analyst focused on digital commerce technologies, including topics such as launching a commerce site, multichannel strategy, B2B commerce, channel integration, digital shelf analytics and marketplaces. Jason has 20+ years of business experience in digital commerce, software development and product management.

Join us from 22 to 24 May in Denver for the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo — the world's most important gathering of CMOs and Marketing Executives™. In this episode of #Hashtags, conference Co-Chairs Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone and Brianna Lux discuss how attendees can use their time at the conference to gain insight, define and validate their marketing strategies, build their networks, and get ahead of the curve.To register for the conference, visit the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo homepage 

In this #Hashtags episode, Gartner Analyst Chad Storlie discusses what true customer centricity looks like. Many companies remain product-focused rather than moving to a customer-centric model where they emphasize meeting customers' needs and metrics such as loyalty, satisfaction and advocacy. CMOs must adopt processes to unite their organizations on customer centricity. Customer centricity places the customer at the center of decisions, activates employees to act in the customers' best interest and drives multilevel process changes that result in customer experience (CX) improvements in loyalty and advocacy.