Level Up: A Marketing Podcast

2023 has been a whirlwind when it comes to marketing, hasn't it? With the adoption of new technologies, such as generative AI, the marketing landscape has rapidly changed, and you need a plan that empowers you to be flexible and adapt your strategy quickly. In this last episode of 2023, our Level Up hosts, Tyler Williams, Laura Madden, and Jordan Kraus discuss the biggest marketing lessons they learned throughout 2023 and how you can apply these insights when crafting your 2024 marketing strategy. Gain deeper insight into how you can build stronger relationships with customers by crafting seamless customer experiences with integrated data, a use-case mindset, and artificial intelligence.

In this Level Up episode, Jordan Kraus and special guests Brian Esham, Director of Technical Services, and Christy Glesing, Sr. Marketing Consultant, explore how AI has evolved throughout 2023 and its future for business applications. Together they discuss topics like building consent and trust into AI models, the steps to prepare your data foundation for successful AI integration, and how you can ensure its marketing use cases align with your company's goals.Listen in for:00:45 - 03:55

In this Level Up episode, listen to Tyler Williams and Jess Endl, Marketing Strategy Manager on Lev's Creative Services team, discuss their favorite holiday campaigns and dissect what makes each unique and successful. In this episode, they explore how to maximize holiday campaign success, from omnichannel campaign strategies to technical considerations like IP warming and data utilization. You'll gain expert insights, tips, and real-world examples that will empower you to thrive during the holiday season and beyond.Listen in for:06:15 - 08:16 ☕️ Favorite Holiday Campaigns: 1. Starbucks red cup08:23 - 10:17

In this insightful Level Up episode, join host Jordan Kraus and special guest Angela Ely, a seasoned senior marketing consultant at Lev, as they delve into how to create a customer experience-focused marketing strategy. Learn the four key steps to crafting exceptional customer experiences, including becoming customer-centric, breaking down organizational silos, leveraging technology wisely, gathering valuable customer feedback, and embracing adaptability. By the end, you'll discover how to create personalized and emotionally resonant experiences that leave a lasting impact on your customers. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or a newcomer to the field, this episode will equip you with actionable strategies to elevate your marketing and boost customer loyalty. Tune in to level up your marketing knowledge! Listen in for:[01:41 - 06:26]

Unravel the truth behind personalized marketing. In this enlightening episode of Level Up, Jordan and Laura lay out the truth behind common misconceptions surrounding personalization.They explore the power of data-driven marketing, sharing insights and expert tips to help you navigate the exciting and not-so-scary world of personalized experiences for your customers. From understanding the value of data transparency to embracing small wins and ambitious goals, these two provide actionable advice for marketers of all levels. So tune in and discover how to create meaningful connections with your audience through personalization.Listen in for:[09:01 - 13:55]

Unleash the Art of Storytelling: In this thought-provoking episode of the Level Up podcast, join Laura and Tyler to discover how to differentiate your brand in a sea of competition by crafting compelling narratives. We unravel the secrets behind successful storytelling and explore the power of crafting amazing customer experiences with dynamic stories that put your customers at the center of your brand.

If you've been online at any time this past year, you've most likely heard of how revolutionary many find generative artificial intelligence (AI) to be. Being able to generate written works and images in distinct styles, it's easy to see how it can dramatically improve marketers' productivity. But is AI something you can truly “set and forget?” In this Level Up episode, our hosts, Joe Kaltenthaler (Sr. Manager, Data/Identity Practice) and Laura Madden (Sr. Manager, Marketing Strategy & Services) discuss the current benefits and limitations of generative AI and how marketers can become better AI prompters to help automate the brainstorming process, strengthen the relevancy of their messaging, and personalize the customer experience.

Ensuring your marketing strategy is innovative can feel overwhelming as it can take a massive amount of creativity and problem-solving. But innovations can be small and build on top of each other to craft truly innovative and unique customer experiences.In this Level Up episode, our special guest Jenna Giles (Associate Principal Digital Designer) joins Laura Madden (Sr. Manager of Marketing Strategy and Services) and Jordan Kraus(Client Success Partner) to discuss how Lev and Huber Engineering worked together to use Huber Engineering's dynamic, innovative content to create hyper-personalized email campaigns.

Customers are constantly bombarded with ads and offerings every day, encouraging them to continually buy new products and services. But with so much noise in today's market, how can marketers and sales team increase their understanding of what encourages a customer to make a purchase?In this Level Up episode, join Jordan Kraus (Client Success Partner) and Tyler Williams (Managing Sales Director) as they break down why people make subjective decisions and then find objective reasoning to support their purchases. As well, they provide some best-in-class tips on how marketing and sales teams can ensure they are meeting their customers where they are emotionally throughout their buyer's journey.

As technology has continued to rapidly evolve and enable high-quality experiences, we've seen the demand for dynamic customer experiences grow. Still, many marketing teams find themselves using outdated technology and processes that are hindering them from providing more personalized experiences. In this Level Up episode, Jordan Kraus (Client Success Partner) and Joe Kaltenthaler (Senior Manager of Lev's Data/Identity Practice) as they outline five practical tips that can help you stay informed on evolving customer expectations and optimize your marketing operations to empower experiences that exceed these expectations.

Digital transformation: it's a movement that businesses in every industry have been told they need to undergo. But what does it actually mean for you and your marketing team? In this episode of Level Up, the podcast for marketers by marketers created by Lev that distills best practices and strategies focused on helping marketers 1-up their strategy, Tyler and Joe discuss the common cliches and preconceptions of digital transformation. By breaking these cliches down, they pinpoint: What's typically involved in a marker's digital transformation How it's effective in enhancing the customer experience How you can find a partner who adds value to every interaction throughout your digital transformation journey

With changes in consumer preferences, constrained budgets, and a potentially rocky economy, marketers have a lot of challenges to consider and overcome. In this episode of Level Up, the podcast focused on helping marketers 1-UP their strategy and grow personally and professionally, Laura and Jordan discuss the marketing trends they believe are in and out in 2023. Gain insight into how you can make more accurate decisions with first-party data, increase customer loyalty through building more authentic experiences, and find a knowledgeable, strategic partner who will work alongside you to solve your biggest challenges.

It's time to level up with Lev's new podcast for marketers by marketers that distills best practices and strategies focused on helping you continue to grow personally and professionally. For those of you who've been subscribing to us since the very beginning of our In the Clouds podcast, you still can expect to gain strategic and technical best practices, how-to's, and real-life use cases and solutions that you can implement to 1-UP your marketing strategy and overcome any challenge in your way!In our very first episode, learn more about our Level Up co-hosts, Laura Madden (Sr. Manager of Marketing Strategy & Services), Jordan Kraus (Client Success Partner), Joe Kalthenthaler (Sr. Manager of Lev's MC Personalization and Intelligence), and Tyler Williams (Managing Director of Sales) as they discuss what led them to Lev, the most influential project they've worked on, and the best marketing-related advice they've ever received.

In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole are joined by Bo Lowery -- Vice President of Marketing at Wild Birds Unlimited. Wild Birds Unlimited (WBU) is a 41 year old brand with more than 350 retail locations around the U.S. and Canada, with the goal of helping you find joy in your environment by inviting birds into the backyard. Bo has been with WBU for more than 20 years, and has been a part of their digital marketing transformation. In this podcast, you will learn where they started with email marketing (as the first enterprise customer of ExactTarget!), and how they have evolved their marketing strategy and used creativity and personalization to engage with their customers. (Also, be sure to listen for three bird fun facts shared by Bo!)

Lev expert and SVP, Strategy Ryan McCambridge joins Crystal Washington for a deep dive into the future of marketing. As a technology strategist, certified futurist, and author of “One Tech Action and The Social Media Why,” Crystal shares her unique perspective about what marketers might expect to see on the horizon in our ever changing world.Topics of conversation include: The Future of WorkThe metaverse and taking a pragmatic approach, how gamers have been in the metaverse for years already.Crystal on web3 opportunitiesThe trajectory with Web3, how long until it is part of everyday life?Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, machine learning and the future of dataLoyalty and how it is shifting the way data is collectedRicher data, richer segmentation, and what an executive within a marketing organization should do to bring the organization forward

Kara Swisher, a contributing writer to the New York Times Opinion section and podcast host for Sway and Pivot, is described as Silicon Valley's "most powerful tech journalist.” Holly Enneking, Vice President of Marketing at Lev, leads a conversation with Kara about accountability -- both for Big Tech leaders and everyday digital marketers -- as well as being unapologetically yourself.Conversation topics include: The Reckoning in tech, and how leaders can best manage their communication platforms and systemsPreserving online privacy, data ickiness, and how we should be thinking about cyber attacksThe Metaverse, vaporware, Twitter, and Elon MuskRepresentation and innovation in the tech industryKara's thoughts on her career, on respecting audiences, and advice for female journalists

Bobby Jania, SVP, Marketing at Salesforce, is joined by Abbey Sullivan, VP, Client Success at Lev, to discuss the current state of marketing in today's technology-driven landscape. From data-driven marketing, to the value of video, and the new work-from-anywhere remote culture, they cover everything marketers want to know about the current strategies, priorities, and challenges in the marketing landscape.Topics included in this episode touch on:Innovation as a priority for marketers and where to startAdopting A.I. and improving customer experiencesHaving access to the right data and how it impacts the businessData privacy and being good stewards of customer dataWhat's next for Bobby's team at Salesforce

What do Marketing Cloud and Saved by the Bell have in common? It turns out, a lot more than you think. In this very special episode of In the Clouds, hosts Bobby and Cole along with special guest Brianne Mullally, do a deep dive on the beloved 90s show Saved by the Bell and what similarities it has to Marketing Cloud. They discuss the Marketing Cloud rebrand, align each Saved by the Bell character to a Marketing Cloud product, and highlight the notable moments and episodes.

You've got burning Salesforce Marketing Cloud Questions, and our hosts have answers. This episode is a recording of a live Ultraviolet session where our hosts Bobby Tichy and Cole Fisher, are joined by Salesforce Consultant Stephen Mansfield to answer attendees' technical questions about anything and everything Marketing cloud -- from data models to A/B testing.

Kevin Cuxil joins hosts Bobby and Cole to discuss innovations in marketing technology at Fox Corporation. Topics include Kevin's role as VP of Marketing Technology, having an internal data science team that leverages data science tools outside the organization, and discussions about some of Kevin's favorite tools and Salesforce strategies.

Hosts Bobby and Cole, and special guest Nick, break down the highlights from Salesforce's Spring 2022 Marketing Cloud updates, which include: Datorama Reports: New Fields (Measurements and Dimensions)Real-time Behavioral Engagement for Mobile AppsSalesforce CDP and App Exchange: Partner AppsBU Aware Integration between CDP and Journey BuilderDatorama Enhancements for EcommerceDatorama Budget AllocatorNew Einstein Innovations for Marketing Cloud

In the first episode of a miniseries on heuristics and biases, Bobby and Cole frame what heuristics and biases are and why marketers should care, as well as discuss some of the potential problems that arise when relying on other decision-making shortcuts.

In latest episode of the Cognitive Marketing Series, hosts Bobby and Cole discuss prospect theory and endowment effect. They discuss what they are and how they can be applied to everyday life and marketing. Check out the resources below to learn more about the value function, and also Lev's Ultraviolet conference.

The best of Completely Unrelated is back for the second year in a row! We have put together a compilation of the best moments from the "Completely Unrelated" segment (the portion of the podcast where hosts Bobby and Cole talk about things that are ... completely unrelated). Highlights include: What band you would love to see? (Episode: Customer Spotlight: How WEX uses Marketing Cloud for Brand Scalability)Who's your famous best friend? (Episode: Innovation Series: What's Possible in Marketing Cloud?)Who's your favorite sitcom character? (Episode: Cognitive Marketing Series: Paradox of Choice)What are the worst colloquialisms? (Episode: Marketing Cloud: June 2021 Release Updates)

Allison Kelly, VP of Partnerships from Attentive join hosts Bobby and Cole to talk all things text, and how Attentive is leading the way in SMS marketing innovations. Attentive helps brands create meaningful interaction through personalized text messaging. They discuss how texting has evolved, innovative use cases, and how Attentive can integrate with Salesforce. Be sure to check out Attentive's interactive Holiday Village to learn more about SMS wherever you are in journey.

Holly Enneking, Vice President of Marketing at Lev joins hosts Bobby and Cole to discuss Lev's Marketing Tech stack. She walks through Lev's go-to-market strategy, reveals what marketing tools Lev uses, and discusses the challenges of running a small, but mighty marketing team. Halloween Bonus

Marty Kihn joins hosts Bobby and Cole to share his expertise on all things CDPs. Marty is the author of the book, "Customer Data Platforms: Use People Data to Transform the Future of Marketing Engagement,” and SVP Strategy, Marketing Cloud at Salesforce. They discuss what a CDP is (what it should do and shouldn't do), use cases for each type of CDP, building a CDP vs buying one, determining if you are ready for a CDP, and clearing up some common misconceptions.

In this episode of the Cognitive Marketing Series, hosts Bobby and Cole discuss the paradox of choice -- the fear of making the wrong choice, when there are too many options presented. They discuss why the paradox of choice happens and how it applies to marketers -- from developing a preference center to creating the "next best action" for their customers.

The Cognitive Marketing Series will take a look at the psychology of marketing, and examine why people make the decisions they do and how marketers can be more efficient and effective at achieving their desired outcomes. Hosts Bobby and Cole will take listeners for a ride "In the Cognitive Clouds," and focus on one principle per episode. The first episode is about the Law of Least Effort which is the basic hypothesis that someone will choose a course of action that appears to require the smallest amount of effort. The hosts discuss why being lazy isn't necessarily bad, and explain the value of marketer's putting themselves in their customers' shoes.

In this episode hosts Bobby and Cole discuss all things digital asset management with Brad Kofoed, Senior Vice President, Global Alliances & Channels at Bynder. Bynder is the global leader in digital asset management (DAM), providing the most powerful and scalable SaaS solution for brand management. In this epiosde they discuss the difference between DAM and CMS, how Bynder integrates with Marketing Cloud, and what's on Bynder's innovation roadmap this year.

Hosts Bobby and Cole are joined by guest Nick Burggraf to breakdown the highlights from Salesforce's June 2021 Marketing Cloud updates. They discuss:Salesforce CDP EnhancementsDatorama UpdatesAdvertising Studio EnhancementsEinstein for Marketing Enhancements

In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole dive into everything marketers need to know around Apple's iOS 15 update and the Mail Privacy Protection that is coming later this year. They share an overview of the feature, what it really means for marketers, and what marketers can do to ensure it doesn't hinder their marketing strategy.

This is the fourth episode of the Ultraviolet Keynote Series where we share the recordings of our keynote sessions from our Ultraviolet conference this year. In this keynote, In the Clouds host and RVP, Sales at Lev Bobby Tichy chats with Martin Kihn, SVP Strategy, Marketing Cloud at Salesforce to discuss how marketers can effectively utilize data to power their marketing efforts. From the value of customer data platforms, to the move to first person data, to data-driven AI strategies, to Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, they'll cover everything marketers want to know about getting the most out of their data.

This is the third episode of the Ultraviolet Keynote Series where we share the recordings of our keynote sessions from our Ultraviolet conference this year. In this keynote Lev's VP of Marketing Holly Enneking chats with Angela Duckworth. Angela is a psychologist and best-selling author of the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Holly and Angela discuss the importance of grit and how to change your grit score over time, how marketers can deal with feedback productively, grit and creativity, and much more.

This is the second episode of the Ultraviolet Keynote Series where we share the recordings of our keynote sessions from our Ultraviolet conference this year. In this keynote Lev's Rachel Gilliam talks to Desirée Rogers. Desirée is the first black CEO and Co-Owner of Black Opal Beauty, former CEO of Johnson Publishing Company (creator of Ebony and Jet), and co-owner of Fashion Fair Cosmetics and BLK/OPL. She was also appointed by President Obama as White House Social Secretary, re-positioning the White House as the “People's House” and implementing innovative events. Rogers offers insights on everything from how to make marketing work in a digital and global age, to how to talk about race and foster a positive, inclusive work environment.

This is the first episode of the Ultraviolet Keynote Series where we share the recordings of our keynote sessions from our Ultraviolet conference this year. This keynote features Lev's CEO Michael Burton and co-founder of ExactTarget and High Alpha Managing Partner Scott Dorsey. Scott talks about his journey at ExactTarget from startup to Salesforce acquisition, why the brand and culture was so important, and how he helped to cultivate the culture. He also talks about HighAlpha and their amazing growth this past year.

This is the sixth episode of the Innovation Series -- where we highlight marketing experts to learn how they are innovating in Salesforce Marketing Cloud. In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole talk to Nicole Roach who leads customer growth and engagement strategy for GolfNow (a part of NBC Sports). She talks about innovative solutions GolfNow has been creating for golfers including a personalized email that presents dynamic, live tee times and weather to golfers based on their locations and preferences, and what they are doing to focus on golfers' long-term lifecycle.

This is the fifth episode of the Innovation Series -- where we highlight marketing experts to learn how they are innovating in Salesforce Marketing Cloud. In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole have an in depth conversation with Danny Abraha, Lev's Strategy Consultant of Paid Media and Analytics about what the future of paid media looks like. They discuss third-party cookies, IDFAs, CCPA, and what marketers can do to make sure they are being compliant with these new policies.

This is the fourth episode of the Innovation Series -- where we will highlight marketing experts to learn how they are innovating in Salesforce Marketing Cloud. In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole chat with Brett Billups from Lev. Brett is a Senior Manager, Solution Architects, and when asked if it's possible in Marketing Cloud, he will always say yes. He shares the details of some innovative solutions he has worked on including couponing for web and in-store capability, dynamic link shortening, and a workaround for pulling contact key.

This is the third episode of the Innovation Series -- where we will highlight marketing experts to learn how they are innovating in Salesforce Marketing Cloud. In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole chat with Joel Houghton and Zak Pines from Formstack to learn how they are being innovative in Marketing Cloud and with their customers. Formstack is a workplace productivity platform that helps organizations streamline digital work through no-code online forms, documents, and signatures.

This is the second episode of the Innovation Series -- where we will highlight experts from marketing experts to learn how they are innovating in Salesforce Marketing Cloud.In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole chat with Kyle Schroeder and Mike Dietz from Movable Ink. Movable Ink is a personalized content platform that helps digital marketers create personalized, visual experiences across email, web, and display. They take data and context and turn it into creative that is generated in real time, or at the moment of engagement for the end user. In this episode, Kyle and Mike share: + Solutions Movable Ink has created for Marketing Cloud+ What the most widely used feature is on the Movable Ink platform+ How their clients have helped push them to innovate in the Movable Ink platform+ Innovative customer examples A big thank you to Movable Ink for being a sponsor of Ultraviolet. Be sure to check them out in the session, “Personalization Tactics to Excel in a Changing Landscape.”

This is the first episode of the Innovation Series -- where we will highlight experts from Lev, Salesforce, and our customers to learn how they are innovating in Salesforce Marketing Cloud. In this episode, hosts Bobby Tichy and Cole Fisher talk with Brian Esham who is the Director of Emerging Services at Lev. Brian leads a team that is focused on the new technology coming out of Salesforce, and how to help Lev's customers use it to their fullest potential. Brian has been an integral part of leading Lev in creating innovative solutions like Abandoned Cart, integrating Datorama with Marketing Cloud, and connecting Interaction Studio data across the entire Salesforce ecosystem. Bobby, Cole, and Brian discuss why these solutions were created and how we did it.

In this episode, hosts Bobby and Cole walk through the five things you should be mindful of when migrating from Marketo to Salesforce Marketing Cloud. This includes: + Don't just “lift and shift” from one platform to another+ Make sure your business goals and objectives are front and center+ Marketo's data model is very different from Salesforce Marketing Cloud+ Be mindful of the translations between Marketo and Salesforce Marketing Cloud + Create a process for syncing unsubscribes when transitioning between platforms

Hosts Bobby and Cole breakdown the highlights from Salesforce's January 2020 Marketing Cloud updates.

In this episode, our hosts invite Benjamin Yerushalmi, Vice President, Global Cloud Solution Alliances at Salesforce to learn more about Digital 360. Released earlier this year, D360, brings together key components and new innovations in the Salesforce Customer 360 platform to help digital leaders transform their customer engagement and accelerate growth in the all-digital, work-from-anywhere world.

We're excited to announce the launch of SubscriberX—an integrated solution powered by Salesforce that empowers marketers to grow their subscriber base, increase revenue, and drive customer loyalty. SubscriberX enables subscription-based companies, particularly in media and entertainment to connect with their customers across the customer lifecycle, drive personalization, and create meaningful customer experiences.

Hosts Bobby and Cole share their thoughts on the Marketing Cloud updates for October 2020. Updates include Customer 360 Audiences, Interaction Studio triggers into Journey Builder, Einstein for Marketing Cloud enhancements, Ad Studio LinkedIN company matching, tracking Automation Studio changes with advanced Audit Trail, and much more! Listen until the end for a discussion about their favorite board games and why they love them.

In this episode hosts Bobby Tichy and Cole Fisher invite fellow teammate Nick Burggraf back on the show to introduce and discuss Google Analytics Customer 360. They will cover the basics of what Customer 360 is, how to build and implement the program, and it's integration with Salesforce Marketing Cloud. 

In honor of International Podcast Day, we have put together a compilation of the best moments from the "Completely Unrelated" segment (the portion of the podcast where hosts Bobby and Cole talk about things that are ... completely unrelated). Learn about their worst haircuts, favorite Boy Band and Pop Tart, and a thorough description of Bobby's seasonal drink schedule.

In this episode of ‘In the Clouds' our hosts Bobby and Cole talk all things Unique ID (e.g. Subscriber Key). For those who have or are considering implementing Salesforce Marketing Cloud, identifying the unique ID to use in order to manage contacts is extremely important and can be a difficult decision. That's why Bobby and Cole break it down to give the Who, What, When, Where, and Whys of unique IDs, and have included examples and items for you to consider. And be sure to tune in to the completely unrelated section to finally settle the debate--is a hot dog a sandwich or not?