The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

As the year wraps up, we are replaying some of our favorite conversations from 2025, including this one!What if bankruptcy, a global financial crisis, and other hurdles along the way aren’t the end of your brand, but instead a way to help you define what it truly is?Agility requires a willingness to experiment and adapt, not just in your technology stack, but also in your organizational structure and the very culture of your company. It also demands a deep understanding of your customer and a commitment to delivering personalized experiences.Today, we're going to talk about building a resilient brand in the face of uncertainty, balancing the need for both efficiency and innovation, and the critical role of company culture in achieving long-term success. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Shawn D. Nelson, CEO at Lovesac. About Shawn D. Nelson Shawn D. Nelson is the author of Let Me Save You 25 Years: Mistakes, Miracles, and Lessons from the Lovesac Story. He is the founder and CEO of the Lovesac Company, which designs, manufactures, and sells such furniture as modular couches and bean bag chairs. Nelson holds a BA in Mandarin Chinese from the University of Utah and a Master’s degree in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons, The New School for Design in New York City, where he later became an instructor. Shawn D. Nelson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawndnelson/ Resources Lovesac: https://www.lovesac.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

As the year wraps up, we are replaying some of our favorite conversations from 2025, including this one!AI can create immersive, human-centric experiences that not only drive sales but also foster enduring brand relationships in a rapidly evolving market. Today we’re going to talk about how AI-driven personalization allows retailers to move beyond generic experiences, crafting unique interactions that resonate with individual preferences and behaviors, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. I’m thrilled to be joined by Noah Zamansky, Vice President of Product, Tech and Design, Client Experience at Stitch Fix here at eTail Boston. About Noah Zamansky Noah Zamansky is VP of Product, Client Experience at Stitch Fix He was previously with eBay where he was the Senior Director of Product Management for Fashion & Vertical Experiences. Noah is a seasoned leader who has shaped product vision, strategy and experience as well as helped launch new lines of business. He is a strong collaborator with an ability to bring stakeholders and perspectives together to create the best result.  Noah Zamansky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nzamansky/ Resources Stitch Fix: https://www.stitchfix.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

As the year wraps up, we are replaying some of our favorite conversations from 2025, including this one!Customer lifetime value is a critical KPI, but with customer acquisition costs rapidly rising, what can brands do to successfully build long-term value for the business?Agility requires seeing past vanity metrics to the durable value hidden in customer relationships. When customer acquisition costs climb and privacy affects easy targeting, only nimble brands—those that align teams, data, and KPIs around lifetime value—stay ahead.All of this (and a few more things) are discussed in the recently-released Klaviyo B2C Report. To discuss it, I’d like to welcome Jamie Domenici, CMO at Klaviyo. About Jamie Domenici Jamie is Chief Marketing Officer at Klaviyo, the only CRM built for consumer brands. She has served as the Chief Marketing Officer since August 2023. With more than 20 years of experience in SaaS Marketing, Jamie has become a pioneer in SMB Marketing and a champion for small businesses. Prior to Klaviyo, Jamie served as the CMO of GoTo, a provider of SaaS and cloud- based remote work tools for collaboration and IT management, and before that, she held various marketing leadership positions at Salesforce for over ten years. Jamie holds a B.A. in International Relations from California State University, Chico. Jamie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two daughters. Jamie Domenici on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdomenici/ Resources Klaviyo: https://www.klaviyo.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

In this episode I’m going to do something a little different. As we wind down for the year, we’re going to be running some of our favorites from 2025 until the new year begins.Let’s take a look back at some of the overall themes discussed and point out a few highlights for me. I won’t be able to highlight everything of course but I found 5 themes really interesting. And, I won’t lie - I had a little help from AI in doing this. But that’s also kind of the point. We have all been using AI to do things to make our work easier, and I thought that poring through 150+ episodes recorded over 12 months is a perfect thing to have AI help me with. About Greg Kihlström Greg Kihlström is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, and serves as an advisor and consultant to top companies on marketing technology, marketing operations, and digital transformation initiatives. He has worked with some of the world’s top brands, including Adidas, Coca-Cola, FedEx, HP, Marriott, Nationwide Insurance, Victoria’s Secret, and Toyota. He is a multiple-time Co-Founder and C-level leader, leading his digital experience agency to be acquired in 2017, successfully exited an HR technology platform provider he co-founded in 2020, and led a SaaS startup to be acquired by a leading edge computing company in 2021. He currently advises and sits on the Board of a marketing technology startup.In addition to his experience as an entrepreneur and leader, he earned his MBA, is currently a doctoral candidate for a DBA in Business Intelligence, and teaches several courses and workshops as a member of the School of Marketing Faculty at the Association of National Advertisers. He has served on the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Mentorship Advisory Board, the University of Richmond’s CX Advisory Board, and was the founding Chair of the American Advertising Federation’s National Innovation Committee.  Greg is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, is an Agile Certified Coach (ICP-ACC), and holds a certification in Business Agility (ICP-BAF).  Greg Kihlström on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Resources The Agile Brand Podcast: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Why are so many companies spending billions on AI, only to see their most ambitious projects stall out before they ever impact the customer experience? Agility requires more than just a fast-moving marketing team. It requires the foundational ability to connect disparate systems and data sources, allowing new technologies like AI to be implemented and scaled, not just piloted.Today, we're going to talk about the single biggest, and often overlooked, blocker to enterprise AI adoption: the integration layer. While everyone is focused on the models and the applications, the legacy infrastructure underneath is preventing companies from moving beyond small-scale experiments. We'll explore why a modern, integration-first approach is no longer a 'nice-to-have' for IT, but a strategic imperative for any brand that wants to turn AI hype into a real competitive advantage. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Stephen Stouffer, Director of Automation Solutions at Tray.ai. About Stephen Stouffer Stephen Stouffer is Director of Automation Solutions at Tray.ai, bringing over a decade of experience in markops, revops, and digital transformation. Starting his career as a web developer, Stephen has grown through various marketing technology roles, both in-house and in-agency, and he’s particularly known for his work in marketing automation and AI implementation.,Yes,This will be completed shortly Stephen Stouffer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenstouffer/ Resources Tray.ai: tray.ai The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company