#Hashtags: The Gartner Marketing & Communications Podcast

May 3, 2023

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. Listen to this latest podcast now!

Register for the conference here.

April 19, 2023

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. Listen to this podcast now!

April 6, 2023

In this #Hashtags episode, Gartner Research Director LK Klein discusses the cost of unmanaged information overload on key business metrics like strategic alignment and intent to stay, as well as solutions marketing and communications leaders can use to reduce the burden of information on employees across the organization.
Listen to this podcast now!

March 22, 2023

In this episode, Gartner’s Halle Stern speaks about how to incorporate new tactics into loyalty program strategies, such as offering experiential benefits and experiential earning. Consumers are looking for more than just discounts, and Halle talks about the importance of understanding customer values, motivations and needs in order to deliver a unique loyalty program experience. Listen to this latest podcast now!

March 7, 2023

In this episode, Gartner analysts Alex de Fursac Gash and Suzanne Schwartz share key insights from the newly released 2023 Gartner Multichannel Marketing Survey. The survey shows that a customer-centric “holistic channel strategy” is an effective approach to managing channel complexity. Yet if it was so easy, everyone would be doing it.
We also talk about how CMOs can take these insights and apply them to their organizations, cutting through this channel complexity. Listen to this podcast now!

February 22, 2023

In this episode, Gartner analyst Ant Duffin discusses the state of social commerce, outlining what it is, what it’s not and its future potential as it rapidly evolves. The discussion also provides digital marketing leaders with insights and guidance on how to evaluate social commerce opportunities, navigate the risk of constant change, and where to place short- and long-term bets. Listen to this podcast now!

February 8, 2023

In this episode, Gartner analyst Nicole Greene discusses the proven impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on content and the customer experience. We’ll cover the promise and the risks of bringing AI to your organization across data, creativity, culture, and ethics. The discussion outlines how CMOs should approach harnessing the power of generative AI. Nicole Greene analyzes marketing strategy, trends, and practices with an emphasis on content marketing and management, digital experience and artificial intelligence. Listen to this podcast now!

January 25, 2023

In this episode, Gartner analyst Kate Muhl leverages Gartner’s proprietary quantitative and qualitative consumer research to cut through the clutter and hone in on the consumer and cultural trends that will truly matter to CMOs in 2023. The discussion includes insight into inflation’s impact on brand relationships and the growing generation gap in attitudes and expectations for brands. Listen to this latest podcast now!

January 10, 2023

In this episode, Gartner researcher Emily Weiss dispels some common misconceptions about Gen Z’s attitudes toward social media. She explores the values they espouse that make them different from their Millennial predecessors. We also dive into several trends in digital culture — from A.I.-generated artwork to the Dark Academia aesthetic — and uncover lessons learned about how to appeal to this up-and-coming cohort of consumers. Listen to this latest podcast now!

December 14, 2022

In this episode, Gartner analyst Chris Ross discusses how to establish a firm foundation for innovation initiatives, the critical distinctions between “Big I” and “little i” innovation, and how to more effectively communicate innovation impact.

He also talks about how CMOs can anticipate and respond to common innovation challenges and establish more robust support for innovation initiatives and advises CMOs at the world's leading organizations on marketing and brand strategy, innovation, and agency selection and management. Listen to this latest podcast now!

November 30, 2022

In this episode, Gartner Advisor Alexandra Earl discusses why trust is so important to get right — especially right now. Change-fatigued employees, burned out from the COVID-19 pandemic, have serious concerns about those in charge of their organization. Lack of visibility and transparency into change and future strategy are leaving employees to question their commitment to perform and remain. Trust is critical and carries many benefits for organizations — but so many are missing the mark. As such, leaders must rethink their communication to (re)build trust if they are to stand a chance of retaining employees and achieving strategic goals. Listen to this podcast now to discover key drivers of trust!

November 15, 2022

In this episode, Gartner analysts Brad Jashinsky and Mike Froggatt discuss how retail media networks are changing the digital advertising and media landscape. They also examine how brand marketers can take advantage of this new channel to reach customers online. We’ll provide an overview of the top three retail media networks, discuss why many retailers are launching their own, and focus on how retail media can fit into both brand and performance advertising strategy. Listen to this podcast now!

November 1, 2022

In this latest episode, Gartner analyst Jason McNellis discusses what economic uncertainty and inflation mean to marketers. The beginning of 2022 saw many marketers attempting to claw back budgets to pre-COVID-19 levels. As 2022 progressed, new macroeconomic challenges started blocking the path to higher budgets. While some marketing organizations today are working through cuts — often starting with their media or brand building budgets — others are investing to gain share. Most marketing leaders will have to wear both hats over the next six months: on some days, playing defense to bolster the evidence of marketing’s ability to drive business outcomes, and on other days, playing offense and outlying plans demonstrating how investments in marketing will increase growth. The most successful will combine the two approaches, such as using marketing automation to increase efficiencies and drive conversions with minimal incremental investment. Listen now!

October 19, 2022

In this latest episode, Gartner analyst Claudia Ratterman discusses the missed opportunity of paid on social media platforms. Even though marketers and communicators are publishing engaging organic content on social platforms, data shows a minimal number of current followers will ever see it. We’ll cover the reasons for the limited reach as well as ways to help brands maximize potential return on investments by focusing on specific content types and platforms with higher organic reach potential.

Listen to this podcast now!

October 4, 2022

In this episode, Gartner analysts Kassi Socha and Suzanne Schwartz discuss how marketing leaders need to shift their holiday strategy to meet the expectations of skeptical consumers. For consumers, the fear of continual price increases, lack of discounts, and continued supply disruptions means they are prepared to shop earlier, focus on value, and adopt omnichannel solutions that remove hybrid shopping barriers. To exceed consumers’ expectations, brands must make it easy to find and share holiday gift inspiration, be transparent about pricing, and make shopping seamless and fun — across online, in-store, and everything in between. Listen now!

September 20, 2022

In this episode, Gartner analyst Benjamin Bloom discusses new challenges to marketing’s role as a technology steward. While IT and marketing have improved their collaboration efforts, marketing’s position as a growth driver cannot survive in the face of remarkably low utilization of the technology capabilities in the stack. CMOs must overcome customer data frictions and disrupted customer journeys, but our 2022 Gartner Marketing Technology Survey reveals that talent training and integration remain critical ROI bottlenecks.We’ll cover new insights into where martech teams are placing their bets, from today’s critical components to the emerging technologies to battle the cookieless future. Listen now!

September 7, 2022

In this episode, Gartner analyst Sally Witzky discusses insights from Gartner's Marketing Organization Insights Survey for 2022, with her perspective of what CMOs seemed to get right, and other data points that make us scratch our heads. Either way, CMOs changed all aspects of their marketing resource ecosystem from org structures to operating models to agency roster. The episode covers what they changed and what we’ve heard from CMOs since the survey’s release. Sally Witzky analyzes marketing organizational and operational trends and best practices. She advises CMOs to leverage proven and actionable techniques, systems and tools for building in-house strategic marketing capabilities that maximize value creation and strengthen competitive advantage. Listen to this podcast now!

August 23, 2022

In this episode, Gartner analyst Jay Wilson discusses how marketing leaders are in a position to influence their organization’s approach to internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), while ensuring those efforts are accurately represented in marketing communications. As an increasingly diverse customer base demands that the brands they buy from take action on DEI, the CMO must advocate for that mandate internally. In doing so, a CMO can improve her influence within the C-suite, while making a positive impact on marketing and business outcomes. Success depends on new approaches to hiring, retention, agency selection, and ultimately marketing that is more relevant and representative of our world.

August 9, 2022

In this latest episode of our marketing podcast, Gartner analyst Iliyana Hadjistoyanova reveals key insights from an organizational survey of 182 Communications leaders. We discuss the positive trend of the function’s growing influence and debate the implications of high reorganization rates. And we try to answer the question, “If all seems to be trending well, why are communicators quitting in droves?”. To get the answer, listen now!

July 26, 2022

In this latest episode of our marketing podcast, Gartner analyst Andrew Frank discusses how marketing, communication, HR, legal, and IT roles need to align to address the wide-ranging implications of new laws and law enforcement actions that raise the risks associated with personal data routinely collected and processed by their organizations. For consumers, the fear of digital surveillance is becoming more concrete while, for businesses, the ethical and operational complexities are becoming more acute.We’ll cover some specific situations where organizations’ commitment to protecting the health and well-being of stakeholders is being challenged.

July 13, 2022

In this episode of our marketing podcast, Gartner Director Analyst Leah Leachman discusses how marketing leaders all too often make a commitment toward customer centricity when all signs lead to the opposite effect. Marketing’s efforts are really more channel-led vs customer-led, focusing on acquisition and demand generation versus understanding customer needs. But does that strategy really lead to sustainable, long-term growth? Or will customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy suffer as a result? There is a way to balance company and customer.

June 29, 2022

In this latest episode of our marketing podcast, Gartner VP analyst and Chief of Research Ewan McIntyre discusses some of the themes that emerge from this year’s CMO Spend and Strategy Survey. This survey captures the strategic and budgetary priorities of marketing in 2022. As budgets start to rise from lockdown-era cuts, CMOs find themselves in a complex environment. Channels continue to shift, inflation chips -away at consumer confidence and fierce talent competition poses challenges for marketing’s operating model.

June 14, 2022

In this latest episode of our marketing podcast, Gartner analysts Julie Reeves and Noam Dorros discuss the interplay between brand and performance marketing. Performance marketing has been the darling of marketing programs due to its ability to generate quick leads and sales based on concrete data. 

As budgets have tightened, marketers have repeatedly relied on this proven tactic. But now, many CMOs are realizing that brand marketing needs a seat at the table. Does turning attention to brand come at the expense — literally —  of performance marketing budgets? Complicating matters, the value of brand marketing is hard to measure and prove ROI. How do you know where to place your bets? How do changing market conditions reframe these choices? 

Get these answers in this episode!

May 31, 2022

In this latest episode of our marketing podcast, Gartner analyst Amber Gallihar Boyes discussed how most successful organizations are adapting their strategies to a more purposeful approach to community building and audience interaction with so many enticing developments around content and commerce possibilities, it can be tempting to bucket social media in with the rest of your media channels. But failing to carve out a distinct social strategy that mirrors audience behaviors and preferences can result in lost opportunities and diminished business impact.

May 17, 2022

In this latest episode of our marketing podcast, Gartner analyst Derek Stubbs draws on proprietary consumer research to illuminate perceptions of — and reactions to — rising prices. Yes, there are anxieties, but consumers of varying income levels experience inflation differently, and marketers and communicators need to build on strategies that don’t always center on price.