In this provocative episode, database management expert Theresa Kushner explains why she believes that the marketing profession as we know it today is obsolete. What does this mean for the future of the marketing discipline, and for organizations as a whole? Listen here to find out.

About our Guest:

Theresa Kushner

Theresa Kushner turned her master’s degree in journalism from UNT into a career in high technology. For over 25 years she has led companies – like IBM, Cisco Systems, VMware, Dell/EMC, and NTT DATA – in recognizing, managing, and using the information or data that has exploded exponentially. Using her expertise in journalism, she co-authored two books on data and its use in business: Managing Your Business Data: From Chaos to Confidence (with Maria Villar) and B2B Data-Driven Marketing: Sources, Uses, Results (with Ruth Stevens). Today, as the “Data as an Asset” lead for NTT DATA, Theresa continues to help companies gain value from data and information. For her efforts in leading analytics, Theresa was inaugurated into the Analytics Hall of Fame at Pace University in New York in March 2019. She currently serves as an AI/Analytics consultant in the Data & Intelligent Automation group with NTT DATA.

WVU Marketing Communications Today: Horizons is presented by the West Virginia University Reed College of Media, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications.

During the pandemic, we’ve all be watching with horror as stores close and shopping behavior has turned upside down. Amazon’s sales are up 40% in the last 12 months. What’s the future of retail, we have to ask? Join us for an engaging discussion with Paul Leinwand and Samrat Sharma from PriceWaterhouseCoopers’s as they discuss the future of consumer markets and where the consumer shopping experience is headed. Paul Leinwand is global director of the Strategy& unit of PwC based in Chicago and teaches strategy and management as an adjunct at Kellogg Graduate School of Business. Samrat Sharma also works at Strategy& and has an MBA from Carnegie Mellon.

About our Guests:

Paul Leinwand

Paul Leinwand is a thought leader on strategy, growth, and capability building for Strategy&, PwC's strategy consulting group. Based in Chicago, he is a principal with PwC U.S. Paul advises clients on the topic of strategy, growth, and capability building, with a focus on the consumer product and retail sectors.

He is the co-author of three books, Strategy That Works: How Winning Companies Close the Strategy-to-Execution Gap (Harvard Business Review Press, 2016), The Essential Advantage: How to Win with a Capabilities-Driven Strategy (Harvard Business Review Press, 2010) and Cut Costs and Grow Stronger (Harvard Business Review Press, 2009), as well as several articles in the Harvard Business Review and strategy+business.

Paul earned an MBA with Distinction from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Washington University. He currently teaches at Kellogg as an Adjunct Professor of Strategy.

Samrat Sharma

Samrat Sharma is the US Enterprise Strategy & Growth Leader with Strategy& and PwC and the global leader of CMO Advisory, where he specializes in developing new business models to drive growth and reduce costs for CPG clients. He has roughly 20 years of consulting and industry experience in North America and emerging markets.

His wealth of expertise includes growth strategy, innovation and business transformation, go-to-market capabilities development such as marketing, revenue management, customer/channel management, and digital transformation with a focus on commerce, data & analytics.

Samrat has been featured in publications like Harvard Business Review and Strategy+Business. He earned his Bachelors in Commerce from the University of Delhi, and his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

WVU Marketing Communications Today: Horizons is presented by the West Virginia University Reed College of Media, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications.

Design thinking has been around a while, and it sounds alluring, but there’s still some confusion about what it means to marketers. Roger Mader sets us straight in this podcast, explaining the skills and tools of design thinking that apply to marketing practice, and how it can be used to improve marketing results. In short, he describes a process for predicting your customers’ future needs and interests and serving them better than the competition. Join Roger, Managing Partner at Ampersand and professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York, to hear where design thinking can take marketers, on the sub-series, Marketing Horizons.

About our Guest:

Roger Mader is on a mission to “make better”—to equip leaders and entrepreneurs, experts and students to change the world. Declare purpose. Make a promise. Act on principle. Measure performance. Learn. Grow. Roger serves as the Managing Partner of Ampersand, a global team of partners who help big companies act small, and small companies get big. Ampersand uses design practices honed in the field, in collaboration with teams to conceive, test, iterate and launch new offerings and experiences. He serves on the graduate program faculty of the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. His course on Strategic Innovation introduces teams of students to Ampersand’s 4D method to design breakthroughs for corporate sponsors, including Accenture, Cap Gemini, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Deloitte, EY, Lippincott, McKinsey, RGA and SYP. His writing includes Purposeful Enterprise, a thesis on the power of purpose to guide strategy, attract demand and compel people on a shared mission.

WVU Marketing Communications Today: Horizons is presented by the West Virginia University Reed College of Media, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications.

Behavioral science is a relatively new field, with huge implications for marketing. Neuromarketing can actually help you develop more persuasive communications that will increase your response rates. Join Nancy Harhut, Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing, as she explains how she persuades her target audiences successfully, using the lessons of behavioral science, on the sub-series, Marketing Horizons.

About our Guest:

Getting people to take action is what Nancy’s all about. Her specialty is blending best-of-breed creative with decision science to prompt response. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Nancy’s shared her passion with audiences in London, Sydney, Moscow, Madrid, Stockholm, Sao Paulo, Berlin, and all over the US, including SXSW. Along the way, she's been named Online Marketing Institute Top 40 Digital Strategist, Ad Club Top 100 Creative Influencer, and Social Top 50 Email Marketing Leader. Prior to co-founding HBT Marketing, Nancy held senior creative management positions with Hill Holliday, Mullen and Digitas. She and her teams have won over 200 awards for digital and direct marketing effectiveness.

WVU Marketing Communications Today: Horizons is presented by the West Virginia University Reed College of Media, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications.

Learn about the power of guest posting (guest blogging) and why it's an important tool for marketers of all levels to utilize. Use it for brand recognition, building backlinks to your site, sharing your knowledge and expertise on certain topics, and increasing your trustworthiness in your business niche. Discover why it's valuable for freelancers and solopreneurs to implement as well! Join Rebecca Reynoso, Senior Editor + Guest Post Program Manager at G2 for "What is Guest Posting and Why You Should Start Using it for Your Brand" on the WVU Marketing Communications Today podcast.

About our Guest:

Rebecca Reynoso is the Senior Editor and Guest Post Program Manager at G2. She also works as a freelance editor and writer for a few small- and medium-sized tech companies, including Sales Hacker, Nextiva, and Databox. Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys watching hockey, cooking, and spending time with her family and cat.

WVU Marketing Communications Today is presented by the West Virginia University Reed College of Media, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications.

Chatbot technology in B2B is developing quickly beyond customer experience to becoming an important part of Top of Funnel (TOF) tactics. Join Koen de Witte, Managing Director at Leadfabric, and Drift's exclusive certified partner in Europe, to hear his insights around next-generation Chatbots in the sub-series, Marketing Horizons hosted by Ruth Stevens and Cyndi Greenglass.

About our Guest:

Koen de Witte is one of the leading martech experts in Europe. He runs a martech services company, Leadfabric, that helps B2B companies across Europe select and install the right marketing technology — CRM, campaign automation — to manage their prospecting and current customer marketing efforts efficiently. Leadfabric also offers full demand gen services to clients — in fact, his was the first full-service B2B demand gen agency in Europe, started in 2008. He’s also a leading expert on chatbot technology, being a certified partner of Drift, one of the leading chatbot providers.

WVU Marketing Communications Today: Horizons is presented by the West Virginia University Reed College of Media, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications.