The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® | What CMOs Need to Know About Marketing Technology, AI & CX

Hilary Smith, CMO at Linnworks, argues that most ecommerce brands believe their operations are already automated — and that the manual work quietly grows as they scale. She and Greg Kihlström get into where it hides and what it costs.
AI's most consequential move in retail is happening in the back office, not the front end. After years of chatbots and personalization, the investment is shifting into inventory, fulfillment, and order management — where being wrong is expensive and visible.
Peak season is a volume-and-velocity problem, not a basket-size problem. Smith on which parts of the traditional peak playbook break first when order throughput climbs, and how a tech freeze changes what a brand can realistically fix in-season.
A stockout is a brand moment. Operational failures are where customers decide what a company is actually like — which puts a CMO on the hook for outcomes they don't directly own.

About Hilary Smith
Hilary Smith is Chief Marketing Officer at Linnworks. She brings 12+ years of experience driving growth through data-informed strategy across supply chain, ecommerce and FinTech. Hilary thrives at the intersection of brand, product and demand, translating complex customer and commercial data into campaigns that drive revenue, sharpen positioning and move the business forward. Her leadership style is grounded in empathy, curiosity and a deep understanding of how customers discover, convert and keep coming back.

Hilary Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarypaigesmith/

---------- Resources ----------

Linnworks: https://www.linworks.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

The hardest part of martech right now is telling which tools are actually earning their keep. That's the question running through the MarTech Summit Boston agenda on October 27. We're attending MarTech Summit Boston on October 27 as a media partner. If you want to join, the code AGILE15 saves you 15%. https://aglbrnd.co/r/c70c250b8d52dff3

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Need to evaluate martech, AI, or CX platforms and don't know where to start? The Agile Brand Guide List is now in beta. We're building the most useful, free-to-use, and up-to-date way to assess what truly matters when evaluating platforms. See more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/f76be3a33cc491bb

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more and give us a rating so others can find the show: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter, and check out Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

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://aglbrnd.co/r/f1782ab12211f765
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As companies invest billions in AI and automation to scale customer interactions, are they unintentionally building a wall between their brand and the very people they're trying to serve?
Agility requires that as technology accelerates, our ability to listen to and understand the customer must accelerate even faster.
Today, we're going to talk about how organizations can maintain and deepen their connection to consumers in an era increasingly defined by technological distance. We’ll explore:

- Why the more we lean on AI for efficiency, the more we need to invest in genuine human understanding.
- How to translate abstract consumer insights into tangible actions that resonate across the entire organization, not just the marketing department.
- The skills and cultural shifts necessary to prepare marketing teams for a future where empathy is as critical as data analysis.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Melissa Blunte, Director, Consumer Experience at Georgia-Pacific.

About Melissa Blunte
Known for: A “get it done” attitude. With an ownership mentality, strategic thinking, clear communication, persistence, and a willingness to do things differently, I will find a way to get things done.

I am a strategic brand and commercial leader with 20 years of experience driving growth and innovation across Fortune 500 companies and billion-dollar brands such as Zyrtec®, Lipitor®, Similac® Infant Formula, Quilted Northern®, and Angel Soft®.

Throughout my career, I've thrived at the intersection of brand building and business results. From launching products and crafting integrated marketing strategies, to leading high-performing teams and managing P&Ls, my focus has always been on delivering measurable impact.

I bring a unique combination of big-company discipline, cross-functional leadership, and entrepreneurial agility — and I’m energized by the challenge of crafting strategy and turning them into actions that drive value.

Melissa Blunte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mapp-blunte-b452359/

---------- Resources ----------

: https://www.gp.com/

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

Check 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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Kaput, Chief Content Officer at Marketing AI Institute, joins Greg Kihlström to unpack the gap between an AI pilot that demos well and an AI capability the enterprise can actually run on.
"AI strategy" describes very different things at different companies. Kaput on what he finds underneath the phrase once you start asking what the systems actually do, and who is accountable when they do it wrong.
The pilot-to-production gap is an operating problem, not a technology one. What changes about marketing operations, decision ownership, and oversight when execution moves to machines and the team's job shifts toward judgment.
Hours saved is not a business case. How more mature organizations connect AI work to outcomes a CFO recognizes — and how a marketing leader spots a brand becoming faster and less consistent at the same time.

About Mike Kaput
Mike Kaput is a recognized expert on marketing, content, and artificial intelligence. He is also a writer, speaker, and author. Mike currently serves as Chief Content Officer at Marketing AI Institute, where he uses marketing, content, and AI to grow traffic, leads, and revenue. Mike previously served in a marketing leadership role at HubSpot's first-ever partner agency.

Mike Kaput on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekaput/

---------- Resources ----------

: marketingaiinstitute.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

Check 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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melissa Ryan, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Federated Hermes, moved a global investment manager's website onto Optimizely and found the technology was the easy part. She joins Greg Kihlström at Opticon.
A migration surfaces the questions nobody had to answer before. Who owns a page, who signs off, and what finally gets retired all become unavoidable once the platform changes — and settling them is harder than the build.
Segmentation runs on self-declaration until it doesn't. Financial advisors, institutional investors, and individual investors need genuinely different content, and Ryan gets into the gap between what visitors tell you about themselves and what their behavior reveals.
"AI" hides two very different decisions. A tool that speeds up a human's draft is not the same commitment as a system that produces and ships on its own — Ryan on which one is realistically usable inside a regulated firm in the next year.

About Melissa Ryan
Melissa Ryan is Vice President and Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Federated Hermes, where she leads strategic digital initiatives that strengthen the firm’s global brand and advance key marketing objectives. She specializes in transforming business goals into scalable, data-driven solutions that improve efficiency, enhance stakeholder engagement, and drive innovation across digital channels. Melissa has extensive experience leading complex cross-functional projects and delivering executive-level insights that support strategic decision-making. She holds an MBA in Management from Point Park University and a BA in Media Communications and Social Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Melissa Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-ryan-9a446411/

---------- Resources ----------

: https://www.federatedhermes.com/

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

Check 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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Rucinski, Solution Engineer at the International Fresh Produce Association, runs IFPA's entire digital experience with a team of two — personalization, content management, and platform support included.
He joins Greg Kihlström at Opticon to walk through what a constraint that tight actually forces you to decide.
A two-person team changes the question from what to build to what to refuse. Ruckinski on the test he applies when a request lands, and how much of the week is already claimed by maintenance before anything new gets considered.
Handing content tools to non-technical colleagues means handing out the ability to break consistency. What had to be standardized inside Optimizely's CMS and Content Marketing Platform before the organization could self-serve without the experience coming apart.
"AI" covers both a faster draft and a system that executes on its own — and a lean team can only absorb one of them. How Rucinski separates technology that removes work from technology that adds something new to supervise.

About Jim Rucinski
Jim Rucinski is the Solutions Engineer at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), where he oversees the evolution of the organization’s enterprise digital ecosystem. A self-taught programmer with more than 30 years of software engineering experience, Jim specializes in turning operational friction into automated, reusable capabilities. Partnering with solution provider Perficient, he focuses on leveraging modern CMS architecture, GraphQL, and practical AI tools to run a global digital presence efficiently.

Jim Rucinski on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-rucinski-925004258/

---------- Resources ----------

: https://www.freshproduce.com/

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658

Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f

Chaser is the only Slack-native project management platform that helps teams turn messages into tracked tasks, automate follow-ups, and maintain team-wide visibility, without adopting another tool. Now integrated with Claude and other GenAI tools. Learn more at trychaser.com and use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial (normal trial is 14 days).

The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Start building your own apps with Replit and get $20 off. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/93531742a7625a20

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom

Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba

Check 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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.