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

What if the biggest threat to your brand’s integrity isn't a competitor, but the sheer volume of unmanaged, ungoverned, and untraceable content your own teams are creating every single day?

Agility requires more than just speed; it demands a solid foundation of control and intelligence. It's the ability to create, adapt, and deploy content at the pace of the market without sacrificing governance, consistency, or compliance.

Today, we're going to talk about the content paradox facing modern enterprises. While the demand for personalized, omnichannel experiences is causing content creation to accelerate at an unprecedented rate, the systems to manage, govern, and measure its impact often can't keep up. We'll explore how to turn this content chaos into a competitive advantage, the role of AI not just as a creation tool but as a workflow agent, and why the future of marketing will be measured in outcomes, not output.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Luke Roberts, Global Director, Digital Strategies & Growth at Bynder.

About Luke Roberts Luke Roberts serves as Global Director of Digital Strategies and Growth at Bynder, a global leader in AI-powered enterprise DAM. With nearly two decades of experience across local, regional, and global roles at Mazda Corporation, he brings first-hand experience in complex content ecosystems and digital transformation. Today, Luke helps brands overcome content complexity and deliver exceptional content experiences at scale with strategically deployed AI-powered DAM. Luke Roberts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-roberts-5ba3941a Resources Bynder: https://www.bynder.com/en/

The 2026 State of DAM Report will be available on 2/10 - stay tuned!

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code AGILE at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/agile

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://www.thecrmc.com/

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://advertalize.com/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://www.theagilebrand.show

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

As every brand rushes to adopt generative AI, what if the greatest competitive advantage is no longer about speed and scale, but about sounding uniquely, verifiably human?

Agility requires moving beyond the hype of new technology to strategically apply it for true differentiation. It’s about being smart and selective, not just fast.

Today, we're going to talk about a paradox at the heart of modern marketing. Generative AI has promised unprecedented scale and personalization, but for many, it's delivering a sea of sameness where brand voice gets lost. We’ll explore how to break free from this generic output, moving from a reactive "test and learn" model to a predictive one, and discuss the critical balance of combining AI's power with essential human expertise to maintain brand soul, safety, and performance across countless channels.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Toby Coulthard, Chief Product & Growth Officer at Jacquard.

About Toby Coulthard Toby Coulthard is Chief Product & Growth Officer at Jacquard. Toby Coulthard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toocou/ Resources Jacquard: https://www.jacquard.com/ Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code AGILE at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/agile 

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/

Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://www.thecrmc.com/ Check out The Array, Jacquard's podcast: https://www.jacquard.com/the-array-podcast-series/

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code AGILE at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/agile 

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agile

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://www.theagilebrand.show

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

As a marketing leader, you often spend so much time on the strategies and tactics that keep your brand growing that it’s difficult to keep up with what’s going on in the background with the platforms and the companies behind them.

While agility requires a flexible technology stack, it also requires a leadership mindset that can distinguish market noise from genuine strategic opportunity, and filter out the hype to understand the shifts that can impact customers and the bottom line. The ability to pivot your people, processes, and platforms in response to major market shifts is no longer a nice to have, but rather a competitive advantage.

Today, I’m excited to talk with our 2026 Resident Expert on the CX and MarTech platform landscape. We’re going to focus on the business and business opportunities that mergers, acquisitions, and big moves in the market provide to these platforms’ customers. Our focus today is going to be a recap of market activity in 2025 with an eye towards what to expect in 2026.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Bill Staikos, Founder at Be Customer Led.About Bill Staikos Bill Staikos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstaikos/ Resources Be Customer Led: https://becustomerled.com/ Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code AGILE at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/agile 

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/

Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://www.thecrmc.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://advertalize.com/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://www.theagilebrand.show

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

With every board member and CEO demanding a generative AI strategy yesterday, how much of the conversation is about creating real business value versus simply not being left behind?

Agility requires more than just speed; it demands a fundamental shift in how we approach problem-solving and storytelling, especially when a technology like AI re-writes the rulebook.

Today, we're going to talk about the real tension that exists between the incredible promise of generative AI and the practical, often messy reality of enterprise adoption. We'll explore how to bridge the gap between deeply technical products and the clear, compelling narratives that actually convince customers and boards to invest.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Sharon Argov, CMO at AI21 Labs.

About Sharon Argov Sharon Argov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonargov/ Resources AI21 Labs : https://www.ai21.com/

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code AGILE at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/agile 

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://www.thecrmc.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://advertalize.com/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://www.theagilebrand.show

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

We've spent years trying to make our chatbots sound more human, which is great. But what if the larger goal should have also been to make them as useful as possible while we’re at it?

Agility requires more than just adopting the latest technology; it demands a fundamental rethinking of customer engagement, moving from reactive responses to proactive problem-solving.

Today, we're going to talk about the next evolution of AI in customer service. As more companies turn to automation to manage scale and efficiency, the real challenge isn’t just implementing a chatbot; it’s ensuring that technology actively solves problems and enhances the customer relationship, rather than just deflecting tickets.

To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Alan Ranger, VP Marketing at NiCE Cognigy. About Alan Ranger Alan Ranger is VP of Marketing at NiCE Cognigy, the global leader in enterprise AI agents. With over 30 years of experience in tech, Alan has led growth strategies at both startups and public software companies. At NiCE Cognigy, he helps organizations adopt AI that delivers real business value reducing costs while improving customer satisfaction. Prior to NiCE Cognigy, Alan led global market development at LivePerson, where he helped double revenues. He now leads NiCE Cognigy’s expansion in the US and UK and works closely with clients to deploy AI that scales. Alan Ranger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aranger/ Resources NiCE Cognigy: https://www.cognigy.com Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code AGILE at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/agile 

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/

Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://www.thecrmc.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://advertalize.com/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://www.theagilebrand.show

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