Gabe Weiss

Take a look at consumer sentiments related to customer experience in media & entertainment in this infographic. Also read our viewpoint in which we explore consumers’ perceptions of #GenAI adoption in their #customer and #ContactCenter experiences. https://okt.to/ExcJfR

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Personalization is reshaping #retail, yet many companies are leaving value on the table. Leaders leveraging first-party data, seamless touchpoints, and next-best experience engines are unlocking transformative growth. This $570 billion personalization opportunity isn’t just about keeping up—it’s a call for a fundamental shift. What if #personalization wasn’t just about convenience but about reimagining customer relationships? What if next-best experience engines could consistently delight, or retail media became a retailer’s most profitable product? For companies willing to invest and rethink, the rewards could redefine what success could be. https://on.bcg.com/4g4uNpW

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Fast becoming a role companies are creating...someone to lead AI. In addition, CEOs are creating task forces for AI implementation - see McKinsey report I posted about earlier this month. You can't win, if you don't play. And, if you don't play, you'll be left behind. Here's a good article about AI roles from Kara Baskin. https://lnkd.in/eEgwzihG

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Exploiting the power #GenAI in #retail means we spend more time crafting great customer experience and less grafting to deliver them. The output production cycles ➿ get dramatically faster so brands can focus on creating loyal fans! Here are 3 key 'backstage brilliance' strategies retailers must adopt: 😍 Personalisation: Leverage AI for tailor-made recommendations and automate large parts of the path to purchase cycle 🔃 Inventory Optimisation: Use AI to manage stock efficiently and enhance the customer journey 🚀 Organisational Agility: THE most crucial work to be done is updating internal processes, tech, teams and culture to compete in an AI world 📅 On May 14, I'm hosting a round table at the Retail Gazette Future Consumer Debate all about GenAI and how it can be used to transform brand experiences. Dive into the full insights here by reading my article: https://lnkd.in/gRgdBM9Z

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This shows the value of doing CX/UX research, which has faded away in many tech companies. There are two primary reasons consumers don't like AI and why their buying intent lowers with AI. What are they? As the article says, emotional trust. AI is seen as threatening to jobs and many aspects of peoples lives. Consumers need a degree of emotional trust when making buying decisions. The second is perceived complexity. AI is misunderstood by most people and it is seen as complicated. There's a reason Apple calls their version "Apple Intelligence" because Apple products are seen as friendly and easy to use. Even more technically savvy people have come to dislike AI because they see it as over-hyped and know enough to know there's a lot of sizzle and a very small steak. Using AI in your marketing may hurt more than help. #marketing #artificialintelligence https://lnkd.in/dj_fjcFu

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BRAND SAPIENS IN THE AUTOSAPIENT AGE Will your brand lead or follow in the Autosapient Age? The term "autosapiens" was coined by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms in a 2024 article published in the Harvard Business Review. They used it to describe a new generation of AI systems that are not merely tools, but active participants making consequential decisions and shaping social and economic outcomes. Heimans and Timms defined autosapiens as having two key characteristics: 1) "Auto" meaning they can act autonomously, make decisions, learn from experience, adapt to new situations, and operate without continuous human supervision. 2) "Sapiens" meaning they possess a broad capacity to make complex judgments and wisdom that can rival or even outstrip humans. The concept of 'Autosapiens,' as highlighted in the HBR article, parallels the vision that my partner in NEW STARTEGY Dejan Bojović, and I have championed since 2011, when we coined the term Brand Sapiens, and 2013, when we registered it as a trademark in the USA. Here’s how Brand Sapiens is setting the stage for brands to thrive in this new era, fundamentally changing the way businesses connect with their audiences. Transforming Brands into Humanized Personalities Brand Sapiens is not just about innovation, it's about revolutionizing the core of stakeholder interaction. By humanizing brands and giving them a persona that audiences can relate to and empathize with, Brand Sapiens leverages Generative AI to craft interactions that are not only personal but deeply resonant. This shift from traditional marketing to creating brand personas that act autonomously and engage directly with consumers and all other stakeholders mirrors the transition to autosapience—a key trait of the emerging AI systems highlighted by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms. For business leaders, understanding and integrating autosapience into brand strategy is crucial. The Autosapient Age reshapes not just market dynamics but also stakeholder expectations. Brands that engage consumers as intelligent and adaptive partners will dominate the future market. Brand Sapiens provides the tools and insights necessary for brands to harness these AI-driven capabilities, turning potential challenges into substantial opportunities for growth and engagement. For business leaders, the journey towards this transformative era is both a monumental challenge and a tremendous opportunity. Will your brand lead or follow in the Autosapient Age? —— We will provide more detailed information about Brand Sapiens and its global promotion in October in Dubai. Currently, a demo product is available, and several brands have already joined the project. Delta Holding will be the first company in Serbia to launch Brand Sapiens for its brands. I am attaching an article about the Autosapient Age by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms OBE from the Harvard Business Review from this year. #HBR #AutosapientAge #JeremyHeimans #HenryTimms #BrandSapiens #NewStartegy

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Two things successful brand teams are doing to add value in 2024, and two things they are not. https://lnkd.in/eCnidqUt

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Just read McKinsey's latest on reshaping marketing for growth, and it really hits the mark. Today’s CMOs aren’t just about brand-building—they’re tackling AI, real-time data, and breaking down silos to fuel smarter, more connected growth. It’s a big shift, but the pay-off is real. One point that stood out: to drive meaningful results, marketing has to connect teams, strategies, and data in a way that’s seamless and scalable. Companies that get this right aren’t just keeping up, they’re setting themselves up for the long haul. This shift is essential, and it’s great to see this new model put into words. Anyone else feeling inspired by a more agile, growth-driven marketing future? #growth #marketing

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I had the opportunity to contribute a strategic article to Retail Today, highlighting the critical transformation from outdated legacy systems to innovative smart retail solutions. #retail #marketing #digitaltransformation

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As a branding & comms person, I often code switch to a "commercial marketer" so I can hope to gain a perceived (aka better), more strategic seat around the business table. But watching how attribution and GPTs can sanitize brands into oblivion I'm wearing my Storytelling badge with renewed pride. Storytelling is far from a "soft" skill in the business world; it is the essential, and often, missing piece in marketing strategy. This MIT Sloan School of Management article highlights several key benefits that storytelling delivers such as "sustained winning," solidifying its importance in driving business success: 1️⃣ Enhanced Understanding and Engagement: Storytelling makes complex data more accessible and engaging, helping teams and stakeholders understand and retain information better. This improved comprehension leads to more informed decision-making. 2️⃣ Improved Collaboration and Cohesion: Internal storytelling fosters a sense of connection and shared purpose among team members, building cohesion and inspiring cultural change. This unity is crucial for driving collective efforts towards common goals. 3️⃣ Strategic Impact: Combining data with storytelling enhances the strategic impact of marketing efforts. It allows for creating compelling narratives that resonate with target audiences, driving engagement and loyalty. Better yet, stories are easy to re-tell meaning your brand awareness gets a nice bump. The MIT article underscores that storytelling can be a critical component for achieving sustained performance and success in data-driven teams and beyond. #storytelling #brands https://lnkd.in/gBmK88fJ

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Is this another lesson on category design from Apple? Shout out to Eddie Yoon and Christopher Lochhead 🇺🇸 🇮🇱🎗️🏴‍☠️ for showing how Apple's latest AI move is more than just a product launch—it's a paradigm shift in how we interact with technology. Here's why this matters: 1. Apple isn't merely incorporating AI; they're making it the foundation of user interaction. This integration of "personal intelligence" will make technology more intuitive and indispensable than ever before. 2. Apple's focus on enhancing user experiences and developing smarter, more personalized technology shows its commitment to creating products people love. Again, Apple demonstrates that they empower users and make their lives easier. 3. Instead of engaging in a head-to-head battle with OpenAI or Microsoft, Apple is wisely partnering up. This strategic alliance sets a new standard for how companies can work together to push the frontiers of AI. As category designers, we can learn valuable lessons from Apple's approach: * Apple's strategy demonstrates building on your strengths while venturing into new territories. It's not about adding features; it's about reimagining technology and making it useful. * Focusing on making products more intuitive, user-friendly, and secure, Apple reminds us that understanding and meeting the needs of your Superconsumers is crucial for staying relevant. * Apple's partnership with OpenAI shows that sometimes, the most effective strategy is to join forces. Acknowledging OpenAI's victory in the AI category battle, Apple continues to focus on its "Be the Best" strategy. Here, strategic partnerships can accelerate innovation. As startup founders, reading about Apple can be inspiring but also so far from the grind of building companies that it may be easy to dismiss category design. I encourage you not to discard category design because it's the one tool that works across markets, industries, and economic realities (boom and bust cycles). **Read more in the comments below and share your thoughts!** #categorydesign #b2bmarketing #marketingstrategy #startupmarketing https://lnkd.in/g2KdJ-cN

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"How do you create a culture of continued #AI adoption and learning in your organization?" This question was posed to me on the stage at #DX32024 and one that I get asked all the time. The answer is simple... King Street Media prioritizes passionate and curious candidates over a few additional years of experience any day. Why? Curious people will help you identify problems or opportunities outside the confines of any job description. In this age of quantum-leaping technological advances, the curious will thrive. DX3 Showcase #hiring #marketinghires #contentmarketing

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I can appreciate Dan Rockwell's explanation of how leaders can empower rather than overpower our teams. He couldn't have said it better: "Get out of the way. People stop creating when leaders give solutions." Frequent interjections from leadership can quickly backfire, leading to disengagement and over reliance on leadership. #Leadership #LeadershipLessons #StrategicSilence

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Here is an article I recently published on customer journey mapping—a powerful tool for enhancing customer experiences. While journey mapping holds immense potential, mastering it takes practice. Just as the first pancake of a batch helps refine our technique, imperfect journey maps pave the way for improvement and innovation. Have a read and let me know what you think. #CustomerExperience #CustomerJourneyMapping, #CXPA, #CXPACanada, #CXPAToronto, #CXPA, #CCXP, #XM

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When it comes to generative AI, the more reinforcement learning with human feedback is applied during model training, the higher quality the model’s responses become.   Read Gartner's executive’s guide to understanding, planning, piloting, implementing and maintaining GenAI. #GenAI #AI #GenerativeAI

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GenAI, at your customer service. That's according to the CMOs PYMNTS Intelligence surveyed for the new AI MonitorEdge Report, who told us that they're increasingly using GenAI for one strategic aim: improving the CX.    Check out the full report for original data on how CMOs are increasing or decreasing their use of the technology, including how they rank the effectiveness of generative AI for specific tasks: https://lnkd.in/egfDY64R

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📊 In the fast-paced world of marketing, blending data with creativity can feel like a balancing act. Are you navigating this journey, too? You’re not alone. Cella's latest read explores how data-driven decision-making is transforming the way we approach marketing and creativity. Discover insights on striking the perfect harmony between numbers and innovation to drive impactful results. ✨ https://bit.ly/46zRKxw #MarketingStrategy #Cella #RandstadDigital

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Wanting to join the #AI movement, but not sure where to start? Well David Ting, CTO, @Zenni Opticals breaks it down for you in the @Retail Touchpoints #RetailRemix podcast🎙️ Find out how David optimized AI investments and deployed game-changing customer experience with Algolia AI Search, in the full podcast here:

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Would love to start a conversation through these articles. Interested in what you all think. Thanks for following Forbes content! #CreativeCommerce #MarTech #CommerceTech

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