Lay of the Brand
Merritt Group
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Welcome to the Lay of the Brand podcast, where we talk with the experts on tech marketing, creative and PR to learn what’s new, what’s working and what’s next.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Jan 31, 2023
Marketing to healthcare CIOs — our 2022 survey results
*For healthcare technology marketers, knowing where to focus your efforts and your resources starts with understanding what CIOs really want from you — and what they don’t. What’s the best way to reach this elusive group, what are they reading and watching, and how can you avoid being the one who misses the mark?
To find out, we're talking with Amanda Bury, Chief Commercial Officer at healthcare platform creator, Infermedica. She'll give us her real-world insights, along with her take on Merritt Group's **survey** of healthcare CIOs, that spells out how to connect with that valuable market.*
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Jan 5, 2023
2023 predictions for marketing and PR with Microsoft and Merritt Group
For tech marketers and PR pros, 2023 could be a wild ride, with an uncertain economy and new possibilities to engage with customers, the media, and influencers. Still, as we've seen in the 25 years since Merritt Group's founding, some things are evergreen.
So, what's still working in marketing and PR? And how can we prepare for more changes, big and small? To find out, we're talking with Alisa Whyte, CEO of Merritt Group, who's been here since the beginning. We're also joined by Tonya Klause, Marketing and Communications Director at Microsoft Federal.
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Sep 15, 2022
Take control of your personal brand
*As PR and marketing professionals, we’re consumed by the brand reputation of the clients and organizations we represent, but often fail to build our own personal brand. Carol Blymire, founder and CEO of Neon Strategies and professor at Georgetown University, joins us on Lay of the Brand to show us how cultivating your personal brand can be critical to how you market your company -- and how you grow your career.*
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Mar 17, 2022
B2B marketing in the metaverse
*Is the metaverse just the next "next big thing?" Or is it a totally new way of looking at interactivity and engagement? And what can marketers be doing now to make sure they aren’t left behind? Listen in for insights from Yashar Behzadi, CEO and founder of Synthesis AI.*
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Feb 4, 2022
Launching and Measuring Your B2G ABM Campaign with Aaron Heffron and Kate Tong
*In the final episode of our three-part series, we're looking at how to put the data you've gathered and the content you've created to work. What channels do you choose and what should you measure to see if you're actually hitting the mark? To find out, we're talking with Kate Tong, senior director, US public sector marketing at enterprise search provider, Elastic and Aaron Heffron, executive vice president of government market research firm, Market Connections. *
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Nov 18, 2021
Creating valuable B2G content for ABM with Aaron Heffron and Courtney Hastings
*In part two of our three part series on federal account based marketing (ABM), we’re looking at creating powerful messaging and content strategies. How does research inform content, and how can you adapt to focus on the people and messages that can make all the difference to your win rate? To find out, we’re joined by Courtney Hastings, Senior Marketing Manager, Public Sector, of data integration and analytics provider, Qlik, and Aaron Heffron, Executive Vice President of government market research firm, Market Connections.*
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Oct 20, 2021
EdTech: Adapt and evolve your marketing with Laura Sullivan, Presence Learning
*With school districts across the country again embracing classroom learning, we're taking a look at how the marketing of educational technology (EdTech) has changed in recent times — and where EdTech marketers can find new opportunities. To give us insights and next steps for this new era, we talk with Laura Sullivan, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for PresenceLearning. Prefer to read all about it? **Click here** for a transcript!*
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Sep 29, 2021
The value of account-based marketing (ABM) for the federal government with Aaron Heffron, Market Connections
For ABM to succeed in B2G markets, you need research to back up your strategy. On this episode of Lay of the Brand, we talk with Aaron Heffron of government-focused research firm Market Connections to learn what to look for... and how to use it to build a smarter, more effective ABM program.
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Jun 15, 2021
Aligning marketing and sales for B2G ABM and DBM
Account-based marketing (ABM) and deal-based marketing (DBM) are hot topics—especially for government-focused tech firms, where raising awareness and building relationships are essential to gaining trust and winning contracts.
But it isn’t just the job of marketing or sales to introduce and maintain these programs. The most successful firms know it’s a joint effort, where each team plays to their strengths. That isn’t always easy, so to look at how to make that alignment between sales and marketing work, we spoke with Anamika Gupta, Director and Head of Customer Marketing and Robert Lai, Vice President and Head of Public Sector at Fujitsu Americas.
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May 18, 2021
B2G ABM prospecting with Mark Amtower
Much of an ABM program's success is dependent on knowing who the decision makers, contributors and influencers are. How can marketing and capture teams identify and categorize the right targets? And once you’ve found them, how do you apply that knowledge to a campaign cycle that can last up to 2 years? Mark Amtower of Amtower & Company joins us to provide insights and next steps that B2G marketers can put into action immediately.
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Feb 24, 2021
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are in the forefront of a national conversation. For B2B and B2G tech marketers and PR pros, DE&I poses questions that drive decisions about messaging, outreach, and whether or not to take a public stand on issues. Carrie Drake, Director of Government Marketing for Maxar and the former president and a current board member of Women in Technology joins us for an in-depth look at ways marketers can help their companies navigate these waters.
*“Are you shaping your message for various audiences or are you shaping your message for one?” — Carrie Drake
*
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Dec 18, 2020
Do newswires have a future?
News distribution has been an essential part of the PR and marketing playbook for decades, but how does it fit in a world where journalism is so fragmented, between traditional news outlets, upstart news providers, bloggers, social media influencers and independent journalists? Gregg Castano, CEO of News Direct, an upstart staffed by newswire industry veterans, discusses how newswires and content delivery continue to evolve and the ways PR and marketing pros can take advantage of these changes.
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Nov 10, 2020
How to market to CISOs with 7-Eleven & T.E.N.
Today’s CISOs have an unprecedented amount of work and conflicting priorities on their plates, making it extremely difficult for anyone—let alone a vendor trying to sell them something—to grab their attention. To understand how B2B cybersecurity marketers can reach these elusive decision makers, we talked with Sujeet Bambawale, CISO of 7-Eleven and Marci McCarthy, CEO and President of Tech Exec Networks (T.E.N.). Listen to learn the data behind what works (and doesn’t) when marketing to CISOs; personal insights from an international brand’s CISO on how to influence security decision makers; and how COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of outreach programs.
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Oct 13, 2020
Virtual event speaking: Land the gig, make it unforgettable
Industry events have gone virtual or hybrid, making it harder to land a speaking slot for your CEO or SME. And for the presenters, it’s a totally different experience. Keppler Speakers, which books high-profile speakers at events worldwide, has learned to adapt to this new environment. CEO Warren Jones gives us insights on what’s changed and what speakers, PR pros and marketers need to know to succeed. Listen in for what event organizers look for and how to pitch them; steps for making virtual presentations more memorable; and creating media opportunities at a virtual event for your thought leaders.
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Sep 14, 2020
How to land funding in today’s environment w/ S3 Ventures’ Eric Engineer
Entrepreneurial dreams are alive and strong, but how can they become reality in uncertain times? To land venture dollars you need to outshine the competition and demonstrate your worth. S3 Ventures, the largest VC focused on Texas, provides a pulse on the market and insights into how startups can win over VC decisionmakers. Key topics discussed include: how VC investment strategies are adjusting to market changes; ways startups can get the attention of VCs; and marketing and PR strategies that effectively fuel each stage of growth.
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Jun 24, 2020
CMO insights: Strategies for getting back to business part 1
Keeping the economy moving in the COVID-19 environment is driving a lot of change and confusion in how tech companies go to market. In part 1 of “CMO Insights: Strategies for Getting Back to Business,” our panel of experts—Rashmi Vittal of Conversica, Russ Cobb of IronNet Cybersecurity and Matt Selheimer of PAS Global—give insight into how companies can adapt their marketing and sales approaches to keep customer relationships intact and growing while we navigating these difficult and uncertain times.
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Jun 24, 2020
CMO insights: Strategies for getting back to business part 2
Tech companies are still evolving how they approach marketing in the COVID-19 economy. In part 1 of “CMO Insights: Strategies for Getting Back to Business,” our panel of experts -- Rashmi Vittal of Conversica, Russ Cobb of IronNet Cybersecurity and Matt Selheimer of PAS Global -- shared perspectives on messaging, content and measurement as well as aligning with sales and the C-suite. In part 2, they provide more insights on realigning marketing resources, map out the future of events, but give actionable recommendations you can apply today.
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Dec 17, 2019
CMO roundtable: How to maximize and prioritize your marketing budget with Matt Howard, CMO of Sonatype and Stephen McCarney, VP of Marketing at OPAQ
Just about every single marketing leader constantly faces one big problem: doing more with less. Buyer journeys are becoming more complex. Channels, both online and offline, are exploding. Investing in MarTech is a must. And the cost of great marketing talent isn't getting any less expensive. Whether you are a billion-dollar public company, or a startup, you face difficult choices every day about where to best spend your limited marketing dollars. In this roundtable discussion, hear from seasoned marketing leaders from companies large and emerging talk about their struggles with budget allocation and maximizing return on marketing spend. You will learn about strategies and tactics worth investing in (or not) and why; what to consider when prioritizing your marketing budgets; what’s hot now and what’s overhyped in terms of MarTech; and lessons from the marketing frontlines and how you can apply them.
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Nov 12, 2019
The art of marketing in B2G: Content is key–with Allan Rubin, CMO of ORock Technologies
Marketing your products and services to government agencies is not as simple as swapping out the word ‘mission’ for ‘profitability’ on your commercial collateral. If your business is considering selling to the public sector, you need to be prepared to communicate to a unique market that is more mission-driven and has different motivations than the B2B market. On this episode of Lay of the Brand Allan Rubin, Chief Marketing Officer of ORock Technologies, breaks down the basics of how businesses can successfully enter the government market while creating content that captures audiences at the federal, state and local levels.
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Sep 10, 2019
The top digital marketing essentials to stay relevant w/ Merritt Group's Pasha Irshad
In today's digital world, there are thousands, if not millions of marketing tools and approaches to reach your buyer. But knowing the approach to quickly and efficiently reach your audience with a relevant message, content or offer is essential to keeping your marketing program manageable, within budget and effective.* *On this episode of Lay of the Brand, we ask Merritt Group's very own Senior Director of Digital & Integrated Marketing, Pasha Irshad, about the latest and greatest tools, tips and tricks in the world of performance marketing.
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Aug 22, 2019
Storytelling in the tech industry: Do's & don'ts - GMU panel w/ NPR's Jack Speer; Microsoft's Tonya Neff Klause; and Merritt Group's Shahed Ahmed
From defining brand names to relaying empathy during times of crisis, businesses know the art of storytelling is paramount to success. So, how do tech companies craft their narratives? How do they take a stance on controversial issues without alienating consumers? In this episode of Lay of the Brand, we continue our discussion with a panel of experts hosted by George Mason's Department of Communications and Career Services including Jack Speer, National NPR Anchor; Tonya Neff Klause, Communications Director at Microsoft; and Shahed Ahmed, Senior Vice President and Partner at Merritt Group.
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Jul 29, 2019
The evolution of performance marketing in tech w/ Merritt Group's Sr. Marketing Project Manager, Abigail Bracy
Enhancing performance marketing through data and analytics is a key ingredient to any organization's marketing strategy. In this episode of Lay of the Brand, Merritt Group speaks with its own Senior Marketing Project Manager, Abigail Bracy, to learn about the latest tools and themes making an impact on performance marketing, and how they are best used to inform strategic brand decisions.
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Jun 10, 2019
How to create an agile brand w/ Greg Kihlström, Host of Agile World Podcast
When it comes to branding, gone are the days where you can just "set it and forget it." In this episode of Lay of the Brand, Merritt Group speaks with award-winning author of the Agile Brand and host of the Agile World Podcast, Greg Kihlström, to learn about how organizations can apply agile methodology to create a continually evolving brand that stays true to its values and keeps up with customers and competitors in a modern, rapidly-moving world.
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Jun 10, 2019
Building positive brand perception in the tech industry w/ GMU Comms Professor, Sergei Samoilenko
Positive brand perception is critical to building customer loyalty and increasing customer confidence in your organization and product. But as seen with tech companies like Facebook, it's easier said than done. On this Lay of the Brand episode, Merritt Group speaks with Serge Samoilenko, a Communications Professor at George Mason University, who will delve into his own research on reputation and brand management – and the strategies the tech industry can't afford to ignore.
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Jun 10, 2019
Reputation management in the tech industry: Panel w/ NPR's Jack Speer, Microsoft's Tonya Klause and Merritt Group's Senior VP Shahed Ahmed
Reputation can make or break a brand in an age where information can be instantaneously tweeted and texted. So how do tech-companies maintain their brand integrity in an especially disruptive industry where innovation inevitably raises new questions about privacy, trade and community commitment? In this episode of Lay of the Brand, you'll hear seasoned insights and advice from a panel of experts hosted by George Mason's Department of Communications and Career Services including: Jack Speer, National NPR Anchor; Tonya Neff Klause, Communications Director at Microsoft; and Shahed Ahmed, Senior Vice President and Partner at Merritt Group.
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Jun 10, 2019
Branding your company amid industry disruption w/ Amber Allman, VP of Corporate Comms at Gannett
Whether small, medium-sized or part of the big leagues, how do organizations take their public affairs and communications from skittish and reactive to powerful and proactive? On this Lay of the Brand episode, Merritt Group asks Amber Allman, current Vice President of Corporate Communications at Gannett and former head of Global Public Affairs at Yahoo! how organizations can navigate the business to success, even during the most radical industry shifts and disruptions.
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