Digital Surfing

This week’s guest is Sue Cho, the Director of CRM at Outside Inc, the premier destination for active lifestyle enthusiasts and home to leading brands in the endurance sports, outdoor, and healthy living spaces. Guided by her mantra “Think creatively, proceed analytically”, Sue has been doing retention, email and engagement marketing for 14 years, focusing on e-commerce and subscription services. People say Sue went from EDM to CRM, as she was an electronic dance music singer in the early 2000s. Based in a ski resort town in the Eastern Sierra, just 45 minutes outside of Yosemite, Sue is dedicated to digital, going so far as to have an email tattoo! In this episode, Daryn and Sue chat about the challenges of working with large databases, her experiences with email marketing mistakes and how to respond to them, how people often misperceive email marketers as spammers, the changing landscape of email marketing due to Apple and Gmail's continuous updates. It’s Sue Cho! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week’s guests are Malcolm King, the Head of Creative, Marc Viljoen, the Head of Development, and Craig Johnston, the EMEA Team Lead, here at Huble. Marc has previously worked at Imagemakers Corporate Wear, focusing on digital solutions for B2B and B2C customers, using technologies like Vue.js, Laravel, and Node.js. At Quint Group, he served as the Head of Technology for InQbate, focusing on consumer finance technology. Marc's expertise lies in creating efficient, customer-centric digital experiences in various industries. Malcolm is a seasoned creative professional with a rich history in the advertising and creative development industry. Malcolm's career spans over two decades, beginning as a Junior Art Director at TBWA\Worldwide in 1998. His journey includes significant roles at Ogilvy & Mather South Africa, Grey Group, Studio4332, Switch Brand, Geometry Global, and Lobster Ink, where he was also a Creative Director. His expertise lies in creative direction, art direction, and leading creative teams, with a focus on innovative digital marketing strategies. Craig is an experienced marketing professional whose expertise encompasses a wide range of digital marketing strategies including HubSpot, inbound marketing, CRM-based marketing, sales and customer service automation, SEO, email marketing, and more. Previously, Craig was the owner of Savvy Sprout, a customer-centric marketing and design company. He has a strong background in creating effective marketing campaigns, digital transformation consulting, and team leadership. In this episode, Daryn, Malcolm, Marc, and Craig discuss the evolution of web accessibility standards, the importance of integrating accessibility considerations early in the website design and development process to avoid costly retroactive changes, the role of user experience in designing accessible websites, and future trends in web accessibility, particularly the potential impact of artificial intelligence and search engine algorithms in improving accessibility standards and compliance. It’s Malcolm, Marc, and Craig! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

In this last episode of Digital Surfing 2022 season 2, Daryn Smith shares some key highlights from the past year! This includes the episode with Irina Chuchkina, CMO of Thunes, where she discussed the concept of "Steal Like an Artist" and how it applies in the marketing world. She reminded us that originality often comes from undetected inspiration and to surround ourselves with excellence to elevate our standards. Another was the thought-provoking episode with Peter Stojanovic, the editor of Hot Topics, at a time when AI was still a new and scary topic. Many of Peter's predictions about AI have unfolded in real-time, confirming his deep understanding of this ever-evolving field. The next highlight is the insightful conversation Daryn had with Ralf Paschen, the CMO of xtype.io. Ralf spoke about the intricacies of modern marketing strategies, particularly highlighting his research on the ineffectiveness of gated content. The final highlight is from the most recent episode with Gideon Thomas, the CMO of DealHub. Gideon's diverse background, spanning multiple continents, has shaped his approach as a CMO. His insights on the convergence of brand storytelling and demand generation highlighted how important authentic engagement is in marketing. Thanks to all of you, our listeners, for making this year such a success - we almost doubled the number of downloads across episodes compared to the first two years of the show. We’re taking a break for the rest of the year, which means we’ll be back with more episodes in January, kicking things off with an overview of website accessibility and how changes in requirements will affect businesses going forward. So have a great holiday season and catch you all in the New Year! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week’s guest is Gideon Thomas, the Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at DealHub.io, a market-leading revenue platform, that offers an integrated suite of services including CPQ, CLM, DealRoom, subscription management, and billing solutions. In his role at DealHub, he orchestrates the company's go-to-market strategy, utilising his extensive expertise in marketing and sales to drive growth and innovation. Aside from his executive responsibilities, Gideon is an active contributing member of the Forbes Communications Council and Pavilion, and is the host of the acclaimed RevAmp Podcast by DealHub, showcasing his industry thought leadership. In this episode, Daryn and Gideon discuss how he built DealHub’s demand generation from scratch, the difficulties in modern marketing, especially in attribution, and the importance of customer experience in marketing and the ongoing potential for growth in this area. It’s Gideon Thomas! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week’s guests are Julia Pilkes, HubSpot’s Senior Director of Marketing for EMEA, and Crevan O'Malley, the Director of Corporate Sales at HubSpot. Julia is a seasoned marketing professional based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where she lives with her two children and her fiancé. With a rich career spanning various roles in marketing, Julia has honed her skills in both corporate and startup environments. She embarked on a new journey at HubSpot three months ago, with the primary responsibility of fostering a collaborative working relationship with the sales team to drive growth. Crevan is a Dublin-based tech sales veteran who balances his professional life with a love for sports, albeit more as a spectator these days. He shares his life with his wife and their two boys. Despite being a college dropout who once enjoyed a fulfilling stint as a professional barman, he transitioned into the tech sales domain, accruing 24 years of experience thus far. He’s been at HubSpot for the past four years but has extensive experience from startups to big corporations, with a keen focus on CRM. In this episode, Daryn, Julia and Crevan chat all things sales and marketing alignment, discussing common pain points that arise when the two aren’t aligned, challenges associated with trying to create this alignment, some of the approaches they’ve taken to align their teams, and advice for other leaders that are looking to create more alignment between their sales and marketing teams. It’s Julia Pilkes and Crevan O'Malley! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week’s guests are Amy Dwyer, Huble’s Chief Strategy Officer, and Anthony O’Connor, the Chief Creative Officer here at Huble. Amy was the founder and managing director of a digital marketing agency for over 10 years before it was acquired by Huble in 2022. With more than 20 years experience in international marketing and CRM, Amy is passionate about combining innovative technologies with clever minds and creative ideas to truly make for a more efficient, fun and successful work environment – both for her teams and for her customers. Anthony has over 20 years of experience in marketing from design, programming, and multimedia, leading him to become part of the senior management team at the biggest B2B agencies in Germany. Later he was founder and managing director of a digital marketing agency for over 10 years, which merged with Huble in 2022. Anthony is passionate about innovation and how one can use technology and great creative to develop amazing solutions and results. In this episode, Daryn, Amy, and Anthony explore strategic planning for the year 2024. They discuss the influential trends that defined 2023, the emerging trends anticipated to shape 2024, changes in consumer behaviour and the rise of conscious consumption. They also explore the growing shift towards self-service among businesses with complex purchasing cycles, as well as share insights on how to effectively plan your marketing activities for the upcoming year while addressing the challenges you may encounter along the way. It’s Amy Dwyer and Anthony O’Connor! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week’s guest is Ryan Spalding, the Director of Marketing at Garage Living, a home services company that focuses on garage renovations. With over 20 years in marketing, Ryan has experienced the shift in consumer behaviour first-hand. He is navigating change through the pandemic, economic headwinds, and the introduction of AI to marketing. Ryan is a massive sports fan and has been on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. In this episode, Daryn and Ryan chat about the similarities and differences in music industry marketing and doing so for Garage Living, how he’s structured the Garage Living marketing team and the importance of team dynamics, the role of AI in marketing cookieless advertising, and how he’s ensuring a successful migration to HubSpot by focusing on change management. It’s Ryan Spalding! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week’s guest is Romka Walkowiak, the Sales Director for South-East Asia at HubSpot, the easy-to-use CRM to scale your business. Romka has been in the sales industry for almost 15 years, with 10 of those spent in leadership positions. She started her career in a BPO organisation before she moved to the vendor side, joining Red Hat. She then moved on to LinkedIn, before joining HubSpot to lead their South East Asia region. Romka is a citizen of the world. Born and raised in Poland, she spent 6 years in Ireland where she met her French husband. Together they moved to Singapore where they have been for the past 12 years. She loves travelling and has visited roughly 30 countries, but as a mom to a 12-month-old baby girl, travelling is on pause for now. In this episode, Daryn and Romka chat about her podcast, "Asia Growth Forecasts," which focuses on launching and developing businesses in Asia. They also discuss leadership and hiring strategies, talent shortages in the APAC region and the potential for companies to tap into emerging economies, considerations for companies expanding into APAC markets, and the future of CRM and AI. It’s Romka Walkowiak! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week’s guest is Chris Hemingway, the Vice President of Sales & Business Development for Europe at Atlas HXM, which guides companies on their growth journeys with software and solutions that enable streamlined global talent management and retention. A seasoned IT industry professional with over 30 years of experience, Chris drives business growth in Europe, applying his leadership and visionary approach to develop sales strategies across diverse industries and tech start-ups/scale-ups. Beyond his professional achievements, Chris leads an active life, coaching junior rugby teams and engaging in various outdoor activities, including sailing, skiing, and water sports. He has also taken on personal challenges such as the IronMan Swim leg and Arctic Circle trekking, all in support of charitable causes. In this episode, Daryn and Chris chat about his transition from a technical role to a sales position and finding his passion for CRM to manage sales teams, remote work, the IT considerations relating to it, and how CRM is impacted by it, as well as the importance of establishing frameworks to ensure the responsible use of AI. It’s Chris Hemingway Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest is Ralf Paschen, the CMO at xtype.io, a company that specialises in providing multi-environment visibility, controlled instance synchronisation, zero-touch deployments, accelerated delivery, and enhanced governance for ServiceNow. Ralf's professional journey started in a data centre and has taken him through various roles, including sales, product marketing, and his current position as CMO. This diverse background has given him a comprehensive understanding of the value of a product, the art of selling it to the market, and effectively marketing it to the right audience with the right message. In this episode, Daryn and Ralf chat about the importance of generating high-quality leads and shared pipelines, how AI will impact the world of marketing, and evolving & measuring the impact of one's content strategies. It’s Ralf Paschen! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest is Alex Gyllstrom, the marketing and brand director at Whitetail Properties Real Estate, a rural land real estate company that specialises in recreational hunting, ranch, and farmland, as well as timberland country homes. Having previously worked as a writer and social media manager, Alex is now responsible for overseeing the company's marketing arm and ensuring that its expertise and services are communicated effectively to potential clients through various mediums such as TV, digital content, and video production. In this episode, Daryn and Alex chat about transitioning from journalism to marketing, making your passion your career without killing the passion, making a website project successful, and maintaining a website post-initial go-live. It’s Alex Gyllstrom! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest does 10,000 steps every day and has recently completed her second half-marathon. A UCT graduate, Jess started on the Chartered Accountant route before finding marketing, changing her majors without telling her parents, and not looking back. She got her start in marketing with Instant Grass, a consumer insight & research agency and as an intern for Gigham, an online events site founded by Roach Roth and George Gally. Along the way, Jess has co-founded and written for the blog, smudgebeauty.co.za and worked for Clarion Events as a B2B Marketing Specialist for their Mining & Extractive Industries Events Portfolio, before joining MPULL, in 2015. Having started as an Account Director after the merger with B2B Marketing Lab, she’s now the VP of Consulting Services here at Huble. In this episode, Jess and Daryn chat about everything from what makes a good manager, the importance of personalisation and creating tailored experiences in marketing, the evolution of influencer marketing and how it’s all about trust, and why you need good moderation when creating communities around your products or services. It’s Jess Gamble! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest is Peter Stojanovic, the Editor of HotTopics, a media business featuring insights from global C-suite executives, who are then connected via its calendar of invite-only events. A science journalism graduate, keen runner and avid reader of biographies, he has sailed the English channel twice and is an expert in innovation, the future of work, and business leadership. Peter has interviewed the likes of Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, and Nicola Mendelsohn, VP EMEA for Facebook, as well as chief information and technology officers of some of the largest organisations globally. He also supports Sky News in its election coverage reports. In this episode, Peter and Daryn chat about all things AI, including how alongside climate change, it is the greatest current challenge facing mankind, the ethical issues AI raises, and the role of government and politicians in the regulation of AI. It’s Peter Stojanovic! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest is Irina Chuchkina, the Chief Marketing Officer at Thunes, a global Fintech building modern payment infrastructure connecting developed and emerging markets. An enthusiastic and long-term member of the Fintech community, she is a Fintech marketer with approximately 17 years of experience building world-class brands at the intersection of payments and technology, across Europe and Asia. A globe trotter, Irina is currently living in the UK, her 6th country. While living in Singapore, she launched the Singapore Fintech Club, and she has diverted her social addiction to LinkedIn and other professional networks. In this episode, Irina and Daryn chat about how the book “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon helped her elevate her standards through its suggestion of surrounding oneself with good sources of inspiration and intentionally exposing oneself to great things, how some of the best agencies have mastered the art of stealing or being inspired by successful campaigns, and how adding one's personality and value is essential for the principle to be successful. It’s Irina Chuchkina! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest is Kostas Giannoukaris, Huble’s Vice President of Search Consultancy. Born and raised in Athens, Greece, he’s a graduate of Economic Science from the University of Piraeus and worked at his father's business for a couple of years before moving to the UK to pursue a Master’s Degree in Marketing Analytics from the University of Southampton. After graduating, he started working at The B2B Marketing Lab as a Digital Marketing Intern in 2014 and has remained with the company through its evolution into Huble after its merger with MPULL in 2020. In this episode, Kostas and Daryn chat about managing client expectations for SEM, his expectations on paid media spend and activity in 2023, and what the effects of Google Privacy Sandbox will be on tracking via cookies and SEM. It’s Kostas Giannoukaris! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest is Tyler Vaughn, Director of Technology for Whitetail Properties, a real estate company that specialises in hunting-, ranch-, and farmland. With a background in UI/UX design, product management, marketing technologies, and business intelligence, Tyler’s a certified product manager and has a master’s in business administration. This episode focuses on his approach to change management and onboarding non-technical people to new technological solutions, developing a training culture for distributed teams, and how as an introvert with anxiety, he still managed to succeed in client-facing roles. It’s Tyler Vaughn! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

This week's guest is Rowan Reid, the Chief Information & Technology Officer here at Huble. With a background in Information Technology and over a decade of experience in web development and systems integrations, he’s passionate about using technology to solve complex problems facing people and businesses today. This episode focuses on his approach to keeping up with technological innovation, his interest in nuclear fusion, the importance of continuous improvement to adhere to ISO standards, and his views on the advancements in artificial intelligence and ChatGPT. It’s Rowan Reid! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

Our guest this week is Singapore-based Annabelle Taylor, the head of Asia Pacific marketing, communications, and the digital team at Knight Frank. Directly managing her own team and working closely with local marketing teams across 13 countries, her primary responsibility is to create and deliver marketing strategies and tools that support the attraction, acquisition and retention of clients, and increasingly employees. In this episode, we focus on the similarities in marketing the recruitment and real estate industries, her approach to lead nurturing for them, the importance of personalising your lead nurturing efforts, and which elements to include in lead nurturing campaigns. It’s Annabelle Taylor! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

Our guest this week is Nikki Piper, our Vice President of Business Operations here at Huble. With a graphic and web design background, she started her career in a print-based business, playing a dual role in design and production management before making the leap into digital. In this episode, we focus on how to adapt to rapid changes, where to gain the knowledge to do so, and how to make it enjoyable. We also look at innovation, how to approach large-scale projects with technology rather than relying on manpower alone, and how technologies like AI will shape the future of customer experience. It’s Nikki Piper! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith

In this last episode of Digital Surfing 2022 season 2, Daryn Smith shares some key highlights from the past year! Follow Daryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynsmith