DesignRush Podcast

Hosted by DesignRush Podcast

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Episodes

176

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

DesignRush Podcast brings you the best insights and perspectives from industry leaders and C-suite business influencers. Each episode features successful professionals in the digital world, discussing topics ranging from digital strategy and branding to email marketing and entrepreneurship. Whether you're a young professional, a startup entrepreneur, or a business executive, DesignRush Podcast provides valuable knowledge and advice to help you succeed in your career.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 13537 min

Will AI Actually Replace Your Logistics Sales Team?

Discover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://www.designrush.com Sales, customer service, and trust are critical to business growth, especially in trucking and logistics, where customers feel every delay, communication gap, and service breakdown immediately. For growing companies, the challenge is not just finding more customers. It is building the systems, training, and accountability needed to serve them well over time. In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, host Kia Johnson sits down with Daman Grewal, Founding Partner of LogisticsSales.com, to explore how logistics companies can grow through customer service, stronger sales processes, operational structure, and long-term partnerships. Daman explains why founders need to move beyond doing everything themselves, how sales teams can become trusted advisors, and why customer trust is built through consistency, accountability, and service. He also discusses how AI can support sales teams through CRMs, automation, lead generation, email insights, and feedback loops, while explaining why high-value business relationships still require human connection, respect, and trust. You will learn: • Why customer service is a key driver of business growth • How logistics companies build and maintain customer trust • Why founders need sales systems before scaling • How feedback loops improve sales and operations • Where AI helps sales teams and where human relationships still matter Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry leaders on business growth, sales strategy, logistics, customer trust, entrepreneurship, AI, operations, and modern leadership.

June 3, 2026Episode 13830 min

How Psychology Drives Better Marketing, Conversions, and ROI

iscover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://www.designrush.com Customers do not always buy because of logic, price, or product features. In marketing, the real challenge is understanding how people make decisions, what stops them from taking action, and which behavioral triggers can turn attention into trust, response, and sales. In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, host Kia Johnson sits down with Nancy Harhut, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of HBT Marketing and author of Using Behavioral Science in Marketing, to explore how behavioral science can help brands create stronger, more persuasive campaigns. Nancy explains why customers often operate on autopilot, how emotional decision-making shapes buying behavior, and why marketers need to look beyond benefits alone when trying to drive action. She also breaks down brain-friendly messaging, loss aversion, reciprocity, social proof, authority, labeling, and present-focused bias, showing how small changes in language, framing, and proof can improve engagement, conversions, response rates, and ROI. You will learn: • Why customers do not always make rational buying decisions • How behavioral science improves marketing and conversions • What brain-friendly messaging means for brands • Why buyers hesitate and how brands can reduce friction • How social proof, authority, and loss aversion drive action Follow us for weekly conversations with industry leaders on marketing strategy, branding, customer psychology, behavioral science, digital campaigns, agency growth, and modern business leadership

April 29, 2026Episode 13736 min

AI Isn’t Replacing Support Jobs. It’s Making Them More Human

AI is changing customer support faster than most companies are prepared for. In 2026, the real challenge is not just automation or job loss. It is how AI is reshaping attrition, hiring, retention, and the human skills support teams now need to succeed. In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, host Kia Johnson sits down with Funmi Mide Ajala, Head of Customer Support & Digital Operations at Hugo, to explore what the AI age means for customer support talent and why so many companies are still thinking about support roles the wrong way. Funmi explains why lower ticket volume does not always mean less pressure, how automation is leaving human teams with more complex and emotionally demanding work, and why that shift is forcing companies to rethink how they hire, train, and support their people. She also discusses the new skills that matter most in customer support today, why curiosity, judgment, creativity, and AI fluency are becoming essential, and how leaders should approach this transition with more empathy, clearer standards, and stronger systems for growth. You will learn: • Why AI is changing attrition and burnout in customer support • How automation is reshaping hiring and retention • Which human skills matter more in the AI age • Why training and onboarding need to evolve • How companies can help support teams grow through change

April 22, 2026Episode 13935 min

Why CEOs Still Misunderstand Social Media in 2026

Discover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://www.designrush.com Social media is no longer just a branding channel. In 2026, it plays a direct role in how brands build trust, shape buyer perception, and influence pipeline long before a sales conversation begins. In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, host Kia Johnson sits down with Amore Watters, Content Marketing Director at DesignRush, to explore why many CEOs still misunderstand social media as a business function and how that mistake can cost companies growth. Amore breaks down why social media should be treated as part of the revenue system, not just a marketing activity, and explains what separates random posting from a strategy that actually creates pipeline. She also discusses why platform specialization matters, why organic social media is still underestimated, which metrics CEOs should actually track, and how social media now influences AI-driven discovery through brand mentions, reviews, engagement, and public signals.

April 15, 2026Episode 13518 min

Why AI Speed Means Nothing Without Brand Consistency

Discover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://www.designrush.com AI can generate content faster than ever, but speed means very little if brands cannot actually use that content consistently across channels, formats, and markets. In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, host Kia Johnson sits down with Simon Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of wearemighty, to explore why faster AI output is not the same as usable AI output, and what that gap is costing brands right now.Simon shares how wearemighty’s AI tool SecretSauce was built out of a real production problem, not trend chasing and why many AI tools that look impressive in demos break down in real workflows. He also discusses what founders and brand leaders need to get right before they can trust AI at scale. You will learn: • Why AI speed alone does not create business value • Why consistency becomes a serious growth issue for brands • What separates impressive AI demos from usable workflows • How founders should think about product-market fit and commercialization • What businesses need to get right before scaling AI content Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry leaders on AI strategy, brand growth, creative production, and marketing transformation. #AIForBrands #BrandConsistency #MarketingStrategy #CreativeProduction #BusinessGrowth #AIInMarketing #DesignRushPodcast

April 8, 2026Episode 13416 min

Most Agencies Don't Know What They Signed Up For! The Truth.

Most agencies say they understand multi-location marketing. Then your brand scales, and everything breaks.Matt Powell, CEO of Moroch (the agency behind McDonald's, Planet Fitness, and Midas), reveals why most agencies fail when complexity hits, what separates talk from execution, and the exact moment brands realize their partner isn't built for growth.👉 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:- Why agencies that work with big brands still fail at multi-location marketing- The 600-location brand with 18 failing markets, and how one insight fixed it- Why "great campaign metrics" mean nothing if business results don't move- How brands lose the local advantage that built them while chasing national scale- The first red flag that your agency partner can't handle multi-location growth- Why one strategy across every location eventually collapses

April 1, 2026Episode 12438 min

What If Onboarding Is Where It All Goes Wrong?

Most companies focus on customer experience. But what if the real problem starts before the customer even exists? In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, host Kia Johnson sits down with Janell Scott, Vice President of Talent and Delivery at Hugo Inc., to explore why your first customer is actually your new hire, and how onboarding directly impacts performance, retention, and revenue. Janell explains that one of the biggest gaps in modern organizations is the disconnect between executive expectations and frontline execution. While leadership focuses on growth, KPIs, and customer satisfaction, the employee experience is often overlooked. This creates a breakdown where the people responsible for delivering customer experience are not set up for success from day one. The conversation dives into the critical first 30 days, where new hires form lasting impressions about leadership, culture, and their future within the company. When onboarding is rushed, overly automated, or lacks personal connection, it can negatively impact engagement, confidence, and long-term performance. The episode also explores how artificial intelligence is transforming onboarding and training. From AI-powered simulations to real-time feedback systems, Janell shares how companies can accelerate learning, improve time to proficiency, and scale teams more effectively, without losing the human connection that drives retention.

March 26, 2026Episode 13229 min

Agency Selection Doesn't Have to Be This Complicated

Finding an agency should be simple. So why is it a nightmare for most founders? 📉In Episode 132, Cathleen Vermaak, Head of Marketplace at DesignRush, pulls back the curtain on why agency selection is more complex than it appears. From "analysis paralysis" to the hidden costs of low-budget quotes, Cathleen shares the data-driven reality of what makes a partnership actually work in 2026.Inside this episode:The "Tinder for Business" Model: How DesignRush acts as the essential intermediary.The Cost of a Quick Choice: Why taking the first Google result leads to "hectic" reworks.Beyond the Tech Stack: Why communication style and "human match" are as vital as technical skill.The 25-Page PDF Fallacy: Why agencies need to stop overwhelming founders with data and start solving pain points.Clarity vs. Chaos: When you should PAUSE your search and fix your internal brief first.Learn how to navigate 50,000+ options with confidence. Visit DesignRush Marketplace to start your vetted search today.

March 18, 2026Episode 13129 min

Is AI Killing Brand Authenticity? What Marketers Are Getting Wrong

Is AI killing brand authenticity or are marketers using it the wrong way?In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, host Kia Johnson sits down with Pam Didner, Founder of Relentless Pursuit, global B2B marketing leader, AI keynote speaker, five-time author, and former Intel marketing strategist, to unpack one of the biggest challenges in modern marketing:How do brands use AI without losing their voice?Pam explains why the real issue is not AI itself. It is how marketers use it. When teams rely too heavily on AI-generated content without adding strategic thinking, original insight, and human refinement, brands start sounding generic. The result is weaker messaging, diluted positioning, and less authentic communication.The conversation also goes beyond AI and dives into one of the most overlooked growth problems in B2B: sales and marketing misalignment.Pam shares why these two teams often struggle to work together, what causes friction, and how better communication, clearer handoffs, and shared priorities can directly improve revenue outcomes.If you're a founder, CMO, marketer, or business leader trying to balance AI efficiency, human creativity, brand voice, and revenue growth, this episode is packed with practical insights.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why sales and marketing teams often fall out of alignmentThe 3 biggest causes of sales and marketing frictionHow AI is changing modern marketing workflowsWhy AI-generated content can make brands sound the sameThe biggest mistake marketers make when using AIHow to protect brand authenticity in the AI eraWhat founders should never sacrifice while adopting AI

March 11, 202623 min

Stop Wasting Money on Ads Without Fixing This First

Discover more marketing insights and top agencies at https://www.designrush.com/Your ads may be getting clicks. But your website could still be killing conversions.In this episode of the DesignRush Podcast, Jeff Finkelstein, Founder & CEO of Customer Paradigm, explains why reliable technology consistently beats flashy marketing when it comes to real business growth.Many brands invest heavily in PPC, paid media, and digital campaigns to drive traffic. But if the website experience is slow, confusing, or poorly built, that traffic turns into wasted budget. Jeff breaks down why ads only win attention, while websites, infrastructure, and customer experience are what actually turn interest into revenue.Jeff also explains how poor site performance increases bounce rates, weakens trust, and can even make future advertising more expensive. He shares why so many businesses become trapped in paid traffic while neglecting the technical and organic foundations that support long term growth.The conversation also explores how sudden spikes in traffic can overwhelm websites, operations, and customer support, turning successful campaigns into broken customer experiences. Looking ahead, Jeff shares why AI will reshape how businesses are discovered online and why brands must start building digital experiences that work for both people and intelligent systems.You will learn:Why ads grab attention but websites close the saleHow poor user experience wastes PPC and marketing budgetsWhy technical performance impacts conversion rates and ad costsHow weak infrastructure can hurt growth during traffic surgesWhy organic traffic and content reduce dependence on paid mediaHow AI is changing search, discovery, and digital customer journeysSubscribe for weekly conversations on digital marketing, business growth, AI strategy, branding, and performance-driven leadership.