StrategyCast

Hosted by Lori Jones from Avocet Communications

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608

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Oct 2026

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About the show

The StrategyCast podcast explores the nature of what it means to be at the helm of marketing decisions. Every episode is crafted to make people think, to spark some “aha!” moments, and to illustrate just how important a truly integrated marketing strategy and a solid, inspired brand presence are to success and longevity. Your host, Lori Jones, is the President & CEO of Avocet Communications, and she has over 30 years of integrated marketing experience. Lori has interviewed over 400 top business leaders on the show with backgrounds in B2B and B2C from brands such as General Motors, IBM, McDonald's, and Netsuite. It is the wisest and most successful of leaders who know the value of advice, can listen, and can share their experiences with others. Whether you're a CEO, a CMO, a Marketing Director, or an entrepreneur who wears many hats, this podcast is for you. For more information and show notes, go to strategycast.com. You can also follow @Strategy_Cast on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 20, 2026Episode 61315 min

A Trusted Brand Can Still Be Forgettable. Here’s Why.

A trusted brand can still lose the customer when every competitor looks equally credible. In this StrategyCast solocast, Lori Jones explores why trust is essential to brand strategy, but belief is what ultimately drives preference, action, loyalty, and advocacy. Lori breaks down the progression from credibility to confidence to trust to belief, and explains why each stage answers a different question in the customer’s decision-making process. Through examples from Costco, Volunteers of America Colorado, and Apple, she shows how brands can move beyond simply being reliable and give customers something meaningful and distinctive to believe. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 00:00 Why trust is not the finish line 02:31 Credibility, confidence, trust, and belief 03:42 How Costco turns trust into belief 05:04 The problem with trust without distinction 06:31 Finding the belief inside Volunteers of America Colorado 08:16 Six conditions that help brand belief form 09:42 A practical brand belief check 10:39 How belief gives brands permission to lead 11:23 Moving from trust architecture to belief 12:10 What must your audience believe to choose you? 13:50 Why belief drives action and advocacy ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

October 13, 2026Episode 61238 min

The B2B Shortlist Is Forming Earlier. Will Your Brand Make the Cut?, feat. Victoria Albert

The B2B shortlist is forming earlier than most marketers realize. Buyers are using AI, peers, independent research, and past experiences to evaluate vendors before they ever raise their hand, which means your brand may be in or out of consideration before sales sees a signal. Lori Jones talks with Victoria Albert, CMO of Infuse, about how marketers can influence this invisible buying window. They explore why brand gets you considered but credibility and proof help you win, how AI is creating a sea of sameness, and why original content, AEO/GEO visibility, and answers to real buyer questions are becoming essential to B2B marketing strategy. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 00:00 The invisible B2B buying window 02:25 The Day 0 to Day 1 framework 04:15 B2B buyers are getting faster and more private 06:50 Why traditional demand generation is falling behind 08:55 The B2B funnel is collapsing 10:32 Brand gets you in the room, proof helps win 12:13 How AI is industrializing sameness 16:34 The operational challenge behind AI adoption 20:11 The confidence paradox in AI-assisted buying 21:21 Which information sources B2B buyers trust 23:46 Brand awareness and the dark funnel 25:24 AI confidence across the buying group 28:53 What modern CMOs need to change 29:28 The AI personalization execution gap 31:18 SEO vs. AEO and GEO investment 32:56 How to audit your brand's visibility in AI 36:09 Where to find Victoria's B2B research 36:49 Being found is not the same as being believed ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

October 6, 2026Episode 61128 min

Why Better AI Doesn’t Automatically Lead to Better Marketing Decisions, feat. Tiffany Mullin-Radosevich

Better AI does not automatically produce better marketing decisions. As AI tools become widely available, the real advantage comes from proprietary customer understanding, trustworthy data, and the human judgment to know which insights actually matter. On StrategyCast, Lori Jones talks with Tiffany Mullin-Radosevich, VP of Growth Operations at AYTM, about the changing relationship between AI, consumer insights, and marketing strategy. They explore why marketing and insights teams are becoming more integrated, how leaders can evaluate AI-generated answers, and why faster access to data can create risk when the underlying context is weak. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 00:00 Why better AI does not guarantee better decisions 02:05 Tiffany’s journey from marketing to consumer insights 04:09 How the insights industry is changing 06:23 Marketing and insights become one decision engine 07:46 What marketers should ask their insights teams 09:00 The risk of skipping real consumer research 10:06 Where competitive advantage comes from in an AI world 12:31 Building proprietary human understanding 13:36 Why the quality of human data matters 16:50 How to decide whether an AI insight is trustworthy 18:17 What to automate and where human judgment belongs 19:20 How AYTM uses AI agents in marketing 20:46 Why more AI-generated content is not always better 21:50 AI, expertise, and the problem of false confidence 24:01 Creating AI governance and a shared source of truth 25:49 How to reinvest the time AI gives you back 27:21 Building a stronger AI and marketing system for 2027 29:31 Why intelligence alone does not create belief ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

September 29, 2026Episode 61040 min

The “Why Should I Choose You?” Test Every Marketing Team Should Try, feat. John Ravaris

When growth slows, more marketing activity may only amplify a value proposition that is not differentiated enough. John Rivera explains how marketing leaders can answer the critical “Why should I choose you?” question, uncover what customers actually value, and turn differentiation into sustainable growth. In this StrategyCast conversation with Lori Jones, John Rivera, consultant, speaker, and author of Define Value, Drive Growth, breaks down why successful companies can stall as their customers and competitive landscape become more sophisticated. He shares how customer discovery, outcome-based messaging, marketing and sales alignment, and client advocacy can help brands escape the sea of sameness. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 00:00 Why more marketing may not solve stalled growth 05:11 Why successful companies stop growing 10:15 The “Why should I choose you?” test 12:43 Like competencies vs. unique competencies 14:01 Turning common services into differentiated outcomes 18:39 The 4D Roadmap for defining value 19:49 Why meaningful differentiation starts with discovery 23:40 Turning clients into brand advocates 24:51 Finding differentiation inside your company culture 27:47 How Chewy makes customer experience tangible 29:16 What real marketing and sales alignment looks like 32:13 Where CMOs can start when sales and marketing are misaligned 33:11 Turning satisfied clients into active advocates 35:49 How AI can accelerate value proposition discovery 37:58 Define Value, Drive Growth ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

September 22, 2026Episode 60934 min

Why Moving Too Fast With AI Could Cost Your Brand Customer Trust, feat. Tara DeZao

Moving fast with AI can create efficiency, but without the right guardrails, it can also put customer trust, brand authenticity, and customer relationships at risk. Tara DeZao joins Lori on StrategyCast to explain why responsible AI governance may become one of the most important competitive advantages for marketers. From AI-powered personalization and agents to customer service and generative content, Tara breaks down what happens when organizations prioritize speed without enough human oversight. She explains why governance should be a foundation for AI strategy, how cross-functional teams can reduce risk, and why AI works best as a collaborator rather than a replacement for human judgment. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 00:00 Why customer trust matters in the AI era 01:47 What marketers were talking about at Cannes 02:54 Lessons from data privacy and transparency 04:06 Why AI governance should be a strategic guardrail 05:33 Building a cross-functional AI governance board 07:03 Breaking down data and human silos 08:37 Measuring customer relationships beyond short-term metrics 10:31 Why AI should collaborate with humans, not replace them 12:57 Where AI agents belong in marketing 15:52 How AI-generated content can undermine authenticity 18:43 Why automated AI workflows need human oversight 20:00 Brand drift, hallucinations, and choosing the right AI 24:23 What to do when AI gets it wrong 25:45 The hidden cost of moving too fast with AI 28:14 Building an internal culture of responsible AI 29:51 AI advice for marketers planning for 2027 31:16 Where AI could take businesses in the next two years 34:13 Why people, not AI, create trust ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

September 15, 2026Episode 60834 min

How AI Is Upending Buyer Behavior (And Smart Marketers Are Adapting), feat. Andrew Davis

AI is changing how B2B buyers search, evaluate solutions, and decide which brands to trust. For marketers, that means traffic, leads, and traditional attribution metrics no longer tell the whole story. On StrategyCast, Lori Jones talks with Andrew Davis, SVP of Marketing and Sales at TextUs, about how AI is upending buyer behavior and forcing marketers to rethink their go-to-market strategies. Andrew explains why today's buyer journey happens across Google, AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude, review sites, retargeting, and other touchpoints long before a prospect converts. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 00:00 How AI Is Changing Buyer Behavior 01:42 Andrew Davis' Path From Sales to Marketing 04:21 Why Traditional Marketing Playbooks Stop Working 06:11 AI Search, AEO, GEO, and Changing Demand 08:00 The New Multi-Channel Buyer Journey 10:39 Why Traffic Is Not the Same as Demand 14:16 Lead Scoring and Multi-Channel Engagement 16:11 Why Cost Per Lead Can Be Misleading 17:48 Personalization and Human Connection in the AI Era 22:08 How Modern GTM Strategies Are Changing 24:28 Why Creative Testing Needs to Happen Faster 27:37 The Marketing Skills That Matter in an AI-Driven World 31:28 Human Intelligence as an AI Advantage 32:37 Where to Connect With Andrew Davis 33:23 Building Trust Across the Buyer Journey ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

September 8, 2026Episode 60728 min

The Belief Path: Turning Awareness Into Enduring Advocacy

Getting people to know your brand is not the finish line. The bigger strategic question is what happens next: Do they recognize you, trust you, believe in what you stand for, and eventually act on that belief? In this StrategyCast solocast, Lori introduces the Belief Path: know, recognize, trust, believe, and act. She explains how each stage builds on the one before it and why trust is the critical bridge between brand awareness and the customer behaviors that can contribute to growth, including buying, staying, recommending, advocating, and giving a brand another chance when something goes wrong. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 00:00 From information to brand belief 01:12 How AI is changing the trust equation 03:39 Why trust is a business and growth issue 05:45 Why people can ignite brand trust 07:13 Patagonia and the importance of proof 08:46 The trust transfer 10:01 How Airbnb built trust into the experience 11:27 Why brand experience must support the story 13:35 Protecting trust with Celestial Seasonings 15:17 Restoring relevance with Walnut Acres 16:52 Five signals of brand trust 18:45 Why more AI content does not mean more credibility 19:51 Thought leadership as trust transfer 20:44 What a brand belief actually means 22:02 The Belief Path: know, recognize, trust, believe, act 22:46 Founder trust vs. corporate trust 24:16 Three questions to ask about your brand 26:10 What creates competitive advantage in the AI era 27:04 Why enduring brands give people reasons to believe ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

September 1, 2026Episode 60631 min

How to Prove Marketing’s Impact on Revenue When Attribution Gets Messy, feat. Emily Popson

Marketing attribution is getting messier as AI changes how buyers discover, research, and evaluate brands. Emily Popson, SVP of Marketing at CallRail, explains how marketing leaders can connect their strategy to revenue even when traditional first-touch and last-touch attribution no longer tell the whole story. Lori Jones and Emily explore a hybrid approach to marketing attribution that combines software-based data with self-reported attribution, conversational intelligence, AI, and customer signals. The goal is not to find one perfect attribution tool. It is to build a clearer picture of the buying journey and show how the overall marketing strategy influences customers and revenue. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 01:30 Emily Popson’s path from law school plans to marketing 03:32 Why attribution is changing, not dying 06:54 Moving beyond first-touch and last-touch attribution 08:11 Combining self-reported and software-based attribution 10:37 Using AI to uncover hidden customer signals 12:43 Why customer belief matters in the marketing funnel 13:07 How CallRail used AI and direct mail to build belief 16:16 Using Clay and Pendo in a modern marketing tech stack 18:16 The marketing metrics that still matter most 20:42 Why marketers need a voice in lead handling 22:14 Using conversational AI across marketing and sales 24:56 How marketers should approach measurement in 2027 25:28 The case for "hybrid plus plus plus attribution" 27:27 Creating an AI-multiplied marketing team 29:21 Building credibility and reducing buyer uncertainty ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

August 25, 2026Episode 60529 min

Why AI Won’t Fix Your Marketing Without Better Decision-Making, feat. Jeff Chancellor

AI can make marketing faster, but it cannot fix weak decision-making. In this episode of StrategyCast, Lori Jones talks with Oversight CMO Jeff Chancellor about why marketing leadership in the AI era depends on trust, systems thinking, and the operating discipline behind the technology. As AI moves from experimentation into everyday business infrastructure, marketing leaders face a bigger challenge than choosing the right tools. They need to build organizations where people can trust AI-driven recommendations, understand how decisions are made, and use technology without losing accountability. Jeff explains why the modern CMO is becoming an architect of decision quality and why organizations with stronger operating systems may have the real competitive advantage. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 02:03 Jeff Chancellor’s Approach to Marketing Leadership 04:51 Moving Beyond AI Experimentation 06:48 When AI Becomes Business Infrastructure 08:11 Why Trust Is a Competitive Advantage 11:20 Transparency and Explainable AI 13:44 How the CMO Role Is Changing 15:23 Systems Thinking for Marketing Leaders 18:01 Five Foundations for Scaling AI 20:44 Balancing AI Speed With Responsibility 22:58 Marketing’s Role in Decision Quality 24:58 AI and One-to-One Buyer Journeys 27:06 The Leadership Responsibility That Matters Most 28:33 Closing Thoughts ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

August 18, 2026Episode 60439 min

AI Is Changing Buyer Behavior: Here’s Why Community Matters More Than Ever, feat. Carter Hostelley

AI is changing how B2B buyers research, evaluate, and choose vendors. As automation and AI-generated content become more common, trust, community, and authentic human relationships are becoming the real competitive advantage. In this episode of StrategyCast, Lori Jones sits down with Carter Hostelley, founder of Leadtail, to explore why community-driven marketing, advocacy, and credibility matter more than ever. They discuss how buyer behavior is evolving, why traditional demand generation is losing effectiveness, and how marketers can build brands that buyers actually trust in an AI-first world. And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details. ==Let's Break It Down== 01:42 Carter's journey into social media and community building 05:31 Why marketers don't control the brand anymore 07:04 Community, advocacy, and the future of B2B marketing 08:56 How AI is changing buyer behavior and decision making 11:20 Authenticity versus AI-generated content 14:00 Why advocacy beats traditional demand generation 17:55 Building community by adding value first 23:03 Why LinkedIn is becoming the new email 31:00 LinkedIn newsletters, events, and articles that marketers overlook 36:25 What successful B2B marketers will do over the next five years 38:29 Final advice and where to connect with Carter ==Where You Can Find Us== Website: https://strategycast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast ==Leave a Review== Hey there, StrategyCast fans! If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts . Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!