Pure Signal

Hosted by Pure Signal

TechnologyInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Businesses are transforming at a breakneck pace. Leaders need to know the latest, but more importantly they need to understand which developments actually matter (and which don’t). Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin have brought their combined expertise to companies ranging from the Fortune 100 to innovative startups. Together they’re digesting the biggest developments in tech, data, AI, and beyond to bring you the strategy-focused insights you need to position your business for an unpredictable future. This is Pure Signal. Brought to you by the experts at Credera.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 10, 202647 min

Drive Tech Forward with an Operating-Model First Approach

The biggest barrier to transformation isn't the technology; it's the humans who have to live with it. On this episode of Pure Signal, hosts Ryan Medellin, Kevin Erickson, and Jake Carter sit down with Cale Maxwell, CEO of Credera Oceania, to talk through what leading change really looks like when change fatigue is already setting in.Cale shares why operating model design should come before technology investment, how to build a measurement framework that keeps transformation funded, and what his ongoing master's in neuroscience has taught him about why change initiatives stall. You'll also hear a candid exchange on how the Oceania market approaches AI adoption differently from the US and UK, and whether that caution is a feature or a liability.For leaders navigating AI adoption, organizational integration, or the pressure to move faster than your people are ready for, this episode offers a grounded, globally-informed perspective. Technology doesn't work until people make it work. The question is whether you're investing accordingly.—Quotes"Technology doesn't work until people make it work. Technology only gets you so far. You've actually got to drive real change, change in human behavior, change in the way the organization works." - Cale Maxwell" People can have data to look at, but can a marketer actually act on that data in real time? In most cases, the answer is still no. So I think we’re data rich, we're intelligence poor." - Cale Maxwell"If you're unclear on what the outcome is, what you're measuring on the other side of that, it's hard to build a business case for what is next." - Cale Maxwell—Timestamps(00:00) Intro(00:43) Cale Maxwell's path to Credera Oceania(04:39) Neuroscience and its relevance to transformation(06:18) The Oceania market(08:50) The case for an operating model first approach(12:07) The human side of change(14:08) Budgeting for change management(22:21) Data silos and the intelligence gap(24:21) Getting clear on measurement to unlock further investment(31:06) Leading through uncertainty(36:00) Neuroscience applied to day-to-day(37:33) Why traditional change frameworks still apply(41:32) Closing thoughts —Links Connect with the hosts and guests on LinkedIn!Kevin EricksonJake CarterRyan MedellinCale MaxwellLearn more about Credera

May 27, 202649 min

Why Your Go-To-Market Strategy Still Needs a Human Story Behind It

Building a go-to-market plan is more than having the right strategy; it’s about having the discipline to see it through. On this episode of Pure Signal, hosts Ryan Medellin, Kevin Erickson, and Jake Carter sit down with Nancy Newell, Head of Public Sector Industry Growth at Credera, to talk through what it actually takes to build something and make it stick.Nancy walks through her five-pillar go-to-market framework, which she’s started implementing in her first months at Credera, and where she has seen companies fall short. You'll also hear a candid exchange on where government agencies sit in the technology adoption curve and whether that gap is really a technology problem or a workforce and trust problem.For leaders navigating new market entry, a practice rebuild, or the pressure to modernize faster than their organization is ready for, this episode offers a practical perspective. Know your strengths, work the plan, and keep moving.—Quotes“You have to constantly reassess where you are. If you're not growing somewhere, pivot. If you don't pivot, you're going to keep going the wrong way.” - Nancy Newell“The way content marketing and branding work right now in the world is constant. You have to have something out there 24/7. And it can't just be AI-generated.” - Nancy Newell“ What I see is people that are getting that true growth, they have technology. You can't just sit back. You're not going to be here in two years if you don't.” - Nancy Newell—Time Stamps(00:00) Intro(02:06) Nancy Newell’s path to Credera(05:10) Growing practices from the ground up (06:06) Nancy's five-pillar go-to-market framework (12:53) Common go-to-market mistakes(16:56) Human connection as the throughline (19:42) Storytelling, AI tools, and keeping your own voice (29:52) When and why companies need to revisit their go-to-market (33:37) Government technology gaps, workforce costs, and agentic AI (44:02) Closing thoughts —Links Connect with the hosts and guests on LinkedIn!Nancy NewellKevin EricksonJake CarterRyan MedellinLearn more about Credera

May 13, 202648 min

Implementing Agentic AI for Operational Success

Every year, conferences like Adobe Summit flood marketers with new product announcements, but the harder question isn't what's coming; it's whether your organization is set up to use it. On this episode of Pure Signal, hosts Ryan Medellin and Kevin Erickson sit down with Todd Schwarz, Credera's Global Digital Platform Lead, to talk through what Adobe Summit revealed about where enterprise marketing is actually headed.Todd shares his thinking on closing the gap between roadmap announcements and day-to-day execution, why organizing your people for omni-channel is harder than adopting the technology itself, and how agentics are reshaping what marketers can realistically take off their plates. You'll also hear his take on why AI won't displace marketing jobs and what it will free them up to do instead.For CMOs and marketing technology leaders trying to move from conference inspiration to real business impact, this episode offers a grounded look at what it takes to execute. Curiosity and boldness aren't soft skills right now; they're operational requirements.—Quotes“ The brands, the customer experiences, and the businesses that are going to win are the ones who are going to be laser-focused on that customer experience. They're going to be laser-focused on meeting the customer in the moment that matters, in the context that matters, at the time that matters.” - Todd Schwarz“ The fundamental thing that clients truly are struggling with, with all of this advancement in marketing technology and certainly AI, is: How do I organize my people? How do I get the most out of my operating model?” - Todd Schwarz“I sort of fall in the camp where I believe, as more and more of this AI lives in and outside around these platforms, it's not going to displace jobs. It's actually just going to enhance people's ability to go deliver more and faster and be more productive.” - Todd Schwarz—Time Stamps00:00 Intro00:46 Today's topic: Agentics, operating models, and lessons from Adobe Summit02:30 Maintaining momentum after a conference04:00 Agentic AI and how it's reshaping org design09:42 When vendor roadmaps meet client reality12:38 How strategy and delivery leaders collaborate21:41 Meeting customers in the moment with authentic personalization27:06 Building a curiosity culture across global delivery teams35:08 Bridging the gap between leadership vision and frontline teams41:42 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the hosts and guests on LinkedIn!Kevin EricksonRyan MedellinTodd SchwarzLearn more about Credera

April 29, 202636 min

Why Your AI Strategy Needs a North Star

Most organizations treat compliance as a checkpoint at the end of a transformation journey. In highly regulated industries like healthcare and pharma, that approach slows things down and creates churn. On this episode of Pure Signal, hosts Ryan Medellin and Kevin Erickson sit down with Sajid Sayed, Director of Digital Acceleration in the Healthcare industry, to explore what it actually looks like to build governance into innovation from the start.Sajid shares his definition of true innovation, what it takes to bring cross-functional teams together as co-creators, and why AI that only delivers recommendations may be costing you more time than it saves. You'll also hear his sharp distinction between speed and velocity, and what real AI-powered decision-making looks like.For enterprise leaders navigating AI adoption in regulated environments, this episode offers a practical framework for sustainable innovation. Without a strategic North Star, transformation becomes churn rather than progress.—Quotes"Without having that strategic North Star, what ends up happening is you have transformation without compliance or guardrails. That sort of transformation is actually an enemy of governance and compliance. You end up having a situation where you're trying to innovate and transform just for the sake of doing it. " - Sajid Sayed"Innovation is all about co-creation. If you don't co-create and if you don't collaborate at the very forefront, innovation is very invasive. It will definitely rub people the wrong way because, not that they're averse to innovation, it's just that you are not able to articulate how it impacts them.” - Sajid Sayed"If AI can get you to that 60% mark where it provides you with something that's good enough for you to iterate and enables you to do that remaining 40% a lot faster, that's success. But change management is a big part of it because anything can happen between that 0 to 60. " – Sajid Sayed—Time Stamps00:00 Intro01:27 Today's topic: Innovation and AI in Healthcare and Pharma01:57 Sajid's approach to conferences as strategic inputs05:33 When regulatory requirements enter the innovation conversation07:23 Bringing compliance teams in as co-creators13:33 Why a strategic North Star still matters18:58 Speed vs. velocity and AI as a decision-making engine21:09 Change management as a day-one priority31:24 Maintaining momentum after the conference ends33:05 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!Kevin EricksonRyan MedellinLearn more about Credera

April 8, 202639 min

How to Get Real Value From Conferences in 2026

Conference season is back. But, for enterprise leaders, the real challenge isn't finding events to attend; it's knowing whether the investment is actually worth it. On this episode of Pure Signal, hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin break down how to build a smarter conference strategy in 2026, from choosing the right events to turning attendance into measurable outcomes.The discussion opens with mapping the full conference landscape. From there, they dive into how the enterprise conference strategy has shifted over time and why traditional ROI thinking no longer holds. You'll also hear the team wrestle with some of the harder questions in conference investment: when does a curated client dinner outperform a floor pass, and how do you justify the spend when sales attribution is nearly impossible to pin down?For C-suite leaders and senior executives deciding where to focus their conference investment this quarter, this episode offers a practical, experience-grounded framework on how to define your why before you book, set clear expectations for every attendee, and stop measuring success by presence alone.—Quotes ”I view this for any training type environment. It's an opportunity for us to invest in our employees. Sometimes that is pure skill development, sometimes it's a thank you. We had a team at re:Invent that was there primarily to use a lot of the technologies, but for the most part, they were there as a thank you for the hard and amazing work that they did to serve their client. And they had a chance to spend time with their client together in that learning environment.” - Kevin Erickson"The thing that always goes through my head on these is…can you afford not to be there?... The thing that's hard for us to quantify, but I think is very real, is if we're not there, our competitors are there. If we're not spending time with our clients, they are. And so, to some degree, there's the defensive play, and that’s much harder to quantify." - Jake Carter"You have to kind of tailor the conference to your why and don't let what's not going on in the conference dictate what you're trying to do. It's kind of like you go in thinking about what's your value first versus the value that's being given at the conference, and then you can kind of work your way back into tailoring that value into what your value is." - Ryan Medellin—Time Stamps00:00 Intro02:22 Today's topic: Creating a 2026 conference strategy 03:52 Breaking down the conference landscape07:58 How enterprise conference strategy has changed over time13:23 Finding the real value of conference investment18:07 When a curated dinner beats a floor pass21:30 Matching the conference format to your client29:53 Carrying conference momentum back into everyday work32:48 Finding your why as a conference strategy framework36:06 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!Kevin EricksonRyan MedellinJake CarterLearn more about Credera

March 27, 202645 min

Reflecting on Q1: AI, Transformation, and Enterprise Reality

As we wrap up Q1 of 2026, it’s time to identify what is driving real progress in the current market. In this episode of Pure Signal, the team reflects on the shift from long-term transformation planning to immediate execution and what that means for leaders operating in an increasingly complex and uncertain environment.As Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin unpack the start of the year, they look at how enterprise priorities are evolving, why transformation is back at the center of the conversation, and where organizations are focusing to drive measurable outcomes. The conversation explores the growing tension between bold, long-term bets and the need for near-term results, as well as how leaders are redefining success in a landscape where clarity is limited but decisions can’t wait.From rethinking operating models and workflows to reassessing where technology actually delivers value, the team highlights a broader shift toward disciplined execution and intentional investment. They also discuss how broader external pressures like global uncertainties and evolving market dynamics are placing increased pressures on internal decision-makers.For leaders navigating this moment, this episode offers a grounded perspective on how to take meaningful action now, while building the flexibility and resilience needed for what comes next.—Quotes“Now what we're seeing is more of a more metered approach of, ‘Okay, maybe it's not AI everywhere,’ for many reasons. You could go down the path of just the cost you're incurring, towards ‘what are the places where we actually need to be using this that's going to drive value, both for us and for the customer?’ And I think that's maybe what's a little bit different now. I like the notion of the dual KPI, ‘let’s find places we can use the AI, where it's going to be accretive to the business and to the customer experience.”’ – Jake Carter“If you're an Anthropic certified consultant, what does that even mean? It's something that we have to wrestle with now in our business and see how that plays out. And what's going to be related specifically to a model and a chip or a process versus what's going to be broader and what are going to be the new verbs that come out. Jake was one of the early Googlers, what are going to be the new verbs that come out of this season?” – Kevin Erickson“To me, the interesting part when we talk about supply chain is it's like I personally do not hear as much about supply chain as I hear more about personalization and enabling the customer to get what they need a lot quicker. And I'm curious to see how those two levers work with each other because you have to have the supply to meet the demand. And it sounds like from all the companies turning their attention towards opening up all these personalization levers that the demand should theoretically go through the roof.” – Ryan Medellin—Time Stamps00:00 Intro00:40 Today's topics02:40 How enterprises are grappling with the AI reality05:00 Transformation is back10:25 The dual KPI businesses should be focusing on13:30 Shifting mandates and heuristics18:55 Is the pressure on leaders as high as it's ever been?25:50 Blending of roles and models29:55 Is it make or break time?33:00 The return of scenario planning35:45 Looking towards the next quarter43:30 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!Kevin EricksonRyan MedellinJake CarterLearn more about Credera

March 12, 20261 hr 1 min

Women in Tech on Redefining Leadership in the AI Era

Just as AI innovations are redefining software as we know it, modern businesses are closing the gender gap and redefining leadership to match. On this episode of Pure Signal, the team celebrates International Women’s Day by exploring the exciting momentum surrounding the gender shift felt throughout the industry alongside sobering realities still facing women in tech today.Hosts Kevin Erickson and Ryan Medellin are joined by fellow Credera leaders Gail Stout Perry, Andrea Marshall Webb, and Slavina Racheva to hear their insights on these changing dynamics.The discussion begins with reflections on the Women in Tech movement within Credera, including the creation of internal communities and a recent hands-on conference where technologists collaborated to prototype new solutions and build practical AI capabilities. From there, the conversation broadens to examine the structural challenges women continue to face in technology. You’ll hear about the “leaky pipeline” which still exists in tech careers, confidence gaps, representation in AI development, and the importance of mentorship and community in driving long-term change.One big lesson from their conversations? Leaders throughout tech have the power today to shape diverse environments that will foster the next generation of talent while driving increased innovation and results for their businesses. The future of technology will be defined not only by new tools and platforms, but by who is empowered to build them.—Quotes“I want to encourage women to be very aggressive in this space. What we've seen over the last few years is really amazing momentum in women educating themselves about finance and investing, and we're seeing this gap being bridged. Once you give them the tools, they jump into it immediately because we are hungry for change. We want to see positive change in this space.” – Slavina Racheva“I didn't really enter technology consulting until my late forties when I came back into work after having raised my family and taking care of my mother. I had women around me giving me the confidence that I could still do this job, and I could still be really good at it. I did have the support of people who had gone through a similar experience around me. Which was incredibly important because I had people that I could share my experience with.” – Andrea Marshall Webb“We're really good at advocating when we do it on behalf of someone else. If you have others that you can draw upon, then you feel stronger. We're aiming to help our women figure out how to progress in their careers, to feel like they belong and to stay. Over 50% of women in tech leave their career between the 10th and 20th year. That's the leadership pipeline that's broken, right? So how do we get out ahead of that and prevent that? It's possible. It's been done in other areas of business, so let's do this for tech.” – Gail Stout Perry—Time Stamps00:00 Intro00:25 Welcoming today's guests03:50 Women in tech today06:40 What's inspired this movement11:30 Opening the door for others16:45 The Women in Tech Conference26:45 Results can already be seen33:00 From risk to opportunity43:00 Business transformation at large44:55 Where ethics come into play47:05 How to continue building momentum51:55 Creating psychological safety across your enterprise57:00 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!Gail Stout PerryAndrea Marshall WebbSlavina RachevaKevin EricksonRyan MedellinJake CarterLearn more about Credera

March 4, 202645 min

Redefining Commerce Strategy with AI in 2026

In today’s world, commerce has evolved from just a channel to the connective layer between CX, retail media, data strategy, and business growth. On this episode of Pure Signal, the team is joined by Credera Partner and Global Commerce Lead Olin Moran to explore how modern commerce is now being redefined by robust orchestration, AI, and the rapid expansion of retail media networks. Hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin kick off the conversation by diving into The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Services report, which positioned parent company Omnicom as the highest ranked provider in the space. Olin connects this report back to why it matters for business leaders with the discussion centering around the power of unified data, aligned KPIs, and cross-channel coordination. You’ll also hear practical insights into retail media as a monetization engine, the growing importance of clean rooms and CDPs, and how brands can regain ownership of the customer relationship in an agentic-first world. For CMOs and commerce leaders navigating shifting search behavior, AI-driven discovery, and blurred lines between physical and digital retail, the message is clear: success in 2026 won’t come from optimizing individual channels but from orchestrating them around clean data, customer intent, and measurable business outcomes.—Quotes“Commerce isn't a channel anymore. It really is the layer that's connecting the customer experience to the business outcomes. And it's done across all of the channels. Before it used to be: here's a website, here's a marketplace or a retail presence, let's go sell. It has now shifted to: there’s a customer, where do they want to buy, what is it they’re looking for, and how do we orchestrate that across all of these different channels to improve their overall experience and lifetime value?” – Olin Moran“If you're living in a world where you can't see exactly what the end state is going to be, the best thing that you can do is you can create options. And you can build the muscle that's going to give you the ability to react. That’s going to create agility.” – Jake Carter“There's so much more excitement around the human element that's going to be empowered by AI. Not that long ago it was a very different fear, and it's just so encouraging for me to think about how you're going to really use human ingenuity, spark, curiosity…all of those things that we talk about to really continue to drive what we do.” – Kevin Erickson“I feel like we've gone from a time where options were endless and loyalty may have fallen flat a little bit over the last five or so years. It was like, let me just find the cheapest, or let me just find the quickest way to do it. But it seems like there's now an initiative that the time is now to start really building back that loyalty and that relationship with the consumer.” – Ryan Medellin—Time Stamps00:00 Intro00:55 Welcoming Olin Moran to the show04:20 The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Services, Q1 202607:00 Creating unified experiences across channels11:00 Building back customer loyalty16:50 The goals commerce organizations need to hit19:10 Defining retail media21:55 Leveraging technology to unify experience25:35 Ensuring success for the future33:10 Humans still crave real experience36:05 Aha moments from Olin's career42:00 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!Olin MoranKevin EricksonRyan MedellinJake CarterLearn more about Credera

February 12, 202646 min

Trust and Transparency in AI-Driven Marketing with Ellen Gates

What and who will ultimately determine the real value and potential risks that follow the rise of AI? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team dives into why trust has emerged as a defining factor in AI adoption and reaction as organizations move from experimentation to scaling their real-world usage.Joined by special guest and Credera Partner Ellen Gates, hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin unpack the growing gap between what AI systems actually can do and what most customers believe they can do. Bringing in a wealth of marketing and end user expertise, Ellen speaks to what she’s seen out in the field as it relates to personalization, privacy, and governance. You’ll hear why the team believes misaligned signals, opaque models, and poor results can quickly erode confidence in newly deployed AI systems.For leaders navigating AI-driven marketing, customer experience, and enterprise transformation, this episode offers a grounded perspective on how transparency, thoughtful design, and human accountability are becoming essential to building durable trust and sustainable AI strategies.—Quotes“You can get answers very quickly. The thing is, it doesn’t tell you that those answers are correct. The way that you can jump to an inference, and it can be wrong, is something that really matters. Trust takes a long time to build, once you lose that, you don’t really get it back.” – Ellen Gates“Going back to basics, and that’s kind of the theme for us. How you treat people, how you run a company. If you actually are building unique elements of what you do, and you serve your customer right, that still matters.” – Kevin Erickson“We all know this stuff is moving so fast, but even the idea of ‘How do I get my information to show up in a generative model?’ is not wholly dissimilar from how brands have thought about showing up in other platforms. That was really interesting to me. I actually think that could be comforting for a lot of people.” – Jake Carter“When I think about trust and transparency and hearing about how brands are showing up and consumers doing their own research, it seems to me there’s this second level of validation or trust and transparency that can be built in. If I’ve come in and done all this research using these models, I want the opportunity to talk to a person about these things to double check and make sure what I’m hearing is accurate. To me there is an opportunity there for brands to leverage that human connection.” – Ryan Medellin—Time Stamps00:00 Intro00:25 Warming up from all the snow01:50 Introducing Ellen Gates to the show04:50 Tackling trust and transparency11:20 The future of data privacy and AI13:25 Why showing your work is more important than ever18:30 This third party problem isn't new22:35 Businesses are still in the driver's seat27:00 Where advertising fits into this equation30:55 Control vs. collaboration37:00 Merging cutting edge tech with seamless CX39:00 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!Ellen GatesKevin EricksonRyan MedellinJake CarterLearn more about Credera

January 28, 202636 min

2026: Pilots Are Out, MVPs Are In

What’s powering real progress in 2026? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team highlights the stark shift from AI experimentation to execution, and what that means for leaders navigating complexity, change, and transformation.As Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin reflect on the early signals of the year, they explore how AI strategy is maturing, why MVPs have replaced pilots, and where leadership focus is shifting. From the return to fundamentals to the evolving role of the C-Suite, this conversation highlights how clarity, simplicity, and substance are becoming critical differentiators.For leaders looking to drive meaningful business outcomes, this episode offers a grounded perspective on where to double down and how to move with intent.—Quotes"There are a lot of companies that are getting to the point of, ‘Yes, I care about the MVP, [but] I also want the system that's going to produce the next MVP and the one after that.’ Which, frankly, is where things get real. That's where you start moving from experimentation into actual enterprise momentum.” – Jake Carter"I keep hearing the word ‘simple.’ You have to keep it simple at the beginning and focus on how do we best serve our client? How do we best serve our people? Then build out from there. What does that look like in practice across both of those lanes?" – Ryan Medellin“We're becoming more comfortable operating a bit in that uncertainty. You're going back to the themes that we typically return to: do right by your customers, grow and innovate, care for your employees. Those themes are timeless. And now, if you can throw on this huge technological and process change, it gives you a moment to rethink your business in a way that's really fun."– Kevin Erickson—Time Stamps00:00 Intro01:10 Stay safe Texas05:05 Kicking off 202612:35 Where to focus efforts amidst an uncertain market15:15 Pilots are out, MVPs are in17:10 Is the C-Suite changing?22:00 What are the themes of 2026?29:05 Focus on empowering your team34:10 Closing thoughts—Links Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!Kevin EricksonRyan MedellinJake CarterLearn more about Credera