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  • In this episode, we discuss the following:

    *Ozempic & other weight loss drugs are having such a significant impact that company heads are calling Novo’s CEO for advice on what to expect for their industry. How might this trend impact your business?

    *What can we learn about building more productive – and innovative – teams from Google’s Project Aristotle research study? And how might AI be used to add an important “plus element” to the Aristotle research findings to help these high-performing teams be even more creative? Curious? Let’s find out!

    *Current research suggests that networking works well for men, but not as well for women. Let’s explore this and discover ways for women to better leverage business relationships.

    *Any catastrophic event in Taiwan, whether caused by human or environmental factors, would have a rapid and financially damaging impact on global supply chains that could significantly outstrip that experienced during Russia’s war on Ukraine. In a blockade scenario, the most significant disruption to global economic activity would come from a halt to Taiwan’s trade with the world, particularly in semiconductors. Associated disruptions to global supply chains—especially in major chip-consuming sectors such as electronics, automotive, and computing—would have grave repercussions for the world economy. Global trade with China would also decline due to a contraction in global trade financing, shocking the global economy and potentially triggering debt crises among China’s more fragile trade partners.

    How should companies prepare for this possibility?

    *Leading with empathy through turbulent times - Lessons learned from the recent aerospace downsizing that have rocked the industry.

    Moderator: Tim Boyd

    Producer: Tracylynne Wiliams

  • In this episode, we discuss:


    *Looking backward to innovate forward? Highlights from Time Magazine’s list of the 200 Best Inventions of 2023 tell us that taking inspiration from the past can be an effective creative strategy for inventing the future. Curious? Let’s find out!


    *There is an enormous shortage of supply chain professionals able to tackle known supply chain issues. This supply chain talent gap has created what Deloitte refers to as the “supply chain paradox.” This paradox exists because companies continue to prioritize investments in their “digital supply chains” while failing to view supply chains as a driver of innovation. As Deloitte put it in a recent Forbes article, “It seems likely that companies aren’t taking full advantage of their digital investments because they don’t have the talent to do so.” This consultant thinks participating supply chain companies are going to have to develop their talent or collaborate on the development of supply chain apprenticeship programs.

    *The “cookie-less” future: What does Google’s decision to eliminate cookies - a tool used to track user’s past searches and website visits - mean for B2B marketers? Three imperatives for B2Bs who want to personalize user experiences.


    Moderator: Tom Spitale

    Producer: Tracylynne Williams


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  • In this episode we continue with our AI theme and discuss the following:


    *What type of impact is AI already having on Strategic Marketing? How are different industries utilizing AI to develop and deploy their strategies? What ideas can you apply to your business immediately?

    *What were some of the highlights from Time Magazine’s list of the 200 Best Inventions of 2023? (Part 1). Could the creative use of generative AI programs have helped anticipate some of these extraordinary, even life-changing new inventions? And now, in 2024, can AI help improve them? Let’s find out!


    *Benefits of AI in Change Management - how AI can contribute to improved decision-making in Change Management: Part 2

    *There is no element in supply chains where AI will result in labor reductions as it will in warehousing. Warehousing practices of receipt, inspection, putaway (storage), retrieval, preparing for distribution, and shipping will see nearly total automation in the next 10+ years. One researcher expects warehouse direct AND indirect labor to see more than a 50% reduction in required human work by 2030, likely going to >80% by 2035. What are the AI-based technologies that will drive this? Is this a good thing? What are the benefits? Where will the displaced workers go?


    *How is AI changing leadership decisions and the art of team building?


    Moderator: Tim Boyd

    Producer: Tracylynne Williams

  • *How AI Can Help B2B Marketers Differentiate Their Products - when it comes to AI for B2B marketers, most of the conversation is about content creation and customer service applications. However, the biggest impact for strategic marketers could come from using AI to create needs-based, customer-centric offers and value propositions that are truly unique in the marketplace.


    *How AI Can Help Create Extraordinary Innovation Centers (Part 1): Moonshot Factory. Research Lab. Skunk Works. Center for the Future. Think Tank. Corporate Innovation Centers have many names… but whatever you call them, they all now have the opportunity to make increasingly important contributions to the productivity, profitability, and growth of their parent organization by leveraging recent advances in generative AI. With the publication this week of Bryan Mattimore’s new book, Islands of Invention, How to Create Extraordinary Innovation Centers, we’ll explore how AI can become a critical “partnering tool” in helping these unique institutions make even more valuable contributions to the success of their organization…now and in the future!


    *Benefits of AI in Change Management - how AI can contribute to improved decision-making in Change Management

    *Generative AI models offer substantial benefits in factory equipment predictive maintenance. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) or Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), can be used to augment limited datasets by creating “synthetic” samples that follow the same underlying patterns as the original data. This is particularly valuable in applications where obtaining large datasets can be challenging. For predictive maintenance, synthetic sensor data can be generated to simulate various equipment conditions and failure scenarios, enabling rigorous testing of algorithms and models. Also, Gen AI models can prove beneficial in addressing imbalanced data issues, especially when rare failures or anomalies are present. By synthesizing instances of such scenarios, generative AI mitigates bias in predictive models and enhances their overall performance.

    *AI Powered Mentoring Tools

    How can the use of AI tools aid us in the development and execution of mentoring programs and what are the current limitations? Can we receive more value from using these tools or is it just different?

  • In this episode we discuss:

    *There’s a lot B2Bs can learn from Taylor Swift about strategies for intellectual property (IP) and business relationships.

    *Want to be more productive, complete tasks quicker, and produce significantly higher quality work? A new, joint Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group study of 758 BCG consultants has found that with the help of AI programs, you can. Let’s dig deeper into the findings – and ramifications – of the 54-page HBS/BCG study: the questions it raises, and the new organizational approaches, processes, and programs it might imply for all employees in every department and every level.

    *Ten years ago Twinkies disappeared. Now the Twinkie is worth billions. This question is: What does this teach us about Change Management?

    *Traditional AI (the “analysis super app”) can provide numerous benefits in supply chain management. Supply chain organizations are beginning to experience benefits from Generative AI (the creative super app). These benefits are mostly achieved when tangible intrinsic and extrinsic data are tested against near-limitless scenarios that require the addition of disparate information to determine outcome probabilities and risks. With generative AI, supply chain professionals can look at dynamic consequence streams through layers of supply chain providers and determine real delivery expectations, component/ingredient price movements, and probable points of supply chain disruptions… and provide creative solutions that address the probabilities.

    *Realizing the Value of High Impact Mentoring

    Moderator: Tim Boyd
    Producer: Tracylynne Williams

  • In this episode, we discuss:


    *Storytelling is one of the hottest topics in business over the last couple of years. Strategic Marketers are embracing the topic as a way to differentiate their brands, gain the attention of buyers, and convince investors and managers to fund their plans. Find out why storytelling works and how to do it for both external and internal audiences.


    *Seasonal Innovation! Welcome Fall with the 20th anniversary of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, and over 2.9 billion online views of “pumpkin spice.” It begs the question: Should you be innovating seasonal new product innovations… all year round? Let’s look at some of the challenges – and opportunities – of creating seasonal new product offerings.

    *The two most obvious benefits of robots are (1) labor cost savings, and (2) precision exceeding that of a human. According to IBM, there are additional benefits that may be even more important. In this C&C presentation, I will discuss these additional benefits and share what IBM logistics specialists believe to be the REAL path to automation in warehousing.

    *Peloton and Lululemon – together they are stronger! Without this partnership, it was unclear how Peloton was going to grow. This is also a great example of Competition & a Creative Strategy that even B2B companies can learn from.


    Moderator: Mary Abbazia

    Producer: Tracylynne Williams

  • In this episode, we discuss:


    *DeBeers, who has been the market leader for decades - may no longer be the price leader as they try to respond to new market trends and technology (lab-grown diamonds). What can you learn about your market leadership & pricing power?


    *We know that “X” marks the spot, but should it also be a “trade-in” (and “trade-off”) for the well-established Twitter brand/trademark? And.. will the trademark attorneys at Microsoft and IBM have something to say about this? Let’s find out what’s in a name (and a letter!)


    *Hi Barbie!…Will the CEO’s IP Push Help Drive Mattel’s Transformation from a toy manufacturing company to an IP-driven, high-performing toy company?


    Moderator: Mary Abbazia

    Producer: Tracylynne Williams

  • In this episode, we discuss the following:


    *Barbenheimer – a great demonstration of Co-opetition & Segmentation. It provides several best practices for B2B companies to consider in their industry.


    *Back-to-school…of the future! How might AI affect teaching and learning, both positively and negatively? Let’s find out!


    *How do you move thousands of musical and sound instruments, a stage the size of a football field, and enough special effects devices to 37 venues for 74 3-hour shows without a hiccup? Meet the logistics team supporting Taylor Swift’s Eras tour… masters of “failure is not an option” logistics management.


    *The Hollywood strikes: What are the issues and how are they more relevant than you might think?


    Hosted by Tim Boyd

    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • In this episode, we discuss:


    *What can B2B strategists learn from the PGA/LIV Professional Golf Merger?

    *How important is failure to successful innovation programs?

    *The return to office wars - are they over?

    *Urban apartments

    *The Amazon Go Experience: Sacrificing your data for convenience

    Hosted by Tim Boyd

    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session, we discuss:

    *The Disney Juggernaut Back on Track: Disney has been in the news lately for a lot of reasons, but the rehiring of former CEO Bob Iger seems to signify a doubling-down on the organization's legendary customer focus. Let's take a look at the strategic reasons behind Dinsey's latest moves, with a particular emphasis on the Disney+ streaming service and the implications to Netflix and other streaming competitors.

    *What's a "Prompt Engineer?" The rise of generative AI tools is creating a need for what is being called "prompt engineers" ... people who write questions and prose for AI chatbots to test and improve their answers. For instance, the company, Anthropic - which Google has invested $400 million into date - currently has a job opening for a prompt engineer with a salary of $375,000. Wow!

    *Is Brick-and-Mortar shopping here to stay? We will explore this question through the lens of customer value and ask another question - Can all value be home-delivered?

    *How Will the Future Space Economy Impact The World?

    Hosted by: Tim Boyd

    Produced by: Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session, we discuss:

    *Why did Tesla slash its prices by up to 20% on its cars earlier this year? Why now? Pricing strategies are critical - especially when an industry is shifting. How much pricing leadership do you have?

    *In his book, Hit Makers, The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction, author Derek Thompson recommends a strategy for creating hits by leveraging the principle of "familiar surprise." What will be some of the "familiar surprises" we'll be seeing this spring and summer, and most importantly, how can we leverage this same principle of a familiar surprise to create our own hits? Let's find out.

    *Some companies are still struggling to hire workers resulting in the current low Labor-Force Participation Rate. Can the solution be found in defining your Employee Value Proposition?

    *Skills as the new currency for work and accounting for the impact of generative AI.

    *Innovation requires failures. Some may look at yesterday's SpaceX launch as a failure, but it isn't. It was a data success with an opportunity to learn the unknown.

    Hosted by: Ravin Jesuthasan

    Produced by: Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session we discuss:

    *How can you tell the difference between a Trend or Fad? How can Beyond Meat provide lessons for B2B Technology Companies? If you are on the "receiving end" of a potential trend that could disrupt your business - are there ways to mitigate your potential risk?

    *The Future of Team Ideation.. Part 2! How might the new visual AI content creation programs affect the design and facilitation of team ideation (or brainstorming) sessions? Let's find out!

    *The World's Most Admired Companies of 2022 - What makes them admirable?

    *Generative AI and the Future of Work - How is the new generation of AI transforming work and what does it mean for organizations and their talent?

    *How Platforms can Power the Circular Economy.

    Hosted by Tim Boyd

    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • *The Brighter Side of Risk - whether it’s war, pandemic, inflation or recession, managing risk is essential in today’s business world. But if you could turn risks into new offerings, perhaps you would view an uncertain environment as the best time to compete.

    *The Future of Team Ideation… How might the new AI content creation programs affect the design and facilitation of team ideation (or brainstorming) sessions? Let’s find out!

    *Burning Bridges at Work - Is it Ever the Right Decision? - As Prince Harry’s book breaks sales records, it’s worth exploring this question.

    *From Hot Dogs to Astro Turf, How Supply Chain Issues is Impacting the Super Bowl.


    *Can space-based solar power solve the world's energy crisis?


    Key Words:


    Risk, Super Bowl, Space-based Solar, Energy Crisis, Supply Chain, Ideation, Future of Work, Platform Strategy, Transformation, Organizational Leadership, Marketing


    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!
    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV

    Hosted by Tim Boyd
    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • *“Kidults” an emerging segment since the pandemic, driving $9B in the toy industry (25% of US toy sales and 60% dollar growth). Learn how Legos and others are leveraging the trend and what it might it mean for your business strategy.


    *The Best Inventions of 2022… Part 2! From Time magazine’s list of the 200 Best Inventions of the Year. We’ll get the details on several of the most interesting, important, entertaining, and fun inventions. We’ll also be looking at the creativity – and innovation – strategies behind them!


    *Supply chain problems hit New York’s Broadway show industry hard… and result in stage design innovations. With shortages of everything from lumber to flameproof paper, producers of large Broadway shows are struggling with broken, post-Covid supply chains and talent requirements necessary to construct stage sets and lighting designs. The new Broadway mandate… “find innovative ways to support these shows” because the show must go on, with or without supporting supply chain partners.


    *2023 Trend Analysis: At the turn of the new year, many organizations publish trends and perspectives that they anticipate will be significant in the coming year. The most common trends address retail, eCommerce, macro, tech, and Web3. There are also trends covering b2b marketing and sales, AI, mobile apps, APIs, and ESG. I will highlight 5 trends that are particularly relevant to platform professionals.


    *Crisis in the Air: Southwest Airlines suffered an "operational meltdown" that wasn't seemingly handled that well. There were many narratives that the leadership wasn't in control of which caused continued frustration with their customers. We will discuss some effective strategies that if employed could have significantly improved their crisis management response.

    Key Words:


    Supply Chain, Kidult, Southwest, Trends, Inventions, Innovation, Marketing, Platform Strategy, Future of Work, Transformation, B2B


    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!
    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV

    Hosted by Tim Boyd
    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • *Kroger Buys Albertsons For $25B - Will It Work? This latest mega M&A deal has us wondering: why do many such deals fail? Let’s look at the Marketing and Sales reasons why many promising combinations of two smart companies often fall well short of expectations, and what can be learned.


    *GE’s New Focus - the Great Break Up. Once the poster child of conglomeration is now breaking into GE Aerospace, GE Vernova and GE HealthCare to focus. What can the magnetic effect of focus possibly do for your business?


    *What are the best inventions of 2022? From Time magazine’s list of the 200 Best Inventions of the Year… we’ll get the details on several of the most interesting, important, entertaining and fun inventions. We’ll also be looking at the creativity – and innovation – strategies behind them! (This will be the first of two parts.)

    *Return to Office - How social media is being used to make coming back to the office look inviting to young professionals.

    *It’s time to dust off your “failure resume” - Embracing failure is becoming increasingly acceptable in the world of business with studies showing failure early in your career leads to more future success. How can we best leverage our failures to drive future success in our businesses?


    Key Words: Kroger, Albertsons, GE, General Electric, Remote Work, Inventions, Failure


    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!
    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV

    Hosted by Tim Boyd
    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session we discuss:

    *Have you checked out a Return Bar yet? We have been enjoying the trend of free online returns for a few years. The problem is that returns are not free to the merchants - the average retailer has $166 million in returns for every $1 billion in sales. What can companies do to minimize costs & regain profit? There are some great lessons if your business is looking for creative ways to cut rising costs and keep your customers happy.

    *At Google’s AI event this month a new prototype writing program named Wordcraft was debuted. Unlike other AI writing tools like Jasper and Open AI, Wordcraft was built to help writers create works of fiction, even complete novels! What might some of the ramifications of the new AI writing tools be for business productivity, creativity, talent recruiting and culture building? Let’s find out!


    *As the tech industry cuts jobs, it shines a new light on an old question: Is there a right way to downsize?

    *The Unforeseen Impacts of Unconscious Bias on your Business

    Diversity in the workplace is becoming increasingly popular. Are businesses participating because of the favorable optic or because they realize the value it can have on their financial success?

    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!
    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV


    Hosted by Tim Boyd
    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session we discuss:

    *Over-engineering Insight Programs

    Companies are investing more money, time and effort than ever in trying to generate insights into customer buying behavior and market dynamics. In the process, they are creating vocabulary, definitions and tools that are having the opposite effect; causing companies to miss insights that they could leverage. Here’s how to avoid over-complicating your insights program.

    *The 4 Day Work Week - Is it Possible? Other countries have proven that a 4 Day can definitely be successful.

    *Delivering on a Living Wage During a Recession

    Many organizations around the world have committed to providing a living wage. How will they navigate this and their other ESG commitments when their bottom lines are under pressure like they haven’t seen for many years?

    *Does your mayo need a mission statement? Can a condiment change the world? What does it mean to have a purpose driven organization?

    *Why Supply Chain Problems are Not Going Away Soon

    Jim Farley, CEO at Ford said in a recently in an AOL interview, “It feels like supply chain whac-a-mole!” He of course was referring to the never-ending sequential crises hitting supply chains across the globe. Pandemic, inflation, currency volatility, logistic imbalances, talent shortages, restrictive tariffs, energy shortages, hurricanes and other natural disasters are forcing supply chain managers to rethink their strategies almost daily. Such replanning requires both a resilient culture and a resiliency tools to support daily replanning efforts. The big problem is that if your company is not a true resilient enterprise, it may be too late. Let’s talk about strategies if your business falls into this last conundrum.

    *The circular economy meets marketplaces

    When we think of marketplaces we typically think of large diverse marketplaces like Amazon selling new goods. However, there is a lot of movement regarding secondhand marketplaces. For example, this month Goodwill launched an online shopping site, that will sell all sorts of secondhand goods including fashion labels like Guchi and Prada. There has also been growing M&A activity. Naver, the South Korean tech platform, will acquire fashion marketplace Poshmark for $1.2B. The move follows Etsy's acquisition of the fashion resale platform and Poshmark competitor Depop for $1.62 billion last year. If we are, in fact, heading into a recession then these marketplaces may do quite well as consumers become more frugal. But it may also speak to a deeper trend which is two more effective reuse or what some call the circular economy. A circular economy keeps materials, products, and services in circulation for as long as possible as the need for more sustainable modes of production becomes more pressing. Marketplaces are great ways to realize the circular economy by matching the supply of reused items with needs.

    *Reflecting on the past with the James Webb Space Telescope

    Looking backward is crucial to helping us move forward. How the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will radically transform our understanding of the universe and how it has already shown us why we continue to dare to do big things

    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!

    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV

    Hosted by Tim Boyd

    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session we discuss:

    *Bed, Bath & Beyond – are they ANOTHER example of a company not updating their trend analysis? Are they the latest “Pandemic Darling” to meet troubled times in the post-pandemic world (e.g., Peloton, Netflix, Wayfair)? What lessons can B2B companies learn from this case?

    *What is tenniscore… and why has it become such a hot trend? As important, how can any company leverage the “innovation principles of success” behind the tenniscore phenomenon to create their own “next big thing?”

    *Is “Quiet Quitting” a new phenomenon in the workplace or has it always existed and is just getting louder? Is there anything companies can do about it?

    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!
    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV

    Hosted by Mary Abbazia
    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session we discuss:

    *Implications of the CHIPS and Science Act 2022 on future careers and workforce development

    *Alphabet (aka Google) is becoming a force in health care, (wearables, health records, AI & extending human longevity). What might this mean to your business in terms of possible competition & complementors?

    *What the Feud Between Two Competing Professional Golf Tours Can Teach Us About Branding and Positioning. The PGA Tour and the new Saudi-backed LIV tour are engaging in an epic battle for the world’s greatest professional golfing talent. The conflict is producing valuable marketing lessons for all businesses in any industry.

    *IBM has been a sponsor of the Wimbledon and US Open tennis tournaments for 30 years… and are using both of these events to help launch their new “Let’s Create” advertising campaign and business development strategy. What’s behind the “Let’s Create” campaign, and why does IBM want us all to make a trip to their “IBM Garage?”

    *McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Others are Gearing Hiring Around Reaching a 90-Day Milestone. Is Employee Onboarding Finally Getting the Attention it Deserves?

    *After 40 years, DeLorean is planning a comeback with a new all electric vehicle called the Apha 5. How they are going to do it is revolutionary.

    *The rise of internal talent marketplaces is transforming organizations as we know them. From how talent is connected to work to how careers are guided to how skills are acquired and deployed, every facet of the human experience of work is changing. Are we ready?

    *Prior to the pandemic, industry 4.0 initiatives were well underway in many companies that participate in global supply chains. Then BOOM! In a matter of months, the pandemic brought to light changes necessary to compete in the new digital world, including numerous talent issues. One of the most interesting talent discoveries was that resiliency skills in chief supply chain officers and COO’s positions them to become the CEOs of the future. A recent World Economic Forum article presents THREE reasons for this new opportunity.

    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!
    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV

    Hosted by Alan Dunn
    Produced by Tracylynne Williams

  • In this session we discuss:

    *Apple just announced Apple Pay Later! What does this mean for you and your business? How might this shape the finance industry?

    *The “Cola Wars” are Heating Up Again…Only This Time in E-sports! What’s Happening…and How Can Firms Who Target Older Consumers also Play? Let’s Find Out!

    *Airbnb’s “live and work from anywhere” policy - Is this the beginning of a “nomadic” workforce?

    *Reflections on Davos

    *Digital Outside, Complexity Inside McD & More

    Add all monthly events to your calendar in one click!
    https://rokt.it/3hdjHCV

    Hosted by Hari Abburi
    Produced by Tracylynne Williams