1. What are the biggest challenges in bridging the gap between product capabilities and user adoption?

Most users only utilize about 40% of a product's features. Product analytics tools are helpful in identifying which features are being underused. Typically, the lack of adoption stems from users being unaware of the features available or not understanding how to apply them. For example, during my time at Omniture, we had a powerful but complex product. I noticed many users weren't fully leveraging it, so I began writing blog posts about each feature, illustrating how they could bring real-world value. The blog gained popularity and helped significantly boost user adoption. Educational content like this, along with customer success teams showing real-world use cases, can play a crucial role in increasing adoption.

I believe the best way to bridge the gap is to identify underused features, educate users about their value, and continuously monitor analytics to gauge if education efforts are driving better adoption.

2. How do you approach educating the market about a new product category?

Creating a new category is one of the most difficult challenges in marketing. Humans naturally group things into familiar categories, so introducing something entirely new requires a lot of work. When Hightouch first introduced the concept of building customer audiences and activating them directly from cloud data warehouses, it was hard for people to grasp because the concept didn’t fit into any existing category. Initially, we referred to it as "Revense ETL" because consumers were familiar with ETL, and our product was essentially the opposite. As we expanded the functionality, we built a new category, the "Composable CDP," which was different from traditional Customer Data Platforms (CDPs). However, the creation of this category took time, effort, and many customer conversations before the industry accepted it. Throughout this process, we had to work around consumers' existing mental models to help them understand this new concept.

If you're trying to create a new category, it's crucial to spend a lot of time educating the market about its need, benefits, and how it connects to existing product categories. Though it’s tempting to dominate the category without competition, it’s often more advantageous to have competitors emerge, as it validates the existence of the category.

3. What role does data play in driving innovation and competitive advantage?

In today’s digital age, most user interactions take place on digital platforms, making behavioral data an invaluable resource for understanding what works and what doesn’t in your products. Data is the new way to “listen” to users, and the better you are at listening, the more likely you’ll be able to turn those insights into innovation.

Since most companies use similar platforms to build their products, the key to gaining a competitive advantage is learning faster through behavioral data. However, it's not as simple as it sounds. You need to gather the right data at the right moment, have the right people to analyze it, and then act on the insights to innovate. Those innovations, when implemented effectively, can help you outpace competitors.

4. What common mistakes do companies make when implementing data-driven decision-making?

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is failing to first define the questions they want their data to answer. Many jump into data collection without considering the broader questions that can have a real impact on revenue or user experience. Another mistake is letting data drive decisions too much. Data alone can't reveal the reasons behind customer struggles; you also need to understand the customer journey through tools like surveys or session replays. Data is most useful when it quantifies known problems, but identifying those problems based solely on data can be a misstep.

5. How do you approach mentorship and knowledge sharing within your industry?

The data industry, despite its prominence today, is still relatively young. Many people in data roles today didn't study it in school and instead fell into the field as the world digitized. Given the industry's youth, mentorship and knowledge sharing are essential to help everyone grow. When I started in the data space, few people had written or spoken about data best practices, so I began sharing what I learned through blog posts. I continued this trend at Salesforce and in consulting, always eager to pass on what I had learned. At Salesforce, my team and I would document what we did in blog posts so other companies could benefit from our experiences.

Mentorship is also a key part of my approach. I regularly schedule calls with people in the data industry to discuss trends and help guide their careers. It’s incredibly rewarding to hear that my blogs and books have helped people launch or grow their careers. I believe that knowledge sharing and mentorship are mutually beneficial: the more you give, the more you get.

1. Your career spans the fast-evolving landscape of commerce advertising. If you had to describe your journey in three words, what would they be and why?

Connections: Success in this space is all about relationships. Whether with advertisers, publishers, platforms, or tech partners. Being deeply connected to industry trends, networks, and the right people has been key to driving growth and staying ahead. It's also been enormously rewarding meeting the individuals shaping the industry.

Innovation: Commerce advertising is a space where innovation never stops. Whether it's testing new performance models, scaling partnerships, or navigating platform shifts, there's always something exciting happening, interesting conversations to be had and decisions to be made. The dynamic nature of the industry keeps things fresh and engaging.

Entrepreneurship: The industry rewards those who move and act fast. From launching new business models to optimizing performance strategies, there's always an edge to find and always an opportunity to innovate and build something that delivers value.

Strong relationships are the foundation. When paired with an entrepreneurial mindset, an innovative spirit, and a touch of humour, we can achieve the best results.

2. mrge is shaping the future of intelligent commerce advertising. What’s the one misconception people have about the industry that you’d love to, correct?

The conception that commerce advertising is just about last-click conversions. Many assume it’s a lower-funnel tactic only, but in reality, commerce advertising influences the entire customer journey. The right data can drive brand awareness, discovery, and consideration, as well as transactions, sign-ups, or leads.

E.g. a creator paid per sale will generate plenty of "free" branding and should not be evaluated purely by the sales generated. Advertisers need to explore and examine those partnerships more actively and reward those activities with higher CPA/CPCs, better attribution or tenancy payments.

3. Your 2025 Commerce Advertising Report positions influencer marketing as a top growth channel. Is this just another trend cycle, or are we witnessing a fundamental shift in how brands drive commerce?

It’s a fundamental shift. We’re seeing commerce move to where people spend their time, and creators are at the centre of digital engagement. Look at tiktoks affiliate strategy that empowers millions of creators to start earning on each sale they make. Creator marketing isn’t just about brand awareness anymore, it’s a performance channel that drives measurable revenue.

4. With brands obsessing over reach, engagement, and cost efficiency, what separates an average influencer campaign from a game-changing one?

You have to adopt a long-term partnership mindset. Which creator is a good fit and could keep posting for years? Who do you want to associate with and who can represent you authentically? It takes good communication to make sure the content fits the purpose and lastly, it takes trust to let the creator produce authentic content.

A smooth, easy integration is also key, making it simple for interested followers to purchase and check out quickly, ensuring a positive experience with your brand from start to finish.

5. There’s a fine line between automation and authenticity. Can AI really help brands build trustworthy influencer partnerships, or is there a risk of losing the human touch?

I like the "human-in-the-loop" concept. AI is incredibly helpful with repetitive tasks, but when it comes to content it often misses the spark and the authenticity. AI learns from the internet, Reddit, etc. and unless you have trained a model to fit exactly your personal tone, it will struggle to convey your message. For some creative tasks, AI is good but not great. If you want a winning creator strategy or converting content, you need to be better than the cut.

6. Shoppable video and niche platforms are on the rise. Are we entering a future where influencers become entire marketplaces themselves?

Yes, and it’s already happening. Think about fitness creators and their often highly trusted product recommendations. Every day creators are launching their own storefronts, selling through livestreams, and integrating affiliate marketing into their content. Some advertisers are investing in dedicated high-quality shops for influencers to ensure exclusivity. Platforms like TikTok Shop and Instagram Checkout are definitely turning influencers into mini-marketplaces. Outside of the large platforms, LTK (one of the largest platforms intersecting affiliates and influencers) is making it easy for influencers to create shoppable content and everyone knows “Link in Bio” products.  Interestingly enough the first fitness affiliate influencer was Michael Jordan with the Nike Air Jordan, earning him more than 100million USD in commissions per year.

7. The industry is evolving fast, but what’s the one blind spot brands aren’t paying enough attention to in influencer marketing?

A well-curated group of creators with an engaged audience can outperform an entire ad campaign. Inspiration is now coming from creators more than traditional media. And contrary to traditional media, creator content can easily be made shoppable and tracked. This is a huge opportunity for performance marketing. As the impact of the influencer can be amplified with smart ads and targeting. Think of combining the creator content with on-platform retargeting and targeting on the open web.

8. If you had to bet on one influencer marketing strategy that will dominate 2025 and beyond, what would it be?

The growth of influencer marketing within commerce advertising at scale. Performance-based influencer campaigns will take over. More brands will shift to CPA, and CPC models in combination with flat fees, leveraging influencers as both media buyers and sales partners.

1. Your career has spanned multiple industries, from startups to global brands. What key moments or challenges shaped your leadership style and approach to driving digital transformation?

This answer is really driven by two different paradigms: failure, and success.

When I was 26 years old I became the head of eCommerce for Lucky Brand Jeans – and I was fairly certain as a successful 26 year old that I was in fact god’s gift to the internet. However, I had never worked with creative people - and like most 26 year olds - I was not nearly as smart as I thought I was. We crushed it from metrics perspective, but culturally I was a fundamental disaster. However, it did teach me how to work with mentally diverse teams.

A few years later, I had the opportunity to work at Schiff Nutrition under a gentleman by the name of Tarang Amin. In one of our first meetings, Tarang, who had been the global head of Clorox and was infinitely more experienced and successful than myself, said: “You don’t know anything about the CPG world, and I don’t know a lot about the digital world. Let’s learn from each other.” Tarang transformed me into the leader I am today, and I am forever grateful to be able to call him a mentor.

The moral of the story: Digital Transformation is all about how you influence and transform a culture as much as it is the 1’s and 0’s of a P+L. If you don’t make the entire company a part of the transformation, you are doomed to fail regardless of immediate financial results.

2. eCommerce is evolving at an unprecedented pace. What are the biggest technological gaps you see today, and how can the industry innovate to bridge them?

For a function that is so technologically enabled, it’s shocking to me how little AI, particularly Generative AI, has influenced the actual shopping experience. Many companies have done things such as AI-driven chatbots in customer service, but very few are actually changing and optimizing how the customer experience adapts. The fact that many shoppers still experience ‘0 Results Found’ when searching for products is an indicator of just how far behind the industry is, because AI solves that problem in an instant. Or let’s look at recommendations. So many brands are using decades old segmentation methodology or content-based filtering to generate recommendations. Yet there are generative AI solutions on the market that understands a shoppers behavior in real-time and make hyper-relevant recommendations. This is the core reason why I joined XGEN — I want to make generative AI a key part of every eCommerce leader’s strategic roadmap.

3. With AI revolutionizing online retail, where do you see the biggest impact in the next five years—personalization, automation, or something entirely new?

The promise of ‘personalization’ has largely been a fallacy in the eCommerce world. The large asterisk besides personalizations is: as long as we have data on what you did in the past. 

Let’s look at shopping recommendations as an example. You go to your Amazon results, and what do you see for recommendations? You need more dog food. More diapers. More chicken strips. Why? It’s what you bought last time, and it has a fairly predictable consumption cycle, so the recommendation algorithm starts to react to your past purchase history.

For true personalization to happen, recommendations need to move away from reacting to a shopper’s historical data to predicting their next move. AI, especially Generative AI, can handle this with ease. The models are continuously learning from real-time user interaction. Every click, hover, and page view is a signal that helps the AI understand a shopper’s preference and predict a future need. 

The real beauty of AI though is that it’s engineered to handle this level of personalization at scale. Every shopper will encounter an experience that is truly unique to them. That’s a game changer for an industry that’s struggled to deliver this to-date.

4. Customer expectations are constantly shifting. How should brands adapt their digital strategies to stay ahead without over-relying on trends?

There is an underlying paradox here that needs to be addressed — customers want two things:

1. Hyper personal shopping experiences
2. To not give up more data than is absolutely necessary

Crafting personal experiences when knowing nothing about a user is hard - so what brands need to do is give customers a REASON to give them data and then deliver on the promise of hyper personal experiences, all while ensuring their security and making them feel safe.

Staying on top of customer expectations isn’t difficult when you make customers the center of what you do as a brand. I’m going to sound like a stuck record here, but GenAI really is the solution for this. Let’s look at the way search is currently deployed. If I want to find something in a brand’s product catalog, I have to input some form of keyword to get a result. If that keyword doesn’t exist in their product feed, I get a ‘0 results found’ message. Maybe I’ll get some recommendations. 

When brands deploy a GenAI search, the results are no longer tied to the data in the product feed. For example, I asked my 6-year old daughter to tell me a “look” she’s always wanted for me to look up in one of our brand’s eCommerce sites. She said (as most 6-year old girls do): I want to look like a unicorn. 

So I typed that into the search bar, and I got dresses that all had elements to them that resembled unicorns. My daughter was beyond thrilled! If you know the brand I’m talking about, you’d know that not a single person on their merchandising team would have thought to put a ‘unicorn’ tag on any of their exquisite dresses. 

The AI model intuitively understood a few fundamental things:

1. It knew what a unicorn was (hello trend of the day)
   
   
2. It knew what products closely aligned to the “look” of a unicorn (glittery, sequenced, colorful, etc.)
   
   
3. It did not need any additional detailed information to deliver the results that delighted my daughter 

When you’ve got a powerful GenAI solution like that in place, you can continually stay ahead of the curve. 

5. AI-driven automation is streamlining everything from inventory management to customer service. What’s the next frontier for AI in eCommerce?

Generative AI. Mic drop.

6. Supply chain disruptions have forced retailers to rethink logistics. What innovations do you believe will define the future of resilient and agile eCommerce supply chains?

Such a hard question because macro things out of our control can throw a wrench into this, but I think that is at the core of what retailers need to think about more and more — flexibility. We have to be able to make, distribute and support our products as location agnostically as possible, and build automated systems to allow for the macro disruptions we can’t control.

7. DTC brands are disrupting traditional retail models. What strategies should legacy retailers adopt to stay competitive in this evolving landscape?

Well, I think true DTC brands have a huge advantage and disadvantage at the same time. The advantage? If you are truly DTC you have a remarkable amount of control.  Control over the narrative, the pricing, the promotions, the product distribution.  However, you are also LIMITED by the fact that you can only market in a direct to consumer way.  

A legacy retailer needs to do everything they can to have that same level of control.  How are you making sure your wholesale partners and driving your narrative?  Featuring the right product? Not discounting you to death?

In a world where the internet has democratized the ability to FIND a product - controlling your brand becomes infinitely more important — and gets more important everyday.

8. With the rise of sustainable shopping and conscious consumerism, how can retailers balance profitability with environmental responsibility?

This is a tricky question.  A number of studies have come out with two factors:

1. Consumers want sustainability/conscious consumption
   
   
2. They won’t pay a significant premium for it

Brands that engage in sustainability as part of a key messaging need to embrace the fact that it is a reason to believe in a brand, not one that consumers in general will pay a massive upcharge for.

9. Charlie, as President and a leader in digital, data, and marketing, what are the key leadership principles that have guided your success in transforming businesses?

1. Build diverse teams — people that think differently and thus allow you to think of the problem differently.
   
   
2. Best idea wins - low ego, metrics driven optimization
   
   
3. Have fun. We are spending 10+ hours a day with each other, we might as well enjoy ourselves.
   
   
4. Winning matters. We are judged on results.
   
   
5. Innovation is a constant as opposed to one-off implementations.
   
   
6. Transparency is a full time job. Be honest with one another - even when it’s hard.

10. Looking ahead, what’s the one eCommerce trend you believe industry leaders can’t afford to ignore in 2025 and beyond?

If you are not utilizing generative AI in your day to day operations - ALL your day to day operations - you are going to fall behind. We have embraced it in a customer service/post sale world - but we haven’t even started thinking about what it can do on the front end of a customer experience, or even as a customer acquisition tool. I truly believe we all need to help solve this problem together and we will make our profession that much farther ahead of everyone else technologically and even more customer centric than it is today.

1. Dana, can you share how your extensive experience in MarTech and AdTech has shaped your approach to leadership and innovation at Predactiv?

Absolutely! Prior to joining ShareThis, I was a Group Vice President of Global Partner Development at Acxiom, where I orchestrated the expansion of the company’s portfolio to include premier publishers such as Facebook (Meta), Twitter, eBay, Yahoo! (Verizon), and  Pandora. I led this portfolio and grew it to $100 million in revenue. Additionally, at Acxiom, I introduced the company’s first ever addressable television offering, leveraging data from industry giants such as DirectTV, Dish, Cablevision, and Comcast. I also cultivated partnerships with the leading advertising agencies including Starcom and Mediavest Group. As you can see, my extensive media, data and technology experience aligns perfectly with the Predactiv brand.  Predactiv is the unique combination of data and technology. A data platform powered by Gen AI. 

2. What challenges do you encounter in maintaining seamless data integration across platforms, and how does Predactiv address these challenges?

Predactiv invested significant time and resources in building direct integrations to all of the major platforms. We have “pipes” that can deploy data literally anywhere in the digital ecosystem — that includes activation partners such as DSPs, as well as clean rooms, client CRMs — anywhere our clients want to leverage data, we can support deployment in near real-time. All of this is enabled by our transparency in data management as well as our ability to operate outside of walled gardens. Our platform’s flexible infrastructure allows for the seamless integration and combination of multiple data sources, enabling a richer, more comprehensive view of consumer behavior. Fresh data, deployed anywhere, in a privacy centric manner, without being confined to walled gardens — this is the power of The Predactiv Data Platform.  

3. How does Predactiv balance the need for transparency with the necessity of protecting proprietary data and client privacy?

Transparency, data protection and client privacy work in tandem, not at opposing ends. At Predactiv, we are true to these ideals by putting privacy, compliance, security and consumer choice at the heart of everything we do. Our data collection, management and deployment are all handled with a privacy centric foundation. Similarly, all of our technology processes are both secure and compliant. We employ advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that anonymize and aggregate data, thus safeguarding individual identities while still allowing clients to glean valuable insights.

Additionally, our recent product launch of our contextual audiences is an example where Predactiv is challenging the industry to do better. Our contextual audiences allow for precise digital targeting without the use of cookies. Even after the decision to deprecate cookies was delayed, Predactiv launched this product, with the intention of offering advertisers a more anonymous targeting approach. 

Finally, we operate on a global scale and strictly adhere to evolving privacy laws and regulations worldwide. This commitment consistently places us in the top 5% of data companies, as recognized in quarterly rankings by Neutronian—an industry leader in independent data verification, auditing providers for privacy compliance, data quality and transparency.

As I have described, you will find that privacy, compliance and the protection of consumer data is at the core of everything we do. 

4. What are the benefits of Predactiv operating within an open ecosystem, and how does this approach enhance data integration and collaboration across platforms?

Operating with an open ecosystem is a significant differentiator for Predactiv. For years, advertisers and marketers have successfully targeted audiences within the big platforms like Meta and Google. However, those platforms are likened to a black box, where data goes in but doesn’t come out. At Predactiv, we source data from over 3 million global domains, processing close to one trillion events per year. We can deploy this data anywhere, at any time, before or after campaigns, without confining the data to walled gardens. It is a very transparent data handling process that allows for multi-channel targeting, in-depth analytics, and campaign optimization. 

5. How does Predactiv plan to expand its capabilities and integrations in the future to continue providing value to its clients?

Predactiv will grow and evolve its Data Platform to meet client needs. The Predactiv Data Platform will be customized, as each client’s business is unique and different. In simple terms, The Predactiv Data Platform will be able to leverage our client’s first party data and integrate it with various data sources, including our proprietary, global, digital, near real-time behavioral and intent data. The combination of first and third party data assets will provide the whole picture of consumers, enabling more effective and efficient marketing and advertising.  In terms of efficiency, the platform will reduce the need for engineering resources, people and software, with the ability to still extract the most value out of big datasets. 

6. In your view, what are the most significant opportunities and challenges in the current MarTech and AdTech landscape?  

That is a great question. In thinking about the opportunities, I think it is best to start with the challenges. The industry is evolving at such a rapid pace; It is difficult for companies to keep up.  Clearly, the first challenge is in the evolving privacy laws and regulatory compliance. There always seem to be new laws emerging, and the lack of knowledge of “what is coming next” poses a risk for companies. We faced GDPR and CCPA, which changed the entire way companies operated. Data collection, management, and storage all needed to be reinvented.  The challenge of CEOs, like myself, is to try to get in front of the privacy legislation, as we want not only to follow the laws, but to lead the change. An opportunity in this area is to develop new products that don’t require cookies or consumer identifiers, such as we built with our contextual audiences. 

Another challenge is in the fragmentation of technology ecosystems as well as data.  Everywhere you look, today, data is being generated. We have smart watches, smart televisions, smart phones, connected fitness devices — the list is endless. The proliferation of available data is immense. Companies need to be smart about leveraging AI, data science, and technology to make the most of this data, in a privacy-centric way. The future is about connections — connecting various data sources together and, of course, connecting, or fostering interoperability between platforms and ecosystems. The connection point is significant for business results. 

The Predactiv Data Platform addresses these challenges. Powered by advanced data science and AI, the platform starts with connecting datasets. We combine, refine, and transform, readying the combined data for deployment to any “connection” point the client chooses. The Predactiv Data Platform is really a means to connect multiple datasets, and then be able to harness the value, and activate or deploy to the digital ecosystem. We are all about “connecting” to drive meaningful results.

Another challenge I will address is the dependence of advertisers on some of the big platforms, that in essence, are walled gardens. Data goes in but it does not come out. In addition to limiting the uses of the data, walled gardens limit transparency and carry high price tags for advertisers and marketers. 

Proudly, at Predactiv, we operate via the open web, and maintain privacy, transparency and the ability to return data, as opposed to locking it within a closed platform. 

Finally, just as privacy, data, and technology are all changing, so are the use-cases and monetization opportunities of data. CTV and retail media networks have emerged, and are driving up the cost of digital advertising. However, if companies can figure out how to leverage these opportunities, the returns will be worthwhile. 

1. Your career spans industry giants like Accenture, Cisco, and now Five9. What drew you to the world of AI-powered CX, and how has your journey shaped your vision for the future?

I have had the opportunity to work with very talented people at some very influential companies. A common theme in my roles has been the power of partnerships, and Five9 really takes this to heart. The importance Five9 puts on doing the right thing and putting people first -- employees, customers, and partners -- was a big draw for me, along with the chance to work in an industry that so directly aFects everyday consumers.

I was also interested in working with a company that prioritized learning and nurtured innovation. AI is a great example. Five9 isn't just getting started there – we've been doing AI since 2018, and I wanted to be a part of bringing AI-elevated oFerings to the customer experience. While the industry has built a legacy of successful contact center solutions, the market is asking for modern capabilities to improve and deliver great customer experiences. Companies today need tighter integrated workflows and comprehensive capabilities that bring together the best of multiple platforms to future-proof their technology investments.

This leads me to the development of our global partner program. We believe that working with partners empowers our customers to do so much more – and do it all faster, better, and more eFectively. It's an exciting time to work with Five9!

2. You've led global partner strategies at top organizations. What's the secret to building partnerships that aren't just transactional but truly transformative—like Five9's with Google Cloud?

It always comes back to having a mutual and sincere desire to see customers succeed. It's that simple. When customer success is top of mind, you design solutions that address real customer needs, create processes focused on ease of doing business, and choose partners that share your values and drive for innovation and excellence. That's what guides us when we look for partnerships and, ultimately, what makes our partnership with Google so successful. 

3. Five9's launch on Google Cloud Marketplace simplifies access to AI-powered CX solutions. What makes this partnership a game-changer for enterprises worldwide?

The CX market is evolving at an incredibly rapid pace, with a big focus on AI. Ultimately, we strive to help our customers find success by providing hyper-personalized experiences that drive growth. We also recognize that customer organizations, including ourselves, around the world are increasingly engaging with Google Cloud & leveraging Google Cloud solutions to accelerate their growth. Five9's global availability on Google Cloud Marketplace means we are easy to find, purchase, and deploy for an even broader set of customers. This becomes a game changer for businesses looking to diFerentiate how they can serve their customers, potentially burn down some Google Cloud spend, and future-proof their technology stack for long-term scalability and innovation with a company that also is aligned to Google Cloud.

4. Five9 AI Agents are now globally accessible. How does this expansion empower businesses to scale AI-driven customer engagement effortlessly?

We launched AI Agents in November 2024, and it empowers businesses to create chat and voice bots that combine the conversational abilities of a human with the speed and extensive knowledge of AI -- and our recent announcement unveiled a new version of Five9 AI Agents specifically for Google Cloud. This stand-alone solution lets customers take advantage of the ease of Google Cloud Marketplace and utilize Google Cloud technology, coupled with Five9 AI-elevated CX, to create exceptional customer experiences. Designed to deliver the power of AI self-service for an elevated customer experience, we see the combination of the Five9 Intelligent CX Platform and the scalability and security of Google Cloud as a recipe for CX success.

5. The CX landscape is shifting rapidly. What's one customer expectation trend that businesses must adapt to in 2025 and beyond?

Without a doubt, AI is the biggest trend affecting all companies today, and CX is no exception. Its potential is endless, giving us the ability to help customers move confidently to a new era of CX. We believe in empowering everyone whose role can be supercharged by it. We harness AI to unlock organizational insights, making them accessible, actionable, and transformative.

In this AI-driven era, we believe that contact center agents will operate more like brand ambassadors. Armed with relevant and contextual business information, they will remain the backbone of customer relationships, fostering loyalty and trust. In terms of saying it as "one customer expectation": customers want real AI that delivers real outcomes, not just discussions.

6. AI is often measured by ROI and operational impact, but can you share a human-centric success story that highlights the real-world impact of Five9's AI solutions?

An AI-driven CX success story I love is US Radiology Specialists, one of the country's premier providers of diagnostic imaging services. But they aren't just a leader in diagnostic imaging - they're transforming patient care with tech.

With over 5,000 team members and more than 175 outpatient imaging centers across 13 states, their team conducts more than 7 million studies annually. They came to a place where they were experiencing significant wait times, misrouting calls, experiencing rising costs in their 10 contact centers, along with using outdated technology and ineFicient manual processes.

We were honored to partner with them, and they are now automating 75% of outbound calls and cutting call times by 4.5 minutes. With agents freed up for complex cases, conversion rates jumped by 24%, adding $4M in revenue.

But aside from great stats, the speed of getting through to a live person and getting the right treatment can make a real diFerence and save lives.

At Five9's recent annual sales & services kickoF, US Radiology shared a story about one of their physicians' family members experiencing severe head pain. They were worried about a hemorrhage. They called in, were routed to an agent, and they were able to schedule and see the patient within an hour to get a scan. Turns out it was indeed a brain hemorrhage – and they were able to bring the patient in for surgery, which ultimately saved that person's life. That's the kind of impact we are helping to enable – and you can't help but be inspired by that.

7. With Five9's centralized procurement through Google Cloud, how does this help companies stay agile, future-ready, and innovation-driven?

There are some very practical benefits to procurement of Five9 via Google Cloud Marketplace, including simplified billing and management and the ability to use existing Google Cloud budget and retire cloud-committed spend. The Google Cloud Marketplace model we deployed also makes Five9 an accessible solution for organizations of all sizes. At the end of the day, we want to be easy to access and easy to do business with to help drive innovation, collaboration, and sustainable value for our customers as the CX landscape continues to develop.

8. If you had to predict the next major breakthrough in AI-powered CX, what would it be—and how is Five9 positioned to lead that transformation?

We believe that we'll see the evolution from AI as primarily a chatbot or automation tool—to becoming a real-time assistant for human agents. We need to rethink AI—not as just a technology tool, but as a co-worker. Imagine if AI could sense tone, emotion, and frustration levels, allowing for human-like interactions. Analyzing voice and even facial expressions, what if AI could detect when a customer needs human escalation or when reassurance and tailored messaging could solve their concerns?

AI innovation is moving fast, and we believe that it can make the customer experience better. Five9 is taking that seriously by looking at the entire customer journey. We are one of the leaders redefining CX within and beyond the contact center and approach it with both practicality and 'sky-is-the-limit' ambition, remaining business-oriented in our innovations. As we look to the future, you will continue to see us invest heavily in our AI, our platform, and our people for success. 

1. What strategies do you employ to ensure seamless collaboration between IT, business, and customer support teams?

monday service is built on top of the monday Work Operating System, enabling teams to leverage a multi-product compounding effect that fosters seamless collaboration. By integrating service management with existing workflows, we break down silos and empower IT, business, and customer support teams to work in sync. Our flexible and customizable platform ensures that each team can tailor their workflows while maintaining alignment across departments.

2. What challenges have you encountered in implementing AI-driven solutions within your service workflows?Reimagining traditional service workflows requires a shift in mindset—not just for our customers but also for us as a company. Unlike standard ITSM solutions, we approach service management in a way that aligns with monday.com’s DNA: intuitive, flexible, and highly adaptable. This approach means introducing AI in ways that may differ from what users are accustomed to, requiring thoughtful change management and education to maximize adoption.

3. How do you address potential resistance to adopting centralized platforms among various departments?Resistance to adopting a centralized platform often stems from concerns about flexibility and usability. monday service addresses this by offering a highly adaptable platform where teams can configure workflows to meet their unique needs - in minutes and with no engineering required. Rather than forcing rigid processes, we demonstrate the value of a unified approach, showing teams how to increase efficiency, improve visibility, and enhance cross-team collaboration without sacrificing autonomy.

4. What benefits have you observed from unifying service management processes across different teams?

Bringing service management under one centralized platform delivers several key benefits:

• Standardization – Ensures consistent, repeatable processes across teams.
• Agility – Teams can quickly adapt to changing needs without lengthy reconfigurations.
• Collaboration & Silo Elimination – IT, HR, finance, and other departments work together seamlessly, avoiding fragmented communication.
• Unified Experience – Employees and customers receive a consistent, high-quality support experience, improving satisfaction and efficiency.

5. In what ways has the adoption of AI-powered service management platforms improved customer support experiences?

AI-driven service management elevates customer support by delivering:

• Faster response times – AI automates ticket routing, issue categorization, and self-service options, reducing wait times.
• 24/7 support – Users get instant assistance anytime, enhancing satisfaction.
• Personalization – AI learns from interactions to provide tailored recommendations and solutions.
• Operational efficiency – By automating repetitive tasks, teams can focus on critical issues and strategic initiatives, leading to cost savings and better service quality.

1.       How do CDPs enhance customer segmentation and improve engagement across different channels?

The real power of CDPs lies in their ability to unify diverse data sources - from DMS and service records to digital interactions - creating a unified profile for each customer. What's particularly exciting about real-time platforms like Tealium is how they enable automotive businesses to segment and respond to customer behavior as it happens. For instance, when a customer is researching specific models on a website or approaching the end of their lease, the dealer can immediately tailor their approach. However, what really drives ROI is how CDPs orchestrate consistent messaging across all channels - whether a customer is receiving an email, seeing a digital ad, or walking into the dealership, they experience a cohesive journey allowing sales and marketing teams to engage proactively and significantly boost acquisition and retention rates.

2.                   What are the biggest challenges in integrating first-party, second-party, and third-party data within a CDP? 

For the automotive industry, the biggest challenges in integrating different data types stem primarily from data quality and standardization issues. This is because dealerships deal with multiple systems that often speak different languages - from dealership management systems to OEM databases, third-party sources, and more. 

Another challenge is privacy and compliance, particularly with regulations like CCPA and GDPR, as proper consent management and data handling is critical, all while maintaining complete transparency about how customer information is being used.

From a technical standpoint, most automotive companies struggle with legacy system integration and real-time data synchronization, which can impact their ability to deliver timely, personalized customer experiences. Equally challenging on the business side is the need to justify the significant investment in data integration while managing complex data-sharing agreements with manufacturers and partners. Finally, don’t overlook the organizational challenges - in my experience, getting different departments to break down their data silos and embrace a unified data strategy often requires significant change management and clear demonstration of ROI.

3.                   What strategies do you use to ensure customer data collected from various sources is unified and actionable? 

Tealium employs several key strategies that have proven highly effective for automotive clients. At the core is our real-time EventStream technology, which captures customer interactions across touchpoints and immediately makes them available for activation. What sets Tealium apart is our identity resolution framework that uses both deterministic and probabilistic matching to create a unified customer profile regardless of whether interactions happen on the website, mobile app, in the service department, or at the dealership.

Tealium’s data layer approach has been particularly valuable - it standardizes all incoming data into a consistent format before it enters our ecosystem, solving one of the biggest challenges in the automotive space where we're dealing with disparate systems like DMS, CRM, and digital platforms. Tealium's pre-built connectors to over 1,300 martech systems mean customers can quickly integrate new data sources without extensive development work.

Another powerful solution is Tealium’s server-side integration capabilities, which allow us to enrich customer profiles with additional data and execute complex segmentation rules before sending information to downstream systems. This ensures we're not just collecting data, but making it immediately actionable across our entire tech stack, enabling the personalized experiences our customers expect whether they're shopping online or visiting the dealership showroom.

4.                   How do you ensure that customer data collected and processed through a CDP complies with evolving privacy regulations? 

Privacy and consent are core tenets of Tealium’s value proposition. Our new Consent 2.0 Suite fundamentally changes how organizations manage privacy. With Consent 2.0, users get a new consent manager with granular preference controls and a zero-latency consent orchestration engine that automatically enforces preferences across all touchpoints. What’s unique is that consent validation and enforcement is executed real-time to minimize risk of non-compliance. We've embedded privacy-by-design into Tealium’s workflows by implementing data minimization principles and automatic purging procedures when data is no longer needed. 

5.                   What key performance indicators (KPIs) do you use to measure the success of a CDP-driven marketing strategy?

Our automotive customers have developed sophisticated KPI frameworks that demonstrate the true value of their CDP investments beyond traditional metrics. They measure acquisition efficiency through reduced cost-per-qualified-lead and improved source attribution. For engagement, our automotive clients closely track indicators like VDP (Vehicle Detail Page), view-to-lead ratios, and personalized offer response rates, which can increase significantly when leveraging real-time behavioral data. 

On the conversion side, they monitor sales cycle compression and multi-touch attribution across digital and in-dealership touchpoints, with many reporting significant improvements in attribution accuracy and faster closing times. Retention metrics reveal the most compelling ROI story, with service department utilization, lease renewal rates, and customer lifetime value showing how personalized experiences drive long-term loyalty. Finally, operational efficiency metrics demonstrate how our platform enables dealerships to execute sophisticated multi-channel campaigns without expanding their marketing teams.

6.                   How does your organization leverage CDPs to create more personalized and targeted marketing campaigns? 

Automotive brands use Tealium’s CDP to create highly-personalized and data-driven marketing campaigns and experiences. By unifying data from dealership websites, CRM systems, and offline interactions, Tealium clients can build 360-degree customer profiles that reveal buying intent and preferences. When a customer browses SUV models online, for example, Tealium can trigger real-time targeted ads or personalized emails showcasing relevant offers. AI-driven insights also help predict behaviors, such as when a customer may be ready for a trade-in, enabling proactive engagement. With seamless omnichannel execution, brands can synchronize messaging across email, social media, and paid ads, ensuring a consistent experience.  

One of our customers is a global luxury sports car and SUV manufacturer who uses the data collected from the online car configurator to build unique customer profiles for each visitor. Tealium collects and unifies all the first-party data that website visitors share - starting from the initial information they provide during the car configuration tool, and constantly updating the profile with future interactions and engagement with the manufacturer. These engagements can range from surveys, challenges, and even eBooks filled with information that is tailored to the individual customer.

1. George, with your leadership at Delfy.ai and Contentive, you're at the cutting edge of AI-driven content strategy. In an era of information overload, what are the most effective ways for brands to break through the noise and build meaningful connections with executives?

"It's the ultimate paradox, isn't it? We're drowning in content, yet executive attention is scarcer than ever. To cut through, brands have to fundamentally rethink their approach. For me, it boils down to three key shifts. First, precision over volume – generic blasts just don't work anymore. Our data shows 78% of buyers actively seek industry-specific content; they want relevance, not just reach. Second is context. We've seen a 51% engagement lift in trusted publications – it's about showing up where executives are already seeking expertise. Finally, and perhaps most crucially, it’s about genuine insight. Executives aren't starved for data; they're hungry for perspective – that 'aha!' moment that reframes their challenges. At Contentive, that’s our guiding principle: less about 'what' and more about 'why it matters to you.'"

2. Contentive’s recent research highlights a 51% increase in B2B engagement through branded sponsorships. What do you think makes this format so effective in reaching decision-makers? 

"That 51% isn't just a number; it's a testament to the power of context and what I call 'borrowed authority.' Think about it – executives are bombarded daily. But when a brand appears in a publication like Accountancy Age or HRD Connect, something shifts. It’s not an interruption; it's an invitation to a conversation already happening in a space they trust. They've actively chosen to be there, seeking solutions and insights within those vertical communities. They're in discovery mode, not defensive mode. Their guard is down precisely because they've already vetted the environment for quality and relevance."

3. Many brands struggle to create content that truly resonates with B2B audiences. What are some key elements that make content impactful for executive-level engagement?

"Exactly. Generic content is just wallpaper for executives. Executive-level content doesn't inform – it illuminates. If you want to cut through, focus on three core elements. First, specificity. Executives are drowning in broad pronouncements; they need insights laser-focused on their industry and their unique challenges. Second, pragmatism. They live in the real world, so content has to bridge the gap between big vision and practical application – show them how to use it. And finally, perspective. Our research shows 88% of decision-makers are influenced by thought leadership, but not because they want to be told what they already know. They're looking to be challenged, to reconsider their assumptions. Ultimately, executives don't just need more answers; they need better questions – questions that reframe their challenges in a new light.

4. With AI now playing a major role in content creation, how can brands strike the right balance between automation and authenticity?

"This is the question of the moment. My take is this: AI is a force multiplier for human expertise, not a replacement for it. The sweet spot lies in understanding the strengths of each. AI excels at the heavy lifting – pattern recognition, synthesizing vast datasets, personalization at scale. But what AI can't replicate is human nuance, judgment, and that essential emotional intelligence – the 'so what?' that resonates with another human being. Smart brands are leveraging AI for content operations – things like research, optimization, distribution workflows – freeing up their human experts to focus on what they do best: crafting original insights and truly valuable perspectives. It’s about using AI to make our experts more insightful and productive, not to try and automate thought leadership out of existence." 

5. Trust is crucial in executive-level marketing. What strategies do you recommend for brands to build credibility in a crowded digital space? 

"Absolutely. With all the noise out there, trust isn't just nice to have; it's the bedrock. And you're right, it's not granted, it's earned – painstakingly, through consistently delivering genuine value. For me, it boils down to three core strategies. First, intellectual generosity – freely sharing valuable insights, even if there's no immediate payback. It’s about giving first. Second, appropriate vulnerability – ditching the 'perfect expert' facade and acknowledging limitations. Executives respect honesty more than manufactured perfection. And finally, consistency across every touchpoint. Your message, your values, your voice – they have to be unwavering. The brands that truly earn trust aren't afraid to take a stand, even if it means alienating some. They understand that deep resonance with the right audience is far more valuable than shallow appeal to everyone. And of course, partnering with established vertical media – leveraging that 65% of B2B buyers who prioritize trusted industry sources – is a smart shortcut to credibility." 

6. Sponsorships and partnerships are evolving. How should brands rethink their approach to sponsorships in the AI-driven marketing landscape?

"The numbers really do speak for themselves, don't they? Vertical media partnerships aren't just performing better; they're in a different league. That 51% engagement jump isn't just a statistic; it's a flashing light, telling us executives actively seek out trusted environments to find solutions. When brands align with publications like Accountancy Age or HRD Connect, it’s not about shoving their way into attention; it’s about contributing to conversations that already matter. The partnerships we see really take off aren't just about brand awareness; they're about authority transfer. They position brands as natural participants within the executive's information ecosystem – not some outsider trying to crash the party." 

7. How do you see AI shaping the future of thought leadership and executive branding?

"AI is transforming thought leadership from episodic campaigns to continuous conversations. It enables personalisation at scale, with tailored insights based on specific challenges), as well as dynamic content evolution, real-time refinement based on engagement, and collaborative intelligence (AI systems that help experts identify emerging issues). The future isn't automated thought leadership; it's augmented expertise - where AI helps subject matter experts deliver more valuable insights to the right audiences at exactly the right moment."

8. B2B marketing is often seen as transactional, but storytelling is becoming increasingly important. What role do you think narrative-driven content plays in reaching senior decision-makers?  

"It's a fascinating dynamic, isn't it? We often think B2B is all about spreadsheets and ROI, but the reality is executives are human beings first, decision-makers second. And human beings are wired for stories. As the saying goes, they make decisions emotionally and then justify them rationally. Stories are incredibly powerful for cutting through complexity – they’re like efficient cognitive packaging, making complex ideas memorable and resonant. Our research backs this up – narrative content sees a 37% lift in retention with executive audiences. The best B2B stories follow a simple but effective structure: present a recognised business challenge, introduce an unexpected perspective, and crucially, deliver an actionable framework – something they can actually use. In a world overflowing with data and content, stories create that essential emotional connection that earns – and holds – executive attention." 

9. From Amazon to Blenheim Chalcot, you’ve worked with industry giants. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about building strong brand-executive relationships? 

"You know, working across places like Amazon and Blenheim Chalcot, you might assume the biggest lesson would be some incredibly complex, cutting-edge strategy. But actually, the most profound takeaway for me has been surprisingly simple: even the most iconic brands can never take executive attention for granted. What really struck me was seeing household names, category titans, investing relentlessly in ongoing dialogue. At Blenheim Chalcot, it is all about deep, continuous customer discovery – never assuming your company’s existing differentiator would carry them to success, never thinking they had all the answers internally. At Amazon, despite their unparalleled brand equity, we obsessed over nurturing customer connections, constantly seeking feedback and engagement. The real 'lightbulb moment' for me was realizing that no brand, no matter how dominant, gets a permanent VIP pass into an executive's consideration set. It's a humbling insight, and it’s fundamentally shaped how we approach everything at Contentive – we're about building ongoing conversations, not just fleeting campaign moments." 

10. Looking ahead, what’s one game-changing trend in AI-driven marketing that you think brands should start preparing for today?

"For me, the real game-changer on the horizon is 'conversational intelligence.' We're moving beyond AI simply retrieving data to AI actually reasoning and inferring, generating genuinely deeper insights. At Contentive, our data science team is already building systems that can interrogate our entire audience dataset in ways human analysts simply can't – uncovering hidden patterns and connections. This isn't some abstract future; we're actively deploying these models to help brands understand the nuances of executive decision-making in finance, HR, tech – real-world applications today. What I find truly exhilarating is how this shifts thought leadership from being based on educated guesses to being grounded in evidence-based conversations. Imagine engaging an executive with insights drawn from the actual behaviors of thousands of their peers. The brands partnering with us on these early explorations aren't just staying ahead of the curve – they're actively shaping the very future of B2B engagement for the next decade."