The Xcast: Amp Up Engagement: Recent Episodes
InVision Communications
Welcome to The Xcast, where we dive into the future of audience engagement. You’ll hear from experts and Fortune 500 brand leaders in communications, strategy, creative, digital and events on what moves customers —and how brands can best position themselves for maximum audience engagement. To dive deeper into any of these topics, please reach out to info@iv.com
Having an epic story to tell is one thing. Making others believe in it -- and pay for it -- is another. Christy Stratton, LA-based writer and producer, joins Doug and Val on another episode of their series: Behind the Creative.
They discuss:
- Key ingredients to crafting a good story
- Reality: Storytelling meets Storyselling
- Creative is hard; where do you find the passion
Christy Stratton is an LA-based writer/producer with credits that include “Modern Family,” “King of the Hill” and “Awkward.” The digital series she wrote and directed in her house, "Everyone's Crazy But Us," was nominated for both an Emmy and a Webby. Her most recent short film “Runt” – set in a roller-rink in 1979 -- is breaking wide on the festival circuit this summer. <
Join us for this episode of the Xcast to learn all about the new buzz term in using ABM within the world of events for pipeline generation – aka “account based experiences.”
Events have long been a powerful tool for amplifying brand voices and messaging, creating memorable experiences that resonate with audiences and foster meaningful connections. However, in our post-pandemic world, the need to justify event budgets has become more crucial than ever.
In this episode we explore how events can be strategically linked to the sales funnel, providing a clear path from engagement to conversion. This connection is vital for demonstrating the tangible value that events bring to the table, not just as standalone experiences but as integral components of a comprehensive marketing strategy.
Our guest, EJ Oelling, shares firsthand insights on navigating these changes and leveraging events to accelerate the sales cycle. Key takeaways:
- How experiences can speed up the sales cycle.
- The concept of Account-Based Experiences (ABX) and its impact on business outcomes.
- The role of events in brand strategy and their evolution over the years.
- Insights into structuring an Events Portfolio under an ABX strategy.
- Current trends, including the role of AI in enhancing event success.
- Practical advice for integrating account-based marketing into your events strategy.
Get ready for an enlightening conversation on maximizing the impact of your events in B2B marketing. Grab your headphones and join us!
In this episode, Senior Creative Directors Val and Doug explore how to craft and tell a good story from master Chicago storyteller, Jacoby Cochran.
A writer, educator, and storyteller, Jacoby Cochran is the award winning host of City Cast Chicago, Chicago's favorite daily news podcast! The podcast was named Best of 2021, 2022, 2023 by the Chicago Reader and Chicago Magazine calls it “the essential Chicago podcast.” You can also catch Jacoby on Chicago's stages, TVs, and radios. As a performer, keynote speaker, and workshop leader, Jacoby has partnered with corporate clients (Google, Spotify, AT&T, Chicago Bulls, Best Buy, Samsung, Kohl's); academic institutions (DePaul University, City Colleges, Syracuse University); and non profits (The Moth, Boys & Girls Club, American Writers Museum). Find him at @cobycochran and jacobycochran.com
What is creativity, where does it come from and how can I get some? This episode: "What do Sting, Stan Lee, Franco Dragone and Steve Wynn have in common?" They've all worked with John Masse. On this episode of the Xcast, Doug and Val have a spirited chat with creative journeyman, artist and performer John Masse to understand how creative is vital to everything in life.
What happens when you put two InVision employees from totally different generations, backgrounds and functions together in a mentorship program? Barriers fall, differences fuel refreshing insights, and the outcome creates a two-way street of career inspiration and lifelong learning. Join Doug Binder, Senior Creative Director, and Emma Hardy, Associate Producer, as they delve into their mentor-mentee partnership, and share valuable advice for anyone looking to embark on their own career mentorship transformative journey.
They Cover:
- How to navigate an evolving mentor-mentee relationship
- The importance of clear expectations, open communication, and regular meetings
- Goal setting, resource sharing, and leaning into a continuous learning mindset
"Can events actually be sustainable?" Event professionals have pondered this question for years. While we've come a long way to reducing the environmental impact of events through various green practices, we're left to wonder if events can truly be sustainable.
Our panel of experts, led by InVision's Strategy Director Evan Strange, Executive Creative Director Molly Hodge, and Creative Director Michelle Bartosiewicz, share valuable insights and explore actionable strategies to make events more eco-friendly. Former VP of Marketing at Oracle and sustainability advocate Paul Salinger also joins the conversation, highlighting his journey and emphasizing the integration of sustainability into corporate event planning for a greener future.
In this podcast, InVision's Senior Creative Director, Doug Binder and Executive Producer, Jude Braunstein, talk about ideas, the creative/producer partnership, the creative process and storytelling.
Their discussion covers:
- Establishing trust, transparency, and alignment of goals between creative and production for a successful partnership.
- Balancing Creativity and Practicality
- Human-Centric Engagement
Listen now and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the InVision Xcast to stay fresh on the latest industry trends, technologies and insights.
Over the past few years, we have witnessed a remarkable transformation in the way businesses connect, collaborate, and thrive. With the onset of the global pandemic, Digital Communities have emerged as essential platforms that have propelled B2B companies forward. In this episode, we will explore why these communities are more important than ever, and how they have become a catalyst for growth, innovation, and success in the B2B landscape. We’ll answer the question: Are Digital Communities a new marketing channel?
Listen now to hear part 1 of Laliv Hadar, VP, Marketing, InVision Communications, and Michael Cooksey, Head of Qualtrics XM Community, Qualtrics’s discussion on how brands can grow digital communities, best practices, how to measure success – and so much more. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the InVision Xcast to stay fresh on the latest industry trends, technologies and insights.
From Everything Everywhere to Something Nowhere All at Once.
Three years ago, the world shut down. InVision's Doug Binder and Corey Burton are still trying to make sense of it all, especially when it comes to their passion for creating events. Hold on tight for a spirited journey back in time, from ballrooms to video calls to hybrid to whatever comes next.
Listen now and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the InVision Xcast to stay fresh on the latest industry trends, technologies and insights.
It is no understatement to say the pandemic has changed almost everything we know about conducting business. While this disruption has been difficult, there is a group of individuals carving out a unique space in the marketplace, that will increasingly require your attention, BETA Buyers. These young professionals have specific expectations of brands.
Join InVision’s Carson Bell and John Emmaneel in a conversation about the state of BETAs, and how organizations can ensure they are speaking their language and understanding their lifestyle.
What you’ll learn:
– BETA Buyers- who are they?
– How to speak BETA, and why
– How this rising B2B buyer impacts your organization
– What BETAs mean for the future
Listen now and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the InVision Xcast to stay fresh on the latest industry trends, technologies and insights.
Getting Strategic with Sales EnablementHow to make enablement a critical part of your organization
Research from sales professionals on driving productivity reveals that selling is harder now than before the pandemic. Buyer behaviors are ever-shifting as customers vacillate between digital and in-person connection and consumption habits. What’s the key to ensuring your sales organization is setup for success in this challenging environment? A strategic and effective sales enablement program that’s highly embedded in your organization!
Join InVision’s VP of Marketing, Laliv Hadar, and Slack’s Senior Manager of Global Enablement Programs, Ashton Williams, in a conversation about the state of sales enablement and how organizations can ensure they are setup to drive high performing sales teams – and results.
What you’ll learn:
- Trends in the buyer landscape impacting sales enablement programs
- Partnering with management to drive success and playbook adoption
- Ensuring that enablement is strategically aligned to sales goals
- How enablement ladders up to brand purpose
Listen now and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the InVision Xcast to stay fresh on the latest industry trends, technologies and insights.
When we think about creative for the experiential and events industry, many might imagine the POW. The WOW. The flashing lights. The “ooohs” and the “ahhhs.” But what some might not know is that a lot of thought, research, strategy, brainstorming and curating went into that powerful broadway-style opener for a large user conference. Creative needs to be grounded in purpose, it needs to have meaning, and it needs to map back to the company’s objectives, or you might not see a positive ROI when all is said and done. And that’s where the red thread comes in…
Join InVision’s power team, Molly Hodge, Executive Creative Director; Creative Director, Michelle Bartosiewicz; and Evan Strange, Strategy Director, as they discuss the meaning behind the red thread and why interweaving strategy and creative is critical to designing and executing impactful experiences that move your audiences to action.
What You'll Learn:
– The creative process behind designing experiences
– Leading with strategy builds a strong strategic foundation for creative
– Case study examples of successful red thread pull-throughs
Now that IRL experiences are back in full-swing, brands need to establish the “new normal” that treats sponsors as partners, and places the needs and behaviors of the evolved B2B buyer at the heart of sponsorship strategy. The result? Greater value for sponsors, a curated experience for attendees, and a higher return on experience (ROE).
Join InVision Senior Strategist, Phil Stanley and Event Marketing Partners Managing Partner, Gordon Stake as they discuss how we’re working with our clients to build the new sponsorship model, focused on the collaborative development of sponsorship opportunities that serve the objectives of both event owners and the sponsors.
What You'll Learn:
– Weaving sponsors into a cohesive, overarching story
– Leveraging new content delivery opportunities and guidelines
– Driving meaningful moments of interaction – 1:1 and 1:few
– Taking ownership of how sponsors and exhibitors show up at events
Listen now and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the InVision Xcast to stay fresh on the latest industry trends, technologies and insights:
A lot of companies in 2022 returned to in-person and hybrid programs. While many picked up where they left off before the pandemic—reconvening their user community in one location, albeit with smaller audiences—ServiceNow used the opportunity to take a different approach for their large, 16-years-running program, Knowledge. Rather than bringing their user community to a single location, they took their hybrid user program on the road instead.
Guest speaker Nellie Greely from ServiceNow shares:
- Why they took the non-traditional approach
- How they delivered consistent messaging while localizing the experience
- Learnings and best practices
- The future of Knowledge moving forward
How has two years of primarily virtual programs permanently impacted the landscape for in-person events?
Our very own Lynn Kafka from the Client Services team is joined by Dilayna Ventura, head of Special Events and Recognition at Amway North America. Together they’ll discuss the return to live events, Amway's hybrid approach to Achievers '21, and more.
You will learn:
- Amway's unique audience in its IBOs and its event strategy
- Its content share approach for both virtual and in-person audiences
- How brands can successfully deliver a multi pronged approach to events moving forward
In the spring of 2020, unemployment hit an unthinkable 15%, the highest in 70 years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Lynn Randall, Senior Strategy Director, InVision Communications discusses with Stephanie Harris, President, Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) the current state of the human capital management crisis and how the role of incentives and recognition can help solve the issue to increase employee engagement.
You will learn:
- Statistical and research data that explains why the Great Resignation is happening in the workforce
- Actionable steps on how to address the issues by using employee incentives and recognition
Influencer marketing is well established in the B2C space, yet how are brands leveraging influencers to best engage audiences in the B2B realm?
Join Laliv Hadar, VP of Marketing at InVision, and Rani Mani, Digital Media Customer Communications Lead at Adobe, as they discuss the world of B2B influencer marketing.
You will learn:
- What B2B influencer marketing is, and how it differs from B2C
- Adobe's B2B influencer marketing strategy
- How influencers can help humanize B2B brands
- The current state and future of B2B influencer marketing
- How brands can create an influencer marketing program of their own
The competition for developers between industrial companies and tech brands has long favored tech giants such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. However, the tech worker is vital to the industrial sector as brands take on digital transformation to keep up with market demands.
Join experts in Strategy and Business Development at InVision to learn what’s driving this talent gap, and how industrial brands can begin correcting for it today.
You will learn:
- What’s driving the competition for tech talent: pre-pandemic and present day
- Strategic opportunities for industrial brands to take advantage of
- Actionable steps to build a more developer-friendly culture to attract the right talent
In today’s climate when in-person gatherings are still in limbo, fostering a community and bridging connections between brands and audiences is still more important than ever. While experiential marketers are much more versed today in digital engagement than they were two years ago, the landscape continues to morph. Join InVision’s Eileen Page, SVP, Digital and Ray McCarthy Bergeron, Digital Experience Director, as they take us through a series of case studies and technologies that pushes digital boundaries, enabling a much more connected and immersive experience.
You will learn:
- Case studies on how brands are successfully building communities by rethinking their digital engagement strategies.
- Four critical technologies that are shaping the way marketers are building their event strategies—networking, real-time data gathering, untethering your audience, and 5G.
- How to leverage said technologies to cultivate communities and amplify engagement.
With 41.5% of American adults having symptoms of anxiety or depression (CDC), understanding the fragility of our attendees’ mental health is something event professionals need to consider as we build experiences in 2021 and beyond. In episode two of our IVC podcast, Senior Strategy Director Lynn Randall and Creative Director / Strategist Lauren Rice discuss the current state of human capital and employee engagement and share actionable insights for you and your team to consider.
You will learn:
1.Ideas for creating a "mental health oasis" at your events
- Tips and tricks for dealing with everything from "The Great Resignation" to our changed buying habits
Over the past 18 months, marketers have rapidly transformed their channel mix to develop alternative ways of influencing their key audiences. These changes have been driven by the evolution of audience needs and expectations in changing times – audiences who have all become digital natives.
What's at stake? Earned Engagement – planning for and measuring how we earn the attention of our key audiences in changing times.
You will learn:
- What is the "Engagement OS" system and how it delivers earned engagement
- How the Engagement OS can help position your brand to best engage your customers