Prose + Comms Engagement Unplugged
A marketing, branding, and customer experience podcast sponsored by BrightSign.
Subscribe:
Data-Driven vs. Gut-Driven: Who Wins the Strategy War?
Marketers today must navigate the constant tension between data-driven strategies and gut-driven intuition. This episode explores how to enhance customer experience through the balance of data insights and human empathy. With AI, analytics, and automation delivering more data than ever, the challenge lies in deciding when to lean on hard numbers and when to trust gut feelings.
Join hosts Laura Smith and Brian Rowley as they sit down with strategy veteran Joe Panepinto. They discuss the risks of over-relying on automation without human interpretation, and practical ways to measure impact in branding and marketing events. If you’ve ever wondered whether to trust the numbers or your instincts, tune in for a fresh perspective on mastering your marketing approach and achieving extraordinary customer experiences.
Connect with Joe Panepinto on LinkedIn.
Subscribe:
The CX Trap: More Tech, Less Impact?
More tech, less impact? Explore why bigger stacks can mean weaker customer experience, and how to bring the focus back to results.
Is your marketing technology helping you deliver a better customer experience, or quietly draining time, budget, and focus? In this episode, we dig into the CX trap that even leading brands fall into: Adding more tools in hopes of improving results, only to see less real impact. Our guest, Greg Kihlström, host of The Agile Brand and advisor to some of the world’s most recognizable companies, shares why more tech doesn’t always mean better branding or stronger customer relationships.
Whether you’re in marketing, branding, or customer experience, this conversation will help you rethink how technology fits into your strategy. To hear more from Greg, find him on LinkedIn or check out The Agile Brand.
Subscribe:
Agency or In-House? The Great Marketing Tug-of-War
This week on Prose + Comms, Laura Smith and Brian Rowley explore one of marketing’s most persistent questions: Should brands go in-house, outsource to agencies, or find a hybrid approach? With shifting priorities and rising demands for speed and creativity, the answer is more nuanced than ever. Plus, they debunk some of the biggest myths about in-house and agency work, from cost perceptions to creative output.
Subscribe:
From Noise to News: What Journalists Wish Marketers Knew
What does it take to earn media attention today? In this episode of Prose + Comms, we unpack what makes something newsworthy, why so many brand stories fall flat, and how marketers can better connect with journalists. To help us separate noise from news, we’re joined by Dave Haynes of Sixteen:Nine, a veteran journalist who’s seen (and ignored) more pitches than most. He’s here to share what lands, what fails, and what he never wants to see in a press release again. To hear more from Dave, you can find him on LinkedIn and check out sixteen-nine.net.
Subscribe:
Why Your Culture Might Be Killing Your CX
What’s the real impact of company culture, looking beyond the buzzwords and mission statements? In this episode of Prose + Comms, we explore how culture shapes the customer experience, why internal alignment matters more than ever, and what happens when brand values break down. From leadership to the frontlines, we unpack how trust, consistency, and authenticity influence the way customers feel, and what that means for the brands trying to earn their loyalty. We’re joined by communications leader and executive coach Bob Osmond, who shares his insights into how culture and brand experience intersect, and what it really takes to get it right. If you want to hear more from Bob, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.
Subscribe:
Authenticity vs. Relatability
Are we mistaking familiarity for authenticity? In this episode, we explore the subtle but important differences between being true and being liked. Authenticity means showing up consistently and standing by your values, even if that doesn’t resonate with everyone. Relatability, on the other hand, is about being easily understood, emotionally accessible, and broadly likable. Sometimes the two go hand in hand. But not always. Let’s dig into what makes something feel real, what actually builds trust, and why the difference matters for brands and marketers.
Subscribe:
Is the Traditional Tradeshow Booth Dead? Long Live the Brand Vibe
There’s an element of tradition when it comes to B2B tradeshows – regardless of the specific industry. Employees dress in matching outfits as companies spend big budgets on booth design and swag to capture attendees’ attention. But what value do these tradeshows really bring? And are companies focusing their time, money, and attention on the right elements? “Chief Vibe Creator” and tradeshow content developer Alesia Hendley joins us to explore the benefit of tradeshows as we know them and where their future lies. To hear more from Alesia, find her on LinkedIn or check out her website, thesmoothfactor.com.
Subscribe:
Has ‘Experience’ Become a Buzzword?
With every company claiming to deliver “immersive experiences,” has the term lost meaning? Who’s creating the best experiential activations? Who’s faking it? Is the experience economy as a whole suffering from an identity crisis? Bryan Meszaros, CEO and Founder of experience design agency OpenEye Global, joins us to explore what it means to create a customer activation that’s truly immersive. If you want to hear more from Bryan, find him on LinkedIn and check out the OpenEye Global website.
Subscribe:
At the Crossroads: Emotion, Intentionality, and the Power of Connection
We all face crossroad moments – in life and in our marketing careers. In this episode, we explore what it means to lead with intention when brands face moments of choice. How do emotions influence the way we react in these moments? Does an emotional reaction enhance our customer relationships? Jez Rose, renowned behaviorist and advisor to Fortune 100 companies, joins us to unpack whether marketers can really influence consumer emotions, or if their emotions drive us. If you want to hear more from Jez, find him on his website, thatjezrose.com.
Subscribe:
Welcome to Prose + Comms: Engagement Unplugged!
Marketing is changing fast, so let’s talk about it. On Prose + Comms: Engagement Unplugged, hosts Brian Rowley and Laura Smith from BrightSign have honest, unfiltered chats with the people doing the work: marketers, creatives, and brand leaders. No jargon. No fluff. Just the real stuff that’s driving growth and shaping great experiences.
About The Podcast
This is your go-to podcast for all things marketing, branding, and customer experience. We’re bringing you honest and fun conversations with bite-sized insights.
Hosted by BrightSign’s CMO Brian Rowley and Head of Integrated Marketing Laura Smith, you’ll hear from industry pros, creatives, and innovators about what’s actually working in today’s evolving, digital-first world. No fluff — just real insights on how brands are connecting with audiences and driving growth.
Tune in for fresh ideas, big thinking, and all the tips you need to take your marketing game to the next level.
Subscribe to the Podcast
