Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®
Episode #681: Building a Cohesive Brand While Personalizing Every Message with Emily Ward, Turnitin
Release Date: May 26, 2025

Introduction

In episode #681 of The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®, host Greg Kihlström delves into the intricate balance between maintaining a cohesive global brand identity and personalizing every customer interaction. Joining him is Emily Ward, the Vice President of Global Marketing at Turnitin, a renowned edtech brand dedicated to academic integrity and student success. With over 15 years of diverse industry experience, Emily offers valuable insights into navigating the dynamic landscape of marketing technology, AI, and customer experience within the education sector.

Building a Global Brand Identity

Challenges in Creating a Cohesive Brand Across Diverse Markets

Emily Ward begins by addressing the primary challenge of maintaining brand consistency while catering to the unique nuances of various global regions. "Staying true to a brand that's been around for more than 25 years while also honoring the nuances of each of the regions and markets around the globe has certainly been a challenge," Emily explains (05:31).

To overcome this, Turnitin leverages its regional marketing teams, who possess in-depth knowledge of their specific markets. These teams ensure that the core mission of Turnitin remains intact while adapting messages to resonate locally. Emily emphasizes the importance of collaboration with sales teams, stating, "our relationship with the sales team is also pretty key here as they really have their fingers on the pulse of what's happening in any given part of the world" (06:48).

Strategies for Adaptation and Consistency

Turnitin employs a dual approach that balances global consistency with local relevance. Regional marketers tailor the core message to reflect local cultural and market-specific preferences, ensuring that the brand remains both authentic and relatable. This strategy prevents the brand from appearing disjointed or fragmented across different markets.

The Role of AI in Scaling Brands

Benefits of AI-Driven Personalization

AI serves as a significant accelerant in the modern marketing landscape, enabling brands to scale personalization efforts efficiently. Emily highlights how generative AI can amplify storytelling while respecting brand integrity. "AI can help us amplify the stories that we're trying to tell," she notes (10:36).

Risks and Maintaining Authenticity

However, Emily also acknowledges the potential pitfalls of over-relying on AI, which can lead to a loss of genuine brand identity. To mitigate this, Turnitin ensures that all AI-generated content undergoes human review and editing. "We remind everyone that we are the keepers of our brand and not the technology," Emily asserts (10:36).

Recommendations for Responsible AI Use

Emily advises brands to blend AI capabilities with human creativity to maintain authenticity. "Human touch is an absolute must for anything being generated by AI," she emphasizes, ensuring that all content aligns with Turnitin's standards before publication (10:36).

AI in EdTech: Specifics and Ethical Considerations

Unique Challenges in the EdTech Sector

In the education technology space, AI presents both opportunities and challenges. Emily discusses the delicate balance between leveraging AI for efficiency and ensuring that students continue to develop critical thinking skills. "We need to be careful of the usage of generative AI... as an opportunity for teaching folks how to use it in an effective and efficient way that doesn't put their original and creative thinking at stake" (13:03).

Ethical Concerns and Responsible AI Use

Ethical considerations are paramount, especially when AI interacts with student data. Turnitin prioritizes transparency and data privacy, ensuring that AI tools enhance rather than replace essential cognitive abilities. "Transparency is really key... being mindful of their personal data and not using it in a way that exploits or takes advantage of their PII," Emily explains (14:33).

Personalization and Customer Experience

Balancing Personalization Without Intrusion

Personalization enhances customer experience, but it must be handled delicately to avoid appearing intrusive. Emily advocates for understanding customer motivations and tailoring interactions based on their specific challenges and needs. "I want to not be too intrusive or get too friendly... Just engaging them in that conversation where you can kind of develop that relationship" (16:06).

Best Practices for Effective Personalization

Turnitin focuses on delivering relevant content that aligns with the customer's buying journey, ensuring that personalization adds value without crossing into invasiveness. Emily advises, "really deeply understanding the customer, tailoring their experiences, being very clear on what their customer buying journey looks like, and then serving up relevant content" (16:06).

Customer Acquisition and Retention Best Practices

Strategies for Digital-First Customer Acquisition

Emily outlines best practices for acquiring customers in an increasingly digital landscape. Key strategies include:

1. Deep Audience Understanding: "Knowing your audiences, like really knowing them, understanding those buying journeys and purchase paths" (17:57).
2. Comprehensive Digital Channel Utilization: Utilizing various digital channels strategically to cover the entire buyer journey.
3. Value Addition at Every Touchpoint: "Every time you touch base with somebody is an opportunity to add value... build the trust with your organization and with yourself" (17:57).
4. Leveraging AI for Refinement: Using AI to enhance and execute personalized customer experiences based on data insights.

Retention Strategies for Long-Term Engagement

Retention is equally crucial for sustaining long-term customer value. Emily emphasizes the importance of continuous value addition beyond the initial sale. Strategies include:

1. Product Market Fit: Ensuring that the product meets customer needs effectively.
2. Anticipating Trends: "Helping our customers stay ahead of the game" by anticipating and addressing emerging trends.
3. Engaging Beyond Renewals: Maintaining regular engagement with customers to keep them involved and satisfied.

"We look at things like what's coming down the pike that will make our customers jobs easier" (20:32).

The Importance of Data and Continuous Testing

Data-Driven Decision Making

Emily underscores the pivotal role of data in shaping marketing strategies. "Data is king or queen... to get to the data that supports any decision that we make" (21:35). Turnitin employs data analysis to understand brand affinity, customer engagement, and campaign performance, enabling informed decision-making and strategy optimization.

Embracing Continuous Testing

In a rapidly evolving market, continuous testing is essential to validate assumptions and adapt strategies. Emily advocates for an iterative approach: "What once was true may no longer be true... it's very important to be actively testing your working theories" (19:17). This mindset helps brands remain flexible and responsive to changing market dynamics.

Staying Agile in Marketing

Strategies for Maintaining Agility

Agility in marketing allows brands to swiftly adapt to market changes and emerging trends. Emily shares her approach to staying agile:

1. Effective Communication: Serving as a mediator between company vision and execution teams to ensure alignment. "Communication and really effective communication is key... being the glue that holds everything together" (22:42).
2. Monitoring Industry Trends: Actively keeping abreast of industry developments to stay ahead. "Actively monitoring industry trends in education, marketing, go to market in general" (22:42).
3. Leveraging Networks and Platforms: Utilizing professional networks and platforms like LinkedIn to adopt effective strategies and techniques.
4. Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring collaboration across all organizational functions to enhance customer experience and marketing success.

Consistent Application of Agility

By integrating these strategies, Emily maintains consistent agility in her role, enabling Turnitin to navigate the complexities of global marketing with resilience and adaptability.

Conclusion

Episode #681 of The Agile Brand offers a comprehensive exploration of the delicate balance between maintaining a cohesive global brand and personalizing customer interactions. Emily Ward's insights highlight the importance of regional adaptation, responsible AI use, data-driven strategies, and continuous testing in building a resilient and authentic brand. Her emphasis on effective communication and cross-functional alignment underscores the necessity of agility in today's fast-paced marketing environment. For marketing leaders aiming to enhance customer lifetime value and foster long-term business growth, the strategies discussed in this episode provide valuable guidance on navigating the evolving dynamics of branding and personalization.

Notable Quotes

• Emily Ward on Brand Consistency:
  "Staying true to a brand that's been around for more than 25 years while also honoring the nuances of each of the regions and markets around the globe has certainly been a challenge." (05:31)

• Emily Ward on AI and Storytelling:
  "AI can help us amplify the stories that we're trying to tell." (10:36)

• Emily Ward on Responsible AI Use:
  "We remind everyone that we are the keepers of our brand and not the technology." (10:36)

• Emily Ward on Customer Understanding:
  "I want to not be too intrusive or get too friendly... Just engaging them in that conversation where you can kind of develop that relationship." (16:06)

• Emily Ward on Data Importance:
  "Data is king or queen... to get to the data that supports any decision that we make." (21:35)

• Emily Ward on Continuous Testing:
  "What once was true may no longer be true... it's very important to be actively testing your working theories." (19:17)

• Emily Ward on Staying Agile:
  "Communication and really effective communication is key... being the glue that holds everything together." (22:42)

Additional Resources

• Learn More About Emily Ward and Turnitin: Follow the links provided in the show notes.
• Subscribe and Rate: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on your preferred podcast platform.
• Visit The Agile Brand Website: Access more episodes and resources at theagilebrand.com.

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