Greg Dolan has over a decade of experience as a brand marketing executive. He co-founded Keen to give marketers a tool that could “help them make smarter decisions about how to drive their brand forward by using future-focused metrics that are directly tied to financial performance.”

In this episode, Greg and I discuss how Keen’s work impacts marketing performance across the industry, what the data tells us about long-held best practices, and why so many companies are working to strengthen first-party data relationships.

 In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How companies should think about marketing in a downturn or recession
  • Greg’s take on the reach versus targeting debate and what the data tells us
  • The importance of demonstrating the financial value of a marketing decision

 Key Highlights

  • [01:20] Greg’s other full-time job
  • [02:50] How Greg became CEO at keen
  • [04:00] What Keen does
  • [06:50] Why marketers need to look at performance across all channels
  • [10:20] What should marketers be thinking about when operating in a down economy
  • [15:00] Understanding the objective of the brand and how that frames decision making
  • [15:55] What Keen is seeing with reach versus targeting
  • [17:45] The rise of AI and machine learning in creative and marketing decision making
  • [19:50] What the data says about the 60/40 long-term/short-term rule of thumb
  • [22:55] How Keen is helping marketers transition from direct measurement to inference
  • [25:45] Two examples of why you need to consider diversification in measurements
  • [28:15] How persevering through adversity made Greg a better entrepreneur
  • [30:00] The benefits of slowing down
  • [31:15] Why organizations need to shift to a holistic strategic perspective
  • [35:50] Embracing AI technology to win in the long term
  • [36:50] The need to be able to demonstrate the financial value of  marketing

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Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies but is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.