Ponderings From The Perch

Make clients unignorable. That’s a pretty good basis for working in the marketing industry, right? We think so, and so does our guest on this episode of Ponderings from the Perch. Introducing thought-leader Peter Levitan, Owner, Peter Levitan & Co. So, put on those headphones, plug into your aux cord or play it over Bluetooth for your daily commute — either way, don’t miss this intriguing discussion between Peter and Priscilla on B2B marketing in the 21st century.  “What in fact is that 'ideal client work' for your experience and skill set? Who would be interested in talking to you? Write down that criteria list because you can't do direct marketing of any sort without knowing who it is that you want to direct market to." -Peter Levitan With expertise working alongside the world's most recognizable brands, Peter is lending us his insight to discuss where brands fall short when it comes to working with marketing companies. Peter provides advice, coaching, and kick-ass, actionable business development strategie

'Tis the season to see your local Girl Scouts posted up at your favorite grocery store. It only makes sense to talk about cookies in this episode — well, maybe not those types of cookies (though a Little Bird Marketing fan favorite is Thin Mints... in the freezer). Priscilla McKinney and Ashley LeBlanc are back on the Perch to give you 3 strategies to leverage for success on social media.  With the advent of cookies, the marketing world shifted. But not like "getting comfy on the couch" shifted, more like "San Andreas fault line" shifted. And behold — targeted ads that work, and are arguably better on both ends. With Google phasing out cookies by 2023, what does the future of advertising look like? What do we, as marketers, stand to lose? What do we stand to gain?  Call it a strategy or simply a business practice, either way, corporate social responsibility has rooted itself into every industry. Should you be leveraging CSR into a social media strategy? Yes. Why? You'll just have to tune it to find out.  L

A celebration is in order for our friends at InnovateMR! They have received a significant investment from CIVC Partners, a Chicago-based middle-market private equity firm focused on investments in the business services sector.  “The big takeaway when you are looking to raise investment is to take your time and find the right partner. And I think we've really done that with CIVC their terrific company. They are a terrific group of folks that are already adding a tremendous amount of value to our business.” -Lisa Wilding-Brown, CEO On this episode, Priscilla shares a laugh and gets real about investing in growth with Lisa Wilding-Brown, CEO of InnovateMR. Lisa shares insights into her success as the recently-appointed CEO of InnovateMR. They both discuss plans for business development and growth through new investment opportunities in the fast-growing market research industry. Lisa provides priceless insight into how CEOs should guide their companies to ensure every team member maintains their purpose. Lisa Wil

Most people can appreciate the importance of core values, but often, core values are overlooked or poorly implemented into the foundation of an organization.  Though a business can change over time, core values remain constant, a sturdy backbone helping us to stay rooted and true to our beliefs. For the KJT Group, core values are always top of mind. How are you consciously and unconsciously showing up? On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla sits down with her good friend Michaela Gascon, President and CEO of the KJT Group, to talk about company core values, what leadership means and Michaela's new passion project, 20 Deep Winery.  Someone cue infomercial king, Ron Popeil because— Wait! There's more! Priscilla and Michaela discuss everything from contagious culture to Enneagram results (and yes, the peeps at Little Bird Marketing are Enneagram advocates). Michaela shares that she is particularly looking forward to the first half of next year—tightening screws a little bit, committing to the co

Market Research is no longer solely focused on measurement but has grown to include prediction and optimization of the impact of marketing. On today's episode, Priscilla talks with Emmanuel Probst, a brand health tracker for Ipsos and author of Brand Hacks: How to Build Brands by Fulfilling the Human Quest for Meaning. Emmanuel has a long-running background that combines over 16 years of market research and marketing experience with strong academic achievements. Together they pull back the curtain and reveal how brands are expecting future-proof marketing and consumers just want a little comfort in the buying process. Tune in to learn how small brands and big brands alike can harness the power of first-party data to foster one on one relationships with their clients, even when the budget is limited. You can find Emmanuel’s book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58941508-brand-hacks

On today's episode, Momma Bird, Priscilla McKinney, and her guest, Cheskie Rosenzweig discuss a topic that often gets talked about but never seems to get resolved: Data quality. Cheskie is a Senior Research and Product Scientist at CloudResearch where his work centers around improving data quality in online research. He is also a Doctoral Candidate in clinical psychology at Columbia University. I mean, talk about being an expert in your field. Together, they discuss concepts that include the importance of blending both behavioral technical aspects of data in order to combat fraud and low-quality feedback in responses. A lot has changed since the first survey was conducted with the use of computer-aided statistical tools in 1890.  One of the tools being used to combat data quality issues is SENTRY™. You can check it out here.  SENTRY™ is a product that can be applied to any supplier and essentially performs an interview for each participant before they take part in a client survey. It applies both technologica

There's been a tradition in some aspects of the humanities and social science academic world of using narrative research to listen to people and discover unheard messages and ideas. Now that has crossed over into the quantitative research world. Leigh Caldwell, Partner at Irrational Agency, joins Priscilla McKinney in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch to dive deep into narrative research as it relates to behavioral science. So how does narrative research collectively bring a better understanding of consumers to the table?

Are soft skills going to be more important in the future than hard skills? Are you spending too much time networking with people who echo your own views? And what does all this have to do with networking? Find out in the episode of Ponderings from the Perch with Kingsley Aikins, CEO of The Networking Institute, and Priscilla McKinney.  The Networking Institute has worked with over 100 companies, in 30 countries, non-profits and governments as they seek to embed Networking as a core competency and an essential life skill to achieve their goals.

Growth starts with a mindset. Are you doubling down or are you taking a deer in the headlights approach? In this episode, Kristin Luck, Founder and Managing Partner of Scalehouse, joins Priscilla for a vital conversation on establishing a growth mindset for the upcoming year. Will you double down in 2022?

…the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that the Little Bird Marketing 6th Annual Holiday Spectacular! Spectacular! podcast soon would be there. Wait no more, Clement, the moment has arrived with a highly metaphorical clatter on the lawn!  In this very special year-end episode, you will hear the peeps battle it out in a game of obscure holiday trivia, witness the airing-of-grievances-style “Cold Weather/Hot Takes,” (prepare to have your sensibilities offended!) and hear Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney finally answer the question on everyone’s minds: sledding or snowball fight? Join us for all the fun stories, music and more! Happy holidays from the Peeps!!

Join Priscilla McKinney as Melina Palmer, Founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, educates us on all things in the Behavioral Economics sphere. As an expert on behavior, pricing, decision making and messaging — Melina is on the podcast for a tell-all. Get the tips, tricks and insider knowledge in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch.

Join Ashley Le Blanc and Priscilla McKinney as they break down the anatomy of a successful content marketing plan. Dive deep into blogs, emails, social media and—most importantly—implementing a system. Say goodbye to chaos and hello to sustainable lead generation. SOAR™ is a system that will help you understand, unlock and unleash. We'll lay the framework, map out a strategy and develop the marketing actions needed to execute that strategy, ultimately creating your unique flight plan.  Have we piqued your interest? Book a consultation.

Tis' the season for shopper insights. Joining Priscilla on this episode of Ponderings from the Perch is Anne Stephenson, a shopper insights expert and founding partner at Explorer Research, a shopper insight company that helps clients develop and launch winning retail strategies grounded in shopper behavior. Tune in as Anne and Priscilla collaborate in a valuable conversation to answer the ultimate question, “What does it mean to be the best?”

Zach Frantz has come a long way since starting his own e-commerce business at age 9. Now, Zach is a successful entrepreneur with a thriving business, Wildland Coffee. Join Priscilla and Zach on this episode of Ponderings from the Perch as they discuss the value of a well-thought-out brand strategy, thriving in a competitive space and so much more.

Collaboration is truly meaningful when the system is intended for people to collaborate. We should be putting pressure on systems, not on people. Ashley Le Blanc joins Priscilla McKinney for a critical and potentially business-altering discussion regarding the benefits of a content marketing system. Utilizing a CMS provides you with a space to implement permissions and adjust access based on each user and assure your branding is consistent across emails, blogs, webpages and more. Ultimately, a CMS allows your team to collaborate in an efficient way. Learn more in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch.

Raj Manocha, CEO of Methodify by Delvinia, has played a very pivotal role in developing their research automation platform. Join Raj and Priscilla for an invaluable conversation on the ever-shifting landscape of market research and insights. BONUS: Methodify has been acquired by the Schlesinger Group — get the insider details now.

Why are your emails getting ignored? Priscilla McKinney and Ashley Le Blanc are here to give you four tangible tips to start implementing right now. From personalization to optimization, they're here to help you make sure you get the results you want and more from those marketing emails.

Join Priscilla McKinney and Ashley Le Blanc, sexy, sickly voices and all, to discuss ways to make your website better than great.   Working on your website can be a slow and steady process. It is important to remember not to change everything all at once, all the time, but to troubleshoot what might be working and what isn’t in a methodical manner.   Priscilla and Ashley urge you to ask these questions: Is my website relevant? is it optimized? is it easily navigable?   This episode of Ponderings from the Perch will assist you in getting your website in tip-top shape.

In this special episode, we’re stoked to share with you an exclusive recording from the recent Insights Marketing Day in Chicago.  Listen in to an amazing Q&A panel on all things Marketing with: Priscilla McKinney, host and CEO of Little Bird Marketing  Andy Crestodina, Co-Founder and Strategic Director at Orbit Media Studios Jamin Brazil, Host of Happy Market Research Podcast Emily Soccorsy, CEO and Co-Founder of Root + River Enjoy!

InnovateMR has been undergoing some major changes and now, there's a new CEO in town. Lisa WIlding-Brown has stepped into the role as Chief Executive Officer with nearly 20 years of industry experience under her belt. Lisa has a passion for building strong relationships and a relentless mission to drive innovation and efficiency. Tune in for a chat between fellow female leaders and Girl Bosses in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch.