How to Rebrand and Grow a 97-Year-Old Business in the Digital Age

What happens when a 97-year-old company has to rethink its brand, marketing, and technology for the digital age? In this episode of The Next Nova Podcast, Matt Phillips sits down with Leslie Leifer, Chief Marketing Officer at Gallery Collection, to discuss rebranding, customer-focused marketing, AI adoption, and modernizing an established business. After 18 years at 1-800-Flowers, Leslie joined Gallery Collection and discovered an opportunity to rethink how the company understood its customers. One major realization was that Gallery Collection was not only a B2B company. Since customers can purchase directly online, the business also operates in a B2C environment. Leslie explains how that shift changed the company’s approach to customer understanding, marketing strategy, and product positioning. The conversation explores how Gallery Collection balances print and digital marketing. While digital channels provide faster feedback, the company’s products rely on physical quality, personalization, and creating meaningful customer experiences. Leslie shares how the company uses testing, data analysis, and customer insights to evaluate marketing performance while continuing to expand its digital capabilities. AI is another major focus of the conversation. Leslie explains how Gallery Collection uses AI to improve employee efficiency, support marketing and creative work, assist development teams, improve customer service, and explore new opportunities. Matt and Leslie also discuss rebranding a company with nearly a century of history, moving beyond being known only as a greeting card company, and focusing on helping customers communicate their brands and relationships through premium printed products. Using customer-focused marketing principles, Leslie explains why businesses should spend less time talking about themselves and more time understanding what customers are trying to accomplish. If you’re a marketer, entrepreneur, business leader, or operator navigating rebranding, AI, customer experience, or digital transformation, this conversation offers practical lessons from a leader helping modernize an established company. In This Episode • Leslie Leifer’s move from 1-800-Flowers to Gallery Collection • How a 97-year-old company approaches modernization • Understanding B2B customers in a B2C environment • Using customer insights to improve marketing strategy • How Gallery Collection balances print and digital marketing • Measuring offline marketing through testing and analysis • Using AI across marketing, development, and customer service • Why physical products still create meaningful connections • Rebranding a legacy company without losing its identity • Moving beyond the greeting card category • Applying customer-focused marketing principles • Why businesses should focus on customer goals • Replacing a homegrown technology platform • Choosing what should be custom and what should not • Career lessons for leaders considering change Chapters 00:00 Meet Leslie Leifer and Gallery Collection 01:12 Leaving 1-800-Flowers After 18 Years 02:15 Understanding B2B in a B2C World 03:38 How Customer Use Cases Shape Marketing 04:26 How Gallery Collection Acquires Customers 06:01 Balancing Print and Digital Marketing 07:27 Measuring Print Marketing Performance 08:38 Prospecting vs. Customer Marketing 09:03 How Gallery Collection Uses AI 11:20 Why Physical Products Still Matter 13:12 Changing Customer Communication 14:23 Rebranding a 97-Year-Old Company 16:04 Putting Customers at the Center 17:44 The Challenge of Replatforming Technology 19:17 Choosing the Right Technology Platform 20:33 Why Not Everything Needs to Be Custom 21:30 Slowing Down to Speed Up 22:23 Advice for Leaders Feeling Stuck 24:08 Where to Find Gallery Collection Resources Gallery Collection: https://www.gallerycollection.com/ The Next Nova Podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3T0bb1z... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Connect with Leslie Leifer: LinkedIn:   / leslieleifer   Vexnova: https://vexnova.com/ If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe to The Next Nova Podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with another founder, marketer, or business leader navigating growth, technology, and transformation. #MarketingStrategy #AIinMarketing #DigitalTransformation #B2BMarketing #B2CMarketing #CustomerExperience #Rebranding #BusinessGrowth #SEO #Leadership