Five Priorities for Marketing Managers | Nick Leighton of NettResults

What should marketing managers focus on when buyer behavior, technology and the economy are all shifting at once? Nick Leighton, founder and CEO of NettResults in the Middle East, joins Abbie Fink and Dr. Adrian McIntyre to lay out five priorities for the year ahead. 🌐 Season 3, Episode 1 • Originally published as an audio podcast on July 13, 2023. 💻 Show notes and transcript: https://prgnpodcast.com/episode/5-pri... Nick starts with talent: finding people through referrals, making hybrid work deliberate, and letting younger staff teach senior colleagues through reverse apprenticeships. He explains why the classic marketing funnel no longer describes buyers who can configure a Tesla and put down a deposit from their phone, and why he prefers to call AI “augmented intelligence.” His fifth priority comes as a surprise: net zero, which he expects investors and large customers to start asking about. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Find talent through personal referrals and visible values, and make hybrid work deliberate instead of trying to go back to the old way. • Reverse apprenticeships let younger staff upskill senior colleagues, and self-authored career paths keep new hires engaged. • Buyers arrive informed, so marketers need data on how each customer interacts with them to reach people at the right time. • AI is augmented intelligence: good at communicating, not at making decisions. Someone senior has to check what it produces. • Measure your department’s progress toward net zero now, because investors and large customers will ask for it. --------------------------------------- ABOUT THE GUEST Nick Leighton is the founder and CEO of NettResults, an award-winning Middle East-based public relations agency launched in 1999 with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Riyadh. He has over 25 years of experience in media relations and marketing and has lived and worked in the United States, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. He has represented the public image of Fortune 500 companies, some of the largest non-profit organizations in the world, political parties, and members of royalty. Nick's latest bestseller, The AI Effect: How Artificial Intelligence Is Rewriting the Rules of Public Relations, is available in paperback, Kindle, and Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Effect-Artific... • Learn more: https://prgn.com/agency/nettresults-m... • Connect with Nick:   / nickleighton   --------------------------------------- ABOUT THE HOSTS Abbie Fink is president of HMA Public Relations, the oldest continuously operating PR firm in Arizona and a founding member of PRGN. • Learn more: https://prgn.com/agency/hma-public-re... • Connect with Abbie:   / abbiesfink   Dr. Adrian McIntyre is an anthropologist and communications advisor specializing in the marketing and selling of expertise. He is a founding partner at Speed of Story, where he helps entrepreneurial experts and boutique firms clarify their positioning, package their intellectual property, market their premium services, and get paid for their thinking, not their time. • Learn more: https://adrianmcintyre.com/ • Connect with Adrian:   / adrianmcintyre   --------------------------------------- CHAPTERS 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:59 Meet Nick Leighton of NettResults 02:05 Inflation, Supply Shocks and Five Priorities for Marketers 03:34 Finding Talent and Making Hybrid Work Effective 05:54 Reverse Apprenticeships and Self-Authored Careers 07:54 Adapting Leadership Styles for a Global Team 10:06 Why the Traditional Marketing Funnel Is Outdated 12:51 Informed Buyers and the Shift in Buying Power 14:09 Getting Close to the Buyer With Data 15:20 AI as Augmented Intelligence for Marketing Teams 18:17 Checking AI-Generated Content and Using Customer Insights 20:43 The Fifth Priority: Net Zero for Marketing Departments 22:28 Podcast Outro --------------------------------------- 🌐 PRGN Presents features conversations with members of the Public Relations Global Network. No matter where you do business, there is a PRGN member agency in your region with the deep industry expertise, international experience, and local market knowledge you need to connect with your target audience and achieve your goals. Find a PR firm near you: https://prgn.com/pr-agencies/