Neil Wilkins Podcast

Today's episode is brought to you by Better Life Elevate Coffee http://betterlifeelevate.com

In today's episode of the Neil Wilkins Podcast, Neil talks to Vaibhav "VB" Gupta, Co-Founder of AgentDee, an AI-native performance marketing agency in Bangkok. VB has 13 years experience, scaling growth for fintech, SaaS, and consumer brands, most recently as CMO of DeeMoney. He believes most agencies will not survive the next 3 years, which is inconvenient because he runs one!

Connect with VB https://agentdee.ai/

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Budgeting is not just about controlling spend.It is about making better choices with limited resources.Strong marketers connect budget to objectives, allocate by evidence and constraint, balance short-term and long-term value, track results, and adjust before money is wasted.The question is not only, “What can we afford?”It is, “What is the best use of what we have?”More webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Practical ways to stay focused, consistent and effective when marketing work becomes demanding.

Performance under pressure is not about doing more forever. It is about protecting the quality of your work when demands increase.

By the end, attendees should be able to:

Recognise pressure patterns early

Prioritise more effectively

Protect focus and consistency

Communicate capacity clearly

Use practical routines to stay steady

Know when pressure needs wider support

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Neil Wilkins shares how to use AI to expand creative thinking, develop stronger campaign concepts and explore more possibilities without losing originality.

By the end of this recording, you should be able to:

Use AI to explore creative territories rather than generate generic lists

Apply proven creative-thinking models with AI

Move from audience insight to campaign concept

Generate genuinely different alternatives

Evaluate ideas systematically

Protect brand distinctiveness and originality

Use AI responsibly in creative development

Moe webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

CIPD defines evidence-based practice as using the best available evidence from multiple sources, combined with critical thinking, to improve decisions. Strategic focus: Use evidence to justify priorities, budgets and commercial decisions.Tactical focus: Show how daily data work leads to useful action.By the end of this video, you should be able to:Distinguish data, evidence and insightBuild stronger evidence for recommendationsLink insight to actionAvoid weak, biased or vanity evidenceCommunicate findings clearlyDemonstrate data and insight capability at workMore webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

How to make your brand easier to understand, easier to remember, and easier to choose.

Competitive markets are noisy. Customers are busy. Many brands sound similar.

Positioning helps people understand: Who you are for; What you help them achieve; Why you are relevant; Why they should choose you.

Harvard Business School describes positioning as creating competitive advantage in customers’ minds.

By the end of this webinar, you should be able to:

• Understand positioning and differentiation
• Identify competitive alternatives
• Define meaningful value
• Use distinctiveness to improve memorability
• Build a practical positioning statement
• Turn positioning into marketing activity




More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

How to interpret briefs, ask better questions, and deliver work that meets expectations

Why briefs matter :

A brief gives direction before work begins.

It should clarify:

- What needs to be achieved

- Who the work is for

- What must be delivered

- When it is needed

- How success will be judged

Key point: Good execution starts with good understanding.

Session aims :

By the end, apprentices should be able to:

- Understand the purpose of a brief

- Identify missing information

- Ask useful clarification questions

- Confirm expectations professionally

- Turn a brief into a practical action plan

More webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

By the end of this session, you should be able to:Identify where AI can support market researchTurn research questions into better promptsUse AI for desk research, synthesis and analysisAvoid weak synthetic insightValidate findings before actingBuild a practical insight workflowMore content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Sheldon Wolf is the founder of Intellitary, an AI-powered transaction origination platform that is redefining how consumers, agents, lenders, and businesses connect. For more than 35 years, he has built companies across real estate, finance, fintech, e-commerce, and artificial intelligence—transforming ideas into revenue, scaling businesses from scratch, and consistently staying ahead of major industry shifts.

Sheldon invites investor listeners to visit Intellitary.com/investors to learn how artificial intelligence is transforming real estate, finance, and customer acquisition.

Subscribe to the Neil Wilkins Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/2MrtPAmJjZFK7vrXBY0Rsv

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How marketers can make sound decisions using judgement, experience and available data when the full answer is not yet known.By the end of this session you should be able to:Recognise different types of uncertaintyUse evidence without becoming paralysed by itApply practical decision frameworksReduce bias and overconfidenceCommunicate decisions clearly and defensiblyBuild confidence through process, not guessworkMore webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Francis Brero is the VP of AI Strategy at HG Insights, where he leads the company’s AI-native transformation across product and operations. With 15 years of experience across AI, data science, and product strategy, Francis focuses on how agentic workflows, unified GTM data, and machine intelligence can help teams work smarter and make better decisions. He previously co-founded MadKudu and built production AI systems used by leading B2B revenue organisations worldwide.In this episode of the Neil Wilkins Podcast, Neil and Francis explore how effective collaboration is the only way to truly blend technology, sales and marketing.Visit HG Insights https://hginsights.com/Connect with Francis https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisbrero/Subscribe to the Neil Wilkins Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/2MrtPAmJjZFK7vrXBY0RsvMore Conversations like this http://neilwilkins.online

How to plan, create, distribute and measure content that works across the full customer journey

Reflection: Is your content currently planned as a connected system, or as a series of separate channel tasks?

Content is now central to search, social, email, sales enablement, customer experience, AI visibility and brand trust.

The problem is not lack of content, but often lack of direction.

CMI defines content marketing around “valuable, relevant, and consistent content” designed for a clearly defined audience and profitable action. 

Tactical focus: Create useful assets for real audience needs.

Strategic focus: Build a content system that supports business goals.

Session aims

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Build content plans from objectives, not habits

Match content to audience needs and journey stages

Choose channels more intentionally

Repurpose content without becoming repetitive

Use governance to protect quality and consistency

Measure content by contribution, not noise

More webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Neil and Saul discuss industry trends and what we can all learn from this cutting edge industry. The conversation also goes deeper into the psychology and nuances of communication.

For marketing strategy support in medtech and healthcare businesses, reach out to Saul http://outcomesrocket.com

Check out the Outcomes Rocket Podcast https://podcast.outcomesrocket.com/

More content like this at Neil Wilkins Online https://neilwilkins.online/category/ai-marketing/

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Ralf Gehrig, Global Chief Experience Officer at WongDoody, spearheads a dynamic team of over 2,000 designers and creatives focused on creating human-centric digital solutions. With a wealth of experience exceeding 20 years in design, digital strategy, and technology, Ralf brings a unique perspective to solving complex digital challenges.Ralf and Neil discuss his latest research findings that show what brands fear about AI and how customers perceive AI-generated content. This is a must-watch for all marketers and communicators in business.Visit WongDoody and download the research https://www.wongdoody.com/More content like this at Neil Wilkins Online http://neilwilkins.onlineSubscribe to the Neil Wilkins Podcast #linkinbio

Session aims

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Structure a clear campaign reportLink objectives, activity and outcomes

Select relevant evidence

Explain results rather than simply list them

Write useful conclusions and recommendations

More content and webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

How to turn data and research into useful insight that improves relevance, decisions and campaign performanceAudience understanding sits at the heart of effective marketing, but data alone is not insight. Gartner describes the role of data and analytics as helping businesses make better decisions and improve decision outcomes. McKinsey’s insights and analytics work similarly focuses on translating consumer insights and big data into concrete initiatives that drive growth. The job is not to collect more information. It is to turn information into better choices. By the end of this session, you should be able to:- Understand the difference between data, research and insight- Use practical models to build audience understanding- Turn research into clearer decisions and better campaigns- Avoid shallow personas and weak assumptions- Improve relevance by focusing on needs, motivations and behaviourMore content like this at http://marketingcollege.com/events

How to build capability, visibility and professional confidence in a way that fits your own SMART goals

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Define a career goal using SMART thinking


Assess your current capability more honestly


Identify the skills, behaviours and visibility needed for your next step


Build a practical development plan around your own goals


Strengthen confidence through evidence, not guesswork

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com

How to move beyond vanity metrics and build a measurement toolkit that supports better commercial decisions

Reflection: Which marketing metric gets the most attention in your organisation, and does it genuinely influence a better decision?


Why this matters now

Measurement is still one of marketing’s biggest credibility challenges. Marketing Week’s 2025 effectiveness survey found that only 39.2% of brand marketers currently measure whether their work is delivering business outcomes, while Gartner says only 52% of CMOs and senior marketing leaders can prove marketing’s value and get credit for it.

Manager focus: Choose measures that show business contribution, not just marketing activity

Executive focus: Report numbers that help explain what is working, what is not, and what should happen next

Key point: If measurement does not help a commercial decision, it is reporting theatre, not performance management.


Session aims

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Distinguish meaningful metrics from vanity metrics


Build a small, defensible measurement toolkit


Connect daily activity to commercial outcomes


Use leading and lagging indicators together


Explain priorities clearly to colleagues and stakeholders

Key point: Good measurement creates clarity for both strategy and execution

Confidence is not just about personality. It affects whether people contribute ideas, ask questions, speak up, and take appropriate professional risks. Psychological safety research summarised by CIPD shows that in safer workplaces, people are more comfortable offering ideas, asking questions and admitting mistakes without fear of ridicule or punishment. 


By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Understand what professional confidence really is


Use theory to build confidence through action


Ask better questions and contribute ideas more effectively


Communicate with greater clarity under pressure


Develop habits that strengthen confidence over time

More content like this at http://marketingcollege.com/events

How marketers can use AI powerfully, responsibly and credibly through better judgement, governance and practice

AI capability is expanding quickly across content, insight, personalisation, workflow and customer interaction


At the same time, trust, transparency and governance are becoming commercial as well as ethical issues


By the end of this session, you should be able to:

- Understand the main ethical risks in marketing AI use

- 
Apply simple frameworks for responsible decision-making

- 
Recognise bias, opacity and governance gaps

- 
Use practical safeguards for content, targeting and automation

- 
Clarify the marketer’s role in trustworthy AI adoption

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

The SIGNAL Framework

A best-practice framework for AI-era discovery, visibility and trust, inspired by a conversation between Neil Wilkins and Stephan Bajaio.

The core idea from Stephan Bajaio’s narrative is that marketers should stop obsessing over “how do we rank in AI?” and instead ask:

How do we become a genuinely useful, credible, human-validated answer wherever our audience is trying to solve a problem?

SIGNAL works because it connects search behaviour, audience intent, AI-mediated discovery, human expertise and trust.

S - Set the commercial context

I - Investigate real human intent

G - Gauge the answer landscape

N - Narrate with credible human expertise

A - Activate useful experiences, not just content

L - Learn, govern and optimise continuously

Find the full details of the SIGNAL Framework at Neil Wilkins Online http://neilwilkins.online

“It’s not what AI can do, but what it changes about how humans find and trust information.”

Stephan Bajaio, is one of the original co-founders of Conductor, one of the world's leading SEO platforms. With 25 years in digital he has spent his career at the intersection of search behaviour and human intent, and the belief he keeps coming back to is that no one lies to their search bar.

When someone types a query, they're not performing. They're asking. Stephan believes it’s one of the most honest signals a brand has access to: fear, desire, curiosity, need, all compressed into a few words. Mindful marketing, at its best, is just the practice of actually listening to that signal instead of broadcasting over it.

Connect with Stephan Bajaio https://www.vibelogic.com/ This link takes you directly to VibeLogic, where you can explore how SEO and AI are reshaping how businesses get found online. Whether you are a marketer, founder, or business owner trying to figure out what search looks like in the age of AI - this is where you go to stop guessing and start winning.

Stephan on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanbajaio/

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How marketers can recognise ethical risk, apply sound judgement, and make defensible decisions under pressure

Reflection: Think of a time when speed, targets or uncertainty made a marketing decision harder. What created the pressure?


Why this matters:

Marketing decisions are often made quickly, with incomplete information and commercial pressure


That is exactly when ethical risk becomes harder to spot


The AMA says marketing ethics should be centred because it promotes trust and transparency and benefits both business and society.

Key point: Ethics is not a luxury for calmer times. It matters most when the pressure rises.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Recognise why ethical problems become harder under pressure


Use practical frameworks to assess difficult decisions


Understand how targets, incentives and stress can distort judgement


Make decisions that are commercially sensible and ethically defensible


Reduce the risk of misleading, unfair or harmful marketing practice

More webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com

Understanding the Customer Journey in Real Organisations
 - How customer journeys work in practice, and how marketers can connect touch-points, experience and performance


Why this matters - Customer journeys are rarely tidy in real organisations
; People move across channels, devices, departments and moments of need
; McKinsey notes that customer experience is about everything an organisation does to put customers first, managing journeys and serving needs across interactions; Marketing is not just communication placed along a funnel. It is part of a wider lived experience.


Session aims

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Understand what a customer journey is in practice


Map a simple journey using real touch-points


Recognise where marketing influences customer experience


Identify pain points and moments that matter


Link journey insight to better marketing decisions

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

How ethical, transparent and socially responsible marketing strengthens trust, loyalty and long-term performanceT

rust has become a commercial issue, not just about reputation. Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer shows that business remains the most trusted institution globally, while expectations for transparency, ethics and visible action remain high.

Responsible marketing is no longer a “nice to have”. It helps brands earn permission to be chosen, believed and recommended.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Understand responsible marketing as a source of commercial value


Connect trust, transparency and ethics to loyalty and performance


Use proven models to guide responsible decisions


Recognise the risks of weak claims and poor practice


Apply practical ideas to campaigns, content and customer relationships

More content like this at Neil Wilkins Online https://neilwilkins.online/category/ai-marketing/

Subscribe to the Neil Wilkins Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/neil-wilkins-podcast/id1327913887

More webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Resilience and Adaptability in Modern Marketing Roles

How to stay effective, confident and commercially useful during change and uncertainty

Reflection: When have you felt most stretched in your marketing role, and what helped you keep going?

Why This Matters Now

Marketing roles are changing fast

AI, tighter budgets, channel complexity and shifting expectations are increasing pressure

The World Economic Forum identifies resilience, flexibility and agility as rising priority skills for the future of work 

Resilience is no longer a personal extra. It is part of modern professional capability
Session Aims

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Understand resilience and adaptability in a marketing context
Use proven models to respond to change more effectively
Recognise pressure signs before they become burnout
Build practical habits that support steadiness and confidence
Support others through uncertainty as well as yourself

What Resilience Really Is

Resilience is not pretending everything is fine
The APA describes resilience as adapting well in the face of adversity, stress or challenge 

In marketing, resilience means:
Recovering from setbacks
Staying useful under pressure
Thinking clearly when plans change
Continuing to learn rather than becoming stuck

Reflection: Do you currently define resilience as endurance, recovery, or adaptation?

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

How to focus on the numbers that matter and make better marketing decisions with confidence

Marketers now have access to more data than ever

More data does not automatically create more clarity

Too many metrics can lead to confusion and hesitation

The goal is not more reporting, but better decisions

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

Distinguish data from insight

Focus on the metrics that matter most

Avoid vanity metrics and overloadUse simple models to guide decisions

Communicate findings with more confidence

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Time Management and Prioritisation for Apprentices

How to balance work, learning, and assessment without burning out.

This session gives apprentices a practical system for managing competing demands. The aim is not to fit more into the day. It is to make better decisions about what matters, when to do it, and how to work sustainably.

Why this matters for apprentices

Apprentices are balancing at least three parallel demands:

Day-to-day workOff-the-job learning

Assessment and evidence building

Time management is not a personal preference. It is a professional skill.

Strong habits reduce missed deadlines, rushed evidence, and avoidable stress.

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

How to use AI to tailor experiences across channels while staying ethical, transparent, and commercially effective.

This session helps marketers understand how AI can support personalisation at scale in a way that improves customer relevance, supports customer lifetime value, and respects privacy, consent, and trust. It combines current regulatory guidance, strong academic theory, and practical marketing application.

Why personalisation at scale matters now

AI has made it possible to tailor experiences, recommendations, timing, and content across far more touch points than manual teams could manage alone.

Reputable industry research now frames AI personalisation as a driver of growth, efficiency, retention, and brand relevance, especially when it is embedded across workflows rather than used in isolated pilots.

Reflection question: 
Where would better personalisation make the biggest difference in your current customer journey?

What “personalisation at scale” actually means

Personalisation at scale is the ability to tailor content, offers, journeys, and service interactions across large audiences using data, automation, and AI.

McKinsey describes this through “next best experience”, which focuses on what a customer most needs in a given moment rather than sending the same message to everyone.

More webinars like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

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How to Increase Mental Clarity, with Carlijn Krijger

Carlijn Krijger is “on a mission to create 10,000 superwoman bodies”.

After reading countless self development books, journalling, workouts, and spending over $30k on coaches and programs, Carlijn realised a breakthrough that came through deep detoxes, the world’s leading health protocols and authentic spirituality. Everything goes so many layers deeper than most people are even aware of, and so that's what Carlijn is helping her clients with right now.

In this episode of the Neil Wilkins Podcast we are going to explore these opportunities and more as we delve into techniques and practices that help you increase mental clarity and improve your physical and emotional wellbeing.

Connect with Carlijn https://superwoman.cc/homepage

Find related content at Neil Wilkins Online https://neilwilkins.online/category/mindful_living/

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How to understand stakeholder needs, manage competing priorities, and communicate progress clearly.

This session is designed to help marketers handle the people side of delivery. By the end, participants should have the foundations of a practical stakeholder plan covering:

Who matters most

What each stakeholder needs

How decisions will be made

How progress will be communicated

How risks and tensions will be managed

More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events

Laurent Cohen is the Founder and CTO of GetOblic, a voice-first AI platform helping local businesses never miss a customer call. With over 20 years of entrepreneurial and technical leadership across Europe and the U.S., he now builds AI tools that handle real phone conversations, book appointments, and capture leads automatically. Laurent helps business owners understand how to use practical AI to save time, recover missed revenue, and simplify daily operations.Visit GetOblic https://getoblic.com/More content like this Neil Wilkins Online https://neilwilkins.online/category/ai-marketing/Subscribe to the Neil Wilkins Podcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/neilwilkins/

Strategic Marketing without the Overhead, with Joel MillerJoel Miller is the builder of a 17-year marketing agency that defies Silicon Valley logic. Joel believes that growth is not a ‘scale or die’ approach, but rather that intentional leanness can be a competitive advantage, not a limitation. In this conversation we are going to challenge that sustainable growth has nothing to do with headcount, hustle culture or sacrificing your life to scale.Visit The Sky Floor https://www.theskyfloor.com/subscribe/More content like this Neil Wilkins Online https://neilwilkins.online/category/marketing-career/Subscribe to the Neil Wilkins Podcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/neilwilkins/

Neil Wilkins talks to Dr Angela Thomas about mindful marketing during crisis, be that changes in markets, the economy or even war.

Connect with Angela https://calendly.com/beautybizz/skillionair-session

More content like this https://neilwilkins.online/category/mindful_marketing/

SEO, GEO, and Search Visibility in 2026, is a webinar focused on how to stay visible to both human searchers and AI-driven discovery tools.This session explains how classic SEO and AI search visibility now work together. The practical goal is simple: make your content easy to crawl, easy to understand, easy to trust, and easy to cite.Download the web app that supports this webinar https://neilwilkins.online/geo-guide/More content like this at Cambridge Marketing College http://marketingcollege.com/events