Kylan Lundeen is the chief marketing officer at Qualtrics where he has helped revenue growth increase up to 50% per year. When Kylan started “meandering” in marketing, he began to realize the importance of growth versus marketing alone. He says, “the job of any marketer is to influence other people to take action and do something”, but you can only do that when you understand growth.

In this conversation, Kylan and I discuss skateboards, valuable content creation in a world of distraction, and the power of educating your internal team on what marketing actually does. You’ll also hear Kylan’s perspective on creating a new category, as well as how he and his team have combatted the marketing competition that is the entertainment industry. Listen in to find out how Kylan thinks marketers should be adapting to the future and what you can do to cut through the noise.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The benefit of accepting random projects
  • Why you should focus on growth vs. marketing
  • Overcoming the entertainment competition  

Key Highlights:

  • [01:26] Kylan’s favorite hobby
  • [03:30] How Kylan became an accidental marketer
  • [06:15] “Meandering” through marketing
  • [09:32] Getting banned from Dreamforce
  • [11:15] Becoming CMO
  • [15:06] Focusing on growth vs. marketing
  • [19:05] Appreciating the foundations
  • [21:12] Creating a new category
  • [29:00] Marketing, clear and simple
  • [34:13] Competing with entertainment
  • [40:00] Where Kylan gets inspiration
  • [45:37] A defining experience that made Kylan who he is today 
  • [49:35] What Kylan says is today’s biggest threat and opportunity for marketers

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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 opportunities around brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine startups.