Adam Pierno with Arizona State University

The Industrial Talk Podcast with Scott MacKenzie

Industrial Talk is chatting with Adam Pierno, Brand Strategy Leader at Arizona State University about “Understanding Yourself from the Customers’ Perspective”. The following is a summary of our conversation:

• Industrial IoT security and marketing strategies. 0:00
  • Palo Alto Networks offers industrial IoT security solutions with improved ROI and reduced complexity.
  • Scott MacKenzie interviews Adam on industrial talk, discussing marketing, sales, and leadership in the utility industry.
  • Adam shares insights from his book on branding and marketing, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and education.
  
  
• Brand strategy and customer insights. 5:51
  • Adam is a brand strategist at Arizona State University, where he practices and teaches data-driven audience and brand strategy.
  • Adam's work involves figuring out the complexity of the Sun Devils brand across academics, athletics, and lifelong learning, and helping mid-sized and small businesses with similar challenges.
  
  
• Branding and marketing for a university. 8:18
  • Scott MacKenzie asks Speaker 2 about differentiation at Arizona State University (ASU), with a focus on brand and how it relates to the school's charter.
  • Adam explains that ASU's brand is built on the idea of providing opportunities for everyone who wants an education, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
  • Adam highlights the importance of understanding the customer's perspective when marketing a business, emphasizing that the customer's needs and wants should be the focus of any messaging.
  • Adam and Scott MacKenzie discuss the potential for a manufacturer to be passionate about their product, but the messaging may need to be adjusted to better resonate with customers.
  
  
• Understanding customer base for business growth. 13:23
  • Adam identifies two groups of customers: "best customers" who buy high-margin products and "light buyers" who are new to the category.
  • Adam creates a Venn diagram to balance messaging that retains current customers while attracting new ones.
  • Scott MacKenzie emphasizes the importance of thorough persona development for businesses, using customer interviews and geographic research to gain insights into customer preferences and behaviors.
  
  
• Market research and customer insights. 18:02
  • Adam explains that customers often don't know how to identify their competitors, and it's not always clear-cut.
  • Adam uses interviews with customers to gather insights on their competitive landscape, but it requires asking the right questions and building rapport with the customers.
  • Scott MacKenzie: "The number one output of research is more research."
  • Adam : "It's like mining for gold, you usually find a big deposit, and then you're chasing dust."
  
  
• Involving stakeholders in research and addressing conflicts. 23:46
  • Scott MacKenzie and Speaker 2 discuss the importance of involving all stakeholders in the research process to ensure buy-in and success.
  • Adam uses workshops and active listening to address grievances and conflicts within internal teams.
  
  
• Persona development and market research. 26:40
  • Scott MacKenzie and Speaker 2 discuss the importance of building a persona based on customer research, with Speaker 2 highlighting the value of using real sales data to identify the best customers.
  • Adam then describes their process for creating a persona, including conducting customer interviews, surveys, and gathering video clips to add a personal touch.
  • Adam discusses their approach to marketing strategy, which involves gathering data through surveys and interviews, and then sharing that data with the team for further analysis and questioning.
  • Adam emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions to uncover valuable insights, rather than simply relying on survey data or assumptions.
  
  
• Brand positioning and messaging strategies. 31:26
  • Formulating a message that resonates with the target audience by understanding their motivators and values.
  • Adam emphasizes the importance of adapting to changing customer needs and preferences.
  • Develop a measurement system tied to the brand platform and customer insights to track success beyond sales.
  
  
• Marketing strategy and brand planning. 37:27
  • Adam suggests starting with customer interviews to identify what messaging is working and what's not.
  • Adam advises against relying solely on discounts to drive sales and instead suggests focusing on building a brand through consistent messaging.
  • Adam discusses their two books: "Under Think It" (2016) and "Specific" (2020), which provide guidance on marketing strategy and effective communication of key benefits to the best customer.
  • Adam highlights the importance of understanding the best customer and using customer insights to inform marketing decisions, rather than oversaturating them with information.
  
  
• Marketing and branding with Adam. 42:23
  • Scott MacKenzie is distracted by shiny objects and wants to learn more about marketing, while Speaker 2 emphasizes the importance of internalizing customer insights and communicating effectively.
  • Adam shares insights on navigating politics and relationships from a different angle, emphasizing the importance of listening and understanding.
  • Scott MacKenzie highlights Adam's book and encourages listeners to connect with him, emphasizing the value of amplifying one's message and elevating conversations.
  
  

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ADAM PIERNO'S CONTACT INFORMATION:

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampierno/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/arizona-state-university/ Company Website: https://www.asu.edu/ Adam's Book - Under Think It: Here!

PODCAST VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/pyzmHv7ubsM

OTHER GREAT INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES:

NEOM: https://www.neom.com/en-us Fictiv: https://www.fictiv.com/ Hexagon: https://hexagon.com/solutions/enterprise-asset-management Palo Alto Networks: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/ Hitachi Vantara: https://www.hitachivantara.com/en-us/home.html CAP Logistics: https://www.caplogistics.com/ Armis: https://www.armis.com/ Saviant Consulting: https://www.saviantconsulting.com/ Industrial Marketing Solutions: https://industrialtalk.com/industrial-marketing/ Industrial Academy: https://industrialtalk.com/industrial-academy/ Industrial Dojo: https://industrialtalk.com/industrial_dojo/ We the 15: https://www.wethe15.org/

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