Welcome to this week's episode of Masters of Max with host Tom Butta. Today, Tom is joined by John Gregory, a seasoned professional with a diverse background spanning retail, media, and digital. John has worked with renowned brands like Macy's, Bloomingdale's, AOL, Pandora, and Spotify.

Throughout the conversation, John emphasizes the importance of brand continuity and delivering a remarkable and consistent customer experience across all touchpoints. He highlights the value of personalization and leveraging listener data in mobile app experiences to create engaging and relevant interactions. John also discusses the significance of balancing performance-oriented marketing with brand marketing to attract new audiences.

He advises companies to focus on innovation, experimentation, and staying flexible in the ever-changing digital landscape. Overall, this interview provides universal insights and advice for any brand seeking to improve their mobile engagement and app offerings. John's extensive experience makes this interview a must-listen for any company looking to navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.

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Guest Bio

John Gregory joined Spotify in April 2020 as Global Retail Category Development Officer to lead the retail vertical that supports efforts with key strategic partners in this industry sector. His role advocates Spotify’s platform capabilities to the retail industry, collaborating with internal teams to ensure the best solutions for retail clients are in development and also advising the selling organization on how best to address the needs of all sub-categories within the industry.

Earlier in his career, John was VP-Retail Head of Industry at Pandora, Retail Category Development Officer at AOL, and Group VP of National Marketing Strategy and Campaign Planning for Macy’s Inc.

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Guest Quote

"It all comes down to having a continuity between all the expressions of your brand, whether it be a mobile app or in store or even the advertising you may see throughout your daily life. There has to be a common thread of brand continuity to make it make the most sense and keep that experience with the consumer.” – John Gregory

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Time Stamps

*(01:16) John's Background

*(05:01) Proving the value of your users

*(08:08) Curating the experience for each unique consumer

*(10:16) Evolving your physical brand to the digital world

*(12:07) All about experience

*(16:59) Spotify’s “The Stage Experience”

*(19:24) Advice for digital native brands

*(22:34) Rapid Fire Questions

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Links

• Connect with John Gregory on LinkedIn
• Connect with Tom Butta on LinkedIn
• Check out the Airship Website