VB Engage - Mobile, Marketing, & Technology Podcast from VentureBeat

Latest Episodes:

Alain Falys, VR jump-scares, and Apple's show of courage Sep 13, 2016

Show notes

There is no way that Travis and Stewart could leave the iPhone 7 launch out of this week's news, despite the fact that Apple has decided to leave the headphone jack out of the device. We talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of Apple's "courageous" decision and then dig into the engaging future of mobile marketing thanks to a world-first Blair Witch VR trailer. Then, Alain Falys takes us into the world of payments, spelling out the future of mobile wallets.

Jonathan Abrams, Zuck beef, and what the West can learn from WeChat Sep 06, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, we talk to Jonathan Abrams of Nuzzel about the startup world, mobile engagement, being cross-platform, and how he makes a 100 percent organic acquisition strategy work. We also ask him a leading question about Mark Zuckerberg, which isn't awkward at all (honest).

Finally, we discuss Travis' trip to China and dig into why WeChat is dominating and what the US can learn from its meteoric rise.

Jon Ferrara, smashing phones, and the death and rebirth of CRM Aug 30, 2016

Show notes

Stewart and Travis spend an awful long time reminiscing about the terrible, horrible days of using customer relationship management (CRM) solutions in the field and then muse on the future of smartphone-driven selling. We're then joined by CRM pioneer Jon Ferrara, who tells us that the past is broken, and the future is golden. Oh, and Jon forgets that visual jokes don't translate well on an audio podcast, but we love him all the more for it.

Roland Smart, vide-no, and the new marketing battleground Aug 24, 2016

Show notes

This week, Stewart and Travis take a massive swipe at the mess Google's video-calling strategy is creating, the joy Google's app advertising strategy is creating, and the sudden death of Blab. We then talk with the ever-clever Roland Smart about marketing tech, mobile, and the battle that's raging between marketers and engineers.

Peter Dering, Kickstarter, and winning with radical transparency Aug 16, 2016

Show notes

Travis and Stewart get excited about the new app sharing economy this week. What do we mean by that? Apps within apps, people, and we'll tell you why you should get seriously pumped about this trend, too.

And then we interview Peter Dering, who was just about to launch his sixth successful Kickstarter campaign at the time we interviewed him. That's right - sixth! He tells us how he made it all work (hint: radical transparency helps).

Shira Abel, Footloose, and the problem of marketing debt Aug 09, 2016

Show notes

This week, Stewart and Travis talk about one important news item: Instagram Stories. That's right - the Snapchat copycat has arrived on our mobile devices, and we break down what it does, what it doesn't, and why it is perfect for re-enacting '80s VHS tape covers.

We then interview Shira Abel, who schools us on marketing debt, putting marketers in the boxing ring with the engineers, and why mobile is everything.

Vala Afshar, American yogurt, and improving human performance with mobile tech Aug 02, 2016

Show notes

Stewart and Travis take a stab at understanding what is going on at Apple in a week where everyone announced their latest results, and we wonder whether Snapchat will grind to a halt soon as it adds yet another 3D solution to its stable.

We then soak in the knowledge of Vala Afshar who schools us in everything from mobile to marketing, digital IQs to data science, and why culture is more important than technology.

Brian Solis and how tech is changing our behavior Jul 26, 2016

Show notes

Technology is accelerating, behaviors are changing, and thankfully there are people like Brian Solis around who can help make sense of it all. We talk to Brian about customer X-perience as well as dissecting the latest news, which includes debunking a well-worn stat about mobile apps.

Peter Shankman, being ADHD positive, and scaling a give-to-get mindset Jul 19, 2016

Show notes

Stewart and Travis discuss new research that shows an ever-decreasing attention span, and Stewart suggests that nothing short of perfection will do for today's app-loving consumers - shipping an 'almost done' product early for feedback just isn't going to work anymore. They then we talk with the force of nature that is Peter Shankman about the power of ADHD, his latest projects, and what you can learn from his approach to engagement.

Scott Brinker, Pokemon GO, and mobile table stakes Jul 12, 2016

Show notes

As Pokemon GO sweeps the nation and makes the news, Stewart and Travis discuss that particular phenomenon and what it means for the future of mobile mixed reality. We then talk about the world of mobile marketing with Scott Brinker, the man behind the original 'gotta catch 'em all' - the huge marketing technology landscape infographic.