IN CLEAR FOCUS: Jessica Gillingham, author of "Tech-Enabled Hospitality," explores how tech is reshaping hospitality marketing and the guest journey. She discusses the challenge of marketing to digital natives who expect a seamless journey from search to booking. Jessica explains how data silos and reliance on OTAs prevent true personalization and building direct guest relationships. Learn how marketers can create loyalty beyond points and shift from per-night transactions to customer LTV.

IN CLEAR FOCUS: For our 300th episode, strategist Ulli Appelbaum, author of "The Science of Brand Associations," reveals why brand associations are the operating system of marketing. He explains how brands exist as memory networks, and why their strength predicts 80% of future purchases. Ulli also discusses his evidence-based framework, grounded in neuroscience, for building stronger associations that drive growth and command premium prices. Hear why advertising should reinforce brand memory through associations.

IN CLEAR FOCUS: Guest Amanda Patterson, founder of Rocket Fuel Labs, discusses the rise of fractional CMOs and shares practical tips on developing effective marketing for startups and scaleups. Drawing from her experience scaling MINDBODY from $30M to $200M, Amanda details a data-driven "bottoms-up" plan for efficient growth. She explains why "brand builds demand," the underrated power of customer journey mapping, and how to de-risk marketing spend for quick wins in a high-stakes environment.