When doing marketing research, you need to remember that there are people behind the data. If anyone understands this, it’s Ian Baer, Founder and CEO of Sooth. During his conversation with Chris, Ian shares his opinions on the evolving landscape of marketing, emphasizing the importance of emotional connection and storytelling in an era where consumers make faster decisions with less information. They also discuss Ian's journey and why brands need to master the art of connecting emotionally with the audience. If you’re in the industry and feel like you’re stagnating, Ian’s outlook provides a fresh perspective that will help allow you to adapt to today’s industry needs.

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Show Highlights
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(0:00) Intro
(2:02) How Ian started his career
(5:02) Why you should think through the emotional component of marketing
(9:26) Why marketers are struggling to remain effective in today's landscape
(11:16) Chris's journey into fly fishing and how it relates to the state of marketing
(15:57) The history of Sooth
(17:56) How brands can become empathetic with data
(23:03) Launch your podcast with HumblePod!
(23:44) Pulling in behavioral habits during marketing research
(26:40) Are today's marketing investments worth the money?
(29:35) B2B marketing and the move towards permission-based campaigns
(33:12) Ian's first moment of validation with Sooth
(40:21) What's Ian's favorite brand right now?
(45:04) Where you can find more from Ian

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About Ian Baer
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Ian Baer, Founder and Chief Soothsayer, has been solving marketing’s greatest challenges for over three decades. He has spent his career helping major brands achieve extraordinary success and challenger brands box above their weight class in leadership roles with Publicis Groupe, TBWA, Rapp, Deutsch and others, and was named to Campaign US’ Digital 40 Over 40.

A prominent thought leader all aspects of marketing, Ian has spoken at conferences for the 4A’s, the DMA, PMA, OMMA, ITVT, Ad Age, and Adweek among others. He has appeared on NewsNation, Fox and numerous podcasts discussing trends in consumer behavior. In addition to founding sooth in 2023, Ian is the brand storytelling practice lead for Kestrel Consultants and sits on the Ithaca College Customer Experience Board.

~~Links~~
Sooth: https://www.soothbetold.com/
Ian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianbaer/
“The New Science of Customer Emotions”:https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-new-science-of-customer-emotions

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