What It Means: A Forrester podcast
Each week, the What It Means podcast invites Forrester analysts to discuss the latest trends and challenges to help business and technology leaders make bold decisions and become truly customer-obsessed. Topics range from tech-driven innovation and CX design to B2B buying trends and marketing planning. Listen now and subscribe to get a new episode each week. Got a comment or question? Email our team at podcast@forrester.com.
Latest Episodes
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How To Successfully Pivot To Virtual Events
The pandemic has forced companies (including Forrester) to take planned in-person events virtual. What’s needed to make virtual events a success, and are they here to stay? Vice President and Global Head of Events Lisa Riley and Principal Analyst Jessie Johnson weigh in on this week’s What It Means.
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How The COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated B2C Buying Trends
A confluence of forces is accelerating change in B2C buying this year. In this episode, VPs Sucharita Kodali and Mary Pilecki discuss the near- and long-term impacts.
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Find Your Firm’s Path To Customer Obsession
Customer obsession means putting the customer at the center of your business leadership, strategy, and operations. Learn how to define and operationalize a successful customer obsession strategy on this episode of What It Means with VP, Principal Analyst Shar VanBoskirk.
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The Surprisingly Bright Future For CISOs
The CISO is no longer a terminal role. VP and Principal Analyst Jeff Pollard describes the abundance of options available for today’s CISO.
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Brands, Staying Neutral Is Not An Option
A brand’s silence on social justice issues can be louder than its words. On this episode of What It Means, VP and Principal Analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee explains why brands have to carefully assess what they stand for and communicate that to consumers and employees.
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The High Cost Of Cutting Marketing Budgets Now
Marketing resources can be easy targets in an economic downturn. Yet these cuts are shortsighted and put companies on weaker footing long-term, say Vice Presidents Laura Ramos and Keith Johnston. Learn what companies and marketing leaders should do instead in this week’s What It Means episode.
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The Future Of Empowered Customers
What’s not changing: the five key dimensions of customer empowerment. What is changing: empowered customers’ desires. Dive deep into the shifting sands of consumer sentiment on this episode of What It Means, featuring Senior Analyst Anjali Lai.
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How CIOs Can Build The IT Organization Of The Future
Increased focus on customer and employee experience will change how CIOs structure their IT organizations. In this episode of What It Means, Principal Analyst Gordon Barnett provides insight on how CIOs can prepare their organization for the future of work.
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CMOs Face Difficult Agency Decisions
The coronavirus pandemic has forced many firms to drastically cut marketing spending and reevaluate their agency relationships. In this episode of What It Means, Principal Analyst Jay Pattisall reviews the latest changes and what options CMOs have going forward.
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Will COVID-19 Change Virtual Care Forever?
Virtual care is not a new concept, but the COVID-19 pandemic has driven a dramatic surge in adoption. In this episode of What It Means, Senior Analyst Arielle Trzcinski discusses what’s driving this adoption and the future of virtual care.
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The Future Of Advertising
The Wild West days of digital advertising are over. The next phase of advertising will focus on the customer experience. In this episode of What It Means, we feature VP and Principal Analyst Joanna O’Connell’s recent CX North America keynote discussing the future of advertising.
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Scaling RPA The Smart Way
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased interest in robotic process automation (RPA), while its biggest challenge remains scale. In this episode, Vice President and Principal Analyst Craig Le Clair and Principal Analyst Leslie Joseph discuss the challenges of and solutions to scaling RPA at this crucial time.
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Digital Acceleration Meets Empathy: COVID-19’s Impact On Financial Services
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital efforts in the financial services industry while underscoring the need for customer empathy. Learn more from three analysts in this special episode of What It Means.
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Customer Journey Mapping In A Crisis
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, firms have struggled to keep on top of customers’ fast-changing needs. To succeed, look no further than the journey map. We’re joined by VP, Principal Analyst Joana Quintanilha on this week’s What It Means to discuss how journey mapping can help firms right now.
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Is It Time To Break Up With Social Media?
More than one in three consumers believe social media does more harm than good. Many brands spend tremendous time and money on social media, only to get a tepid (or even angry) response. On this episode of What It Means, Senior Analyst Jessica Liu discusses a timely question: Is it time to break up with social media?
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The Future Of Work Starts Now
The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically accelerated many of the trends that will define the future of work. In this episode of What It Means, Vice Presidents and Principal Analysts James McQuivey and J. P. Gownder discuss the four “shocks” that will shape the future of work and how their timelines have shifted up.
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What B2B Buyers Want
Today’s B2B buyers don’t want to be treated as targets but instead, as equal partners. On this week’s episode of What It Means, Principal Analyst Steven Casey and VP, Principal Analyst Lori Wizdo discuss what’s driving the shift and how B2B marketers and sellers can adapt their strategies to win these buyers.
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We’re At The Employee-Experience Strategy Inflection Point
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the arrival of the future of work. To succeed amid the rapid change, enterprises must build a strong employee experience, says Principal Analyst David Johnson. Learn more on this episode of What It Means.
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The Need For Scenario Planning In Your Pandemic Recovery Strategy
A global pandemic has no definitive end date, which makes planning a formidable challenge for businesses. In this episode, Vice President and Group Director Stephanie Balaouras discusses the importance of scenario planning in organizations’ pandemic recovery strategy.
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The Road Back For Retailers
The coronavirus outbreak has shuttered stores, left millions jobless, and changed the way consumers shop. As retailers scramble to adapt, their responses have uncovered weaknesses — but also revealed opportunity. In this week’s episode, Analysts Sucharita Kodali and Brendan Witcher delve into the coronavirus’s impact on retail and what the future may hold.