#793: PAN Communications CMO Mark Nardone on 2026 predictions and staying ahead of GEO

The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

The Agile Brand

Marketing, Business

4.9 • 113 Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if the foundation of your digital strategy, your corporate website, is becoming less important than the conversations happening about your brand in places you don't control? Agility requires a fundamental shift in mindset, moving beyond just broadcasting your message on owned channels to actively shaping the narrative across an entire ecosystem you don't fully control. Today, we're going to talk about how generative AI is creating a new layer between your brand and your customers, changing how they discover information and what they trust. We'll explore the surprising new balance of power between owned media and earned media, and what it means for your PR, content, and SEO strategies moving forward. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Mark Nardone, CMO at PAN. About Mark Nardone Mark has been a driving force at PAN since its inception. As part of the executive team, Mark oversees operations and leads strategic growth initiatives across business development and marketing.Mark’s acumen sparked PAN’s positioning as a brand-to-demand agency forged in PR. With more B2B brands seeking a modern, energetic, agile partner to connect the dots between brand awareness, demand acquisition, and growth, Mark saw an opportunity for PAN to meet those needs on a global scale through integrated, data-driven marketing and PR grounded in real-world impact.Passionate about all things AI and CX, Mark is active in Harvard’s Office of Technology Department Expert-in-Residence (XIR) program and the thought leadership realm. You can find his insights on the DMNews Podcast, Heinz Marketing Radio, PR News, Agile Brand, and Evan Kirstel LinkedIn Live. When he’s not discussing the latest marketing and PR trends, Mark enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife and two kids. Mark Nardone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-nardone-807560/ Resources PAN: https://www.pancommunications.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://www.thecrmc.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Agile Brand
0:02.0	Welcome to Season 8 of the Agile Brand podcast.
0:09.0	This season we're going all in on expert mode MARTEC, AI, and customer experience, talking with the people and platforms behind the brands you know and love.
0:19.0	I'm Greg Kilstrom, your host, and I help Fortune 1000 companies make sense of
0:24.4	MARTEC, AI, and MarketingOps.
0:27.3	Hit subscribe or follow to make sure you always get the latest episodes and leave us a rating
0:31.4	so others can find us as well.
0:34.1	And make sure you check out our sponsor, Tech Systems, an industry leader in full-stack technology
0:38.7	services, talent services, and real-world application.
0:42.7	For more information, go to teK systems.com.
0:46.8	Now let's dive in.
0:51.4	What if the foundation of your digital strategy, your corporate website, is becoming less important
0:55.6	than the conversations happening about your brand in places you don't control?
0:59.8	Agility requires a fundamental shift in mindset, moving beyond just broadcasting your message on
1:04.9	own channels to actively shaping the narrative across an entire ecosystem you don't fully
1:10.0	control. Today we're going to
1:11.8	talk about how generative AI is creating a new layer between your brand and your customers,
1:16.4	changing how they discover information and what they trust. We'll explore the surprising new balance
1:22.1	of power between owned media and earned media and what it means for your PR, your content,
1:44.5	and SEO strategies moving forward. Tell me discuss this topic. I'd like to welcome back to the show. Mark Nardoni, CMO at Pan. Mark, welcome back. Hey, Greg. Always a pleasure. Enjoy these conversations that we typically have here. Yeah, yeah, love, I tend to have you on in the beginning of the year,
1:49.8	kind of a good kickoff to the new year and what to expect. For those that might have missed one of our previous conversations, though, why don't you give a little background on yourself
1:52.9	and your role at Pan? Sure. I've been at Pan since the beginning, so think about 1995,
	...

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