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

#854: PGA TOUR's Zach Carlson on creating an amazing fan experience

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

The Agile Brand

Business, Marketing

4.9113 Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In an era dominated by high-definition home entertainment and endless digital distractions, what does it take to convince a fan that a live, in-person experience is not just worth their time and money, but is something they can't afford to miss?


Agility requires not just having a plan, but building a system to listen and respond to your audience in real time. It’s about turning feedback from a retrospective report into an in-the-moment action plan.


Following the recent Qualtrics X4 Summit in Seattle, we're going to talk about what it takes to engineer a world-class fan experience. We'll explore how a legacy brand moves beyond the traditional event model to create personalized, memorable moments, and how they use real-time data not just to measure satisfaction, but to proactively shape the fan journey from the moment someone buys a ticket to long after they've left the course.
To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Zach Carlson, Director of Fan Engagement at PGA TOUR.
About Zach Carlson

As a Director of Fan Engagement - Decision Sciences at PGA TOUR, I leverage my consumer research expertise and project management skills to gather feedback and insights from various stakeholders, including fans, players, and employees. I have over 10 years of experience in applying data-driven marketing and research strategies to support business decisions and optimize outcomes.
I am passionate about enhancing the fan experience and creating value for the PGA TOUR brand and partners. I built and managed the PGA TOUR Fan Council, a research community of over 12,000 fans who help us identify what golf fans want and shape the products and experiences we create. I also lead the implementation of @Qualtrics CX and EX solutions throughout the organization to measure and improve customer and employee satisfaction and loyalty. I enjoy working with cross-functional teams and communicating effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.

Zach Carlson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyjcarlson/

Resources

PGA TOUR: https://www.pgatour.com

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

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Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom
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Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com
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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

In an era dominated by high definition, home entertainment, and endless digital distractions,

0:05.0

what does it take to convince a fan that a live, in-person experience is not just worth their time and money,

0:11.0

but is something they can't afford to miss? Agility requires not just having a plan, but building a system to listen and to respond to your audiences in real time.

0:20.0

It's about turning feedback

0:21.8

from a retrospective report into an in-the-moment action plan. We are coming fresh from

0:27.0

Qualtrix X-4 Summit in Seattle, and we're going to talk about what it takes to engineer a world-class

0:32.9

fan experience. We're going to explore how a legacy brand moves beyond the traditional event model

0:38.2

to create personalized memorable moments and how they use real-time data not just to measure

0:43.6

satisfaction, but to proactively shape the fan journey from the moment someone buys a ticket

0:48.7

to long after they've left the course. Welcome to Season 8 of the Agile Brand Podcast.

0:56.9

This season, we're going all in on expert mode MARTEC, AI, and customer experience,

1:01.6

talking with the people and platforms behind the brands you know and love.

1:05.1

Again, I'm your host, Greg Kilstrom, and I help Fortune 1,000 companies make sense

1:09.2

of MARTEC, AI, and marketing ops.

1:11.5

Hit subscribe or follow to make sure you always get the latest episodes

1:14.4

and leave us a rating so others can find us as well.

1:18.2

And make sure you check out our sponsor Tech Systems,

1:20.9

an industry leader in full-stack technology services, talent services, and real-world adoption.

1:26.5

For more information, go to TechSystems.com. Now let's dive in.

1:32.3

Tell me discuss this topic. I'd like to welcome Zach Carlson, director of fan engagement at PGA Tour.

1:38.3

Zach, welcome to the show.

1:40.3

Hey, Greg. Thanks for having me today.

...

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