Emily Ward: Identifying Pain Points, Standing Out & Super Bowl Ads - Episode #33
Thu Feb 05 2026
How can marketers build stronger connections by truly listening to their customers?
In this episode of Connect To Market, host Casey Cheshire sits down with Emily Ward, Vice President of Marketing at Maxwell, to explore why direct customer conversations are still one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s toolkit. Emily shares how common obstacles like egocentric thinking, fear of honest feedback, and internal gatekeeping can prevent teams from deeply understanding their audience and how to break through them.
She unpacks practical ways to get closer to customers, from partnering with customer success teams to leveraging events, outreach, and qualitative feedback to uncover real pain points. Emily also reflects on her marketing origin story, the importance of differentiating yourself in a crowded market, and how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping SEO, inbound tracking, and the future of marketing. Throughout the conversation, she offers grounded advice for leaders who want to adapt, learn faster, and continuously refine their strategies based on what customers actually need.
In this episode, we cover:
Why talking directly to customers is essential for effective marketingHow to overcome internal gatekeeping and fear of customer feedbackPractical methods for uncovering deeper customer pain pointsHow AI and emerging technologies are influencing modern marketing strategiesIf you’re a marketing leader looking to build more authentic connections and create strategies rooted in real customer insight, Emily’s perspective offers clear, actionable guidance for staying relevant and effective in an evolving landscape.
🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Connect To Market.
Connect with Emily:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-ward-marketing-vp/ Maxwell: https://himaxwell.com/ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@emilyward011 Ways to Tune In:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01kCcPP1ib9MSE9aNb5SQa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/connect-to-market/id1822777920 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5c3fb03-482f-4496-bcd0-82c1d66fed3d iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282837141/ Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/connect-to-market-6138391 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP_sn6_Cwun_qxaOz94Epgf6zdqeTFjJV Connect To Market is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
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How can marketers build stronger connections by truly listening to their customers? In this episode of Connect To Market, host Casey Cheshire sits down with Emily Ward, Vice President of Marketing at Maxwell, to explore why direct customer conversations are still one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s toolkit. Emily shares how common obstacles like egocentric thinking, fear of honest feedback, and internal gatekeeping can prevent teams from deeply understanding their audience and how to break through them. She unpacks practical ways to get closer to customers, from partnering with customer success teams to leveraging events, outreach, and qualitative feedback to uncover real pain points. Emily also reflects on her marketing origin story, the importance of differentiating yourself in a crowded market, and how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping SEO, inbound tracking, and the future of marketing. Throughout the conversation, she offers grounded advice for leaders who want to adapt, learn faster, and continuously refine their strategies based on what customers actually need. In this episode, we cover: Why talking directly to customers is essential for effective marketingHow to overcome internal gatekeeping and fear of customer feedbackPractical methods for uncovering deeper customer pain pointsHow AI and emerging technologies are influencing modern marketing strategiesIf you’re a marketing leader looking to build more authentic connections and create strategies rooted in real customer insight, Emily’s perspective offers clear, actionable guidance for staying relevant and effective in an evolving landscape. 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Connect To Market. Connect with Emily: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-ward-marketing-vp/ Maxwell: https://himaxwell.com/ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@emilyward011 Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01kCcPP1ib9MSE9aNb5SQa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/connect-to-market/id1822777920 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5c3fb03-482f-4496-bcd0-82c1d66fed3d iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282837141/ Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/connect-to-market-6138391 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP_sn6_Cwun_qxaOz94Epgf6zdqeTFjJV Connect To Market is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/