The Tech Talks Daily Podcast Neil C. Hughes

 As brands increasingly turn to loyalty programs to foster lasting customer relationships, NFTs have emerged as a game-changer, providing a new level of exclusivity and engagement. With Boson Protocol's unique approach, businesses can develop decentralized alternatives to traditional eCommerce, offering consumers exclusive experiences, events, and content by purchasing NFTs.
Justin Banon, CEO and Founder of Boson Protocol, discusses the power of token-gated commerce and NFTs in driving long-term customer engagement. He shares insights on how brands implement token-gated commerce to forge new customer relationships, the potential for NFTs to deliver enduring consumer benefits, and how the Boson Protocol's latest release, v2 of their dApp, empowers brands to launch their tokenized loyalty programs.
In this episode, you'll also learn about how major brands like Starbucks, Disney, and Adidas have embraced NFTs to drive long-term community engagement. We also explore the global customer loyalty management market's impressive growth, predicted to surpass $24 billion by 2028 and the increasing popularity and utility of NFTs, particularly among institutional investors.
I also find out more about the role of Boson Protocol in creating a decentralized alternative to eCommerce through redeemable NFTs. Take advantage of this fascinating conversation on the future of commerce and loyalty programs in the age of NFTs with Justin Banon of Boson Protocol. 
 

In this insightful and timely podcast episode, we sit down with Kyle Wong, a thought leader in user-generated content (UGC) and influencer marketing, to discuss why a UGC strategy matters more than ever in 2023 and beyond. As social media continues to evolve, businesses must adapt to stay ahead of the curve, and Kyle's expertise offers valuable insights into this rapidly changing landscape.
Kyle delves into the importance of UGC in scaling businesses, explaining how brands can leverage the power of social proof to grow and succeed in an increasingly competitive market. He emphasizes the necessity for authenticity and shares his insights on how businesses can create genuine experiences for their customers that resonate on a deeper level.
We also explore the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of UGC versus influencer and celebrity campaigns. Finally, Kyle provides real-world examples of brands that have successfully harnessed the power of UGC, demonstrating how this strategy can lead to tangible results and long-term success.
In addition to addressing the challenges brands face when starting a UGC strategy, Kyle discusses the evolution of user-generated content and its impact on social media and social commerce. He highlights the growth of social proof as a vital marketing channel. Finally, he shares his predictions on the future of brand social media management, stressing the importance of integrating social channels and content into a winning strategy.
Join us in this conversation with Kyle Wong, and learn how your business can tap into the power of UGC to scale, create authentic experiences, and outshine the competition in today's digital world.

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, we are thrilled to host Mala Tejwani, the operations lead at DataStax, who shares her inspiring journey from a world champion in Indian classical dance to a leading role in Silicon Valley's tech industry. Mala's unconventional background provides a fresh perspective on how her experiences as a dancer translate to the tech world.
Mala reflects on how her dance career taught her the importance of fluidity, agility, passion, precision, and creativity, and how these qualities are crucial for anyone starting a new career in any industry. Mala started her tech career at Google in an entry-level position, but her passion for solving complex problems and creating efficient solutions led her to grow within the organization and eventually take on a leading role at DataStax.
During the conversation, Mala shares insights into her experience leading operations at DataStax through significant periods of activity and growth. She also advises professionals looking to pivot into tech from other industries and how to harness their unique skills and experiences to succeed.
Mala's story is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and pursuing your passion in the face of challenges. If you're interested in hearing how Mala's background in dance helped her succeed in the tech industry, this episode is a must-listen. 

In this episode, I am joined by Jordan Gal, co-founder of Rally, a company on a mission to empower merchants and app developers by providing them with a headless, fully optimized, one-click checkout solution. Rally is revolutionizing the modern headless e-commerce ecosystem, bridging front- and back-end platforms, and creating seamless customer checkout experiences.
Listen in as Jordan shares the origin story of Rally and the problems it aims to solve with technology and how Rally collaborates with Swell, Klarna, and Stripe to help small businesses scale without being tied to Shopify, acting as a 'headless' checkout option. He also shares s use case to help listeners understand how Rally can work in their world
Jordan also talks about his experience raising $6M in 2021, along with advice for startup founders looking to follow in his footsteps. In addition, he evem finds time to share a few tips for early-stage founders looking to grow a business in this area, and his passion for ensuring small business owners can operate on their terms.
Join us for an insightful conversation with Jordan Gal as we explore the power of Rally's innovative checkout solution and the future of e-commerce.

Permissioned blockchains have gained popularity as an alternative to open distributed networks, attracting institutional investment by ensuring security through restricted access. 
Although permissioned decentralized finance (DeFi) could ease the transition for traditional finance players into the blockchain industry, it is undoubtedly a departure from the core ethos that drives the development of permissionless blockchains like THORChain, a non-custodial decentralized exchange that opens access to native and cross-chain liquidity.
Permissioned chains offer the familiarity standards of security, privacy, and control that financial institutions are used to. By that very nature permissioned DeFi is oxymoronic, recreating the restrictions of the traditional financial system that DeFi was designed to bypass.  Such permissioned protocols may attract institutional support but inevitably stray from the open, transparent, and equitable ethos that is championed by permissionless blockchains.
Pedro Isaac Lopez, Chief Growth Officer at THORWallet DEX, the gateway to THORChain and the only non-custodial DeFi wallet to offer cross-chain swaps, advocates for the position that if it is not permissionless, then it is equally not decentralized: it’s centralization masquerading as innovation. Listen in as we discuss how decentralized blockchain networks maintain security through over-collateralization without sacrificing open access for everyone.

At the Adobe Summit, I sat down with Joan Smith, Managing Director and leader of Protiviti Digital, to discuss how leaders and marketers can navigate the uncertainties of today's rapidly changing landscape. As the lines between digital and physical continue to blur, businesses are grappling with challenges such as shifting consumer behavior, data privacy regulations, and supply chain interdependence, all while facing a looming economic downturn.
In this enlightening conversation, Joan shares her insights on Meeting customer expectations in an economic downturn by delivering meaningful experiences. We also discuss connecting technology to customer value, focusing on experience rather than process, and orchestrating purposeful interactions for hyper-personalization without being creepy.
We also discuss how businesses can embed agility and automation into operating principles to adapt to a world of constant change in an informative chat on thriving in uncertainty, embracing change, and redefining the playbook for leaders and marketers.