At the Manufacturers Alliance, Kristin Graybill has a bird's-eye view across hundreds of manufacturers in the US - how they operate, how the recruit, and how they're evolving their marketing.
Kristin Graybill is the Vice President of Commercial Strategy at the Manufacturers Alliance and in her role, she speaks to hundreds of manufacturers all across the country. In this episode, we talk about the work of the Manufacturers Alliance whose mission is to drive economic growth and foster collaboration within the manufacturing sector. They do this by hosting peer programs, conducting research initiatives, and providing resources to leaders across departments in mid to large manufacturing companies.
I ask her what trends she's seeing in manufacturing marketing, and we focused on the increasing risk and use of AI to streamline operations and enhance marketing efforts. We also talked about how "old school" manufacturers are being forced to modernize their marketing to compete in a tight talent market. Kristin echoed the need for marketers in the manufacturing sector to embrace innovation and leverage marketing strategies that appeal to the human element of their audience.
Near the end of the conversation we talk about diversity and inclusion in manufacturing leadership. Kristin shares findings from recent research conducted by the Manufacturers Alliance on women's leadership in manufacturing. She highlights the challenges women face in middle management and disparities in perceptions of gender equality within the industry.