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Ben Gehen is global chief experience officer at VML, where he has been for nearly 10 years. He was previously at the business consultancy Innosight, and he started his career as an electrical engineer.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? For years I have worked closely with Ford, from helping design their 2030 corporate strategy to reimagining their entire digital and experience ecosystem. Part of that was being at the forefront of their electrification strategy. As such, I had the amazing opportunity to help reimagine the electrified experience ahead of the Mustang Mach-E launch. We were so early in the process, the vehicle was still being debated, yet we knew the experience had to push the norms of vehicle ownership and reinvent how Ford engages their owners. This project not only led to an expansion in charging, new services, launching BlueCruise, and many others, but it also changed how Ford works in a more human-centered way. It’s amazing to feel that at some small level I had an opportunity to put my fingerprint on the future strategy for such an iconic organization as Ford.
What’s your favorite ad campaign? For me and my role in customer experience, I often think of this through that lens, and as a frequent traveler, it’s my experience with Delta. Currently the full integration of their loyalty program into their app that now seamlessly integrates to the seatback screens, all while managing my trip, is one of the best examples of a truly connected experience that simplifies and removes the stress of travel.
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One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I am a tinkerer. Call it my old engineering background, but I’m always trying new things and new tech, or trying to fix old tech.
What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? AI and AI. It’s both epic and amazingly terrifying. I am optimistic at the transformative power it has in the work we do and how we do it. It should make experiences way more dynamic and reactive. It should bring seamlessness and personalization to a new scale. Yet the impact on jobs, the centralization of intelligence, and the path to get there is foggy, concerning, and at times terrifying, as the use cases in the wrong hands can bring that magic to places that challenge privacy, security, and discriminating bias.
What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you'd recommend? I am a big listener of Prof G Markets. I think it provides a rich daily perspective on market shifts and trends that impact our work every day. Beyond that, Acquired provides a unique view into the lives of founders and organizations in ways I couldn’t imagine.