April 9, 2025
by Kelly Walters / April 9, 2025
At G2 Reach Europe last month, Jamie Anderson from UserTesting and G2 CMO Sydney Sloan shared insights on how businesses can combine human insight and AI innovation to create standout customer experiences. With a career spanning from marketing leadership to President of Global Field Operations, Jamie brings a practical, no-nonsense perspective on the challenges marketing teams face. His conversation at the event wasn’t just theoretical – it was packed with real, tested strategies that any company can put into action.
Here are a few key takeaways.
One of the most impactful points Jamie made was how UserTesting structures its teams. He oversees everything that touches the customer – sales, marketing, success, professional services, and support – all under one leader.
“I can set a very clear strategy about how I expect each team to inter-operate and support each other,” he explained.
This setup helps eliminate the classic tension between sales and marketing, especially when it comes to pipeline management. Jamie’s approach is refreshingly straightforward:
“If you're a great salesperson managing your accounts and territory, you should be able to generate 2X pipeline on your own. If you're below 2X, don’t complain about marketing.”
Takeaway: Organizations should review their current pipeline contribution metrics and consider establishing specific targets (like Jamie's 2X guideline) to create clearer accountability between teams.
While pipeline generation is crucial, Jamie emphasized that brand building is just as critical for long-term success. A strong brand “rolls out the red carpet” for sales, ensuring a company is on the shortlist before the conversation even starts.
And as buyer behaviors shift, brand strength matters more than ever. A recent survey conducted by G2 found that vendor shortlists are shrinking – with many now considering just 1-3 products. That means if buyers don’t know you, they’re not considering you.
Jamie summed it up perfectly:
"Brand is about values and quality, and it's a stamp of approval. At some point, everything comes back to that. You've got to be a company that people recognize either for the quality of what you do or what you're associated with in terms of brand values."
Takeaway: Assess your current brand strategy. Does it clearly communicate your values and quality promises? Are you measuring brand perception alongside pipeline metrics? Creating this balanced dashboard prevents short-term thinking.
Since both UserTesting and G2 are built around customer feedback, Jamie highlighted how crucial it is to listen – and actually act on what customers are saying. In the past year, UserTesting collected over 25 million pieces of customer feedback, using AI to identify trends while still valuing the unique insights found in outlier perspectives.
“If the customer is always right, why don’t you ask them? It’s incredible how many people don’t."
Jamie Anderson
President, Global Field Operations at UserTesting
Whether through G2 reviews, customer interviews, or formal feedback programs, continuously gathering and applying customer insights can help shape better decisions across the business.
Takeaway: Map your current customer feedback collection points and evaluate whether insights are effectively flowing into product and marketing decisions.
One of the most relevant topics covered was the role of AI in customer research. Jamie made an important distinction – AI and human feedback aren’t competing approaches; they each have a role to play.
From optimizing user journeys or stress-testing digital experiences, AI-driven synthetic users are efficient and scalable. But when it comes to understanding emotion (how customers feel about an ad campaign, a brand message, or a product), human feedback is irreplaceable.
“AI is never going to replicate emotion. At the core of any buying decision, there’s always a subjective, human element.”
Jamie Anderson
President, Global Field Operations at UserTesting
Takeaway: Map your current research and testing processes. Where could AI-driven approaches improve efficiency for quantitative optimization? Where is human emotional feedback critical for success? Creating this clear delineation helps you invest resources more strategically.
As organizations navigate the evolving marketing technology landscape, success ultimately comes down to finding the right balance: breaking down internal silos, building an authentic brand, deeply understanding customers, and knowing when to lean on AI versus human insight.
The organizations that will thrive aren't necessarily those with the most advanced technology stack or the largest marketing budgets. They're the ones who understand when to leverage automation for scale and when to preserve the human connections that drive meaningful engagement.
Exceptional marketing isn’t just about deploying the latest tools—it’s about creating experiences that resonate on an emotional level. And that’s something no algorithm can replace.
Watch the full recording of this session, plus more, from Reach Europe.
With over a decade of experience, Kelly is passionate about building marketing strategies that enhance market presence and drive results. Currently leading EMEA marketing at G2, she is known for delivering dynamic regional strategies that fuel growth and solidify brand strength across various markets.