Agile Businesses: Seth Hutchings of 2X On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies

An Interview With Doug Noll

Try to create an environment where employees are comfortable sharing their insights on how their roles could be improved. Leaders should embrace these discussions and elevate employees who understand how technology can benefit the organization.

As part of my series about the “How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant in The Face of Disruptive Technologies”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Seth Hutchings, CSO at 2X.

Seth Hutchings, Chief Strategy Officer at 2X, brings extensive technology and B2B marketing experience from leadership roles at Blend360, Merkle, Dentsu, and Wavemaker. Today, he steers 2X’s strategic growth initiatives. Prior to 2X, he was VP of Marketing Strategy and Advisory at Blend360, and drove over $200 million in incremental revenue through global go-to-market strategies and excelled in brand influence, data insights, and more.

Seth Hutchings has over 15 years of experience as a marketing organization consultant and marketing strategist working for some of the largest agencies in the world including Publicis, WPP, Dentsu/Merkle, and many others. He has an MBA from Brigham Young University focused on organizational design, change management, and consulting strategy. He lives in Austin, Texas with his amazing wife and five children — in other words, there is never a dull moment is his life.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I started my professional journey in marketing data and analytics, around the time it was just taking off. Working as a consultant serving large enterprises, like Microsoft, McKesson, Lexus, Adobe, and Dell, I presented data-driven insights and made recommendations, which made me realize I could make those decisions myself as a strategist.

Over the past six to ten years, I’ve built several marketing, marketing operations, and strategy teams to address a fundamental question: how can we achieve a strong return on investment (ROI) in marketing and have impact on the business?

I believe the answer lies in the interplay between how we make tangible and intangible investments. The tangible side relies on data, while the intangible involves strategic decisions that aren’t always supported by hard numbers.

Today, my responsibilities extend beyond customer experience marketing and encompass change management and organizational transformation. It’s my job to help organizations evolve and achieve full potential by creating value not just at every customer engagement moment, but also for every leader, team member, technology investment, process, etc.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

I consider myself a happy, optimistic person. But there was a point when I received feedback that I looked sad and somber during executive calls and interactions. It was perplexing — I didn’t perceive myself that way at all! I was just young and nervous.

My then CEO pointed out that perhaps I appeared too serious when speaking and she recommended that I make a conscious effort to smile when communicating, which profoundly impacted how I was perceived. People found me more approachable and credible when they weren’t distracted by my facial expressions.

It’s funny how that small recommendation could have such a positive impact on me and those around me. I love it and hope you can tell that I am smiling now.

None of us achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person you are grateful for who helped get you where you are? Can you share a story?

I’ve had many mentors and people who have been pivotal to my development. They provided opportunities for my personal and professional growth, and brought me with them when they made critical decisions or moved on to new ventures.

I’ve learned there’s real power in working with individuals who genuinely desire to maximize others, and allow others to shine when they could have just done it as a senior leader. It’s a philosophy I’ve embraced — cultivating the potential of those around me ultimately elevates myself, too.

When I look back, I realize my mentors didn’t wait for me to ask permission or prove myself. They saw my potential and propelled me forward. They set the standard for leadership and mentorship, shaping me into who I am today.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

2X has a clear purpose. We want our clients to be successful, our employees to succeed, and we want to be disruptive change agents for marketing as a service. My purpose here is defining how we can drive that success for value — not just from a financial perspective, but also a personal one. Communicating value is central to how we and companies make decisions, determine investments, and direct action at every level. How can we enhance value articulation to achieve our goals? That’s the big question that drives success.

It’s also where my passion for helping organizations pivot and my experiences in transformation come into play. Many of our team structures — from marketing and sales to customer success — need to change at the functional, operational, organizational level. And it starts with individuals.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you tell our readers a bit about what your business does? How do you help people?

Many of today’s marketing leaders have been handed an impossible mandate: tighten the budgeting belt, and generate more revenue impact at the same time.

But how can you create impact without sufficient resources? And how do you justify more resources without creating sufficient impact? It’s a catch 22 situation.

That’s where 2X, a B2B marketing-as-a-service (MaaS) firm, comes in. We’re committed to helping marketing leaders create impact by augmenting their teams with a pool of trained, multi-disciplinary marketers — comprising writers, designers, MOps specialists, campaign managers, and more — out of our delivery center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With on-demand support, resource-strapped marketing departments can continue to execute their marketing strategies and drive business outcomes.

What technological innovation has encroached or disrupted your industry? Can you explain why this has been disruptive?

AI has been exceptionally disruptive, particularly in areas driven by efficiency. But it’s essential to remember that AI draws its power from actual human intelligence — its output is entirely reliant on our input.

There’s a lot of concern about job displacement, but what we’ve seen tells a different story. AI’s greatest value is in enhancing human work. For example, it’s enabled content writers to focus on strategic thinking and creativity by automating routine tasks. It’s helping us maintain the business, so we can focus on growing it.

The real challenge isn’t competing with AI, but developing the skills to harness it effectively. We need to evolve our relationship with tech, and how we leverage it to elevate everything we do. That’s the real impact.

This evolutionary process isn’t new — we’ve adapted to disruptive technologies before. Think about CRM systems. 20 years ago it was all managed in Excel. Now it’s Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) innovating decision-making with predictive data science.

Predictive technology is another game-changer. It puts a solid ROI on things we thought were unquantifiable, enabling more accurate forecasts and resource allocations.

In the end, it all comes back to the tangibility equation — balancing the scientific side rooted in data with a human understanding of how to harness it.

What did you do to pivot as a result of this disruption? Is there a common mistake you have seen other businesses make when faced with disruptive technology?

As a strategist, I’m always thinking about the ‘why’. The first step is to determine whether change is needed at all. One of the most common challenges I encounter is organizations rushing into adoption without grasping why they need it.

The groundwork starts with research — defining business requirements and how the new technology can meet them. Insights and education, with strong business cases, should always come first, preceding any considerations of adoption.

If it makes sense to implement changes, a comprehensive change management system will be needed to establish what needs to be let go, how long transformation will take, and what the envisioned future looks like.

Was there a specific “Aha moment” that gave you the idea to start this new path? If yes, we’d love to hear the story.

It was more of a process where we approached AI adoption with an educational lens. Let’s use content as an example — 2X possesses a wealth of creative talent, and we needed to assess how AI would impact their domain.

We embarked on a comprehensive research journey, gathering business requirements and determining how AI could enhance our processes. Specifically, we focused on improving content creation, testing, and automating creative aspects. We then crafted a tailored approach based on prepared AI use cases, encompassing where we would deploy it within the organization and how we would utilize it.

So, how are things going with this new direction?

2X is currently undergoing a dynamic transition to incorporate the new capabilities. In addition to optimizing operational efficiencies to meet defined business requirements, we’re aligning new leadership and organizational structures to support all changes and advancement needs.

What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during a disruptive period?

A leader’s role is to provide strategic vision. When disruption is at the door, leaders should understand how the technology works and whether it can benefit their organization.

Leaders should also have a clear idea of what they aim to achieve with the technology. Defining and committing to objectives is imperative. For example, if the goal is to articulate value, leaders should focus their teams on exploring how AI fits that specific objective.

When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?

Ultimately, inspiring employees involves giving them something to look forward to and work towards. Ensure employees know how the new technology will benefit them. Demonstrate how adoption can make their jobs more valuable, innovative, and fulfilling.

Try to create an environment where employees are comfortable sharing their insights on how their roles could be improved. Leaders should embrace these discussions and elevate employees who understand how technology can benefit the organization.

Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?

Leaders should always stay optimistic and direct about ups and downs. They must acknowledge that technology is continuously evolving, and that change is inevitable. What’s key is to focus on how new changes can drive business and individual value, determine how to adapt, and transform accordingly.

Ok. Thank you. Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the four most important things a business leader should do to pivot and stay relevant in the face of disruptive technologies?

Prioritize the ability to measure impact effectively. One of the main advantages of technological disruption is the advanced measurement capabilities that come with it.

Concentrate on enhancing customer experiences so it’s easier for them to do business with you. Are they experiencing a smoother journey? How can change lead to innovation that benefits both your product team and customers?

Assess whether the changes facilitate improvements to people and process management. Streamlined processes and more efficient resource utilizations are critical to any transformation.

Drive impactful organizational change. Major pivots should transform your organization’s overall culture and structure. Naturally, effective change management is crucial to ensure all these elements work in sync.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite life lesson is in a single word: “gratitude.” It’s a reminder to be grateful for all we have and the people around us in challenging times, and is an enduring source of inspiration and strength for me.

How can our readers further follow your work?

You can follow me on LinkedIn, where I’m most active. I love hearing from others and learning about their sources of inspiration, so please feel free to comment and share your experiences with me!

I also contribute to our 2X blog, feel free to reach out to me about that as well!

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!

Thank you for the interview!

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.