Future Fuzz - The Digital Marketing Podcast Ep. 170 - Finding Stories in New Markets - Kim Nguyen
In this episode of Future Fuzz, Vince Quinn sits down with Kim Nguyen, Head of Marketing at TreeRing, to explore how storytelling and problem-solving can unlock entirely new business verticals.
Kim shares the origin story of TreeRing, a company that disrupted the traditional yearbook industry with a print-on-demand model, eliminating waste, administrative burden, and unsold inventory for schools. She then explains how the company applied the same philosophy to the travel industry, using AI to transform thousands of travel photos into curated physical keepsakes.
The conversation dives into how marketers can enter new industries with curiosity, identify real customer pain points, and build partnerships that scale globally. Kim also highlights the power of listening—using open conversations with cruise operators and travel agents to uncover opportunities like gifting personalized photo books to travelers.
For marketers exploring new markets, this episode is a masterclass in customer discovery, storytelling, and building solutions around real human experiences.
Guest Bio
Kim Nguyen is the Head of Marketing at TreeRing, a company that revolutionized the traditional yearbook industry with a sustainable, print-on-demand model that eliminates waste and administrative burden for schools.
With over 16 years of experience supporting TreeRing’s growth, Kim has helped lead the company’s expansion into new verticals, including the travel industry. By leveraging AI-driven photo curation, TreeRing enables travelers to transform hundreds of digital photos into meaningful physical keepsakes in minutes.
Kim specializes in storytelling, customer discovery, and market expansion, helping organizations identify hidden opportunities by deeply understanding customer pain points and behaviors.
Takeaways
- Identify real problems first. TreeRing’s success comes from spotting inefficiencies—first in yearbooks, then in travel memories.
- Print-on-demand changed yearbooks. Schools no longer need to pre-order inventory or deal with unsold books.
- AI reduces friction. AI-powered photo curation can transform hours of manual work into minutes.
- Storytelling starts with truth. The best marketing highlights a real problem customers already feel.
- Customer discovery requires curiosity. Open-ended conversations often reveal opportunities you didn’t anticipate.
- Partnerships unlock scale. Collaborations with cruise lines like Norwegian and Carnival opened access to thousands of travelers.
- Focus on the “last mile” of experiences. Many travel brands neglect what happens after the trip ends—where memories are relived.
- Entering new verticals requires humility. Approaching industries with a blank-slate mindset helps uncover insights faster.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Kim Nguyen and TreeRing
01:16 How TreeRing Disrupted the Traditional Yearbook Model
03:22 Identifying a New Opportunity in Travel Memories
04:49 Why AI Makes Photo Book Creation Frictionless
07:51 Expanding from Education to Travel Markets
10:00 Building Partnerships with Cruise Lines
11:53 Scaling Through Enterprise Travel Partnerships
13:00 Learning Customer Pain Points Across Travel Businesses
15:21 Discovering the Travel Agent Photo Book Opportunity
18:46 The Power of Curiosity When Entering New Industries
20:02 Why Listening Beats Being the “Know-It-All” Marketer
20:11 Where to Learn More About TreeRing
Follow Kim Nguyen on LinkedIn
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