Ep 107: Ash ElDifrawi is the Chief Commercial & Brand Officer for The Aspen Group

In today’s episode of Clicks2Bricks, we are joined by Ash ElDifrawi in his capacity as the Chief Commercial and Brand Officer for The Aspen Group (TAG), a portfolio of health-services brands. Ash is here to talk about the unique challenges of growing and supporting a national dentistry brand, and he is perfectly situated as two of the brands under TAG's umbrella are the largest two national dentistry brands in the country! We learn about Ash's father and son podcast, Hold Me Back, before dissecting the inner workings of TAG as a company. We discuss how TAG's daughter companies are structured, how to overcome the challenges of the modern marketing funnel, the marketing relationship between TAG and its affiliated dental practitioners, and why the company relies so heavily on influencers and social media in its marketing efforts. Ash also explains the roles of customer reviews and AI at TAG, why he believes that marketing should be redefined in line with our evolving world, and how his experience at previous companies serves him in the work he does today, as well as the job opportunities that are currently available at The Aspen Group. Tune in for all this and more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Insight into Ash’s father-son podcast, Hold Me Back.
• The ins and outs of Aspen Dental and The Aspen Group (TAG). 
• Exploring Ash's journey at TAG and how his role has changed through various titles.
• A closer look at all the brands under the TAG umbrella and how they're structured. 
• TAG’s marketing funnel and the unique challenges that come with it. 
• The thrills and spills of managing the only two national brands in dentistry. 
• How TAG engages with its network of dental practitioners from a marketing perspective.
• Filling the funnel: understanding what works in today's market. 
• How (and why) TAG uses influencers and social media marketing. 
• Why Ash and his team are more focused on the first visit than retaining customers.
• Customer reviews and the role of AI at TAG. 
• Ash's unpopular opinion about the evolution of the definition of marketing!
• How previous experiences at Google, GoGo, and Redbox influence the way he works today. 
• The differences between general cognitive ability, talent, education, and experience. 
• Job vacancies at TAG and how to connect with Ash and his team.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ash ElDifrawi on LinkedIn

Ash ElDifrawi Books on Amazon

The Aspen Group (TAG)

Hold Me Back Podcast

AI Xecutive Council

Bob Fontana on LinkedIn 

Redbox

Gogo Business Aviation

Raising Cane's

Marriot International 

Warby Parker

SOCi

Clicks 2 Bricks 

Marketing Leaders Coffee Chat