CMO Convo: Recent Episodes

CMO Alliance

A podcast with one central question in mind: what does it take to be a great chief marketing officer? And there are no better people to answer this question than those who have lived the CMO life. In each episode, we have in-depth conversations with CMOs and top-level marketers from around the world, across every industry and level of experience, in order to get their insights into what it takes to excel at the very top of the marketing hierarchy.

Understanding people is essential as a CMO, whether it's your audience or your employees, because this understanding needs to be at the heart of everything you do.

Whether it's crafting authentic stories, motivating your team, or informing performance marketing strategies: people need to be prioritized.

Michelle Peterson, CMO of Kendra Scott, knows this very well, which is why she joined us to share her insights on how her people-first approach is driving every aspect of her CMO role.

Discover the importance of people-first marketing leadership in this episode.

We're diving into the power of community at different points in your cycle, how to understand what your audience is looking for, and how to run an effective community that will drive sales.

Sales and marketing alignment: the dream of pretty much all CMOs.

But achieving it takes more than just saying "can't we all just get along?".

That's why we're here with Fractional CMO, Brady Cohen, as he takes us through 5 practical steps to achieving sales and marketing alignment.

Stop dreaming, start succeeding with this episode.

Become a master of interdepartmental alignment with our C-Suite Masterclass course.

AI is here, so how long until no humans are needed for marketing?

According to Jason Hemingway, CMO of Phrase, that's still a long way off, and the human input is going to remain essential for a long time to come

But what if using AI wasn't just helping humans to do more work, but could actually help you build more genuine, human connections with your audience?

For Jason, that's where the real essential human element of AI lies, as he explains how you can go beyond surface level personalization and really connect with audiences in their own language.

Navigating the world of AI takes alignment with the C-Suite. Discover how you can develop that skill our C-Suite Masterclass course.

AI is making big changes to marketing and the role of CMOs. But what do your thoughts on the technology align with your CEO's?

Your CEO likely has certain expectations on how AI is to be utilized, and while we're still in relatively unexplored territory with these technologies, it's essential for CMOs and CEOs to be aligned on expectations and usage.

To take a look at how this alignment can work, we sat down with Ericka McCoy, CMO of Resonate, who brought along her CEO, Bryan Gernet, as they discuss how they're both approaching the usage of AI for marketing.

For more on the topic of AI in marketing, don't miss the CMO Summit: San Francisco on September 21st.

Learning how to align with the rest of the C-Suite can be challenging. Learn how to overcome them with our C-Suite Masterclass.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: aligning Sales and Marketing is essential to the success of CMOs and their brands.

But it's not just about making a process more efficient through collaboration: according to Jessica Lyn Zall, CMO of Percent, unifying and aligning Sales and Marketing is a recognition of how B2C consumer and B2B buyer behaviors have evolved.

The ultimate way to keep sales and marketing working together effectively is to ensure you're working towards the same goal: catering to your customers and audience's needs and preferred means of buying.

In this episode, Jessica breakdown how this can look across different industries.

For more fantastic insights from Jessica and other marketing leaders, get your ticket for CMO Summit: San Francisco, taking place on September 21st.

Your customers can't buy from you if they don't know who you are.

Making the case for brand awareness should be that simple, and yet CMOs in many organizations are often told they shouldn't "waste" resources on something that doesn't clearly attribute to revenue, like performance marketing.

As a CMO, it's your role to make the case for the importance of investing in brand awareness, and we're joined by Rachael Donnelly, CMO of Experian Marketing, as she shares her insights on how you can show the power of brand awareness and convert the non-believers.

For brand awareness to succeed, it needs buy-in and alignment from all major stakeholders in a business, and in this episode, Rachael explains how to do just that.

Discover more on how to achieve buy-in and C-Suite alignment with our C-Suite Masterclass Course.

In a very special 100th episode, CMO Alliance's own CMO, Bryony Pearce sits down with two fantastic women CMOs: Mai Fenton of Superscript, and Virginie Faucon, former CMO of BBC Maestro.

The Topic? The importance of diversity in marketing leadership, and overcoming the challenges many women face in these roles. Despite the many gains by women in the workplace, in publically traded companies, only 20% of C-Suite roles are held by women. In this episode, Bryony, Mai, and Virginie take a look at the challenges women still face in reaching leadership positions, and what can be done to help elevate women in the workplace.

But they don't stop there! Diversity of every kind needs to be championed and enriched in business, and we examine the responsibility that business leaders have, male or female, on what needs to be done to ensure business reflects the increasingly diverse world we live in.

If you want to take your leadership skills to the next level and take your place within the C-Suite, don't miss our C-Suite Masterclass.

Start your journey to mastering the C-Suite today.

Has AI changed the landscape of marketing forever? Are marketing departments succeeding with "doing more with less"? What does the future hold for the industry? 2023 has already presented some big questions for marketing leaders, and we're tackling them with Rashel Hariri.

Key talking points

The current state of generative AI, and how things could develop in the future.
The challenges CMOs are facing with smaller budgets, and what solutions they're using.
The skills and capabilities CMOs and their teams need to develop to succeed.

If you want to equip yourself with the skills to succeed in the C-Suite, no matter what the future holds, the C-Suite Masterclass is the place to start.

Brands, marketing teams, and their audiences are becoming increasingly diverse. But there's still more to be done. Patrick and Jade take a look at the current marketing landscape through the lens of DE&I, why it's essential for marketing teams to be diverse, and what marketing leaders can do to further the cause.

Key talking points

Why a diverse marketing team enhances creativity, prevents missteps, and just makes sense from an ethical standpoint.
Despite the "backlash", once you cut through the noise, marketing to diverse groups works.
How marketing leaders can drive effective DE&I in their organizations.

Developing and maintaining effective DE&I programs can be an important part of mastering the C-Suite. Start your journey to C-Suite success with the C-Suite Masterclass.

The right agency partnerships can open up a bunch of resources for CMOs. But are you really getting the best for your buck? That's something your CFO definitely wants to know, and Robert Patin joins us to explain why working closely with CFOs when selecting agencies can help maximize your ROI.

Key talking points

Making the case for agency partnerships to your CFO.
How to measure the success of agency partnerships in a way that will satisfy CFOs.
The importance of CMO and CFO working relationships.

Want to really get the skills and know-how for an effective relationship with your CFO? The C-Suite Masterclass will equip you with everything you need to succeed in the C-Suite. Begin your journey to C-Suite success here.

Are you a marketer with CEO ambitions? Don't miss this episode! Gone are the days where CEOs were exclusively from finance or sales backgrounds, more marketers are reaching the role than ever. Jacob Baadsgard, Founder and Chairman of Disruptive Advertising shares his insights on what marketers need to do to lead to companies.

Key talking points

The various paths to the C-Suite for marketers.
What you can bring to the table as a CEO with marketing experience.
The skills and knowledge you need to develop to lead companies, and how marketers can develop them.

Want to master the skills you need to succeed in the C-Suite? Don't miss the C-Suite Masterclass.

Marketing leaders are constantly being told their efforts need to drive revenue. But Angeley Mullins believes that effective marketing has always been driving revenue, we just haven't been able to show it. Until now...

Key talking points

The case for marketing as a revenue driver.
How to effectively show how marketing is driving revenue, even in circumstances where attribution is difficult.
The stakeholders you need to be working with to show the efficacy of marketing.

Want to really master showing revenue drivers to the rest of the C-Suite? Maximize your abilities with C-Suite Masterclass.

Not heard of a CMO's Chief of Staff? This emerging role is having a huge impact on marketing organizations. Discover what this entails as we sit down with Chloe Washington, Chief of Staff to the CMO at Hubspot, and Jim Williams, CMO of Uptempo.

Key talking points

The challenges facing CMOs, and how a chief of staff can help them overcome them.
How a chief of staff operates in organizations like Hubspot.
Advice for both becoming a chief of staff and making the right choice when hiring one.

Discover more about the C-suite Masterclass

Are we at the end of the "growth at all costs" era of business? If we are, what function should marketing have if it's not driving growth? Sylvain Giuliani has the answers.

Key talking points

Should we still be focused on growth with marketing?
What marketing leaders should be pivoting to in the current climate.
What does "doing more with less" really mean?

If you're looking for more information on the C-Suite Masterclass, start your journey to top-level business leadership here.

The best way to get people connected with your brand is through amazing customer experiences. In the future, Yahya thinks AI, VR, and the Metaverse will play a big part in them.

Key talking points

What people expect from brands when it comes to customer experience.
Current customer experience applications for AI, VR, and the Metaverse.
How these applications could evolve in the future.

Traditionally, you do marketing, then you do sales. But according to our guest, Zee, in modern business, you need to have them interweaved throughout a single funnel, not different stages.

Key talking points

Why sales and marketing alignment is more important than ever.
The modern buyer funnel, and sales and marketing's role.
What CMOs need to do to achieve alignment.

All marketing has a purpose behind it, but if your audience isn't converting, what's the point? Ihor Sokol is sharing a secret that could double your conversion rates: optimizing based on user intent.

Key talking points

The current state of conversion rates, and where organizations are often going wrong.
Why user intent data should be at the heart of your approach to conversion rates.
Ihor's golden rules and secret hacks for upping your conversion rates.

We've heard a lot from CMOs on why they think an aligned C-suite is important for success. Now it's time to get a CEO's perspective on the CMO's role in achieving this.

Key talking points

The importance of aligned C-suites, and why silos can be blockers to achieving this.
Why CMOs have historically had problems aligning with the C-suite, and what they should be doing now.
A CEO's perspective on the role of CMOs in breaking open C-suite silos.

ChatGPT is an impressive piece of tech. But what impact could it have in the world of content marketing? Lindsay joins us to discuss what's likely to stay the same, what could change, and how you need to adapt as a marketing leader.

Key talking points

Should you be seriously thinking about using Ai and ChatGPT to produce all of your content?
What skill sets are likely to be important for content marketers in the future?
A look at the big picture and how generative Ai could impact organic search and inbound marketing as a whole.

Common methods of marketing attribution might be leaving gaping holes in your B2B strategies. Steffen joins us to explain those gaps, and what you need to do to fill them.

Key talking points

The importance of marketing attribution in today's landscape.
The gaps in the majority of B2B techstacks.
Solutions that will take you to new heights of success.

With the big boom in the world of eCommerce during the COVID pandemic seeming like a distant memory in a world of recessions and cost-of-living crises, what do eCommerce CMOs need to keep in mind. Samir Balwani joins us to share his insights.

Key talking points

The current state of eCommerce consumers and marketing.
Time to cut back on marketing spend, or invest more?
The most important tools for eCommerce CMOs right now.

Regular self-assessments as a CMO can be a powerful tool to know what's working, what isn't, where you need to improve, and when to course correct to align with your business goals. Stacey Danheiser joins us to share how this process should go.

Key talking points

Why you need to run a regular self-assessment as a CMO.
The goals of self-assessments, and how the process should go.
How to act on the results.

No matter what you're marketing in B2B, the ultimate audience for your products isn't businesses, it's the people in them. Ericka Podesta McCoy is with us to share why you should be considering consumer behavior in B2B marketing.

Key talking points

Why B2B marketing needs to adapt to the changes in how people are working.
Why it's a mistake to focus too much on rationality and logic when marketing to B2B buyers.
Why focusing on the human side can increase customer lifetime value.

Should you be keeping the B2B and B2C sides of your duties separate as a CMO? Eric Lent has some thoughts...

Key talking points

Do you need separate skills, teams, and techstacks for B2B and B2C?
How can consumer behavior inform B2B buying, and vice-versa?
Managing your duties to both B2B and B2C as a CMO.

Your website can often be the first major interaction with your brand, so it's essential you can answer the questions they might have effectively and efficiently. Ari Krzyzek takes us through the most important questions your brand's website needs to answer.

Key talking points

Why you need to think about more than art when it comes to website design.
The five questions your brand website has to answer.
How to answer those questions clearly and effectively.

Ever-increasing regulations and expectations around data privacy might seem like a burden to CMOs, but Jodi Daniels believes that when approached properly, it can be the ultimate tool in building trust in your brand.

Key talking points

Why data privacy has become so important to people.
Why government regulation on data isn't something to be feared.
How to present your data privacy policy in a way that really builds trust in your brand.

Different generations will have different priorities in times of crisis. We spoke to Jeanniey Walden on how you can understand the different generational challenges facing your customers right now, and how you can respond as a CMO.

Key talking points

Why it can be important to segment your customers by generation.
How to understand and respond to their different challenges.
Why this applies in both B2B and B2C.

Want to be in the room with great marketing leaders like Jeanniey? Don't miss the CMO Summit New York on March 15th. Get your ticket here.

It used to be fairly easy to know where to place your video ads. But now, with so many different platforms and ways to watch, Betsy Rella believes we need to make changes in how we measure video for ad placements and media buying.

Key talking points

The current state of video measurement, and why it's problematic for CMOs.
What's needed for success: the challenge for media companies and tech providers.
What the future could hold for video measurement.

One of the most powerful way to get people invested in your stories is by connecting with their emotions. In the final chapter of Story Masters, Gastón takes us through the techniques that storytellers have used throughout history to evoke emotion.

Key talking points

The power of emotion in brand storytelling.
Pathos, logos, and catharsis: what are they, and how can they apply in marketing?
Gastón's ultimate storytelling advice.

Gastón Tourn is back with us for the second episode of Story Masters. This time, we're looking at how to structure your brand stories.

Key talking points

What are story structures, and why are they important?
The difference between "acts" and "scenes".
Examples of story structures in practice in modern marketing, and how you can do the same.

What are the purposes of the brand stories we tell? Gastón shares with us why and how your aim should always be to defamiliarize your audience and build a willing suspension of disbelief.

Key talking points

What is defamiliarization, and why is it important to your brand storytelling?
How to build willing suspension of disbelief, and why it's so essential.
Examples of these techniques in action in modern marketing.

Looking to gain more experience across different types of organizations? Looking to add some variety to the projects you work on? Or maybe you just want some extra cash. A Fractional CMO side hustle might be just the ticket, as Shikha explains in this episode.

Key talking points

How a Fractional CMO side hustle can benefit your career.
The practicalities of time and project management.
The importance of establishing boundaries across your different projects.

The lessons Austin learned growing Bolt from series B to a decacorn have proved invaluable in his role as Head of Marketing at Arc Technologies, and he's eager to share these lessons with you.

Key talking points

Why developing a growth-focused culture is important as a marketing leader.
The lessons Austin learned from growing Bolt.
How Austin is applying these lessons at Arc, and how you can do the same.

Should marketing budgets be the first to go when recessions loom? According to Fleur, the evidence from the last recession says no...

Key talking points

Why marketing budgets are the first to go, and why this is the wrong approach.
Does marketing need to be a priority when the economy turns sour?
How to show the case for marketing's importance to key stakeholders.

Marketing in an agile sales environment requires a different approach to marketing. Simon shares the objectives, team structures, and more that CMOs need to take on board.

Key talking points

What are Marketing's core objectives (and how do you measure success)?
How do teams inter-departmental teams need to be structured?
What are the essential pieces of tech?

You might be an excellent CMO, but are you ready for a CEO role? Alan shares what skills, leadership style, and differences you need to be aware of when moving from marketing to the top leadership role in a company.

Key talking points

The differences between leading as a CMO and as a CEO.
The advantages of CEOs with marketing backgrounds.
How to identify the opportunities to make that big step.

For every brand that has an authentic, values-driven purpose, there are plenty more out there who are just attaching themselves to purposes for good press. We examine this problem with Greg, and what CMOs should be thinking about to do purpose-driven branding right.

Key talking points

Defining "purposewashing" and why it's a problem.
Organizations that are doing purpose-driven branding right, and lessons to learn from them.
Examples of brands that are being inauthentic with their purpose, and the impact that can have on their audience.

What are the components of a growth-focused marketing team? Good question, and one that Maya Moufarek has some great advice on.

Key talking points

What sets a growth-focused marketing team apart from a "standard" one?
How do you go about building one?
How to create a company culture that allows for growth.

Customer is king when it comes to the restaurant industry, so who better to take lessons from how technology can create a unified marketing experience than Seth Temko, Restaurant Tech innovator?

Key talking points

What is a unified marketing experience, and why is it important?
Customer expectations, and how technology can help you meet them.
What the future holds, and outside-the-box thinking for technology.

With access to oodles of customer data and feedback, CMOs are perfectly placed to enhance every department as the voice of the customer. We're joined by Mary Costa to explain just what that means for you.

Key talking points

Why CMOs are perfectly placed to be the "voice of the customer" representative for the entire organization.
How to build effective feedback loops with different departments (and why they're so important).
The authority that customer feedback lends to your role as CMO.

As a marketing leader, you're expected to have a plan for the future. But how do you do that when the future is so chaotic? Rusty Bishop has plenty to share on creating plans that are flexible, and also some hope spots for CMOs to actually look forward to!

Key talking points

Why it's important to think long term as a CMO.

How to develop plans despite the uncertainty in the future.

Bright spots on the horizon that CMOs can actually look forwards to for once!

Jason has plenty of experience at driving change in major organizations. Check out his advice on how you need to be doing the same as a CMO.

Key talking points

Why looking to the future is essential to the CMO role.
What kind of challenges and opportunities CMOs could face soon.
Why CMOs are perfectly placed to be the catalysts for change in their organizations.

Marketers tell stories all the time: to our customers, to our colleagues, even to ourselves. But what types of stories will we be telling in the future? Lorena Morales has some theories...

Key talking points

Why stories are important to every aspect of a marketer's life.
The culture and technology behind the future of brand storytelling.
The universal elements of great stories that won't change.

How much attention are you paying to the impact your brand has on a personal level? Gastón calls this your micro-level brand purpose, and it just might be the secret to marketing success.

Key talking points

The danger of being too grandiose with your brand messaging.
The essence of micro-level brand purpose: identifying the relatable human stories around your brand.
The importance of CMOs getting to know their actual customers.

With competition and customer expectations in the eCommerce space at an all-time high, could Ai be the tool that gives you the edge? We explore that question, and more, with Preethy.

Key talking points

The current state of eCommerce and the challenges facing CMOs in that space.
How Ai can offer a solution to those challenges.
What the future might hold for Ai and eCommerce.

As CMO of Cheribundi, Rob is competing against some of the biggest household names in all consumer brands. In this episode he takes us through how he's choosing his battles.

Key talking points

How can challenger brands compete against giant corporations with seemingly endless resources? Beat them at their own game, or change the conversation?
The importance of identifying and utilizing your strengths to their utmost extent.
How brand values can be used to really stand out from the crowd.

Tim's experience as a marketing consultant for a portfolio of multi-million dollar brands has taught him a major lesson: brands with great internal marketing are the one's that succeed. He's with us to share why your marketing should be looking inwards, before it starts looking outwards.

Key talking points

Why customers shouldn't always be your top priority.
How internal marketing can lead to external success.
Why neglecting company culture and employee branding can lead to disaster.

If recent times have taught us anything, something can come along and derail your plans completely unexpectedly. Liz is with us to share her insights into navigating those problems and do what's best for your main responsibilities: the brand, your customers, and your team.

Key talking points

Who makes the decisions on what to prioritize (brand, customers, or your team)?
The importance (and degree) of transparency over why you're making certain decisions.
How to explain the right course to stakeholders.

Karen Peterson presents her framework for approaching the different phases of the CMO role.

Key talking points

Winter - time to take stock and prepare for the activity ahead.
Spring - big growth, and time to try new things.
Summer - Glory in your success, build on what's working.
Autumn/fall - Take advantage of calmer times to explore new things.

CMOs can often find themselves under intense scrutiny from many different stakeholders, which can lead to you being spread thin, trying desperately to please everyone. Jeff Biesman joins us to explain how you can survive and thrive under the CMO magnifying glass.

Key talking points

Why CMOs are so often scrutinized by so many different stakeholders, and what this can mean for their capabilities and careers.
The key stakeholders in an organization, and how to align with them for success.
Why a certain level of tension and competition can be a good thing.

James Scherer is with us to share how you can go from underdog to top cat when it comes to competing against bigger companies that capture all the keywords you need.

Key talking points

What we mean by the "rich get richer" in the context of content and SEO.
Advice and processes for CMOs and smaller brands to stay competitive on keywords.
A look towards what the future might hold for content marketing and SEO.

Kaila Yates is back with us to share her experiences on how best to wrap up projects as an interim CMO.

Key talking points

The importance of "leaving well" as an interim CMO.
How to handle handovers and manage expectations once you've left the building.
The importance of building your network and taking time for yourself to set yourself up for success on your next project.

Dan examines some of the brands with the most passionate devotees: what are the secrets to their success, and what can CMOs do to leverage that passion?

Key talking points

What is irrational advocacy, and what does it mean for brands?
Why do some brands create passion when their competitors don't?
Navigating the difficult waters of brand values.

According to Kristina, if you're building your entire approach to ABM around tech, you're probably doing it wrong.

Key talking points

Why has ABM become synonymous with ABM tech (and why is that a problem)?
How to get started with ABM strategies that will set you up for future success.
The importance of starting off "tech-free" (at the beginning, at least).

Chris joins us to share his insights on how to fix the fragmentation of brand analytics.

Key talking points

The importance of brand analytics and how its fragmentation can impact your role as a CMO.
Approaches you can take to improve the situation.
How to show the value and performance of brand marketing to key stakeholders.

eCommerce, it's a pretty big deal. But with all the competition and high expectations for customers, you need to know what you're doing. Happily, Mathieu has plenty of secrets to share.

Key talking points

The current state of eCommerce and how we got here.
What are the baseline expectations from customers, and how do we not just meet them, but exceed them?
The potential directions eCommerce could take in the future.

What lessons can big tech learn from start-ups when it comes to marketing, and vice versa? According to Gaston, there's more than you think...

Key talking points

What different things do CMOs need to consider between start-ups and big tech?
Are there lessons to be learned on both sides?
How you can prepare your skills as your organization grows.

Data is important across pretty much all marketing, but it's absolutly essential in the world of eCommerce. Mike joined us to share how CMOs can keep up.

Key talking points

What are customer expectations for modern eCommerce, and how can CMOs respond?
The most important data you need to be paying attention to for eCommerce success.
What the future might hold as access to certain data streams change.

Being able to properly show marketing attribution is essential to the CMO role. But you need to know what you're doing which is why Miruna joins us today to give us the full lowdown.

Key talking points

What does attribution actually mean in the context of modern markerting?
Does everything need to be attributable, and what can you do if you can't?
What does the future hold for markeitng attribution?

CFOs can often be seen as a roadblock to your mission as CMO, but it doesn't have to be the case. Yannick shares with us why you should be working closely with your CFO to achieve success.

Key talking points

Why the relationship between CMOs and CFOs can be contentious, and why this can be a problem.
How to show the value of marketing so that your CFO doesn't see it as just a cost.
What a good relationship with your CFO can unlock for you.

What role do brands and CMOs have in supporting societal change in these turbulent times? According to our guest, Katie Klumper, there are plenty of responsibilities we can and should be living up to.

Key talking points

Why it's important for CMOs and their brands to support the right causes.
Navigating internal politics and reconciling personal beliefs with company values.
Plenty of examples of leading brands that are doing things right (and a few that have gotten it wrong).

Alan has extensive experience with start-up branding from his experience as a Factional CMO for B2B SaaS Start-ups, and he's sharing his perspective on how and when start-up CMOs should be tackling their brand.

Key talking points

Why branding is often neglected in early-stage start-ups, and why this can be problem.
How to balance brand building with the need for demand gen and growth.
How you can build an effective brand in a resource-poor environment.

Feeling siloed is never good, and it happens all too often to marketing departments. Jeff Coyle returns to CMO Convo to share how AI tools could break open those silos and make CMOs more effective.

Key talking points

What are silos, why are they problems, and why does it happen to marketers so much?
How AI tools offer solutions to these problems.
What you need in place to make the most out of AI tools.

Following the "normal" approach to B2B branding just leads to boring brands that you can't tell apart. That's why Mai advises taking unconventional approaches to branding.

Key talking points

Why branding is so important to B2B orgs, and why people are only recently waking up to this.
Why it's never too early to start building a brand.
The importance of unconventional marketing to build a distinct brand.

The right sponsorships can be extremely effective for brands. Ken Ungar joins us to share everything CMOs need to know when it comes to identifying and utilizing sponsorships effectively.

Key talking points

Why sponsorships can be effective for cutting through clutter.
How to identify and utilize the right sponsorship opportunities.
The organizational dependencies you need in place to make the most of those opportunities.

Want to be an effective interim CMO, you need to be aware of the skills, resources and networks you need to succeed. Avi Kumar has plenty of advice on all three of those things.

Key talking points

The types of projects you can face as an interim CMO, and the skills you'll need.
The network and resources you'll need to rely on.
What an interim CMO career path can look like.

For many marketers, it often feels like you have to move away from your passions and specialties to climb the ladder. But it doesn't have to be this way, as Ling Koay explains.

Key talking points

Why the conflicting duties of many CMOs can be a problem.
Owning your marketing superpower and how marketing leadership can reflect this.
The possibilities and responsibilities for Chief Brand Officers and Chief Marketing Officers in early stage companies.

What does it take to be a great interim CMO? If anyone knows, it's our guest, Alan Gleeson.

Key talking points

The typical roles and duties of an interim CMO in B2B SaaS start-ups.
The skills and processes that Alan uses to succeed in those roles.
Career advice on developing yourself into a great interim CMO.

A brand that becomes heavily associated with a movement in society can be powerful indeed, but it's not without risks, as we explore with Elliott.

Key talking points

Defining movement marketing and its advantages to brands.
Lessons to be learned from the success stories and the catastrophic failures.
The steps Elliott is taking to build an associated movement with ARION, with advice on how other CMOs can do the same.

Marketers and CMOs might be in charge of building and developing a brand, but it's usually frontline teams who have to put it into practice. That's why Chris and his team developed a process called a brand transfer study, to open up dialogues so marketers can get more insights from their frontline teams.

Key talking points

Why frontline teams have valuable insights for CMOs.
The benefits and processes for opening up two-way dialogues between marketing and the frontline.
The scales and practicalities to get the most from this process.

How can you satisfy search bots for SEO and still make sure your website has a human touch people can connect with? Jeff Coyle has some ideas to share.

Key talking points

The function of search bots and what they look for when it comes to SEO.
The importance of site architecture over keyword densities for SEO.
Creating a culture of content.

Every marketer should be able to understand their audience, and when it comes to businesses, that involves understanding both their current needs and how they might develop in the future. Shawn McKee has advice on how to scale your marketing to respond to both.

Key talking points

Why it's important to scale your marketing to reflect your target audience.
How to go about understanding your audience's needs now and in the future.
How to identify the best targets for your ABM activities.

Where next in your career path as a CMO? Chris Sheen has some advice and ideas to share.

Key talking points

The problem with career paths that take you away from your passions.
When sometimes it's right to celebrate demotions.
Why fancy and prestigious titles don't always make for a happy career.

Who better to discuss putting the customer first when it comes to growth than the CMO of one of the world's leading peer review services?

Key talking points

What does it mean to take a customer-led approach to growth?
The company-wide benefits of this approach.
Practicalities and metrics for CMOs to consider.

Our guest, Stacey, has built a career around furthering the cause of marketing in some of the biggest Fortune 500 companies in the world, and she's here to share her approach so other CMOs can do the same.

Key talking points

The importance of getting back to fundamentals rather than flashy tech.
Properly defining your function as a CMO within your organization.
How to be a customer advocate as a CMO.

Podcasts have taken the world by storm, but what advantages could there be to brands for private, gated podcasts? According to our guest, Nora, there are plenty: from onboarding processes to employee training, gamified content experiences, and more...

Key talking points:

The advantages of audio over other forms of content.
The power of audio beyond public podcasts that CMOs can leverage.
The future of audio content.

Content gets created. It goes on the site. People engage with it. Job done right? Not quite. By thinking of that content as a standalone piece, you're potentially falling into the trap of constantly having to re-engage with customers. Randy believes we should be thinking about all the content we produce, and how it's positioned in terms of personalized content experiences.

Key talking points

The need for personalized content experiences.
What a personalized content experience can look like.
How CMOs can go about implementing this approach.

Has accounts-based marketing has lost its way because we're focusing too much on "marketing"? According to Jon, it's down to CMOs to align with other departments to create a full accounts-based experience.

Key talking points include:

How we've lost our way when it comes to ABM.
New methods of identifying high-value accounts with a sales-first approach.
How to build ABX with interdepartmental efforts.

Drawn from insights from his new book, Renegade Marketing: 12 Steps to Building Unbeatable B2B Brands, drew brings his expertise to show why an exciting brand isn't just a nice-to-have these days, but absolutely essential.

Key talking points:

Why B2B organizations are setting themselves back by not investing in brand building.
How a brand is more than just logo and colors - it can influence the direction of the entire company.
The importance of emotional connections to B2B success.

Your website should be your customers and prospects first port of call, but without technical SEO, your site won't be doing what it needs to. But how do you get investment on a long-term project like that, when your CEO wants quick wins and clear results? Our guest Craig is here to share his advice from the perspective of a CEO on what his peers will respond to from their CMOs.

Key talking points:

The importance of technical SEO to modern businesses.
How to balance the need for quick wins and long-term projects.
How to frame your proposals to get buy-in from CEOs and other stakeholders on the importance of technical SEO.

Emotional wellbeing is essential to great marketing teams, but how can marketing leaders safeguard this in remote working scenarios? According to Amanda, you can't hide behind "perks" like bean bag chairs and beer fridges anymore, you have to offer genuine support.

Key talking points

The benefits and challenges of running a remote marketing team.
Why employee emotional wellbeing has become a priority for organizations.
What leadership and support need to look like in a world of remote working.

Kaila is here to share her extensive experience as an interim CMO so that both CMOs and the companies hiring them are set up for success.

Key talking points include:-

The prep interim CMOs need to do before they start.
The structures and information companies need to provide interim CMOs on day one.
How interim CMOs can provide long-term benefits in a limited time.

Aki joins us to discuss the importance of empathy when it comes to brands (be for- or non-profit), especially when the whole world is struggling with a global pandemic.

Key talking points include:-

Why it was important to relaunch a brand during a pandemic.
Developing brand relaunch strategies during uncertain times.
The importance of empathy for both the people a non-profit supports and its supporters (and how those principles can apply to other brands).

New perspectives on marketing are always welcome, so how does a background in engineering provide that? That's where our guest Srdjan comes in, who switched from engineering to marketing and brought with him new, fresh approaches to marketing to share with us today.

Key talking points include:-

The applicability of engineering processes to marketing.
The importance of "outsider" perspectives to evolve.
The resources that CMOs and marketers can look to develop their skills.

For the most part, people like a good story. They also tend to connect with people more than they do with big faceless brands. That's why our guest, Erin, is here to share how and why CMOs can build great, engaging brand stories around their most important resource: the fantastic people they work with!

The core components of a good brand story.
The role people play in building and telling a brand story.
Are customers looking for a more human connection with brands?
What role do CMOs have in connecting employees to a brand?

Becoming a great CMO takes work. You have to be a master of marketing strategy, constantly improving your skills, and support and lead your team with smiles. It's those three pillars (strategy, skills, and smiles) that our guest, Nischala has built her career on, and she's here to share how you can do the same.

The basis of great marketing strategies in the age of COVID.
What skills CMOs should focus on leveling up and how to do it.
The importance of employee happiness and the role CMOs can play in encouraging that in their marketing teams.

What expectations do consumers have for out-of-home experiences in a world that's been changed by COVID? It's a question that needs answering now that many of the world's cities are opening back up after pandemic restrictions, and it's one that our guest Esther just might have the answer to.

Key talking points include:

The potential long-term effects of the pandemic on how consumers live, move, and (for lack of a better term) consume in cities.
What consumers are looking for from brands in the future.
The new experiences and technologies that will be important to out-of-home in the future.

For many people, blockchain and crypto are just weird buzzwords that have slowly trickled through from tech blogs. So how do you market products in this world? That’s a challenge our guest, Audrey, overcomes every day, which is why she’s joining us to take us through the role of CMOs in marketing blockchain, crypto, and other little understood emerging technologies.

Key talking points include:

The unique challenges of blockchain and crypto marketing.
Identifying your audience for products that people don’t necessarily understand.
What sets blockchain and crypto marketing campaigns apart from other types of products.

What do Gen-Z want from their brands? It's a big question, and many marketers are running out of time to find the answer, as Gen-Z are soon to be the largest consumer base in the US. Thankfully, our guest to day, Aidan, is perfectly positioned to share his insights into building an effective marketing strategy aimed at Gen-Z.

Key talking points include:

How Aidan has been identifying the wants and needs of college students to build marketing strategies.
The importance of authenticity and shared values to Gen-Z when it comes to brands.
A brief look at the importance of TikTok in reaching Gen-Z audiences.

"Uh-oh, here comes Finance to spoil our fun and put a halt to all our good ideas." It's likely something along those lines has crossed the minds of every marketer at some point. But our guest today, Andrea, believes that CMOs can take steps to build effective, collaborative relationships between marketers and the money people.

Key talking points include:

The reasons why Marketing and Finance departments are often at odds, and why this is detrimental to success.
How Andrea is encouraging her team to take ownership of finance at every level.
Her advice for building inter-departmental relationships and collaborations.

If anyone knows growth strategies as a CMO, it's Daniel, who has been used his skills to lead the marketing of award-winning start-ups. He's here on this episode to share his insights and expertise.

Key talking points include:

How to define growth as a goal that can be communicated internally.
The importance of developing bespoke growth strategies, not just following a playbook.
Companies with great growth strategies to inspire.

To track, manage, and respond to all the different ways your audience interacts with your brand, you need a 360-degree marketing solution. But what is it, what components do they need, and what do CMOs need to be aware of when integrating it into your marketing department? That's what our guest in this episode, Ionut, is here to tell us!

Key talking points include:

The importance of 360-degree marketing solutions and their essential components.
The process of building one and what to prioritize.
How to coordinate with other departments to make sure it's integrated properly.

Maya knows that not only does increased diversity in marketing make sense from an ethical perspective, it allows you to build more effective, creative teams! That's why she's taking us through her methods for team building, the benefits of diversity, and how CMOs can take action to up the diversity in their teams.

Key talking points include:

What to prioritize when building a marketing team.
The importance of having a marketing team that reflects society and your audience.
Actionable insights in how to build an effective, diverse team.

Cinema is one of the greatest storytelling mediums, so where better to learn how to tell effective stories in video marketing than Hollywood? That's what our guest today, Maury, thought, and now he's here to share his insights with us and other marketers.

Key talking points include:

The components of great video stories.
Brands that are great at telling their stories.
How to engage internal stakeholders on the need for effective stories in video marketing.

Remote work is here to stay, but Liam believes it's not just a time for CMOs to adapt, but to excel and make the most out this landmark moment in ways of working. Liam discusses the organizational structures, tech stack, and people needed to create an effective remote marketing team.

Key talking points include:

The effectiveness of remote working vs. on-site teams.
Creative collaboration in a remote organization.
Where CMOs can find the resources they need to excel.

Content marketing has been a part of many organizations for a while, but 2020 really showed how essential it can be for marketing success. Aidan takes us through the importance of owning your content strategy as a CMO and what a valuable content strategy looks like.

Key talking points include:

The pillars to build good content around.
How to partner content with your SEO strategies.
Is it possible (or even worthwhile) to develop content without paying attention to SEO?

Christy dives into her own penchant for risk-taking in marketing and her career, while also highlighting that risk has a time and a place, especially if you want buy-in from the rest of the C-suite.

Key talking points include:

The biggest marketing strategy risks of Christy’s career, along with how they paid off and how she brought them to fruition.
How Christy developed her propensity for bold marketing moves with her career development.
Advice for identifying the right place and the right time for risks, and how to bring them to fruition with stakeholder buy-in.

Eric examines how CMOs need to go beyond brand and communication to better integrate into a business and drive company growth.

Key talking points include:

What do CMOs need to expand their role into, and what are the benefits?
Could expanded CMO roles allow them to better navigate the C-Suite and alignment with other departments?
What will the CMOs of the future look like?

Many people are aware of how the US startup scene works both through cultural osmosis and the fact that it gets so much coverage in the press. But working in the European startup scene offers unique challenges and rewards, which we discussed with Alan.

Key talking points include:

The main challenges facing CMOs in the European B2B SaaS startup scene.
What skills you need to survive and thrive in that environment?
What benefits do CMOs get from excelling in this landscape?

Patrick gives an honest and frank reflection on what the early days of his CMOhood were like and how he adapted, and also what his role has evolved into, five years down the line.

Key talking points include:

The importance of taking risks in early-stage startups as a CMO.
The advantages of being an internal hire and knowing the business inside and out.
How CMOs can get their heads around their role changing and evolving as the business grows.

We took a look at Dave's background as a product marketer and what skills he learned from it that helped him excel in his CMO role.

Key talking points include:

Principles of product marketing.
The skills required in a product marketer that make for great CMOs.
Resources and methods for learning product marketing skills.
Advice for product marketers looking to make the jump into the C-suite.

What happens when you put two marketers who love literature in on a podcast episode? You get a deep discussion on how Gastón thinks CMOs could be leveling up their role by learning how to tell great stories.

Key talking points include:

The value of a great story in marketing.
The main pitfalls when it comes to brand storytelling and how to overcome them.
What can CMOs learn from great literary figures?