What if you could borrow the brain of a world-class marketer for half an hour? That’s the idea behind CMO Mentor. Each week, a senior marketing leader - from places like Meta, Samsung, LinkedIn, Barclays and more - takes on real questions from you. You’ll get quickfire lessons, deeper dives into their craft, and the sort of honest, lived advice you rarely hear on a stage. No chest-beating or “back in my day” stories, plenty of useful answers to the problems you’re facing right now. Brought to you by The Marketing Meetup.
Everyone's talking about AI. Far fewer people are talking about how to actually use it well.In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, Joe sits down with Jacq, CMO of Pip & Nut, to explore where AI genuinely creates value and where human judgment, strategy, and creativity remain irreplaceable.Fresh from launching Pip & Nut's standout AI-assisted TV campaign, Jacq shares what really happened behind the scenes. Rather than replacing creatives, AI became another production tool - one that still required thousands of human decisions, careful brand stewardship, and exceptional creative taste.Along the way, the conversation expands into what makes a great marketer in 2026: strategic discipline, commercial thinking, brand consistency, and developing the judgment to know when AI is helping - and when it isn't.Whether you're experimenting with AI for the first time or leading a marketing team through rapid change, this episode offers practical advice grounded in real-world experience rather than hype :)SponsorsOur studio recordings are filmed at Work.Life in London. They offer really lovely offices and co-working spaces and have friendly staff to look after you. We always feel so welcome when we're there: https://work.life/Weglot are the brilliant company sponsoring this episode :) . They offer really simple website translation services, allowing you to expand your reach as a brand. AI will help make that translation super-fast, and humans will check it to make sure it is chef's kiss good content 🤌. Thank you sooooo much for your support!SpeakerJacq Ellis-Jones https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-ellis-jones-marketing-communicationsIn this episode, you'll learn:The marketing skills that will matter most over the next decadeWhy strategy is far more important than better AI promptsHow Pip & Nut created its AI-assisted TV advertWhere AI genuinely improves marketing efficiencyWhy creative taste is becoming even more valuableHow to balance commercial pressure with brand buildingThe AI tools Jacq's team actually uses todayWhat marketers should learn to future-proof their careersHow to thrive inside challenger brands with limited budgetsWhat to do when leadership wants AI to solve every problemTimestamps0:00 - Stop wasting your marketing budget0:46 - Why AI still needs human creativity2:00 - Sponsor - learn about the brilliant WEGLOT2:32 - The marketing skills that matter most4:22 - How top marketers build those skills6:19 - The traits that set great marketers apart8:32 - Marketing mentors worth learning from11:22 - The mindset every CMO needs13:42 - Why every marketer should understand finance16:24 - Inside Pip & Nut's AI-powered campaign18:05 - Where AI creates real marketing value20:58 - How the AI ad was actually made22:56 - Why taste beats AI prompts27:16 - Efficiency vs. effectiveness with AI30:26 - Why strategy comes before AI tools31:21 - How marketing leaders are learning AI33:36 - The AI tools Pip & Nut actually uses36:44 - Future-proof your marketing career38:16 - Balancing brand quality with tight budgets43:52 - How to thrive in a challenger brand48:37 - What to do when your CEO says "use AI"53:14 - Final advice for ambitious marketersIf you enjoyed this, please like and subscribe - it genuinely helps us reach more marketers like you 💜Join 37,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's freeeeee): https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletter/Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s
When times get tough, the temptation to discount is almost irresistible. A quick promotion, a short-term volume spike, a CFO who's happy for five minutes. But what's it actually costing you?In this one, Jodie Gillary, Head of Brand Activation at Kantar, joined James to talk about why discounting is one of the most damaging things a brand can do, and what marketers should be doing instead to protect their pricing power. She brought the data, the case studies, and the kind of clarity that makes you want to forward this to your CFO immediately.SponsorsThis episode was filmed at our Work.Life recording studio in London: https://work.life/Shoutout to @Weglot for sponsoring this episode :) SpeakersJodie Gillary https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodie-gillary-91312512/Kantar www.kantar.comTimestamps:00:00 - Why brands grow01:35 - Quickfire with Jodie09:00 - Expertise is relative16:30 - Protecting price premiums25:00 - Earning a place in the household32:45 - The discounting trap39:00 - Building your brand for AI51:00 - Community scenarioIf you enjoyed this, please like and subscribe - it genuinely helps us reach more marketers like you.Join 35,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's free): https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletterListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9
Biren Kalaria, Managing Director of Data, Measurement and Analytics at Google UK, joined us to talk about one of the most requested topics in the community: how to prove the value of marketing to a sceptical boss. It's a question that came up again and again in our State of Marketers research, and if you've ever had a brand campaign killed because it "didn't convert," this one's for you.We got into the measurement tools most marketers don't know exist, why last-click attribution misses 75% of the value marketing creates, and what Bern calls a "suite of truths" — the set of metrics that actually gives you confidence to invest and make the case upward. There's also a brilliant scenario at the end where we work through exactly how to handle that CFO meeting.SponsorsThis episode was filmed at our Work.Life recording studio in London: https://work.life/Shoutout to @Weglot for sponsoring this episode :) SpeakersBiren Kalaria https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkalaria/Think with Google: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.comJoe Glover https://www.linkedin.com/in/josepheglover/Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction03:29 - Skills to build today04:22 - Admired behaviour in marketers06:42 - Dream mentor09:42 - Biggest mentorship lesson18:33 - One piece of marketing advice24:48 - The pace of change30:57 - Cracking YouTube marketing40:53 - Where measurement has improved47:02 - Brand measurement tools54:10 - AI and analytics57:31 - Meeting the CFO1:00:05 - The last-click scenario🔔 Subscribe to get every new episode.Join 35,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's free): https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletterListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/mk/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s
Duarte Garrido, co-founder of DOJO AI joined us to explore the capabilities of large language models, highlighting their significant role in boosting workplace efficiency. We discussed how these ai tools are primarily designed for ai content creation, facilitating more output at a faster pace.Duarte emphasises their importance in the future of work, focusing on how they contribute to productivity and automation rather than necessarily driving effectiveness.+SponsorsBig thanks to @Weglot for sponsoring this one. Catch their next event, Next Market Live, here: https://www.weglot.com/events/next-market-live-ukutm_source=NML3&utm_medium=event&utm_campaign=TMMThis episode was filmed at our Work.Life recording studio in London: https://work.life/ +SpeakersDuarte Garrido https://www.linkedin.com/in/duartegarrido/DOJO AI: https://dojo.ai / @DOJOAImOS Joe Glover https://www.linkedin.com/in/josepheglover/+Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction01:14 - Skills to build today02:30 - Intellectual honesty in marketing08:16 - Where marketers really are with AI21:18 - Workflows worth automating first30:07 - The omnichannel brain43:55 - Taste, juniors and the workforce51:50 - The closing scenario+🔔 Subscribe to get every new episode.Join 35,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's free): https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletter+ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/mk/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s
Joe sat at the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas with Patrick Brown, VP of Marketing at Adobe, to discuss the pervasive issue of "change fatigue", emphasising its impact on team management across various company sizes. Patrick shares important leadership insights on how to navigate this common experience, highlighting its relevance to effective management. This business podcast segment offers valuable perspectives for anyone interested in leadership skills and the challenges of organisational change. He also shares how Adobe approaches change from the inside, why the specificity of your solution signals your level of understanding, and how to find the bedrock of first principles when everything else feels fluid. ___________________ Key topics include: Why change fatigue is real and what leaders can do about it How Adobe's customer zero model shapes internal product and marketing decisions Using the DMAIC process to scale what works instead of running in every direction Why AI search traffic collapsed and how marketers are now thinking about it differently The access and encouragement finding behind AI adoption rates in teams Finding first principles that stay constant when the tools and tactics keep shifting ___________________ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:22 - Quickfire round 02:20 - Delegate sooner 04:37 - AI adoption cycles 07:05 - Customer zero at Adobe 09:00 - Stages of AI adoption 12:22 - Change fatigue 15:10 - Tech industry vs traditional 17:08 - Case study scenario 19:26 - Closing thoughts ___________________ Big thanks to Weglot for sponsoring this episode: https://www.weglot.com/t/lp?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=TMM ____________________ The full episode is now live on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s?si=f0e962b481b74c80 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303
Most marketers are told to project confidence even when they don't feel it. But what if the better move is just being honest about what you don't know?Naomi Walkland, CMO at Motorway and formerly VP of Marketing at Bumble, joined us live at The Marketing Meetup conference for a live episode of Your CMO Mentor to share the leadership lessons she's picked up leading high-performing teams across some of the UK's most recognised brands. From building psychological safety to staying clear-headed through rapid change, this is practical, human leadership advice from someone who's lived it.____________________Key topics include:- Why clarity breeds confidence, and how to give your team focus even when you don't have all the answers- The performance review feedback Naomi hated at the time that turned out to be the most important she ever received- How to build psychological safety so your team can take ownership and bring new ideas- Why high performance and supportive leadership are not in conflict- How to know when to step in and when to step back as a leader- Leading through budget cuts and business pressure without losing team trust____________________Timestamps:00:00 - Opening quote on leadership00:24 - Introduction05:03 - Quickfire round begins05:12 - Best marketing advice received06:42 - Leadership lesson from early career07:52 - Leading through uncertainty in 202611:06 - Building team culture and trust13:16 - Creating space for diverse voices16:06 - Leading through mistakes and hard decisions18:48 - What's unique about leading in 202620:38 - Community question: high performance vs supportive leadership21:51 - When to step in and when to step back____________________Big thanks to Weglot for sponsoring this episode: https://www.weglot.com/t/lp?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=TMM____________________The full episode is now live on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s?si=f0e962b481b74c80Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303
Jon Evans, host of the Uncensored CMO podcast, joined us to share what seven years of interviewing marketing leaders has taught him about what great CMOs actually do differently. Jon has spoken with hundreds of senior marketers and been a CMO himself, which makes his perspective genuinely rare — part practitioner, part observer, all practical.Whether you're a marketing manager working towards leadership or already in a senior role, this one is full of honest, grounded advice on what it takes to get there and what to expect when you do.____________________Key topics include:- Why strategy is the skill to build first, and what marketers get wrong by focusing on tactics too early- The mindset shift from doing marketing to leading it, and why most people struggle to make that switch- How great CMOs think about risk and creative bravery, and why playing it safe is often the more expensive choice- The honest reality of the CMO role, including being unpopular, taking the blame, and doing the unglamorous work of giving your team air cover- How to build the internal case for long-term brand investment when leadership is pushing for short-term results- The Venn diagram technique for finding your path to promotion by solving a problem the business genuinely needs fixing____________________Timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:30 Skills to build first08:00 Behaviour traits Jon admires13:30 Dream mentor and challenger brands21:00 Biggest lessons from mentors30:00 Advice Jon wishes he'd had earlier37:00 Patterns of great CMOs46:00 The mindset shift into leadership54:00 Risk and bravery in marketing01:02:00 Brand vs performance balance01:10:00 The reality of being a CMO01:18:00 AI and what to focus on now01:24:00 Community scenario brand vs short-term pressure____________________Big thanks to Weglot for sponsoring this episode: https://www.weglot.com/t/lp?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=TMM____________________The full episode is now live on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s?si=f0e962b481b74c80Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303
In this webinar, Bronwen Foster-Butler, CMO of Finisterre, joined us to talk about what brand purpose actually means in practice, how it went so wrong in 2018, and what a more grounded, commercial version of it looks like today.Bronwen is one of the clearest thinkers on this topic we've had on the podcast. She doesn't shy away from the messy parts, the pressure to chase growth at the expense of meaning, the difficulty of advocating for purpose inside cautious organisations, and what it really takes to build a business where purpose shapes decisions rather than just decorates them. Key topics include: - Why brand purpose 1.0 collapsed and what the Pepsi/Kendall Jenner ad revealed about where it went wrong- How Finisterre's theory of change connects their purpose to real business decisions- Why purpose isn't purpose unless it costs you something- How to advocate for purpose inside a large or cautious organisation without alienating colleagues- The difference between internal and external marketing and why internal comes first- What Bronwyn's biggest leadership mistake taught her about ego, confidence, and showing up for your team Timestamps :00:00 - Introduction04:30 - Quickfire round14:20 - Internal vs external marketing22:10 - Purpose 1.0 and where it went wrong34:00 - Purpose 2.0 in practice44:15 - How to advocate for purpose at work52:30 - Community questions58:00 - Biggest leadership mistake?01:08:00 - Question for the next guest______________________________Big thanks to Weglot for sponsoring this episode.
In this webinar, Anna Henwood, CEO of Stickybeak, joined us to talk about something a lot of marketers quietly struggle with: how to make confident decisions when you’re working with limited time, noisy opinions, and a gut feeling you can’t quite back up. Anna brings a rare mix of perspectives. She ran marketing at Les Mills International as CMO before moving into the CEO seat at Stickybeak, a consumer testing platform built specifically to help marketers get fast, reliable feedback from their target audience. In this conversation she shares what that shift taught her about marketing, brand building, and how the best teams are working now.Key topics include:- Why creation is easy now but validation is the hard part, and how to close that gap quicklyHow FMCG brands can balance short-term sales pressure with long-term brand building- The difference between trusting your gut and genuinely not knowing, and how a quick concept test helps you figure out which one you’re in- What Anna looks for when she hires marketers, and why curiosity beats experience- How to approach your first 90 days as a CMO, whether you’re coming in from outside or stepping up internally- What the best CMOs will look like in the next decade, and why smaller teams with clear strategic thinking will matter more than everTimestamps:00:00 - Introduction 01:04 - First skill to build in marketing today 03:20 - Traits Anna looks for when hiring 05:18 - Dream mentor 08:30 - Don’t let perfect block progress 13:50 - What being CEO taught Anna about marketing 20:38 - Biggest blind spots in FMCG marketing 26:04 - How to build a testing habit from scratch 32:23 - When to trust gut vs data 37:17 - Simple testing habits your team can start tomorrow 45:28 - What the best CMOs will do differently 47:55 - Community Q&A: no seat at the strategy table 53:29 - Best career advice Anna has been givenWatch / listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9Please take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they’re useful companies for lovely marketers :)Frontify – All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Mailchimp - The all-in-one marketing platform that helps teams turn emails, automation, and now SMS into smarter, more connected customer journeys (and they’ve been longtime friends of TMM!).Cambridge Marketing College – The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable – the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.Wistia – a complete video marketing platform that helps teams create, host, market, and measure their videos and webinars, all in one place.
Performance marketing can feel like you’re squeezing harder and harder for the same results. CPAs creep up. Growth slows. And suddenly, the next move isn’t about optimisation — it’s about expansion.In this episode, James and Joe sit down with Kate Waters, Commercial Director at ITV, to explore what TV advertising really offers modern marketers. From protecting price sensitivity and lowering CPAs across channels to making TV accessible for small and medium-sized brands, Kate shares how measurement, creativity and smart testing are reshaping what TV can do for growth.Key topics include: • Why TV lowers CPAs across social and search • How TV advertising protects price and margin • The “rising tide” effect on performance channels • How to start with regional geo testing • Making TV ads with AI for small budgets • Using outcomes modelling to forecast website uplift⸻Timestamps:00:00 TV’s impact on price sensitivity06:01 Skills marketers need today19:39 Why TV still works22:48 Trust and costly signalling35:14 Measuring real business outcomes43:35 How to test TV safely47:58 Small brands winning with TV⸻Watch / listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9⸻Please take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they’re useful companies for lovely marketers.Frontify – All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Mailchimp - The all-in-one marketing platform that helps teams turn emails, automation, and now SMS into smarter, more connected customer journeys (and they’ve been longtime friends of TMM!).Cambridge Marketing College – The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable – the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.Wistia – a complete video marketing platform that helps teams create, host, market, and measure their videos and webinars, all in one place.
What if half of advertising’s problems come down to this: we keep asking people why they do things… and they genuinely don’t know?In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, we’re joined by Richard Shotton (behavioural science author of The Choice Factory and The Illusion of Choice) to unpack what actually changes behaviour and why small experiments often beat confident opinions, focus groups, and “what customers say they want.”We cover:- Why customer explanations can be misleading (even when they’re trying to be helpful)- The most underrated skill for marketers right now: behavioural science (and why it’s pretty AI-proof)- “Make it easy”: the simple lever most brands underuse- Choice paralysis, and why “too much choice” depends on the person- How to run smarter research with message testing (tiny tweaks, cleaner insight)- Why social proof works in B2B too (yes, even with doctors)- The internal comms mistake that accidentally encourages bad behaviour- How to use behavioural nudges without trashing long-term trust (hint: measure both)If you’re trying to get better at influencing behaviour - without becoming a weird persuasion goblin - this one’s for you :)⸻Huge thanks to our sponsor, Weglot! Weglot makes website translation feel human, helping brands grow into new markets without losing their tone of voice.This week we're excited to share access to Weglot’s Next Market Live replay, packed with real stories and practical insights on expanding into Spain.⸻CHAPTERS00:00 Why customers don’t know why they buy05:00 What skill marketers should learn first07:35 The trait great marketers share09:10 Dream mentors (and why)10:20 The best lesson a mentor taught him18:15 Stop trusting surveys so much20:20 Make behaviour easy27:20 How to run better experiments31:30 Does behavioural science work in B2B?46:45 Nudges vs long-term trust⸻GUESTRichard Shotton. Author of The Choice Factory and founder of Astroten, a consultancy that applies findings from behavioural science to improve marketing.https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-shotton/https://www.astroten.co.uk/⸻STAY IN THE LOOPThis podcast is brought to you by The Marketing Meetup.Get thoughtful marketing ideas, upcoming episodes, and community conversations in your inbox:https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletter⸻WHAT SHOULD WE COVER NEXT?We shape Your CMO Mentor around the questions marketers are actually asking.If there’s a challenge you’d love us to tackle, let us know. We’re listening.
When we spoke to Jessica Cobarras, CMO of Asana, her passion for people really came through. In this podcast episode, we talk about how centring people at the heart of what she does has allowed Jessica to create an environment where teams can do their best work, grow their careers, and feel connected to the mission they're building together.Thanks Weglot for sponsoring this episode. This is the event Joe mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/live/XUs5WFZBL5Y Key takeaways from the episode Reframe AI from tools to outcomes.Jessica emphasises that AI transformation should not start with adopting more platforms or features. Instead, marketing leaders should begin with the outcomes they want to improve (impact, effectiveness, customer value) and then use existing tools and capabilities more intelligently to get there. Human barriers matter more than technical ones.A recurring theme is that change around AI is often slowed by very human challenges—imposter syndrome, fear of getting it wrong, and uncertainty about how roles might evolve. Addressing these emotional and psychological barriers is critical to successful adoption. Soft skills are becoming a core marketing capability.Jessica highlights communication, empathy, and the ability to navigate ambiguity as essential skills for marketers today—especially in fast-changing environments driven by AI and automation. Psychological safety enables innovation.Leaders need to actively create an environment where teams feel safe to experiment, ask questions, and make mistakes. This safety helps marketers remain curious and creative rather than becoming defensive during periods of rapid change. AI adoption should be cross-functional and collaborative.The conversation stresses the importance of strong alignment between marketing, sales, and technology teams. AI initiatives work best when they are built together rather than owned by a single function in isolation. The real opportunity is role evolution, not replacement.Jessica shares how AI can augment marketers’ work and reshape responsibilities, allowing teams to focus more on strategic thinking and higher-value contributions instead of routine or manual tasks.
Brand is one of the hardest things for marketers to justify, especially when budgets are tight, pressure is high, and leadership wants results now. Today, we’re joined by Matt Herbert, Co-Founder of Tracksuit, to talk about how marketers can make more confident cases for brand and use measurement to build trust, not just dashboards. This is a grounded, mentorship-led conversation about what “brand” really means inside a business how brand and performance work together rather than against each other choosing brand metrics leadership actually understands using data as career currency, not just reporting staying confident when measurement reveals uncomfortable truths If you’ve ever struggled to get buy-in for long-term work, felt nervous about what measurement might uncover, or wanted to be taken more seriously in strategic conversations, this episode is for you. ⸻ Huge thanks to our sponsor, Weglot! Weglot makes website translation feel human, helping brands grow into new markets without losing their tone of voice. This week we're excited to share access to Weglot’s Next Market Live replay , packed with real stories and practical insights on expanding into Spain. ⸻ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 4:31 The skill marketers need now 6:03 Existing vs future demand 8:22 Mentors, growth, and good advice 11:45 The mistake marketers make early 14:13 What brand tracking really solves 16:56 Why brand is everyone’s job 18:21 The brand metrics that matter 22:14 Making the case for brand under pressure 25:00 Balancing short-term and long-term 29:28 Using insight as career currency 32:02 How fast brand actually moves 37:25 How to start even with limited budget 43:20 Building trust with brand data 47:03 One thing to do tomorrow ⸻ GUEST Matt Herbert, Co-Founder and CCO at Tracksuit https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbertmattj https://www.gotracksuit.com/uk ⸻ STAY IN THE LOOP This podcast is brought to you by The Marketing Meetup. Get thoughtful marketing ideas, upcoming episodes, and community conversations in your inbox. https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletter ⸻ WHAT SHOULD WE COVER NEXT? We shape Your CMO Mentor around the questions marketers are actually asking. If there’s a challenge you’d love us to tackle, let us know. We’re listening.
Many marketers are told they have to choose: brand or demand.More leads now, or long-term impact later.In this episode of Your CMO Mentor from The Marketing Meetup, Jessica Shapiro (CMO at LiveRamp, former marketing leader at Starbucks and SAP) explains why that framing is broken and what actually works instead.We get into how brand and demand feed each other, not fight for budget. Jessica shares real examples from global brands, honest lessons from leadership, and clear advice for marketers trying to get buy-in from CEOs and CFOs who want results now.You’ll hear: • Why brand and demand are a symbiotic system, not competing channels • What’s different (and what isn’t) between B2B and B2C brand building • How Starbucks used brand experience to unlock real demand growth • How to make the case for brand when leadership only asks for leads • What strong marketing teams do differently to align brand, demand, and salesThis episode is for marketers at any level who want to do thoughtful work, build credibility, and stop feeling like they’re fighting the same internal battle every quarter.Timestamps00:00 – Why brand and demand aren’t opposites06:38 – The skill every marketer should build early07:31 – Why storytelling separates good marketers from great ones10:02 – The truth about mentors12:13 – Career advice from Microsoft16:13 – Why failure matters more than early wins18:53 – Brand vs demand26:40 – How to get CEOs and CFOs on board29:17 – Starbucks brand experience → demand growth32:29 – How to structure teams35:02 – How to fuel everyday collaboration36:29 – Budgets & 60/40 rule41:13 – “My CEO only wants leads”: how to navigate that conversation43:59 – One thing every marketer should practice more👉 Follow us for thoughtful marketing conversations @themarketingmeetupSubscribe to borrow the brain of one of marketing's brightest brains every week!
Creators aren’t a channel to buy. They’re people to partner with.In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, we’re joined by Brit Starr, CMO at CreatorIQ, to break down what marketers need to understand about the creator economy and how to build creator programs that drive brand love + measurable business outcomes at the same time. We talk about: • Why follower count is “out” (and what matters more) • How to pick creators using brand suitability + content performance • Why creator retention is the biggest lever for sustained growth • How to report creator impact to leadership (from share of voice to revenue) • Where AI helps and which “messy human bits” you should never automate If you’re trying to balance CFO pressure with long-term brand building, this one’s for you. **************** About the series - Your CMO Mentor To help you level up, we get marketing’s brightest brains to open up! In this new series, we bring you honest, practical marketing mentorship from the people running the world’s biggest brands. From Meta to LinkedIn, Adobe to Formula E, these leaders share insights, tactics, and real answers to your marketing challenges. This podcast is designed for marketers at any level who want to grow, with real-world takeaways, not war stories. Whether you’re solo in your role, scaling a team, or navigating your first CMO gig we’ve got your back. **************** Thanks to our sponsor: Weglot : website translation that helps you keep tone of voice consistent across languages. **************** 00:00 Intro 04:26 Q1: If you started marketing today, what skills first? 05:37 Q2: What trait do you admire in marketers? 08:02 Q3: Dream mentor / biggest lesson 11:12 Q4: Advice to younger self 13:49 Creators as people, not channels 16:33 Stop treating creators like a media buy 21:15 Measuring creator work + reporting 24:49 Trust signals + why follower count is “out” 27:39 Top factors for choosing creators 30:23 AI + safety/suitability by brand + by market 37:07 What should not be automated? 44:18 Listener scenario
How do you build a marketing strategy that your CEO and CFO can actually get behind, without turning marketing into a spreadsheet hobby?In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, we sits down with Jamie Jamie Domenici, CMO of Klaviyo, to unpack how she uses data to set clear goals, run smarter experiments, and make big strategic calls (even when the “safe” data path says otherwise).You’ll hear Jamie’s practical framework for strategy vs tactics, how she thinks about always-on momentum vs big launch moments, and the leadership rhythms she uses to keep a fast-moving team aligned.What you’ll learn:- Where to start if you’re early in your marketing career- Why strategy should make your CFO happy - How to avoid doing “too many things” with not enough impact- What to do when your gut disagrees with the data- How to build a culture where experiments don’t feel like career risk00:00 Data → action plan06:33 Skills to build first07:15 Traits of a top marketer10:42 Dream mentor + lesson14:21 Advice to younger self15:51 Urgency vs long game18:58 Strategy vs tactics23:54 Where to start strategy26:46 Where strategy goes wrong28:54 Always-on vs big launches32:56 What data matters37:35 Gut vs data44:13 How often to revisit strategy47:28 Keeping teams aligned50:23 Messy data scenario55:37 Culture: evidence + experiments
Short-termism. AI slop. “Can we just copy our competitors?” If you’re a senior marketer wrestling with all of that, this one’s for you.In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, Ben Moore, US MD at BeReal (ex-TikTok, Walmart, Havas), breaks down how to grow without losing your soul – or your brand.You’ll hear Ben on:- Why “the world remembers the brave, not the perfect”- How to balance performance and brand (the “lighthouse vs lightbulb” analogy)- BeReal’s anti-AI stance and what “keeping it real” looks like in practice- Knowing when to kill successful features that clash with your values- How to push back when your CEO wants to copy the competition- The one skill he’d build first if he were starting in marketing again (hint: it’s not AI prompts)If you care about connection, long-term brand building and staying human in an increasingly synthetic feed, you’ll get a lot from this conversation.
How do you shift from a product-first mindset to a genuinely people-first organisation? In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, Deborah Honig, Chief Customer Officer at Samsung UK and Ireland, shares how the world’s biggest brands stay close to their customers, build trust and turn real human insight into better products.Deborah explains why curiosity is the most important skill in modern marketing, how to integrate customer insight into big organisations, and why community matters more than audiences.This episode is perfect for CMOs, brand leaders and marketers who want to build products customers actually care about.00:00 – Why customer insight beats product obsession00:40 – Welcome to Your CMO Mentor00:52 – Meet Deborah01:52 – What a CCO really does05:18 – The most important skill for marketers08:07 – Curiosity as a superpower09:59 – The role of mentorship13:06 – Community vs audiences17:20 – What “people-first” means at Samsung23:29 – How Samsung understands customers30:00 – Turning insight into innovation37:04 – AI, trust and customer expectations41:13 – Why communities drive long-term brand growth51:09 – Practical lessons smaller businesses can borrow56:00 – Community question: how to influence a sales-led culture1:01:34 – Final advice for marketers
AI is reshaping search faster than anyone expected, but according to Semrush CMO Andrew Warden, this isn’t the end of SEO. It’s the biggest opportunity marketers have seen since Google was founded.In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, Andrew breaks down what’s actually happening with AI search, how marketers should respond, where traditional SEO still dominates, and how to prepare your team for constant change without burning out.If you’ve been wondering whether AI will replace search, how to speak to leadership about these shifts, or how to align PR, SEO, content and brand around one visibility strategy, this is your roadmap.00:00 - Intro04:45 – What skill should you learn first?05:52 – What traits matter most in marketers?06:54 – Who would be your dream mentor?07:50 – What’s the biggest lesson a mentor taught you?13:06 – What advice do you wish you had earlier?15:33 – What does AI search actually mean?22:05 – How do you convince leadership about AI?28:04 – How do you balance LLMs with brand?33:32 – How do you break marketing silos?40:13 – How do you keep teams adaptable?45:29 – How do you align teams for AI visibility?51:19 – What’s the one action marketers should take?
Big-brand impact. Tiny marketing budget. VP of Marketing at Freeletics, Ellie Hughes , shares the story of how she turned around a flatlining fitness brand in one of the most competitive categories in tech.In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, Ellie shares honest lessons on:- Why brand repositioning is a growth lever- Spotting the signals it’s time to pivot- How to win internal buy-in from numbers-obsessed stakeholders- Using emotion and data to make marketing that actually worksShe also opens up about leadership, mentorship, and what she wishes she knew at the start of her career.00:00 – Big marketing, small budgets00:25 – Meet your CMO Mentor00:36 – Takeaways from Ellie’s episode05:04 – Must-have skills for marketers08:06 – What great marketers do differently10:27 – Dream mentor (and why)14:00 – Advice to younger self20:26 – What does your role involve?21:57 – Signs it’s time to reposition27:00 – Bringing others on the journey30:50 – Balancing data and emotion34:52 – When the data says no36:58 – Going global, staying local40:34 – Ditching the polished ad speak48:03 – Repositioning when only ROI matters
