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"There are still folks who feel like marketing is just fluff, it's just, 'make things pretty,'" says Lauren Beckstedt. Her mission, as CMO of the recreational boating company Brunswick, is to redefine what marketing is and to educate her organization about its power.
Brunswick's portfolio includes iconic names in aquatic recreation, like Mercury Marine, Sea Ray, and Boston Whaler. And one of Lauren's initiatives has been implementing a new brand identity for the 175-year-old firm, under the tagline of "next never rests."
Today on Building Better CMOs, Lauren talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about why being a hand-raiser opens doors in your career, leveraging consumer insights in the boating industry, and how she journeyed from talent management to CMO. They also discuss the importance of ethnographic research, implementing quarterly business reviews, and — most importantly — what kind of boat Greg should buy.
This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
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Watch this interview on YouTubeFull transcript—It's easy to see every glass as half-empty in today's world, says Virat Khullar, head of marketing for Hyundai India. But focusing on the negative will imperil your leadership, while choosing optimism will help you structure things better. "Perpetual optimism for me is a force multiplier," he says. "You will motivate people around you. You will gather the right teams, you will list down things that will make you ultimately achieve the objective."Today on Building Better CMOs — recorded live at MMA's Impact India event near New Delhi — Khullar and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart talk about the importance of understanding consumer behavior through ethnographic research; the challenges and opportunities in the Indian marketing landscape; and the surprisingly significant role daughters play in car purchase decisions. They also discuss Hyundai's full-funnel marketing strategy and how AI is transforming creative production and personalization.This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast appSubscribe on YouTubeRate & review the podcastLinks: Virat's LinkedIn Greg's LinkedIn
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"Who is this person that I am trying to get to change in behavior? Do I really understand them?" asks Doug Martin, CMO of General Mills.
Understanding consumers deeply, he believes, is an essential skill in the ever-evolving world of marketing, and it's one that General Mills uses constantly to drive brand management and create emotional connections. Doug recommends developing a clear "consumer muse" for each brand, ensuring that marketing strategies resonate on a personal level.
Today on Building Better CMOs, Doug and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart dive into the impact of AI on marketing, the challenges of measuring marketing's effectiveness, and creative strategies like Progresso's soup-flavored cough drops campaign. Doug also shares his thoughts on the future of grocery stores and of marketing, emphasizing the enduring need for human creativity alongside AI advancements.
This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
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"I've always sort of been in marketing, but by way of psychology," says Charlotte Blank, the U.S. CMO of Jaguar Land Rover North America. Only by applying concepts from neuroscience and behavioral science, she says, can we truly understand what consumers want & how they think.
"The whole creative process is inherently scientific," Charlotte says. "And any creative will tell you that a good tight brief with tight boundaries is helpful for the creative process."
Today on Building Better CMOs, Charlotte and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart also talk about JLR's "house of brands" strategy, why entrepreneurs are more likely to buy Range Rovers, and the value of experimentation and data-driven testing.
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Watch this interview on YouTubeFull transcript—Media consumption habits are changing rapidly, which means marketers have to thread the needle between "chasing the shiny new object" and embracing emerging platforms strategically. For Bob Sherwin, the chief marketing & commercial officer of Zoe, the solution is to frame new media initiatives as a test."The test is that you're going to either win and find something new, or you're going to learn," Bob says. "As long as you set it up as a test and you're going to learn something, it's a win no matter what. Because we're going to either be way smarter about something, or we're going to find a new breakthrough."Today on Building Better CMOs, he and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart discuss the role of CMOs in shaping customer experience; aligning marketing efforts with business outcomes; and the need for clear communication with the C-suite to maximize marketing's impact. They also talk about Zoe's personalized approach to nutrition and the challenges of marketing measurement and attribution.Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast appSubscribe on YouTubeRate & review the podcastLinks: Bob's LinkedIn Greg's LinkedInThis episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
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Marketing is not really a profession.
There is no one body of knowledge that CMOs and other marketing leaders all share. We can’t even agree on what the role of a CMO is.
On Building Better CMOs, MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart speaks with the very best marketing leaders about what CMOs get wrong and how they overcome the challenges they face. Plus: How are they responding to the evolution of AI? Where do they stand on the brand vs. performance debate? How is the definition of CMO "changing?"
Above all: What does it take to drive growth today?
When you listen to the podcast or watch it on YouTube, you’ll get expert advice from the CMOs of companies like Lyft, Zillow, Nissan, GE, AT&T, Adobe, Uber, Salesforce, Coca-Cola, and more.
Building Better CMOs is available on all major podcasting apps, as well as YouTube. New episodes come out every two weeks. -
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"If you want to get to the next level, you need to understand what motivates you," says Alex Craddock, Chief Marketing and Content Officer at Citi. "As you get more senior ... your role does change. And if you want to continue to grow, you need to be able to find a reward in it beyond just the joy that you have in marketing as a discipline."
Today on Building Better CMOs, Alex talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about the need for a strategic approach to content creation, the evolving role of CMOs in driving business growth, and how to articulate marketing's value in business terms that resonate with other executives, ensuring that marketing is seen as a strategic driver rather than mere sales support. They also discuss career development, risk-taking in corporate environments, and how AI can amplify human capabilities and accelerate marketing impact.
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"As marketers, we can't just respond to the bottom line," says TIAA CMO Micky Onvural. "We can't just say, 'Well give me a million dollars and I will give you this many customers or this many clicks, and if I do the right kind of mathematics, I'll give you this kind of lifetime value that's going to deliver you this to the bottom line.' I think you actually have to connect further upstream with the CFO."
Today on Building Better CMOs, Micky explains what connecting further upstream looks like in practice, the retirement crisis in America, and the importance of vulnerability, humility, and curiosity in leadership. She and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart also discuss the importance of customer experience, Micky's years as the CEO of Bonobos, and how returning to the CMO role compares.
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This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
Note: "Retirement check" refers to the annuity income received in retirement. Guarantees of fixed monthly payments are only associated with TIAA's fixed annuities. -
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"Business and humanity can actually not only live together, but I think that they can thrive together," says Brian Irving, CMO of Lyft. That sort of philosophy has informed his work at companies like Apple, Airbnb, and the agency Rapp, and today at Lyft he's applying it to everything from autonomous vehicles to city bikes.
Today on Building Better CMOs, Brian discusses how marketing strategies can align with broader business goals to demonstrate real impact, moving beyond traditional metrics. He and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart also discuss the future of rideshare and autonomous vehicles, the role of AI in marketing, and maintaining a human touch in the tech industry.
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"Our grand purpose is to make home a reality for more and more people," says Ravi Kandikonda, SVP of Marketing at Zillow.
Today on Building Better CMOs, he and Greg Stuart discuss the significance of empathy in brand messaging, and the importance of integrating product knowledge, customer experience, and business outcomes to effectively connect with audiences. Ravi emphasizes that marketers should actively shape solutions, not just identify pain points, and explains how Zillow views AI as a tool for more effective marketing.
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Full transcriptGetting the right health insurance is serious business; it's the number one reason for bankruptcy in America, says eHealth Insurance CRO Michelle Barbeau. But when she joined eHealth — which helps consumers compare and select providers — she realized that scaring people into action was not a winning strategy."What we found was, it's all about transparency," says Michelle, who initially served as eHealth's CMO, and is now a CRO who also oversees marketing. "We had just never told the story. And so that's where our campaign was born. Our strategy was 'Your remarkably transparent advisor.'"Today on Building Better CMOs, Michelle and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart talk about her transition from CMO to CRO, the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone, and the role of marketers as change agents. They also discuss brand-building from scratch, consumer research, and how unifying marketing efforts can lead to significant growth.Follow or subscribe to Building Better CMOsRate & review the podcastLinks:Michelle's LinkedInGreg's LinkedInThis episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
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Marketing measurement is a complex puzzle—especially when it comes to balancing long-term brand-building efforts with short-term performance metrics that will please stakeholders. Tailored Brands CMO Carolyn Pollock acknowledges that CFOs may be skeptical of matched market testing and other tools for measuring brand-building impact, but that long-term may have an edge.
"The consistency and the continuity of showing up with a message over time, you think back to almost every brand example," Carolyn says. "The ones that are really strong and bring long-term brand value, they've delivered something very consistently for a reasonably extended period of time. And I think what happens nowadays is people don't have that same level of patience or tolerance, and our attention spans are shorter, and we feel the need to be constantly changing things up."
Today on Building Better CMOs, Carolyn and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart talk about the complexities of building a modern marketing technology stack, the exciting potential of AI, and operating effectively inside of a private equity company. Carolyn also talks about why even subject matter experts need to gain a holistic understanding of their whole organization.
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Full transcriptIt's easy to say you want your decisions to be data-driven. But as Salesforce CMO Ariel Kelman has learned, hard data doesn't tell the full story. Often, you also need to consider the qualitative."Let's say you go and do some executive event series, where you have 30 people come to each event," he says. "It's not like if we want to go draw conclusions from, let's say, Dreamforce, we had 45,000 people. You've got a lot of data to work with there."Ariel previously led worldwide marketing for Amazon's cloud services business, AWS; his boss at the time, Andy Jassy, recommended that he call up a sampling of the participants in a niche program to determine its value to the company."Of the 300 people in this program over the year, we went and called up 20 of them and we got pretty consistent information: This part of what you're doing is super impactful to getting us to do more. This part [is] irrelevant, waste of time. This part, I don't care ... When there's areas of your business that you can't measure precisely, if you come up with three different imprecise, imperfect measurement techniques that are very different, then you can see it can actually end up being useful. If they're all aligning, your chances of them being statistically flawed in exactly the same way are pretty low."Today on Building Better CMOs, Ariel talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about the transformative role of AI in modern marketing and Salesforce's innovative Agentforce platform. They also discuss prioritizing customer experience, the challenges of adopting deep learning models, and misconceptions in marketing measurement.Follow or subscribe to Building Better CMOsRate & review the podcastLinks:Ariel's LinkedInGreg's LinkedInThis episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
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Automotive marketing is fiercely competitive, and even though she's excited about the potential of AI, Nissan's Global CMO Allyson Witherspoon says an over-reliance on technology could be dangerous. She believes the safer bet is to continue to embrace creativity and a strong brand identity, even in an era dominated by AI and data-driven tools.
"If everyone is using AI and the data set is the same for everyone, then what's going to be differentiated?" she asks.
Today on Building Better CMOs, Allyson talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about how she adapted her leadership style for a Japanese team, the art of impactful messaging, and the importance of flexibility in the workplace. They also explore how marketers can better communicate their value within organizations and why listening is a crucial and sometimes difficult skill to develop.
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Full transcriptManolo Arroyo, EVP and global CMO of the Coca-Cola Company, believes there are three types of leaders: One type lacks confidence in themselves and frequently changes the strategy; another buys time for themselves by changing the team around them; and the third decides to commit to the strategy and the team and get the work done."[They] roll up their sleeves, having the confidence that the strategy is the right one," he says. "The team fundamentally is the same. It might not be perfect, but they're willing to roll up their sleeves and build the capabilities together and go through whatever it takes to learn every day and continue to encourage and inspire the teams to go faster."Today on Building Better CMOs, Manolo talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about leveraging AI for brand innovation and the importance of personal well-being for peak performance. He shares insights on the evolving landscape of marketing measurement, and highlights Coca-Cola's enduring Olympic partnership, aligning with the brand's values and global reach.Follow or subscribe to Building Better CMOsRate & review the podcastLinks:Manolo's LinkedInGreg's LinkedInThis episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
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Today on Building Better CMOs: Andy Rebhun, the chief experience officer at the fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava, talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about the importance of consistent authenticity, how to thrive in the C-Suite, and "bringing the weather" for everyone — including Uber Eats drivers.
"We welcome everyone to our table," he says. "It should never be that DoorDash or Uber Eats driver is anything different from one of our other customers. Because again, if we do a good job with a handoff, they're likely going to do a good job with the handoff to the customer."
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Full transcriptGE has changed a whole lot since Global CMO Linda Boff started working there, more than 20 years ago. It was once a sprawling portfolio company that made everything from microwaves to television shows; recently, it spun off its healthcare, energy, and aerospace divisions into three distinct public companies, and executives like Linda take these core areas of focus very seriously."We are a company, I like to say a capital-P Purpose company," she says. "A third of the world has power because of GE. Planes with our engines take off every two seconds. So as you and I are talking, there are probably, give or take 900,000 people in the sky right now with our engines under wing. And our health care equipment, MRIs and CTs and so much more, touches 2 billion patients a year."Today on Building Better CMOs, Linda and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart discuss how to punch above your weight with a smaller marketing team, why B2B businesses don't have to be boring, the importance of communicating to the rest of the C-Suite in their language, and more. Plus: Why you need to separate stories from facts.Follow or subscribe to Building Better CMOsRate & review the podcastLinks:Linda's LinkedInGreg's LinkedInThis episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.
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It doesn't matter how good your marketing is if you can't communicate its impact to the larger organization, says Charisse Hughes, senior vice president and Chief Growth Officer of Kellanova. Her firm spun off of the Kellogg Company last year to manage iconic brands like Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, as well as breakfast cereal outside of the U.S. Those have been household names for a long time, but Charisse says that across the marketing world, it's easy to lose sight of the long term.
"Marketers are missing the mark in terms of our communication strategy within the organization—as well as how we look at, measure, and think about immediate versus long-term business results or long-term brand equity," she says. "I feel like we, as a marketing community, have to get better at educating our organization, our CEOs, our CFOs, on what is the value of a click today, what is the value over the course of time, and what tradeoffs are we making here and why?"
Today on Building Better CMOs, Charisse and MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart discuss all of that, as well as how to unlock the value of brand marketing, purposeful career pivots and getting to the C-suite, balancing hard truths with optimism, and more. Plus: What makes a Chief Growth Officer different from a CMO?
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Some marketers think of themselves as operators and some see themselves as visionaries. But only the great ones, says Ulta Beauty CMO Michelle Crossan-Matos, understand that they have to be both. Just before the POSSIBLE conference in Miami, where she spoke to MMA CEO Greg Stuart, she was in Orlando, working to inspire 3000 leaders from Ulta's massive retail operations.
"But when I get in the office tomorrow, it is about how are my sales doing? How can I pivot? How can I get even more this Friday?," she says. "So ask yourself deeply right now, how comfortable do you feel between that toggle? And if you don't enjoy that, that's okay. How can you learn to enjoy it?"
In this special live episode of Building Better CMOs, Michelle and Greg also talk about her unusual path to the C-Suite, managing a gigantic loyalty program, creating your own framework, preparing for every scenario, why every marketer should take a stint in retail, and more. Plus: How business leaders can prepare for unexpected scenarios like COVID.
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Full transcript
Marketing is both an art and a science, but unless the science is sound, the rest of the company won't believe that you're driving results. So says Morgan Stanley Wealth Management CMO Andrea Zaretsky, who has devoted her entire marketing career — starting at American Express in 2003, with stops at Sephora and Toys-R-Us in between — to improving measurement.
"From the beginning, it's been really important for me to understand how to use analytics," Andrea says. "How to make sure that we're setting up the right test and control, how do we ensure that we're getting learnings and cascading them, and then how do we scale wins to truly drive growth for the company?"
Today on Building Better CMOs, Andrea talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about the three things companies can do to measure better, how to work with non-native marketers, and why the Super Bowl really matters. They also discuss the underrated importance of customer experience to business results and — most importantly — how E*TRADE makes those talking baby ads.
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