Building Better CMOs and Marketing Leaders

Andrea Zaretsky, CMO of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and E*TRADE, discusses the importance of measuring marketing effectiveness, working with non-native marketers, and the impact of customer experience on business results. She also reveals insights on the iconic E*TRADE baby ads and the three key strategies companies can implement to improve measurement.

Leslie Sims, CMO of Impossible Foods, discusses the challenges of marketing plant-based foods and the importance of emotional connections in advertising. She shares insights on navigating internal hesitation, unleashing creativity in marketing, and crafting engaging strategies. The podcast also touches on the complexity of branding, the power of the Super Bowl in marketing, and the need for marketers to always remember the human element in their work.

Vice Chairman at Ogilvy UK, Rory Sutherland, discusses nudge theory and behavioral economics with host Doug Downs. They explore the application of nudges in everyday scenarios, the effectiveness of nudge theory in government decision-making, and the dark side of manipulative survey questions.

Kellie Richter, CMO of First Command Financial Services, discusses marketing a mission, responding to feedback, and the importance of client experience on the Building Better CMOs podcast. She talks about the accountability that comes with her title, the motivations behind First Command's mission, and why some of the best marketers are at Trader Joe's. The podcast also explores the financial challenges military families face during government shutdowns.

Esther-Mireya Tejeda, CMO of Anywhere Real Estate talks about the emerging neuroscience-backed framework called emographics, which explains why people do what they do. She discusses the importance of understanding unconscious personas, alongside demographics and psychographics, for a better understanding of customers. Topics also include simplifying the home-buying experience, the era of personalized campaigns, and how brands can respond to widespread distrust.

Laura Jones, CMO of Instacart, discusses the convergence of commerce and video, customer-centric design, and building different products for different marketer objectives. They also talk about the challenges of today's AI, developing a unified marketing voice, and the differences between pre-IPO Uber and post-IPO Instacart.

Aron North, CMO of Mint Mobile, discusses the challenges and insights behind the success of Mint Mobile. They touch on evaluating creative from the consumer's perspective, the importance of business accountability in marketing, measuring metrics for DTC marketing, the concept of 'jump ball' in generating creative ideas, the role of the media team in successful ads, the hype and reality of AI in marketing, and the role of AI in creative roles.

Zena Arnold, CMO of Sephora US, discusses balancing brand and performance in marketing, the growing trend of online purchases picked up in-store, and the importance of merging brand identity with sales goals. She shares insights on her background in computer science, navigating career paths, and the influence of AI in marketing. Plus, she talks about enhancing the in-store customer experience and the challenges of balancing retailer versus brand equity.

Vineet Mehra discusses the divide between brand and performance marketing, promoting 'performance storytelling' as the new integrated approach. He emphasizes the need to treat everyone as a potential customer and build credibility with the CFO. Mehra also highlights the importance of gaining diverse experiences in marketing leadership for career growth.

Full transcriptOne of the three core principles of successful marketing operations, says McKinsey & Co senior advisor Rebecca Messina, is articulating and keeping to a clear mission. Sometimes, companies already have one, but "engagement in the mission is low." Other times, business leaders may think they have a mission, but it's wildly inconsistent across the organization. Formulating a proper answer to the mission question means asking some fundamental questions."It's based on the bigger question, which is where in the value equation are you?," says Rebecca, the former global CMO of Uber and longtime marketing leader at the Coca-Cola Company. "Are you that exchange company? Are you that engagement company? Are you that experience company? ... Whatever you are, how is it that you uniquely create that experience? How is it that you're going to uniquely deliver on engagement?"Today on Building Better CMOs, Rebecca talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about cultivating the right mindset for marketing, the complexities of changing strategies, and what it takes to get into leadership roles. They also discuss the softening of the brand vs performance debate, how Rebecca redefined herself outside of Coca-Cola, and the dangers of opening a car door in Amsterdam.Follow or subscribe to Building Better CMOsRate & review the podcastLinks: Rebecca's LinkedIn Greg's LinkedIn This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm.