The CMO Podcast

This week, The CMO Podcast celebrates Black History Month with a special episode centered on the incredibly fast start-up of an organization called BECA–the Black Executive CMO Alliance. BECA is the 3-year-old brainchild of founder & CEO Jerri DeVard, the former CMO of Verizon, ADT and Office Depot.BECA is the only alliance created and composed of Black CMOs and CXOs to address the persistent diversity problems in America’s C-Suites and boardrooms. It has gained momentum in the short three years since its founding; its membership represents a collective market cap of $800 billion.Jim is joined by three leaders whose lives have been impacted by BECA:-Gail Petersen: Chief Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President, Global Marketing & Communications at Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions-DeLu Jackson: Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for the home-security company ADT-Christina Marshall-Valdez: Director of Commercialization, Southeast Asia, SC Johnson–the large, privately held consumer products company. Christina is a BECA Future Leader who has recently graduated as part of the first cohort of The BECA Playbook.Learn more about BECA at https://blackexec.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Just in time for the month of love, this week's guest on The CMO Podcast is Michelle Crossan-Matos, the Chief Marketing Officer for Ulta Beauty. Founded in 1990, Ulta Beauty is the largest beauty retailer in the US, with sales in the $11 billion range, and growing. It offers a wide range of beauty products and salon services: 25,000 products online and across their nearly 1400 stores, from 500 well established AND emerging brands.Ulta Beauty is not just big; the company is highly innovative in how they think about their store associates, their retail media, their loyalty program, and how they work with brand partners. Michelle was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. She graduated from the University of Strathclyde Business School before joining P&G in Europe. After 16 years at P&G, Michelle held CMO roles at Vertu, the luxury tech brand, and Samsung US. Michelle joined Ulta about one year ago. She has two middle-school-aged children, and splits her time between Puerto Rico and the Chicago area, where Ulta Beauty is based. Of special note: Jim had the previous CMO of Ulta Beauty, Shelley Haus, on the show in October 2020. Shelley was one of the brightest stars in the industry, and sadly passed away in the summer of 2022. So, it is with poignancy that Jim welcomes her successor.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tune in this week for The CMO Podcast's fifth annual Super Bowl Roundtable Discussion! Important marketers provide insight into how they created their Super Bowl ads and share their thoughts on the biggest marketing day of the year.Jim welcomes special co-host, Gary Vaynerchuk, Chairman of VaynerX & CEO at VaynerMedia. Joining this year's conversation:Brett O'Brien (CMO of PepsiCo Foods North America)Kory Marchisotto (CMO of e.l.f. Beauty and President at Keys Soulcare)Russell Wager (VP Marketing for KIA America)Gabrielle Wesley (CMO of Mars Wrigley North America)Andrea Zaretsky (CMO of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management)Michelle Deignan (VP of Marketing & GM of OREO)Adam Kornblum (SVP & Global Head of Digital Marketing at CeraVe)David Corns (CMO of Open Door)Eric Edge (Managing Director, Marketing & Advertising for Alaska Air)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vineet Mehra, CMO of Chime, discusses the company's mission to revolutionize banking. They explore the future of marketing, unified brand and performance strategies, and navigating challenges in financial services. Mehra also shares insights on evolving brand purpose, differentiation in fintech, and social media strategies.

Jim's guests on The CMO Podcast are entrepreneurs Mike Zelkind and Tisha Livingston, founders of 80 Acres Farms. Mike is the CEO of 80 Acre Farms and Tisha is the CEO of Infinite Acres, a subsidiary of 80 Acres and the tech platform that powers the company.Listeners are likely not familiar with this company, but should be. The nine-year old startup has raised more than $250 Million and revolutionized farming. 80 Acres is a pioneer in indoor, vertical farming. Imagine a farm that does not need sun, soil or favorable weather. It also does not use pesticides, and instead utilizes 100% renewable energy and 97% less water than a traditional farm, making it 300x more productive. 80 Acres Farms produce now appears in Kroger, Whole Foods, and other select retailers.Mike and Tisha met while working together at Pierre Foods. Both had backgrounds in supply chain management before becoming partners and founding 80 Acres in 2015. Tune in for a conversation with a new breed of farmers, who have a true sense of conviction to help make a better world.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Julius Robinson, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer for Marriott International, and Samatha Maltin, CMO for Sesame Workshop, reflect on the major themes from 2023. Topics include the changing role of CMOs, the politicization of ESG and DEI, building outstanding teams, valuing creativity, reimagining Sesame Street, and focusing on high-impact tasks.

Jim's guest today on The CMO Podcast is Jessica Correa, the Chief Marketing Officer of Unleashed Brands, the most interesting company you have probably not heard of. It is a portfolio company of brands that focus on youth development, including Urban Air Adventure Parks, Little Gym, Snapology, and Premier Martial Arts. The business model of Unleashed Brands is similar to a franchise model–they partner with founders and help them scale with support in human resources, technology, finance, marketing, legal and insurance. Systemwide revenue is in the $800 million range.Jessica is an experienced marketer. After a BA from University of Tennessee in business and French, and an MBA from Emerson, Jessica spent nearly 13 years at Royal Caribbean. Jessica then took on CMO-like roles at Carpet One Floor & Home, Planet Fitness, and Urban Air Adventure Parks, before getting promoted to CMO of all Unleashed Brands. Tune in for a conversation with a CMO who thinks a lot about how kids learn, play and grow.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're still feeling that party energy of the holidays as Jim welcomes Taylor Berry, the VP of Brand Marketing at Tito’s Handmade Vodka, to The CMO Podcast. Austin-based Tito’s may be handmade, but it is no small brand. Tito’s is the number 1 best-selling vodka brand in the US, with revenue in the $2 billion range. Its story is a classic American Dream saga. Bert “Tito” Beveridge–yes Beveridge is his real last name–founded the brand in 1995 after failed ventures in the oil and drilling industry, and in mortgage lending. Taylor has worked at Tito’s about 5 and a half years, with four years as the head of brand marketing. An LA native and graduate of USC, Taylor now makes Austin his home. Interestingly, Tito’s is Taylor’s first time on the client side; he spent the first several years of his career on the agency side, working with the creative powerhouses TBWA/Media Arts, Droga 5, and SS+K. So, pour yourself a Tito’s cocktail, and listen up as Taylor takes us behind the scenes of one of the great brand stories of our times. Plus, he announces the “With Tito’s” brand platform and the Tito's Spokescart.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jonathan Knight, SVP, Head of Games for The New York Times, shares insights on building enduring brands and learning from the gaming industry. They discuss the surge in gaming during the New Year, the changing role of CMOs, managing consumer brands and global games, the intersection of theater, math, and technology, and the power of caring in creative teams.

Join us for one final episode to wrap up the year as Jim welcomes MJ DePalma, the Global Director of Cultural & Inclusive Business Impact at Microsoft. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Microsoft is now a $200 billion by revenue–and growing–company with 220,000 employees. The company has also made headlines more than usual this year with its investment in OpenAI.MJ is a UCLA graduate with a psychology degree, and has worked at Microsoft twice in her career–once for four years, and now going on 10 years in her current stint. She has held her role as Global Director for more than five years. MJ has a gift for inspiring and motivating people, and looks to the Microsoft Purpose Playbook as the best tool to drive herself and her team to be more welcoming and inclusive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.