The CEO’s Guide to Marketing 

In this engaging discussion, Kelsey Robinson and Shelley Stewart, Senior Partners at McKinsey, delve into their research on the troubling disconnect between CEOs and CMOs. They explore how this disconnection hampers growth and highlight the need for alignment in marketing as a strategic investment. The conversation reveals effective strategies to bridge the marketing divide, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, clear metrics, and communication. They also touch on how technology and AI play a role in transforming marketing strategies for better organizational synergy.

Esi Eggleston Bracey, Chief Growth & Marketing Officer at Unilever and a seasoned leader, shares her insights on the intersection of marketing and leadership. She dives into the role of 'desirability' in creating emotional connections with consumers and differentiates marketing from sales. Esi discusses the essential evolution of marketing strategies in today's digital landscape, emphasizing localized branding's impact on global success. She also explores how to engage consumers in an era dominated by bots, highlighting the importance of maintaining emotional ties.

In this conversation I sit with Cannes Lions CeO Simon Cook, to talk about what we both heard at the Festival’s inaugural Global CEO Forum, which I moderated and facilitated. Some 50 CEO’s from around the world took part (Under The Chatham House Rule), and in this episode Simon and I explore what we heard from them, creativity as a financial engine, and why CEOs who don’t embrace it may be quietly choosing stagnation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this engaging discussion, Alex Schultz, CMO and VP Analytics at Meta, shares his rich marketing insights gained over a decade shaping the industry. He argues for the death of performance marketing, stressing the need for a full funnel approach. The conversation dives into timeless marketing principles, the balancing act between creativity and data, and the importance of aligning long-term brand vision with immediate marketing efforts. Alex also explores the evolving role of AI in marketing and the significance of effective, concise communication in crafting marketing briefs.

In this episode I talk with Rare Beauty CMO Katie Welch about CEO’s who give CMOs the permission to do what they do best, the lessons beauty-category marketing has for others, and why you have to avoid “tactic soup.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When I first heard Tomás speak at a conference about problem-solving and attribution, I knew I wanted to have him on the show. In this conversation, we talk about marketing's deep hunger for actual solutions, the cost of vanity metrics, and among other things, the difference between certainty and statistics.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus episode, the tables turn and Seth goes from interviewer to interviewee as he sits with Jon Evans, on his Uncensored CMO podcast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode I talk with Hasbro‘s first-ever CMO Jason Bunge about working with the c-suite to build marketing capabilities in a 104-year-old-company, the different strategic roles marketing plays across different parts of the business, and the possibilities that can live within constraints.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, I talk with Tim about creative courage, marketing to and with the Commissioner and owners, and how to both focus on and transcend the game. Note:In the episode, Tim tells us the story of how Volkswagen’s 2011 Super Bowl ad, Darth Vader, came to be. And how it almost didn’t. See the spot that’s been credited with changing Super Bowl advertising here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpL_DcT6ko8See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, I talk with Jonny Bauer about his thesis on enterprise value creation, one formed by his years as Droga5’s Chief Strategy Officer and Blackstone’s Global Head of Brand Strategy and Transformation. Now, the founder and CEO of Fundamentalco, Jonny’s insights into the upstream role of brand in driving business strategy and not just downstream marketing outputs are well worth every CEO, CFO and Board considering.In the episode, Jonny refers to one of the earliest pieces of work to come from then new agency, Droga5. The 2006 spot for streetwear brand ECKO is known as “Tagging Air Force One.” See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP0iSJQLfJ4See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.