

BRANDED
Ben Kaplan and TOP Thought Leader
BRANDED is the podcast where bold ideas meet brilliant minds. From the unconventional marketing of Liquid Death to the visionary leadership of Nike’s former CMO, we uncover the stories behind the world’s most iconic brands. Hosted by top industry leaders, BRANDED takes you behind the scenes to explore the strategies, risks, and creative sparks that make brands stand out. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer, a business enthusiast, or just curious about the magic behind the labels, BRANDED delivers insights and inspiration in every episode.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 5, 2023 • 38min
EP 15: Esther Flammer, Wrike - 'Ruthless Priorities'
Ben is speaking with Esther Flammer, CMO of Wrike, the powerful work and task management platform that was acquired by Citrix for more than $2 billion back in January 2021. Esther has a strong marketing background heading up marketing teams for a wide variety of SAS, or software as a service companies that include senior marketing positions at Conga, a revenue lifecycle management platform, Convercent a provider of ethics and compliance software and return path, a well known email deliverability provider. So what's the difference between a brand focus CMO, or a customer's focus CMO and a CMO like Esther, who is hunting down hockey stick growth curves? As Esther likes to say, it comes down to being ruthless.Don't forget to check out our socials:https://www.tiktok.com/@topcmohttps://twitter.com/TOP_CMO_podcasthttps://www.instagram.com/topcmo/

Dec 19, 2022 • 43min
EP 14: Paul Suchman, Audacy - 'The Marketing Power of Audio'
Today Ben is speaking with Paul Suchman, CMO of Audacy, the company formerly known as Entercom Communications – the second largest owner of radio stations in the U.S. Through its media footprint, Audacy reaches 200 million listeners across the U.S. and is one of those interesting brands navigating the crossroads, some would say the divide, between old and new media.Don't forget to check out our socials:https://www.tiktok.com/@topcmohttps://twitter.com/TOP_CMO_podcasthttps://www.instagram.com/topcmo/

Dec 1, 2022 • 40min
EP 13: Evelyn Krasnow, Fernish - 'The Art & The Heart of Marketing'
Today Ben speaks to Evelyn Krasnow of Fernish, a premium furniture and décor rental start-up that markets a little differently. With experience heading up the Marketing function at Bird the ECO friendly transportation company, Simple human, the manufacturer of tools for efficient living and Belkin, the electronic and electronic accessories manufacturer, Evelyn has a wealth of knowledge to share and a few interesting Marketing insights we all wanted to know. Don't forget to check out our socials: https://www.tiktok.com/@topcmohttps://twitter.com/TOP_CMO_podcasthttps://www.instagram.com/topcmo/

Oct 20, 2022 • 37min
EP 12: Amy Tunick, National CineMedia - 'Unleashing Consumer Experience'
Amy Tunick, CMO of National CineMedia, the largest cinema ad network in the U.S talks with Ben about the power of shared experience, the secret weapon that is PR and driving tent pole moments. #TOPCMO #Marketingpodcast #Marketing #NCM #NationalCineMediaFor more TOP CMO episodes, don’t forget to subscribe. Website : https://topagency.com/top-cmoLinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaplanbenTwitter : https://twitter.com/TOP_CMO_podcastInstagram : https://www.instagram.com/topcmo/

Oct 13, 2022 • 42min
EP 11: Aaron Goldman, Mediaocean - 'Advertising at Scale'
In todays episode Ben speaks with Aaron Goldman, CMO of Mediaocean, an online platform for omnichannel advertising. If you had the opportunity to run a Superbowl ad would you go big budget, Hollywood style like Pepsi or Apple or would you keep it simple like Reddit or Coinbase? What makes the most effective Superbowl ad and how does social media compare? #TOPCMO #Marketingpodcast #Marketing #mediaoceanFor more TOP CMO episodes, don’t forget to subscribe.Website : https://topagency.com/top-cmoLinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaplanbenTwitter : http://twitter.com/benjaminkaplanInstagram : http://instagram.com/benjaminkaplan

Oct 10, 2022 • 47min
EP 10: Joe Cohen, AXIS Capital - 'Insuring Simplicity'
Joe Cohen, CMO of AXIS Capital talks about keeping the message simple and breaking through a jargon heavy industry. Great insights from a thought leader in the financial space who used to have a surprising occupation. #TOPCMO #Marketingpodcast #Marketing #AxisFor more TOP CMO episodes, don’t forget to subscribe.Website : https://topagency.com/top-cmoLinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaplanbenTwitter : http://twitter.com/benjaminkaplanInstagram : http://instagram.com/benjaminkaplan

Sep 9, 2022 • 37min
EP 9: Joanne Gilhooley, Adarma Security - 'Securing Vision'
Today we are speaking to Joanne Gilhooley, CMO of Adarma Security, the UK’s largest independent cyber threat management company. Agility within Marketing, internal communication, value alignment, how important are these aspect to marketing and being a great CMO? How do we translate data and insights into action? Let's find out, on this episode of TOP CMO. #TOPCMO #Adarma #MarketingFor more TOP CMO episodes, don’t forget to subscribe.Website : https://topagency.com/top-cmoLinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaplanbenTwitter : http://twitter.com/benjaminkaplanInstagram : http://instagram.com/benjaminkaplan#topcmo #marketing #business

Sep 6, 2022 • 34min
EP 8: Cindy White, Mitek - 'The Power of Persona'
In this episode Ben speaks to Cindy White, CMO at Mitek a global leader in digital identity solutions. A veteran at FICO and Microsoft, Cindy & Ben discuss knowing your customer, whether customer personas are just another tried and true component of the marketing playbook and we all get to meet Pete. For more TOP CMO episodes, don’t forget to subscribe.Website : https://www.benkaplan.com/LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaplanbenTwitter : http://twitter.com/benjaminkaplanInstagram : http://instagram.com/benjaminkaplan#topcmo #marketing #business

Jul 15, 2022 • 47min
EP 7: Genefa Murphy, Five 9 - 'Bringing True Value'
In todays episode Ben speaks with Genefa Murphy, CMO at Five 9, the leading provider of cloud contact center software. Genefa, an experienced Marketer, prior to Five9, held various global roles across products, marketing, enablement and communications at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP.Ben and Genefa discuss the relationship between Sales and Marketing and how that affects both departments. Designing the ideal customer is also up for discussion and how Genefa defines Five 9's target clients. Also discussed is the attempted acquisition by Zoom of nearly $15 billion and how their customers took the news. For more TOP CMO episodes, don’t forget to subscribe.Website : https://www.benkaplan.com/LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaplanbenTwitter : http://twitter.com/benjaminkaplanInstagram : http://instagram.com/benjaminkaplan

Jul 13, 2022 • 45min
EP 6 : Melissa Puls, Ivanti
In this episode Ben speaks to CMO Melissa Puls from Ivanti, the automation platform that makes every IT connection smarter and secure across devices, infrastructure and people to deliver personalized employee experiences.Melissa brings decades of experience to Ivanti with a strong track record of fuelling growth through a customer-centric approach and integrating marketing strategies for acquired companies. She was most recently senior vice president and CMO at Avid. Prior to this role, Melissa also held CMO and marketing leadership positions with Optanix, Progress, Iron Mountain and Infor.Ben & Melissa discuss what happens when you start as a CMO in a new company and during a significant acquisition. Brand overhauling is also on the discussion and both Ben and Melissa delve into how rebranding affects companies for better and worse. For more TOP CMO episodes, don’t forget to subscribe.Website : https://www.benkaplan.com/LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaplanbenTwitter : http://twitter.com/benjaminkaplanInstagram : http://instagram.com/benjaminkaplan