Renegade Marketers Unite

Most marketers worry about whether buyers trust their brand. Brent Adamson, author of The Framemaking Sale, argues that the actual issue sits somewhere else: Buyers do not trust themselves. In this episode, Drew sits down with Brent to challenge three big assumptions: That more supplier trust is the answer, that buyers have a neat journey to map, and that customer centricity is always the right north star. In this episode: Why decision confidence matters more than supplier trust How shifting from "trust us" to "trust yourselves" reshapes GTM How to rethink buyer journeys through the "never again" and spaghetti-bowl lens. Framemaking in practice, from nudges and checklists to maturity models. The three Es, Establish, Engage, Execute, as a shared marketing and sales playbook. Plus: Escaping the smartness arms race by editing content to reduce anxiety and build buyer self-confidence. Turning social proof into a confidence engine, using "other customers like you…" stories. Making content supplier-agnostic, helping buyers ask better questions and weigh tradeoffs. If you want your buyers to trust themselves enough to decide, start here. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

If AI is only helping you write copy, you are leaving real leverage on the table. Every marketing team is buried in invisible busywork; a trail of repetitive, manual steps hiding inside every task. So what happens when you take one of those messy workflows, map every step, and rebuild it? In this episode, Drew talks with Dave Brong (Level Agency) about how CMO Huddles transformed a messy, 10-step post-meeting grind into an automated system that transforms hundreds of conversations into structured insight, searchable intelligence, and real business value. In this episode: How a manual, repetitive workflow became an automated intelligence engine How transcripts, metadata, and semantic search unlock institutional knowledge The reality: Only ±10% of the system relies on AI (code does the heavy lifting) When to use low-code tools vs. engineers for reliability, privacy, and scale Plus: A simple method to audit workflows and spot automation opportunities How to balance build vs. buy for AI workflows How to amplify human judgment instead of replacing it If you are tired of manual follow-up, underused data, and AI hype without impact, this conversation is for you. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Growth targets keep climbing while cost lines tighten, and planning season starts to feel very personal for CMOs. AI threads through every conversation, zero-based thinking pulls against last year's baseline, and the goalposts never seem to hold still. So the job becomes building a budget you can walk into the room with, own, and defend with conviction. To get there, Drew brings together Andrew Cox (Forrester), Lisa Cole (2X), and Alan Gonsenhauser (Demand Revenue). The conversation centers on tying spend to strategy, translating marketing into CFO-ready terms, and giving AI a role in the plan that the numbers can support. In this episode: Andrew shares Forrester's view on moving past "last year plus X," building budgets around corporate objectives and campaigns, and forcing prioritization. Lisa applies a zero-based mindset to business priorities, uses a 70-20-10 program mix for core, flex, and test, and frames marketing as an ATM of Audience, Trust, and Monetization. Alan outlines the signals of strong and weak budgets, tying the majority of spend to growth campaigns and long-term value plans, and maintaining a year-round working relationship with the CFO. Plus: Keeping tech spend in check, including guidelines for MarTech mix and contract flexibility Positioning brand and PR in financial terms like pipeline influence, win rates, and pricing power Responding to AI efficiency pressure by fixing workflows first and framing value in utilization, speed, and scalability Why the budget should be the numerical expression of strategy, not a defense of legacy spend If you want to walk into your next budget review with a clear story, solid numbers, and conviction, this conversation will help you get there. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Nine years in. 500 episodes later. Hundreds of CMOs on the mic. A deep well of marketing wisdom for anyone brave enough to draw from it. This milestone episode is a celebration of the bold B2B ideas, experiments, and hard-earned lessons that have filled the show from day one. Thank-you to every marketer who has listened, shared, and dared to try something new because of what they heard here. Recorded live at the 2025 Super Huddle, Drew's conversations with Udi Ledergor, Denise Persson and Chris Degnan, and Carilu Dietrich anchor this milestone episode. In this episode: Udi shares how Gong pulled off a Super Bowl spot on a regional budget, aimed it at VPs of Sales, and tracked impact in traffic, conversations, and pipeline. Denise and Chris explain how a CMO and CRO stayed aligned through four CEOs at Snowflake and evolved the story from "cloud data warehouse" to "data cloud," all in lockstep. Carilu shows how Lovable is building a movement with real users as influencers, a CEO who lives on social, and a speed-first mindset tuned to the pace of AI and customer buzz. Plus: Why a "crazy ideas" budget creates room for standout plays that still satisfy the CFO How empathy for sales and shared ownership of the number strengthen CRO-CMO alignment How CEO-led social, customer stories, and edutainment power modern B2B brands What it takes to move at AI speed while keeping product value and customer love at the center If you want a concentrated hit of CMO-level courage, alignment, and playmaking, this milestone episode is your highlight reel. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Events sit at the crossroads of joy and heartburn for B2B marketers. The magic of getting customers together in real life is real, and so is the pain when sales skips the pre-work and ROI gets fuzzy. With every dollar under scrutiny, CMOs are treating events as strategic bets that have to earn their spot on the plan. In this episode, Drew talks with Charles Groome (Insightful), Jamie Gier, and Lorie Coulombe (Equity Shift) about how they decide which events to do, design experiences people remember, and turn field time into pipeline. They cover event portfolios, sales pre-work, and the simple tools that keep everyone aligned before, during, and after the show. In this episode: Charles sorts events into three buckets, leans into a listening circuit with smaller meetups, and looks at target-account impact to decide where bigger bets belong. Jamie frames events around getting discovered, creating memorable experiences, and driving deals, with customers on stage and pods focused on key accounts. Lorie sets clear goals for each event, does deep homework on audiences and geographies, and locks in sales pre-work and follow-up expectations. Plus: Build an event portfolio that blends big shows, listening trips, CABs, and customer moments. Use themes, news hooks, and customer voices to stand out in crowded halls and drive recall. Align sales and marketing via pods, shared KPIs, and simple scoreboards. Tighten spend with regional focus, partner co-hosting, and clear criteria. If events are on your 2026 budget and you want them to pay in pipeline, this episode will help you pick, plan, and prove them with more confidence. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

AI is now part of the job, whether your team feels ready or not. Some folks jump in with prompts and pilots; others stay on the sidelines while the pace keeps picking up. How do you turn that mix into a team that understands AI, uses it well, and gets stronger with every experiment? Drew talks with Jakki Geiger (Arango), Betsy Daitch (Canoe Intelligence), and Grant Johnson (Chief Outsiders) about what it takes to uplevel AI skills across marketing. They get into hiring for AI-forward talent, picking use cases that matter, and tracking progress so experiments turn into repeatable, results-focused habits. In this episode: Jakki hires AI-forward talent, builds digital twins for leaders, and kicks off AI projects from SDR pilots to sales enablement knowledge bases. Betsy uses Gemini, an "Upleveling Marketing Efficiency" tracker, and QBR AI projects to lift adoption across product, growth, and corporate marketing. Grant sets AI proficiency goals, runs workshops, and assigns ownership so each marketing function keeps building capability over time. Plus: How to create a safe space for AI experimentation anchored to clear business goals Ways to narrow use cases so pilots stay manageable and show impact Why documentation, ownership, and simple workflows keep AI programs alive How CMOs can model AI use and report progress in language the C-suite cares about Tune in if you are serious about raising your team's AI game and want practical ways to build confidence, capability, and momentum. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

GenAI now sits inside content workflows, SDR outreach, and competitive intelligence. Marketing teams are seeing real wins and real growing pains, and the open question is where to focus next. To answer that, Drew brings together Kelly Hopping, John McKinney (Cornerstone Licensing), and Brian Hankin (Altium Packaging) to share the AI plays they are running right now and how they're leading the charge. Here's how: In this episode: Kelly shows how AI weaves through content, SDR workflows, web chat, product work, and SEO, plus how OKRs and certifications lift AI fluency across the team. John uses AI agents for competitor tracking, outbound support, and coding, and treats AI as a sparring partner for strategy before it reaches the C suite. Brian runs an AI campaign engine that builds multi-touch programs in minutes and tracks lifts in engagement, qualified leads, proposals, and wins. Plus: How AEO connects to SEO and what needs to shift for LLM-driven discovery How leaders model AI use with internal knowledge bases and cross-functional pilots How to structure AI readiness Where CMOs can start Tune in if you want AI use cases you can put to work now and a clearer view of where to point your team next. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

When it comes to marketing, everyone has opinions—but few have proof. That's where Professor Byron Sharp steps in. In this episode, Drew sits down with the globally renowned marketing scientist and author of How Brands Grow to unpack what B2B marketers are getting wrong, what they should measure instead, and why focusing only on in-market buyers is a recipe for decline. Byron drops truth bombs on: Why mental availability drives physical availability (not the other way around) How B2B marketers are shooting themselves in the foot with fluffy brand campaigns What to measure if you want to track real progress Why B2B growth takes time—and how to prove it's working Plus, why CMOs should stop pretending that awareness is enough and start earning a place in buyers' brains before they're ready to buy. Whether you're defending your brand budget to a CFO, fighting for longer-term investment, or just trying to grow your share of voice without blowing it all in Q1—this episode delivers the mental fuel (and science) to make your case. To hear the rest of this CMO Huddles Bonus Huddle, visit CMO Huddles Hub on YouTube. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Recruiting great marketers is tough work. Sustaining performance, growth, and energy over time demands deliberate choices. Those choices shape the culture, the pace, and the results your team can sustain through whatever comes next. To see how this plays out across very different orgs, Drew talks with Dan Lowden (Blackbird.AI), Marni Puente (SAIC), and Amy King (Relias) about the teams they've built and the systems that keep them performing. They break down who they hire first, how they set structure and expectations, and how coaching, intelligent failure, and AI-supported workflows help people grow and stay motivated. In this episode: Dan builds a lean, senior, hands-on startup team and fosters a test-and-learn culture where people move fast, try new things, and learn together. Marni reshapes a communications-heavy function into a modern marketing org, adding commercial and demand capabilities and aligning work to OKRs and transparent dashboards. Amy leads a marketing reset at Relias, rebuilding leadership and structure, positioning marketing with sales and client care, and modeling vulnerability and continuous learning through change. Plus: Why AI committees, battle buddies, and shared learning loops turn hesitation into confident adoption How OKRs, scorecards, and focused dashboards clarify priorities and tie marketing to revenue outcomes Where intelligent failure helps teams stop low-value work, share lessons, and build trust How competency assessments, surveys, and development plans nurture top performers and future leaders If you're building, inheriting, or leveling up a marketing team, this episode gives you a ton of moves to help it perform, grow, and stay together. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Plenty of CMOs reach a point where the fractional model starts to look… intriguing. A little more freedom, a little less 24/7 pressure, and a whole lot of variety. In this episode, Drew brings together three former full-time CMOs who now serve as full-time fractionals: Alan Gonsenhauser (Demand Revenue), Katrina Klier (Sage Strategy Group), and Marshall Poindexter (yorCMO). They get into what it really takes to succeed in the role, from setting expectations with CEOs and boards to choosing the right clients, managing time and scope, and knowing when the fractional model fits and when it is time to move on. In this episode: Alan builds trust fast with structured discovery across leaders and the board, using "three magic wishes" to surface priorities before acting. Katrina ties marketing priorities to financial and board targets so strategy supports existing growth and margin commitments. Marshall differentiates fractional work from consulting, using a simple framework and 90-day sprints to drive execution through in-house teams or agencies. Plus: Narrowing your niche so you attract clients where you create outsized value How to set scope, cadence, and availability so part-time does not quietly become full-time Using process, sprints, and metrics to stay focused when new requests pop up Planning the transition, from mentoring the incoming full-time CMO to creating a clean off-ramp Tune in if you are considering going fractional, hiring a fractional CMO, or just trying to understand how this model fits into the modern CMO career. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/