CIM Marketing Podcast

Most marketing budgets are spent chasing the 5% of buyers who are in market and ready to make a purchase today. But what about the other 95%?Host Ben Walker speaks with advertising effectiveness expert and author of Future Demand James Hurman to discuss why he believes advertising's real role is shaping what people buy tomorrow. Catch the full episode 12 November 2026 on your podcast platform of choice.

Proving value is one of the trickiest things to do in marketing. In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker talks to Charlotte Johnson, founder of Marketeer Moments, whose mission is to reinvent faith in marketing. Charlotte explains why marketers often struggle to earn credibility inside their own organisations: they speak a language that finance, sales, and commercial leaders don't share. She offers advice to listeners on how to practically fix this issue and repair the bridge between marketing and the rest of the business. Charlotte also looks back on her time as head of marketing at Alexandra Palace, where she turned around a 140-year-old heritage brand by respecting its identity as 'the People's Palace'. If you want to know how to prove your marketing ROI to your CFO, start listening now. Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing. Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

Proving value is one of the trickiest things to do in marketing. In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker talks to Charlotte Johnson, founder of Marketeer Moments, whose mission is to reinvent faith in marketing. Full episode coming soon. Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing in the meantime.

We’re kicking off a brand-new season of the CIM Marketing podcast with an exclusive interview with one of the UK's best-known marketers, Pete Markey. He has been CMO at Boots, Aviva, and TSB and is now CMO and Chief Communications Officer at the University of Nottingham. In the episode, Pete talks about some of his favourite campaigns, including TSB’s 'Life Made More' with David Schwimmer and the 'Bags of Joy' Christmas campaign with Jenna Coleman, which put Boots back in the festive-advertising conversation. He also explains why heritage brands have to tell stories about the present rather than the past. He then discusses his new role in higher education, what made him take the leap, and how other marketers shouldn’t stay siloed in one industry. For early-career listeners, he urges students to act as if they're already in the job market. He also warns that AI could create an experience gap in the industry, and argues that CMOs must deliberately design teams that protect the craft of marketing. You’ll also hear more about his current side venture: For Skin, a men's skincare brand with a memorable, cheeky name, launching in January with celebrities Ben Shephard and Joel Dommett. If you want to hear more about Pete’s journey to where he is now, and hear practical advice from a top CMO, listen to the episode now! Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing. Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

We’re kicking off a brand-new season of the CIM Marketing podcast with an exclusive interview with one of the UK's best-known marketers, Pete Markey. He has been CMO at Boots, Aviva, and TSB and is now CMO and Chief Communications Officer at the University of Nottingham.In the episode, Pete talks about some of his favourite campaigns, his new role in higher education, and his current side-venture with celebrity names. If you want to hear more about Pete’s journey to where he is now, and hear practical advice from a top CMO, keep an eye out on Thursday for the full conversation.  Full episode coming soon. Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing in the meantime.

How do you turn a good idea into a winning pitch your clients can’t stop talking about? In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Danny Fontaine, author of Pitch: How to Captivate and Convince Any Audience on the Planet, to unpack the art and science of winning pitches in today’s competitive marketing landscape. From the legendary British Rail pitch to a bold workshop with a luxury retail company, Danny shares real-world stories that show why emotion-first, PowerPoint-last is the future of persuasion. You’ll learn how to move beyond 100-page decks, create pitches people remember for years, and genuinely differentiate your approach when everyone else looks and sounds the same. Whether you’re pitching a new client, an internal concept, or your own ideas as a marketer, this episode will help you rethink how you show up in the room. In this episode, you’ll learn:Why emotion must come before information in every pitch, and how to back it up with evidencePractical ways to differentiate when your competitors are just as smart and experiencedHow to handle curveball questions and mid-pitch pivots without losing your coolThe leadership behaviours that create brave, creative pitch teams If you’re tired of safe, forgettable pitches and want to captivate and convince any audience, this is an episode you’ll want your whole team to hear. Listen now to start reimagining your next pitch. Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.  Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

How do you turn a good idea into a winning pitch your clients can’t stop talking about? In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Danny Fontaine, author of Pitch: How to Captivate and Convince Any Audience on the Planet, to unpack the art and science of winning pitches in today’s competitive marketing landscape. Whether you’re pitching a new client, an internal concept, or your own ideas as a marketer, this episode will help you rethink how you show up in the room. Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

What does a marketing team look like when AI is embedded in every part of their workflow, from research and briefing to creative, measurement, and sales enablement?  In this episode, host Ben Walker is joined by Scott Allen, General Manager of Global Marketing, Privacy and Agency Management at Microsoft, to explore what it really means to build an AI‑native marketing team without losing the human premium. Drawing on insights from CIM’s new AI report, Scott explains why AI won’t simply “take all the jobs”, but it will change them. He shares how Microsoft has adopted AI internally, what that has meant for teams, and how leaders can redesign roles, apprenticeships, and talent pipelines so humans and AI work together, not in competition. If you’re a marketing leader, or an ambitious early‑career marketer wondering how to stay relevant in an AI‑driven world, this episode is for you. In this episode, you’ll learn:· How to balance automation and human judgement so you protect the human premium · What Scott learned leading AI adoption at Microsoft, and how smaller organisations can apply the same principles· A simple approach to getting started: where to pilot AI, what to measure, and when to scale (or stop) Listen now to rethink what a marketing team is and how you can lead your organisation towards a confident, AI‑native future.  Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.  Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

What does a marketing team look like when AI is embedded in every part of their workflow, from research and briefing to creative, measurement, and sales enablement?  In this episode, host Ben Walker is joined by Scott Allen, General Manager of Global Marketing, Privacy and Agency Management at Microsoft, to explore what it really means to build an AI‑native marketing team without losing the human premium.If you’re a marketing leader, or an ambitious early‑career marketer wondering how to stay relevant in an AI‑driven world, this episode is for you.Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

Why are 40% of marketers not expecting ROI from AI until 2030, and what does that reveal about the AI strategy gap in marketing?In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Jemma Conner, Associate Director at YouGov, Jamie Credland, CEO of World Media Group, and James Delves, Head of PR and External Affairs at CIM to unpack new CIM research on AI in marketing. Together, they explore why larger organisations are racing ahead with AI, why SMEs are struggling to see returns, and why Gen Z is actually the most sceptical generation when it comes to AI-generated content.The panel examine the trust penalty of poor AI use, the risks of over-automation and job cuts, and what an AI‑fluent, future-ready marketing team should look like over the next 18 months. You’ll also hear why AI is supercharging back-office efficiency but creating real anxiety in front-office, customer-facing work. In this episode, you’ll learn:How to balance innovation with risk, from governance frameworks to choosing the right tools (not just the biggest LLMs)Why the public wants much tighter regulation of AI-driven advertising, and what that means for marketersHow to use AI to enhance human creativity, not replace it, and build a team that works more like a high-performing newsroom than a content factoryIf you’re a marketing leader, strategist, or practitioner trying to use AI without losing creativity, trust, or differentiation, this episode gives you research-backed insight and practical direction on what to do next.CIM members will get exclusive early access to the full AI report at the end of the month. Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.  Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]