Serko on launching your brand's replacement

What do you do when the biggest threat to your business isn't a competitor, but the next version of your own product?  In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones sits down with Nick Whitehead, CMO of Serko, the travel technology company powering booking experiences for some of the world's largest travel brands like Booking.com. Nick joins us to explore the bold decision to launch a new AI-powered platform designed to make the company's existing products redundant. Rather than protecting the status quo, Serko has embraced a philosophy of self-disruption, rebuilding its offering from the ground up to create an AI-native travel assistant that fundamentally reimagines how business travel is managed.  Nick shares the strategic, commercial and cultural challenges that come with reinventing a successful business. From redefining product categories and educating an emerging market, to navigating partner relationships while introducing a direct-to-customer model, he reveals what it takes to bring a transformational product to market. Along the way, the conversation explores the evolving role of the CMO as orchestrator, the importance of customer insight in an AI era, and why marketers need the courage to challenge their own business models before someone else does.  For marketers navigating disruption, innovation and AI-driven change, this episode offers a powerful lesson: sometimes the smartest growth strategy is being willing to replace what made you successful in the first place.    This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

What happens when a marketer known for destination and experience marketing steps into an industry she knows little about? In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones sits down with Michelle Rowling, Head of Marketing and Sales at Sydney Zoo,   Having transitioned from Luna Park Sydney to Sydney Zoo, Michelle Rowling shares why her focus has never been the product itself, but the experiences and memories people take away. Rather than positioning the zoo as a challenger to competitors, she's reshaping the brand around its own unique strengths, from accessibility and immersive animal encounters to the emotional connections families create when experiencing wildlife together.   The conversation also explores one of Australia's biggest emerging tourism opportunities: the opening of Western Sydney International Airport. Michelle reveals how Sydney Zoo is positioning itself to capture domestic and international visitors through creative partnerships, unique experiences and a deep understanding of traveller behaviour.  Along the way, she shares lessons on leadership, building trust in unfamiliar industries, balancing technology with authentic human experiences, and why the best marketers spend less time talking and more time listening. From conservation initiatives and community engagement to experience design and brand strategy, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how marketers can create lasting relevance by putting people, learning and purpose at the centre of their work.   This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au  

What happens when one of Australia's most recognised brands stops talking about what it delivers and starts focusing on how it makes people feel?  In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones sits down with Nicole Bardsley, Head of Marketing ANZ for Uber and Uber Eats, to explore the thinking behind Uber Eats' new brand platform, "Phew". As Uber Eats marks a decade in Australia, Nicole shares why the business made the bold decision to evolve from communicating products and categories to owning a simple but powerful emotional benefit: relief. From in-depth consumer research to uncovering hidden barriers around guilt, pressure and convenience, she reveals how one word became the foundation of a major brand transformation.   Nicole explains why great marketing begins with understanding the customer problem, not the creative execution. She discusses the importance of finding distinctive human insights, balancing brand and performance objectives, and proving marketing's commercial impact. The conversation explores how Uber measures both long-term brand building and short-term business results, challenging the idea that marketers must choose between creativity and performance.   The discussion also dives into Uber Eats' famous use of celebrity, humour and cultural storytelling. Nicole shares why the brand follows an "idea first, celebrity second" approach, how campaigns such as Before Uber Eats use nostalgia to create relevance, and why local creative execution has helped Australian-born campaigns scale globally. Along the way, she offers practical lessons on behaviour change, brand distinctiveness, measurement, and how marketers can earn the confidence to take bigger creative risks.   For marketing leaders seeking to build brands that create both emotional connection and commercial growth, this episode offers a masterclass in insight-led creativity, behaviour change and the power of solving real human problems.  This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au  

How do you market a brand that serves everyone, from newborn babies to centenarians, sells through supermarkets and department stores alike, and already has an average of 12 products in every Australian household?  In this episode of The CMO Show, we sit down with Kedda Ghazarian, Head of Marketing at BONDS, to explore the unique challenge of growing one of Australia's most iconic brands.   After spending more than a decade with the business, Kedda shares how BONDS continues to stay relevant across generations while maintaining the humour, accessibility and cultural connection that have made it a household name.  The conversation dives into the viral "Made for Down Under" campaign featuring Robert Irwin and how a simple Australian insight helped introduce BONDS to the US market. Kedda explains why taking the brand into a market where nobody knows you forced the team to strip away the complexity and focus on the few truths that make BONDS unmistakably Australian.  Along the way, she shares the lessons she's learned leading a brand that spans countless customer segments, product categories and retail channels, why her team lives by the mantra "Do iconic sh*t", and how marketers can balance creativity, commercial growth and cultural relevance in an increasingly fragmented landscape.  For marketers grappling with broad audiences, brand evolution and the challenge of standing out, this episode is a masterclass in brand building.   This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

What does it take to grow one of America's biggest sporting brands in a market already obsessed with sport?  In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones sits down with Charlotte Offord, General Manager of NFL Australia, to explore how the league is building fandom, relevance and cultural impact far beyond its home market. From launching the NFL's first regular season game in Australia to growing the local fan base from 5.7 million to 8.8 million fans in just over three seasons, Charlotte shares the strategy behind one of sport's most ambitious international expansion stories.  Charlotte explains why the NFL sees itself as more than a sports league, positioning the brand at the intersection of entertainment, fashion, music, lifestyle and culture to reach new audiences. She discusses the importance of listening before entering a new market, creating locally relevant experiences, and finding the passion points that turn curious consumers into lifelong fans.  The conversation also explores how the NFL has transformed itself from a seasonal sports property into a 365-day-a-year engagement engine through content, live events, participation programs, digital experiences and community initiatives. Along the way, Charlotte shares practical lessons on audience growth, customer engagement, innovation, and why marketers should never dismiss a bold idea too quickly.  For marketing leaders looking to grow brands across new markets, build stronger communities and create lasting customer loyalty, this episode offers a masterclass in fandom, experience design and cultural relevance.   This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

What happens when one of Australia's largest media companies stops treating audience data as separate silos and starts seeing every customer as a single connected individual?  In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones sits down with Suzie Cardwell, Chief Data, Product and Technology Officer at Nine Entertainment, to unpack the transformation that has reshaped how Nine understands audiences, serves advertisers, and drives growth.   Suzie reveals how Nine unified consumer data across its publishing, streaming and broadcast brands to build a powerful single customer view, creating richer audience intelligence and unlocking entirely new commercial opportunities. The result? More relevant customer experiences, smarter marketing, stronger advertiser outcomes, and more than 200% growth in data-driven advertising revenue.   For marketers grappling with fragmented customer journeys and increasing pressure to prove ROI, this conversation offers a practical roadmap. The discussion also explores some of marketing's biggest challenges and opportunities: privacy reform, AI adoption, personalisation at scale, agentic workflows and the growing importance of customer intelligence as a competitive advantage. Along the way, Suzie offers candid lessons on securing stakeholder buy-in, leading organisational change, and driving AI adoption across a workforce of nearly 5,000 employees.   If you're a CMO, marketing leader or digital transformation executive looking to future-proof your organisation, this episode delivers a masterclass in turning data from a back-office asset into a front-line growth strategy.    This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

We live in an era of information abundance. AI can answer almost any question instantly. Search engines deliver endless results. Yet consumers have never been less certain about what to trust.  That's where Reddit believes the next great marketing opportunity lies.  In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones sits down with Hayley Saddleton, Country Lead of Business Marketing for Reddit ANZ, to unpack the rise of the "validation economy": a world where people discover through algorithms but make decisions through human reassurance. As AI-generated answers become ubiquitous, consumers are increasingly turning to communities to validate what they've found, seeking lived experience, honest opinions and unfiltered feedback before making choices.  For marketers, this shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Reddit has become one of the internet's most influential sources of human conversation, powering everything from purchasing decisions to AI training data. But unlike traditional social platforms, the community can't be manipulated with polished messaging or corporate spin. As Hayley explains, Reddit users can "smell a brand" instantly, forcing marketers to rethink how they show up in conversations and what value they genuinely provide.   The discussion explores why authenticity is becoming a commercial advantage, how anonymous communities often produce richer consumer insights than identity-driven platforms, and why marketers should pay as much attention to criticism and disagreement as they do to positive sentiment. Hayley argues that downvotes, debate and community scrutiny can reveal the relevance gaps brands often miss in traditional research.   You'll also hear how brands such as Škoda and Kia have used Reddit conversations to shape campaigns, product positioning and creative strategy, proving that some of the most valuable insights aren't found in focus groups but in the conversations customers are already having.  For CMOs navigating AI disruption, fragmented attention spans and declining trust, this episode offers a powerful reminder: information is no longer the scarce resource. Confidence is. The brands that help consumers validate decisions, reduce uncertainty and add genuine value will be the ones that win in the validation economy.     This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

What happens when a tourism brand stops apologising for its perceived weaknesses and turns them into its greatest strength?  In this episode of The CMO Show, host Mark Jones sits down with Lindene Cleary, Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Tasmania, to unpack the strategy behind one of Australia's most distinctive and effective destination marketing platforms: Come down for Air and its Autumn/Winter extension, The Off Season.  Now in its sixth year, the The Off Season campaign has helped transform winter from a traditional tourism challenge into a compelling reason to visit Tasmania. Lindene shares how the team identified a long-term structural problem facing the state's tourism industry, why discounting wasn't the answer, and how they built a brand platform that encouraged visitors to embrace, rather than avoid, the cold.  The conversation explores the evolution of the campaign's now-iconic black-and-white creative aesthetic, the strategic decision to lean into Tasmania's raw winter identity, and the importance of staying true to the realities of the destination. Lindene also discusses the role of long-term brand building, stakeholder alignment, and why smaller brands with limited budgets often can't afford to play it safe.   Along the way, she reveals how bold earned-media activations such as Odd Jobs for the Off Season generated global attention, how marketers can distinguish between a strategy that's failing and an execution that's tiring, and how Tourism Tasmania balances long-term brand salience with the pressure to deliver measurable tourism outcomes.  This episode is packed with practical lessons on brand courage, stakeholder management, creative effectiveness, and the power of consistent long-term thinking for marketers in any category.    This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

In this episode, Mark Jones sits down with Emmanuel Cruz, Assistant Vice President of Digital Marketing at Philippine Airlines, to explore how the 85-year-old airline is transforming for a digital-first future. Cruz paints a fascinating picture of the Philippines' social landscape, where Facebook, Instagram and TikTok aren't just channels, they're part of everyday life, shaping how people discover, connect and buy.  He shares how Philippine Airlines has shifted to a platform-first strategy, creating different content for different audiences: Facebook for the mass market, Instagram for premium travellers, and TikTok for younger consumers. The conversation reveals how social media is collapsing the traditional marketing funnel, with awareness, consideration and conversion increasingly happening in the same place.  Drawing parallels to the kind of cultural fandom that powers global stars like Bad Bunny, Cruz explains why brands today need to participate in culture, not just advertising. He also discusses AI-generated content, personalisation, viral campaigns, and the airline's award-winning safety video, which tapped into Filipino culture to drive remarkable engagement.  It's a masterclass in how brands can stay relevant by combining heritage, technology and social-first storytelling in an AI-powered world.    This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

Trust is rising in Australia according to this year's Trust Barometer, but so is anxiety, division and scepticism. In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones is joined by Jo Osorio, Chief of Staff & Interim CEO of Edelman Australia, and Paula Cowan, Managing Director of ImpactInstitute, to unpack this year's findings and explore what they mean for marketers, communicators and business leaders.  The conversation examines a growing paradox. While trust in government and media continues to decline, employers and businesses continue to be seen as the most reliable institutions in people's lives. Against a backdrop of rising anxiety, economic uncertainty and increasing social division, organisations are being asked to do more than communicate effectively. They are being challenged to demonstrate competence, integrity, purpose and care.  Jo and Paula discuss the intersection of trust and social impact, in tackling what the Trust Barometer outlines as an increasingly insular mindset. They explore the importance of reputation built on social good as a brand lever.    For marketers, the implications are significant. The discussion explores how organisations can communicate sustainability and impact with credibility, activate trusted voices, and build stronger relationships with stakeholders through listening, transparency and genuine engagement.  The episode also examines the role of trust during periods of transformation, from AI and workforce change to evolving expectations around diversity, inclusion and social impact. Jo and Paula share practical insights into measuring impact, fostering collaboration across differing viewpoints and creating the conditions for long-term trust inside and outside organisations.  Ultimately, this conversation challenges leaders to rethink trust not as a reputation metric, but as the foundation for meaningful relationships, organisational resilience and sustainable growth in an increasingly divided world.    This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.  www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au