Building Systems for Growth | Dave Steer, Webflow

Full transcript "The strongest brands aren't built by chasing culture," says Alex Tomlin, regional CMO of Bacardi North America. "The strongest brands are built by earning a place within culture." For example, Alex says, look at the story of the Grey Goose Honey Deuce. It's been the U.S. Open's signature cocktail since 2007, and the recipe has never changed, but a sharper brief helped turn it into what Alex calls "a 19-year overnight success story," with more than 873,000 sold at this year's tournament. And he's more convinced than ever that activations at music festivals and other events are worth doing. "In a world where digital content is limitless, it's flawless, and it's hard to verify what's real ... I think there's going to be a premium value applied to real-life experiences," Alex says. Today on Building Better CMOs, Alex and Greg talk about how marketers can show up when consumers ask AI chatbots for recommendations; why Bacardi "will not buckle" on using real people in its ads, including Patrón's new spot from Guillermo del Toro; and how the company joined the celebration around Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show. Plus: The three questions that, for Alex, add up to a high-performing team. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 1:10 Bacardi's Legacy and the Iconic Bat Logo 4:55 Grey Goose and the U.S. Open Honey Deuce 7:39 The Marketing Brief That Drove Explosive Growth 15:23 Marketing to Bots and AI Search Algorithms 23:16 Leadership, Team Culture, and Proving Marketing Impact 32:53 Earning a Place in Culture Through Experiences 38:19 Social Connection and the Loneliness Epidemic 39:58 Marketing Lessons for Other Product Categories This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://lightningpod.fm/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://pod.link/1689135815 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rate and review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://bettercmos.com/review?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=description

Full transcript "Any organization, any team, is going to have inherent conflict," says Dave Steer, CMO of Webflow. "The question is... Do you bring it into the room and have discussion about it, or do you not talk about it in the room, and then around the water cooler you're having that kind of conversation?" Dave learned how to "mine" conflict in this way from an executive team coach, and he says it's "bananas for anyone to not have a coach at any level of their career." And conflict is just one of the lenses through which he has tried to zoom out and think of his role as a marketing leader in terms of systems, rather than small projects. Today on Building Better CMOs, Dave and Greg discuss the ROI of personalized marketing, how Webflow has embraced agentic marketing to help brands level up their online presence, and why "we're in the Moneyball moment for the marketing industry." Plus: The unrealistic expectations of everything marketers are supposed to be able to do in 2026. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:21 Webflow and the Modern Marketing Team 5:24 The Promise of Personalization 10:54 The ROI of Personalized Marketing 15:24 Moneyball Marketing Mindset 22:54 The Trust Framework and Team Coaching 27:22 Mining Conflict Together 32:01 Shifting from Campaigns to Systems 36:24 The Modern Marketer Skill Stack Dave's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesteer Webflow: https://webflow.com/ This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://lightningpod.fm/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://pod.link/1689135815 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rate and review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://bettercmos.com/review?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=description

Full transcript Marketing a traditional brand is one thing. Marketing an entire city — specifically, Las Vegas — is something else altogether. For Kate Wik, CMO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), executing a massive campaign means getting hotel owners, elected officials, and local stakeholders to completely buy in. When making cultural waves, like turning the city's casinos purple for the K-pop group BTS, collaboration is everything. "That's not my building or my assets," Kate explains. "It's bringing others along with you. That's what drives the scale of a great idea." Today on Building Better CMOs, Kate and Greg discuss the complexities of serving Las Vegas' distinct audiences, spanning luxury, leisure, budget, and convention travelers. They dive into the unique challenges of destination marketing organization (DMO) attribution when you don't actually own the transactions, as well as how the LVCVA approaches brand health tracking, PR, and digital targeting. Plus, why Vegas has moved away from the iconic tagline "What happens here, stays here," and what it takes to produce massive recent events, such as Super Bowl LVIII and the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:05 How the LVCVA Markets Las Vegas 08:26 Data, Attribution, and Marketing Complexity 15:20 Evolving "What Happens Here Stays Here" 19:23 Driving Demand for a Category of One 25:13 The Best Marketing Advice Kate Ever Received 28:01 Experiential Marketing: F1, Shoeys, and BTS 36:26 Measuring Long-Term Brand Value vs. ROI 39:48 The Brand Impact of Hosting the Super Bowl 43:09 Brand Health Tracking and the "Pack for Vegas" Campaign Kate's LinkedIn LVCVA This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rate and review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Full transcript CMOs are " really good at the M part," says Bennie Johnson, the CEO of the American Marketing Association. "We're really good at the marketing part. We struggle with the 'Chief' and the 'Officer.'" Why is that? Some possible reasons include the lack of professional certification for great marketers, the short tenures CMOs often have before moving on to the next job, or the fact that — according to the Marketing + Media Alliance's research —  30 percent of marketing capabilities sit outside the role of CMO. "We need to take a full push that we are unapologetically leading the business," Bennie says. "An organization's marketers are driving growth. We don't get credit for the money, but we get credit for the expense." Today on Building Better CMOs, Bennie and Greg talk about bridging research and practice through executive–academic collaboration, emerging trends from the AMA's own research, and why Bennie believes "adjectives matter" when you talk about marketing. Plus: Why you are never the target audience. 00:00 Introduction 03:47 Inside the AMA's Big Tent 08:22 Future Trends in Marketing 10:58 Portfolio Careers and Fractional CMOs 22:07 Career Advice and Collecting Art 29:20 You Are Not the Target Audience 31:25 Where Academic Research Meets Practice 36:05 The Boardroom Leadership Gap 38:16 Why Marketing Loses Control 48:23 No Licensure, No Gatekeepers Bennie's LinkedIn American Marketing Association This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rate and review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

Full transcript Helping families navigate senior care at A Place for Mom requires constant cross-functional alignment. For marketing veteran Chris Milone, leadership extends far beyond his own department. "You have to be a thought partner to the CEO," says the CMO. That philosophy was forged the hard way during his first stint as a chief marketer, when his boss pulled him aside to express disappointment. "He said, 'When I hired you, I didn't hire someone to run the marketing department. That's table stakes, that's a given,'" Chris says. "'I barely hear from you in our leadership meetings. I don't know if you even care about what's going on in the rest of the company.'" Today on Building Better CMOs, Chris and Greg talk about working with CEOs who used to be the CMO; why AI makes everyone think they’re an expert; and how to balance what your customer wants with what the business needs. Plus: Why new executives have to "talk to every single person in their organization." 00:00 Introduction 01:22 What A Place for Mom Does 04:51 The CMO Onboarding Playbook 10:46 Some Bad Marketing Advice 16:02 Becoming a Four-Time CMO 20:31 When Your CEO is a Former CMO 23:10 Performance, Teams, and Go-To-Market Strategies 31:17 Brand Building in the AI Search Era 35:25 Being a Thought Partner to the CEO 40:45 Why Marketers Must Prove ROI 44:57 Incrementality Testing and Measurement 50:35 Defending Marketing Decisions Against AI Chris' LinkedIn Greg's LinkedIn This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rate and review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

At the heritage beauty house Estée Lauder, marketing is led by a re-inventor, who refuses to draw any line between marketing and digital: "Everything is digital," says Global Chief Digital and Marketing Officer Aude Gandon. However, Aude argues that there is a risk of becoming overly reliant on technology to do the job. For her, the tools only get smart when a marketer who actually knows the craft does the briefing. "AI is not expertise," she says. "Only the marketer knows what to feed the AI with. And if we don't do it that way, it's going to be garbage in, garbage out and everybody's going to look the same." Today on Building Better CMOs, Aude and Greg talk about how a luxury house takes real risks with creators and TikTok Shop; why young marketers still need to study and learn the fundamentals of their craft; and why, "Just because you don't fit in doesn't mean you don't belong." Plus: The merits of making lateral career moves. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 04:41 Lessons from the Tech World and YouTube's Evolution 12:31 Transforming Legacy Brands for Modern Consumers 14:08 Brand Prestige, or Digital Experimentation? 19:38 Fitting In vs. Belonging 21:27 Luxury Storytelling on Social Platforms 28:53 The Importance of Mentorship 32:40 Applying Data Science to the Art of Beauty 37:49 Reaching International Consumers 41:18 Marketing Fundamentals in a Digital Age 48:54 AI's Role in Creative Evaluation and Personalization Full transcript⁠ This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠LightningPod⁠⁠ Follow Building Better CMOs⁠ in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Rate and review⁠ the podcast Aude's LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Greg's LinkedIn

At the home improvement company Lowe's, the marketing team is fittingly led by someone who believes in rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done. CMO Jennifer Wilson describes her approach as "impact over optics." "I care about the brand and I care about the work and I care about the outcome to the customer," Jennifer says. "I put very little value on, well, what will everybody think of that? Or what's the outcome for me in that? ... One could argue maybe you could be in a different place in your career had you taken a you-first angle, but it's not who I am." Today on Building Better CMOs, Jennifer and Greg talk about her experience in merchandising, how Lowe's is adapting to a "K-shaped economy", and leveraging customer data to build loyalty and deepen retention. Plus: Why every marketer should "Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai." 00:00 Introduction 01:47 The Macro Landscape and Consumer Mindset 04:12 Innovative Home Services and Subscription Models 09:12 Jennifer's Merchandising Background 14:52 Leading Organizational Transformation 17:49 Leveraging Data to Eliminate Customer Irritants 25:12 Lessons in Building a Retail Media Network 28:47 Career Advice: Humility, Impact, and Lateral Moves 32:21 Emotional Maturity and Understanding Personal Motivators 38:53 Prioritization and Profitable Growth 46:50 Bridging Marketing and Finance 51:10 Customer Experience as the Heart of Modern Branding 56:14 Elevating Service with Generative AI and Mylow 58:34 The Role of the CMO in 2030 Full transcript This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠ Rate and review the podcast Jennifer's LinkedIn Greg's LinkedIn

Being under the microscope during a corporate audit doesn’t have to be a source of friction for marketing leaders. Amy Hu, CMO at New York Life, argues that a foundation of curiosity and a commitment to delivering genuine value can transform these evaluations into strategic opportunities. Rather than viewing audits as a threat, she says, top-tier CMOs lean into the process to identify blind spots and refine their programs. "Any other way is going to enhance the doubt," she says. "And you are trying to say, Yeah, that's great. What can we do to satisfy what you need? And maybe there is a better way." Today on Building Better CMOs, Amy and Greg talk about her career journey as the CMO and Senior Vice President of New York Life, one of the nation's largest mutual insurance companies. She discusses how to navigate the complexities of legacy financial institutions, how to turn difficult jobs into growth and wisdom, and why CMOs need to be more adaptable to business needs. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:40 The Mission of New York Life 4:10 "More Powerful, Together" 9:07 From Philosophy Major to Critical Thinker 12:32 Developing Financial Fluency 18:37 Proving Marketing Value to Skeptical CFOs 23:38 The Relationship Between Brand and Performance 29:52 Embracing an Audit and Measurement Culture 32:18 The Challenges of the Dynamic CMO Role 36:01 Hiring for Completeness and Competency Gaps 41:21 The Different Types of Marketing Leaders 45:37 Building Peer Alignment and Better Teams 49:49 The Nuance and Art of Senior Marketing Leadership Full transcript This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠ Rate and review the podcast Amy's LinkedIn Greg's LinkedIn

All marketers have to find the balance between subjective feelings and objective metrics, and Cooley's Matt Lieberman is no exception. As the elite law firm's Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, and the former CMO of PwC, Matt says the professional services industry comes with unique challenges and high stakes. That means he sometimes has to challenge coworkers on the value of certain activations, or the language they use. "I joke at Cooley that one of the things that we're really good at here is using adjectives," he says. "When I say how was an event or what was a piece of content, they say it was amazing. It was awesome. It was excellent. And I don't mean to be flippant, but I was like, can you please tell me what 'amazing' or 'awesome' mean?" Today on Building Better CMOs, Matt and Greg talk about the "ongoing journey" of integrating data into a legacy business culture; how professional services firms and their partners can better communicate their value to clients; and why, in your career, "it's often good to take a step laterally down ... in order to get to the next step where you want to get to." Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:37 From Hollywood Creative to Business Consultant 4:53 Cooley and Law Firm Marketing 7:01 The Evolution of Professional Services Marketing 8:51 The Challenges of Marketing for Individual Partners 13:17 Turning Regulations into Client Insights 15:46 Differentiating Firm Personalities and Culture 19:53 Career Advice: Running To vs. Running From 24:43 Being a Lifelong Student in B2B Marketing 29:52 Upskilling Teams Through "Infinite Learning" 33:14 Aligning Marketing Strategy with Firm Goals 37:09 Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics 43:02 Advanced Personalization and Targeting 49:17 The Impact of AI on Marketing Full transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rate and review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Greg's LinkedIn

Armin Molavi spent 20 years working in agencies before transitioning to client-side marketing at Hilton, then building a successful fractional CMO practice serving private equity-backed companies. Currently, he's the CMO at Instructure, which makes the ubiquitous learning management system Canvas."25 years of B2C, and this is my very first B2B gig, so I've been learning a lot," Armin says. "What's the saying? Like drinking from a fire hydrant?"But at a fundamental level, he explains, B2B is not so different from what he's spent most of his career doing."At the end of the day, I have to convince people that if they give up their budget for what I have to sell, it's going to make their life better at work," he adds. "That's what marketing is."Today on Building Better CMOs, Armin and Greg Stuart discuss what marketers should know about working with private equity firms, why agencies and clients both need to be better partners to each other, and the life-changing career advice he received from Kellyn Kenny. They also discuss why marketers need to drop the jargon and start connecting their work to enterprise value if they want a seat at the table. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rate and review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Armin's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Greg's LinkedIn