CMO Convo

On this episode of CMO Convo, host Michal Lasman sat down with Dwayne Waite Jr., Associate Director of Marketing at Schell Games, to talk about the power of fandom.Dwayne shares how Schell Games uses creators as brand ambassadors, why the marketing funnel is dead, and why any brand, B2B or B2C, can win by adding real value to the communities its audience already belongs to.

CMO tenure sits at just 4.2 years, the shortest of any role in the C-suite. On this episode of CMO Convo, we sat down with Tomer Zucker, former VP Marketing at companies like Microsoft and IBM and now founder of Pave Your Way, to unpack what's really driving that number.The usual explanations point to performance and attribution gaps. Tomer argues those factors are real but incomplete. He walks us through a framework built on two variables: how secure a CEO feels, and how visible a CMO is inside the organization. Together they produce four distinct patterns, from the quiet "silent exit" to the political ousting of high-performing CMOs who become too visible for a threatened CEO to tolerate.

What does it actually mean to be an AI-first marketing team, and how is that different from simply using AI tools? In this episode of CMO Convo, host Michal Lasman sits down with Ben Brown, VP of Marketing at ReBiz, to break down what building a true AI-first marketing engine looks like in practice.Ben draws a clear line between AI-enabled organizations, those bolting on tools like ChatGPT or Jasper for efficiency gains, and AI-first teams that embed AI into the core of how they operate. He walks through the foundational assets every marketing team needs before they can scale with AI, from brand narratives and style guides to product messaging docs, and explains why none of that replaces the fundamentals of great marketing.

Most companies compete on features. Brian Button thinks that's exactly why they lose.Brian is a brand strategist and former creative director who helped shape the identities of Lyft, DoorDash, and Instacart. In this episode, he joins Michal Lasman to break down why brand is your most powerful competitive advantage, and what it actually takes to build one that sticks.From the Lyft vs. Uber brand wars to helping a $100M company rediscover its identity, Brian shares what he's learned about turning product-led thinking into something customers genuinely connect with.If your marketing sounds like everyone else's, this one's for you.

In this episode of CMO Convo, host Michal Lasman sits down with Jason Hemingway, Chief Marketing Officer at Phrase, to explore what it really means to build a global brand in 2026 and beyond.In this episode:-Why "design for global from day one" should be every marketer's mindset-How language becomes a creative multiplier, not a logistical burden-The role of AI and agentic systems in scaling culturally fluent content

Marketing leaders are constantly being told their efforts need to drive revenue. But Angeley Mullins believes that effective marketing has always been driving revenue, we just haven't been able to show it. Until now...Key talking pointsThe case for marketing as a revenue driver.How to effectively show how marketing is driving revenue, even in circumstances where attribution is difficult.The stakeholders you need to be working with to show the efficacy of marketing.Want to really master showing revenue drivers to the rest of the C-Suite? Maximize your abilities with C-Suite Masterclass.

In this episode of CMO Convo, Yana Sirenko (Samsung) explains how the role of marketing is shifting from execution to orchestration, where success depends on how well teams collaborate across data, partners, and markets.From treating data as a competitive advantage to navigating cross-cultural teams, this conversation reframes what modern marketing leadership actually looks like.In this episode:→ Why marketing is moving from campaigns to customer ecosystems→ What it means to treat data as a “strategic currency”→ How AI is changing targeting, segmentation, and decision-making→ The reality of partner ecosystems and brand control across markets→ Why leadership today is about influence, not control

AI is rapidly changing how marketing teams operate. But technology adoption is moving faster than marketers themselves.In this episode of CMO Convo, Webflow CMO Dave Steer shares how marketing leaders should think about AI adoption, team structure, and the future of the marketing role.While AI can dramatically increase efficiency, the real challenge isn’t the technology. It’s helping teams develop the skills, processes, and critical thinking needed to use it effectively. As Dave explains, marketers currently have a short window to build AI fluency before the industry changes permanently. → Why marketing teams have a short “grace period” to become AI-fluent→ How leaders should introduce AI tools without overwhelming teams→ The risk AI poses to early-career marketers→ Why the marketer of the future will look more like a go-to-market engineer→ Why trust will remain the most defensible advantage for brandsFor marketing leaders navigating AI transformation, this conversation offers a grounded look at what skills, mindset, and leadership will matter most.

What does resilience really look like inside a 140+ year-old media brand?In this episode of CMO Convo, we sit down with Finola McDonnell, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at the Financial Times, to explore how a legacy publisher stays relevant in an era defined by AI, platform disruption, and shifting audience behaviour.Finola shares how the FT differentiates between truth and trust — and why that distinction shapes everything from brand strategy to product decisions.→ Why trust is a strategic asset, not just a value statement→ How the FT balances AI adoption with human editorial oversight→ What brand really means in a subscription-led business→ How to lead teams through constant industry change→ Why CMOs in 2026 should double down on core strengths instead of chasing every fadThis is a conversation about discipline, identity, and building a brand people do not want to leave.

In a world moving faster than most organizations can process, clarity has become a leadership advantage.In this episode of CMO Convo, Robin Karakash, former VP of Marketing at Mozilla and founder of Curious Altitudes, explores why narrative is no longer just a storytelling device but a strategic infrastructure that aligns teams, builds trust, and helps companies navigate constant change. When teams operate from competing storylines, misalignment follows. But when leaders establish a shared narrative, organizations gain direction and the confidence to move faster.Inside:→ Why narrative is the “sense-making process” that unifies organizations→ The difference between storytelling and narrative architecture→ How misalignment starts and what leaders often overlook→ A simple framework to locate complexity and set direction→ Why the next evolution of the CMO may be the “Chief Narrative Officer”→ How clarity creates trust, accountability, and better decisionsAs Robin puts it, “People want certainty, but we live in an uncertain world… whatever stays in your control is you own your own narrative.”