Renegade Marketers Unite

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/

If your 2026 budget is starting to feel like a no-win puzzle—flat headcount, higher growth expectations, fewer resources—this episode is for you. Craig Moore of Forrester joins Drew to reveal the budgeting mistakes too many B2B CMOs are still making—and what to do instead.  From rethinking budget architecture to organizing around business outcomes, Craig shares the frameworks that enable CMOs to go beyond justifying their spend—and start leading the strategic conversation with CEOs, CFOs, and CROs.  Get ready to challenge your assumptions, realign your org, and turn your budget into a true lever for growth.  In this episode:  The big 3 budgeting mistakes CMOs make  Why campaign-based budgeting unlocks strategy  Areas of volatility in 2026  AI's Role in Budget Planning  This is just the first half of one of CMO Huddles monthly Bonus Huddles with B2B marketing strategists. To hear the rest of the conversation with Craig, 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/

CMO+ signals a bigger remit: marketing plus another lane the business depends on. Drawing from her CMO+ tenure at Altair, Amy Messano (Thomson Reuters) talks with Drew about how unifying marketing and communications and empowering employees to carry the story from the inside out helped fuel rapid growth and a multibillion-dollar acquisition. She shows how treating earned, owned, and paid as one system and tying internal comms to go-to-market kept everyone aligned on the same promise. In this episode:  Centralizing marketing and communications in an engineering-led company  Moving from a house of brands to a branded house built around "Only Forward"  Linking a consistent brand to investor confidence and deal value Plus:  Simplifying product architecture and naming through acquisitions  Aligning marketing, PR, AR, and internal comms to tell one story  Using listening and clear brand architecture to bring cultures together  What CMO+ leadership really requires: new capabilities and a close CEO partnership If you're stepping into CMO+ or stretching beyond marketing's lane, this episode's for you!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

If you're not transforming, you're getting left behind. That reality makes transformation anything but presto change; it's a mindset shift, sustained motion, and a clear "why" your people can see themselves in.   To turn that into visible progress while keeping the ship pointed at a destination the business recognizes, Drew brings together Chris Pieper (ADP), Putney Cloos (Bombora), and David Levy (Foundever) to share how each leads transformation across differently scaled organizations. From making progress visible to earning belief across the org and sustaining momentum through the messy middle, they show how change takes hold. In this episode:  Chris pilots with sales champions, proves pipeline impact, and turns small wins into momentum.  Putney makes the case for change, maps "scrappy to industrial strength" milestones, and scales what works.  David runs parallel lanes to protect the core while building the future, aligning his org to work ambidextrously. Plus:  How to make progress visible with simple roadmaps and real milestones.  How pilots, quick wins, and pipeline proof bring sales along.  Why stopping low-value work frees resources for what matters.   What to hire for in ambiguity: people who try new things and move fast. Tune in if you are steering big change and want practical ways to show progress, win belief, and keep momentum through the messy middle.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

What do you get when you put 100+ B2B CMOs in a room with penguin jokes, tactical breakouts, and a whole lot of strategy talk? Flocking awesomeness.  In this special "Drew on Drew" episode, host Drew Neisser recaps the top 10 takeaways from CMO Huddles' second annual Super Huddle, held in Palo Alto in November 2025. From bold positioning and AI orchestration to CMO-CRO alignment and the power of community, these insights are your roadmap to thriving in 2026.  Favorite takeaway? Drew wants to know—post it and tag @CMO Huddles on LinkedIn!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

The best B2B brands don't just tell a story. They live it across every team, channel, and touchpoint.  But how do you get everyone aligned — from sales to customer success — without the story getting lost in translation (or buried in features)?  That question sits at the center of this conversation, as Drew talks with Marca Armstrong (Sensera Systems) and Caitlin Cassady (Beyond) about how to build a team of company-wide storytellers. From capturing customer language to coaching teams on how to use it, they reveal how to make your story stick—and scale. In this episode:  Marca starts with a simple headline story ("build with confidence") and ensures it shows up consistently in every GTM motion.  Caitlin turns real customer stories into marketing fuel, using a "so what?" filter to connect features to real outcomes.  Together, they treat storytelling as everyone's job, so marketing, sales, and CX all carry the same story.  Plus:  Measuring story-led work vs. feature blasts  Spotting what moves pipeline  Keeping language sharp so customer phrasing shows up in deals  Making storytelling a team sport across the company If you want a story your customers instantly recognize—no matter who they talk to—this episode gives you the moves to make it happen.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

When B2B brands try to be everything to everyone, they end up with what Gabie Boko calls a "brand of commas." NetApp chose focus instead: One clear promise the whole company could rally behind and a direct line to business growth. In this episode, Drew sits down with Gabie Boko (NetApp) to unpack how NetApp rallied leadership around Intelligent Data Infrastructure, redefined strategic demand as a shared go-to-market motion, and built alignment from the CEO to sales. Gabie shares how focus, authenticity, and cross-functional trust helped modernize NetApp's story. In this episode:  Moving from a "brand of commas" to one durable narrative the company can stand behind for years  Choosing Intelligent Data Infrastructure to stay customer-tested and future-proof without falling into AI-washing  Defining strategic demand as a company-wide motion that unites marketing, sales, and partners Plus:  How NetApp's NFL partnerships built reach and brand lift without massive ad spend  How success is measured through share of voice, sentiment, pipeline, and revenue growth  How to avoid category-creation detours and free teams from over-branding every product  The CMO journey from hope to determination, and how to sequence wins without burning political capital Tune in to learn how one promise and shared accountability reshaped NetApp's story!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

In the first 90 days, perception outruns reality. So where will you find the quick, visible wins that turn "new CMO" into "trusted change agent"?  In this episode, Drew sits down with Laura MacGregor (Savvy Marketing Works), Julie Kaplan (Higher Logic), and Julia Goebel to unpack how CMOs convert early pressure into progress, spot quick, visible wins to bank now, and use that goodwill to earn the mandate for bigger changes. How Three CMOs Win the First 90 Days:  Laura listens first, learns the business, and picks intentional early moves that build trust.  Julie starts before Day 1, using interviews to find a wish list and deliver one visible win fast.  Julia anchors early success in data and customer calls to sharpen focus and reveal opportunities.   Plus:  How to align expectations with a marketing maturity matrix and shared success metrics.  Why small conversion gains build credibility while foundational work ramps up.  How to partner with sales, learn from top performers, and scale what works.  Why customer conversations beat inherited assumptions every time.  Stepping into a new CMO role? This episode shows how to turn early pressure into wins that build lasting momentum.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

By the time you implement "best practices," they've become boring practices, and B2B sure doesn't mean boring to business. In this episode, Drew talks with Udi Ledergor (Gong), author of Courageous Marketing, the book that challenges B2B marketers to stop playing it safe. Together, they explore what it means to lead with creativity, confidence, and courage. Udi also shares how Gong earned attention by building an audience that wanted to engage, not just be targeted. With every executive, from the CEO to the CFO, invested in the story, marketing became a company-wide advantage instead of a department.  Three B2B Marketing Traps Udi Warns Against:  Following industry best practices instead of breaking them  Letting marketing own brand alone  Hiring for experience over potential Plus:  The punch-above-your-weight framework that makes a startup look enterprise-ready  Why brand must be led by the CEO and modeled across the exec team  How to hire for curiosity, learning speed, and potential  How to sell the 95–5 content mindset to your CEO and CFO If you're done blending in, this conversation will remind you why courage still wins in B2B. Udi will be speaking at the CMO Super Huddle in Palo Alto on November 7th, 2025. All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of his book, Courageous Marketing, and can get it signed in the morning!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Most marketing books promise tips. Scalable Acts of Marketing shows you how to build a system that scales.  Written after thirteen years of helping grow Service Express from $30 million to $350 million in ARR, Joshua Leatherman's field-tested guide blends a business fable with a hands-on playbook. In this episode, Joshua Leatherman (Cyderes) joins Drew to walk through how durable growth happens when marketing speaks in outcomes, earns executive trust, and runs one motion across brand, demand, sales, and success. He connects the fable's lessons to real-world moves inside growth-stage companies, laying out a playbook any marketing leader can use to build momentum that lasts. In this episode:  How to shift from activities to outcomes that a CFO and CRO will back  How to own pipeline with clear SQO definitions, shared attribution, and consistent follow-up  How to stand up RevOps as "Switzerland," with shared KPIs, fast handoffs, and five-minute speed-to-lead targets Plus:  Why marketing must stay on the field after the first meeting  How to use R&D ("rip off and duplicate") to accelerate playbooks  What to hire for right now: Curiosity, learning velocity, and accountability  How authoritative content fuels discovery in an AI-led world If you're ready to build a marketing system that earns trust, investment, and results, this episode shows where to start!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

There are a lot of worries in B2B right now. AI, tight budgets, shifting search. The one that should sit near the top? Disconnected campaigns. Scattered themes, mixed messages, disconnected plays. Buyers can't follow the story and impact fades fast. Integrated campaigns fix that. In this episode, Drew brings together Kelly Hopping (Demandbase), Scott Morris (Sprout Social), and Marni Carmichael (ImageSource) to share how they make integration work at their companies. You'll hear how one story aligns teams, builds momentum over quarters, and stays on track with shared goals and tight handoffs. By the end, you'll come away with different ways to align message, motion, and measurement behind one story. In this episode: Kelly shares how company and pipeline goals set the theme, channels, partner plays, and internal enablement. Scott explains how a hub-and-spoke campaign model unites brand and demand, and how quarterly launches turn features into a full-funnel motion. Marni shares how tight SDR handoffs, quick follow ups, and clear SLAs keep campaigns from stalling in the field. Plus: How to set one message that adapts by persona without splintering the story How to plan one quarter ahead so execution and enablement stay in sync What to measure from awareness through to deal conversion When to bring partners and customers into the narrative to lift conversion It's time to align every effort into connected campaigns that build momentum. Tune in! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

If you're reacting more than leading, it's time to rethink your strategy mindset. Michael Watkins joins Drew Neisser to explore how CMOs can evolve from tactical executors to strategic leaders. Hear how to develop enterprise thinking, lead across silos, and apply Watkins' RPM model to every level of your marketing org. Want more? Check out the rest of the conversation on YouTube. What You'll Learn How to apply the RPM (Recognize, Prioritize, Mobilize) model to level up strategic thinking The difference between enterprise leadership and functional execution Why most marketers struggle with long-term thinking—and how to fix it  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/