Your CMO Mentor

Most of us know market research matters, but how many of us actually make time for it? In this one, Johann Wrede, CMO at UserTesting, joined us to talk about market research across the funnel.We got into why curiosity might be the one trait every good marketer needs, why going slow can actually help you move faster, and the surprisingly small number of people you need to talk to before you properly understand your audience. Johann also shared why a customer's face on camera can shift a boardroom decision faster than any spreadsheet ever will.Johann Wrede: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannwredeUserTesting: https://www.usertesting.com/______Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction05:02 - Quickfire round09:54 - His dream mentor14:10 - Market research deep dive22:38 - Why teams skip research36:44 - Testing before committing44:04 - Winning over skeptical boards53:52 - Advice for Emma_______If you enjoyed this, please like and subscribe - it genuinely helps us reach more marketers like you.Join 35,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's free): https://themarketingmeetup.comListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9_______This episode of Your CMO Mentor is brought to you by Weglot.Weglot: Translate your site in minutes and reach a wider audience with Weglot - multilingual content, managed effortlessly, no code needed.

How do you build a marketing team from scratch? Nathan Rollins, CMO at Lucid Software for over nine years, joined Joe to share exactly how he'd approach it, along with the leadership lessons that have kept him in the same role well past the average three-year CMO tenure.What Nathan covers:How to build a marketing team from scratch in your first 90 daysHow to prove marketing's worth to your CEO and boardHow to know when to do the unscalable thing instead of chasing scaleWhy understanding the whole business, not just your channel, makes you a better marketerWhat's actually kept him in the same CMO role for nine yearsTimestamps:00:00 - Introduction03:19 - When Nathan is happiest05:27 - Most underrated marketing skill08:17 - Nathan's dream mentor10:35 - Best lesson from a mentor13:11 - Advice for his younger self14:43 - Growing a team over nine years36:41 - Proving marketing's worth to leadership43:01 - Building a team in 90 daysIf you enjoyed this, please like and subscribe - it genuinely helps us reach more marketers like you :)Join 35,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's freeeee): https://themarketingmeetup.comListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9

Everyone's talking about AI. Far fewer people are talking about how to actually use it well.In this episode of Your CMO Mentor, Joe sits down with Jacq, CMO of Pip & Nut, to explore where AI genuinely creates value and where human judgment, strategy, and creativity remain irreplaceable.Fresh from launching Pip & Nut's standout AI-assisted TV campaign, Jacq shares what really happened behind the scenes. Rather than replacing creatives, AI became another production tool - one that still required thousands of human decisions, careful brand stewardship, and exceptional creative taste.Along the way, the conversation expands into what makes a great marketer in 2026: strategic discipline, commercial thinking, brand consistency, and developing the judgment to know when AI is helping - and when it isn't.Whether you're experimenting with AI for the first time or leading a marketing team through rapid change, this episode offers practical advice grounded in real-world experience rather than hype :)SponsorsOur studio recordings are filmed at Work.Life in London. They offer really lovely offices and co-working spaces and have friendly staff to look after you. We always feel so welcome when we're there: https://work.life/Weglot are the brilliant company sponsoring this episode :) . They offer really simple website translation services, allowing you to expand your reach as a brand. AI will help make that translation super-fast, and humans will check it to make sure it is chef's kiss good content 🤌. Thank you sooooo much for your support!SpeakerJacq Ellis-Jones https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-ellis-jones-marketing-communicationsIn this episode, you'll learn:The marketing skills that will matter most over the next decadeWhy strategy is far more important than better AI promptsHow Pip & Nut created its AI-assisted TV advertWhere AI genuinely improves marketing efficiencyWhy creative taste is becoming even more valuableHow to balance commercial pressure with brand buildingThe AI tools Jacq's team actually uses todayWhat marketers should learn to future-proof their careersHow to thrive inside challenger brands with limited budgetsWhat to do when leadership wants AI to solve every problemTimestamps0:00 - Stop wasting your marketing budget0:46 - Why AI still needs human creativity2:00 - Sponsor - learn about the brilliant WEGLOT2:32 - The marketing skills that matter most4:22 - How top marketers build those skills6:19 - The traits that set great marketers apart8:32 - Marketing mentors worth learning from11:22 - The mindset every CMO needs13:42 - Why every marketer should understand finance16:24 - Inside Pip & Nut's AI-powered campaign18:05 - Where AI creates real marketing value20:58 - How the AI ad was actually made22:56 - Why taste beats AI prompts27:16 - Efficiency vs. effectiveness with AI30:26 - Why strategy comes before AI tools31:21 - How marketing leaders are learning AI33:36 - The AI tools Pip & Nut actually uses36:44 - Future-proof your marketing career38:16 - Balancing brand quality with tight budgets43:52 - How to thrive in a challenger brand48:37 - What to do when your CEO says "use AI"53:14 - Final advice for ambitious marketersIf you enjoyed this, please like and subscribe - it genuinely helps us reach more marketers like you 💜Join 37,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's freeeeee): https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletter/Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s

When times get tough, the temptation to discount is almost irresistible. A quick promotion, a short-term volume spike, a CFO who's happy for five minutes. But what's it actually costing you?In this one, Jodie Gillary, Head of Brand Activation at Kantar, joined James to talk about why discounting is one of the most damaging things a brand can do, and what marketers should be doing instead to protect their pricing power. She brought the data, the case studies, and the kind of clarity that makes you want to forward this to your CFO immediately.SponsorsThis episode was filmed at our Work.Life recording studio in London: https://work.life/Shoutout to ‪@Weglot‬ for sponsoring this episode :) SpeakersJodie Gillary https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodie-gillary-91312512/Kantar www.kantar.comTimestamps:00:00 - Why brands grow01:35 - Quickfire with Jodie09:00 - Expertise is relative16:30 - Protecting price premiums25:00 - Earning a place in the household32:45 - The discounting trap39:00 - Building your brand for AI51:00 - Community scenarioIf you enjoyed this, please like and subscribe - it genuinely helps us reach more marketers like you.Join 35,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's free): https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletterListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9

Biren Kalaria, Managing Director of Data, Measurement and Analytics at Google UK, joined us to talk about one of the most requested topics in the community: how to prove the value of marketing to a sceptical boss. It's a question that came up again and again in our State of Marketers research, and if you've ever had a brand campaign killed because it "didn't convert," this one's for you.We got into the measurement tools most marketers don't know exist, why last-click attribution misses 75% of the value marketing creates, and what Bern calls a "suite of truths" — the set of metrics that actually gives you confidence to invest and make the case upward. There's also a brilliant scenario at the end where we work through exactly how to handle that CFO meeting.SponsorsThis episode was filmed at our Work.Life recording studio in London: https://work.life/Shoutout to  @Weglot  for sponsoring this episode :) SpeakersBiren Kalaria https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkalaria/Think with Google: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.comJoe Glover https://www.linkedin.com/in/josepheglover/Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction03:29 - Skills to build today04:22 - Admired behaviour in marketers06:42 - Dream mentor09:42 - Biggest mentorship lesson18:33 - One piece of marketing advice24:48 - The pace of change30:57 - Cracking YouTube marketing40:53 - Where measurement has improved47:02 - Brand measurement tools54:10 - AI and analytics57:31 - Meeting the CFO1:00:05 - The last-click scenario🔔 Subscribe to get every new episode.Join 35,000+ marketers getting our weekly newsletter (it's free): https://themarketingmeetup.com/newsletterListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/mk/podcast/your-cmo-mentor/id1850910303Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cpW4Tsm2YuKJj488cNX1s