Building Better CMOs and Marketing Leaders

Every Touchpoint Tells a Story with The New York Times CMO Amy Weisenbach

Amy Weisenbach, CMO of The New York Times, recalls some crucial advice she received early in her career: "Don't come to me and say, how do I do this? Come to me and say, here's the problem. Here's what I think I should do. What do you think?" After cutting her teeth at companies like Jim Beam and Unilever — where she helped build one of the most provocative brands of the early 2000s, Axe Body Spray — Amy now leads marketing at one of the world's most storied media companies. Along the way, she's learned that the best brands understand everything communicates, from a Memorial Day sale to a Super Bowl spot. Today on Building Better CMOs, Amy talks with MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart about the hard-won journey from 2 million to 12 million subscribers, why the Times' leadership chose to invest in journalism when others were cutting, and the "Truth Is Worth It" campaign that made journalists proud of their marketing team for the first time. They also discuss the secret to hiring performance marketers who care about brand, as well as the value of trusted, human-reported journalism in an age of AI-generated content. ⁠⁠⁠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

Brand Over Time, Sales Overnight with Starbucks' Tressie Lieberman

Starbucks Global Chief Brand Officer Tressie Lieberman learned early in her career that building a brand requires balancing two timelines: "brand over time and sales overnight." It's a philosophy she's carried through leadership roles at Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Chipotle, and now applies to one of the most watched brand transformations in business. Tressie joined Starbucks a year ago as part of CEO Brian Niccol's turnaround team, overseeing everything from menu innovation and digital experience to the company's ready-to-drink beverages. Her mission: reignite the soul of Starbucks and bring the brand back to its coffeehouse roots. Today on Building Better CMOs, she and Marketing + Media Alliance CEO Greg Stuart talk about what causes iconic brands to lose their way, how to harness customer-generated trends like the viral glass “bearista,” and why curiosity is the number one trait she hires for. They also discuss embracing change as a career imperative, the entrepreneurial mindset she brings to big companies, and why marketers must treat customers as co-creators rather than passive audiences. ⁠⁠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 ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tressie's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Greg's LinkedIn

Branding, Beverages, and Breakthroughs with Keurig Dr Pepper CMO Drew Panayiotou

"Being a public company CMO is very different than being a CMO in a private entity ... you need to deliver earnings. And I'd say this, any CMO that is not focused on driving revenue will not be there a long time," says Drew Panayiotou, the CMO of Keurig Dr Pepper. "You have to drive revenue, no if, ands, or buts." Consistently driving revenue gets even harder when, like Drew, you are stewarding 125 brands, including Yoohoo, Hawaiian Punch, Canada Dry, Keurig, Dr Pepper, and 7-Up. Drew believes in focusing on building emotional connections and cultural relevancy, driving raving fans to perpetuate the brand’s growth and significantly impacting revenue. Today on Building Better CMOs, he talks with Marketing + Media Alliance CEO Greg Stuart about harnessing digital transformation to fuel marketing initiatives, the importance of internal alignment and communication, and the role of emotional connections in brand loyalty. ⁠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 ⁠⁠Drew's LinkedIn⁠⁠ Greg's LinkedIn

From Candy to Credit with Natasha Madan of Intuit Credit Karma

"If you don't drive, you will be driven," says Natasha Madan, the head of marketing at Intuit Credit Karma. "You have to play offense, you cannot be playing defense." That leadership philosophy has helped Natasha navigate from marketing candy brands at Nestlé to building Prime's brand strategy at Amazon, and now helping millions of people make financial progress. She believes marketers struggle to connect brand marketing with growth marketing, creating a gap that limits their impact. Today on Building Better CMOs, she and Marketing + Media Alliance CEO Greg Stuart discuss why marketing needs to bridge brand and performance, how understanding consumer psychology drives breakthrough creative, and why leadership means making tough decisions people may not initially like. They also explore the deep relationship people have with money, the power of AI-driven personalization, and why clarity is kindness in both parenting and managing teams. 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 Natasha's LinkedIn Greg's LinkedIn

Connecting Marketing to Growth, with Wayfair CMO Paul Toms

Full transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch this interview on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Wayfair CMO Paul Toms got some advice from the company’s first marketing boss, which he still uses all the time: “Nobody cares about anything that happened before today. All we care about is that we make the smartest decision today… It lets you just engage in the present and in solving for the future without over-rotating on a prior decision." Paul has spent nearly 19 years at Wayfair, starting when the company had about 100 employees. Today, he oversees five brands across four countries, and leads marketing for a $12 billion business that's expanded into physical retail while maintaining its digital-first foundation. Today on Building Better CMOs, Paul and Marketing + Media Alliance CEO Greg Stuart talk about why marketers struggle to connect their work to business outcomes, and why the distinction between brand and performance marketing is simply a time window. They also discuss how to resolve disagreements by finding common ground, how Wayfair is finding innovative uses for AI, and why making decisions with incomplete information is essential for growth. This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LightningPod.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Building Better CMOs in your podcast app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rate & review the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paul's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Greg's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠