CMO Confidential

Wonder what it's like to control millions of dollars of marketing budget? Manage hundreds of people? Make the decisions on which ideas get to market? The CMO Confidential podcast shares how it feels to be in that chair of the shortest-tenured position on the C-suite. We detail the long, hard road most ideas take to get to market & how challenging it is to get the best ones through. Hosted by Mike Linton -- the former P&G Brand Manager who went on to be the Chief Marketing Officer of Best Buy, eBay, and Farmers Insurance, as well as the Chief Revenue Officer of Ancestry.com and the head marketer at Remington -- this show serves as an ongoing lesson plan for how to get, do, keep, and handle the pressures of the CMO job.

CMO Confidential is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 179 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts CMO Confidential, a business show with 179 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #188

  Kristin Wozniak | Too Much Data & Not Enough Thinking - Are You Following Goodhart's Law?

  Aug 18, 202633 min

  A CMO Confidential Interview with Kristin Wozniak, Chief Growth Officer and Data Officer at Cosmo5, formerly SVP Analytics and Strategy at Cossette Media. Kristin discusses why she believes many leaders have developed an unhealthy obsession with data, how "the need for certainty" stifles innovation, and Goodhart's law, which states "when a measure becomes a target, it's no longer a good measure." Key topics include: - The risk of constantly wanting more data and dashboards - The need for "buddy metrics" - Why you should link KPI's, compensation, and business results - The concepts of "AI Brain Fry" and "Hiding Behind the Data" Chapters 1:23 - Unhealthy Data Obsession Among Leaders 5:23 - Symptoms of Data Overload 8:38 - Managing Data and Innovation Blockers 14:32 - Understanding Goodhart's Law in Marketing 16:15 - Gaming Metrics and Personal Incentives 19:42 - Challenges with Retention Metrics 23:33 - Strategies for Data-Obsessed Companies 28:46 - Team-Based Metrics for 2027 30:43 - The Data Disconnect Story Tune in to hear a great cobra example and a story on tortoise and turtle research. Subscribe for weekly episodes featuring world-class marketing leaders, board members, and C-Suite executives. #CMOConfidential, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandStrategy, #CorporateActivism, #MarketingStrategy, #CMO, #AIinMarketing, #ExecutiveLeadership, #BrandReputation, #ConsumerTrust, #DigitalMarketing, #MarketingInsights, #ThoughtLeadership, #BusinessStrategy, #CustomerCentric See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  Episode #187

  Maryam Banikarim | What CMO's Talk About Behind Closed Doors

  Aug 11, 202636 min

  A CMO Confidential Interview with Maryam Banikarim, Chair of The Wall Street Journal CMO Council, Co-Founder of The Longest Table, and 5-time CMO. Maryam discusses how the industry is evolving, the continuing importance of data and storytelling, why many leaders are wondering "if they want the job," and how every CMO job is different. Key topics include: - Why so many people have a side hustle - How younger employees see corporate jobs as "higher risk" - Why the key to success is "knowing how to pick yourself up and recover" Tune in to hear why you should "Stop blaming your parents!" and how a key character for the late '70s show Taxi was created. ⏱️ Chapters 1:46 - AI and Marketing Evolution 6:13 - CMO Role and Responsibilities 10:39 - Agency Trends and Side Hustles 19:39 - Community Building and Leadership 25:46 - Working with Executive Boards 29:07 - Managing Career Setbacks 32:20 - Personal Anecdotes and Conclusion Subscribe for weekly episodes featuring world-class marketing leaders, board members, and C-Suite executives. #CMOConfidential, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandStrategy, #CorporateActivism, #MarketingStrategy, #CMO, #AIinMarketing, #ExecutiveLeadership, #BrandReputation, #ConsumerTrust, #DigitalMarketing, #MarketingInsights, #ThoughtLeadership, #BusinessStrategy, #CustomerCentric See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  Episode #186

  Neal Mann | AI Agents as Teammates - Are You Really Ready to Work Together?

  Aug 4, 202635 min

  To celebrate our 175th episode, we sit down with Neal Mann, CEO and Co-Founder of NOAN (an AI-native fact layer business), formerly the Global Head of Transformation at Anomaly and News Corp journalist. Neal shares his thoughts on what it takes to create and manage AI agents, the importance of "structure," and how to combat "AI Slop."  Key topics include: - How onboarding an agent is similar to onboarding a human - Why AI thrives on structure - The concept of "A Business Brain built with Legos" Tune in to hear how to "fire" an agent and why the Netflix series "Mindhunter" is a tutorial on corporate transformation in addition to a show about serial killers. ⏱️ Chapters 1:21 - Defining AI Agents vs Assistants 2:27 - Implementing Agents into Team Workflows 6:19 - Structuring Data for AI Success 10:42 - Avoiding the AI Slop Problem 16:51 - Tracking ROI of AI Agents 23:30 - Tips for Onboarding AI Agents 27:06 - AI Impact on Marketing Agencies 29:38 - Common Mistakes in AI Adoption 32:01 - Final Advice on Business Transformation Subscribe for weekly episodes featuring world-class marketing leaders, board members, and C-Suite executives. #CMOConfidential, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandStrategy, #CorporateActivism, #MarketingStrategy, #CMO, #AIinMarketing, #ExecutiveLeadership, #BrandReputation, #ConsumerTrust, #DigitalMarketing, #MarketingInsights, #ThoughtLeadership, #BusinessStrategy, #CustomerCentric See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  Episode #185

  Dr. Ed Dobbles | Research and Analytics in an AI World

  Jul 28, 202636 min

  A CMO Confidential Interview with Dr. Ed Dobbles, Founder of Dobbles.AI and former VP of Analytics and Insights at Diageo, H&R Block, and SUPERVALU. Ed discusses the evolution of analytics from the Almanac to BI to Generative Analytics and explains his thinking on why great tools often don't get used.  Key topics include: - Why "Analytics is hard, but people are harder" - How generative analytics will allow leaders to truly talk to their data - The importance of AI governance - Why "All models are wrong but some are useful" Tune in to hear stories about H&R Block, Malort Liquor, and the racquetball court at Best Buy.  ⏱️ Chapters 1:44 - Defining Analytics and Business Intelligence 3:26 - The Evolution of Data Adoption 9:31 - Analytics and Human Factors 15:06 - AI Systems and Synthetic Panels 24:35 - Building Future Analytics Teams 32:10 - Closing Advice and Stories Subscribe for weekly episodes featuring world-class marketing leaders, board members, and C-Suite executives. #CMOConfidential, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandStrategy, #CorporateActivism, #MarketingStrategy, #CMO, #AIinMarketing, #ExecutiveLeadership, #BrandReputation, #ConsumerTrust, #DigitalMarketing, #MarketingInsights, #ThoughtLeadership, #BusinessStrategy, #CustomerCentric See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  Episode #184

  Brent Rivard | Why Are So Many Marketers Ignoring the $8.3 Trillion Market Hiding in Plain Sight?

  Jul 21, 202634 min

  A CMO Confidential Interview with Brent Rivard, co-founding Partner of Geezer Creative, previously CMO of Internova Travel and President of Mass Minority. Brent shares his thoughts on the tunnel vision, reliance on "safe" playbooks, and faulty KPIs that often prevent marketers from seeing the elephant in the room.  Key topics include: - Why you shouldn't confuse media with sales - The relentless focus on young consumers even in categories like alcohol where Gen X and Boomers out-consume youth 8:1 - The distressing lack of employees over 50 in the agency business Tune in to hear why loyalty is in decline and the idea of agency selection based on a "Jam Session" instead of an RFP.  ⏱️ Chapters 00:01 - Introduction to Brent Rivard 04:25 - The Overlooked $8.3 Trillion Market 07:37 - The Myth of Lifetime Value and Changing Consumer Loyalty 09:45 - Industries Adapting vs. Falling Behind 19:23 - Reassessing KPIs and Marketing Metrics 23:28 - Cultural Shifts and Modern Aging 31:46 - Practical Advice for Working with Agencies Subscribe for weekly episodes featuring world-class marketing leaders, board members, and C-Suite executives. #CMOConfidential, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandStrategy, #CorporateActivism, #MarketingStrategy, #CMO, #AIinMarketing, #ExecutiveLeadership, #BrandReputation, #ConsumerTrust, #DigitalMarketing, #MarketingInsights, #ThoughtLeadership, #BusinessStrategy, #CustomerCentric See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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