Frontier CMO Podcast by Think with Google https://www.youtube.com/thinkwithgoogle en 2024 In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. We’re asking the questions other won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape. From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape. Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January. https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/a6bf2a5c-cec5-11f0-ba01-af363fc5f5ad/image/63f3c08db64525db00becb455769e5e4.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress Frontier CMO Podcast by Think with Google https://www.youtube.com/thinkwithgoogle no episodic Presented by Think with Google In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. We’re asking the questions other won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape. From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape. Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January. In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier.

We’re asking the questions other won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape. From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape.

Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January.

]]> Presented by Think with Google natalie@podpeople.com Beyond the Pitch: Inside Arsenal’s Global Fandom Playbook Most football clubs are built around matchday but not Arsenal. As it enters its 140th year, the team in a lot of ways, is only just getting started.  In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to meet Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal Football Club, on home turf to go inside the playbook behind one of the most engaged global fanbases in sports.  From the rapid rise of the women’s league to the clubs’ staying power of “cool,” Juliet shares why serving your fanbase is better than trying to sell them.  This conversation lands at a historic moment with the club reaching its first UEFA Champions League Final in 20 years and is within reach from capturing the Premier League title. As FIFA tournaments kick off around the globe, this is your front row ticket to exploring how one of the world’s biggest clubs is making its mark across platforms, geographies, and generations. 00:00 Arsenal’s Global Brand Philosophy 02:00 Serving Fans Beyond Match Day 04:10 Building a Modern Global Football Brand 06:00 Fashion, Culture & the Arsenal Identity 07:30 Personalization, Content & AI Strategy 09:40 Understanding Different Types of Fans 10:45 Measuring Real Fan Engagement 12:30 The Viral Women’s Football Dating Campaign 14:00 Fans as Co-Creators of the Arsenal Brand 16:30 Authentic Marketing vs. Over-Selling 18:40 Growing Arsenal Women Into a Global Business 22:45 Choosing the Right Brand Partnerships 24:20 Purpose-Driven Campaigns & “No More Red” 25:45 Creating One Unified Club Culture 27:00 Winning Beyond Trophies 29:20 The Future of Sports, Tech & Virtual Viewing 32:00 Why Arsenal Resonates Around the World 34:00 Final Lessons on Community & Long-Term Growth Thu, 07 May 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Most football clubs are built around matchday but not Arsenal. As it enters its 140th year, the team in a lot of ways, is only just getting started.  In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to meet Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal Football Club, on home turf to go inside the playbook behind one of the most engaged global fanbases in sports.  From the rapid rise of the women’s league to the clubs’ staying power of “cool,” Juliet shares why serving your fanbase is better than trying to sell them.  This conversation lands at a historic moment with the club reaching its first UEFA Champions League Final in 20 years and is within reach from capturing the Premier League title. As FIFA tournaments kick off around the globe, this is your front row ticket to exploring how one of the world’s biggest clubs is making its mark across platforms, geographies, and generations. 00:00 Arsenal’s Global Brand Philosophy 02:00 Serving Fans Beyond Match Day 04:10 Building a Modern Global Football Brand 06:00 Fashion, Culture & the Arsenal Identity 07:30 Personalization, Content & AI Strategy 09:40 Understanding Different Types of Fans 10:45 Measuring Real Fan Engagement 12:30 The Viral Women’s Football Dating Campaign 14:00 Fans as Co-Creators of the Arsenal Brand 16:30 Authentic Marketing vs. Over-Selling 18:40 Growing Arsenal Women Into a Global Business 22:45 Choosing the Right Brand Partnerships 24:20 Purpose-Driven Campaigns & “No More Red” 25:45 Creating One Unified Club Culture 27:00 Winning Beyond Trophies 29:20 The Future of Sports, Tech & Virtual Viewing 32:00 Why Arsenal Resonates Around the World 34:00 Final Lessons on Community & Long-Term Growth Most football clubs are built around matchday but not Arsenal. As it enters its 140th year, the team in a lot of ways, is only just getting started. 

In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to meet Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal Football Club, on home turf to go inside the playbook behind one of the most engaged global fanbases in sports. 

From the rapid rise of the women’s league to the clubs’ staying power of “cool,” Juliet shares why serving your fanbase is better than trying to sell them. 

This conversation lands at a historic moment with the club reaching its first UEFA Champions League Final in 20 years and is within reach from capturing the Premier League title. As FIFA tournaments kick off around the globe, this is your front row ticket to exploring how one of the world’s biggest clubs is making its mark across platforms, geographies, and generations.


00:00 Arsenal’s Global Brand Philosophy

02:00 Serving Fans Beyond Match Day

04:10 Building a Modern Global Football Brand

06:00 Fashion, Culture & the Arsenal Identity

07:30 Personalization, Content & AI Strategy

09:40 Understanding Different Types of Fans

10:45 Measuring Real Fan Engagement

12:30 The Viral Women’s Football Dating Campaign

14:00 Fans as Co-Creators of the Arsenal Brand

16:30 Authentic Marketing vs. Over-Selling

18:40 Growing Arsenal Women Into a Global Business

22:45 Choosing the Right Brand Partnerships

24:20 Purpose-Driven Campaigns & “No More Red”

25:45 Creating One Unified Club Culture

27:00 Winning Beyond Trophies

29:20 The Future of Sports, Tech & Virtual Viewing

32:00 Why Arsenal Resonates Around the World

34:00 Final Lessons on Community & Long-Term Growth


]]> 2143 no Asmita Dubey on AI, Fragmentation, and the Future of Marketing Marketing is entering its most complex era yet. AI is accelerating everything—but the real challenge is making sense of a system that is fragmenting faster than ever. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at L’Oréal Groupe, who leads digital transformation across the world’s largest beauty company. With more than 90,000 employees and dozens of global brands, Asmita is responsible for navigating how AI, data, and creativity reshape marketing at enterprise scale. The conversation explores why fragmentation defines modern marketing—from the consumer journey to the marketing organization itself—and how leaders must respond by building systems that scale learning. Asmita shares how L’Oréal has operationalized transformation through massive upskilling, AI-powered content creation, and a culture built around what she calls the “dual muscle” of math and magic: the balance of technology, creativity, speed, and brand building.  For CMOs and founders navigating a moment where AI is reshaping every layer of marketing—from insight to creation to commerce—this conversation offers a practical blueprint for leading transformation while protecting the creative heart of the brand. 00:00 – The Marketer’s Dilemma: Fragmentation in the AI Era 01:00 – Meet Asmita Dubey & L’Oréal’s “Math + Magic” Philosophy 02:00 – A Global Career & How Background Shapes Leadership 03:30 – Growing Up in a Family of Teachers & Lifelong Learning 04:45 – Leading Through Influence in a Complex Organization 06:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s Massive Marketing Ecosystem 07:30 – Stakeholders Then vs. Now: The Expanding Marketing Universe 09:00 – Marketing Meets Engineering: The Rise of Beauty Tech 10:30 – Staying Ahead: Culture, Curiosity & Continuous Reinvention 11:45 – Building an Entrepreneurial Culture at Scale 13:00 – Upskilling 30,000+ Marketers & Skill-Based Organizations 15:00 – L’Oréal’s Digital Transformation: From 5% to 30% E-Commerce 17:00 – Changing Consumer Behavior & New Operating Models 19:00 – Measurement Matters: Balancing Short-Term ROI & Brand Equity 21:00 – Lessons from China: Speed, Scale & Consumer-First Thinking 23:30 – Agentic Commerce & the Future of Beauty Shopping 26:00 – Why Fragmentation Is the Biggest Marketing Challenge 29:00 – AI’s Role in Rebundling Marketing & Breaking Silos 31:00 – AI-Powered Consumer & Marketer Journeys Explained 33:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s AI Tools: Creaitech & Content at Scale 35:00 – What’s Next: The Future of Marketing in the AI Era 37:00 – Rapid Fire: Signal vs. Noise (AI, Influencers, Innovation) 40:00 – Final Takeaways: Fragmentation, Learning Systems & Dual Muscle  Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Marketing is entering its most complex era yet. AI is accelerating everything—but the real challenge is making sense of a system that is fragmenting faster than ever. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at L’Oréal Groupe, who leads digital transformation across the world’s largest beauty company. With more than 90,000 employees and dozens of global brands, Asmita is responsible for navigating how AI, data, and creativity reshape marketing at enterprise scale. The conversation explores why fragmentation defines modern marketing—from the consumer journey to the marketing organization itself—and how leaders must respond by building systems that scale learning. Asmita shares how L’Oréal has operationalized transformation through massive upskilling, AI-powered content creation, and a culture built around what she calls the “dual muscle” of math and magic: the balance of technology, creativity, speed, and brand building.  For CMOs and founders navigating a moment where AI is reshaping every layer of marketing—from insight to creation to commerce—this conversation offers a practical blueprint for leading transformation while protecting the creative heart of the brand. 00:00 – The Marketer’s Dilemma: Fragmentation in the AI Era 01:00 – Meet Asmita Dubey & L’Oréal’s “Math + Magic” Philosophy 02:00 – A Global Career & How Background Shapes Leadership 03:30 – Growing Up in a Family of Teachers & Lifelong Learning 04:45 – Leading Through Influence in a Complex Organization 06:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s Massive Marketing Ecosystem 07:30 – Stakeholders Then vs. Now: The Expanding Marketing Universe 09:00 – Marketing Meets Engineering: The Rise of Beauty Tech 10:30 – Staying Ahead: Culture, Curiosity & Continuous Reinvention 11:45 – Building an Entrepreneurial Culture at Scale 13:00 – Upskilling 30,000+ Marketers & Skill-Based Organizations 15:00 – L’Oréal’s Digital Transformation: From 5% to 30% E-Commerce 17:00 – Changing Consumer Behavior & New Operating Models 19:00 – Measurement Matters: Balancing Short-Term ROI & Brand Equity 21:00 – Lessons from China: Speed, Scale & Consumer-First Thinking 23:30 – Agentic Commerce & the Future of Beauty Shopping 26:00 – Why Fragmentation Is the Biggest Marketing Challenge 29:00 – AI’s Role in Rebundling Marketing & Breaking Silos 31:00 – AI-Powered Consumer & Marketer Journeys Explained 33:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s AI Tools: Creaitech & Content at Scale 35:00 – What’s Next: The Future of Marketing in the AI Era 37:00 – Rapid Fire: Signal vs. Noise (AI, Influencers, Innovation) 40:00 – Final Takeaways: Fragmentation, Learning Systems & Dual Muscle  Marketing is entering its most complex era yet. AI is accelerating everything—but the real challenge is making sense of a system that is fragmenting faster than ever.

In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at L’Oréal Groupe, who leads digital transformation across the world’s largest beauty company. With more than 90,000 employees and dozens of global brands, Asmita is responsible for navigating how AI, data, and creativity reshape marketing at enterprise scale.

The conversation explores why fragmentation defines modern marketing—from the consumer journey to the marketing organization itself—and how leaders must respond by building systems that scale learning. Asmita shares how L’Oréal has operationalized transformation through massive upskilling, AI-powered content creation, and a culture built around what she calls the “dual muscle” of math and magic: the balance of technology, creativity, speed, and brand building. 

For CMOs and founders navigating a moment where AI is reshaping every layer of marketing—from insight to creation to commerce—this conversation offers a practical blueprint for leading transformation while protecting the creative heart of the brand.

00:00 – The Marketer’s Dilemma: Fragmentation in the AI Era

01:00 – Meet Asmita Dubey & L’Oréal’s “Math + Magic” Philosophy

02:00 – A Global Career & How Background Shapes Leadership

03:30 – Growing Up in a Family of Teachers & Lifelong Learning

04:45 – Leading Through Influence in a Complex Organization

06:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s Massive Marketing Ecosystem

07:30 – Stakeholders Then vs. Now: The Expanding Marketing Universe

09:00 – Marketing Meets Engineering: The Rise of Beauty Tech

10:30 – Staying Ahead: Culture, Curiosity & Continuous Reinvention

11:45 – Building an Entrepreneurial Culture at Scale

13:00 – Upskilling 30,000+ Marketers & Skill-Based Organizations

15:00 – L’Oréal’s Digital Transformation: From 5% to 30% E-Commerce

17:00 – Changing Consumer Behavior & New Operating Models

19:00 – Measurement Matters: Balancing Short-Term ROI & Brand Equity

21:00 – Lessons from China: Speed, Scale & Consumer-First Thinking

23:30 – Agentic Commerce & the Future of Beauty Shopping

26:00 – Why Fragmentation Is the Biggest Marketing Challenge

29:00 – AI’s Role in Rebundling Marketing & Breaking Silos

31:00 – AI-Powered Consumer & Marketer Journeys Explained

33:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s AI Tools: Creaitech & Content at Scale

35:00 – What’s Next: The Future of Marketing in the AI Era

37:00 – Rapid Fire: Signal vs. Noise (AI, Influencers, Innovation)

40:00 – Final Takeaways: Fragmentation, Learning Systems & Dual Muscle 

]]> 2486 no Emma Grede on Operationalizing Culture, Speed, and AI Marketing is no longer downstream from product. It is the operating system. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Emma Grede, founding partner and Chief Product Officer at SKIMS, Co Founder & CEO of Good American, and Co Founder of Off Season, to unpack what it really takes to build durable brands in a culture obsessed with moments. Emma shares why product discipline matters more than hype, how to operationalize cultural relevance, and why speed is the ultimate competitive advantage. The conversation explores AI adoption inside fast-scaling companies, where automation should power the business, and where it should never touch creative. Emma also reflects on talent partnerships, decision velocity, resilience, and why the best leaders aren’t the ones who make perfect decisions, but the ones who make more of them. For founders and CMOs navigating growth where culture, commerce, and AI collide, this is a blueprint for building brands that last. Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Marketing is no longer downstream from product. It is the operating system. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Emma Grede, founding partner and Chief Product Officer at SKIMS, Co Founder & CEO of Good American, and Co Founder of Off Season, to unpack what it really takes to build durable brands in a culture obsessed with moments. Emma shares why product discipline matters more than hype, how to operationalize cultural relevance, and why speed is the ultimate competitive advantage. The conversation explores AI adoption inside fast-scaling companies, where automation should power the business, and where it should never touch creative. Emma also reflects on talent partnerships, decision velocity, resilience, and why the best leaders aren’t the ones who make perfect decisions, but the ones who make more of them. For founders and CMOs navigating growth where culture, commerce, and AI collide, this is a blueprint for building brands that last. Marketing is no longer downstream from product. It is the operating system.

In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Emma Grede, founding partner and Chief Product Officer at SKIMS, Co Founder & CEO of Good American, and Co Founder of Off Season, to unpack what it really takes to build durable brands in a culture obsessed with moments. Emma shares why product discipline matters more than hype, how to operationalize cultural relevance, and why speed is the ultimate competitive advantage.

The conversation explores AI adoption inside fast-scaling companies, where automation should power the business, and where it should never touch creative. Emma also reflects on talent partnerships, decision velocity, resilience, and why the best leaders aren’t the ones who make perfect decisions, but the ones who make more of them.

For founders and CMOs navigating growth where culture, commerce, and AI collide, this is a blueprint for building brands that last.


]]> 2744 no Carla Hassan on Trust, AI, and Leading Under Pressure Marketing leadership today is defined by pressure: AI disruption, declining trust in institutions, cultural fragmentation, and relentless growth expectations. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Carla Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer of JPMorganChase, who leads more than 3,000 marketers across one of the world’s most recognized financial brands. From her early life shaped by displacement to stewarding a 200+ year-old institution, Carla shares how resilience and clarity shape her leadership. The conversation explores why “you don’t build trust with a tagline,” how trust is earned locally at scale, and what it really takes to modernize a marketing organization. Carla unpacks how AI is transforming roles from writers to editors, why layering AI onto broken processes fails, and how CMOs must rethink org design, workflows, and decision rights. For leaders navigating complexity inside large systems, this episode is a candid look at transformation, operational discipline, and building durable brands in uncertain times. 00:00 – Training Teams in the AI Era 01:00 – The Pressure of Being a Modern CMO 02:00 – Carla Hassan’s Journey & Resilience 04:30 – Global vs Local Marketing: Getting It Right 06:30 – Why Brand Consistency is Non-Negotiable 08:30 – Cultural Differences in Money & Messaging 10:30 – Building a Purpose-Driven Global Brand 11:30 – Trust, Transparency & Big Institutions 13:30 – What Modern Marketing Looks Like Today 17:00 – How AI is Reshaping Marketing Teams 20:30 – Speed, Testing & Real-Time Content Feedback 40:30 – Final Takeaways: Trust, AI & Local Relevance Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Marketing leadership today is defined by pressure: AI disruption, declining trust in institutions, cultural fragmentation, and relentless growth expectations. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Carla Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer of JPMorganChase, who leads more than 3,000 marketers across one of the world’s most recognized financial brands. From her early life shaped by displacement to stewarding a 200+ year-old institution, Carla shares how resilience and clarity shape her leadership. The conversation explores why “you don’t build trust with a tagline,” how trust is earned locally at scale, and what it really takes to modernize a marketing organization. Carla unpacks how AI is transforming roles from writers to editors, why layering AI onto broken processes fails, and how CMOs must rethink org design, workflows, and decision rights. For leaders navigating complexity inside large systems, this episode is a candid look at transformation, operational discipline, and building durable brands in uncertain times. 00:00 – Training Teams in the AI Era 01:00 – The Pressure of Being a Modern CMO 02:00 – Carla Hassan’s Journey & Resilience 04:30 – Global vs Local Marketing: Getting It Right 06:30 – Why Brand Consistency is Non-Negotiable 08:30 – Cultural Differences in Money & Messaging 10:30 – Building a Purpose-Driven Global Brand 11:30 – Trust, Transparency & Big Institutions 13:30 – What Modern Marketing Looks Like Today 17:00 – How AI is Reshaping Marketing Teams 20:30 – Speed, Testing & Real-Time Content Feedback 40:30 – Final Takeaways: Trust, AI & Local Relevance Marketing leadership today is defined by pressure: AI disruption, declining trust in institutions, cultural fragmentation, and relentless growth expectations.

In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Carla Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer of JPMorganChase, who leads more than 3,000 marketers across one of the world’s most recognized financial brands. From her early life shaped by displacement to stewarding a 200+ year-old institution, Carla shares how resilience and clarity shape her leadership.

The conversation explores why “you don’t build trust with a tagline,” how trust is earned locally at scale, and what it really takes to modernize a marketing organization. Carla unpacks how AI is transforming roles from writers to editors, why layering AI onto broken processes fails, and how CMOs must rethink org design, workflows, and decision rights.

For leaders navigating complexity inside large systems, this episode is a candid look at transformation, operational discipline, and building durable brands in uncertain times.

00:00 – Training Teams in the AI Era

01:00 – The Pressure of Being a Modern CMO

02:00 – Carla Hassan’s Journey & Resilience

04:30 – Global vs Local Marketing: Getting It Right

06:30 – Why Brand Consistency is Non-Negotiable

08:30 – Cultural Differences in Money & Messaging

10:30 – Building a Purpose-Driven Global Brand

11:30 – Trust, Transparency & Big Institutions

13:30 – What Modern Marketing Looks Like Today

17:00 – How AI is Reshaping Marketing Teams

20:30 – Speed, Testing & Real-Time Content Feedback

40:30 – Final Takeaways: Trust, AI & Local Relevance


]]> 2537 no Sir Martin Sorrell on AI and Agency Reinvention Marketing is being reshaped by forces far bigger than any single campaign: AI, geopolitical fragmentation, economic pressure, and collapsing agency business models. In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with a legend of the advertising world: Sir Martin Sorrell. As an architect of the industry over the last 50 years, Sir Martin shares his unvarnished perspective on where marketing power is shifting now and what CMOs must do to stay relevant. The conversation breaks down why traditional agency holding companies are struggling, why AI adoption is being driven more by CFOs than CMOs, and where true transformation is already happening at scale. 00:00 – The Power of Branding in a Changing World 01:19 – “Two Drunks and a Lamppost”: On Agency Consolidation 03:34 – What CMOs Can Learn from Ogilvy & the Saatchis 07:42 – Who’s Building the New Marketing Paradigm? 10:13 – Why Agencies Are Falling Behind in the AI Era 13:41 – Why the CFO Is Driving AI Adoption 16:53 – Creativity’s AI Golden Age? 18:45 – The GM Model: AI at Scale in Action 22:43 – The Skills the Next CMO Must Master 28:53 – Is the Long-Term Brand Era Over? 35:00 – Rapid Fire: AI, Agencies & Overcapacity 37:44 – The Most Exciting Market in the World Right Now Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Marketing is being reshaped by forces far bigger than any single campaign: AI, geopolitical fragmentation, economic pressure, and collapsing agency business models. In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with a legend of the advertising world: Sir Martin Sorrell. As an architect of the industry over the last 50 years, Sir Martin shares his unvarnished perspective on where marketing power is shifting now and what CMOs must do to stay relevant. The conversation breaks down why traditional agency holding companies are struggling, why AI adoption is being driven more by CFOs than CMOs, and where true transformation is already happening at scale. 00:00 – The Power of Branding in a Changing World 01:19 – “Two Drunks and a Lamppost”: On Agency Consolidation 03:34 – What CMOs Can Learn from Ogilvy & the Saatchis 07:42 – Who’s Building the New Marketing Paradigm? 10:13 – Why Agencies Are Falling Behind in the AI Era 13:41 – Why the CFO Is Driving AI Adoption 16:53 – Creativity’s AI Golden Age? 18:45 – The GM Model: AI at Scale in Action 22:43 – The Skills the Next CMO Must Master 28:53 – Is the Long-Term Brand Era Over? 35:00 – Rapid Fire: AI, Agencies & Overcapacity 37:44 – The Most Exciting Market in the World Right Now Marketing is being reshaped by forces far bigger than any single campaign: AI, geopolitical fragmentation, economic pressure, and collapsing agency business models.

In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with a legend of the advertising world: Sir Martin Sorrell. As an architect of the industry over the last 50 years, Sir Martin shares his unvarnished perspective on where marketing power is shifting now and what CMOs must do to stay relevant.

The conversation breaks down why traditional agency holding companies are struggling, why AI adoption is being driven more by CFOs than CMOs, and where true transformation is already happening at scale.

00:00 – The Power of Branding in a Changing World

01:19 – “Two Drunks and a Lamppost”: On Agency Consolidation

03:34 – What CMOs Can Learn from Ogilvy & the Saatchis

07:42 – Who’s Building the New Marketing Paradigm?

10:13 – Why Agencies Are Falling Behind in the AI Era

13:41 – Why the CFO Is Driving AI Adoption

16:53 – Creativity’s AI Golden Age?

18:45 – The GM Model: AI at Scale in Action

22:43 – The Skills the Next CMO Must Master

28:53 – Is the Long-Term Brand Era Over?

35:00 – Rapid Fire: AI, Agencies & Overcapacity

37:44 – The Most Exciting Market in the World Right Now

]]> 2461 no Vineet Mehra on Marketing in the Agentic Era and How to speak the Love Language of the CFO In this episode of Frontier CMO, Vineet Mehra, Chief Growth Officer at Chime, joins Josh Spanier to unpack what it takes to lead marketing through the next platform shift. Drawing on a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Silicon Valley, Vineet shares how CMOs must evolve from brand managers into capital allocators who drive growth by effectively managing where dollars are deployed. To do this successfully, they must become "balance sheet literate" and learn to speak the "love language" of the CFO—specifically focusing on unit economics, payback periods, and the marginal return on every incremental dollar spent.  Vineet breaks down how Chime has restructured marketing around AI-enabled teams, in-housed creative and production, and redesigned customer support - turning automation into speed, savings into reinvestment, and execution into a competitive advantage. His thesis: perfect execution is table stakes; growth comes from strategy, taste, and how you design the system. Whether you’re navigating the pressure of AI adoption, balancing brand with direct response, or trying to stay relevant as automation accelerates, this episode offers a practical framework for building durable growth in a world where leadership, not technology, is the real differentiator. 00:00:00 — CFO + marketing: CAC, payback, unit economics 00:01:00 — Intro: the CMO role is changing 00:02:00 — What marketers must change for the next era 00:04:00 — What stays the same: brand story + taste00:05:30 — In-housing creative with top talent 00:08:00 — AI makes creative faster (from boards to near-finished) 00:10:30 — Biggest benefits: speed, savings, bigger ideas00:12:00 — “Chief Growth Officer” and owning the full funnel 00:15:00 — Full-stack marketer + systems architect 00:19:00 — Using AI agents at Chime (customer support example)00:25:00 — How to build an AI-ready culture 00:29:00 — Advice to traditional companies 00:30:00 — Fun: AI + pizza00:33:00 — Brand vs performance = one system 00:35:00 — Handling end-of-quarter CFO pressure00:38:00 — Signal vs noise + wrap-up takeaways Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google In this episode of Frontier CMO, Vineet Mehra, Chief Growth Officer at Chime, joins Josh Spanier to unpack what it takes to lead marketing through the next platform shift. Drawing on a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Silicon Valley, Vineet shares how CMOs must evolve from brand managers into capital allocators who drive growth by effectively managing where dollars are deployed. To do this successfully, they must become "balance sheet literate" and learn to speak the "love language" of the CFO—specifically focusing on unit economics, payback periods, and the marginal return on every incremental dollar spent.  Vineet breaks down how Chime has restructured marketing around AI-enabled teams, in-housed creative and production, and redesigned customer support - turning automation into speed, savings into reinvestment, and execution into a competitive advantage. His thesis: perfect execution is table stakes; growth comes from strategy, taste, and how you design the system. Whether you’re navigating the pressure of AI adoption, balancing brand with direct response, or trying to stay relevant as automation accelerates, this episode offers a practical framework for building durable growth in a world where leadership, not technology, is the real differentiator. 00:00:00 — CFO + marketing: CAC, payback, unit economics 00:01:00 — Intro: the CMO role is changing 00:02:00 — What marketers must change for the next era 00:04:00 — What stays the same: brand story + taste00:05:30 — In-housing creative with top talent 00:08:00 — AI makes creative faster (from boards to near-finished) 00:10:30 — Biggest benefits: speed, savings, bigger ideas00:12:00 — “Chief Growth Officer” and owning the full funnel 00:15:00 — Full-stack marketer + systems architect 00:19:00 — Using AI agents at Chime (customer support example)00:25:00 — How to build an AI-ready culture 00:29:00 — Advice to traditional companies 00:30:00 — Fun: AI + pizza00:33:00 — Brand vs performance = one system 00:35:00 — Handling end-of-quarter CFO pressure00:38:00 — Signal vs noise + wrap-up takeaways In this episode of Frontier CMO, Vineet Mehra, Chief Growth Officer at Chime, joins Josh Spanier to unpack what it takes to lead marketing through the next platform shift. Drawing on a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Silicon Valley, Vineet shares how CMOs must evolve from brand managers into capital allocators who drive growth by effectively managing where dollars are deployed. To do this successfully, they must become "balance sheet literate" and learn to speak the "love language" of the CFO—specifically focusing on unit economics, payback periods, and the marginal return on every incremental dollar spent. 

Vineet breaks down how Chime has restructured marketing around AI-enabled teams, in-housed creative and production, and redesigned customer support - turning automation into speed, savings into reinvestment, and execution into a competitive advantage. His thesis: perfect execution is table stakes; growth comes from strategy, taste, and how you design the system.

Whether you’re navigating the pressure of AI adoption, balancing brand with direct response, or trying to stay relevant as automation accelerates, this episode offers a practical framework for building durable growth in a world where leadership, not technology, is the real differentiator.

00:00:00 — CFO + marketing: CAC, payback, unit economics

00:01:00 — Intro: the CMO role is changing

00:02:00 — What marketers must change for the next era

00:04:00 — What stays the same: brand story + taste00:05:30 — In-housing creative with top talent

00:08:00 — AI makes creative faster (from boards to near-finished)

00:10:30 — Biggest benefits: speed, savings, bigger ideas00:12:00 — “Chief Growth Officer” and owning the full funnel

00:15:00 — Full-stack marketer + systems architect

00:19:00 — Using AI agents at Chime (customer support example)00:25:00 — How to build an AI-ready culture

00:29:00 — Advice to traditional companies

00:30:00 — Fun: AI + pizza00:33:00 — Brand vs performance = one system

00:35:00 — Handling end-of-quarter CFO pressure00:38:00 — Signal vs noise + wrap-up takeaways


]]> 2462 no Vidhya Srinivasan on Agentic Commerce and the AI Rewiring of Marketing Marketing is being rebuilt from the infrastructure up. Search is changing. Commerce is becoming agent-driven. Measurement is being redefined in real time. And the line between engineering and marketing is disappearing. In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with Vidhya Srinivasan, Head of Ads and Commerce at Google. As the leader responsible for Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Shopping, Merchant Center, Gemini integrations, and payments, Vidhya is helping architect how the modern marketplace actually works. The conversation explores what “agentic commerce” really means, why the Universal Commerce Protocol could reshape how brands interface with AI systems, and how Gemini is already rewiring performance, creative, and intent matching across the ad stack. Vidhya explains why CMOs don’t need to code — but must become technologically fluent — and outlines a five-part leadership blueprint for navigating AI transformation with optimism, speed, and accountability. 00:00 – The Vision: Reducing the “Commute Cost” from Desire to Purchase 00:28 – Engineering Meets Marketing: Why the Worlds Are Merging 01:31 – Inside Google Ads & Commerce: The Scale of the Role 03:13 – Agentic Commerce & the Universal Commerce Protocol Explained 04:29 – AI Search, Longer Queries & Reimagining Ads 05:05 – YouTube Creators, Culture & the Creator Partnership Hub 06:18 – How Gemini Powers Google’s Ad Systems 07:06 – Why Trust Is the Foundation of AI Advertising 07:51 – What CMOs Must Understand in the AI Era 14:19 – Measurement, First-Party Data & Cracking Attribution 21:38 – Leading AI Transformation: A 5-Point Playbook 25:32 – The Holy Grail: The Right Ad, Right Person, Right Moment Fri, 13 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Marketing is being rebuilt from the infrastructure up. Search is changing. Commerce is becoming agent-driven. Measurement is being redefined in real time. And the line between engineering and marketing is disappearing. In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with Vidhya Srinivasan, Head of Ads and Commerce at Google. As the leader responsible for Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Shopping, Merchant Center, Gemini integrations, and payments, Vidhya is helping architect how the modern marketplace actually works. The conversation explores what “agentic commerce” really means, why the Universal Commerce Protocol could reshape how brands interface with AI systems, and how Gemini is already rewiring performance, creative, and intent matching across the ad stack. Vidhya explains why CMOs don’t need to code — but must become technologically fluent — and outlines a five-part leadership blueprint for navigating AI transformation with optimism, speed, and accountability. 00:00 – The Vision: Reducing the “Commute Cost” from Desire to Purchase 00:28 – Engineering Meets Marketing: Why the Worlds Are Merging 01:31 – Inside Google Ads & Commerce: The Scale of the Role 03:13 – Agentic Commerce & the Universal Commerce Protocol Explained 04:29 – AI Search, Longer Queries & Reimagining Ads 05:05 – YouTube Creators, Culture & the Creator Partnership Hub 06:18 – How Gemini Powers Google’s Ad Systems 07:06 – Why Trust Is the Foundation of AI Advertising 07:51 – What CMOs Must Understand in the AI Era 14:19 – Measurement, First-Party Data & Cracking Attribution 21:38 – Leading AI Transformation: A 5-Point Playbook 25:32 – The Holy Grail: The Right Ad, Right Person, Right Moment Marketing is being rebuilt from the infrastructure up. Search is changing. Commerce is becoming agent-driven. Measurement is being redefined in real time. And the line between engineering and marketing is disappearing.

In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with Vidhya Srinivasan, Head of Ads and Commerce at Google. As the leader responsible for Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Shopping, Merchant Center, Gemini integrations, and payments, Vidhya is helping architect how the modern marketplace actually works.

The conversation explores what “agentic commerce” really means, why the Universal Commerce Protocol could reshape how brands interface with AI systems, and how Gemini is already rewiring performance, creative, and intent matching across the ad stack. Vidhya explains why CMOs don’t need to code — but must become technologically fluent — and outlines a five-part leadership blueprint for navigating AI transformation with optimism, speed, and accountability.

00:00 – The Vision: Reducing the “Commute Cost” from Desire to Purchase

00:28 – Engineering Meets Marketing: Why the Worlds Are Merging

01:31 – Inside Google Ads & Commerce: The Scale of the Role

03:13 – Agentic Commerce & the Universal Commerce Protocol Explained

04:29 – AI Search, Longer Queries & Reimagining Ads

05:05 – YouTube Creators, Culture & the Creator Partnership Hub

06:18 – How Gemini Powers Google’s Ad Systems

07:06 – Why Trust Is the Foundation of AI Advertising

07:51 – What CMOs Must Understand in the AI Era

14:19 – Measurement, First-Party Data & Cracking Attribution

21:38 – Leading AI Transformation: A 5-Point Playbook

25:32 – The Holy Grail: The Right Ad, Right Person, Right Moment

]]> 1751 no Colin & Samir on the CMO’s Guide to the New Creator Economy Marketing is colliding with a creator economy that looks more like television, community, and culture, rather than what we used to think of when we think of social media. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google, sits down with Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, creators and hosts of Colin & Samir, to unpack how the creator landscape has fundamentally changed, and what CMOs can do to get creator partnerships right. They explore why attention without connection is a dead end, how creators have become the arbiters of taste, and why brands must stop treating creator partnerships like performance ads and start building long-term, value-aligned relationships. A practical, forward-looking discussion on creators, community, and the shift from attention to connection. Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Marketing is colliding with a creator economy that looks more like television, community, and culture, rather than what we used to think of when we think of social media. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google, sits down with Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, creators and hosts of Colin & Samir, to unpack how the creator landscape has fundamentally changed, and what CMOs can do to get creator partnerships right. They explore why attention without connection is a dead end, how creators have become the arbiters of taste, and why brands must stop treating creator partnerships like performance ads and start building long-term, value-aligned relationships. A practical, forward-looking discussion on creators, community, and the shift from attention to connection. Marketing is colliding with a creator economy that looks more like television, community, and culture, rather than what we used to think of when we think of social media.

In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google, sits down with Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, creators and hosts of Colin & Samir, to unpack how the creator landscape has fundamentally changed, and what CMOs can do to get creator partnerships right.

They explore why attention without connection is a dead end, how creators have become the arbiters of taste, and why brands must stop treating creator partnerships like performance ads and start building long-term, value-aligned relationships.

A practical, forward-looking discussion on creators, community, and the shift from attention to connection.

]]> 2425 no Gary Vaynerchuk on Why Creative, Not Media, Is the Real Growth Engine Brands are currently caught between two realities: the pretty strategy deck and the real world where attention is the currency. Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia joins Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google to discuss why traditional brand models are failing and which channels remain the C-suite’s most misunderstood growth levers. Gary argues the bottleneck isn’t media—it’s creative slowed by excessive approvals and organizations built for campaigns rather than culture. To win, brands must collapse the walls between media and production, treating social as a daily operating system. This is a candid conversation for any leader ready to bridge the gap between boardroom theory and real-world business results. 00:00 — Creative vs. Media: What Actually Drives Results 01:38 — Practicing in the Trenches, Not the Decks 02:38 — The Real Role of the CMO in 2025–2026 03:51 — Performance vs. Brand CMOs: Why Both Miss the Mark 05:13 — “Day Trading Attention” and Measuring Real Outcomes 07:28 — Creative Is the Variable of Success 09:49 — LinkedIn Is the B2B World’s TikTok 11:21 — Relevance at Scale Beats “Matching Luggage” 13:49 — Why Production, Creative & Media Must Merge 15:05 — Who Wins in an AI-Powered Marketing World 18:42 — Rebuilding an Agency for the AI Era 21:06 — Brand Means Different Things to Different People 26:07 — How to Pitch Marketing to the CFO 30:41 — Rapid-Fire: Metrics, Media & Buzzwords 32:05 — Field Notes from the Frontier Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Brands are currently caught between two realities: the pretty strategy deck and the real world where attention is the currency. Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia joins Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google to discuss why traditional brand models are failing and which channels remain the C-suite’s most misunderstood growth levers. Gary argues the bottleneck isn’t media—it’s creative slowed by excessive approvals and organizations built for campaigns rather than culture. To win, brands must collapse the walls between media and production, treating social as a daily operating system. This is a candid conversation for any leader ready to bridge the gap between boardroom theory and real-world business results. 00:00 — Creative vs. Media: What Actually Drives Results 01:38 — Practicing in the Trenches, Not the Decks 02:38 — The Real Role of the CMO in 2025–2026 03:51 — Performance vs. Brand CMOs: Why Both Miss the Mark 05:13 — “Day Trading Attention” and Measuring Real Outcomes 07:28 — Creative Is the Variable of Success 09:49 — LinkedIn Is the B2B World’s TikTok 11:21 — Relevance at Scale Beats “Matching Luggage” 13:49 — Why Production, Creative & Media Must Merge 15:05 — Who Wins in an AI-Powered Marketing World 18:42 — Rebuilding an Agency for the AI Era 21:06 — Brand Means Different Things to Different People 26:07 — How to Pitch Marketing to the CFO 30:41 — Rapid-Fire: Metrics, Media & Buzzwords 32:05 — Field Notes from the Frontier Brands are currently caught between two realities: the pretty strategy deck and the real world where attention is the currency. Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia joins Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google to discuss why traditional brand models are failing and which channels remain the C-suite’s most misunderstood growth levers.


Gary argues the bottleneck isn’t media—it’s creative slowed by excessive approvals and organizations built for campaigns rather than culture. To win, brands must collapse the walls between media and production, treating social as a daily operating system. This is a candid conversation for any leader ready to bridge the gap between boardroom theory and real-world business results.


00:00 — Creative vs. Media: What Actually Drives Results

01:38 — Practicing in the Trenches, Not the Decks

02:38 — The Real Role of the CMO in 2025–2026

03:51 — Performance vs. Brand CMOs: Why Both Miss the Mark

05:13 — “Day Trading Attention” and Measuring Real Outcomes

07:28 — Creative Is the Variable of Success

09:49 — LinkedIn Is the B2B World’s TikTok

11:21 — Relevance at Scale Beats “Matching Luggage”

13:49 — Why Production, Creative & Media Must Merge

15:05 — Who Wins in an AI-Powered Marketing World

18:42 — Rebuilding an Agency for the AI Era

21:06 — Brand Means Different Things to Different People

26:07 — How to Pitch Marketing to the CFO

30:41 — Rapid-Fire: Metrics, Media & Buzzwords

32:05 — Field Notes from the Frontier


]]> 2006 no Norm de Greve on Growth, Reinvention, and Leading Through Relentless Change Today’s CMO is  being asked to deliver growth in a  landscape defined by radical uncertainty and AI disruption. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Norm de Greve, Chief Growth Officer at General Motors, joins Josh to explore what it takes to drive reinvention inside one of the world’s most complex legacy brands. Norm uses his experience making high-stakes decisions that have defined his career— walking away from $2 billion in tobacco revenue at CVS to steering GM’s resurgence—and turns it into actionable tactics for modern leaders. His thesis: Own the entire business engine, not just the brand. Learn how to move at the speed of change, without losing your creative soul.  Whether you are navigating the anxiety of the AI era or managing the tension between short-term performance and long-term brand building, this episode offers a masterclass in building sustainable systems for growth. 00:00 – Creative Still Matters in the Age of AI 00:24 – Welcome to Frontier CMO & Norm De Greve’s Journey 01:22 – Inside GM’s Turnaround and Reinvention 02:26 – Why Automotive Is One of the Most Powerful Brand Businesses 05:01 – Bankruptcy as the Catalyst for Change 06:11 – EVs, Profit Pressure, and a New Marketing Model 08:38 – Leading Teams Through Constant Change and AI Anxiety 10:11 – From CMO to Chief Growth Officer 13:48 – Short-Term Sales vs Long-Term Brand Building 23:48 – Rebuilding GM’s Agency Model with MediaMonks and Metropolis 31:34 – Why Brand and Human Taste Matter More in an AI World 34:24 – Field Notes from the Frontier: Growth, Change, and the Human Soul Learn more at Think with Google: https://business.google.com/us/think/frontier-cmo/  You can also find us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google/id1860114911  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2frcKgPI191iwfmVMHGfgYAmazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f0b58c08-3ce3-418d-9dad-bd0635141ff4/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google Thu, 15 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google Today’s CMO is  being asked to deliver growth in a  landscape defined by radical uncertainty and AI disruption. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Norm de Greve, Chief Growth Officer at General Motors, joins Josh to explore what it takes to drive reinvention inside one of the world’s most complex legacy brands. Norm uses his experience making high-stakes decisions that have defined his career— walking away from $2 billion in tobacco revenue at CVS to steering GM’s resurgence—and turns it into actionable tactics for modern leaders. His thesis: Own the entire business engine, not just the brand. Learn how to move at the speed of change, without losing your creative soul.  Whether you are navigating the anxiety of the AI era or managing the tension between short-term performance and long-term brand building, this episode offers a masterclass in building sustainable systems for growth. 00:00 – Creative Still Matters in the Age of AI 00:24 – Welcome to Frontier CMO & Norm De Greve’s Journey 01:22 – Inside GM’s Turnaround and Reinvention 02:26 – Why Automotive Is One of the Most Powerful Brand Businesses 05:01 – Bankruptcy as the Catalyst for Change 06:11 – EVs, Profit Pressure, and a New Marketing Model 08:38 – Leading Teams Through Constant Change and AI Anxiety 10:11 – From CMO to Chief Growth Officer 13:48 – Short-Term Sales vs Long-Term Brand Building 23:48 – Rebuilding GM’s Agency Model with MediaMonks and Metropolis 31:34 – Why Brand and Human Taste Matter More in an AI World 34:24 – Field Notes from the Frontier: Growth, Change, and the Human Soul Learn more at Think with Google: https://business.google.com/us/think/frontier-cmo/  You can also find us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google/id1860114911  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2frcKgPI191iwfmVMHGfgYAmazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f0b58c08-3ce3-418d-9dad-bd0635141ff4/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google Today’s CMO is  being asked to deliver growth in a  landscape defined by radical uncertainty and AI disruption.

In this episode of Frontier CMO, Norm de Greve, Chief Growth Officer at General Motors, joins Josh to explore what it takes to drive reinvention inside one of the world’s most complex legacy brands. Norm uses his experience making high-stakes decisions that have defined his career— walking away from $2 billion in tobacco revenue at CVS to steering GM’s resurgence—and turns it into actionable tactics for modern leaders. His thesis: Own the entire business engine, not just the brand.

Learn how to move at the speed of change, without losing your creative soul. 

Whether you are navigating the anxiety of the AI era or managing the tension between short-term performance and long-term brand building, this episode offers a masterclass in building sustainable systems for growth.

00:00 – Creative Still Matters in the Age of AI

00:24 – Welcome to Frontier CMO & Norm De Greve’s Journey

01:22 – Inside GM’s Turnaround and Reinvention

02:26 – Why Automotive Is One of the Most Powerful Brand Businesses

05:01 – Bankruptcy as the Catalyst for Change

06:11 – EVs, Profit Pressure, and a New Marketing Model

08:38 – Leading Teams Through Constant Change and AI Anxiety

10:11 – From CMO to Chief Growth Officer

13:48 – Short-Term Sales vs Long-Term Brand Building

23:48 – Rebuilding GM’s Agency Model with MediaMonks and Metropolis

31:34 – Why Brand and Human Taste Matter More in an AI World

34:24 – Field Notes from the Frontier: Growth, Change, and the Human Soul

Learn more at Think with Google: https://business.google.com/us/think/frontier-cmo/ 

You can also find us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google/id1860114911 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2frcKgPI191iwfmVMHGfgY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f0b58c08-3ce3-418d-9dad-bd0635141ff4/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google

]]> 2167 no Shelly Palmer on Leading Through AI Change, Identity Threat, and Marketing’s Next Era In marketing, AI is not a technology problem, it’s a leadership challenge and opportunity. Our premiere episode of Frontier CMO comes to you from CES 2026. We skipped the crystal ball hype to get to the point: AI is not just a tech shift, it’s a leadership test. In the first episode, Josh Spanier sits down with Shelly Palmer—CEO of The Palmer Group, Advanced Professor in Residence, and one of the most trusted advisors to the Fortune 500—to separate business-model signals from gadget noise. Shelly was direct: reorganize your marketing around human-agent pairs. In this new era, subject matter expertise is more important than ever. The better you are at your craft, the better your agents will be. Set your department up for continuous adaptation—or watch it grind to a halt. Thesis: The role of the CMO today is akin to a driver teaching a self-driving car. You are co-working in human-machine pairs, training the system until the day you can move from tactician to pure strategist. Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:35:00 -0000 full Presented by Think with Google In marketing, AI is not a technology problem, it’s a leadership challenge and opportunity. Our premiere episode of Frontier CMO comes to you from CES 2026. We skipped the crystal ball hype to get to the point: AI is not just a tech shift, it’s a leadership test. In the first episode, Josh Spanier sits down with Shelly Palmer—CEO of The Palmer Group, Advanced Professor in Residence, and one of the most trusted advisors to the Fortune 500—to separate business-model signals from gadget noise. Shelly was direct: reorganize your marketing around human-agent pairs. In this new era, subject matter expertise is more important than ever. The better you are at your craft, the better your agents will be. Set your department up for continuous adaptation—or watch it grind to a halt. Thesis: The role of the CMO today is akin to a driver teaching a self-driving car. You are co-working in human-machine pairs, training the system until the day you can move from tactician to pure strategist. In marketing, AI is not a technology problem, it’s a leadership challenge and opportunity. Our premiere episode of Frontier CMO comes to you from CES 2026. We skipped the crystal ball hype to get to the point: AI is not just a tech shift, it’s a leadership test.

In the first episode, Josh Spanier sits down with Shelly Palmer—CEO of The Palmer Group, Advanced Professor in Residence, and one of the most trusted advisors to the Fortune 500—to separate business-model signals from gadget noise. Shelly was direct: reorganize your marketing around human-agent pairs. In this new era, subject matter expertise is more important than ever. The better you are at your craft, the better your agents will be. Set your department up for continuous adaptation—or watch it grind to a halt.


Thesis: The role of the CMO today is akin to a driver teaching a self-driving car. You are co-working in human-machine pairs, training the system until the day you can move from tactician to pure strategist.

]]> 2597 no Introducing Frontier CMO by Think with Google https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/introducing-frontier-cmo In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. New episodes drop January 2026. We’re asking the questions others won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape.  From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape. Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January. Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:49:00 -0000 Introducing Frontier CMO trailer Presented by Think with Google In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. New episodes drop January 2026. We’re asking the questions others won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape.  From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape. Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January. In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. New episodes drop January 2026.


We’re asking the questions others won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape. 


From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape.


Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January.

]]> 54 no Tombras president Dooley Tombras on creating an impossible ad with gen AI | Modern Marketers https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/tombras-president-dooley-tombras-on-creating-an-impossible-ad-with-gen-ai-modern-marketers This week on Modern Marketers, Tombras president Dooley Tombras joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to discuss being the third generation to lead the family business, what it means to be an independent agency focusing on data and creativity, and the partnership with PODS and Google to create an impossible ad campaign using generative AI. Dooley shares a few favorite campaigns from his 20 years at Tombras, how he balances classic marketing metrics with modern approaches, and what the next five years look like for the agency. Wed, 04 Dec 2024 11:30:00 -0000 Tombras president Dooley Tombras on creating an impossible ad with gen AI | Modern Marketers full 1 11 Presented by Think with Google This week on Modern Marketers, Tombras president Dooley Tombras joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to discuss being the third generation to lead the family business, what it means to be an independent agency focusing on data and creativity, and the partnership with PODS and Google to create an impossible ad campaign using generative AI. Dooley shares a few favorite campaigns from his 20 years at Tombras, how he balances classic marketing metrics with modern approaches, and what the next five years look like for the agency. This week on Modern Marketers, Tombras president Dooley Tombras joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to discuss being the third generation to lead the family business, what it means to be an independent agency focusing on data and creativity, and the partnership with PODS and Google to create an impossible ad campaign using generative AI. Dooley shares a few favorite campaigns from his 20 years at Tombras, how he balances classic marketing metrics with modern approaches, and what the next five years look like for the agency.

]]> 1313 no McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell on driving customer loyalty | Modern Marketers https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/mcdonalds-vp-of-marketing-elizabeth-campbell-on-driving-customer-loyalty-modern-marketers This week on Modern Marketers, McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her 20-year career at the company and how the brand keeps consumers at the center of everything it does. Elizabeth shares some of McDonald's most iconic marketing campaigns and product launches she has worked on over the years, as well as tips for engaging with consumers in a way that feels natural to them and how the brand decides what does and doesn't need to be tested. Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:05:46 -0000 McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell on driving customer loyalty | Modern Marketers full 1 10 Presented by Think with Google This week on Modern Marketers, McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her 20-year career at the company and how the brand keeps consumers at the center of everything it does. Elizabeth shares some of McDonald's most iconic marketing campaigns and product launches she has worked on over the years, as well as tips for engaging with consumers in a way that feels natural to them and how the brand decides what does and doesn't need to be tested. This week on Modern Marketers, McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her 20-year career at the company and how the brand keeps consumers at the center of everything it does. Elizabeth shares some of McDonald's most iconic marketing campaigns and product launches she has worked on over the years, as well as tips for engaging with consumers in a way that feels natural to them and how the brand decides what does and doesn't need to be tested.

]]> 1493 no Northwestern Kellogg Professor Jim Lecinski on being a whole brain marketer | Modern Marketers https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/northwestern-kellogg-professor-jim-lecinski-on-being-a-whole-brain-marketer-modern-marketers-0 This week on Modern Marketers, Jim Lecinski, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about Jim's career pivot from tech executive to college professor, what traits make up the most effective marketer, and the ability to combine left and right brain to be a whole-brain marketer. Jim discusses what he sees as top of mind for rising-star marketers in his classes, how he wrote a book on AI — well before the recent buzz — in 2021, and advice for creating a marketing plan that excites your C-suite. Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Northwestern Kellogg Professor Jim Lecinski on being a whole brain marketer | Modern Marketers full 1 9 Presented by Think with Google This week on Modern Marketers, Jim Lecinski, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about Jim's career pivot from tech executive to college professor, what traits make up the most effective marketer, and the ability to combine left and right brain to be a whole-brain marketer. Jim discusses what he sees as top of mind for rising-star marketers in his classes, how he wrote a book on AI — well before the recent buzz — in 2021, and advice for creating a marketing plan that excites your C-suite. This week on Modern Marketers, Jim Lecinski, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about Jim's career pivot from tech executive to college professor, what traits make up the most effective marketer, and the ability to combine left and right brain to be a whole-brain marketer. Jim discusses what he sees as top of mind for rising-star marketers in his classes, how he wrote a book on AI — well before the recent buzz — in 2021, and advice for creating a marketing plan that excites your C-suite.

]]> 1437 no Walmart CMO William White on brand values and cutting through the competition | Modern Marketers https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/walmart-cmo-william-white-on-breaking-through-in-a-competitive-landscape-and-using-values-as-a-brand-guide-modern-marketers This week on Modern Marketers, Walmart SVP and CMO William White joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about how he empowers his team to stay nimble, using customer insights as a competitive advantage and how the brand breaks through during the busiest time of the year: the holidays. William discusses how brand purpose and values act as a guide, getting to the crux of what's driving consumer behavior and staying a season or two ahead. Wed, 02 Oct 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Walmart CMO William White on breaking through in a competitive landscape and using values as a brand guide | Modern Marketers full 1 8 Presented by Think with Google This week on Modern Marketers, Walmart SVP and CMO William White joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about how he empowers his team to stay nimble, using customer insights as a competitive advantage and how the brand breaks through during the busiest time of the year: the holidays. William discusses how brand purpose and values act as a guide, getting to the crux of what's driving consumer behavior and staying a season or two ahead. This week on Modern Marketers, Walmart SVP and CMO William White joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about how he empowers his team to stay nimble, using customer insights as a competitive advantage and how the brand breaks through during the busiest time of the year: the holidays. William discusses how brand purpose and values act as a guide, getting to the crux of what's driving consumer behavior and staying a season or two ahead.

]]> 1706 no Hubspot CMO Kipp Bodnar on compelling B2B creative and quick business results | Modern Marketers https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/tbd-0 This week on Modern Marketers, Kipp Bodnar, CMO of Hubspot, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss how to make B2B marketing creative better, how to convince your CFO it's OK not to attribute 100% of your marketing spend, and the importance of taking risks as a leader. Hear how Hubspot has built out its marketing team, approaches growth opportunities, and about Kipp's experiences from his days as an early employee at Hubspot to now. Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Hubspot CMO Kipp Bodnar on Compelling B2B Creative and Driving Business Results Quickly full 1 7 Presented by Think with Google This week on Modern Marketers, Kipp Bodnar, CMO of Hubspot, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss how to make B2B marketing creative better, how to convince your CFO it's OK not to attribute 100% of your marketing spend, and the importance of taking risks as a leader. Hear how Hubspot has built out its marketing team, approaches growth opportunities, and about Kipp's experiences from his days as an early employee at Hubspot to now. This week on Modern Marketers, Kipp Bodnar, CMO of Hubspot, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss how to make B2B marketing creative better, how to convince your CFO it's OK not to attribute 100% of your marketing spend, and the importance of taking risks as a leader. Hear how Hubspot has built out its marketing team, approaches growth opportunities, and about Kipp's experiences from his days as an early employee at Hubspot to now.

]]> 1410 no Colgate-Palmolive CDO Brigitte King on Creating a Test and Learn Culture and Being Courageous https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/colgate-palmolive-cdo-brigitte-king-on-creating-a-test-and-learn-culture-and-being-courageous On this week's episode of Modern Marketers, Colgate-Palmolive's chief digital officer Brigitte King joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her core leadership principles and how the brand adapts to ever-changing technology curves. Brigitte shares the five P's that have guided her through her career, how she upskilled her entire organization to be digitally fluent, and the importance of a leader allowing room for experimentation — and sometimes failure. Wed, 21 Aug 2024 13:00:00 -0000 Colgate-Palmolive CDO Brigitte King on Creating a Test and Learn Culture and Being Courageous full 1 6 Presented by Think with Google On this week's episode of Modern Marketers, Colgate-Palmolive's chief digital officer Brigitte King joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her core leadership principles and how the brand adapts to ever-changing technology curves. Brigitte shares the five P's that have guided her through her career, how she upskilled her entire organization to be digitally fluent, and the importance of a leader allowing room for experimentation — and sometimes failure. On this week's episode of Modern Marketers, Colgate-Palmolive's chief digital officer Brigitte King joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her core leadership principles and how the brand adapts to ever-changing technology curves. Brigitte shares the five P's that have guided her through her career, how she upskilled her entire organization to be digitally fluent, and the importance of a leader allowing room for experimentation — and sometimes failure.

]]> 1785 no Canva CMO Zach Kitschke on Achieving Big Marketing Goals and Sparking Virality https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/canva-cmo-zach-kitschke-on-making-your-crazy-big-marketing-goals-happen-and-sparking-virality This week, Canva CMO Zach Kitschke joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about the brand's product evolution over the years, and how it puts visual communication into everyone's hands. Zach discusses Canva's growth journey, the importance of creating delightful product experiences, viral marketing moments, and the power of community. Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Canva CMO Zach Kitschke on Achieving Big Marketing Goals and Sparking Virality full 1 5 Presented by Think with Google This week, Canva CMO Zach Kitschke joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about the brand's product evolution over the years, and how it puts visual communication into everyone's hands. Zach discusses Canva's growth journey, the importance of creating delightful product experiences, viral marketing moments, and the power of community. This week, Canva CMO Zach Kitschke joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about the brand's product evolution over the years, and how it puts visual communication into everyone's hands. Zach discusses Canva's growth journey, the importance of creating delightful product experiences, viral marketing moments, and the power of community.

]]> 1106 no Choreograph CEO Evan Hanlon on Building Scale and the Importance of Experimenting https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/choreograph-ceo-evan-hanlon-on-building-scale-from-the-individual-up-and-the-importance-of-experimentation This week on Modern Marketers, Choreograph global CEO Evan Hanlon joins Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole, global senior marketing director at Google, to discuss the human side of leveraging data in your marketing and why it's more important than ever to make your creative count. Tune in to hear why AI should not be treated as an "easy button," how agencies can best communicate with C-suite clients, and more. Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Choreograph CEO Evan Hanlon on Building Scale and the Importance of Experimenting full 1 4 Presented by Think with Google This week on Modern Marketers, Choreograph global CEO Evan Hanlon joins Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole, global senior marketing director at Google, to discuss the human side of leveraging data in your marketing and why it's more important than ever to make your creative count. Tune in to hear why AI should not be treated as an "easy button," how agencies can best communicate with C-suite clients, and more. This week on Modern Marketers, Choreograph global CEO Evan Hanlon joins Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole, global senior marketing director at Google, to discuss the human side of leveraging data in your marketing and why it's more important than ever to make your creative count. Tune in to hear why AI should not be treated as an "easy button," how agencies can best communicate with C-suite clients, and more.

]]> 1448 no Experian CMO Dacy Yee on Meeting Consumer Needs with Engaging Storytelling https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/experian-cmo-dacy-yee-on-delighting-consumers-and-engaging-storytelling This week, Dacy Yee, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Experian Consumer Services, joins Joshua Spanier to discuss her consumer advocacy within the organization and the responsibility that comes with marketing its products. Hear how being intentional throughout her career helped Yee become CMO; how Experian approaches meeting consumer needs; and how leveraging a celebrity personality has helped the company break through with its core audience. Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Experian CMO Dacy Yee on Meeting Consumer Needs with Engaging Storytelling full 1 3 Presented by Think with Google This week, Dacy Yee, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Experian Consumer Services, joins Joshua Spanier to discuss her consumer advocacy within the organization and the responsibility that comes with marketing its products. Hear how being intentional throughout her career helped Yee become CMO; how Experian approaches meeting consumer needs; and how leveraging a celebrity personality has helped the company break through with its core audience. This week, Dacy Yee, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Experian Consumer Services, joins Joshua Spanier to discuss her consumer advocacy within the organization and the responsibility that comes with marketing its products. Hear how being intentional throughout her career helped Yee become CMO; how Experian approaches meeting consumer needs; and how leveraging a celebrity personality has helped the company break through with its core audience.

]]> 983 no Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg on Company Values and Brand Development https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/zola-ceo-founder-shan-lyn-ma-and-cmo-victoria-vaynberg-on-company-values-and-brand-development-modern-marketers Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg, join Joshua Spanier to discuss balancing their various business models, updating brand positioning to evolve with their offerings, and the importance of their core company values. Hear how Zola got started, how they keep up with the growth they've experienced over the years, and ways they work with creators and influencers to share the power of their platform. Wed, 19 Jun 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg on Company Values and Brand Development | Modern Marketers full 1 2 Presented by Think with Google Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg, join Joshua Spanier to discuss balancing their various business models, updating brand positioning to evolve with their offerings, and the importance of their core company values. Hear how Zola got started, how they keep up with the growth they've experienced over the years, and ways they work with creators and influencers to share the power of their platform. Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg, join Joshua Spanier to discuss balancing their various business models, updating brand positioning to evolve with their offerings, and the importance of their core company values. Hear how Zola got started, how they keep up with the growth they've experienced over the years, and ways they work with creators and influencers to share the power of their platform.

]]> 1518 no Uber VP of Marketing, David Mogensen on Connecting Marketing Strategy to Great Creative https://6f760648-7118-4d2a-b754-9230d069dad6.libsyn.com/uber-vp-of-marketing-david-mogensen-on-connecting-marketing-strategy-to-great-creative David Mogensen, VP of Marketing at Uber, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss the balance of faith and science when it comes to media measurement and the importance of creative in driving growth. Get an inside look into how an innovative company like Uber thinks about positioning its multiple brands, making a great Super Bowl ad, and insights from David's global work experience. Wed, 29 May 2024 10:30:00 -0000 Uber VP of Marketing, David Mogensen on Connecting Marketing Strategy to Great Creative full 1 1 Presented by Think with Google David Mogensen, VP of Marketing at Uber, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss the balance of faith and science when it comes to media measurement and the importance of creative in driving growth. Get an inside look into how an innovative company like Uber thinks about positioning its multiple brands, making a great Super Bowl ad, and insights from David's global work experience. David Mogensen, VP of Marketing at Uber, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss the balance of faith and science when it comes to media measurement and the importance of creative in driving growth. Get an inside look into how an innovative company like Uber thinks about positioning its multiple brands, making a great Super Bowl ad, and insights from David's global work experience.

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