Renegade Thinkers Unite: Marketing Tips From Cmos And Expert Marketers

By the time you implement "best practices," they've become boring practices, and B2B sure doesn't mean boring to business. In this episode, Drew talks with Udi Ledergor (Gong), author of Courageous Marketing, the book that challenges B2B marketers to stop playing it safe. Together, they explore what it means to lead with creativity, confidence, and courage. Udi also shares how Gong earned attention by building an audience that wanted to engage, not just be targeted. With every executive, from the CEO to the CFO, invested in the story, marketing became a company-wide advantage instead of a department.  Three B2B Marketing Traps Udi Warns Against:  Following industry best practices instead of breaking them  Letting marketing own brand alone  Hiring for experience over potential Plus:  The punch-above-your-weight framework that makes a startup look enterprise-ready  Why brand must be led by the CEO and modeled across the exec team  How to hire for curiosity, learning spe

Most marketing books promise tips. Scalable Acts of Marketing shows you how to build a system that scales.  Written after thirteen years of helping grow Service Express from $30 million to $350 million in ARR, Joshua Leatherman’s field-tested guide blends a business fable with a hands-on playbook. In this episode, Joshua Leatherman (Cyderes) joins Drew to walk through how durable growth happens when marketing speaks in outcomes, earns executive trust, and runs one motion across brand, demand, sales, and success. He connects the fable’s lessons to real-world moves inside growth-stage companies, laying out a playbook any marketing leader can use to build momentum that lasts. In this episode:  How to shift from activities to outcomes that a CFO and CRO will back  How to own pipeline with clear SQO definitions, shared attribution, and consistent follow-up  How to stand up RevOps as “Switzerland,” with shared KPIs, fast handoffs, and five-minute speed-to-lead targets Plus:  Why mark

There are a lot of worries in B2B right now. AI, tight budgets, shifting search. The one that should sit near the top? Disconnected campaigns. Scattered themes, mixed messages, disconnected plays. Buyers can’t follow the story and impact fades fast. Integrated campaigns fix that. In this episode, Drew brings together Kelly Hopping (Demandbase), Scott Morris (Sprout Social), and Marni Carmichael (ImageSource) to share how they make integration work at their companies. You’ll hear how one story aligns teams, builds momentum over quarters, and stays on track with shared goals and tight handoffs. By the end, you’ll come away with different ways to align message, motion, and measurement behind one story. In this episode: Kelly shares how company and pipeline goals set the theme, channels, partner plays, and internal enablement. Scott explains how a hub-and-spoke campaign model unites brand and demand, and how quarterly launches turn features into a full-funnel motion. Marni shares how tight SDR handoffs, quick fo

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

Wearing the CMO+ hat rewires the role. You pick up a second lane, your calendar tightens, and perceptions shift from “just the marketer,” a label no one should wear, to business leader.   The path is demanding, but when the plus lines up with company priorities and earns trust across the business, the impact is unmistakable.   In this episode, Drew sits down with Sandy Ono, EVP and CMO at OpenText, who leads global marketing across ten business units while also owning partnerships and alliances. She treats both as one go-to-market, aligning partners and the field around a single story, running the forecast together, and keeping a steady rhythm so co-selling and co-marketing stay aimed at the same targets.  Three Actions Behind Sandy’s CMO+ Success: Mindset: Claim growth as the job and step closer to revenue through partnerships  Skillset: Learn forecasting, deal construction, and the weekly rigor of partner sales  Toolset: Build the operating rhythm that connects co-selling, co-marke

“How are we going to show up in LLMs?”  That’s the new CEO question keeping B2B CMOs on alert. As AI-powered search reshapes how buyers find answers, B2B brands need a new organic strategy—Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). In this episode, Drew Neisser brings together two AEO trailblazers: Guy Yalif (Webflow) and Omer Gotlieb (Salespeak). Together, they tackle what it really takes to earn your place in AI answers. Forget keyword stuffing—this is about understanding how LLMs ingest, rank, and cite information, and how B2B marketers can respond now. You’ll learn how to earn placement in AI-generated answers by mastering the four pillars of AEO: Content: Answer real buyer questions clearly and concisely.  Technical: Make your site machine-readable.  Authority: Earn credibility where buyers AND models are looking.  Measurement: Track share of voice across critical questions, then iterate. Also in this episode:  What LLMs want—but often can’t find—on B2B websites  How

If you think AI is about flashy tools or abstract futures, think again. In this solo Huddles Quick Take, CMO Huddles founder Drew Neisser shares a pragmatic look at how B2B marketing leaders are actually using GenAI to drive results today—and what still gets in the way. From nurturing “vibe coders” to prompt libraries to CFO briefings, Drew maps out four essential areas where GenAI is already reshaping the work of modern CMOs. Plus, he offers a sharp reminder: If you're not leading the charge, someone else will. What You’ll Learn:  4 practical ways B2B CMOs are using GenAI now  The role of “marketing MacGyvers” in early adoption  Why GenAI rollouts fail without training and clear use cases  A smarter way to evaluate AI tools—without bloating your stack  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

CMO tenure is a hot topic. Everyone wants to know the secret to staying power.    One proven path is stepping out of the narrow marketing lane and showing up as more than the title suggests. Call it CMO+.  The challenge is figuring out what your “plus” will be and how to put it into practice. To help you understand what CMO+ looks like in action, Nikhil Chawla (Resilience), Isabelle Papoulias (EliteOps), and Ali McCarthy (Amplify Your Voice Studio) share their own pluses, how they discovered them, and what changed when they leaned in. Each story is different, but the theme is the same: Credibility grows when CMOs contribute in ways that extend beyond marketing. In this episode:  Nikhil on adding customer voice as his plus, linking post-sale and product, and feeding live feedback into roadmap and revenue calls.  Isabelle on bringing operations into marketing, using V2MOM to align goals, resources, and execution across sales, enablement, finance, and ops.  Ali on leading with emotional

Every CMO wants alignment with their CEO. But all too frequently, things go sideways. It turns into chasing growth at any cost, drowning in acronyms, or scrambling to justify marketing’s seat at the revenue table. What if the real secret isn’t louder advocacy, but clearer translation, seeing the world the way your CEO does?  That’s the perspective Rohini Kasturi brings as CEO of HG Insights. Fresh off two bold acquisitions in just a few months, HG Insights is redefining revenue growth intelligence and giving CMOs a new way to frame growth, retention, and efficiency. Rohini’s advice: Stop playing defense on budget lines and start leading with business outcomes. In this episode:  How CMOs can connect their work to the three CEO obsessions: Growth, retention, and efficiency  Why spotting churn signals early matters as much as chasing pipeline  What it takes to balance efficiency with agility… without cutting corners Plus:  The role of revenue growth intelligence in shaping GTM strat

Putting the customer at the center has been preached for years, yet too often, B2B marketers are told to chase net new logos and leave expansion for someone else. That approach leaves growth on the table. Delighted customers are your advocates, your storytellers, your engine for long-term success. Every company says it listens to customers. In this conversation, Drew and guests Allyson Havener (HG Insights), JD Dillon (Tigo Energy), and Alan Gonsenhauser (Demand Revenue) show how listening turns into concrete action, how feedback becomes a system, and how customer voices drive lasting growth. In this episode:  Allyson on how reviews, surveys, and customer spotlights at TrustRadius feed marketing and influence buying decisions early  JD on how Tigo’s Green Glove Program creates loyalty through installer support and a seal of quality  Alan on why retention is a financial driver CMOs must track as closely as revenue  Plus:  Why framing churn as retention keeps teams motivated 

Adopting AI isn’t about tools. It’s about trust, training, and transformation. And yes, about CMO’s getting their hands on the keyboard. In this Huddles Quick Take, GenAI consultants Tahnee Perry and Liza Adams break down the most common mistakes CMOs make when rolling out GenAI—from skipping change management to misunderstanding what “hands-on” really means for leaders.   They also share practical use cases (like reducing a six-week video workflow to two) and explain why a great AI strategy is rooted in empathy, context, and curiosity—not just efficiency.  What You’ll Learn:  Why productivity gains mean nothing without training and team buy-in  The difference between thought partnership and bad prompting  What to measure when making the case for GenAI investment   

Most marketers still treat all customers like they’re created equal. Spoiler: they’re not. Some will buy once and vanish, others will stick with you for years and fuel your growth. The challenge and opportunity is learning to tell the difference, predicting their future value, and acting accordingly.  That’s where Wharton professor and The Customer Centricity Playbook co-author Peter Fader comes in. He shows why real growth starts with admitting that not every customer is equally valuable, then using lifetime value as the north star for smarter acquisition, retention, and development moves. Forget chasing volume or squeezing acquisition costs. Peter makes the case for putting your chips on the customers who matter most and letting their behaviors guide your strategy.  In this episode:  Why chasing “average” customer value hides real growth  How lifetime value sharpens acquisition, retention, and upsell  The blind spots of treating CPA as a north star  Plus:  What B2B and B2C l

Every product launch is a countdown to liftoff. High stakes. High visibility. High chance of failure if systems aren’t in sync. Misaligned messaging, unready sellers, vaporware promises. There are endless ways to completely blow it. In this episode, Melanie Marcus (Surescripts), Kevin Brooks (Surescripts), and John Hale (Consilio) join Drew to dig into what it takes to pull off a successful launch. They explain why alignment cannot be assumed, how preparation has to be disciplined and ongoing, and why CMOs need to surface tough truths before the market does. Marketing may set the pace, but lasting success only happens when the entire company rallies behind the story and delivers it together. In this episode:  Melanie shares how to stretch a brand into new markets without losing credibility  Kevin explains the launch-tiering framework that keeps efforts focused and sales-ready  John reveals why the secret weapon is “ours, not mine” and how humble listening drives alignment  Plus: 

Think your tech stack is working for you? Think again.  After analyzing 100 stacks from the CMO Huddles community, Ryan Koonce of Growth Bench exposes what’s broken, what’s bloated, and what to do instead. From misfiring attribution models to misused tools like Google Analytics and Salesforce, this episode offers a fast, practical reset for any CMO serious about smarter growth.  What You’ll Learn:  Why Salesforce isn’t always the answer  The fatal flaw in Google Analytics you can’t ignore  The real reason attribution is still a mess  What “great” data access looks like for marketing teams  For the rest of the conversation, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: [https://youtu.be/wRWHIrzsD68]. Get more insights like these by joining our free Starter program at cmohuddles.com.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

There is no pause button on GenAI. Every day brings a fresh flood of tools, demos, predictions, and pressure to keep up. But what’s actually changing inside B2B marketing departments? What’s working, what’s still hype, and where should CMOs focus?  In this episode, Kevin Ruane (Precisely), Gary Sevounts (Simpplr), and Jeff Morgan (Elements) join Drew to wrestle with how AI is being tested, contained, and scaled inside their teams. They push on when an experiment becomes a mandate, how to keep stacks from turning into a pile of disconnected tools, and why clean data is the deciding factor. The message is clear: AI will not rescue weak strategy. But in the hands of disciplined marketers who are willing to rethink the rules, it changes how marketing runs.  In this episode:  Kevin shares how an AI council and internal champions drive adoption across teams  Gary explains AI as the pipeline’s central nervous system that tracks stage flow and triggers timely action  Jeff breaks down SPARK, a Cl

Most B2B CEOs never spent time in marketing. Fewer than one in five ever held the title. Which explains a lot. From undervalued budgets to misaligned expectations, marketing often gets boxed in as a support function instead of the growth driver it is. If marketing is going to lead, CEOs need to understand what it can really do and what to look for in a CMO who’s built to deliver.  To set the record straight, Drew taps three marketing leaders, Rebecca Stone (formerly Cisco), Grant Johnson (Chief Outsiders), and Jan Deahl (Drake Star), to reframe how CEOs see marketing. It is a strategic engine built to shape markets, guide buyers, and drive growth. Together, they make the case for what’s possible when CMOs are empowered to lead. In this episode:  Rebecca on why CMOs need to think and act like a CEO  Grant on how mismatched expectations set CMOs up to fail  Jan on aligning marketing’s role to company stage and goals  Plus:  The key questions every CEO should ask their CMO  Wh

  The CMO role is not for the faint of heart. Growth targets loom large. Every dollar and decision gets second-guessed. MarTech keeps stacking up until it threatens to topple over. Drew calls it the coldest seat in the C-suite. It is also the most dynamic, the one that rewards clear thinking, fearless collaboration, and a readiness to shake up the playbook. In this episode, Drew sits down with hosts Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren of The Marketing Share podcast to share wisdom from his own career and from hundreds of CMOs inside CMO Huddles. Together, they talk about the collision of growth pressure, evolving executive dynamics, and constant change. The conversation gets to the heart of how CMOs can simplify their strategies, earn influence across the leadership team, and lead marketing with focus and courage when the demands never let up. In this episode:  Drew shares how CMOs can stay focused when everything feels urgent  Drew explains why a peer network is essential for clarity and solutions 

It started with a 90-day challenge: make a GenAI-powered video promoting the 2025 CMO Super Huddle using only off-the-shelf tools. What followed was equal parts ambition, frustration, learning, and editing. Along the way, Drew got a crash course in prompt writing, script timing, voice cloning, and the realities of working inside tools that promise automation but still require a certain level of finesse.   With GenAI coach Samantha Stark of Phyusion guiding the early stages and Steve Mudd of Talentless AI stepping in for post, the project quickly became a real test of creative endurance. Each step surfaced a new set of tradeoffs. The tools were powerful, but stitching them together was anything but seamless. What came out the other side is something Drew’s proud to share, along with lessons from two expert AI collaborators and a few fun reveals they brought to the table that show just how weird, clever, and unexpected GenAI production can get.  In this episode:  Samantha shares how GenAI tools spark i

Every customer reaches a turning point. Something's not working the way it used to. And now they're ready for change. That's when your product appears as a possibility. But if you lead with features or force-fit personas, you'll miss the real energy behind their decision. That's why Bob Moesta starts with struggle. In this episode, he joins Drew to discuss how demand forms through struggling moments, not random needs, and why nobody buys any product randomly, ever. As the author of Demand-Side Sales 101 and a longtime builder and educator, Bob shares how to identify that momentum, map the forces behind a decision, and reframe sales and marketing as tools for understanding what buyers are really trying to solve. What You’ll Learn:   Why buying decisions start with struggling moments  How to ask questions that surface energy, not just answers  The four forces shaping decisions: push, pull, anxiety, habit  How to spot what customers switch from and why  Why the buyer vs. user dist

AI tools. CDPs. DAMs. Shiny objects everywhere. It’s easy to fall for the promise of more tech. But without a plan, that stack starts stacking you. Martech only performs when every platform has a purpose, every user is accountable, and every dollar spent ties back to a strategic outcome. Drew is joined by Kathie Johnson (formerly Sitecore) and Kris Salazar (Appcast) to talk MarTech headaches, from stack bloat to AI overload to the brutal cost of tools no one’s using. Because building a smarter stack means cutting dead weight, keeping what helps, and making sure every platform has a champion who’s accountable for its impact.  In this episode:  Kathie on using MarTech maps and AI to get a 30% efficiency boost  Kris on quarterly audits, tool ownership, and measurable outcomes  Why both agree that stack success starts with strategy and ownership Plus:  What to look for in a tech audit  Why data clarity is the key to real personalization  How to avoid tech for tech’s sake