Renegade Marketers Unite

Hosted by Drew Neisser

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640

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Renegade Marketers Unite focuses on marketing innovators, uncovering the how, what and why behind their on-going success. Award-winning marketer, author, and entrepreneur Drew Neisser keeps these conversations interesting and inspiring, wrapping up each episode with on-the-spot analysis and insights for big marketers and those that want to be. For more information visit http://DrewNeisser.com/podcast

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60 recent

October 9, 2026Episode 54042 min

540: When AI Rewrites the CMO Playbook

AI is rewriting the CMO playbook fast. And somehow, human judgment is getting more valuable. Start with what the machines do well. They can crank out content, make sense of scattered data, and turn repeatable tasks into workflows at ridiculous speed. That leaves marketers with a better problem to solve. What should they do with the room they get back ? Could the bigger payoff be more time for judgment, creativity, relationships, reputation, and original thinking? If so, a few old-school strengths are looking pretty future-proof . For episode 540, Drew does what any reasonable podcast host would do and interviews himself. He pulls together what he's hearing from CMOs and what CMO Huddles has been testing. From there, he gets into what separates AI experimentation from workflows worth keeping, why AEO is making PR and original research more valuable, and when a homegrown AI tool turns into a software business you never meant to own. He also gets candid about the hidden costs of AI and what happens when adoption outruns organizational discipline. If AI can clear the sludge, terrific . Just don't let it take the humanity with it. What You'll Learn: Why smart AI experiments start with a business problem and a clear baseline Where AI-generated content creates brand risk, and why original inputs matter What separates AI activity from actual AI maturity What a study of 13,000 CMOs reveals about tenure, company type, and career odds Listen in for a clearer sense of where AI earns its keep, where marketers need to slow down, and which parts of the CMO playbook are still worth hanging onto. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

October 2, 2026Episode 53950 min

539: Pick Your Battles: Strategic Trade-offs in B2B Marketing

Marketing has no shortage of good ideas . The trouble is, they're all competing for the same budget, people, and attention. When everything looks important, something has to give . A big growth bet may deserve the full weight of the team. A proven motion might be better off with a template and a handoff. And a perfectly good idea might need to sit in the parking lot for a while. Somebody has to decide what gets the team's energy before every good idea starts claiming it. In this episode, Drew is joined by Heather Adkins ( Trimble ), Will Meier , and Betsy Daitch ( Canoe ), three marketing leaders navigating the trade-offs between business impact, time, budget, and team capacity. Together, they wrestle with the judgment calls behind those trade-offs. How long do you let a new idea season? When has a strategy earned its retirement? And if AI gives you more capacity, where should it actually go? In This Episode: Heather explains how velocity, leverage, and time-to-value help decide what deserves marketing horsepower Will shows how tighter constraints across three brands can force better choices, including one low-lift fix that helped opportunities jump 10X Betsy shares how force-multiplier thinking and faster event follow-up helped move MQL-to-opportunity conversion from 30% to 55% Plus: How to park good ideas without losing them Who needs a seat at the table when priorities shift How to push back when conviction is low Whether AI belongs on the org chart Listen in to learn how B2B marketing leaders can make smarter strategic trade-offs, prioritize marketing budget and team capacity, and use AI to create room for higher-impact work. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

September 25, 2026Episode 53848 min

538: Need for Speed? Earn It First

Urgency makes shortcuts awfully tempting. Find the problem, make the plan , get moving. But a little more work before the sprint can save a whole lot of fixing later. People, relationships, and processes all have to be ready to carry the speed. Get that setup right, and you can hit the gas with a much better chance of keeping the wheels on. In this episode, Drew talks with Anne Morriss , co-author of Move Fast and Fix Things , about what leaders need in place before they accelerate organizational change. They get into why the first problem you see can send you chasing the wrong fix, why the people you always turn to might be missing something important, and why CMOs have a particularly useful superpower when change gets messy. The same storytelling muscle used to move markets can help people inside the company understand where they are going and why the trip is worth taking. Three Ways Leaders Make Hard Problems Worse: Solving the wrong problem Relying too heavily on familiar networks Under-investing in storytelling and change communication What You'll Learn: How to spot your trust wobble across logic, authenticity, and empathy Why curiosity can reveal what judgment misses How to make clearer people decisions when waiting has a cost Why repetition matters when leading through uncertainty Hear how leaders can earn the right to move fast through organizational change. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

September 18, 2026Episode 53752 min

537: When Marketing Leads the AI Migration

Company-wide AI adoption needs a flock leader. Marketing may already have the job. Marketing has a few advantages here. It hears customer friction early, touches nearly every corner of the business, and has gotten pretty good at doing more with less. That makes it a natural proving ground for new ways of working, with a chance to test what works, prove the value, and give the rest of the company something worth scaling. In this episode, Drew talks with Thalía Diedrick ( GoTu ), Allison Breeding ( Direct Travel ), and Lauren Boyman ( KPMG US ) about how marketing can lead company-wide AI adoption. Across three differently sized companies, they compare what sophisticated AI use looks like, how workflows start to change, and where build-versus-buy, governance, and training enter the picture. AI moves fast. Companies have people, processes, budgets, systems, and guardrails that take a little longer to turn. These marketers are figuring out how to bring the whole company along. In This Episode: Thalía shows how GoTu built a bespoke AI project manager into the team's daily workflow, helping marketing model a more AI-native way of working Allison shares how Direct Travel drives adoption through business-problem hackathons, a central owner for new ideas, and regular wins shared with leadership Lauren on how KPMG uses marketing as "client zero," pushing beyond basic adoption to test AI approaches the wider business can learn from Plus: How to make smarter AI build-versus-buy decisions How to scale AI experimentation without creating agent sprawl Why organic traffic can fall while buying intent rises in the AEO/GEO era Listen in for how CMOs can lead company-wide AI adoption and turn experimentation into new ways of working. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

September 11, 2026Episode 53654 min

536: Stop Paying the B2B Trust Tax

Some of the most expensive friction in B2B marketing starts with one question. Can I trust this? The buying process already comes with enough hesitation. Add a message that burns extra brain calories, a brand promise that shifts depending on where you meet it, or outreach that feels suspiciously automated, and the trust tax starts piling up. Every extra layer gives buyers another reason to pause. In this episode, Drew talks with David Horsager , author of Trust Matters More Than Ever , about how trust gets built into the message and the experience around it. David puts clarity and consistency right into the machinery of growth, including what it takes to earn belief again after trust breaks. AI turns the volume up on all of it, giving buyers more reasons to wonder who, or what, is behind the message. David's advice to marketers stays wonderfully uncomplicated. Say the thing clearly enough that people can remember it, repeat it, and act on it. Three Ways Leaders Get Trust Wrong: Underestimating the cost of low trust Not fully understanding how trust gets built Not knowing how to rebuild trust once it's lost What You'll Learn: How to make messages memorable, repeatable, and actionable What builds trust across remote and hybrid teams How small, consistent actions build trust over time Listen in to learn what makes a brand easier to trust, and how clearer marketing keeps the trust tax from piling up. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

September 4, 2026Episode 53553 min

535: Building the Brave Habit

How do you know whether the brave move is to go for it or plant your feet? CMOs are making that call with short runways, incomplete information, and teams being asked to adapt fast. Comfort can delay the hard decision . Pressure can push leaders toward false certainty or speed for speed's sake. Brave leadership is more measured, and it gets stronger with practice. In this episode, Drew talks with Todd Henry , author of The Brave Habit , about building that practice into leadership. Todd shows how clarity and agency help teams move when the path ahead is still taking shape. The superhero cape can stay home. This is bravery with judgment, habit, and a much better read on what makes your team tick. Three Ways Leaders Get Bravery Wrong: Trying to manufacture certainty in an uncertain moment Equating bravery with action Motivating the team through the leader's own lens What You'll Learn: How to turn brave leadership into a weekly habit Why separating true risk from perceived risk matters Why AI works best when it amplifies expert thinking Listen in for how CMOs can build bravery into their leadership, lead with clarity through uncertainty, and give their teams the agency to move. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

September 2, 2026Episode 5348 min

534: The Leadership Move You're Avoiding

Before you ask for another leadership tip, check the glasses you're already wearing. Ty Hammond doesn't do tips anymore, which slightly complicates Drew's plan to grab a few quick leadership nuggets. Good thing. When leaders already know the move they need to make and still keep avoiding it, the blocker is often the assumption coloring how they see the moment. If the glasses say "nice guy," accountability can start to look like becoming the bad guy. That's the kind of lens Ty wants leaders to notice first. In this episode, Drew talks with leadership coach Ty Hammond about the hard moments CMOs tend to label as problems to fix. Some need a tactical solution. Others are adaptive, asking leaders to build the capacity to sit with the discomfort long enough to see what's really going on. What You'll Learn: Why leadership tips fall short without awareness How blind spots shape the moves leaders avoid Why some hard moments are adaptive, not tactical How to spot the story making accountability harder Listen in for a quick way to spot the assumption behind the leadership move you're avoiding, and decide whether the challenge in front of you is tactical, adaptive, or both. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

August 28, 2026Episode 53352 min

533: PE-Backed CMOs

PE-backed CMOs have to make marketing make sense at board speed. The questions come faster. The comparisons come from portfolio companies that look nothing like yours. And no budget line stays "just marketing" for long. In this episode, Drew talks with Kevin Ruane ( Precisely ), Julie Kaplan ( Higher Logic ), and Alan Gonsenhauser ( Demand Revenue ) about what it takes to succeed as a PE-backed CMO. They explain how to learn the investment thesis, build CFO trust early, use customer success as a signal source, and make growth more predictable, explainable, and easier for the business to back. In This Episode: Kevin shows how to make brand and demand credible with PE sponsors by tying every investment to a clear business story Julie explains why CMOs need to understand the PE firm's thesis, exit story, and pressure points before adapting the marketing plan Alan shows how PE-backed CMOs make growth more predictable by owning outcomes and translating marketing into financial language Plus: Why PE-backed CMOs need a business point of view fast How marketing becomes the glue across the business Why CFOs need to see customers, not just line items How to use board meetings to sharpen priorities Listen in for how PE-backed CMOs can turn the investment thesis into a stronger marketing agenda, make every bet easier to defend, and show the business exactly how marketing creates value. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

August 21, 2026Episode 53253 min

532: Seeing Around Corners: The Signals CMOs Can't Afford to Miss

Change only looks sudden when you missed the signals. Rita McGrath gives that idea teeth for CMOs leading through AI, org design changes, and markets that refuse to sit still. The signals are usually there. But in businesses wired to confirm what already happened, they get drowned out by revenue, pipeline, CAC, and other lagging indicators. Those numbers still earn their seat, but left alone, they can keep everyone staring backward while customers and competitors move ahead. In this episode, Drew talks with Rita McGrath , Columbia Business School professor and author of Seeing Around Corners , about how CMOs can build the muscle to spot change early enough to act. Rita connects weak signals, leading indicators, arena thinking, and strategy-led AI to a bigger job for marketing leaders. Help the business move sooner, then make sure new efficiencies fund the next bet. Because as Rita says, you can't shrink your way to greatness. What You'll Learn: How strategic centering helps leaders make stronger bets Why the next threat may not be the rival on the battlecard What separates AI users from AI-powered thinkers How to balance the core business with future growth options Listen in for how CMOs can read the signals sooner, put strategy before AI, and turn efficiency pressure into fuel for the next bet. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

August 14, 2026Episode 53152 min

531: Marketing and Communications as One Growth System

Marketing and comms lose leverage when the story, the proof, and the teams carrying them run in separate lanes. That's how strong work gets less mileage than it should. Recognition stays in PR when demand could use it . Analyst proof misses the sales motion. Internal messaging sounds adjacent to the market story instead of connected to it. Bring the right lenses together early, and the narrative gets sharper, the proof works harder, and the brand voice becomes unmistakable wherever the business shows up. In this episode, Drew talks with Clay Helm ( At the Helm Consulting ) , Julia Goebel ( Alight Solutions ), and Marni Puente ( SAIC ) about what it takes to make marketing and communications work as one team behind the business story. They focus on trust, shared measurement, clear decision rights, and a healthy respect for what each discipline brings to growth. In This Episode: Clay shows what changes when comms plugs into pipeline, customer journey, and the daily rhythm of the business Julia explains how leaders can honor each team's lens and make earned credibility work harder Marni shows why unified leadership can sharpen brand alignment, culture, execution, and market impact Plus: Why one unmistakable brand voice matters across employees, customers, media, and the market Why employee comms deserves C-suite attention in people-powered businesses Why separate CMO and CCO roles need tight partnership and clear swim lanes How to spot healthy integration before anyone has to force it Listen in for how CMOs can bring marketing and communications into tighter sync and get more mileage from the story, proof, and credibility they already have. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/