WFA's Better Marketing Pod with David Wheldon

Hosted by World Federation of Advertisers (WFA)

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Hosted by WFA President David Wheldon, WFA's Better Marketing Pod in partnership with Meta looks at the marketing industry’s biggest stories and speaks to some of the industry’s most interesting characters who are shaping those stories.

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55 recent

October 22, 2026Episode 5439 min

Ep 54: Taide Guajardo on 36 years of brand building and why marketers must market marketing

Marketing is changing faster than ever, and AI is only speeding it up. In the rush to master every new tool, it is easy to lose sight of the job that never changes, and of the need to make the case for marketing itself. David talks with Taide Guajardo, former Chief Brand Officer, Europe at Procter & Gamble, about what 36 years and four countries taught her. Taide moved into media in Italy just as digital arrived, when nobody was quite sure what a banner was and plenty of early investment didn’t deliver. She explains why test and learn only works as a discipline: a hypothesis, maths that shows a payout is even possible, and measurement that tells you what to codify and what to drop. Do that, and failing is not failing. It’s learning. Her warning on AI is blunt: if everyone uses the same tools in the same way, it will be the death of distinctiveness. The practical answer is P&G’s gut test. Before any checklist, ask what your gut tells you about the work, because turning an insight into a big idea is still human. And she is clear that marketers often undermine themselves, chasing awards over results and reducing brand building to communications, when it is the marketer’s job to market marketing. You’ll also hear how she rewrote P&G’s marketing talent strategy from scratch. If you lead brands, teams or transformation, this is a candid guide to what lasts when everything else changes. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

September 29, 2026Episode 5324 min

Ep 53: Nissan's Miki Hamamatsu on rebuilding one global brand and why internal belief comes first

One brand, dozens of markets, and a category being reshaped faster than most brand strategies can keep up with. Plenty of global companies say they have a single brand; in practice they have as many versions of it as they have regions, each a reasonable local reading of something that was meant to be singular. David Wheldon talks with Mikimasa "Miki" Hamamatsu, Division General Manager, Global Brand & Marketing Communication at Nissan, about pulling that back together without stripping markets of the authority they need to sell cars. Miki explains Nissan's shift to a lighthouse brand: one definition, one interpretation, clear guardrails to steer by. He is also candid about where that work had to start. Internal research found that only 30% of Nissan employees understood the company's brand equity and just 14% believed in it, and he makes the case that internal brand engagement is the most underrated lever a marketer has, precisely because it never arrives as a campaign anyone can put their name to. You will also hear a discipline you could copy this week. Miki sends his weekly marketing performance assessment straight through to his agencies, market problems included, then watches the questions that come back. We cover why brand is not always a democracy, what more than 15 years with the same agency group actually buys you, how Chinese EV competition is compressing launch timelines, and where AI is doing real work in localisation and analytics rather than sitting in pilots. If you are working on global brand consistency, agency partnership or the case for long-term brand building, listen in and share this with a colleague. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

August 18, 2026Episode 5225 min

Ep 52: Andrew Tindall on defining creativity and why emotion matters for effectiveness

Advertising is getting pricier, yet the results many marketers care about most are shrinking. Brand effects like awareness, trust and differentiation are dropping across award-winning case studies, even as budgets climb, and that should worry anyone responsible for growth. David talks with Andrew Tindall from System1 about what sits underneath that decline and how to fix it without hiding behind vanity metrics. Andrew unpacks why emotional response is not a “nice to have”, but one of the most dependable predictors of effectiveness we have, especially when paired with clear brand recognition. From there we dig into the Creative Dividend, a model that blends global Effie Awards effectiveness data with System1’s large-scale creative testing to show something many teams miss: creativity and media only make sense together. A strong ad with no reach is wasted. Heavy reach behind a weak ad is inefficient. You will also hear a practical planning idea you can take back to your next budget meeting: Excess Share of Creativity (ESOC). Alongside Excess Share of Voice, it reframes the job as building genuine creative advantage and then backing it with the right weight of quality reach. We cover the four outputs that make creativity accessible in plain language, the real cost of dull campaigns, and why chasing lower CPM can push teams into low-attention media that drags ROI down. If you want clearer creative reviews, smarter media planning and stronger marketing effectiveness, subscribe, listen and share this with a colleague. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

July 1, 2026Episode 5133 min

Ep 51: Opella's Alberto Hernandez on the commercial payback from curiosity, courage and purpose

Half the health information people see on social media is incomplete or wrong, and the result is bigger than a fact-checking problem. It’s a confidence problem. When four out of five people don’t feel comfortable making self-care choices, treatable issues get ignored and brands lose the chance to help. David speaks with Alberto Hernandez, Chief Growth Officer at Opella, about what consumer healthcare marketing should do next: guide people towards clearer, safer decisions while still earning attention in a crowded digital world. They get into the culture behind that shift. Alberto explains Opella’s challenger mindset, why curiosity has to lead to action, and how he benchmarks outside the category to raise the bar on content, media, innovation, and services. They also broaden the definition of creativity beyond advertising. Creativity becomes a way of thinking that solves business problems, unlocks new go-to-market routes, and captures the emotional reality of health, from allergies to anxiety and everyday discomfort. Then they go practical: P&L accountability, the lessons from building a shared “repeatable model of growth”, and how B Corp certification creates purpose and productive discomfort. Finally, Alberto shares how Opella uses AI to produce far more content without losing rigour, using a simple guardrail: human first, human last. If you care about brand building, growth marketing, AI content at scale, and trust in regulated categories, you’ll take away frameworks you can use immediately. Subscribe, listen, and share this with a marketing leader who needs it. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

June 8, 2026Episode 5022 min

Ep 50: 50 episodes in David Wheldon reflects on conversations with the world’s top marketing minds

Fifty episodes in, one lesson keeps getting louder: marketing is still a person-to-person craft, even when the world feels dominated by platforms, dashboards, and AI. Recording from Stockholm during Global Marketer Week, in this episode David Wheldon reflects on what he has learned from CMOs and top marketing thinkers and why the energy of human contact makes ideas sharper, braver, and more useful. We dig into leadership under pressure, starting with a principle that sounds simple and turns out to be non-negotiable: if you lead others, you have to take care of yourself first. Antonio Lucio explains why it starts with the body, how uncertainty drains teams, and why self-care is not selfish when your job is to show up centred for your people. From there we move to a phrase we keep coming back to: creativity with precision. Great work needs measurement and proof, not to tame creativity, but to earn trust, defend brand investment, and scale what is driving real business results. The episode also tackles evidence-based marketing and the danger of untested myths. We explore why organisations often already have the data they need yet still fail to challenge assumptions, then zoom out to creativity, strategy, and technology: Sir John Hegarty’s case for creative effectiveness, Seth Godin’s view of strategy as a “philosophy of becoming”, and a clear stance on AI as augmentation rather than an enemy. If capability is expanding fast, the real question becomes uncomfortable and motivating: are our ideas good enough? Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

May 6, 2026Episode 4931 min

Ep 49: Google's VP Global Ads Dan Taylor: "AI is more of a leadership than a technology challenge"

Real people do not move neatly from awareness to consideration to purchase, they jump between searching, streaming, scrolling and shopping, sometimes all at once. That messy middle is where brands win or disappear, and it is exactly where AI-powered advertising and modern measurement start to matter according to the next guest on the WFA Better Marketing Podcast Dan Taylor, VP of Global Ads at Google. On this episode Dan speaks to David Wheldon to unpack what has changed over two decades of digital advertising and what is changing right now. They talk about how first-party data, CRM signals, and outcome-based optimisation help AI steer towards real business value instead of proxy metrics. Dan shares why the best marketers treat attribution, incrementality testing, and marketing mix modelling as a connected system that supports smarter budget decisions and clearer conversations with the CFO. The episode also get into the practical side of AI and creativity. Automation can shrink weeks of execution into hours, but it does not replace the need for sharp strategy and a strong idea. From faster asset production to new search behaviours like longer conversational queries, visual search, and experiences such as AI Overviews, it explores how discovery is expanding and how ads can become relevant through context, not just keywords. If you want a grounded view of what to modernise now and what happens if you wait, this one is for you. If you found this useful, subscribe to Better Marketing and share it with a colleague. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

April 1, 2026Episode 4829 min

Ep 48: Judy Smith on why "be who you say you are" is the only crisis playbook that matters

In this episode David Wheldon talks with Judy Smith, crisis management expert and former White House advisor, about what protects reputation when risk is everywhere and scrutiny is constant. We come back to one hard rule for leaders and brands: be who you say you are, even when the story is moving faster than your playbook. In this episode David and Judy cover: • Being who you say you are as the foundation of trust, values and reputation • Managing brand reputation as both technology and AI reshape what gets said about companies • Reducing silos so marketing, comms, legal and policy act as one team • Why crisis playbooks struggle when culture and reaction are unpredictable • Using the risk barometer to prepare, adjust plans and measure intangible assets • Making intangibles financially meaningful through protection and long-term value • What leaders do in the first 90 days of a turnaround, beyond story polishing • When to respond to volatility and when silence avoids a damaging slug fest • How to think about fake news based on real reputational impact • The unexpected story behind Scandal and a former president’s sense of humour About Judy Smith For more than 25 years, Ms. Smith has counseled presidents and world leaders through global crises, advised Fortune 50 CEOs through complex challenges, and helped manage the reputations of some of the world’s highest-profile individuals. She founded Smith & Company, a strategic advisory firm considered to be one of the top crisis firms in the world, that has offices in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, New York and London. In addition to her work as a communications advisor during high profile moments, Ms. Smith is a long-time counselor to some of the world’s largest and most influential companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Panera, Lowes, Sony, Kaiser, United Healthcare, and Walmart. She provides her clients with strategic advice on a variety of corporate communications issues such as mergers and acquisitions, product recalls, intellectual property litigation, corporate positioning, and other corporate, investor and public relations matters. A former federal prosecutor, Ms. Smith worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia where she handled high-profile investigations. She also served as Deputy Press Secretary to President George H.W. Bush, during which time she worked on a host of domestic and international issues. As a result of her wide ranging and ground-breaking career, Ms. Smith inspired the hit TV series, Scandal and served as Co- Executive Producer of the project. Ms. Smith’s advice and counsel have been valuable to corporate boardrooms, and she currently serves on the board of Ariel Investments and as Chair for The Intangibles, the transformation consultancy for the intangible world. She also previously served on the boards of Global Citizen, Save the Children, Washington National Cathedral and Carbon Health. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

March 3, 2026Episode 4733 min

Ep 47: HP's Antonio Lucio on leading through a CEO transition, an AI surge and 4 layers of disruption

When everything shifts at once, composure becomes a strategy. David Wheldon talks with HP’s Antonio Lucio to explore how leaders stay steady through geopolitics, macro pressure, generative AI, and an unexpected CEO transition—while keeping teams focused, customers centred, and growth on track. Antonio cuts through the AI hype with three pragmatic plays: scale asset optimisation for faster NPI readiness, use identity-led media to guide IT decision makers across their buying journey, and automate back office work that drains half of marketers’ time. He makes the case that AI is only useful when it serves the customer, not a dashboard, and that chasing pilots without scale is a dead end for global brands. We also unpack the inner game of leadership. Drawing on Stoicism and a fresh look at Machiavelli’s hard questions, Antonio shares how he managed a delicate CEO succession process, balanced empathy with execution, and modelled honest emotions without losing operational clarity. The takeaway is a repeatable rhythm: protect your capacity, face reality as it is, define the next action, and deliver. Finally, we reframe the CMO’s mandate. Marketers who earn their seat at the table own three advantages: the aggregator view of budgets across units and regions, the authentic voice of the customer built on direct relationships, and the ability to integrate storytelling across stakeholders. As search behaviour tilts toward LLMs, trust, owned and earned content, and account-based marketing become decisive. Communications, marketing, and corporate affairs must move as one to turn reputation into revenue. If you’re leading teams through volatility or rethinking how AI and trust work together, this conversation offers a clear path forward. Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs a boost, and leave a review with the one shift you’ll make this week. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

February 3, 2026Episode 4624 min

Ep 46: Grab CMO Cheryl Goh's playbook on how to 'cross swim lanes' for commercial impact

Growth doesn’t start with an ad. It starts where your product decisions meet real people. We sit down with Cheryl, newly named Global Marketer of the Year, to unpack how Grab scaled across Southeast Asia by turning marketing into a true commercial engine—where product, pricing, algorithms, and culture work in sync to earn trust and drive results. We chart the journey from a scrappy airport-ride promo to a system of problem-space teams that cross swim lanes by design. Cheryl explains why immersion days keep leaders close to riders and drivers, how fair pricing principles became part of brand architecture, and where consensus can quietly kill velocity. Her hiring lens is refreshingly direct: seek commercial fluency, data and insights mastery, and relentless curiosity; then give those people room to orchestrate product, economics, and operations around the customer. Sustainability emerges as strategy, not slogan. Inclusive design and driver programmes widen supply, improve safety, and boost retention, turning social good into measurable outcomes. As AI becomes the growth engine, we explore why marketers must move upstream—shaping ranking, matching, and pricing so algorithms reflect brand values rather than rewrite them. The result is a practical playbook for CMOs, product leaders, and founders who want marketing to integrate the business, not decorate it. If you care about customer experience, fair pricing, and building teams that ship impact, this conversation offers field-tested ideas you can use now. Subscribe and share with a colleague. About Cheryl Goh Cheryl Goh is Group VP of Marketing and Sustainability and Founding CMO at Grab and the 2025 Global Marketer of the Year. Hand-picked by founder Anthony Tan despite her product and business development background, she scaled MyTeksi from 2012 origins into Southeast Asia's leading superapp across eight markets. She leads the full ecosystem, including product marketing, communications, growth, loyalty P&L (Grab VIP, Unlimited, Coins), sustainability, and customer support, while building a talent pipeline that has placed several of Grab's country heads. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.

December 14, 2025Episode 4513 min

Ep 45: Is it all about AI? What's really shaping the CMO Agenda? - 2025 in review

In this episode we review a year of conversations with Unicef's Frederique Covington Corbett, culture guru Marcus Collins, Cathay Pacific's Ed Bell, Meta's Nicola Mendelsohn, Marcel Marcondes from AB InBev and Global Marketer of the Year, marketing expert Seth Godin, Leyal Eskin Yilmaz from the Magnum Ice Cream Company, and Ogilvy's Rory Sutherland. These conversations led to one clear truth: the best marketing is still about people. We pull together the sharpest lessons for CMOs and brand leaders, cutting through the AI noise to focus on conviction-led leadership, intelligent human connection, and simple ideas that change behaviour. You’ll hear why building AI capability and governance is urgent, but also why tech belongs in the back office while human creativity runs the front. We share how to connect customer insight to commercial reality, and why that shift turns marketing from a cost into a value engine. We dive into the channels where customers already live—messaging platforms—and explain how click-to-message journeys, verified utility updates, and AI agents on WhatsApp are transforming service and commerce globally. Real stories show the upside: faster response times, higher satisfaction, and scalable conversations that still feel personal. Then we move beyond tools to the psychology that makes any of it work. Technology amplifies an idea; it doesn’t replace one. The most effective work pairs clarity and emotional intelligence, proving that a simple, useful solution beats a flashy campaign when it solves a real problem. Finally, we tackle the mindset. Choose your customers and clients with care, because those choices define your future. Lead with conviction, not convenience, even when it costs you. Make space for practical magic, the creative leaps that reconcile contradictions the spreadsheet can’t. As we look ahead, think human creativity as the front office, technology as the back office, and AI as a force multiplier—not the point. If that resonates, follow the show and share this roundup with your team. Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.