Renegade Marketers Unite

Some CMO opportunities look promising right up until you stop asking, "Can I land this?" and start asking, "Can I actually win at this company?" In a market that is warmer than it was a year ago but still unforgiving, Hugh Marshall of Heidrick & Struggles argues that CMOs need to approach the search with two-way diligence. The offer matters, but so does knowing whether the company, CEO, board, investors, and growth expectations are aligned enough to support real success. With that recruiter 's-eye view, Hugh joins Drew to get inside today's CMO search, from PE-backed pressure and growth-stage churn to comp conversations, equity tradeoffs, and the big career bets hiding inside the fine print. Call it a reality check for CMOs who want the next role to be the right one. What You'll Learn: How to spot risky CMO roles before you're in too deep Why two-way diligence is now non-negotiable How AI fluency is reshaping CMO candidacy What makes candidates stand out in the interview process Know what you're walking into before you say yes. Tune in for Hugh's candid take on today's CMO market, the hidden dynamics behind the offer, and the signs of a truly winnable role. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

The title is Chief Marketing Officer. The CMOs who earn the most influence put Chief first. They're not in the room just to deliver a marketing update. They're there to help the executive team make sense of what matters most, navigate tough decisions, and shape where the company goes next. In this episode, Drew talks with Kathie Johnson (Nintex), Lorie Coulombe (Equity Shift), and Allyson Havener about peer leadership inside the executive team. They explore how CMOs build trust, surface business issues, and strengthen credibility across the C-suite. In this episode: Kathie shares why peer leadership starts when a CMO owns more than the marketing plan and helps surface gaps across the business Lorie gets into the trust, EQ, and one-on-one relationship building that make healthy disagreement possible at the executive level Allyson breaks down how finance fluency, customer insight, and a clear read on the sales cycle build stronger executive credibility Plus: How peer leadership starts with the issues a CMO is willing to surface Why connecting dots across functions comes with the job How strong CMOs bring customer context into business decisions For CMOs ready to lead as true executive peers, this episode shows how to earn trust, surface what matters, and lead first as a business leader. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

If your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) is still built on broad categories, instinct, and a little wishful thinking, it may be more aspirational than operational. An ICP like that leaves too much room for interpretation. Marketing, sales, and ops start working from different definitions of the right account, and the business keeps chasing customers that look right on paper but don't behave like winners. In this episode, Drew talks with Drake Lenhan, Sitecore's Sr. Director, Global Market Intelligence & Portfolio Strategy, about what it takes to turn ICP into a source of focus that the whole business can work from. Drake walks through the progression from validating where you actually win to building a scoring model, securing cross-functional buy-in, and creating a system that stays steady as the market shifts. What You'll Learn: How to spot gaps between assumed fit and actual fit How to turn raw account traits into a practical ranking system Why use case fit matters as much as segment fit How to keep ICP from going stale after launch If you're a B2B CMO ready to revisit your ICP with win data, sharper focus, and stronger cross-functional alignment, this episode gives you the blueprint. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

We've spent a long time glorifying the "hero leader." The sharpest thinker. The one with all the answers. The person everyone turns to when it's time to make the call. But constant change is pushing a different kind of leader to the forefront. The system designer. A leader who puts more energy into workflows, decision paths, and team rhythm so fewer hard calls boomerang back to them. In this episode, Drew talks with Dan Lowden (Blackbird.AI), Katrina Klier (Sage Strategy Group), and Chris Pieper (ADP) about why this new model of leadership matters now. With AI reshaping marketing and the pace only getting faster, teams need more than a smart CMO in the middle of everything. They need a way of operating that can keep up. In this episode: Dan shares how his team turns expert insight into a steady stream of high-value content, helping a five-person team operate at scale. Katrina breaks down how leaders now need to think across people, tech, and AI while building systems that keep learning and improvement in motion. Chris explains how operating rhythms, sprint structures, and team health checks make strong execution more repeatable. Plus: How better operating rhythms turn learning into a team advantage Where AI should augment the system How to spot work that still depends too heavily on the leader If you're a B2B CMO whose marketing team still depends too heavily on your decisions, this episode will help you rethink leadership, system design, and how to build a team that scales. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Most marketers worry about whether buyers trust their brand. Brent Adamson, author of The Framemaking Sale, argues that the actual issue sits somewhere else: Buyers do not trust themselves. In this episode, Drew sits down with Brent to challenge three big assumptions: That more supplier trust is the answer, that buyers have a neat journey to map, and that customer centricity is always the right north star. In this episode: Why decision confidence matters more than supplier trust How shifting from "trust us" to "trust yourselves" reshapes GTM How to rethink buyer journeys through the "never again" and spaghetti-bowl lens. Framemaking in practice, from nudges and checklists to maturity models. The three Es, Establish, Engage, Execute, as a shared marketing and sales playbook. Plus: Escaping the smartness arms race by editing content to reduce anxiety and build buyer self-confidence. Turning social proof into a confidence engine, using "other customers like you…" stories. Making content supplier-agnostic, helping buyers ask better questions and weigh tradeoffs. If you want your buyers to trust themselves enough to decide, start here. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Growth targets keep climbing while cost lines tighten, and planning season starts to feel very personal for CMOs. AI threads through every conversation, zero-based thinking pulls against last year's baseline, and the goalposts never seem to hold still. So the job becomes building a budget you can walk into the room with, own, and defend with conviction. To get there, Drew brings together Andrew Cox (Forrester), Lisa Cole (2X), and Alan Gonsenhauser (Demand Revenue). The conversation centers on tying spend to strategy, translating marketing into CFO-ready terms, and giving AI a role in the plan that the numbers can support. In this episode: Andrew shares Forrester's view on moving past "last year plus X," building budgets around corporate objectives and campaigns, and forcing prioritization. Lisa applies a zero-based mindset to business priorities, uses a 70-20-10 program mix for core, flex, and test, and frames marketing as an ATM of Audience, Trust, and Monetization. Alan outlines the signals of strong and weak budgets, tying the majority of spend to growth campaigns and long-term value plans, and maintaining a year-round working relationship with the CFO. Plus: Keeping tech spend in check, including guidelines for MarTech mix and contract flexibility Positioning brand and PR in financial terms like pipeline influence, win rates, and pricing power Responding to AI efficiency pressure by fixing workflows first and framing value in utilization, speed, and scalability Why the budget should be the numerical expression of strategy, not a defense of legacy spend If you want to walk into your next budget review with a clear story, solid numbers, and conviction, this conversation will help you get there. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Events sit at the crossroads of joy and heartburn for B2B marketers. The magic of getting customers together in real life is real, and so is the pain when sales skips the pre-work and ROI gets fuzzy. With every dollar under scrutiny, CMOs are treating events as strategic bets that have to earn their spot on the plan. In this episode, Drew talks with Charles Groome (Insightful), Jamie Gier, and Lorie Coulombe (Equity Shift) about how they decide which events to do, design experiences people remember, and turn field time into pipeline. They cover event portfolios, sales pre-work, and the simple tools that keep everyone aligned before, during, and after the show. In this episode: Charles sorts events into three buckets, leans into a listening circuit with smaller meetups, and looks at target-account impact to decide where bigger bets belong. Jamie frames events around getting discovered, creating memorable experiences, and driving deals, with customers on stage and pods focused on key accounts. Lorie sets clear goals for each event, does deep homework on audiences and geographies, and locks in sales pre-work and follow-up expectations. Plus: Build an event portfolio that blends big shows, listening trips, CABs, and customer moments. Use themes, news hooks, and customer voices to stand out in crowded halls and drive recall. Align sales and marketing via pods, shared KPIs, and simple scoreboards. Tighten spend with regional focus, partner co-hosting, and clear criteria. If events are on your 2026 budget and you want them to pay in pipeline, this episode will help you pick, plan, and prove them with more confidence. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/