Uncensored CMO

In collaboration with TikTok, System1 have launched a new research paper called "The Long and the Short Form of It", explaining how brands can navigate and excel in this of this new world of short form content. In this episode I catch up with TikTok's Head of Business Marketing and Partnerships to discuss the research and help brands succeed on the platform.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
02:05 - Sofia’s marketing career
04:04 - Why B2B marketing needs to be more human
05:36 - TikTok’s marketing journey over the past 5 years
06:48 - How brands can use TikTok
10:47 - How brands can work with creators on TikTok
14:20 - How to make a TikTok that captures attention
18:18 - The TikTok economy
21:18 - Why authenticity pays off on TikTok
22:57 - How people can get started creating on TikTok
25:30 - Is TikTok just for teenagers?
26:51 - TikTok as an entertainment platform, not as a social media platform
27:54 - Romancing the creative vs proving the value
32:00 - Sofia’s leadership lessons

After 20 unhappy years as a headhunter, it took a near death experience for Sherilyn Shackell to launch The Marketing Academy, a non-profit organisation developing leadership talent in marketing. Launched in 2010, The Marketing Academy now helps marketers become CMOs and CMOs become CEOs. This episode, we focus on exactly how CMOs can get a seat at the table in the boardroom and all the traits they need to do this successfully.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:53 - How a near death experience led to the creation of The Marketing Academy
08:29 - Does trauma help founders?
11:27 - What is The Marketing Academy?
15:05 - How The Marketing Academy Fellowship helps CMOs become CEOs
20:08 - Why there needs to be CMOs on boards
27:03 - What CMOs can do to get on boards
35:36 - Why CMOs need to build their own profiles
39:23 - Why CMOs need to invest in relationships
44:16 - Why having a personal brand is a talent magnet
45:48 - The biggest fears and anxieties of CMOs
54:34 - What marketers can learn from the best CMOs in the world?

In a bonus live episode from Cannes, Professor Scott Galloway joins renowned CMO Kory Marchisotto (e.l.f. Beauty) and advertising legend Rory Sutherland to discuss three big topics: Is brand dead? Are we too risk-averse? And what is the future of the CMO?

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:26 - Is the era of brand dead?
13:54 - Do we need to make better advertising?
20:11 - How CMOs can approach risk
31:09 - The demise of the CMO

Ben Branson is the founder of Seedlip, a non-alcoholic spirit brand he started in 2015, and sold 3 years later to Diageo. Jon speaks to Ben about the origins of the brand, how the grew so fast, what makes Ben such an impressive marketer (despite him not liking marketing) and how a brand goes from 0 to exit in such a short space of time. We also talk about Ben's new brands and his Hidden 20% charity.

Timestamps
00:00:00 - SIntro
00:01:01 - Where did the idea for Seedlip come from?
00:14:14 - Charging a high price
00:18:47 - How to push through the hard times
00:21:10 - What led to such large growth in the early days of Seedlip
00:24:29 - Planning for success vs making it up as you go
00:27:44 - The power of intelligent naivety
00:29:30 - Creativity within budget constraints
00:31:05 - From innovator to scale up
00:38:05 - Why did Ben Branson and Seedlip sell to Diageo?
00:40:26 - What Ben doesn’t like about marketing
00:41:25 - Why Ben is a masterful marketer
00:48:51 - The Hidden 20%: Ben’s autism story and charity
01:00:35 - Why Ben wants to close his charity, The Hidden 20%?

The B2B boys Jon Lombardo and Peter Weinberg return to the podcast for a third time, this time wearing their new distinctive assets. They go hard on Professor Scott Galloway, disagreeing with his "brand is dead" statement, suggesting that not only is brand not dead, it's alive, thriving and you need it for your brand to survive. They also give us an update on their synthetic research company, Evidenza, and what the future of brands look like in the age of AI.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
02:07 - How is Evidenza going?
03:36 - Why Evidenza have embraced distinctive assets
08:29 - Why Jon and Peter disagree with Scott Galloway on brand
17:20 - The future of brand in the age of AI
21:21 - The 95:5 rule reinvented
27:48 - Why brand efforts compound
30:00 - Why brand matters more in B2B than B2C
38:49 - The Evidenza jingle
41:03 - What marketing questions can now be answered with AI
55:17 - What is the future of AI for research

I speak to Airbnb's CMO, Hiroki Asai, fresh off their 2025 Summer Release, where they announced their brand new "Services" and "Experiences" addition to the platform. This now positions Airbnb as the perfect alternative to a hotel when travelling. Hiroki touches on how they have launched this massive new innovation, why they do all their creative work in-house and rounds off with some poignant advice to marketers.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:42 - Joining Airbnb at the start of COVID
• 02:44 - Why Airbnb turned off performance marketing but invested in brand
• 04:01 - Airbnb’s origin story as told by their CMO, Hiroki Asai
• 06:31 - The importance of design for Airbnb
• 07:37 - Why all branding and advertising is done in house
• 17:36 - How the new launch helps Airbnb hosts
• 18:33 - What went into such a big launch
• 20:36 - Some of the notable Airbnb experiences
• 21:28 - The big redesign of the Airbnb app
• 23:59 - How Hiroki leads the marketing organisation
• 27:29 - How to launch a big product update
• 29:37 - Revamping the Airbnb host experience
• 31:45 - Hiroki’s advice for aspiring CMOs

Since Elon Musk acquired X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, the platform has undergone dramatic changes; slashing headcount, losing major advertisers, and redefining its identity. Now, under CEO Linda Yaccarino and marketing lead Angela Zepeda (formerly of Hyundai), X is staging a comeback. Angela joins Jon to discuss her leap from automotive to tech, rebuilding advertiser trust, and the bold vision of turning X into “the everything app.”

They cover the platform's role in breaking news, championing free speech, and why brands are flocking back.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:39 - From Hyundai to X: Angela’s leap
03:46 - Leading marketing when everyone has an opinion
05:56 - Free speech and platform identity
07:45 - Why news breaks on X
13:11 - X as a place to think differently
15:58 - The rise of sports on X
19:35 - Helping brands join the conversation
26:16 - Winning back advertisers
34:25 - What advertisers gain from returning
36:06 - How X markets itself
39:58 - The “everything app” vision
42:54 - Integrating Grok AI
47:20 - How advertisers can win on X

Rankin Carroll is the Chief Brand Officer at Mars, having joined the company in 2002. Mars is responsible for some of the most well-known advertising in the world, for brands including M&M’s, Twix, Snickers, Skittles, and more. Jon speaks to Rankin about long-term brand building vs. performance marketing, how to get the most out of agencies, and what it takes to build a portfolio of incredible brands.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:52 - Rankin’s career journey
05:49 - How the Chief Brand Officer role works at Mars
07:37 - Marketing mix spend at Mars – can you implement a fully earned strategy?
13:27 - Brand building vs. performance marketing
15:13 - How Mars stays so consistent with their marketing
19:06 - The power of consistency and longevity at Mars
24:55 - How agencies can get the most out of their clients
32:09 - How Twix became a $1 billion brand
38:41 - Own Goal Snickers AI campaign explained
40:43 - The dominance of M&M’s advertising in the System1 database
44:40 - The power of the M&M’s characters
48:04 - Rankin’s advice to young marketers

Nicole Parlapiano is the CMO of Tubi, an ad-supported streaming platform taking on the subscription giants. Nicole has previously had her own dating startup acquired by Match Group, before working in private equity, famously being Head of Marketing at WeWork during their crash and most recently VP Marketing for Tinder. Nicole is one of the most entrepreneurial CMOs on the planet, bringing a unique lens to brand building, embracing chaos and driving the business forward with marketing.

Timestamps

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:06 - What makes an entrepreneurial CMO?

00:06:04 - Why Nicole embraces chaos / her career journey

00:11:34 - Nicole’s experience at WeWork

00:15:49 - Dealing with a leaked WeWork email

00:19:16 - Leaving WeWork for Tinder after the crash / how to successfully join a company as CMO

00:24:57 - Marketing’s role in private equity businesses

00:33:43 - Working with Mischief and what would you do if you weren’t afraid?

00:36:20 - Why Nicole joined Tubi (and the streaming wars)

00:38:04 - Working with Mischief to create a brave Super Bowl campaign

00:44:28 - The

00:47:53 - How Tubi markets to their advertisers

00:52:19 - The “Stubios” innovation for fan led content

00:58:33 - Getting creative ideas seen in a corporate environment

01:01:31 - How marketing can help grow the organisation

01:04:03 - Nicole’s advice to aspiring CMOs