Frontier CMO Podcast by Think with Google

Presented by Think with Google
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Marketing
  • Updated fortnightly

In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. We’re asking the questions other won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape. From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape. Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January.

  1. In the Driver’s Seat: McLaren’s Race to the Top

    1 day ago

    In the Driver’s Seat: McLaren’s Race to the Top

    What do CMOs and Formula One champions have in common? They're expected to perform under pressure, make split-second decisions, and keep showing up when the odds aren't in their favor.  Recorded live at Cannes Lions 2026, Frontier CMO host Josh Spanier sits down with McLaren Chief Marketing Officer Louise McEwen and Formula One World Champion Lando Norris to explore how they're winning on and off the racetrack.  In a world where most Formula One fans will never attend a race, they reveal how McLaren creates connections beyond race day and builds a brand that performs 365 days a year.  Buckle up. This is McLaren's race to the top. 00:00:00 — Introduction & The Elite World Champion Group 00:01:00 — F1 Meets Cannes: Why McLaren Focuses on Creativity 00:02:20 — The Quest to the Front: How Putting Fans First Saved McLaren 00:04:30 — Taking Creative Risks: The Story of the Gulf Livery 00:05:15 — The "Drive to Survive" Effect & Media Value 00:06:45 — Engaging the 99%: Live Fan Events from London to Miami 00:08:35 — Brand vs. Athlete: Balancing Team Identity with Star Drivers 00:09:35 — Marketing the Narrative When the Team Isn't Winning 00:11:45 — The Rise of Female Fandom & High-Fashion Collabs 00:13:00 — Choosing the Right Global Partners & Activating Tech 00:14:05 — Making History: Lou McEwen’s Podium Moment 00:15:35 — Lando Norris Joins the Show: Life as the Face of McLaren 00:16:35 — Sinking In: "I'm Freaking World Champion" 00:19:30 — Developing the Mental Resilience to Handle Tough Moments 00:21:10 — Naps & Twitch: Lando's Unconventional Pre-Race Routine 00:22:00 — Rapid Fire Game: Signal or Noise? 00:23:10 — Summary & Field Notes: 3 Takeaways for Frontier CMOs

    26 min
  2. ‘Desire at Scale’ with Unilever’s CMO Leandro Barreto

    18 Jun

    ‘Desire at Scale’ with Unilever’s CMO Leandro Barreto

    Chances are, one of the 400 household brands today’s guest oversees is sitting somewhere in your home right now. Maybe it’s Dove in the shower, Vaseline in the drawer, or Hellmann’s mayo in the fridge. Leandro Barreto is the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Unilever, a nearly 100-year-old company behind brands used by billions of people around the world.  From the award-winning “Vaseline Verified” campaign to creator-led marketing strategies and partnerships with Arsenal Football Club, this episode of Frontier CMO unpacks what it’s like to be a CMO leading through an AI transformation aimed at building “desire at scale.”  Want to know what the future of marketing actually looks like inside one of the biggest consumer brands in the world? This one’s for you. 00:00 Can AI Create Human Insight? 01:01 Meet Unilever’s Global CMO 03:00 The Power of Purpose-Led Brands 05:00 Why Creativity Is Still Human 07:00 The Vaseline Love Story 09:00 Marketing’s Evolution at Unilever 11:00 Dove and Cultural Relevance 13:00 How Unilever Tracks Culture 15:45 The Vaseline Verified Phenomenon 19:30 Social Commerce & New Growth 20:00 The Biggest Brand Mistake 22:00 AI and the Future of Marketing 26:00 Big Ideas + Content at Scale 27:45 Leading AI Transformation 29:00 Signal vs. Noise 31:30 Three Marketing Lessons to Remember

    34 min
  3. Mark Ritson on Why the Fundamentals Still Win

    4 Jun

    Mark Ritson on Why the Fundamentals Still Win

    Teams are moving faster than ever, producing more content, running more campaigns, and optimizing everything. But without strategy, it’s mostly noise.  In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to sit down with Mark Ritson, brand strategist, former marketing professor, and advisor to companies like LVMH, Sephora, and Donna Karan, to talk about the state of marketing, which frankly is a mess.  Based on new global research, Ritson argues that most marketers don’t actually understand the fundamentals of marketing. In an AI-driven world, that’s about to matter a lot more.  Drawing on examples from brands like Apple, Nike, Target and Walmart, Ritson shares his hot takes on who’s getting it right, who’s getting it wrong, and why brand building is still one of the most misunderstood and undervalued parts of marketing.  They also get into what’s coming next and how to position yourself to stand out in an AI-driven marketing world.  No matter where you are in your career, this is what it takes to not get left behind. 00:00 – The Marketing Knowledge Crisis 04:09 – Has America Lost Its Marketing Edge? 05:31 – Why Creators and Brand Ads Work Together 09:24 – The Most Important Job of a CMO 10:13 – Strategy Before Tactics 13:08 – The Skills Marketers Need in the AI Era 15:43 – AI as a Marketing Superpower 18:10 – Walmart, Target & Great Positioning 21:25 – How to Build a Strong Brand Positioning 24:00 – What Founders Teach Us About Branding 27:19 – Mark Ritson's Biggest Marketing Mistake 37:18 – AI Clones, Digital Twins & The Future of Marketing

    42 min
  4. Inside Google’s Creative Frontier with Josh Woodward & Robert Wong

    21 May

    Inside Google’s Creative Frontier with Josh Woodward & Robert Wong

    On this special episode of the Frontier CMO podcast, host Josh Spanier, VP of AI and Marketing Strategy at Google, sits down with two of the driving forces shaping the future of AI and creative: Robert Wong, head of Google’s Creative Lab, and Josh Woodward, head of Google Labs, Gemini, & AI Studio.  Together, they tell the story of how their teams of engineers and marketers came together to create Flow, a groundbreaking AI tool that is unlocking creativity and storytelling in marketing, Hollywood and beyond. Taped at Google Marketing Live, Google’s biggest marketing event of the year, this conversation offers a rare look at how Google is reimagining creativity in the age of AI. 0:00 – AI’s Creative Breakthrough Moment 2:05 – Mind-Blowing AI Projects & Experiences 4:15 – Building Gemini & What’s “Almost Possible” 6:15 – Bringing Soul & Humanity Into AI 7:20 – Staying Ahead in the AI Era 10:05 – Lowering Fear to Unlock Creativity 12:05 – The Frustrations & Limits of AI 15:05 – Why AI Still Needs Human Creativity 16:00 – Building Flow for Creative Professionals 20:05 – The Future of Personalized AI Tools 22:00 – The Best Google AI Tools to Try Now 25:05 – Why Great Creative Still Matters 26:00 – The AI Creative Renaissance Ahead

    29 min
  5. Beyond the Pitch: Inside Arsenal’s Global Fandom Playbook

    7 May

    Beyond the Pitch: Inside Arsenal’s Global Fandom Playbook

    Most football clubs are built around matchday but not Arsenal. As it enters its 140th year, the team in a lot of ways, is only just getting started.  In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to meet Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal Football Club, on home turf to go inside the playbook behind one of the most engaged global fanbases in sports.  From the rapid rise of the women’s league to the clubs’ staying power of “cool,” Juliet shares why serving your fanbase is better than trying to sell them.  This conversation lands at a historic moment with the club reaching its first UEFA Champions League Final in 20 years and is within reach from capturing the Premier League title. As FIFA tournaments kick off around the globe, this is your front row ticket to exploring how one of the world’s biggest clubs is making its mark across platforms, geographies, and generations. 00:00 Arsenal’s Global Brand Philosophy 02:00 Serving Fans Beyond Match Day 04:10 Building a Modern Global Football Brand 06:00 Fashion, Culture & the Arsenal Identity 07:30 Personalization, Content & AI Strategy 09:40 Understanding Different Types of Fans 10:45 Measuring Real Fan Engagement 12:30 The Viral Women’s Football Dating Campaign 14:00 Fans as Co-Creators of the Arsenal Brand 16:30 Authentic Marketing vs. Over-Selling 18:40 Growing Arsenal Women Into a Global Business 22:45 Choosing the Right Brand Partnerships 24:20 Purpose-Driven Campaigns & “No More Red” 25:45 Creating One Unified Club Culture 27:00 Winning Beyond Trophies 29:20 The Future of Sports, Tech & Virtual Viewing 32:00 Why Arsenal Resonates Around the World 34:00 Final Lessons on Community & Long-Term Growth

    36 min
  6. Asmita Dubey on AI, Fragmentation, and the Future of Marketing

    23 Apr

    Asmita Dubey on AI, Fragmentation, and the Future of Marketing

    Marketing is entering its most complex era yet. AI is accelerating everything—but the real challenge is making sense of a system that is fragmenting faster than ever. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at L’Oréal Groupe, who leads digital transformation across the world’s largest beauty company. With more than 90,000 employees and dozens of global brands, Asmita is responsible for navigating how AI, data, and creativity reshape marketing at enterprise scale. The conversation explores why fragmentation defines modern marketing—from the consumer journey to the marketing organization itself—and how leaders must respond by building systems that scale learning. Asmita shares how L’Oréal has operationalized transformation through massive upskilling, AI-powered content creation, and a culture built around what she calls the “dual muscle” of math and magic: the balance of technology, creativity, speed, and brand building.  For CMOs and founders navigating a moment where AI is reshaping every layer of marketing—from insight to creation to commerce—this conversation offers a practical blueprint for leading transformation while protecting the creative heart of the brand. 00:00 – The Marketer’s Dilemma: Fragmentation in the AI Era 01:00 – Meet Asmita Dubey & L’Oréal’s “Math + Magic” Philosophy 02:00 – A Global Career & How Background Shapes Leadership 03:30 – Growing Up in a Family of Teachers & Lifelong Learning 04:45 – Leading Through Influence in a Complex Organization 06:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s Massive Marketing Ecosystem 07:30 – Stakeholders Then vs. Now: The Expanding Marketing Universe 09:00 – Marketing Meets Engineering: The Rise of Beauty Tech 10:30 – Staying Ahead: Culture, Curiosity & Continuous Reinvention 11:45 – Building an Entrepreneurial Culture at Scale 13:00 – Upskilling 30,000+ Marketers & Skill-Based Organizations 15:00 – L’Oréal’s Digital Transformation: From 5% to 30% E-Commerce 17:00 – Changing Consumer Behavior & New Operating Models 19:00 – Measurement Matters: Balancing Short-Term ROI & Brand Equity 21:00 – Lessons from China: Speed, Scale & Consumer-First Thinking 23:30 – Agentic Commerce & the Future of Beauty Shopping 26:00 – Why Fragmentation Is the Biggest Marketing Challenge 29:00 – AI’s Role in Rebundling Marketing & Breaking Silos 31:00 – AI-Powered Consumer & Marketer Journeys Explained 33:00 – Inside L’Oréal’s AI Tools: Creaitech & Content at Scale 35:00 – What’s Next: The Future of Marketing in the AI Era 37:00 – Rapid Fire: Signal vs. Noise (AI, Influencers, Innovation) 40:00 – Final Takeaways: Fragmentation, Learning Systems & Dual Muscle

    41 min
  7. Emma Grede on Operationalizing Culture, Speed, and AI

    9 Apr

    Emma Grede on Operationalizing Culture, Speed, and AI

    Marketing is no longer downstream from product. It is the operating system. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Emma Grede, founding partner and Chief Product Officer at SKIMS, Co Founder & CEO of Good American, and Co Founder of Off Season, to unpack what it really takes to build durable brands in a culture obsessed with moments. Emma shares why product discipline matters more than hype, how to operationalize cultural relevance, and why speed is the ultimate competitive advantage. The conversation explores AI adoption inside fast-scaling companies, where automation should power the business, and where it should never touch creative. Emma also reflects on talent partnerships, decision velocity, resilience, and why the best leaders aren’t the ones who make perfect decisions, but the ones who make more of them. For founders and CMOs navigating growth where culture, commerce, and AI collide, this is a blueprint for building brands that last.

    46 min
  8. Carla Hassan on Trust, AI, and Leading Under Pressure

    26 Mar

    Carla Hassan on Trust, AI, and Leading Under Pressure

    Marketing leadership today is defined by pressure: AI disruption, declining trust in institutions, cultural fragmentation, and relentless growth expectations. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Carla Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer of JPMorganChase, who leads more than 3,000 marketers across one of the world’s most recognized financial brands. From her early life shaped by displacement to stewarding a 200+ year-old institution, Carla shares how resilience and clarity shape her leadership. The conversation explores why “you don’t build trust with a tagline,” how trust is earned locally at scale, and what it really takes to modernize a marketing organization. Carla unpacks how AI is transforming roles from writers to editors, why layering AI onto broken processes fails, and how CMOs must rethink org design, workflows, and decision rights. For leaders navigating complexity inside large systems, this episode is a candid look at transformation, operational discipline, and building durable brands in uncertain times. 00:00 – Training Teams in the AI Era 01:00 – The Pressure of Being a Modern CMO 02:00 – Carla Hassan’s Journey & Resilience 04:30 – Global vs Local Marketing: Getting It Right 06:30 – Why Brand Consistency is Non-Negotiable 08:30 – Cultural Differences in Money & Messaging 10:30 – Building a Purpose-Driven Global Brand 11:30 – Trust, Transparency & Big Institutions 13:30 – What Modern Marketing Looks Like Today 17:00 – How AI is Reshaping Marketing Teams 20:30 – Speed, Testing & Real-Time Content Feedback 40:30 – Final Takeaways: Trust, AI & Local Relevance

    42 min
See All (27)

Trailer

About

In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. We’re asking the questions other won’t: How do marketing leaders prove ROI to executives? What does a modern marketing strategy look like when AI and analytics are reshaping the rules every day? Each episode of Frontier CMO explores the real-world playbooks leaders are using to navigate the AI-powered landscape. From marketing trends and branding breakthroughs to advancements in digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and B2B marketing, Frontier CMO breaks down what’s working and what’s not to help you navigate this new landscape. Subscribe to Frontier CMO on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when the first episode drops in January.

Information

You Might Also Like