Frontier CMO Podcast by Think with Google

Presented by Think with Google
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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. 20 hr ago

    Google’s CMO Lorraine Twohill on Leading the Frontier

    Few marketing leaders have navigated as much change as Google’s Chief Marketing Officer Lorraine Twohill. She’s one of the industry’s longest-tenured CMOs who’s led Google’s marketing through massive product and platform shifts, from Search and Chrome, to mobile, YouTube, and now AI.  Recorded at Cannes Lions 2026, Frontier CMO host Josh Spanier sits down with Lorraine to unpack how she’s built one of the world’s most influential marketing organizations, why marketers belong in the room with engineers, and why agility is the ultimate competitive advantage.  00:00 Intro 01:00 Google's Startup Days 03:45 Why Local Marketing Wins 05:45 Becoming Google's CMO 08:00 Marketing in a Product-First Company 09:30 The Chrome Growth Playbook 12:10 Human-Centered Brand Storytelling 13:00 What Creators Teach Marketers 14:20 Defining the Frontier CMO 16:15 Marketing Mistakes & Lessons Learned 18:10 Hiring Great Marketers 20:20 Career Advice for the AI Era 22:30 Google's AI Transformation 25:00 AI Productivity & NotebookLM 26:30 Leadership, Resilience & Cancer 29:20 Health, Sleep & Longevity 30:25 Signal or Noise? 32:20 Three Lessons for Every CMO

    Google’s CMO Lorraine Twohill on Leading the Frontier

  2. 23 Jul

    Best of Frontier CMO: Colin and Samir on the CMO’s Guide to the New Creator Economy

    In today’s creator economy, the audience is in charge. Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry explain what this means for CMOs trying to build brands people actually chose to spend time with, not just marketing they scroll past. Back by popular demand, this Frontier CMO conversation unpacks the creator landscape and why attention without connection is a dead end. Whether you’re building a creator strategy for the first time or rethinking how your brand shows up online, this episode offers a practical playbook for building lasting creator partnerships, earning audience trust, and staying ahead of where marketing is going. 🔔 Subscribe for more insights from marketing's frontier: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNBdIP33wJ3qH-T0AZE7DJPq-x2ppu2Jq  💡 What you'll learn in this episode: Why brands must stop acting like "bad party guests" and start adding real value to creator narratives How to transition your brand from a background logo to an active "character" in a creator’s universe. How to look past superficial views and vanity metrics to measure genuine audience trust and brand ROI. Why modern creator content looks more like high-production television, community-building, and culture than traditional social media. 🔗 Resources & Links: Connect with Josh Spanier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-spanier-4576b5/  Subscribe to the Frontier CMO newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/frontier-cmo-7414735485358788608/  #FrontierCMO #CreatorEconomy #MarketingStrategy #ColinAndSamir #CMO

    Best of Frontier CMO: Colin and Samir on the CMO’s Guide to the New Creator Economy

  3. 9 Jul

    Lightning in a Can: Liquid Death’s Killer Creative

    What does it take to “win the internet for a day”?  What happens when a billion-dollar beverage company throws out the traditional marketing playbook and rises to the top without a brand book, ad agencies or creative briefs?  Recorded live at Cannes Lions 2026, Frontier CMO host Josh Spanier joins Liquid Death’s Chief Media & Digital Commerce Officer Benoit Vatere for a refreshing conversation on the ‘method behind the madness’ of one of the most talked-about brands in marketing.  From its outrageous creativity of “doing the unexpected” to its masterclass ability of turning awareness into sales, Benoit cracks open the can on how Liquid Death built a category-defining brand and why the company – less than a decade in, is only just getting started.  00:00 Liquid Death's Marketing Playbook 02:30 Why the Best Ideas Start Dumb 05:00 No Briefs. No Agencies. Just Comedy. 08:00 How Viral Campaigns Are Created 11:10 Winning the Internet vs. Driving Sales 15:10 Building a Billion-Dollar Challenger Brand 19:00 Why Liquid Death Has No Brand Guidelines 22:15 The Metrics That Actually Matter 27:00 Marketing Lessons Any Brand Can Use 28:15 Why AI Can't Replace Great Creativity 34:00 The Future of Digital Commerce 37:35 Three Takeaways for Every CMO

    Lightning in a Can: Liquid Death’s Killer Creative

  4. 25 Jun

    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

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

  5. 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

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

  6. 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

    Mark Ritson on Why the Fundamentals Still Win

  7. 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

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

  8. 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

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

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