What Your CEO Really Thinks About Marketing

Fibbler
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Biweekly

When I was the marketer, I was sure I knew what my CEO thought of my work. I never actually asked. So now we're asking. Every episode, I sit down with one B2B marketing leader. Before we record, their CEO answers three questions in writing, and my guest never sees the answers. On the show, my guest answers the same three. Has marketing become more or less important over the last year? What's its most important job? And in twelve months, how much of marketing will AI be doing, and what should it never touch? After each answer, I read out what their CEO wrote. Sometimes they line up. Sometimes they really don't. New episodes every two weeks. I'm Adam Holmgren, co-founder and CEO of Fibbler.

Episodes

  1. Oct 20

    How a CMO and CEO Stayed Aligned Through a Three-Month Rebrand

    One CMO answers three questions about marketing. Then Adam reads out what her CEO wrote. You report on marketing every month. You think you know what your CEO makes of it. Would you bet your next budget conversation on that? Jillian Als is CMO at Leadfeeder, a year into the role after a career in B2B scale-ups across PLG, sales-led and partner-led motions. She joined to find three brands, three websites and two narratives, and led a full rebrand back to Leadfeeder in three months. This first episode puts CMO and CEO alignment to the test. Jillian answers on camera without seeing what her CEO, Kevin, wrote. The reveal shows two leaders who agree on almost everything, and why that agreement started before she took the job. You'll hear how a B2B rebrand plays out when sales still has quotas on the old product, why brand building in B2B matters more as AI makes products look alike, and where AI in marketing should stop. It's for marketing leaders and founders at SaaS companies, especially anyone weighing a CMO role or a rebrand. Key Takeaways Inheriting three brands and two narratives made Jillian's job easier. A messy starting point gave her licence to be ruthless about what marketing stops doing.The hardest part of the rebrand was the old product. Sales knew how to sell it, churn was opening a gap, and a new brand can't grow as fast as an old one drops.One interview question tells a marketing leader what a company is really like: "What are the reasons I shouldn't take this job?"Jillian and Kevin drew the same line on AI, independently. Hers comes from version 23 of a strategic narrative post and the external writers she let go. Chapter Markers 00:00 What Your CEO Really Thinks About Marketing 00:35 Meet Jillian Als, CMO at Leadfeeder 01:26 How the reveal works 02:55 Has marketing become more important? 04:07 Saying no after an identity crisis 05:00 The reveal: Kevin's first answer 06:48 Retiring a brand sales still sells 08:13 Marketing's most important job right now 09:36 Kevin on a human brand in the AI era 10:56 Good CEO and CMO relationships, and tougher ones 12:13 Why Jillian joined Leadfeeder 14:00 Ask why you shouldn't take the job 16:00 How much marketing will AI do? 19:23 When writing is too perfect to be you 20:17 Kevin on AI and the company's voice 21:48 Bonus: why customers choose Leadfeeder 23:13 Still in the honeymoon phase Useful Links & Resources Jillian Als on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianals Leadfeeder: https://www.leadfeeder.com Fibbler, paid ads attribution for B2B marketers: https://fibbler.co Connect With the Show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-your-ceo-really-thinks-about-marketing/id6823635122 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oazmUcdfuNxKPONWYduSF YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_E5yQgKovrWdco6apvyznQ Adam Holmgren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-holmgren/ Fibbler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fibbler If your CEO answered the same three questions, where would you disagree? Tell us in the comments. And if you've ever asked "why shouldn't I take this job?" in an interview, we'd like to hear what came back. Wondering what your own CEO thinks? Send them this episode. If you run marketing and think you know exactly what your CEO would say, message Adam on LinkedIn and come on the show to prove it. This podcast is produced by B2B Better (https://www.b2b-better.com) #WhatYourCEOReallyThinks #B2BMarketing #CMO #BrandBuilding #AIinMarketing

  2. Oct 16

    Trailer

    When I was the marketer, I was sure I knew what my CEO thought of my work. I never actually asked. So now we're asking. Every episode, I sit down with one B2B marketing leader. Before we record, their CEO answers three questions in writing, and my guest never sees the answers. On the show, my guest answers the same three. Has marketing become more or less important over the last year? What's its most important job? And in twelve months, how much of marketing will AI be doing, and what should it never touch? After each answer, I read out what their CEO wrote. Sometimes they line up. Sometimes they really don't. New episodes every two weeks. I'm Adam Holmgren, co-founder and CEO of Fibbler. Produced by B2B Better

  • 2 Episodes

About

When I was the marketer, I was sure I knew what my CEO thought of my work. I never actually asked. So now we're asking. Every episode, I sit down with one B2B marketing leader. Before we record, their CEO answers three questions in writing, and my guest never sees the answers. On the show, my guest answers the same three. Has marketing become more or less important over the last year? What's its most important job? And in twelve months, how much of marketing will AI be doing, and what should it never touch? After each answer, I read out what their CEO wrote. Sometimes they line up. Sometimes they really don't. New episodes every two weeks. I'm Adam Holmgren, co-founder and CEO of Fibbler.

Information