Huddlers in the News

“I’m proud to report that Marketing is leading the AI initiatives at our company,” said a CMO at a $400M SaaS firm. No one rolled their eyes. Heads nodded. This wasn’t bravado; it's just business as usual, at least in our community.

But that’s not the story we typically hear, is it? In the broader narrative, AI is the wild west. CMOs are either “dabbling,” “overwhelmed,” or drowning in vendor pitches. Most exec teams are still in the "what do we do with this thing?" stage.

And yet, in three separate Huddles this month, we saw something different: a quiet revolution in motion.

CMOs weren’t just experimenting with GenAI. CMOs were orchestrating it. Driving it. Owning it.

Here’s how...

Start with a Strategy (and a Few Custom GPTs)

Savvy CMOs aren’t chasing shiny objects. They’re setting clear priorities—starting with branded GPTs to unify team voice and content quality. These tools act as internal brand guardians, enabling everyone to write like the company should sound, drawing from the same trusted sources.

Support Sales Like a Strategist

Forget static battle cards. The frontrunners are building GPTs for the sales org—loaded with objection handling, persona insights, competitive intel, and CRO-style tone. When a rep says, “I’ve got a frustrated IT buyer at 2pm,” the AI spits out prep faster than you can say “closed-won.”

Creative First Drafts? AI’s Got It

100% of the 40+ CMOs who joined June’s Peer Huddles are using GenAI for content creation. From Jasper to custom GPTs to MidJourney for visual exploration, AI handles messy first drafts while humans apply the polish. One team runs content through two GPTs; one for writing, one for scrubbing out buzzwords, emojis, and em dashes.

Time-Saving Workflows (Built by CMOs)

One CMO used Replit and HubSpot to build a one-click campaign generator that assembles emails, landing pages, and social posts in under five minutes. Another swapped three time-sucking workflows for AI-powered alternatives and asked the team to do the same.

Digital Doubles & Strategic Smarts

Here’s where it gets spicy. Some Huddlers are building digital twins of their CEO, CRO, and CFO; GPTs are trained in executive tone, past presentations, and Slack history. The goal? Sanity checks before board meetings and messaging alignment without the calendar chase.

Listening at Scale = Synthetic Empathy

Perhaps the most exciting: Using AI to mine thousands of customer conversations from Gong, support, and win/loss calls to build “customer truth engines.” These CMOs aren’t guessing what customers want; they hear it in stereo.

The Result Across All These Use Cases?

Not just faster work. Smarter teams. Better alignment. Sharper strategy. Most importantly, CMOs are earning a seat at the AI strategy table (often at the head).

So yes, Marketing is leading AI. The only question is: Are you?

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 467: The Strategy-First MarTech Stack

AI tools. CDPs. DAMs. Shiny objects everywhere. It’s easy to fall for the promise of more tech. But without a plan, that stack starts stacking you. Martech only performs when every platform has a purpose, every user is accountable, and every dollar spent ties back to a strategic outcome.

Drew is joined by Kathie Johnson (formerly Sitecore) and Kris Salazar (Appcast) to talk MarTech headaches, from stack bloat to AI overload to the brutal cost of tools no one’s using. Because building a smarter stack means cutting dead weight, keeping what helps, and making sure every platform has a champion who’s accountable for its impact.

In this episode:

• Kathie on using MarTech maps and AI to get a 30% efficiency boost
• Kris on quarterly audits, tool ownership, and measurable outcomes
• Why both agree that stack success starts with strategy and ownership

Plus:

• What to look for in a tech audit
• Why data clarity is the key to real personalization
• How to avoid tech for tech’s sake
• The spending rule that keeps budgets balanced

Tune in for a reality check on what it takes to make your MarTech stack deliver without adding more to the pile.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“My CEO has always been abusive, but until recently, it wasn’t directed at me,” exclaimed an exasperated 2x CMO from a $350mil fintech company. “It’s particularly frustrating because marketing has over-delivered on every possible metric, including revenue,” the CMO added. Inside, I'm seething. Outside, I’m all empathy while trying to tease out what’s happening here.

A Rant to All the Abusive CEOs Out There

Get it together, dude or dudette. Hire an anger management coach and or a therapist. We don’t care what kind of pressure you’re under. If you can’t deal with it, then you’re in the wrong role. Being abusive to employees, like shaming a direct report in front of their peers, is unproductive, demoralizing, and self-defeating.

There Is No Excuse for Abuse

Now, back to this specific situation. It turns out the CEO had a new favorite on the leadership team and was now crushing on the CRO. And for whatever messed-up reason, the CEO just fell out of love with the CMO. It clearly wasn’t performance-related. Since both the CEO and CRO were men, perhaps it was a "bro" thing. Ultimately, “why” didn't matter as much as “What now?”

Moving On to the Action Plan: Offense (Not Offensive)

My first thought was that the CEO’s behavior must be obvious to the others on the Leadership Team and maybe the board. If so, the board could encourage the CEO to hire a leadership coach. Unfortunately, the board was stacked with bros appointed by the CEO. The other leaders, also male, just accepted the occasional abuse as part of their jobs.

Dealing with Diminishers

Liz Wiseman’s book Multipliers outlines a number of brilliant moves for managing sub-optimal bosses (aka “diminishers). In the case of the “Tyrant,” noted for creating a tense environment where people are afraid to speak up, Liz suggests:

• Avoiding direct confrontation. Instead, model calm, clear communications
• Asking questions rather than challenging authority
• Creating “safe zones” where ideas can be developed before presenting them

GenAI to the Rescue?

Many of you have considered creating a digital twin to help you with decision-making. Let’s push this idea a bit further.

Create a Digital Twin of Your Boss

Describe the personality of your boss in detail (use your personal GPT, not the company’s!). Be as specific as possible, including quotes from conversations with you and others. Ask your GPT to provide a personality assessment. Then, start describing the upcoming situations and role-play with your GPT. Continue to feed conversations into your GPT over the next few months.

In addition to helping you anticipate bad behavior (which can take the sting out of it), it will give you the psychological strength to say to yourself, “It’s not me. I’m a leader and a damn good one at that. I’m resilient, resourceful, and wiley. And I’m prepared to use every tool at my disposal.”

Perhaps they’ll grow by watching you.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 465: Positioning as a Growth Engine

Penguins spend 75% of their lives in the water, actively positioning themselves exactly where they need to be to hunt and survive. It’s intentional placement. Strong brands do the same. They know where they belong and commit. Too many don’t. They drift, hoping the market finds them. You’ve got to stake your spot and give your marketing something to stand on.

In this episode, Drew brings in Marni Puente (SAIC) and Sara Larsen (Wolters Kluwer Health), two marketers who’ve learned that positioning only works when it’s clear, repeated often, and owned beyond marketing. They get into how to break the cycle of repositioning, earn internal trust, and lay the groundwork for durable growth.

In this episode:

• Marni shares how a tight positioning strategy anchored SAIC’s rebrand and became a decision filter across the org
• Sara explains how to drive clarity in a matrixed enterprise, aligning stakeholders without watering down the message
• Both guests reflect on the power of internal alignment as the real test of a strong position

Plus:

• How to test positioning with internal and external audiences
• Why simplicity is your signal when it comes to clarity
• What positioning unlocks across marketing, sales, and culture
• How to build buy-in that lasts beyond launch

Tune in to learn how focused positioning gives every team a north star and puts your brand strategy to work across the business.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

"Our funnel is completely clogged, and our CEO and investors are starting to panic," shared a CMO from a $375MM SaaS firm. The other Huddlers sympathized, noting they were facing similar challenges.

Sound familiar?

The old playbook of flooding the funnel, scoring MQLs, and handing off to sales isn't just broken; it's toxic.

Here's why your funnel is clogged and what actually works now:

1. Your Data Is a Disaster

The average customer contact database health score? A pathetic 47%, according to research from BoomerangAI. More than half of B2B companies haven't updated their database in six months—or ever. Bad data isn't just an operational issue. It erodes every layer of your funnel.

Fix this first. Assign database ownership cross-functionally. Tie enrichment to your GTM motions. And please activate alumni contact programs. Only 12% of companies have formal programs for contacts who left employers, yet they're gold mines.

2. You're Still Pitching Tours When Buyers Want Tools

Recent TrustRadius research shows that 52% of buyers say prior experience is their #1 decision input. Only 13% say a demo "blew them away."

3. Stop the Demo Obsession

Launch website-based product exploration tools. Add pricing guidance. Create modular content for AI summarization since 90% of buyers who see AI-generated summaries click through to cited sources.

4. The MQL Addiction Is Killing You

As one CMO put it: "MQLs are problematic... we’re trying to figure out how to get fewer, better leads." Track conversion quality at each funnel stage. Hold weekly demand gen and sales alignment meetings. Ditch vanity metrics for outcome-based KPIs.

5. You're Pitching Spend Instead of Displacement

Few CFOs are greenlighting net-new spending, but they will approve reallocation when the ROI is crystal clear. Reframe your pitch: "Invest in this → reduce spend on that." Connect to CFO logic, not just user pain.

6. You're Making Promises Instead of Proving Value

Buyers want proof in 120 days or less. The "trust us, it'll pay off eventually" era is dead.

If you have the data, create 120-day value realization case studies. Use prospect data to build "speed-to-value" narratives. Lead with time-to-value, not feature lists.

The companies unclogging their funnels aren't working harder—they're working smarter. They've ditched the old playbook for data-driven precision.

Your move.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 464: Turning Analyst Relations into Market Traction

You can’t game the Gartner system. You can’t fast-track a Forrester mention. But you can show up prepared, relevant, and consistent. Analyst Relations is the slowest move on the board and the one that defines how your company is positioned on calls, in rooms, and across the category. 

To trace the full arc of this relationship, Drew is joined by Dan Lowden (Blackbird.AI), Lorie Coulombe (Equity Shift), and Lynn Tornabene (Anteriad). These are marketing leaders who’ve built analyst trust from scratch, played the long game, and seen the ripple effects hit pipeline, brand, and board-level confidence. They’ve turned AR into an amplifier, and they’re here to show you how to do the same.  

In this episode:

• Dan on building analyst trust without budget through clear positioning and repeat engagement
• Lorie on prepping spokespeople and leading briefings with relevance over polish
• Lynn on aligning teams and delivering consistent, high-value analyst touchpoints

Plus:

• What analysts want from a briefing
• Why your first 20 minutes set the tone
• The biggest mistake CMOs still make in prep
• How to turn analyst feedback into team clarity

Tune in to learn how consistent, credible AR earns analyst trust and long-term traction in the market.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 463: CRO: Friend or Foe?

Joelle Kaufman has been both a CRO and a CMO—and she’s here to tell you: if sales and marketing aren’t on the same page, you’re leaving revenue on the table.

In this Huddles Quick Take, Joelle outlines the three most common mistakes CMOs make when trying to align with sales—and how to avoid them. From pipeline goals to budget tension to attribution battles, Joelle shares how CMOs can build better partnerships that actually drive revenue.

What You’ll Learn:

• 3 alignment mistakes that keep marketing and sales at odds
• Why obsessing over MQLs sends the wrong signal
• How shared pipeline goals help unify teams
• The real problem with attribution finger-pointing 

For the rest of the conversation with Joelle, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64XHb_E7UT4.

Get more insights like these by joining our free Starter program at cmohuddles.com.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“Help, our CEO wants to increase the reach of our podcast dramatically, but nothing seems to work,” shared a frustrated CMO from a $250mil tech company. We’ve all been there. A senior exec stumbles across a podcast success story—usually one with a massive consumer audience—and suddenly expects your niche B2B show to take off like SmartLess. That’s not how this works. But don’t worry, this post isn’t a rant. It’s a roadmap.

Here are 8 ways to increase the reach (and value) of your podcast—without selling your soul or sacrificing quality: [For a more complete list, visit RenegadeMarketing.com/blog]

1. Nail the Content First

This should go without saying, but far too many shows overlook the fundamentals. Prioritize clear audio, sharp editing, and relevant topics. If you don’t have something unique or genuinely helpful to say, no amplification trick will save you.

2. Define the Right Audience

Success isn’t about volume—it’s about value. My show is for B2B CMOs. Every topic, guest, and soundbite is tailored to their pain points. You don’t need 10,000 listeners if the right 500 are tuning in.

3. Find Your White Space

If your show sounds like everyone in your category, you’re toast. Take inspiration from Jeff Morgan at Elements, who built a category-leading podcast for dentists when no one else had. Specificity breeds loyalty.

4. Choose Guests Strategically

Whether it’s customers (great for relationship building) or well-known thought leaders (great for awareness), your guests should be relevant and share-worthy. Bonus: Guests with large followings often promote the episode—just make it easy for them with ready-to-go assets.

5. Consistency Is Non-Negotiable

Release episodes weekly—same time, same length. Sporadic publishing kills momentum. A reliable cadence builds habits and trust with your listeners.

6. Multiply Your Assets

Record both audio and video. Then slice your content into 90-second clips and quote cards. Share them on LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, newsletters—wherever your audience hangs out. These “micro-moments” extend your reach exponentially.

7. Be a Guest on Other Podcasts

One of the best ways to grow your show is to appear on others that reach similar audiences. Just like being a great interviewer, being a great guest takes prep. Be spontaneous, sure—but also pithy. Give your host room to respond. You’re in a conversation, not a keynote.

8 . Don’t Forget Internal Value

If your podcast builds customer love, sharpens your POV, and trains your sales team—that’s value, even if the external reach is modest. Would you be happy speaking to 800 members of your target audience every month? Most executives would be thrilled. That’s the power of a niche podcast.

Final Thought

Before your CEO asks about “reach,” help them understand the purpose. In niche B2B, a podcast isn’t just a megaphone. It’s a magnet, a relationship builder, and a strategic asset.

What have you done to grow your podcast’s audience?

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 462: Building a Better ABM Motion

ABM falls apart fast when teams jump in before locking down who they’re chasing, why it matters, and how it’s all supposed to run. Sales pushes one list, marketing builds another, and no one agrees on who actually matters. No shared ICP? No clean data? Well, no chance. You need a strategy.

Guest host Jon Russo (B2B Fusion) corrals Heidi Bullock (Tealium), Patti Newcomer (Centerbase), and Bindu Chellappan (Corpay) for a breakdown of how they’re keeping their ABM engines running clean. Think pods with purpose, seller-first workflows, and data that matters.

In this episode:

• Heidi on running pods that bring marketing, sales, and CS into one motion
• Patti on aligning across the funnel and why ABM needs ownership
• Bindu on activating firmographic and intent data with shared definitions

Plus:

• Where alignment really starts
• Why trust beats tech every time
• How AI is speeding up the grunt work without losing the signal
• The metrics that actually tell you it’s working

Tune in to learn about what breaks ABM, what fixes it, and how to keep teams pulling in the same direction.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“Hey Drew, I can’t keep up with all the AI stuff; it’s just overwhelming,” shared a CMO at a $450mil tech company. The other Huddlers were relieved to hear they weren’t alone. A fascinating discussion ensued as these CMOs shared what they know, what they don’t, and how they’re sorting through the myriad of options. Here are some of their questions and an aggregation of the best answers.

How Are B2B CMOs Using GenAI Right Now?

Most CMOs admit they are still in the early days of GenAI adoption. Most don’t have a GenAI strategy. Most are creating content more efficiently. For example, those creating podcasts are doing so 5-10x faster by recording, editing, and publishing with just one person using Descript.

How Do We Get Beyond the “Go Play” and “Dabbling” Stage?

Strategy before tools. This means identifying the problems you want to solve, which, when solved, would have the most significant impact on the business. For example, you may need to translate and route hundreds of digital ads into fifty different languages multiple times per year for multiple ad platforms. That’s a lot of variations and the perfect labor-intensive task at which GenAI excels.

Benchmark your time sucks. Ideally, your team will be able to benchmark the current workflows for the most time-consuming projects. Some of these projects can be streamlined easily with one or more existing tools (like the podcast example). Focus on a few of these initially to record some quick wins.

Isolate the big wins: Others may require more complex solutions with API integrations – stuff that you used to have to get IT help with but can now solve with the guidance of AI. You’ll want to create a matrix (potential value, time to solution, complexity of solution) to help shape your priorities.

Training before licenses. Getting licenses for everyone on your team sounds like a great idea until you realize adoption is not universal. Giving them the tool alone does not improve productivity. Training your team together with some specific usage expectations will move things forward. Then, gather monthly to share problems solved and unsolved. Given the speed at which these tools evolve, expect to do training 2-3x per year.

How Important Is It That CMOs Use These Tools Themselves?

It’s imperative. First, every leader should have a folder on their phone's home page with at least 3 LLMs (I have the paid versions of ChatGPT and Claude and the free version of Perplexity). There’s no reason you shouldn’t use these tools multiple times a day to prepare for meetings, think through your ideas, and investigate something personal. Learn the basics of prompting. Better yet, become a master prompter.

Jeff Morgan, CMO of Elements, uses this prompt engineering framework:

S = Specifications

P = Process

A = Authenticity

R = Rules & Regulation

K = KPIs

How are you keeping up?

Written by Drew Neisser