Modern Marketers

Marketing is being rebuilt from the infrastructure up. Search is changing. Commerce is becoming agent-driven. Measurement is being redefined in real time. And the line between engineering and marketing is disappearing. In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with Vidhya Srinivasan, Head of Ads and Commerce at Google. As the leader responsible for Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Shopping, Merchant Center, Gemini integrations, and payments, Vidhya is helping architect how the modern marketplace actually works. The conversation explores what “agentic commerce” really means, why the Universal Commerce Protocol could reshape how brands interface with AI systems, and how Gemini is already rewiring performance, creative, and intent matching across the ad stack. Vidhya explains why CMOs don't need to code — but must become technologically fluent — and outlines a five-part leadership blueprint for navigating AI transformation with optimism, speed, and accountability. 00:00 – The Vision: Reducing the “Commute Cost” from Desire to Purchase 00:28 – Engineering Meets Marketing: Why the Worlds Are Merging 01:31 – Inside Google Ads & Commerce: The Scale of the Role 03:13 – Agentic Commerce & the Universal Commerce Protocol Explained 04:29 – AI Search, Longer Queries & Reimagining Ads 05:05 – YouTube Creators, Culture & the Creator Partnership Hub 06:18 – How Gemini Powers Google's Ad Systems 07:06 – Why Trust Is the Foundation of AI Advertising 07:51 – What CMOs Must Understand in the AI Era 14:19 – Measurement, First-Party Data & Cracking Attribution 21:38 – Leading AI Transformation: A 5-Point Playbook 25:32 – The Holy Grail: The Right Ad, Right Person, Right Moment

Marketing is colliding with a creator economy that looks more like television, community, and culture, rather than what we used to think of when we think of social media. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google, sits down with Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, creators and hosts of Colin & Samir, to unpack how the creator landscape has fundamentally changed, and what CMOs can do to get creator partnerships right. They explore why attention without connection is a dead end, how creators have become the arbiters of taste, and why brands must stop treating creator partnerships like performance ads and start building long-term, value-aligned relationships. A practical, forward-looking discussion on creators, community, and the shift from attention to connection.

Brands are currently caught between two realities: the pretty strategy deck and the real world where attention is the currency. Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia joins Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google to discuss why traditional brand models are failing and which channels remain the C-suite's most misunderstood growth levers. Gary argues the bottleneck isn't media—it's creative slowed by excessive approvals and organizations built for campaigns rather than culture. To win, brands must collapse the walls between media and production, treating social as a daily operating system. This is a candid conversation for any leader ready to bridge the gap between boardroom theory and real-world business results. 00:00 — Creative vs. Media: What Actually Drives Results 01:38 — Practicing in the Trenches, Not the Decks 02:38 — The Real Role of the CMO in 2025–2026 03:51 — Performance vs. Brand CMOs: Why Both Miss the Mark 05:13 — “Day Trading Attention” and Measuring Real Outcomes 07:28 — Creative Is the Variable of Success 09:49 — LinkedIn Is the B2B World's TikTok 11:21 — Relevance at Scale Beats “Matching Luggage” 13:49 — Why Production, Creative & Media Must Merge 15:05 — Who Wins in an AI-Powered Marketing World 18:42 — Rebuilding an Agency for the AI Era 21:06 — Brand Means Different Things to Different People 26:07 — How to Pitch Marketing to the CFO 30:41 — Rapid-Fire: Metrics, Media & Buzzwords 32:05 — Field Notes from the Frontier

Today's CMO is  being asked to deliver growth in a  landscape defined by radical uncertainty and AI disruption. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Norm de Greve, Chief Growth Officer at General Motors, joins Josh to explore what it takes to drive reinvention inside one of the world's most complex legacy brands. Norm uses his experience making high-stakes decisions that have defined his career— walking away from $2 billion in tobacco revenue at CVS to steering GM's resurgence—and turns it into actionable tactics for modern leaders. His thesis: Own the entire business engine, not just the brand. Learn how to move at the speed of change, without losing your creative soul.  Whether you are navigating the anxiety of the AI era or managing the tension between short-term performance and long-term brand building, this episode offers a masterclass in building sustainable systems for growth. 00:00 – Creative Still Matters in the Age of AI 00:24 – Welcome to Frontier CMO & Norm De Greve's Journey 01:22 – Inside GM's Turnaround and Reinvention 02:26 – Why Automotive Is One of the Most Powerful Brand Businesses 05:01 – Bankruptcy as the Catalyst for Change 06:11 – EVs, Profit Pressure, and a New Marketing Model 08:38 – Leading Teams Through Constant Change and AI Anxiety 10:11 – From CMO to Chief Growth Officer 13:48 – Short-Term Sales vs Long-Term Brand Building 23:48 – Rebuilding GM's Agency Model with MediaMonks and Metropolis 31:34 – Why Brand and Human Taste Matter More in an AI World 34:24 – Field Notes from the Frontier: Growth, Change, and the Human Soul Learn more at Think with Google: https://business.google.com/us/think/frontier-cmo/  You can also find us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google/id1860114911  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2frcKgPI191iwfmVMHGfgYAmazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f0b58c08-3ce3-418d-9dad-bd0635141ff4/frontier-cmo-podcast-by-think-with-google

In marketing, AI is not a technology problem, it's a leadership challenge and opportunity. Our premiere episode of Frontier CMO comes to you from CES 2026. We skipped the crystal ball hype to get to the point: AI is not just a tech shift, it's a leadership test. In the first episode, Josh Spanier sits down with Shelly Palmer—CEO of The Palmer Group, Advanced Professor in Residence, and one of the most trusted advisors to the Fortune 500—to separate business-model signals from gadget noise. Shelly was direct: reorganize your marketing around human-agent pairs. In this new era, subject matter expertise is more important than ever. The better you are at your craft, the better your agents will be. Set your department up for continuous adaptation—or watch it grind to a halt. Thesis: The role of the CMO today is akin to a driver teaching a self-driving car. You are co-working in human-machine pairs, training the system until the day you can move from tactician to pure strategist.

Join Josh Spanier as he goes off the map with the top marketing leaders, pioneers, and provocateurs who are navigating the new frontier of marketing. Launching in early December 2025, Frontier CMO is your essential resource for navigating the next era of marketing.  Subscribe now to get notified when the first episode drops.  

This week on Modern Marketers, Tombras president Dooley Tombras joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to discuss being the third generation to lead the family business, what it means to be an independent agency focusing on data and creativity, and the partnership with PODS and Google to create an impossible ad campaign using generative AI. Dooley shares a few favorite campaigns from his 20 years at Tombras, how he balances classic marketing metrics with modern approaches, and what the next five years look like for the agency.

This week on Modern Marketers, McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her 20-year career at the company and how the brand keeps consumers at the center of everything it does. Elizabeth shares some of McDonald's most iconic marketing campaigns and product launches she has worked on over the years, as well as tips for engaging with consumers in a way that feels natural to them and how the brand decides what does and doesn't need to be tested.

This week on Modern Marketers, Jim Lecinski, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about Jim's career pivot from tech executive to college professor, what traits make up the most effective marketer, and the ability to combine left and right brain to be a whole-brain marketer. Jim discusses what he sees as top of mind for rising-star marketers in his classes, how he wrote a book on AI — well before the recent buzz — in 2021, and advice for creating a marketing plan that excites your C-suite.

This week on Modern Marketers, Walmart SVP and CMO William White joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about how he empowers his team to stay nimble, using customer insights as a competitive advantage and how the brand breaks through during the busiest time of the year: the holidays. William discusses how brand purpose and values act as a guide, getting to the crux of what's driving consumer behavior and staying a season or two ahead.

This week on Modern Marketers, Kipp Bodnar, CMO of Hubspot, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss how to make B2B marketing creative better, how to convince your CFO it's OK not to attribute 100% of your marketing spend, and the importance of taking risks as a leader. Hear how Hubspot has built out its marketing team, approaches growth opportunities, and about Kipp's experiences from his days as an early employee at Hubspot to now.

On this week's episode of Modern Marketers, Colgate-Palmolive's chief digital officer Brigitte King joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her core leadership principles and how the brand adapts to ever-changing technology curves. Brigitte shares the five P's that have guided her through her career, how she upskilled her entire organization to be digitally fluent, and the importance of a leader allowing room for experimentation — and sometimes failure.

This week, Canva CMO Zach Kitschke joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about the brand's product evolution over the years, and how it puts visual communication into everyone's hands. Zach discusses Canva's growth journey, the importance of creating delightful product experiences, viral marketing moments, and the power of community.

This week on Modern Marketers, Choreograph global CEO Evan Hanlon joins Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole, global senior marketing director at Google, to discuss the human side of leveraging data in your marketing and why it's more important than ever to make your creative count. Tune in to hear why AI should not be treated as an “easy button,” how agencies can best communicate with C-suite clients, and more.

This week, Dacy Yee, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Experian Consumer Services, joins Joshua Spanier to discuss her consumer advocacy within the organization and the responsibility that comes with marketing its products. Hear how being intentional throughout her career helped Yee become CMO; how Experian approaches meeting consumer needs; and how leveraging a celebrity personality has helped the company break through with its core audience.

Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg, join Joshua Spanier to discuss balancing their various business models, updating brand positioning to evolve with their offerings, and the importance of their core company values. Hear how Zola got started, how they keep up with the growth they've experienced over the years, and ways they work with creators and influencers to share the power of their platform.

David Mogensen, VP of Marketing at Uber, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss the balance of faith and science when it comes to media measurement and the importance of creative in driving growth. Get an inside look into how an innovative company like Uber thinks about positioning its multiple brands, making a great Super Bowl ad, and insights from David's global work experience.

Modern Marketers is a podcast series from Think with Google. Our host, Joshua Spanier, VP of Marketing at Google Media Lab, speaks with game-changing marketers and founders who have launched some of the most innovative and inspiring campaigns. They discuss what made them into the leaders they are today, how they practice modern marketing with their teams, and share the lessons they learned along the way.