Podcasts about cmo cio

Shall AI kill marketing? Sounds like a hackneyed question, yet it’s on any marketer’s lips these days. Thomas Husson, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, covers the intersection of marketing, technology, and consumer behaviour from his base in Paris. In a wide-ranging conversation, he cuts through the European Gen AI paradox, the persistent CMO-CIO divide, the gap between POC enthusiasm and production reality, and the thorny question of what AI actually means for the next generation of marketing professionals and CMOs. His answers are measured, occasionally blunt, and consistently grounded in Forrester Research data. AI Will Not Threaten the Existence of Marketing But It Will Reshape It Beyond Recognition Thomas Husson believes that Marketing will be changed profoundly. But he doesn’t believe in the death of Marketing. Photo: Thomas Husson at Paris Retail Week, in late 2023 My first question was the obvious one: are CMOs going to be made redundant by artificial intelligence? Thomas Husson’s response is categorical, and worth stating plainly at the outset. It’s a blatant ‘No’. The role will change. The how will change. But the existence of marketing as a discipline is not, according to him, in question. “Marketing is still going to be about understanding your customer, defining a brand strategy, and delivering the brand promise through customer experience.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research Unclear prospects, obvious pressures That said, Husson is not naive about the pressures building on marketing organisations. Some tasks will be automated; that much is not in dispute. The real questions are which tasks, how quickly, and whether automation of a task necessarily kills the job around it. His answer to that last question is no, at least not in any simple mechanical sense. “Jobs will evolve for sure. New jobs will be created. Most jobs will change. The way we work will change. The way we work with agencies, with external partners, the processes, the workflow. It is the shape of work that is being reshaped, not work itself,” he added. For those expecting a more dramatic verdict, Husson’s framing may feel anti-climactic. But it reflects what Forrester Research data actually shows, and it points to the most important practical challenge for AI and CMOs alike: managing a profound transformation without either catastrophising or sleepwalking through it. AI Will Not Kill Marketing according to Forrester’s Thomas Husson, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The European Paradox, Overhyped and Exciting at the Same Time Forrester Research produced a result that initially looks contradictory, Husson stressed in our interview. Fifty-five percent of European B2B marketers consider generative AI overhyped. Yet 81% of European frontline marketers describe themselves as enthusiastic about it. How can both be true simultaneously? Husson explains the split without difficulty. At the decision-maker level, scepticism is entirely rational. AI is inescapable at conferences, in vendor pitches, and in media coverage. “There is AI fatigue. And more importantly, some of the vendors are indeed over-pitching, and the productivity gains they promise are not happening,” he stated. The gap between the pitch and what we actually experience in the field is wide enough to breed genuine frustration. Saving Time and Working Differently But the people actually using these tools, often through shadow AI channels their organisations have not officially sanctioned, are discovering something different. They are saving time and are doing their jobs differently. They are finding capabilities they did not expect. “In the short term, everything is overhyped, including the number of job losses. In the longer term, things are underestimated, because AI will be linked to other technologies, and yes, it will reinvent many things.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research This is a precise restatement of Amara’s Law. Roy Amara, former president of the Institute for the Future, observed that we tend to overestimate the short-term impact of new technology and underestimate its long-term impact. The quote is frequently misattributed to Bill Gates, but Husson is careful to restore proper credit. He applies it directly to the AI and CMOs conversation: the short-term noise is drowning out a more important long-term signal. When asked how long “long term” actually means in an era of accelerating AI development, Husson was specific: probably closer to five to seven years than to ten or fifteen, but still not tomorrow. From POC to Production, Europe’s Real AI Problem The Forrester Research State of AI Survey 2025 contains a figure that deserves more attention than it typically receives. European organisations lag behind their non-European peers in production use of generative AI: 62% versus 72%. The gap is not in experimentation. It is in execution. Regulation is the explanation most commonly offered, and Husson dismisses it with characteristic directness. The AI Act is a genuine consideration, but it is not the primary cause of Europe’s production deficit. It functions, he argues, as a double-edged excuse. Pioneers claim it prevents them from moving fast enough, while cautious organisations invoke it to justify not executing at all. Neither position holds up to scrutiny. A Deep Cultural and Organisational Divide The deeper issue is organisational and cultural. American and Chinese firms tend to think global from day one; European firms, particularly larger ones, still default to a market-by-market approach. France first, then the UK, then Germany. The ambition is calibrated differently. There is also a structural challenge around funding and the capacity to scale. That said, France, the UK, and Germany lead adoption among European countries in the Forrester Research data. The problem for these leading markets is not whether they are using generative AI. Twenty-eight percent of European B2B marketing decision makers cannot clearly identify where to apply it. They have the tool. They lack the strategy. “It’s not AI for the sake of AI. How do I use AI to serve my marketing objectives? That is the question. The only one.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research Husson advocates for small, targeted AI projects with transparent return on investment as a way to build momentum and demonstrate results. When pushed on whether that risks staying permanently incremental, he conceded the point readily. “If you only do small targeted projects, it’s going to be incremental and it’s not going to be bold enough. You need to align it with a vision and a roadmap.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research Measuring Productivity Honestly Productivity is the dominant driver of AI adoption in the Forrester Research State of AI Survey 2025. It is also, Husson suggests, the metric most subject to vendor inflation. In Forrester Research’s modelling, a 50% conversion factor is applied to vendor productivity claims. If a tool saves an hour, the realistic productivity benefit is approximately 30 minutes of additional output. This is not a marginal adjustment; it halves the headline figures that vendors routinely publish. “You need to apply a discount to the pitch of vendors when they say you’re going to get 40, 50, 80, 100% productivity gains. There are productivity gains, but they are not as high as one would expect.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research There is also a motivational dimension that is rarely modelled. When work becomes easier to produce, it can also become less engaging to produce. The cognitive effort that used to drive focus and satisfaction is partly removed, with consequences for quality and commitment that no vendor presentation accounts for. AI and CMOs, Who Is Actually in Charge? The CMO-CIO divide is a perennial theme in marketing technology discussions. Forrester Research data suggests the gap at the strategic leadership level has narrowed, partly as a result of post-COVID collaboration. But at team level, the tensions persist, and the data on AI governance is striking. CMOs account for only 8 to 10% of AI strategy leadership in organisations. In the vast majority of cases, the deployment of AI is being driven by CIOs and CTOs. Husson understands the logic: data governance, security, scalability. These are real concerns. But he believes the outcome is a mistake. “It is the exact same mistake that happened with digital transformation. AI has to be at the service of, first, the client, and consequently the business functions that serve them. There is too big a disconnect between a secure, scalable AI platform and marketers’ needs.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research The structural consequence of this dynamic is predictable. When CIOs control the tools and CMOs do not have what they need, shadow AI flourishes. The more tightly the CIO locks down the official platform, the more widely teams proliferate unofficial solutions. It is a cycle that widens governance risk while creating the illusion of control. The MarTech landscape compounds this problem. According to data Husson cites, 2,500 new AI solutions were added to the market in a single year while 1,211 pre-AI-era tools were removed. Evaluating this landscape requires cross-functional expertise that neither CMOs nor CIOs possess in isolation. The case for genuine collaboration, rather than the polite coexistence that currently passes for it in most organisations, has never been stronger. Jobs, Agencies, and the Students in the Room The survey data on jobs is sobering. Fifty-seven percent of European frontline marketing decision makers believe AI adoption will lead to job reductions in their teams. Sixty-eight percent say new roles will be created. The gap between those two numbers is the space where real anxiety lives. For a wider perspective on AI’s job impact, including Forrester Research’s US forecast, see our earlier piece: AI Job Impact in the US: the Apocalypse Can Wait. For a longer-range view of how generative AI is reshaping roles, see also: GenAI Impact on Jobs. Contact centres and basic marketing task execution are already seeing measurable impact. Agencies are under visible pressure. But Husson returns consistently to the distinction between task automation and job elimination. Most job losses are not yet directly attributable to AI; the picture requires nuance rather than alarm. On new roles, the honest answer is that specifics are difficult to name in advance. Twenty years ago, nobody was hiring community managers. The jobs that will emerge from the current transformation will be as hard to predict precisely as that one was. What Husson does say is that working with agents, managing their outputs, and understanding their limitations will become core competencies rather than specialist skills. “Teach them the basics of marketing, those won’t change. Infuse a lot more of traditional social sciences: ethics, emotion, anthropology. These dimensions will gain importance. Curiosity. And they have to use these tools, to learn how to use them so they can develop their own critical thinking.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research There is irony embedded in this advice that Husson acknowledges implicitly. Digital roles are likely to bear the earliest impact of AI-driven automation precisely because they are already the most digitised. The analogue parts of marketing, which seemed most vulnerable to digital disruption, turn out to be more resistant than expected. AI is a continuation of digital transformation, not a departure from it. There is also a structural problem this conversation surfaced that neither party resolved entirely. If organisations are reducing entry-level hiring to cut costs, and those entry-level roles were the traditional training ground for the next generation, then the iterative learning process that produces senior expertise is being severed. AI can teach many things, but the social dimension of learning alongside a colleague over time is not easily replicated. B2B Marketing, Ahead of the Curve A widespread assumption holds that generative AI enthusiasm in marketing is largely a B2C phenomenon. Husson disputes this firmly. B2B marketers, in his assessment, are actually ahead of the curve in several areas, particularly content generation, personalisation, and sales support through complex multi-stakeholder buying processes. What B2B is also discovering is that the sharp distinction between rational B2B decision-making and emotional B2C engagement is less solid than commonly assumed. When a buying group is making a decision with significant professional consequences, emotion is not absent; it is differently structured and, in some ways, higher-stakes. “It’s not the ‘human plus AI blah blah blah’ we hear all the time. It needs a more nuanced approach. At the end of the day, AI is about replicating the human brain, but we don’t really know how the human brain works. We don’t know how consciousness works. So I would take a pinch of salt and take a step back before making any definitive judgment.” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research The Long View I ended by asking Husson how he uses AI in his own work. His answer was practical: summarising the relentless volume of content published daily on AI, filtering what is genuinely new from what merely repackages existing ideas. Behind him on the video call was a photograph taken in Thailand, of Buddhist monks. He smiled at the mention of it. “It’s a good reminder that not everything is digital and not everything is about technology. It’s about real life.“ For AI and CMOs, that is perhaps the most useful frame of all. The technology is real, the disruption is real, and the urgency is real. But so is the inertia of organisations, the pace of culture change, and the irreducible complexity of how human beings actually make decisions, form relationships, and build trust. Amara’s Law is not a reason to wait. It is a reason to plan carefully, act deliberately, and resist the temptation to mistake announcements for outcomes. Forrester Research reports cited in this article The AI CMO: Growth Accountability Gets Next-Level — Mike Proulx et al., April 2026 The State Of CMO/CIO Collaboration For 2026 — Thomas Husson et al., January 2026 Generative AI Adoption In European B2B Marketing Organizations — Christina Schmitt et al., December 2025 About Thomas Husson Thomas Husson is Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, based in Paris. He covers marketing strategy, brand management, mobile marketing, and the intersection of technology and consumer behaviour across European markets. His research addresses how CMOs and marketing organisations navigate digital transformation, AI adoption, and the evolving relationship between brands and customers. Forrester Research analyst profile: forrester.com About Forrester Research Forrester Research is one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves business and technology leaders across marketing, IT, and customer experience, providing data, analysis, and frameworks to guide strategic decision-making. The data referenced in this article draws on two primary Forrester Research publications: the Forrester Marketing Survey 2025 and the State of AI Survey 2025, both covering Gen AI adoption and its organisational implications across European and global B2B markets. Forrester Research website: forrester.com The post AI Will Not Kill Marketing appeared first on Marketing and Innovation.

In this part two segment of the Lunchtime Series, Kevin Britz and Craig Page-Lee dive deep into the essential cross-generational marketing strategy tips marketers must adopt to effectively engage with a multigenerational workforce. They discuss how to move beyond basic channel awareness to implementing strategies focused on personalization, authenticity, and data-driven intentionality. Learn the seven core tips for success, the importance of the CMO/CIO partnership, and why "mobile-first" is no longer optional.Remember to like and share and help us grow our channel!-----Timestamps00:04:15: Introduction: Welcome to the Marketing, Leadership & Coaching segment00:05:08: Framing the Discussion: Do marketers truly understand how to adapt messages across multiple channels for different generations?00:07:24: Quick Recap: Key communication channels for Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha00:08:41: Tip 1: Adopt an Omni-Channel Approach (Effective campaigns integrate across all channels for higher engagement)00:11:21: Tip 2: Personalize Based on Generational Values (Adapting the core message to resonate with different audiences)00:12:33: Tip 3: Test and Optimize Continuously (Monitoring engagement metrics and adjusting based on real performance data)00:14:00: Tip 4: Authenticity Matters Across All Generations (Trust is the underlying currency)00:16:20: Tip 5: Mobile First is Universal (All content must be mobile-optimized, as mobile website usage has overtaken desktop)00:18:48: Tip 6: Purpose-Driven Messaging Resonates Broadly (It is a strategic growth asset across all generations)00:21:26: Tip 7: Combine Broad Guidelines with Individual Behavior Data (Generational insights are guidelines, not absolute rules)00:23:56: The Strategic Importance of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Partnership00:26:38: Final Summary: Embracing the multigenerational marketplace strategicallyHost: Kevin Britzhttps://www.leadershipbydesign.co/Guest: Craig Page-Lee

Technology and marketing leaders need each other, and companies need strong technology-marketing partnerships. On this week's What It Means, VP, Senior Research Director Matt Guarini and VP, Principal Analyst Thomas Husson explain why the CIO-CMO relationship matters more than ever and the key benefits of effective CMO-CIO collaboration.

In this week's episode of Analytics Neat we discuss a T-Mobile data breach and online shopping preferences on the Undercard. For the Main Event, we look at a survey from the CMO Council that digs into the value generated by a positive relationship between Marketing and IT. All this and more in this week's episode of Analytics Neat. Thanks for listening! iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/analytics-neat/id1350608276?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DIz7pDt5IYA2VJ86LbaK3 Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Iaeur7hjizv7s654nbcsfgtxsmq?t=Analytics_Neat Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3f77907d-81b7-46ff-a9cd-12c3c539a2ad/Analytics-Neat Continue the conversation on Twitter with #AnalyticsNeat https://twitter.com/BillBruno https://twitter.com/AnalyticsNeat Visit BillBruno.com

Barbara den Bak de CMO/CIO van TrainMore/Urban Gym Group en founder van Highstudios is te gast bij HelloMasters.  Mensen zijn sportschool-lid alsof het een cult is. Denk aan soulcycle of crossfit. De droom van iedere marketer! Hoe bouw je zo'n engaged community? Barbara vertelt al haar geheimen.   In deze HelloMasters podcast vertelt Barbara over: haar marketing team en waarom ze vooral met jonge mensen werkt hoe Barbara cutting edge gym concepten ontwikkelt  activatie ideeën voor marketing teams met weinig budget agile marketing tijdens Covid19 lockdowns   Benieuwd wat een verhalende podcast doet voor je merk? Vraag het rapport aan via thalia@hellomaas.com

CMO-CIO collaboration is critical to delivering the rich digital experiences that customers have come to expect. Forrester VP and Research Director Keith Johnston explains why good CMO-CIO partnerships are still rare and what it will take to change that.

CMO-CIO collaboration is critical to delivering the rich digital experiences that customers have come to expect. Forrester VP and Research Director Keith Johnston explains why good CMO-CIO partnerships are still rare and what it will take to change that.

Rob Simms joins CafeSoCo to discuss the world of the Chief Marketing Officer and how they use technology. We also discusss how he marketed / communicated camsworld.com - The Cloud. Analytics. Mobile. Security and Social event. CafeSoCo Ep. 402 Thanks to Martin Charlton Communications #CIO #CAMSSWorld #CMO #technology #conference

In this week’s episode of SMACtalk, hosts Brian Fanzo and Daniel Newman had the opportunity to speak with Pegasystems CMO, Tom Libretto. Joining Pega just under a year ago, Tom is a seasoned marketing executive with a strong track record in driving results for the enterprise market. Tom has a strong background in driving fast moving marketing teams within the agile workplace to help tie together sales and marketing teams to meet the objectives of rapidly growing enterprises.    A topic near and dear to our heart, not only did we talk about the shifting CMO, but really the entire shift within the C-Suite to accommodate new roles like the Chief Digital Officer and the Chief Customer Officer as well as the challenge of a large number of CEOs that are still not prioritizing digital transformation.   During this episode, Tom provided insights on the following questions and a few bonus questions that you will have to tune into to learn more about:     Nowadays, there are many buzzwords to describe the shifting workplace, but this has happened because the rate of change has become so fast. Explain: What is an “Agile Enterprise,” and why must companies become one?     CMOs, more and more are taking the reins of digital transformation inside the enterprise. Do you as a CMO agree with this? What happens to the CMO/CIO partnership?     Yet, still nearly half of CEOs do not see Digital Transformation as a board level concern. How can this impact digital transformation inside of a company from hiring to customer experience?     Let’s talk B2B and Enterprise versus B2C. Is there still a line? As a CMO how different is the role of an enterprise CMO from the CMO of a consumer brand?     CMO Tenure has continued to shorten, what do you attribute that to and how do we reverse that trend?     Do you believe that the CDO role will continue to grow and how does that align with the CMO in the age of Digital Transformation? Throughout this episode of SMACtalk, Tom takes on the challenging questions that many of us are wondering about the role of the CMO in today’s enterprise as well as how that may change into the near future as Digital Transformation continues to shape industries.  With just one week until #Pegaworld in Las Vegas, this is a great time to learn more about Pega and the future of the CMO. Still interested? Tune in, check it out and enjoy the episode! Disclaimer: This episode was sponsored in part by Pegasystems. To learn more about Pega, visit them at www.Pega.Com

Guest: Judith Toland Title: Chief Marketing Officer, Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance With easily available Cloud and off-the-shelf marketing tools and technology, does CMO even need a CIO’s help? Is there value in exploring a loosely coupled CMO-CIO relationship with a healthy balance of independence and inter-dependence?   Discover More About: 1) Related CXO Podcasts 2) Podcast - Does The CMO Really Need A CIO?