What does a marketing team look like when AI is embedded in every part of their workflow, from research and briefing to creative, measurement, and sales enablement? 

In this episode, host Ben Walker is joined by Scott Allen, General Manager of Global Marketing, Privacy and Agency Management at Microsoft, to explore what it really means to build an AI‑native marketing team without losing the human premium.

Drawing on insights from CIM’s new AI report, Scott explains why AI won’t simply “take all the jobs”, but it will change them. He shares how Microsoft has adopted AI internally, what that has meant for teams, and how leaders can redesign roles, apprenticeships, and talent pipelines so humans and AI work together, not in competition.

If you’re a marketing leader, or an ambitious early‑career marketer wondering how to stay relevant in an AI‑driven world, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

· How to balance automation and human judgement so you protect the human premium 

· What Scott learned leading AI adoption at Microsoft, and how smaller organisations can apply the same principles

· A simple approach to getting started: where to pilot AI, what to measure, and when to scale (or stop)

Listen now to rethink what a marketing team is and how you can lead your organisation towards a confident, AI‑native future. 

Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 

Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

What does a marketing team look like when AI is embedded in every part of their workflow, from research and briefing to creative, measurement, and sales enablement? 

In this episode, host Ben Walker is joined by Scott Allen, General Manager of Global Marketing, Privacy and Agency Management at Microsoft, to explore what it really means to build an AI‑native marketing team without losing the human premium.

If you’re a marketing leader, or an ambitious early‑career marketer wondering how to stay relevant in an AI‑driven world, this episode is for you.

Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

Why are 40% of marketers not expecting ROI from AI until 2030, and what does that reveal about the AI strategy gap in marketing?

In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Jemma Conner, Associate Director at YouGov, Jamie Credland, CEO of World Media Group, and James Delves, Head of PR and External Affairs at CIM to unpack new CIM research on AI in marketing. 

Together, they explore why larger organisations are racing ahead with AI, why SMEs are struggling to see returns, and why Gen Z is actually the most sceptical generation when it comes to AI-generated content.

The panel examine the trust penalty of poor AI use, the risks of over-automation and job cuts, and what an AI‑fluent, future-ready marketing team should look like over the next 18 months. You’ll also hear why AI is supercharging back-office efficiency but creating real anxiety in front-office, customer-facing work. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to balance innovation with risk, from governance frameworks to choosing the right tools (not just the biggest LLMs)
• Why the public wants much tighter regulation of AI-driven advertising, and what that means for marketers
• How to use AI to enhance human creativity, not replace it, and build a team that works more like a high-performing newsroom than a content factory

If you’re a marketing leader, strategist, or practitioner trying to use AI without losing creativity, trust, or differentiation, this episode gives you research-backed insight and practical direction on what to do next.

CIM members will get exclusive early access to the full AI report at the end of the month. 

Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 

Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

Why are 40% of marketers not expecting ROI from AI until 2030, and what does that reveal about the AI strategy gap in marketing?

In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Jemma Conner, Associate Director at YouGov, Jamie Credland, CEO of World Media Group, and James Delves, Head of PR and External Affairs at CIM to unpack new CIM research on AI in marketing. 

Together, they explore why larger organisations are racing ahead with AI, why SMEs are struggling to see returns, and why Gen Z is actually the most sceptical generation when it comes to AI-generated content.

Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

How can marketing leaders drive real social change, not just publish another glossy purpose statement?

In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Caroline Taylor OBE, former IBM CMO, and now Chair of Oasis Community Learning, and Jack Lowman, Chief Social Change Officer at disability charity Sense, Founder of Hack Yourself and CIM Course Director. 

Together, they unpack how marketers can move beyond “purpose washing” and use marketing skills to deliver genuine social impact, whether you’re in a big corporate, an agency, or the nonprofit sector.

Caroline shares her journey from global tech marketing at IBM to leading a multi-academy trust, and why enlightened self-interest is the most sustainable way for brands to contribute to society. 

Jack explains what it really means to run a social change team, why delivering “the plan” isn’t the same as delivering change, and how data, storytelling, and theory of change come together to shift systems, not just sell products.

In this episode, you will learn:

· How to find the sweet spot where commercial goals and social impact reinforce each other

· Why storytelling and data is the most powerful combination for shifting beliefs and behaviour

· What will distinguish the next generation of marketing and social change leaders

If you’re a marketer wondering how to make your work more meaningful, without losing sight of commercial reality, this episode is for you.

Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 

Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

How can marketing leaders drive real social change, not just publish another glossy purpose statement?

In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Caroline Taylor OBE, Chair of Oasis Community Learning, and Jack Lowman, Chief Social Change Officer at Sense.

Together, they unpack how marketers can move beyond “purpose washing” and use marketing skills to deliver genuine social impact, whether you’re in a big corporate, an agency, or the nonprofit sector.

Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

Is human authenticity still a competitive advantage in an AI-driven, metric-obsessed marketing world? 

In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by award-winning marketing leader and author Visha Kudhail (ex-Google, YouTube, Pinterest, Square UK) to unpack what authentic marketing really looks like in practice. Together, they go far beyond buzzwords, TikTok trends, and vanity metrics.

Drawing on insights from her new book, “Authentic Marketing”, Visha explores how brands can use AI without outsourcing their soul, and why audience-first, intent-driven strategies are the real differentiator in a sea of sameness. She also shares powerful lessons from big tech leadership, building marketing functions from scratch, and a decade of championing women in leadership positions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What authenticity actually means in marketing, and why most brands get it wrong
• How to align values, leadership, product, and marketing so your brand truly matches its beliefs
• How to build and lead high-performing marketing teams in complex, global organisations

If you’re a marketer, comms leader, or aspiring CMO wondering how to stay relevant in the AI era, this episode is for you.

Check out Visha’s book Authentic Marketing here: https://www.vishakudhail.com/authentic-marketing

Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 

Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

Is human authenticity still a competitive advantage in an AI-driven, metric-obsessed marketing world? 

In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by award-winning marketing leader and author Visha Kudhail to unpack what authentic marketing really looks like in practice. Together, they go far beyond buzzwords, TikTok trends, and vanity metrics.

If you’re a marketer, comms leader, or aspiring CMO wondering how to stay relevant in the AI era, this episode is for you.

Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

In episode 120 of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by the legendary Professor Hermawan Kartajaya, father of Asian marketing and co-author of the Marketing 3.0 - 7.0 series, and CIM’s chief executive, Chris Daly, to explore how marketing and leadership need to evolve in the age of AI. 

Together, they unpack what Marketing 7.0 really means in practice: shifting from influencing customer behaviour to leading customer cognition, balancing human creativity with machine intelligence, and ensuring marketing remains an engine for growth, as well as the moral compass of the organisation.

Across the conversation, they discuss how AI is reshaping customer decision-making, why differentiation is at risk in an AI-first world, and how leaders can build trust, avoid burnout, and create safe “sandboxes” for experimentation, all whilst keeping marketing’s human soul at the centre.

Listen in to the full episode to discover:

• Why modern marketing leadership must move beyond nudging behaviour and begin “leading the customer’s mind” and how understanding the attention, social, and reward “brains” is key to driving decisions in an AI-shaped world.
• How to treat AI as a coworker that handles the heavy lifting while humans focus on creativity, differentiation, empathy, and trust, avoiding the twin pitfalls of ignoring tech or over-relying on it.
• A glimpse of what comes next: using technology responsibly to drive impact across the 5Ps – People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace, and Partnership—positioning marketing as both top-line growth engine and force for societal good.

Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 
 

Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at [email protected]

A new season of the CIM Marketing Podcast is coming soon!

In episode 120 of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by the legendary Professor Hermawan Kartajaya, father of Asian marketing and co-author of the Marketing 3.0 - 7.0 series, and CIM’s chief executive, Chris Daly, to explore how marketing and leadership need to evolve in the age of AI. 

Together, they unpack what Marketing 7.0 really means in practice: shifting from influencing customer behaviour to leading customer cognition, balancing human creativity with machine intelligence, and ensuring marketing remains an engine for growth, as well as the moral compass of the organisation.

Across the conversation, they discuss how AI is reshaping customer decision-making, why differentiation is at risk in an AI-first world, and how leaders can build trust, avoid burnout, and create safe “sandboxes” for experimentation, all whist keeping marketing’s human soul at the centre.

Listen in to the full episode, released Thursday 4th June to discover:

• Why modern marketing leadership must move beyond nudging behaviour and begin “leading the customer’s mind” and how understanding the attention, social, and reward “brains” is key to driving decisions in an AI-shaped world.
• How to treat AI as a coworker that handles the heavy lifting while humans focus on creativity, differentiation, empathy, and trust, avoiding the twin pitfalls of ignoring tech or over-relying on it.
• A glimpse of what comes next: using technology responsibly to drive impact across the 5Ps – People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace, and Partnership—positioning marketing as both top-line growth engine and force for societal good.

Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.