CMO Weekly

In this episode of CMO Weekly, host Haley Clover sits down with Jake Bullock, Co-Founder and CEO of Cann, the pioneering company behind the world’s leading THC-infused social tonic.

Jake dives deep into how Cann is built to offer the "social lift of a drink" without conventional alcohol, positioning the brand squarely at the intersection of cannabis curiosity and sober curiosity.

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

From Wall Street to Cannabis: Jake shares his career journey, from a traditional business background in banking, consulting, and private equity at Bain Capital, to realizing his passion was building a "cool" global consumer brand from the ground up.

The Power of Micro-Dosing: Discover Cann's core insight: why existing high-dose edibles (like gummy candies) were an inaccessible and intense experience for casual users. Jake explains how the brand's unique low-dose control and natural, bold flavor profiles were designed to create a social buzz where consumers feel great and can confidently moderate their intake, much like they would with alcohol.

Competing with Alcohol: Learn about the brand’s mission to "change the way people socialize" by offering a healthier alternative to alcohol. Cann's customers report high rates of alcohol consumption before finding the product, proving its effectiveness as a true substitution in social settings.

Marketing in a Regulated Industry: Jake discusses the challenges of driving creativity while navigating advertising restrictions and regulations.

The Surprise of Authentic Storytelling: Hear about the brand campaign that exceeded all expectations: collecting "Cann Stories"—personal testimonials from customers. Jake shares emotional stories, including a mother who felt she was a "better parent" and an elderly couple in South Dakota who became loyal fans.

The Future of Cann: The discussion covers the brand's vision to have a transformative impact on consumers' lives and the entrepreneurial lesson of not being "held back by the idea".

Join us on CMO Weekly as host Haley Clover sits down with Ethan Braden, Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Texas A&M University. Ethan leads the brand narrative and creative strategy for one of the largest and most storied public universities in the U.S., on a mission to bring the Texas A&M story to the nation and the world.

In this episode, Ethan shares his incredible career journey and a masterclass in modern brand building:

Key Takeaways & Discussion Points:

From Corporate to Campus: Ethan discusses his career evolution, starting with a decade at Eli Lilly and Company before following his mentor to Purdue University, where he became CMO and transformed their marketing efforts into a recognized "juggernaut" in higher education.

The Power of the Texas A&M Brand: He dives into the unique challenges and opportunities of marketing an institution steeped in 150 years of tradition, including the power of the Aggie Ring and the electric experience of a packed Kyle Field. Ethan emphasizes the need to take their story beyond the state to a national and global audience.

The New Rules of University Marketing: Learn how Ethan's team at Texas A&M is driving impact with a commitment to excellent video storytelling and leveraging the "ABCs of YouTube" to generate millions of views, fundamentally changing the university's content strategy.

The Great Marketer vs. The Expert: Ethan shares the invaluable advice that shaped his career: the importance of becoming a "great marketer" with foundational, transferable skills rather than focusing too narrowly on being a "subject matter expert." He stresses that strong marketing principles will translate across any industry—from pharma to higher education.

Building a World-Class Team: Hear about the strategic priorities he set for his marketing division, including establishing a comprehensive, insight-based brand platform and cultivating a united "marketing community" to ensure a harmonious brand voice across the massive university system.

This is a must-listen for marketing professionals, higher education leaders, and anyone interested in the strategy behind elevating a global brand.

Step inside the mind of a marketing visionary! In this episode of CMO Weekly, host Haley Clover sits down with Fanny Quehe, the Chief Marketing Officer at Petite Plume Luxury Sleepwear, to uncover the bold moves behind the brand's transformation from a beloved children's sleepwear label into a full-fledged lifestyle powerhouse.

Fanny, who brings rich experience from high-fashion and beauty at Chanel, details her journey and the strategic approach she used to spearhead Petite Plume's expansion into new markets and categories.

In this episode, you will learn:

From High Fashion to Home Comfort: Fanny shares her career path, including her leadership roles at Chanel in retail innovation, and how she found her dream CMO role at Petite Plume. She redefines "retail innovation" as simply "marketing for the physical space".

The Power of Memory Making: Discover the emotional core of the Petite Plume brand, which is built on "the notion of home and comfort" and creating "memories and special moments". Fanny explains how they strategically target the "memory maker" customer.

Creating a "World of Petite Plume": Hear how Fanny led the brand’s successful diversification beyond sleepwear into the Home, Hospitality, and even Pet categories, including collaborations to build a cohesive "World of Petite Plume".

The Hybrid Marketing Playbook: Fanny breaks down her winning marketing strategy, which blends high-level brand building with rigorous performance marketing. Learn why she considers customer retention their "Super Bowl," with a heavy focus on owned media channels like email and SMS.

Leadership and Connecting the Dots: Get Fanny's insights on leadership, including her collaborative style of "managing from the back". She offers inspiring career advice by referencing Steve Jobs' famous Stanford commencement speech on the importance of "connecting the dots".

Whether you're a marketing executive, an aspiring CMO, or an entrepreneur looking to turn a product into a legacy brand, Fanny Quehe’s strategic insights are essential listening.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more CMO Weekly!

Join host Haley Clover on CMO Weekly as she sits down with Matt Kerbel, Global Head of Brand Strategy at Turo, the peer-to-peer car sharing platform that is redefining mobility. Matt details his efforts to build a brand that lives beyond the transaction, driving culture, creator partnerships, and community-first growth in a traditionally functional category.

The Story Behind the Disruption

Matt shares his journey from a childhood fascination with psychology and sociology to a professional career dedicated to understanding people and using creativity to solve problems. His diverse background laid the foundation for his strategic approach:

Early Career: He started on the agency side before moving to client-side roles at General Mills (CPG) and Activision on the Call of Duty gaming franchise.

Challenger Brands: He led Southern California marketing for Lyft during the "early battle days with Uber" and later helped mature the MeUndies brand into a purpose-driven, inclusive community based on self-expression and self-confidence.

Joining Turo: Matt saw Turo as an opportunity for "necessary disruption" to the "less than remarkable, traditional car rental experiences". He came in to build the Brand Strategy function from scratch, aiming to apply rigor to track brand health and incorporate "deeply held human truths and insights" into the creative strategy.

Building a Household Name and Defining Success

Turo has scaled rapidly, growing from $150 million to "just shy of a billion" in net revenue. Matt discusses the strategic focus required to take Turo from a niche market player to a household name, especially given that its aided awareness in the US is still under 50%.

The Power of Humanity: A key differentiator for Turo is the humanity of the experience, with hosts building a living—from a single car to small fleets—and providing a higher level of personal care than traditional rental counters.

KPIs and Marketing Philosophy: The team focuses on the continuum of demand creation and demand capture—not Brand versus Performance. They track essential perception-based metrics like trust, safety, reliability, and value.

Cultural Marketing: Matt shares innovative examples of how they drive brand awareness, including the viral, culturally relevant Zamboni (Ice Resurfacer) rental stunt in Canada and the hyper-local Philadelphia blitz campaign, which connected real-world buzz (collaborations with Tyrese Maxey and local bands) to algorithmic conversion data.

This episode is a masterclass in brand building, challenger strategy, and how to scale a two-sided marketplace by prioritizing community and emotional connection over pure function.

That sounds like a great episode! Since I don't have the direct transcript or episode notes for "CMO Weekly" with Federico Saini, CCO of Vibra Gaming, I can't provide the exact details.

However, based on his role, his company's focus, and the general topics associated with him, I can create a detailed, highly-probable description that you can use as a template and customize with specific quotes and segment names.

🎙️ Detailed YouTube Episode Description Template

CMO Weekly: How Vibra Gaming Conquered LatAm's iGaming Frontier with Federico Saini

Join us on CMO Weekly as we sit down with Federico Saini, Chief Commercial Officer of Vibra Gaming—a leading game and platform developer specializing in the fast-growing Latin American iGaming and regulated lottery markets.

In this deep-dive interview, Federico pulls back the curtain on the commercial strategies that have established Vibra Gaming as a technological pillar in the region. He shares invaluable insights into navigating regulatory complexity, prioritizing customer-centric solutions, and the importance of localized content in a diverse market.

🚀 Key Takeaways & Discussion Points:

The Power of Localized Content: Why standard global content fails in the Latin American market, and how Vibra Gaming develops games and solutions that resonate deeply with local culture, themes, and player preferences.

The LatAm Opportunity: A CCO's perspective on the unique challenges and massive growth potential within regulated markets like Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. Federico discusses what operators need to succeed in this dynamic landscape.

Customer-Centric Commercial Strategy: How Vibra Gaming transforms its strong internal cohesion and integrated executive leadership (Werter Luna - CEO, Marcelo Blanco - CTO) into superior, agile deliveries for their operator partners.

Navigating Regulation: The critical importance of compliance and auditability in iGaming, and how Vibra Solutions' platform architecture is designed to meet complex governmental and jurisdictional requirements.

Strategic Partnerships: Federico discusses key collaborations (like their work with Booming Games) and the role of distribution networks in amplifying market presence and fueling mutual business growth across the continent.

Vibra Solutions: The New Vertical: Insights into their versatile platform offering, designed to be a flexible, customizable, and reliable tech ally for both online and retail betting operators.

Whether you're in marketing, iGaming, or simply interested in how companies master specific regional markets, this episode offers a masterclass in strategic commercial leadership.

👉 Don't forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more insights from top Commercial and Marketing leaders!

Join host Haley Glover as she sits down with Oliver Pohl Sanchez, Commercial Director and investor at Stadiobet, a fast-growing social sportsbook and casino in Mexico. Oliver shares the journey of blending a lifelong passion for sports and gaming with his expertise in commercial strategy to create a community-first betting platform.

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

The Origins of Stadiobet: Oliver and his partner, Eric, identified a significant gap in the Mexican market for an interactive, community-focused online casino and sportsbook. They saw an opportunity to bring value to customers by offering a platform that addresses issues like slow payments and lack of engagement.

The Social Betting Concept: Learn how Stadiobet is revolutionizing the betting experience by integrating social media features (like sharing content, giving likes, and following influencers/tipsters) directly into the sports betting app. The goal is to create a unified platform—a "social sportsbook"—where users can bet and interact around sports content without the "noise" of general social media.

From Fan to Operator: Oliver discusses the surprising complexity of the gaming business, contrasting the customer's mindset ("the house always wins") with the reality of running an operation. He even shares how his business perspective has changed his view on rooting for his favorite team, Real Madrid.

Driving User Growth & Marketing Strategy:

The Importance of Data: Oliver emphasizes a focus on marketing channels with clear, measurable data, prioritizing organic growth through affiliates, content creators, and influencers over high-cost, non-measurable sponsorships like five-second TV ads.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI): Customer Acquisition Cost (CPA) is his main focus. Stadiobet aims for a CPA of $40-$50 USD for affiliates, significantly lower than the market average of $70-$120 USD for a first-time deposit in Mexico.

Building Trust and Loyalty: Stadiobet focuses on key factors for the Mexican market, including fast payments and strong loyalty programs. This includes giving 10-15% of lost money back to the player weekly to foster a sense of fairness.

Scaling and Innovation: Looking ahead, Stadiobet’s vision includes being the one-and-only platform for sports entertainment, focusing on new revenue streams (like localizing ads for brands) and embracing payment innovations like crypto. They also focus on providing key local payment options, like charging money through 7-Eleven stores in Mexico, which many competitors overlook.

Advice for Entrepreneurs: Oliver’s core advice is to "go for it," be open for change, be skeptical of everything, and "pivot fast"—testing concepts and adapting quickly, as a small, agile organization can do more effectively than large competitors.

Don't miss this insightful conversation on entrepreneurship, marketing metrics, and the future of social sports betting in Latin America!

Mazen Alawar, Head of Marketing at Cosm, joins CMO Weekly to peel back the curtain on immersive entertainment and the future of the live fan experience! Mazen is leading the charge on Cosm’s revolutionary Shared Reality venues, blending the physical and virtual worlds for live sports, concerts, and more. Hit play to learn the secrets of marketing a truly one-of-a-kind, cutting-edge brand.

In this episode, host Hayley Clover sits down with marketing veteran Mazen Alawar to discuss building a brand at the intersection of entertainment, media, and technology. Mazen dives deep into Cosm's mission to redefine how we experience content by immersing fans in massive LED dome-based venues.

Discover Mazen's playbook for marketing a novel, category-defining product. We explore:

The Power of Shared Reality: What is the technology behind Cosm’s immersive experience and how does it create a stadium-like atmosphere for fans?

Building a New Category: The unique challenges and strategies for launching and scaling a premium entertainment concept like Cosm in a new market.

From MySpace to the Grammys: How his strategic and creative expertise, honed at MySpace (a true digital pioneer!) and The Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs), informs his current brand-building at Cosm.

The Marketer’s Mindset: Mazen shares his bold moves and tough lessons from his career, giving you the breakthrough ideas needed to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.

🔔 Subscribe to CMO Weekly for more interviews with the world's top marketing leaders

In this insightful episode of CMO Weekly, host Hayley Clover sits down with Akshay Khanna, the Co-Founder and CEO of Jackpot.com, to explore the bold move of digitizing the $120 billion US lottery industry.

Akshay, a visionary leader with a strategic background spanning StubHub, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and private equity, discusses how his team is "reimagining how Americans experience one of their oldest pastimes—lottery—at the tap of a phone". He reveals the blueprint for building a high-growth, regulated e-commerce platform in a historically analog market where 99% of purchases are still made in-person, typically with cash.

Key Takeaways You'll Learn:

• The Digitization Challenge: How Jackpot.com is pioneering a lottery courier platform that allows users to purchase official lottery tickets directly from their mobile devices.

• Building Trust & Integrity: The critical importance of prioritizing security, trust, and regulatory integrity to establish a foundation for long-term growth in the gaming space.

• The CMO's Role in a Regulated Industry: Strategies for successful market entry and rapid expansion across multiple US states.

• Responsible Gaming as a Feature: Why responsible gaming safeguards (including default spending limits) are a core part of the product and business model.

• Marketing Partnerships: The power of bold brand partnerships, such as the collaboration with the New York Yankees, to acquire customers and build credibility.

Tune in for a masterclass on navigating complex regulatory landscapes, leveraging consumer tech experience in a legacy industry, and scaling a disruptive e-commerce business built on convenience and trust.

About CMO Weekly: "CMO Weekly," hosted by OpenFortune's Hayley Clover, explores the journeys of top Chief Marketing Officers, uncovering their strategies, challenges, and success stories.

This episode of CMO Weekly features an insightful interview with Vadym Sotskov, Country Manager for JugaBet, one of Latin America's rapidly rising betting brands. The discussion covers the aggressive, locally-focused strategy that has propelled JugaBet to a leading position in key markets like Chile and Peru.

Key Discussion Points

Vadym Sotskov's Background and JugaBet's Genesis:

Sotskov's main professional background is in data and analysis.

He has been with JugaBet since its launch 2.5 years ago, initiating the brand and even creating its name for the betting platform.

The core goal was to build a strong competitor to international brands by acting as a local brand.

They focused on a localized approach from the beginning, including building a large, local professional team within the regions (like Chile and Peru).

Rapid Market Success and Strategy:

JugaBet is growing rapidly and is already positioned as the second-biggest brand in Chile within just two years.

The two main factors for this quick success are:

Strong Local Expertise/Presence: Unlike many competitors based in Europe or elsewhere, JugaBet has a significant local presence and team that deeply understands the nuances of the market.

Massive Sponsorship Investment: They invested heavily in building a huge brand presence through sponsorships.

Sponsorship and Fan Engagement:

JugaBet sponsors the two biggest football teams in Chile, which together account for about 80% of the fan base.

The selection strategy was to sponsor the "best of the best".

They recognized that even the two top teams have different "vibes," "consumers," and connection styles to their fans, requiring a nuanced approach.

Engagement is more than just a logo on a jersey. Activations include on-site presence at matches, promotional stands, giveaways, meet-and-greets, and producing hundreds of events for customers.

Business Metrics and Trust:

The key focus shifts with growth. Initially, it was on acquisition (new sign-ups, first deposits).

Now that the customer base is large, the primary focus is on retention and engagement—keeping customers happy and increasing their lifetime value.

Customer trust is paramount. Referrals (current customers inviting others) are a key performance indicator (KPI) that validates their strategy and builds long-term loyalty.

Surprises and Future Plans:

A major insight was the significant difference between close Latin American countries (like Chile and Peru) despite a shared language (Spanish). Accents and dialects can be so different that people sometimes don't understand each other. This confirmed the necessity of their highly localized approach.

Two main future directions:

Continual Expansion: They recently launched in Mexico and now hold ten licenses there.

Product Improvement/Loyalty: A significant focus on loyalty features.

A new feature launching is a loyalty store where active players can earn points through missions and redeem them for real, physical prizes (tickets, autographed jerseys, gym subscriptions, coupons) to create a tangible connection between the online and offline world.

Welcome to CMO Weekly! Host Hayley Glover sits down with Adam Lamentowicz, Group Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of SuperBet, to uncover the strategies behind one of Europe's fastest-growing tech and entertainment companies.

Adam Lamentowicz, who serves as the Chief Commercial Officer for Central and Eastern Europe (CCO CEE) at SuperBet, dives deep into what it truly takes to build a successful, resilient, and sustainable business in the high-stakes, hyper-regulated global gaming industry.

This episode is a masterclass in market strategy and international growth, focusing on:

• The Framework for Sustainable Success: Adam shares the foundational blueprint for success, emphasizing that a long-term business must be built around a deep-seated purpose that the customer will appreciate.

• Leading International Expansion: Insights on how SuperBet successfully navigates and leads expansion across some of the world's most dynamic and regulated betting markets.

• Lessons for Operators: Valuable advice for early-stage or smaller operators who are looking for a framework to scale and eventually compete with industry leaders.

Adam is a 25-year veteran of the gaming and betting industry. Before taking on the international leadership role, he served as the CEO of SuperBet Poland, where he was instrumental in establishing the brand's strong market position. His company, SuperBet Group, is recognized globally, having been ranked as high as #11 in the prestigious EGR Power 50 list of the world's most powerful betting and gaming companies.

If you want to understand the bold moves, tough lessons, and breakthrough ideas that are shaping one of the largest forces in the European entertainment sector, this is the episode for you!