AI is changing the marketing industry faster than any technology before it, but it's not replacing marketers. It's changing how they work.

In this episode of Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut, Heidi Malden, Head of Americas Marketing at Pigment, explains why AI should be viewed as a competitive advantage, how marketers can reinvest time and budget into higher-value work, and why brand awareness is becoming every marketer's responsibility.

This is Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut—giving you one practical insight you can put to work today. 

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

• Why marketers who embrace AI will outperform those who don't.
• How AI is helping marketing teams save time, reduce costs, and personalize at scale.
• Why brand awareness and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) are becoming essential marketing priorities.

Highlights:

(01:24) Why AI won't replace marketers—but marketers using AI will replace those who don't.

(03:44) Why brand awareness is now every marketer's responsibility and how GEO is changing search.

(05:08) How AI enables true one-to-one personalization without adding hours of manual work.

Resources Mentioned:

Heidi Malden's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidimalden/

Gayle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Gayle's Website: www.gaylekalvert.com

Visit the Marketing in Progress Website: https://www.creocollective.io/marketinginprogress-podcast

Explore every episode, discover practical marketing insights, and access resources designed to help B2B marketers drive real business impact.

Marketing and sales can't succeed in silos.

Jenn Parrino and Candice Wright share how consistent sales alignment transformed marketing from a guessing game into a strategic partnership, leading to better insights, stronger content, and more meaningful pipeline conversations.

This is Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut. A quick, hyper-focused insight you can put to work today. 

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

• Why marketing metrics don't resonate unless they're aligned with sales goals.
• How to build stronger relationships between marketing and sales at every level.
• How real customer conversations can fuel better content, campaigns, and pipeline opportunities.

Highlights:

(00:30) Why marketing cannot be successful in a vacuum

(01:11) Aligning marketing goals with sales goals to create buy-in

(02:15) Turning sales conversations into actionable marketing insights

Resources Mentioned:

Jenn Parrino's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennparrino/

Candice Wright's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candice-m-wright/

Gayle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Gayle's website: www.gaylekalvert.com

Visit the Marketing in Progress Website: https://www.creocollective.io/marketinginprogress-podcast

Explore every episode, discover practical marketing insights, and access resources designed to help B2B marketers drive real business impact.

If five people in your company give five different answers to the question, "What does the company do?" you don't have a marketing problem—you have a messaging problem.

Kate Hamilton, narrative-driven strategic marketer, shares a simple internal test that can quickly reveal whether your company is aligned around its value proposition and story.

This is Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut. A quick, hyper-focused insight you can put to work today.

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

• How to identify early signs that your messaging is breaking down.

• Why asking five employees the same question can reveal alignment issues.

• How leadership teams can use a simple messaging audit before investing in a larger brand initiative.

Highlights:

(00:36) The five-person messaging test

(02:23) How to quickly assess whether your company needs messaging work

(03:15) Using messaging alignment to gain leadership buy-in

Resources Mentioned:

Kate’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemhamilton/

Gayle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Gayle’s website: www.gaylekalvert.com

Visit the Marketing in Progress Website: https://www.creocollective.io/marketinginprogress-podcast

Explore every episode, discover practical marketing insights, and access resources designed to help B2B marketers drive real business impact.

Marketing teams don't fail because they launch the wrong campaign, they fail because they keep the wrong campaign alive.

In this episode of Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut, Gayle Kalvert sits down with Cari Jaquet, a full-stack B2B marketing leader with over 20 years of experience building category-defining cybersecurity and data companies. Cari shares why marketers need to let go of ego, stop saying "no" to sales, and build a culture where teams are constantly asking what to start, stop, and continue.

This is Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut—a quick, hyper-focused insight you can put to work today.

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

• Why saying "no" to sales can create unnecessary friction—and what to say instead.
• How to recognize when it's time to let go of a marketing campaign that isn't working.
• Why the "start, stop, continue" mindset helps teams improve faster and build better marketing habits.

Highlights:

(00:48) Why marketers need to stop saying "no" to sales and start solving business problems together.

(01:33) Put your ego aside, know when to walk away from campaigns that aren't resonating.

(02:51) How the "start, stop, continue" mindset creates a culture of continuous improvement.

Resources Mentioned:

Cari Jaquet's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carijaquet/

Gayle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Gayle's website: www.gaylekalvert.com

Visit the Marketing in Progress Website: https://www.creocollective.io/marketinginprogress-podcast

Explore every episode, discover practical marketing insights, and access resources designed to help B2B marketers drive real business impact.

Most companies are creating content that AI can generate in seconds. Market leaders are creating content that AI can't.

David Newman, CSP, Certified Speaking Professional, keynote speaker, and author of Market Eminence, shares the three content pillars that help leaders stand out, build authority, and capture attention in an increasingly crowded market.

This is Marketing in Progress: The shortcut giving you a quick, hyper-focused insight you can put to work today. 

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

• Why "how-to" content is becoming a commodity in the age of AI.

• How teaching people how to think creates stronger market authority.

• Why belief-shifting content helps differentiate your brand and challenge industry assumptions.

• How to prepare your audience for future opportunities, risks, and industry disruption.

Highlights:

(00:00) Market eminence means no middle ground

(00:49) Why the era of "how-to" content is over

(03:59) Turning future trends into competitive advantage

Resources Mentioned:

David's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjnewman/

Gayle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Gayle's Website: www.gaylekalvert.com

Get David's book, Market Eminence, and learn how to become the most recognized and trusted expert in your field. 

Visit the Marketing in Progress Website: https://www.creocollective.io/marketinginprogress-podcast

Explore every episode, discover practical marketing insights, and access resources designed to help B2B marketers drive real business impact.

Your event budget isn't the problem. How you spend it might be.

In this episode of Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut, Stephanie Worthington, Head of Events and Field Marketing at Upstart, shares practical ways marketing leaders can improve event ROI without asking for a bigger budget. From re-evaluating low-performing events to prioritizing pre-scheduled meetings and measuring what actually matters, these are tactics every event marketer can put into practice.

This is Marketing in Progress: The Shortcut. A quick, hyper-focused insight you can put to work today.

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

• How to identify events that aren't delivering enough ROI.
• Why pre-booking meetings is one of the most effective ways to maximize event success.
• The event metrics every marketing leader should track to make smarter investment decisions.

Highlights:

(00:28) Cut back on low-ROI events instead of automatically increasing your budget.

(00:57) Why scheduling meetings before the event is critical to event success.

(02:05) Track the right metrics to justify future event investments and improve ROI.

Resources Mentioned:

Stephanie Worthington's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieworthington/

Gayle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Gayle's website: www.gaylekalvert.com

Visit the Marketing in Progress Website: https://www.creocollective.io/marketinginprogress-podcast

Explore every episode, discover practical marketing insights, and access resources designed to help B2B marketers drive real business impact.

When partner marketing works, it scales your brand faster than any single campaign could.

Lucy Greenaway, Global Channel Marketing Director at XM Cyber and CRN Women and Diversity in Channel Awards finalist, shares the three non-negotiable tactics every partner marketer needs in their playbook.

This is Marketing in Progress: The shortcut giving you a quick, hyper-focused insight you can put to work today. 

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

•  Why a joint value proposition is the foundation of every successful partner campaign.

•  How to create always-on enablement content that partners actually use.

•  Why nailing follow-up before committing to an activity is the biggest ROI lever.

Highlights:

(00:00) The three things that work in partner marketing

(01:30) Always-on enablement vs. the 500-page newsletter

(02:45) Follow-up as the overlooked step

(03:15) Consistency beats flash every time

Resources:

Lucy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-greenaway-963253126/

Gayle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Gayle’s website: www.gaylekalvert.com

Visit the Marketing in Progress Website: https://www.creocollective.io/marketinginprogress-podcast

Explore every episode, discover practical marketing insights, and access resources designed to help B2B marketers drive real business impact.

Marketing leaders are expected to deliver growth, align with sales, lead high-performing teams, and adapt to constant change. But where do you start?

In this episode of Marketing in Progress, Gayle Kalvert sits down with Michelle Randall, CMO at Onspring, to discuss the leadership habits, customer-first mindset, and practical strategies that have shaped her career—and why the best marketing leaders spend more time listening, and asking questions, than talking.

In This Episode You'll Learn: 

• Why every new CMO should interview 30 customers in their first 30 days
• How to build stronger alignment between marketing and sales
• The difference between managing people and leading them
• Leadership practices that help teams grow and perform
• How to use AI thoughtfully without losing the human touch

Highlights:

• 00:00 The legacy Michelle hopes to leave through mentorship
• 01:59 The "30 Customers in 30 Days" CMO playbook
• 05:55 Demand generation and sales alignment
• 11:37 Leadership lessons for building stronger teams
• 16:57 Mentorship, AI, and the future of marketing leadership

Resources Mentioned:

• Michelle Randall on LinkedIn
• Onspring
• She Leads Tech
• Marketing in Progress Community

🎧 Enjoyed the conversation? Follow Marketing in Progress on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for more practical conversations with today's marketing leaders. Join the discussion and stay connected by following us on LinkedIn, and share this episode with someone who'd benefit from it.

The CMO hiring process has changed. 

Boards and CEOs aren’t just looking for marketing operators anymore; they want leaders who can drive transformation and business growth.

Kate Bullis, Global Marketing Practice Leader and Managing Director at ZRG Partners, shares what boards, CEOs, and recruiters are looking for in modern marketing leaders — and why many highly experienced candidates still struggle to stand out.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How CMO expectations have changed in recent years
• What CEOs mean when they say they want “innovation.”
• Why personal brand matters more than most executives realize

Highlights:
(00:00) Meet Kate Bullis, executive recruiter for CMOs 
(02:55) What recruiters and CEOs actually look for when hiring a CMO 
(06:41) Do you need AI experience to land a CMO role? 
(12:48)How to identify your leadership superpower as a marketer 
(19:03) How executive recruiters source and evaluate CMO candidates 
(23:17) The personal brand exercise every aspiring CMO should do

Resources:
Kate's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katebullis/
Gayle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

Your events aren’t failing. They’re just being evaluated the wrong way.

Stephanie Worthington, Head of Events and Field Marketing at Upstart, has spent 30+ years turning trade shows into revenue drivers, not money pits. She breaks down the framework that actually makes an event program work – from how to decide which shows are worth the spend to why traditional ROI metrics miss the real impact. 

If your events look “fine” on paper but still feel hard to justify, this is the conversation you’ve been missing.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to tell if an event is actually worth your budget before you commit
• Why event leads stall after the show (and what to do about it)
• What actually improves event ROI beyond cutting spend or chasing more leads

Highlights: 
(00:00) Meet Stephanie Worthington 
(01:58) The three-lens framework for prioritizing events 
(07:41) Where event teams waste the most money 
(10:57) Why event ROI is so hard to prove 
(15:14) Making events part of a full-funnel strategy 
(20:28) Improving ROI without increasing budget 
(22:43) How Stephanie is using AI in her event workflow

Resources:
Stephanie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieworthington/
Club ITCHI: https://www.clubitchi.com/
Gayle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/