In our first EVER live-recorded episode of The CMO Office Podcast, I sat down with Toby Aldred, Managing Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, to explore one of marketing’s most persistent tensions — the balance between bold creative thinking and the demand for proof.

Recorded live on stage at SXSW Sydney, this conversation is a fast-moving, funny, and refreshingly honest take on what happens when creative ambition meets commercial reality. Toby, fresh from collecting eight Effie Awards, shares how data can sharpen great ideas but never replace them.

“Agencies were founded to build brands and grow them,” says Aldred. “We’ve built our own effectiveness practice so that even our boldest creative ideas are underlined by the impact they’ll have.”

From the CFO’s demand for hard numbers to the CMO’s instinct for emotional connection, this episode digs into how creativity and data can (and must) coexist. Toby argues that marketing’s true growth lever lies not in performance metrics alone, but in the human insight that turns spreadsheets into stories.

“If you make every decision based purely on what the data tells you, you’ll miss those imaginative leaps that create real impact,” he explains. “It’s about using data to guide and prove — not to decide everything.”

We also dive into the evolving role of AI in creative development during which Toby admits he’s “a ChatGPT guy,” using generative tools as “a brainstorming partner” rather than a replacement for human originality.

And when I ask him which marketing buzzword gives him “the ick”? His answer is instant: “Lean in.”

“In creativity, we don’t want to lean in — we want to stand out.”

💡 Key Takeaways

* Creativity needs evidence. Data and analytics should amplify, not stifle, creative ideas.

* Growth is the ultimate KPI. Marketing must prove itself as a business growth lever, not just a cost centre.

* Emotion still wins. Storytelling and human connection remain the most powerful differentiators.

* AI is a partner, not a pilot. Generative tools can accelerate ideation, but great ideas still come from people.

🎧 Watch or Listen Now

* YouTube

* Spotify

* Apple Podcasts

Are you a CMO with a story to tell? Would you like to boost your personal profile on our podcast? Then for goodness sake, get in touch with me at [email protected].

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.the-cmo-office.com

How do you make people fall in love with washing powder? Or convince them that fabric softener is essential in the middle of a pandemic?

In this episode of The CMO Office Podcast, I sit down with 2022’s Young Marketing Leader of The Year, Mariel Chavez - Regional Brand Director for AMA Home Care at Procter & Gamble to find out.

Mariel is the marketer behind Tide’s “Perfect Clean” repositioning in the Philippines, which delivered three consecutive years of growth, and Downy’s empathetic “Bye Bye Bahayrus” campaign during COVID, which turned household anxieties into brand loyalty.

What can CMOs learn from her playbook? Quite a lot, as it turns out:

* Reframing the consumer problem: Why growth came when Tide stopped talking about stains and started talking about confidence.

* Balancing brand and performance: The art and science of delivering today’s sales while laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s growth.

* Always-on measurement: How an “always learning” loop helps Mariel pivot mid-flight, not post-mortem.

* The power of social listening: Why even soap powder can spark conversations worth tuning into.

For CMOs navigating growth in volatile times, Mariel’s insights show that measurement and creativity aren’t opposites—they’re partners in crime. Watch or listen in all your favourite places including:

* YouTube

* Apple Podcasts

* Spotify

And get bite-sized insights from our Instagram & TikTok Channels.

Are you a CMO with a story to tell? Would you like to boost your personal profile on our podcast? Then for goodness sake, get in touch with me at [email protected].

Listen More…

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In Episode 5 of The CMO Office podcast, I sit down with Alex De Leon, Group VP of Marketing at PropertyGuru, and Quark Henares, award-winning filmmaker and director of Home Run Singapore, to talk about one of the boldest brand moves we've seen.

🧠 Why it matters: In a region dominated by performance marketing, Alex took the road less travelled — pausing nearly all performance activity and going all in on brand. What started as a casual idea over drinks turned into Home Run, a reality show that:

* Racked up 10 million organic views (latest figures!)

* Increased brand preference and NPS +6 points

* Increased emotional brand attributes +13%

* Helped generate new revenue from agents, developers, and even fashion partnerships

* Created earned media buzz — from Marketing Interactive to Grazia to Vogue — and inspired a cultural shift internally at PropertyGuru

🎬 Behind the scenes: Hear how Alex ran the pilot season in stealth mode, why there were no logos or hard-sell, and how casting real agents led to surprisingly emotional storytelling that resonated far beyond the brand.

💡 Key quote:"We didn’t want our logo to be as big as possible. We wanted to tell a great story — and if the brand showed up organically, great. But if not, that was okay too." — Alex De Leon

🚀 Now what? With Season 2 underway (and yes, eliminations are coming), the show is evolving into a full-scale marketing and revenue-generating engine — proving that creative risk-taking can drive real business outcomes.

🔗 Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.💌 Subscribe for your monthly dose of marketing leadership: the-cmo-office.com

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This month in The CMO Office, we're joined by Jiunn Shih, Global Chief Marketing, Innovation, and Sustainability Officer at Zespri International - one of the most beloved (and surprising) brands in the fruit bowl.

Jiunn brings a bold, brand-building vision to one of the world's healthiest commodities. But this episode isn't just about kiwi fruit - it's about how you take any product, even one that’s less than 1% of the global fruit market, and elevate it into a global habit.

💥 In this episode:

* Why Zespri reimagined kiwi fruit packaging to resemble a pill box and boosted sales by 25%

* The role of “sensory priming” and how marketers can activate desire through visuals

* The creation of the iconic Kiwi Brothers and the power of distinctive brand assets

* Drones, influencers, and live shopping - how Zespri scaled innovation from China to the world

* Jiunn’s take on brand vs. performance (hint: it’s all about the “and”)

* The marketing buzzwords he hates the most (you’ll want to bookmark this 🔖)

"I think we have one of the most fun jobs in the world, but as marketers, we also carry responsibility. We have the power to shape cultures, influence how people think, feel and believe…So let's take that responsibility seriously. Let's do marketing for good.”

Zespri isn’t just selling fruit. They're reshaping consumer behavior and Jiunn Shih is leading the charge.

👉 Don’t miss this episode if you’re ready to think differently about what a brand can be.

🎙 Listen here, on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts all you’ll find these episodes too:

🔗 Subscribe to the-cmo-office.com for your weekly dose of content on marketing, measurement, and optimization.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.the-cmo-office.com

They say good things comes in threes and it must be true because the third episode of The CMO Office podcast is a ripper (Australian slang for ‘very good indeed’ - Ed)!

Debra Soon is the Chief Marketing Officer for Singlife, which launched in 2017 as the first local insurer to be licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore since 1970.

Eight years later Singlife is one of the top six insurers in Singapore based on total assets of S$14.4b as of 31 December 2022. In 2023 Singlife merged with Aviva Singapore and just last year was acquired by Sumitomo Life in a deal worth S$4.6b.

All of this has left Debra flat out like a lizard drinking (Aussie slang for ‘really quite busy’ - Ed), but through it all she has amassed incredible knowledge and experience, which she shares with us in a conversation about the new CMO playbook for 2025 and beyond. Listen and learn…

* How to build credibility with the C-suite

* How to structure a modern marketing team

* How to set up and scale an in-house content studio

* How to run a brand campaign that evolves over years—not quarters

* How to make AI useful in real-world marketing

* How to use data without needing a data science degree

* How to bridge creative and technical skill sets

* How to mentor teams for independence and growth

* How to collaborate cross-functionally and reduce silos

* How to avoid burnout and build a sustainable team culture

* How to prepare for the CMO role of the future

This conversation is all killer no filler! If you’re wondering what it’s going to take for you to become a CMO in 2025 and beyond, this is it. Watch or listen wherever you are right now on:

* Apple Podcasts

* Spotify

* YouTube

And don’t forget you can get daily doses of marketing gold by following us on LinkedIn and TikTok too.

Thanks, Nikki.

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Is it really time for Episode #2 already? Yup and this time we tidied up the studio and broke out the fancy glassware because we had guests!

Anushka Yadav is the Chief Creative Officer of Chocolate Finance, the financial services firm that launched last July with a huge splash and gained 60,000 customers and almost S$1 billion in deposits within its first year.

Andy Greenaway is the ad industry legend who founded his own shop, The Tao of Advertising, not much earlier than his client Chocolate Finance and helped them launch with a massive multiplatform campaign featuring famous influencers and even homegrown Hollywood star Henry Golding.

In this candid conversation they tell me:

* How they convinced their CEO to spend big on the launch of Chocolate Finance

* How they used humour to make finance less frightening, more fun

* Why their digital campaign performed 20% higher than global benchmarks

* How they used OOH to achieve overnight credibility

* What to do when Facebook shuts down your account at the apex of your campaign

* Where they’re taking the brand next

As I always say, this isn’t just another marketing podcast - it’s a masterclass in thinking big and following through. If you want to claim your seat in the c-suite then watch or listen NOW!

* Apple Podcasts

* Spotify

* YouTube

And don’t forget you can get daily doses of marketing gold by following us on LinkedIn and TikTok too.

Thanks, Nikki.

Thanks for reading The CMO Office! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.the-cmo-office.com

For the first episode I'm warming up by grilling my boss, Paul Sinkinson, about his problem with last click attribution and what he would measure instead. I also try to get him to recreate his infamous "inflatable clown" dance from TikTok!

Along the way I get Paul to explain:

* The impact of creative on your ROI

* How brand messaging impacts performance

* The shocking truth behind how much influence marketers actually have on a business

* Why traditional channels like TV and billboards still matter

* How going "dark" on marketing can devastate your brand for years

He also volunteers his insights from twenty years of campaign number crunching on how to:

* Build more effective marketing campaigns

* Understand the real drivers of your sales

* Create a holistic approach to marketing measurement

* Prove your marketing's value to the C-suite

This isn't just another marketing podcast - it's a masterclass in understanding how to truly measure and maximise your marketing efforts. Whether you're a CMO, marketing manager, or aspiring marketing leader, this episode will transform how you think about marketing analytics.

Stop guessing. Start measuring. Listen now and claim your seat in the C-suite via:

* Apple Podcasts

* Spotify

* YouTube

Don't miss this opportunity to revolutionise your marketing approach. Your bottom line will thank you.

Nikki Taylor

Marketing & Communications Director APAC

Analytic Partners

www.analyticpartners.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.the-cmo-office.com

C'mon, it was inevitable we would launch a podcast and here it is, our imaginatively titled 'The CMO Office Podcast'! Good for us, but why would you listen (or watch - it's on YouTube as well!)?

Because each month I'm sitting down with a different marketing leader, or leaders, to extract from them the data and expertise that landed them a seat in the C-suite.

This isn't just another marketing podcast - it's a masterclass in understanding how to truly measure and maximise your marketing efforts. Whether you're a CMO, marketing manager, or aspiring marketing leader, each episode will transform how you think about marketing analytics.

Stop guessing. Start measuring. Listen now and claim your seat in the C-suite via:

* Apple Podcast

* Spotify

* YouTube

Don't miss this opportunity to revolutionise your marketing approach. Your bottom line will thank you and so will I.

Nikki Taylor

Marketing & Communications Director APAC

Analytic Partners

www.analyticpartners.com

Thanks for reading The CMO Office! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.the-cmo-office.com