The CMO Whisperer

In this special two-for-one episode of The CMO Whisperer Podcast, host Steve Olenski welcomes two distinguished guests – John Kearon, Founder, System1 Group, and Joel Weinberger, Professor of Psychology, Derner School of Psychology.

Together, they dive deep into the fascinating intersection of advertising, emotions, and decision-making, exploring how feelings drive actions and the role of familiarity and fear in marketing. From thought-provoking insights on the power of nostalgia to the balance between positivity and negativity in advertising, this conversation unpacks the science behind what makes campaigns truly resonate.

Tune in to discover why "the more you feel, the more you do" and how brands can tap into human psychology to build stronger connections with their audiences.

My guest today is Steven Fuld, the former Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Corporate Marketing at Sony Corporation of America. Steven led U.S. marketing efforts in collaboration with Sony's Tokyo headquarters and operating companies such as PlayStation, Sony Pictures, and Sony Electronics. His leadership spanned brand strategy and communications, enterprise marketing, technology, and loyalty program design. His team defined Sony's brand positioning, managed paid and organic channels, and created compelling content to strengthen market relevance.

He spearheaded the development of an enterprise-wide martech stack that unified customer data, enabling deeper insights, predictive modeling, and targeted audience activation. Additionally, he oversaw a cross-company loyalty program, including co-branded credit cards like the Sony Card and PlayStation Card, all designed to drive engagement and sales.

Before Sony, Steven was Managing Director at The Kessler Group, specializing in loyalty program design and co-branded credit cards. He also held roles in marketing and finance at Citigroup.

He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Emory University. After leaving Sony, Steven took a few months off to recharge and reset. He is now actively pursuing roles that build on his experience leading marketing teams, enabling transitions, and rolling up his sleeves to get involved in the practice of marketing. 

My guest today is Tim McDermott. Tim is the President of the Philadelphia Union and Union Sports and Entertainment, overseeing all club business operations. Since joining the Union in 2016, his efforts have focused on increasing brand strength, expanding the fan base, and enhancing revenue opportunities, while maintaining a commitment to growing soccer and positively impacting the community.

Under his leadership, the Union have achieved significant milestones, including record partnership revenues, the largest season ticket base to date, and historical highs in television ratings, social media engagement, and media coverage. Previously, Tim served as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), and the Washington Capitals (NHL).

During his tenure with the Eagles, the team was recognized by Forbes as the fastest-growing brand in sports. In 2011, Tim was named to the '40 Under 40' by the Philadelphia Business Journal, and in 2014, he received the CMO Club Programmatic Marketing Award. His brother, Sean McDermott, is the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. 

My guest this week is Jenn Ogden-Reese, Chief Marketing Officer at On Location, a leading premium experiences company providing access to ticket packages with enhanced hospitality and premier end-to-end travel for bucket-list events. She has more than 25 years of experience building businesses and leading multi-platform marketing and strategy.

Before joining On Location, she served as CMO at several high-growth companies, including 2U, an ed-tech company serving over 44 million registered learners, and SeatGeek, a leading mobile-first live event ticketing platform. Jenn launched her career at Time Inc., marketing brands from Sports Illustrated Kids to InStyle to People, holding various leadership positions, including SVP of Consumer Marketing.

Jenn also serves as the Board Chair of Global Glimpse, a nonprofit organization providing international travel and leadership experiences to high school students. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Jenn lives in Westchester County, New York. In her spare time, she enjoys attending live events, skiing, and being a dedicated sports mom to her three sons. 

My guest today is Suzanne Darmory, the former Chief Marketing Officer at Refundo, the only minority-owned fintech platform in the tax industry, committed to fostering inclusivity in the communities they serve. In addition to founding her own boutique agency, The AGNCY That Sold Agnesi, she has spent her career on both the client side—working with companies like IBM, L'Oréal, and Jackson Hewitt—and the agency side in New York (Arnold Deutsch, Gray, JWT) and London (Bates UK, Euro KG, Ogilvy Mather).

Suzanne brings over 25 years of international experience championing Fortune 500 brands and articulating their visions through innovative marketing and advertising initiatives. Her track record of driving transformative change, paired with a relentless focus on results, has solidified her reputation as a renowned industry leader.

She has been recognized by Marsum as one of the Top 100 Influencers in Marketing and Advertising, by Business Leaders Magazine as one of the Top 100 Business Leaders, and by Refinery29 as one of the 29 Most Powerful Women in Digital. She has also been featured on the Where Are the Boss Ladies list. 

My guest this week is Dara Treseder, the Chief Marketing Officer at Autodesk, a leading technology and software company that is transforming how the world is designed and made.

She oversees global marketing, brand, communications, demand generation, e-commerce, and education business teams.

As a veteran CMO, Dara has held key leadership roles, including Global Head of Marketing, Communications, and Membership at Peloton, CMO of Carbon, and CMO of GE Business Innovations and GE Ventures.

Earlier in her career, she led marketing growth efforts at Apple and Goldman Sachs.

She has been recognized by Forbes as the world’s most influential CMO—let me say that again—recognized by Forbes as the world’s most influential CMO. She was also the first Black person to be inducted into the Forbes CMO Hall of Fame.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dara is a champion of public health, women’s issues, and diversity and belonging.

If that wasn’t enough, she also serves on the boards of the Public Health Institute and Robin Hood.

Finally, Dara graduated from Harvard with highest honors and holds an MBA from Stanford University. 

My guest this week is Thomas Prather, the Chief Marketing Officer at Smashburger.

Thomas brings over 30 years of marketing expertise, beginning in automotive advertising, where he managed Cadillac's resurgence in 1995. He transitioned to the food and beverage industry in 2003, joining Starbucks and eventually becoming VP of U.S. Retail Marketing.

At Starbucks, he drove growth across more than 17,000 U.S. locations, notably overseeing the brand's third-party delivery partnerships with UberEats and DoorDash, while leading the brand's most successful fall season with the 20th anniversary of the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

As Smashburger's CMO, Thomas now applies his extensive experience to drive the brand's growth through innovative global strategies focused on elevating Smashburger’s brand presence. He aims to attract a broader audience by aligning the company's offerings with emerging trends and consumer expectations, all while ensuring the brand remains relevant and committed to delivering an exceptional guest experience. 

My guest this week is Andy Rebhun. Andy joined Cava as Chief Experience Officer in 2023. From 2019 to 2023, he held several senior leadership positions at El Pollo Loco, including Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Digital. Prior to that, he served in various marketing and digital leadership roles at McDonald's Corporation in Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta. Andy began his career in the Accelerated Marketing Development Program at Ford Motor Company. He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. 

 My guest today is David Edelman. David's the former CMO of Aetna, and he's currently a senior lecturer in marketing at Harvard Business School. I've known David well over 10 years and we had an absolutely fascinating conversation focussing initially on AI and and the customer experience.
One of David's recent HBR articles was "Customer Experience in the Age of AI" which are two topics that are very near and dear, at least they should be, for every marketer of the world. I hope you enjoy my conversation. 

 My guest today is Jeanniey Walden. Jeanniey is the senior vice president and CMO of Rite Aid and Thrifty Ice Cream. Her decades of experience span Fortune 500 companies and startups across a whole host of industries, including retail, health and wellness, consulting, ad agencies, fintech. Everything. If that weren't enough, she's also the host of her own network TV show called Liftoff.