We're getting close to raise cycles, so this week we're discussing our recommendations to better get the promotion you think you deserve!

Economics are rarely part of the marketing curriculum. And yet economics inevitably play a role in how the markets we operate in behave. Does that mean marketers should be well tuned to economics (macro or micro)? And if yes, what kind of sources can they tap into to familiarise themselves with economic dynamics?

Access to employee salaries, review of profits, constant pitching, threats to lose an account, looking down on agency staff... There is a long list of realities that seem to have placed agencies at the bottom of the marketing food chain. And in the process, have we lost what made our voices heard?

CMOs are supposed to be at the top of our industry... but are they always? This week we're joined by Seth Matlins, Managing Director at Forbes CMO Network, to discuss whether CMOs have been pushed out of the top leadership of companies - and if they have, how can they reclaim a seat at the big decision making table? Seth's unique perspective as an ex-marketer himself and now interacting daily with CMOs as part of Forbes' CMO Network gave us a lot to think about and provides inspiration for marketers of all levels.

Brace yourselves! Recessions are rarely good news for marketers. So what to expect as an industry and personally? And should it really be that way, or are there means to "make the most" of a recession?

It's an oft-repeated trope: deep down the strategist is a frustrated creative wanabee. But is that really so common? Or could it be an expression of the tighter relationship between strategy and creative?

We take a question from listener Lexie Perez this week. Creative testing has been the bane of many creatives' existence. Too soon, too biased, too incomplete, too limiting, too vanilla... At the same time, for many companies millions of dollars are at stake, and few would want to take stabs in the dark. So is creative testing (and pre-testing in particular) harmful for great creativity?

Audience definition is a core part of marketing. Unfortunately, in too many cases marketers end up with a poorly or outright wrong definition of their "target". A chance to address the problems with personas, over targeting, and the general lack of actionability behind most targeting exercises.

Sometimes, getting a budget out of a client is like pulling teeth. "Tell us a great idea, and we'll find the budget", we're often told. But in reality, budgets are rarely coming out of thin air, and play an important role in framing what's really possible. Does that mean they're an essential - if not the most important part of the brief?

Recessions have a tendency to burst bubbles. And while the jury's still out, there sure has been a lot of hype around the future of the metaverse or Web3. This week, Rachel and Shann are joined by Zoe Scaman, founder of Bodacious and co-founder of Marc Cuban Experiments (MCX), to discuss whether there is more to the hype, and how companies might separate the wheat from the chaff.