Renegade Marketers Unite

If AI is only helping you write copy, you are leaving real leverage on the table. 

Every marketing team is buried in invisible busywork; a trail of repetitive, manual steps hiding inside every task. So what happens when you take one of those messy workflows, map every step, and rebuild it? 

In this episode, Drew talks with Dave Brong (Level Agency) about how CMO Huddles transformed a messy, 10-step post-meeting grind into an automated system that transforms hundreds of conversations into structured insight, searchable intelligence, and real business value. 

In this episode: 

How a manual, repetitive workflow became an automated intelligence engine 


How transcripts, metadata, and semantic search unlock institutional knowledge 


The reality: Only ±10% of the system relies on AI (code does the heavy lifting) 


When to use low-code tools vs. engineers for reliability, privacy, and scale


Plus: 


A simple method to audit workflows and spot automation opportunities 


How to balance build vs. buy for AI workflows 


How to amplify human judgment instead of replacing it


If you are tired of manual follow-up, underused data, and AI hype without impact, this conversation is for you.  
For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/
To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Growth targets keep climbing while cost lines tighten, and planning season starts to feel very personal for CMOs. AI threads through every conversation, zero-based thinking pulls against last year's baseline, and the goalposts never seem to hold still. 

So the job becomes building a budget you can walk into the room with, own, and defend with conviction.
To get there, Drew brings together Andrew Cox (Forrester), Lisa Cole (2X), and Alan Gonsenhauser (Demand Revenue). The conversation centers on tying spend to strategy, translating marketing into CFO-ready terms, and giving AI a role in the plan that the numbers can support.

In this episode: 

Andrew shares Forrester's view on moving past "last year plus X," building budgets around corporate objectives and campaigns, and forcing prioritization. 


Lisa applies a zero-based mindset to business priorities, uses a 70-20-10 program mix for core, flex, and test, and frames marketing as an ATM of Audience, Trust, and Monetization. 


Alan outlines the signals of strong and weak budgets, tying the majority of spend to growth campaigns and long-term value plans, and maintaining a year-round working relationship with the CFO.


Plus: 

Keeping tech spend in check, including guidelines for MarTech mix and contract flexibility 


Positioning brand and PR in financial terms like pipeline influence, win rates, and pricing power 


Responding to AI efficiency pressure by fixing workflows first and framing value in utilization, speed, and scalability 



Why the budget should be the numerical expression of strategy, not a defense of legacy spend


If you want to walk into your next budget review with a clear story, solid numbers, and conviction, this conversation will help you get there. 
For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/
To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Nine years in. 500 episodes later. Hundreds of CMOs on the mic. A deep well of marketing wisdom for anyone brave enough to draw from it.

This milestone episode is a celebration of the bold B2B ideas, experiments, and hard-earned lessons that have filled the show from day one. Thank-you to every marketer who has listened, shared, and dared to try something new because of what they heard here.   
Recorded live at the 2025 Super Huddle, Drew's conversations with Udi Ledergor, Denise Persson and Chris Degnan, and Carilu Dietrich anchor this milestone episode. 

In this episode: 

Udi shares how Gong pulled off a Super Bowl spot on a regional budget, aimed it at VPs of Sales, and tracked impact in traffic, conversations, and pipeline. 


Denise and Chris explain how a CMO and CRO stayed aligned through four CEOs at Snowflake and evolved the story from "cloud data warehouse" to "data cloud," all in lockstep. 


Carilu shows how Lovable is building a movement with real users as influencers, a CEO who lives on social, and a speed-first mindset tuned to the pace of AI and customer buzz. 


Plus: 

Why a "crazy ideas" budget creates room for standout plays that still satisfy the CFO 


How empathy for sales and shared ownership of the number strengthen CRO-CMO alignment 


How CEO-led social, customer stories, and edutainment power modern B2B brands 


What it takes to move at AI speed while keeping product value and customer love at the center



If you want a concentrated hit of CMO-level courage, alignment, and playmaking, this milestone episode is your highlight reel. 
For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/
To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Events sit at the crossroads of joy and heartburn for B2B marketers. The magic of getting customers together in real life is real, and so is the pain when sales skips the pre-work and ROI gets fuzzy. With every dollar under scrutiny, CMOs are treating events as strategic bets that have to earn their spot on the plan.

In this episode, Drew talks with Charles Groome (Insightful), Jamie Gier, and Lorie Coulombe (Equity Shift) about how they decide which events to do, design experiences people remember, and turn field time into pipeline. They cover event portfolios, sales pre-work, and the simple tools that keep everyone aligned before, during, and after the show.

In this episode: 

Charles sorts events into three buckets, leans into a listening circuit with smaller meetups, and looks at target-account impact to decide where bigger bets belong. 


Jamie frames events around getting discovered, creating memorable experiences, and driving deals, with customers on stage and pods focused on key accounts. 


Lorie sets clear goals for each event, does deep homework on audiences and geographies, and locks in sales pre-work and follow-up expectations.


Plus: 

Build an event portfolio that blends big shows, listening trips, CABs, and customer moments. 


Use themes, news hooks, and customer voices to stand out in crowded halls and drive recall. 


Align sales and marketing via pods, shared KPIs, and simple scoreboards. 


Tighten spend with regional focus, partner co-hosting, and clear criteria.



If events are on your 2026 budget and you want them to pay in pipeline, this episode will help you pick, plan, and prove them with more confidence. 
For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/
To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

AI is now part of the job, whether your team feels ready or not. Some folks jump in with prompts and pilots; others stay on the sidelines while the pace keeps picking up. How do you turn that mix into a team that understands AI, uses it well, and gets stronger with every experiment?
Drew talks with Jakki Geiger (Arango), Betsy Daitch (Canoe Intelligence), and Grant Johnson (Chief Outsiders) about what it takes to uplevel AI skills across marketing. They get into hiring for AI-forward talent, picking use cases that matter, and tracking progress so experiments turn into repeatable, results-focused habits.

In this episode: 

Jakki hires AI-forward talent, builds digital twins for leaders, and kicks off AI projects from SDR pilots to sales enablement knowledge bases. 


Betsy uses Gemini, an "Upleveling Marketing Efficiency" tracker, and QBR AI projects to lift adoption across product, growth, and corporate marketing. 


Grant sets AI proficiency goals, runs workshops, and assigns ownership so each marketing function keeps building capability over time.


Plus: 

How to create a safe space for AI experimentation anchored to clear business goals 


Ways to narrow use cases so pilots stay manageable and show impact 


Why documentation, ownership, and simple workflows keep AI programs alive  


How CMOs can model AI use and report progress in language the C-suite cares about



Tune in if you are serious about raising your team's AI game and want practical ways to build confidence, capability, and momentum. 
For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/
To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/