The CMO Whisperer – Details, episodes & analysis

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 this week is Nic Chidiac, Chief Strategy Officer for Razorfish, where he oversees brand and experience strategy. He's worked with CMOs from the biggest brands in the world across a wider range of categories, including QSR, travel, tech, automotive and government. Formerly with Leo Burnett, Nic brings a global lens to his CMO perspective as well, having spent his career working across markets in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. We talk about everything you need to know about working with an agency, how to effectively use AI and what the changing role of the CMO means.

My guest this week is Oksana Sobol. Oksana leads the insights function at The Clorox Company, where she's implementing an agile, fast, and consumer centric insights model. Her global career spans everything from brand marketing and market research in her native Ukraine, and then the Czech Republic. She's worked for big companies like Nielsen, Kraft Foods, Unilever, J&J, and Mondelez.

Links

• Oksana's LinkedIn
• Steve's LinkedIn

My guest this week is former NBA player, Channing Frye. After an illustrious 14 year career, which included winning a championship in Cleveland with none other than LeBron James. Channing is now lead analyst for Warner Brothers Discovery, where he hosts the multitude of shows, including handles on NBA TV and his cohost of a very popular podcast with another NBA player, Richard Jefferson. 

Channing also started his own private wine label called Chosen Family Wines. Here's my highly entertaining conversation with Channing Frye.

• (00:00) - 019 - Channing F
• (09:36) -

My guest today is Doug Zarkin, former CMO of Pearle Vision and current Chief Brand Officer of Good Feet Worldwide. Doug's won Effie Awards and Cleo Awards and countless other awards that I can't even think of. I've known Doug for well over 10 years, and he is absolutely one of the brightest minds in all of marketing that I've ever met. Our conversation ranges from his thoughts on why emotions are so important when it comes to advertising, to what he deemed his most successful failure, to what it was like to be an Avon lady. I am beyond honored, beyond humbled to a call him my friend, and to have him a guest on my show.

Lee Roth is the co-founder of The Actionists, a platform designed to make marketing more actionable for businesses. He is an experienced marketer, entrepreneur, and agency leader. Driven by solving global, industry, and company problems, Lee founded the Action List with his co-founder, Pio Schunker. Lee has a diverse background in marketing, having worked at various levels in organizations such as Coca-Cola, PayPal, Been There, Done That, Ogilvy, and Kennedy. His experiences have shaped the development of the Action List, addressing the pain points of marketers at every stage. Throughout his career, Lee has had the opportunity to work with some of the most iconic brands, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nike, Starbucks, Disney, Gatorade, Apple, and Google. His diverse experience, combined with his ability to empathize, enables him to provide valuable insights and leadership to businesses facing complex challenges.

 My guest today is Chris Johnson. Chris is the managing partner of Tomorrow Today, a leading AI consulting firm that helps companies harness the transformative power of AI through strategic AI roadmaps and advanced AI implementations. He is also the founder and CEO of ELT, a full-service marketing agency focused on creating meaningful customer experiences based on strategic insights. With 30 years of experience leading clients through technological shifts, including the internet, e-commerce, social media, and digital marketing. 

My guest this week is Dawn Hudson from CEO to CMO, the chairman of the board, her career has spanned high level posts in media, retail, consumer goods, and on and on and on at brands like the NFL, Pepsi, Loews, P.F. Chang's, Nvidia, the LPGA.

My guest this week is Duncan Smith. Duncan is a seasoned media and communications strategist with over two decades of experience in media planning, buying, and agency leadership roles across London, Europe, and New York. Throughout his career, he has led top-tier agencies, spearheading the launch of connection planning departments, managing global multinational clients, and leading winning pitches for well over $4 billion in new business. Duncan's strategic vision, media expertise, and ability to construct communication strategies that deliver against business objectives have been instrumental in rebuilding agencies from the ground up. Currently, he is the Global Chief Product Officer at Journey Further, one of the most admired and culture-focused performance brand agencies in the world.