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Frontier CMO Podcast by Think with Google

Presented by Think with Google 24 Episodes Jun 25, 2026

Frontier CMO is a podcast by Think with Google that explores the future of marketing in the AI era. Host Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, interviews leaders and technologists who are reshaping marketing strategies. Each episode delves into real-world playbooks for proving ROI and navigating the AI-powered landscape.

Episodes

In the Driver’s Seat: McLaren’s Race to the Top Jun 25, 2026 1532 What do CMOs and Formula One champions have in common? They're expected to perform under pressure, make split-second decisions, and keep showing up when the odds aren't in their favor. Recorded live at Cannes Lions 2026, Frontier CMO host Josh Spanier sits down with McLaren Chief Marketing Officer Louise McEwen and Formula One World Champion Lando Norris to explore how they're winning on and of

‘Desire at Scale’ with Unilever’s CMO Leandro Barreto Jun 18, 2026 2012 Chances are, one of the 400 household brands today’s guest oversees is sitting somewhere in your home right now. Maybe it’s Dove in the shower, Vaseline in the drawer, or Hellmann’s mayo in the fridge. Leandro Barreto is the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Unilever, a nearly 100-year-old company behind brands used by billions of people around the world. From the award-winning “Vaseline Verifie

Mark Ritson on Why the Fundamentals Still Win Jun 4, 2026 2536 Teams are moving faster than ever, producing more content, running more campaigns, and optimizing everything. But without strategy, it’s mostly noise. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to sit down with Mark Ritson, brand strategist, former marketing professor, and advisor to companies like LVMH, Sephora, and Donna Karan, to talk about the state of marketing, which frankly i

Inside Google’s Creative Frontier with Josh Woodward & Robert Wong May 21, 2026 1715 On this special episode of the Frontier CMO podcast, host Josh Spanier, VP of AI and Marketing Strategy at Google, sits down with two of the driving forces shaping the future of AI and creative: Robert Wong, head of Google’s Creative Lab, and Josh Woodward, head of Google Labs, Gemini, & AI Studio. Together, they tell the story of how their teams of engineers and marketers came together to creat

Beyond the Pitch: Inside Arsenal’s Global Fandom Playbook May 7, 2026 2143 Most football clubs are built around matchday but not Arsenal. As it enters its 140th year, the team in a lot of ways, is only just getting started. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to meet Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal Football Club, on home turf to go inside the playbook behind one of the most engaged global fanbases in sports. From the rapid rise of

Asmita Dubey on AI, Fragmentation, and the Future of Marketing Apr 23, 2026 2486 Marketing is entering its most complex era yet. AI is accelerating everything—but the real challenge is making sense of a system that is fragmenting faster than ever. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at L’Oréal Groupe, who leads digital transformation across the world’s largest beauty company. With more than 90,000 empl

Emma Grede on Operationalizing Culture, Speed, and AI Apr 9, 2026 2744 Marketing is no longer downstream from product. It is the operating system. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Emma Grede, founding partner and Chief Product Officer at SKIMS, Co Founder & CEO of Good American, and Co Founder of Off Season, to unpack what it really takes to build durable brands in a culture obsessed with moments. Emma shares why product discipline matte

Carla Hassan on Trust, AI, and Leading Under Pressure Mar 26, 2026 2537 Marketing leadership today is defined by pressure: AI disruption, declining trust in institutions, cultural fragmentation, and relentless growth expectations. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier sits down with Carla Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer of JPMorganChase, who leads more than 3,000 marketers across one of the world’s most recognized financial brands. From her early life shaped

Sir Martin Sorrell on AI and Agency Reinvention Mar 12, 2026 2461 Marketing is being reshaped by forces far bigger than any single campaign: AI, geopolitical fragmentation, economic pressure, and collapsing agency business models. In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with a legend of the advertising world: Sir Martin Sorrell. As an architect of the industry over the last 50 years, Sir Martin shares his unvarnished perspective on where ma

Vineet Mehra on Marketing in the Agentic Era and How to speak the Love Language of the CFO Feb 26, 2026 2462 In this episode of Frontier CMO, Vineet Mehra, Chief Growth Officer at Chime, joins Josh Spanier to unpack what it takes to lead marketing through the next platform shift. Drawing on a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Silicon Valley, Vineet shares how CMOs must evolve from brand managers into capital allocators who drive growth by effectively managing where dollars are de

Vidhya Srinivasan on Agentic Commerce and the AI Rewiring of Marketing Feb 13, 2026 1751 Marketing is being rebuilt from the infrastructure up. Search is changing. Commerce is becoming agent-driven. Measurement is being redefined in real time. And the line between engineering and marketing is disappearing. In this episode of Frontier CMO, host Josh Spanier sits down with Vidhya Srinivasan, Head of Ads and Commerce at Google. As the leader responsible for Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Shop

Colin & Samir on the CMO’s Guide to the New Creator Economy Feb 12, 2026 2425 Marketing is colliding with a creator economy that looks more like television, community, and culture, rather than what we used to think of when we think of social media. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google, sits down with Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, creators and hosts of Colin & Samir, to unpack how the creator landscape has fundamentally

Gary Vaynerchuk on Why Creative, Not Media, Is the Real Growth Engine Jan 29, 2026 2006 Brands are currently caught between two realities: the pretty strategy deck and the real world where attention is the currency. Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia joins Josh Spanier, VP of AI & Marketing Strategy at Google to discuss why traditional brand models are failing and which channels remain the C-suite’s most misunderstood growth levers. Gary argues the bottleneck isn’t media—it’s cre

Norm de Greve on Growth, Reinvention, and Leading Through Relentless Change Jan 15, 2026 2167 Today’s CMO is being asked to deliver growth in a landscape defined by radical uncertainty and AI disruption. In this episode of Frontier CMO, Norm de Greve, Chief Growth Officer at General Motors, joins Josh to explore what it takes to drive reinvention inside one of the world’s most complex legacy brands. Norm uses his experience making high-stakes decisions that have defined his career— walk

Shelly Palmer on Leading Through AI Change, Identity Threat, and Marketing’s Next Era Jan 8, 2026 2597 In marketing, AI is not a technology problem, it’s a leadership challenge and opportunity. Our premiere episode of Frontier CMO comes to you from CES 2026. We skipped the crystal ball hype to get to the point: AI is not just a tech shift, it’s a leadership test. In the first episode, Josh Spanier sits down with Shelly Palmer—CEO of The Palmer Group, Advanced Professor in Residence, and one of th

Introducing Frontier CMO by Think with Google Dec 12, 2025 54 In the AI era, marketing should be unstoppable, and its future is being written in real time. Frontier CMO talks to the leaders shaping it. Join Joshua Spanier, Google's VP of AI and Marketing Strategy, in his deep-dives with the leaders, marketers, technologists who are rewriting the playbook. Welcome to the Frontier. New episodes drop January 2026. We’re asking the questions others won’t: How

Tombras president Dooley Tombras on creating an impossible ad with gen AI | Modern Marketers Dec 4, 2024 1313 This week on Modern Marketers, Tombras president Dooley Tombras joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to discuss being the third generation to lead the family business, what it means to be an independent agency focusing on data and creativity, and the partnership with PODS and Google to create an impossible ad campaign using generative AI. Dooley shares a few favorite campaigns from his

McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell on driving customer loyalty | Modern Marketers Nov 13, 2024 1493 This week on Modern Marketers, McDonald's VP of Marketing Elizabeth Campbell joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her 20-year career at the company and how the brand keeps consumers at the center of everything it does. Elizabeth shares some of McDonald's most iconic marketing campaigns and product launches she has worked on over the years, as well as tips for engaging with

Northwestern Kellogg Professor Jim Lecinski on being a whole brain marketer | Modern Marketers Oct 23, 2024 1437 This week on Modern Marketers, Jim Lecinski, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about Jim's career pivot from tech executive to college professor, what traits make up the most effective marketer, and the ability to combine left and right brain to be a whole-brain marketer. Jim discusses

Walmart CMO William White on brand values and cutting through the competition | Modern Marketers Oct 2, 2024 1706 This week on Modern Marketers, Walmart SVP and CMO William White joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about how he empowers his team to stay nimble, using customer insights as a competitive advantage and how the brand breaks through during the busiest time of the year: the holidays. William discusses how brand purpose and values act as a guide, getting to the crux of what's driv

Hubspot CMO Kipp Bodnar on compelling B2B creative and quick business results | Modern Marketers Sep 6, 2024 1410 This week on Modern Marketers, Kipp Bodnar, CMO of Hubspot, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss how to make B2B marketing creative better, how to convince your CFO it's OK not to attribute 100% of your marketing spend, and the importance of taking risks as a leader. Hear how Hubspot has built out its marketing team, approaches growth opportunities, and about Kipp's experiences from his days a

Colgate-Palmolive CDO Brigitte King on Creating a Test and Learn Culture and Being Courageous Aug 21, 2024 1785 On this week's episode of Modern Marketers, Colgate-Palmolive's chief digital officer Brigitte King joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about her core leadership principles and how the brand adapts to ever-changing technology curves. Brigitte shares the five P's that have guided her through her career, how she upskilled her entire organization to be digitally fluent, and the im

Canva CMO Zach Kitschke on Achieving Big Marketing Goals and Sparking Virality Aug 7, 2024 1106 This week, Canva CMO Zach Kitschke joins Google's Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole to talk about the brand's product evolution over the years, and how it puts visual communication into everyone's hands. Zach discusses Canva's growth journey, the importance of creating delightful product experiences, viral marketing moments, and the power of community.

Choreograph CEO Evan Hanlon on Building Scale and the Importance of Experimenting Jul 24, 2024 1448 This week on Modern Marketers, Choreograph global CEO Evan Hanlon joins Joshua Spanier and Bethany Poole, global senior marketing director at Google, to discuss the human side of leveraging data in your marketing and why it's more important than ever to make your creative count. Tune in to hear why AI should not be treated as an "easy button," how agencies can best communicate with C-suite clients

Experian CMO Dacy Yee on Meeting Consumer Needs with Engaging Storytelling Jul 10, 2024 983 This week, Dacy Yee, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Experian Consumer Services, joins Joshua Spanier to discuss her consumer advocacy within the organization and the responsibility that comes with marketing its products. Hear how being intentional throughout her career helped Yee become CMO; how Experian approaches meeting consumer needs; and how leveraging a celebrity personality has h

Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg on Company Values and Brand Development Jun 19, 2024 1518 Zola CEO & Founder, Shan-Lyn Ma and CMO, Victoria Vaynberg, join Joshua Spanier to discuss balancing their various business models, updating brand positioning to evolve with their offerings, and the importance of their core company values. Hear how Zola got started, how they keep up with the growth they've experienced over the years, and ways they work with creators and influencers to share the po

Uber VP of Marketing, David Mogensen on Connecting Marketing Strategy to Great Creative May 29, 2024 1582 David Mogensen, VP of Marketing at Uber, joins Google's Joshua Spanier to discuss the balance of faith and science when it comes to media measurement and the importance of creative in driving growth. Get an inside look into how an innovative company like Uber thinks about positioning its multiple brands, making a great Super Bowl ad, and insights from David's global work experience.

Frontier CMO Podcast by Think with Google

Episodes

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