Uncensored CMO

Emma Harris spent a decade revolutionising Eurostar as its Marketing and Sales Director, leading the brand through years of success and navigating multiple crises. Now the Founder and Chief of Glow London, she works with clients around the world to build brands that are deeply connected to their people and culture.In this episode, Emma shares her journey through marketing, leadership, and entrepreneurship, and the life-altering moment that forced her to rethink everything. After suffering a cardiac arrest, she reflects on ambition, burnout, and what really matters. We talk about building great teams, leaving safe roles to start something new, bouncing back from the hardest year of her life, and why slowing down might be the most radical, and necessary, leadership move as we head into 2026.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:52 - How Emma got into marketing04:58 - What can sales learn from marketers?07:36 - How to respond to a comms crisis?12:17 - Lessons from a 10 year tenure at a company14:14 - How to get the best out of your employees16:49 - How to hire great people18:14 - Why Emma left her safe role to setup her own agency19:41 - Bouncing back from the worst year of your life20:42 - Why Emma set up Glow, her agency21:39 - Advice for being your own boss22:34 - Emma’s life changing cardiac arrest25:54 - Life lessons from almost dying28:06 - Why you need to slow the f*ck down33:58 - How we should approach the new year37:04 - The power of accountability

As has become a tradition, marketing professor Mark Ritson is back to break down his top 10 marketing moments of the year. We talk fighter brands, the president, Amazon's grannies, deepfakes, mergers and more in this snappy episode. There's nothing more to say - strap in and enjoy the opinionated marketing professor dropping some clangers.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:32 - Mark Ritson’s top 10 stories of the year01:55 - 10. A big year for mergers04:35 - 9. The painkiller vs the president09:42 - 8. Tesla’s Fighter Brand Failure12:56 - Mark Ritson’s advice to Elon Musk23:05 - 6. Amazon brings back the grannies (compounding)30:10 - Marketing Buzzwords of 202530:20 - Buzzword 1: Hyperpersonalisation30:54 - Buzzword 2: Onmichannel Marketing31:44 - Buzzword 3: Growth Hacking32:38 - 5: The great Cracker Barrel crisis of 202539:06 - 4. Starbucks and their positioning42:10 - 3: New CEOs chasing growth vs gimmicks43:44 - 2. Deepfake Martin Lewis and fraudulent advertising48:33 - 1: Maxi-miniflation

Andrew Warden, CMO of Semrush, joins us to unpack how AI is reshaping search, and what it means for marketers heading into 2026. We discuss whether SEO is really “dead,” the biggest insights from Semrush’s new AI Visibility Index, and how different AI models surface and rank content across industries. Andrew also shares why brand and digital visibility matter more than ever, the growing importance of creators in AI-driven discovery, and practical advice for CMOs trying to stay ahead as search rapidly evolves.This episode is brought to you by Semrush — your unfair advantage in digital brand visibility. From fast-growing teams to global enterprises, Semrush shows you where you stand, where you can win, and how to stay visible across AI Search and LLMs. With unrivaled data and real AI intelligence, Semrush helps you move faster, grow faster, and make sure your brand is the answer wherever customers ask.Timestamps00:00 - Intro02:08 - How disruptive is AI for search in 2026?04:19 - Is SEO dead now because of AI?08:32 - Biggest surprises from Semrush’s new AI Visibility Index Report11:04 - How different AI models treat different industries13:05 - Understanding how AI ranks different sources15:48 - Why content creators are important in the age of AI search18:35 - Why you need to be failing fast in AI21:10 - Why brand matters more in the age of AI24:20 - Why digital brand visibility matters so much26:28 - Advice for CMOs for getting on top of AI for search30:21 - Is AI just making decisions for us?33:19 - Why humanity, authenticity and emotion are more important than ever36:12 - What is Semrush One?

Jo Shoesmith, Chief Creative Officer at Amazon, joins us for a second time to reveal how one of the world’s biggest brands continues to make advertising that connects emotionally and stands the test of time. She shares what she’s learned moving from agency life to leading creativity inside a global giant, why Amazon still invests in traditional media, and the secret to ads that run for 3–5 years without losing impact.We also discuss why right-brained storytelling works, the surprising insights about Gen Z, and how Amazon balances scale, agility, and creativity in the age of AI.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:21 - Learnings from going agency side to brand side04:18 - How much does Amazon spend on advertising each year?05:02 - Why Amazon still advertises using traditional media06:21 - Why is Amazon’s creative so effective?08:57 - Why Amazon’s advertising is so right brained10:33 - Why Amazon make ads to run for 3-5 years14:25 - Amazon re-airing the popular “Grannies” ad17:00 - Why the industry is obsessed with youth18:33 - The interesting numbers behind Gen Z and advertising21:00 - Japanese Granny Ad from Amazon23:07 - The only Cannes Lion Jon has ever won26:11 - Using production to discover new stories29:48 - Amazon’s CCO’s thoughts on AI and creativity32:56 - Is AI used in the creative process at Amazon?35:29 - How does such a big company stay so agile?36:24 - What one thing has made the biggest difference for Jo?

Zaria Parvez was the creative mastermind behind Duolingo's social media success, having joined the company in 2020 fresh out of University. 5 years later, and after 8 billion impressions, she's left for her next challenge - taking on the social media for Doordash. We speak to Zaria to find out what the secret to the viral success is, and how she plans to replicate this at Doordash.This episode is brought to you by Semrush — your unfair advantage in digital brand visibility. From fast-growing teams to global enterprises, Semrush shows you where you stand, where you can win, and how to stay visible across AI Search and LLMs. With unrivaled data and real AI intelligence, Semrush helps you move faster, grow faster, and make sure your brand is the answer wherever customers ask.Timestamps00:00 - Start00:34 - Why Zaria left Duolingo01:32 - Why Zaria moved from Duolingo to Doordash02:44 - Coping with a rapid career trajectory04:58 - The big moments for Duolingo07:00 - Can you plan virality?08:30 - How important was it having Duo as a brand character11:02 - Why Duolingo killed duo13:23 - Sending Duo’s ashes to Dua Lipa14:05 - What are the conditions that make a successful social media campaign16:01 - How Zaria spots trends and turns them into content17:41 - Thinking long term through a social media lens19:39 - How to scale viral social media efforts21:36 - Why who your boss is matters so much22:52 - When things go wrong on social media24:47 - Why Zaria built a personal brand28:02 - What Zaria is hoping for in the future28:59 - How is AI changing social media?31:36 - Social media advice for podcasters32:20 - How to cope with the intensity of working in social media34:58 - The best marketers hate marketing36:25 - Why you need to embrace boredom