Inside the Minds of Top CMOs: What’s Working, What’s Not, and How the CMO Role is Evolving in B2B Marketing

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Mar 20, 2025

Guest

Kimberly Storin

Megan Lueders, CMO at Sonatype, Ido Mart, CMO at ManyChat, and Kimberly Storin, CMO at Zayo, share insights from their diverse backgrounds in managing marketing for tech companies. They discuss the transformative challenges CMOs face today, emphasizing the shift from traditional demand generation to brand-led growth. The importance of emotional engagement and storytelling in B2B marketing is highlighted, alongside strategies for aligning effectively with other C-suite executives. They also unpack how to prove marketing's worth in an efficiency-driven era.

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ADVICE

Storytelling and Emotion in B2B

Prioritize storytelling and emotional connection in B2B marketing.
Position your company as a tool that empowers customers to achieve their goals and overcome challenges.

ADVICE

Product Marketing and Agency Partnerships

Invest in strong product marketing and customer understanding.
Partner with a trusted strategic agency for positioning and messaging development.

ADVICE

Essential Marketing Skills

Focus on storytelling and copywriting as essential marketing skills.
These skills are evergreen and have a significant impact on both career and company success.

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#229: Marketing Leadership | In this episode, Dave sits down with Megan Lueders (CMO at Sonatype), Ido Mart (CMO at Manychat), and Kimberly Storin (CMO at Zayo) for a live CMO panel discussion at Exit Five’s Austin marketing meetup. These marketing leaders share what’s working what’s not in B2B marketing today and how the role of the CMO is evolving.

Dave, Megan, Ido, and Kimberly cover:

What every new CMO needs to know about leading a marketing org
How to align with CEOs, CFOs, and key stakeholders to drive business impact
The biggest marketing shifts happening right now (and what’s no longer working)
How to prove marketing’s impact in the era of efficiency

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Introduction to the CMO panel
(04:27) - – The evolving role of the CMO in 2025
(07:53) - – The biggest challenges marketing leaders face today
(11:00) - – How to align marketing with CEOs, CFOs, and key stakeholders
(14:35) - – What every new CMO needs to know when stepping into the role
(18:10) - – The marketing strategies that are working right now (and what’s not)
(21:57) - – Why B2B marketing is more emotional than most people realize
(26:44) - – How to prove marketing’s impact in a data-driven, efficiency-focused era
(30:26) - – The shift from demand gen to brand-led growth
(33:51) - – The role of storytelling and positioning in B2B marketing success
(38:06) - – Building a high-performing marketing team and the skills CMOs need today
(41:46) - – Key takeaways and final advice for marketing leaders

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