Budgets are shrinking, patience is thinner and the CMO seat is a revolving door. Keep playing the old playbook and you’re next.What if the path forward isn’t “more content, faster”, but a hard reset on power, process and what we even call “brand”?In this episode, Drew Neisser, Founder of CMO Huddles, drops a reality check on B2B: CMOs are operating in Antarctica—hostile, short-term, and PE-pressured and it’s still the most exciting moment in marketing. We get blunt about the “do more with less” lie, why “brand” is a budget-killing word (start saying “reputation”), and how AI should first nuke your workflows and org chart before you let it ghostwrite your strategy.). This is the insider’s guide to surviving the freeze and shipping work that closes.We also cover:CMO power plays: why owning Partnerships/Rev levers earns a real seat at the table.Short-termism judo: aligning with CFOs on “metrics that matter” and fixing attribution theater.What actually converts now: late-stage, face-to-face moments (small dinners > giant trade shows).Direct mail’s comeback: high-impact, targeted sends that unblock stalled deals.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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