Show Notes
Brent Smart is one of the most respected marketers in the world. After spending more than 20 years in advertising, he made the rare move from agency life to become CMO of NRMA Insurance. Brent's most recent role as CMO of Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company, he helped transform the brand through bold, distinctive and highly effective marketing. In this episode, Brent shares the principles behind his approach to creativity, from selling big ideas inside large organisations and drawing on academic marketing frameworks to building a culture where great work can thrive. We discuss the campaigns that defined his career, including Telstra's viral "Better on a Better Network" campaign, why humour and surprise remain powerful competitive advantages, and the unique agency model that helped Telstra consistently produce standout work. Timestamps 00:00 - Start 01:03 - Why Brent left Telstra 02:31 - Why Brent moved in house after 20 years agency side 05:41 - How to sell a creative idea into a big organisation 11:01 - The academic frameworks to create great marketing 12:16 - Why you should look at your brands heritage 14:02 - The most successful campaign Brent did for NRMA 17:33 - How Brent won a Grand Effie 21:13 - How Brent transformed Telstra’s brand marketing 26:08 - The Telstra Walk - the viral campaign 32:39 - Using humour to cut through 35:00 - The power of surprise and consistency 37:41 - The unique agency model that helped Telstra create cuthrough work 40:02 - Why craft is so important in 2026 42:44 - How to build a creative culture 47:11 - How to be a great CMO
--- Thank you to our sponsors System1 and HubSpot Download System1's creator effectiveness report here: https://system1group.com/the-creator-effectiveness-playbook Find about more about HubSpot's AEO product here: https://www.hubspot.com/products/aeo
More from Uncensored CMO
Duolingo has built one of the most distinctive brands in modern marketing, not by playing it safe, but by creating the conditions for its team to move quickly, take risks and occasionally embrace a little chaos. Manu Orssaud, Duolingo’s Chief Marketing Officer, joins Jon Evans to unpack the strategy behind the brand’s biggest moments: from the apparent death of Duo and its rapid-response iPhone content to a Bad Bunny campaign built at the speed of culture. But this is not simply a conversation about being funny on social media. Manu explains the culture of trust required to take creative risks, how to sell bolder work into the business, and how Duolingo measures whether marketing is actually working. They also discuss behavioural science, the limits of brand safety, handling the AI backlash, and why the next phase of Duolingo marketing may involve a little less chaos. A masterclass in building a culturally relevant brand without losing commercial discipline. Timestamps
Jessica Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at LinkedIn, joins Jon Evans for a practical masterclass on what actually works on the platform now. Beginning with a review of Jon’s own profile, they cover the route to becoming a Top Voice, the changing role of B2B creators and how brands can work with them credibly. They also explore the formats that are earning attention, whether collaborator posts genuinely work, and how buyers use LinkedIn to validate the people and companies they choose to work with.
Spotify has become one of the world’s most distinctive brands, but what can marketers learn from the way it uses sound, culture and creativity to build emotional connection? Bridget Evans, Spotify’s Global Head of Advertising Business Marketing, joins Jon Evans to explain why audio remains an underused marketing opportunity, and how brands can build an audio strategy people do more than simply hear: they remember it. They discuss the return of the jingle, why taste may become an even more important differentiator in the age of AI, and whether younger audiences really have shorter attention spans, or simply higher standards for what deserves their attention. Bridget also shares how Spotify markets to Gen Z, the enduring impact of Spotify Wrapped, and why the company invests so heavily in Cannes Lions. Timestamps 00:00 - Start 01:22 - Some things people might not know about Spotify 02:42 - Is audio the most underrated channel? 05:15 - Do people trust audio more? 06:58 - Why taste will become the differentiator in the age of AI 07:44 - How audio branding helps emotion 09:11 - How to get your audio strategy right 10:09 - Why we need to bring back more jingles 12:44 - How Spotify markets to Gen Z 15:59 - Do younger generations actually have shorter attention spans? 17:46 - The opportunity for marketers in audio and podcasting 20:00 - How do we make B2B marketing not boring 26:24 - The impact of Spotify Wrapped 30:53 - Why Spotify invest so much in Cannes Lions 34:37 - How Spotify judge the success of their Cannes 36:49 - 3 things to make B2B marketing better 39:42 - Whats the best advice Bridget has ever been given
The media landscape has changed faster than most marketing plans have. Evan Shapiro, known as the Media Cartographer for his widely used maps of the media ecosystem, joins Uncensored CMO to explain where attention is really going, which channels marketers are overvaluing, and where the best opportunities may now lie. They assess the relative value of TV, YouTube, podcasts, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and creators, asking a deceptively simple question: are marketers spending in line with how people actually consume media? Evan also explores the shift of power towards consumers, why employee-generated content could become a major force, and where job losses are likely to hit the media industry next. They discuss the rise of founder-led media, the opaque problem of ad fraud, and what Evan has learned from building his own podcast. Timestamps 00:00 - Start 00:42 - Intro to Evan Shapiro 01:43 - Evan’s path into media 03:38 - How to entertain people with keynote speeches 06:37 - The biggest changes in the media universe: the shift to the consumer 10:44 - Where is attention being placed in 2026? 14:20 - The data on attention 17:22 - Overvalued vs Undervalued media 17:57 - TV: Undervalued or Overvalued? 22:29 - YouTube: Undervalued or Overvalued? 25:35 - Why Employee Generated Content is going to be huge 27:53 - Creators: Undervalued or Overvalued? 30:06 - Podcasts: Undervalued or Overvalued? 31:30 - TikTok: Undervalued or Overvalued? 31:57 - Instagram: Undervalued or Overvalued? 32:37 - Facebook: Undervalued or Overvalued? 33:51 - LinkedIn: Undervalued or Overvalued? 35:43 - How will the media landscape change in the next 12 months 39:53 - Where are job losses being felt in media 43:33 - The rise of founders 46:17 - Ad fraud in the media ecosystem 50:30 - Evan’s lessons from running his podcast 56:57 - The best advice Evan has ever been given
Karen Blackett is one of the most respected leaders in marketing and media. As the former UK President of WPP and former CEO of GroupM UK, she has led through industry change, crisis and growth at the highest level. In this marketing leadership masterclass, Karen shares the principles that have shaped her career: why great teams need diverse perspectives and healthy tension; why leaders must say what they really think; and how to make better decisions without mistaking consensus for alignment. She reflects on leading GroupM UK through COVID, how she approaches recruitment, and the small meeting habit that helps ensure the most important conversations actually happen. Karen also discusses the evolving client-agency relationship, what the future holds for the creative industry, and the challenge of rebranding Barbados.