In this episode of CMO Journeys, Christian Banach speaks with Ethan Chernofsky, CMO of Placer.ai, about his path from agency work into senior in-house marketing leadership. Ethan shares a practical view of how storytelling, market narrative, and data can work together to shape brand strategy, support growth, and help marketing teams make better decisions.

What the Conversation Covers
• Ethan’s career path from PR and agency work into in-house marketing leadership at tech companies like Similarweb and Placer.ai
• Why storytelling and brand building can create an operating advantage when they are tied to business outcomes
• How Placer.ai uses data to help brands, retailers, and partners interpret consumer behavior and market shifts
• How Ethan thinks about AI, automation, and building a more product-minded marketing organization
• How he evaluates agencies and external partners, including what stands out in outreach, personalization, and long-term relationship building

Guest Bio
Ethan Chernofsky is Chief Marketing Officer at Placer.ai, a location analytics company that helps brands, retailers, real estate players, and investors understand real-world consumer behavior. His background spans agency work, public relations, and in-house marketing leadership, giving him a broad perspective on storytelling, brand strategy, and how marketing connects to business growth.

About the Podcast
CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin hosted by Christian Banach. The series features conversations with marketing leaders about the path to the C-suite, the challenges they are tackling inside their organizations, and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners.