Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®

Episode #825 (March 9, 2026): "From eTail: Zeta Global Chief Growth Officer Ed See on the Expanding and More Demanding Role of the CMO"

Overview

This episode, recorded live at eTail Palm Springs, dives into the evolving and increasingly demanding role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Host Greg Kihlström sits down with Ed See, Chief Growth Officer at Zeta Global, for a deep conversation about how CMOs must move beyond traditional brand stewardship to become architects of change and accountable growth leaders. The discussion explores the impact of AI, measurement transformation, organizational adaptation, and preparing for agentic commerce—all framed in real-world insights from the bleeding edge of marketing technology and enterprise change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Evolving Role of the CMO: From Brand Steward to Architect of Change

• Board Expectations are Rising
  Ed See reflects on his advisory experience at McKinsey, observing that modern CMOs must deliver more than brand management:

  “The old job doesn’t go away. It’s a yes-and. Now, yes, you’re still a brand steward, but you’re also driving change and you’re going to change every aspect of our relationship to our customers.” (03:06 – Ed See)

• The CMO's core job is to create profitable customers, managing a “complex supply chain” that delivers the right customer at the right cost and profit level.

AI: Hype, Realities, and the Path to Value

• Enterprise AI Initiatives and the “Trough of Disillusionment”
  The team commiserates about failed AI projects and pilot purgatory, but Ed suggests the tide is beginning to turn:

  “We’re moving past pilot purgatory and we’re seeing people get results… it will build momentum.” (04:49 – Ed See)

• Four Key Marketing Tasks Enhanced by AI:
  Ed See outlines a framework for AI success:
  1. Recognize a pocket of opportunity with precision.
  2. Reach those opportunities on the journey, focusing on touchpoints, not just channels.
  3. Inform the relevance at the truly personalized level, pinpointing time, place, and intent.
  4. See the results clearly through data and analytics.

  “With AI, I can see and recognize a pocket of opportunity with incredible precision... And I can be able to do it that way. And along the way, I can drop the data to be able to see what the results are.” (06:14 – Ed See)

Measurement: Moving Away from Vanity Metrics

• From Activity to Outcome-Focused KPIs CMOs are encouraged to report metrics to boards that actually matter:

  “We’ve exposed the wrong side of our supply chain and we’re giving metrics that don’t really matter to a board...” (08:42 – Ed See) Instead, focus on:

  • Number of customers produced
  • How profitable they are

  “Think as a business executive first, as a marketing executive second.” (09:29 – Ed See)

Why AI Transformations Fail (and How to Succeed)

• Common Pitfalls:
  • Lack of clear objectives and learning mindset (“build to learn”)
  • Poor data quality; “AI is only going to be as good as what it’s learning from.”
  • Organizational resistance and failure to incentivize adoption
  • “If you’re just automating the processes you have, you’re not going to get your payback… you have to really look at what could it be?” (14:25 – Ed See)
• Learning as an Outcome:
  Boards want outcomes—learning is only valuable when it leads to tangible progress, not activity for its own sake.

  “We’ve got to move from activity to outcome. And an organization that has learned is an outcome.” (15:12 – Ed See)

Preparing for Agentic Commerce

• Brands are advised to double down on customer obsession and to harness technology in novel ways:

  “Become customer obsessed. Build on your history with your customers and understand what this means to them and how to bring it to life. Don’t take a technology and just push it forward...” (15:58 – Ed See)

• Agentic Commerce:
  Using technology to go beyond a digital personal shopper—aiming for individualized payback for customers and measurable business outcomes.

  “Learning has to demonstrate progress. If you get a bad grade, that’s okay. If you’re better prepped for the next test.” (16:55 – Ed See)

Market Sentiment and the Path Forward

• Ed notes a mood full of energy—akin to the early days of the dot-com boom:

  “There’s a huge amount of energy. There’s a huge amount of opportunity for consolidation as well… The energy is here, the excitement is here, tinged a little bit with fear... I think we are coming out of that trough of harder failures, and there’s much, much more learning out there.” (17:06 – Ed See)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Evolving CMO Role:
  “You’re managing one of the most complex supply chains out there… delivering that customer with the right cost, at the right level of profit.” (03:14 – Ed See)
• On AI Disillusionment:
  “We’re moving past pilot purgatory… but we’re moving past that, and we’re seeing people begin to get results.” (04:49 – Ed See)
• On What Boards Want:
  “At the end of the day, what does the marketing need to do? They have to be able to say how many customers did I produce and how profitable were they?” (09:09 – Ed See)
• On Failing Forward:
  “We have to approach it... have a small thesis, prove the thesis and scale. I think people are going for big things because boards are pressuring them... but the path to get there... will take experimentation.” (13:03 – Ed See)
• On Organizational Buy-In:
  “This is threatening. You have to both inspire, encourage, and really incent people to embrace this...” (14:08 – Ed See)
• On Agentic Commerce:
  “Make sure that you’ve got something there in mind that you can take above and beyond to have the payback for your customers as individuals, your customers as a whole, and your business as a whole.” (15:58 – Ed See)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Evolving Board Expectations for CMOs (02:27 – 03:59)
• AI Adoption, Failures, and Learnings (03:59 – 07:10)
• The Role of Data and Platforms in Marketing Value (07:32 – 08:11)
• KPIs Boards Care About & Measurement Shifts (08:11 – 09:29)
• Why Enterprise AI Initiatives Fail (12:13 – 14:40)
• Learning and Experimentation as Organizational Outcomes (14:40 – 15:29)
• Advice for Retailers Preparing for Agentic Commerce (15:29 – 16:55)
• Market Energy, Consolidation & Next Steps (17:06 – 18:06)
• Staying Agile as a Leader (18:06 – 18:42)

Wrap-up

Ed See’s insights frame the CMO as both a value creator and a catalyst for organizational agility. The conversation emphasizes learning through experimentation, outcome-focused measurement, the necessity of true data quality, and the importance of adopting AI not just as an automation tool but as a foundation for customer-centered transformation. The episode is an engaging, actionable listen for marketing leaders aiming to lead their organizations through technological and cultural change.