The CMO Podcast — Don McGuire (Qualcomm): How Qualcomm Turned Snapdragon Into a $180B Innovation Brand

Host: Jim Stengel
Guest: Don McGuire, CMO & CCO, Qualcomm
Date: January 7, 2026
Summary Prepared By: [Podcast Summarizer]

Episode Overview

This episode features Don McGuire, Qualcomm’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, discussing how he and his team transformed Snapdragon from an internal tech product into a $180 billion innovation brand recognized globally. Recorded live at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference, the conversation covers turning brand value into business performance, building global brand equity, evolving organizational culture for the AI era, leveraging sports partnerships, and keeping the brand's ethos intact while scaling.

Main Theme

How Snapdragon became a global innovation brand and the lessons Don McGuire’s leadership at Qualcomm offers for marketers aiming to bridge brand-building with business results—especially in a tech-driven, fast-evolving market.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Brand in Business Results

(06:13–08:07)

• Convincing the C-suite: Don’s ANA presentation focused on “how brand value drives business value”—an ongoing challenge for marketers.
• Performance vs brand is a false dichotomy:

  "Your brand has to perform. So if we can help ourselves, I think that's another thing we can do." – Don McGuire (07:56)

• Interbrand 100 outperformed S&P and NASDAQ in business results over 20+ years, underpinning the power of strong brands.

2. Snapdragon’s Growth Story: From Tech Name to Consumer Icon

(12:21–16:44)

• Origins: Snapdragon launched in 2007 targeting Asian markets, leveraging cultural symbols (dragons, color red, etc.).
• Unrealized potential: Qualcomm originally “couldn’t spell the word brand”; Snapdragon operated with “very unstructured and not purposeful” marketing until recent years.
• Turning point: As Qualcomm shifted from engineering-centric to brand-centric, Don, with CEO support, brought marketing discipline and structure.

  "From a company who couldn't spell the word brand seven, eight years ago, it's a lot." – Don McGuire (16:45)

3. Architecting a Modern Global Brand

(19:13–21:59)

• Brand ethos & identity: Created a distinct “2.0” ethos—boldness, joyfulness, and a versatile Fireball icon.
• Cross-category resonance: The brand had to flex across phones, cars, PCs, glasses, and more, but maintain a central truth.
• Results: Snapdragon made its first appearance on both Interbrand (no. 39) and BrandZ (no. 38); translated to higher prices and margins.

4. Marketing Leadership Evolution

(25:06–27:57)

• Empathy & upskilling: Post-COVID and amidst the AI transition, “empathy is even more important.”
• Marketing’s seat at the table: Still a journey to convince tech companies that “marketing is a business driver.”
• Bold moves: Partnerships with Manchester United and others were once “5% probability” ideas that now signal progress.

5. Sports Partnerships as Brand Scale Engines

(28:29–34:37)

• Strategy: Attach to passions (sports, music, creativity) rather than specs.
• Major results: The Manchester United shirt partnership netted Snapdragon “9.5 billion impressions” – equivalent to “182 Super Bowl ads in one season” with an underperforming team. (31:35)
• Innovations: Swapping shirt logos for purpose-driven causes and pass-through rights for joint content with product partners.

6. Evolving for AI: Organization and Workflow

(38:35–45:06)

• AI at the center: Inspired by peers, Don is “putting AI at the center” of marketing ops—creating foundational AI systems architecture and building workflows/teams around it.
• Human-led, AI-powered: “AI powered and human led” is the team’s internal rallying cry.
• Practical rollout:
  • All Qualcomm employees must do AI safety/legal training.
  • Tool-specific training (e.g., with Writer) saves 2,400 hours monthly through “super users” and peer adoption.
• Biggest lesson for CMOs:

  "Make sure you know what your objective is... For me, it’s a scaling exercise... In some cases, it will be a tool to become more efficient... So just understanding your objective, I think is number one." – Don McGuire (43:50)

7. Creative Brief/Fast Facts

(46:04–47:25)

• Qualcomm’s 40th anniversary celebrated regionally and at Snapdragon Stadium, featuring retro-to-modern tech showcases.
• Don’s favorite brands: Vans for formative impact, Starbucks for daily ritual (“I don’t drink coffee, which is the weirdest thing. I’m an ice cream tea guy.” – Don, 47:47)
• Insights on leadership at Starbucks and importance of brands returning to authentic roots, citing P&G’s Pritchard and more.

8. Personal Touches and Advice for Marketers

(51:29–52:16)

• San Diego love: Favorite taco shop (El Pueblo), beach spots, and the simple joy of returning home.
• Closing advice:

  "Don’t panic and just take things one step at a time. It’s easy to panic... We're not curing cancer... just take things one step at a time. It’s going to be okay." – Don McGuire (52:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brand Performance:

  “We need to stop talking performance versus brand. Your brand has to perform.” – Don McGuire (07:56)

• On Making Snapdragon a Cultural Icon:

  "I want Snapdragon to be a consumer brand and I want it to become a cultural icon." – Cristiano Amon, relayed by Don McGuire (16:44)

• On Results from Sports Partnerships:

  “After season one, 9.5 billion impressions for Snapdragon, which is the ave equivalent of 182 Super Bowl ads in one season.” – Don McGuire (31:35)

• On Brand Expansion Discipline:

  “It's easy to get distracted or pulled off course. The discipline is knowing who you are, evolving intentionally and saying no when directions don't fit the brand's character and product truth.” – Don McGuire (44:26, recapped by Jim Stengel)

• On AI Transition:

  "We call it AI powered, human led... it's a really new way of looking at this that I feel will yield not only a better incorporation and integration of AI into the marketing discipline, but will eliminate a lot of the fear." – Don McGuire (38:35)

• Advice to CMOs implementing AI:

  “Start with a really solid objective going into it, and then customize your process around that.” (45:00)

Useful Timestamps

• The value of brand vs performance marketing (06:13–08:07)
• Snapdragon origin & Asian market focus (13:02–14:50)
• Building brand structure (“Snapdragon 2.0” & 3.0) (19:13–21:59)
• Sports strategy & Manchester United deal data (28:44–32:27)
• AI transformation of marketing workflows (38:35–45:06)
• Anniversary reflections & personal brand rituals (46:04–49:23)
• Don’s closing advice to marketers (52:16)

The Episode’s Tone

Don is energetic, candid, and practical—a blend of humility (“I have some battle scars”) and boldness (“We made bold moves”) with a bias toward action but a strong emphasis on strategic thinking and authentic leadership. The conversation is both tactical (sharing data/metrics, org design) and inspirational (advice for marketers, importance of purpose).

For Listeners Seeking Takeaways

• Invest in brand and tie it to business outcomes—stop separating “brand” from “performance.”
• Leverage organizational moments (e.g., new CMO, pivoting company) to create structure, color, and emotion in the brand.
• Partnerships—especially in sports and passions—offer outsized reach and brand resonance, especially with global teams like Manchester United.
• Lead AI adoption with clarity: know your goals, design around them, roll out intentionally, and quell fear via empathy and training.
• Protect your brand’s core ethos as you scale or expand. Know who you are—and help your organization know it, too.
• Rapid change (AI, market expansion, cultural trends) is best met with discipline, humility, and a willingness to connect, learn, and evolve.

End of Summary