WFA's Better Marketing Pod with David Wheldon
Hosted by WFA President David Wheldon, WFA's Better Marketing Pod in partnership with Meta looks at the marketing industry’s biggest stories and speaks to some of the industry’s most interesting characters who are shaping those stories.
Episodes
50 episodes
Ep 49: Google's VP Global Ads Dan Taylor: "AI is more of a leadership than a technology challenge"
Real people do not move neatly from awareness to consideration to purchase, they jump between searching, streaming, scrolling and shopping, sometimes all at once. That messy middle is where brands win or disappear, and it is exactly where AI-po...
Ep 48: Judy Smith on why "be who you say you are" is the only crisis playbook that matters
In this episode David Wheldon talks with Judy Smith, crisis management expert and former White House advisor, about what protects reputation when risk is everywhere and scrutiny is constant. We come back to one hard rule for leaders and brands:...
Ep 47: HP's Antonio Lucio on leading through a CEO transition, an AI surge and 4 layers of disruption
When everything shifts at once, composure becomes a strategy. David Wheldon talks with HP’s Antonio Lucio to explore how leaders stay steady through geopolitics, macro pressure, generative AI, and an unexpected CEO transition—while keeping team...
Ep 46: Grab CMO Cheryl Goh's playbook on how to 'cross swim lanes' for commercial impact
Growth doesn’t start with an ad. It starts where your product decisions meet real people. We sit down with Cheryl, newly named Global Marketer of the Year, to unpack how Grab scaled across Southeast Asia by turning marketing into a true commerc...
Ep 45: Is it all about AI? What's really shaping the CMO Agenda? - 2025 in review
In this episode we review a year of conversations with Unicef's Frederique Covington Corbett, culture guru Marcus Collins, Cathay Pacific's Ed Bell, Meta's Nicola Mendelsohn, Marcel Marcondes from AB InBev and Global Marketer of the Year, marke...
Ep 44: Rory Sutherland on fat-tailed marketing and why creativity outperforms efficiency
The biggest wins in marketing rarely fit into neat dashboards. Rory Sutherland joins us to unpack why creativity is “fat-tailed,” how a few outlier ideas create the lion’s share of value, and why short-term incentives push teams to optimise wha...
Ep 43: Magnum Ice Cream's Leyal Eskin Yilmaz on Unilever, Minecraft ice cream and cultural relevance
In this episode of the Better Marketing Podcast with David Wheldon, Leyal Eskin Yilmaz, CMO of Europe, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for the Magnum Ice Cream Company, shares insights on building a new marketing organisation as the busi...
Ep 42: On story, strategy and stealing attention with marketing guru Seth Godin
What happens when one of marketing's most influential thinkers shares his unfiltered wisdom about the state of our industry? Seth Godin joins the WFA Better Marketing Podcast to deliver profound insights that challenge conventional thi...
Ep 41: On marketing as the bridge between consumer and business with Marcel Marcondes, AB InBev
The marketing landscape is undergoing profound shifts, requiring marketers to rethink traditional approaches. At the forefront of this evolution stands Marcel Macondes, AB InBev's Global CMO and winner of the 2024 WFA Global Marketer of the ...
Ep 40: On agency experience, AI and messaging with Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta
In this episode of the Better Marketing Podcast, Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta's Head of Global Business Group, shares insights on how Meta is transforming from a teenage platform to a mature business partner for advertisers with innovative to...
Ep 39: Cathay Pacific’s Ed Bell on their marketing secret plus lessons from Asia for marketers
What does it take to rebuild an airline brand after the devastating impact of a global pandemic? Ed Bell, General Manager Brand, Insights and Marketing Communications at Cathay Pacific, takes us behind the scenes of one of aviation's most remar...
Ep 38: Dr Marcus Collins on navigating culture, meaning and purpose
What makes a brand truly meaningful in people's lives? In this captivating conversation with Dr. Marcus Collins - professor, agency strategist, and cultural marketing expert - we explore how the most powerful brands transcend their product cate...
Ep 37: On being a real global marketer, Gen Alpha and hushing with Dr Frederique Covington Corbett, UNICEF
In this episode of WFA's Better Marketing Podcast in partnership with Meta, David Wheldon speaks with Dr Frederique Covington Corbett who is in the private sector division of UNICEF as Chief of Global Brand & Marketing. David an...
Ep 36: On being AI-able with Mark Ritson and his AI alter ego, the Ritbot
In this episode of WFA's Better Marketing Podcast, David Wheldon speaks to marketing guru, Mark Ritson, and his AI-generated alter ego, the Ritbot.
Ep. 35: On redefining customer proposition with Michelle McEttrick, Primark
In this episode of WFA's Better Marketing Podcast, David Wheldon speaks to Primark's Chief Customer Officer, Michelle McEttrick, about pivoting from a 'no marketing' approach to brand building to redefine customer proposition and grow in new ma...
Ep 34: On purpose-driven human progress, women empowerment and AI with Ulrike Decoene, AXA
In episode 34 of the Better Marketing Pod, David Wheldon speaks to AXA Group Head of Communication, Brand and Sustainability, and a member of the AXA Management Committee, Ulrike Decoene.
Ep 33: On how a YouTube music channel can help sell cars with Allyson Witherspoon, Nissan
In this episode of the Better Marketing Pod, David Wheldon speaks to Allyson Witherspoon, Global CMO of Nissan Motor Corporation about the electric vehicle race, why marketers should always put brand before product and how a YouTube music chann...
Ep 32: On AI, sharing and scaling with Asmita Dubey, L'Oréal
In episode 32 of the Better Marketing Pod, David Wheldon speaks to L'Oréal's CMO, Marketer of 2023 and Global Marketer Week speaker, Asmita Dubey.
Ep 31: On championing creativity with Claire Beale and Sonoo Singh, Creative Salon
Creative Salon’s Claire Beale and Sonoo Singh on why clients should champion creativity, how to attract young talent and the future of the profession in a technology-driven world.
Better Marketing Pod 2023 key learnings
This year we talked again to some of the brightest minds in the industry for our WFA podcast, bringing you tips and insights for better global marketing. As the year draws to a close, host David Wheldon gives his 2023 podcast highlights.
Ep 30: On how to be a great senior leader with Jane Wakely, PepsiCo
Understanding people, great (female) leadership and why diversity brings diversity of thought: in episode 30 of the Better Marketing Pod, host David Wheldon speaks with Jane Wakely, Chief Consumer & Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Office...
Ep 29: On what we can learn from emerging markets with Cristina Diezhandino, Diageo
David speaks with the most recent WFA Global Marketer of the Year, Cristina Diezhandino, Chief Marketing Officer at Diageo, about the importance of creative precision, the role of emerging markets and Diageo's brand purpose.
Ep. 28: On brand purpose with Alberto Levy, Grupo Bimbo
David speaks with Alberto Levy, Global CMO at Grupo Bimbo, about brand purpose, company responsibilities and sustainability.
Ep. 27: On moving from UK politics to Meta and the meaning of generative AI for society with Nick Clegg
David speaks with Sir Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at Meta, about the importance of brand safety at Meta and the positive impact generative AI can have on society when properly harnessed.
Ep. 26: On WFA's work and the importance of community in the marketing industry with Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard
WFA podcast host David Wheldon speaks with Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Mastercard and WFA's President, about the importance of WFA and Global Marketer Week in building communities within the industry and how...