Marketing Has Forgotten What It’s For

Are you just busy working? Or are you adding value? Marketing has become overloaded with channels, platforms, metrics, and specialized roles. But Seth Matlins believes the job itself is much simpler: create value, drive sustainable growth, and help the business create and keep customers. In this episode, Seth joins Stephanie Postles to explain why CMO job descriptions are often fundamentally disconnected from business results—and why marketers must see themselves as commercial leaders, not merely brand leaders. They discuss the danger of optimizing for departmental metrics instead of business outcomes, why short-term pressure can destroy long-term growth, and what Seth learned from one of the biggest strategic mistakes of his career. They also explore why brands must become more humane in an AI-driven world, what separates the world’s most influential CMOs, and why every decision a company makes either creates or destroys value. Seth Matlins is the founder of The Wisdomist Company, former Managing Director of the Forbes CMO Network, and host of Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing. Follow Seth: LinkedIn — Seth Matlins Listen to his new show: Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing (Vox Media + The Wisdomist Company) This episode brought to you by Attentive. Attentive helps brands personalize messages across SMS, email, RCS, and push - so every interaction feels relevant, not random. Not more marketing. Better marketing.  That’s marketing made personal. That’s Attentive.  To learn more visit attentive.com.   Chapters 0:00 The CMO Job Description Is Broken 2:32 Marketing Is a Commercial Strategy 4:22 How “Marketing Prefixes” Broke the Function 8:09 Why Your Team Is Punching Growth in the Face 13:22 David Droga: Complexity Is a Tax on Success 16:04 The Worst Work Seth Ever Did 20:22 “You Neither Give Nor Take Direction” 24:05 Stop Trying to Be Human. Be Humane. 29:25 What Separates the World’s Most Influential CMOs 31:43 Why CEOs Struggle to Understand Marketing 34:05 Why Eric Schmidt Was Wrong About Marketing 35:45 Seth’s 10 Rules of Marketing 40:12 Introducing Create or Destroy 45:55 Lightning Round: Harry Potter, Coca-Cola and More 49:42 Are Your Metrics Making You Play the Wrong Game? ----Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.