CIM Marketing Podcast

How do you turn a good idea into a winning pitch your clients can’t stop talking about?
 
In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Danny Fontaine, author of Pitch: How to Captivate and Convince Any Audience on the Planet, to unpack the art and science of winning pitches in today’s competitive marketing landscape.
 
From the legendary British Rail pitch to a bold workshop with a luxury retail company, Danny shares real-world stories that show why emotion-first, PowerPoint-last is the future of persuasion. You’ll learn how to move beyond 100-page decks, create pitches people remember for years, and genuinely differentiate your approach when everyone else looks and sounds the same.
 
Whether you’re pitching a new client, an internal concept, or your own ideas as a marketer, this episode will help you rethink how you show up in the room.
 
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why emotion must come before information in every pitch, and how to back it up with evidence
Practical ways to differentiate when your competitors are just as smart and experienced
How to handle curveball questions and mid-pitch pivots without losing your cool
The leadership behaviours that create brave, creative pitch teams
 
If you’re tired of safe, forgettable pitches and want to captivate and convince any audience, this is an episode you’ll want your whole team to hear.
 
Listen now to start reimagining your next pitch.
 
Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 
Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at podcast@cim.co.uk

How do you turn a good idea into a winning pitch your clients can’t stop talking about?
 
In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Danny Fontaine, author of Pitch: How to Captivate and Convince Any Audience on the Planet, to unpack the art and science of winning pitches in today’s competitive marketing landscape.
 
Whether you’re pitching a new client, an internal concept, or your own ideas as a marketer, this episode will help you rethink how you show up in the room.
 
Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

What does a marketing team look like when AI is embedded in every part of their workflow, from research and briefing to creative, measurement, and sales enablement? 
 
In this episode, host Ben Walker is joined by Scott Allen, General Manager of Global Marketing, Privacy and Agency Management at Microsoft, to explore what it really means to build an AI‑native marketing team without losing the human premium.
 
Drawing on insights from CIM’s new AI report, Scott explains why AI won’t simply “take all the jobs”, but it will change them. He shares how Microsoft has adopted AI internally, what that has meant for teams, and how leaders can redesign roles, apprenticeships, and talent pipelines so humans and AI work together, not in competition.
 
If you’re a marketing leader, or an ambitious early‑career marketer wondering how to stay relevant in an AI‑driven world, this episode is for you.
 
In this episode, you’ll learn:
· How to balance automation and human judgement so you protect the human premium 
· What Scott learned leading AI adoption at Microsoft, and how smaller organisations can apply the same principles
· A simple approach to getting started: where to pilot AI, what to measure, and when to scale (or stop)
 
Listen now to rethink what a marketing team is and how you can lead your organisation towards a confident, AI‑native future. 
 
Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 
Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at podcast@cim.co.uk

What does a marketing team look like when AI is embedded in every part of their workflow, from research and briefing to creative, measurement, and sales enablement? 
 
In this episode, host Ben Walker is joined by Scott Allen, General Manager of Global Marketing, Privacy and Agency Management at Microsoft, to explore what it really means to build an AI‑native marketing team without losing the human premium.
If you’re a marketing leader, or an ambitious early‑career marketer wondering how to stay relevant in an AI‑driven world, this episode is for you.
Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

Why are 40% of marketers not expecting ROI from AI until 2030, and what does that reveal about the AI strategy gap in marketing?
In this episode of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by Jemma Conner, Associate Director at YouGov, Jamie Credland, CEO of World Media Group, and James Delves, Head of PR and External Affairs at CIM to unpack new CIM research on AI in marketing. 
Together, they explore why larger organisations are racing ahead with AI, why SMEs are struggling to see returns, and why Gen Z is actually the most sceptical generation when it comes to AI-generated content.
The panel examine the trust penalty of poor AI use, the risks of over-automation and job cuts, and what an AI‑fluent, future-ready marketing team should look like over the next 18 months. You’ll also hear why AI is supercharging back-office efficiency but creating real anxiety in front-office, customer-facing work. 
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to balance innovation with risk, from governance frameworks to choosing the right tools (not just the biggest LLMs)
Why the public wants much tighter regulation of AI-driven advertising, and what that means for marketers
How to use AI to enhance human creativity, not replace it, and build a team that works more like a high-performing newsroom than a content factory
If you’re a marketing leader, strategist, or practitioner trying to use AI without losing creativity, trust, or differentiation, this episode gives you research-backed insight and practical direction on what to do next.
CIM members will get exclusive early access to the full AI report at the end of the month. 
Want to know more? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.
 
Thanks for listening to this episode. You can share your thoughts and feedback in our survey now, or contact us at podcast@cim.co.uk