In this episode, produced in partnership with NBCUniversal, we sit down with Todd Kaplan, CMO of Kraft Heinz, to uncover the marketing “secret sauce” behind some of the world’s most iconic brands. Todd shares lessons from driving 21 quarters of growth at Pepsi, why simplicity beats complexity in marketing, and how he’s bringing an entrepreneurial spirit to Kraft Heinz. We also dive into working with agencies, building in-house creative, and what makes a truly great CMO.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Todd’s background
01:41 - How Pepsi achieved 21 consecutive quarters of growth
02:36 - Pepsi’s approach to innovation
04:22 - Battling short term vs long term in innovation
05:20 - From 18 years at Pepsi to joining Kraft Heinz
06:41 - Encouraging an entrepreneurial culture within Kraft Heinz
09:10 - Having an in house agency at Kraft Heinz
12:10 - Todd Kaplan’s tips for working with external agencies
16:28 - Why consistency of the brand is important for Kraft Heinz
18:55 - Creating marketing that actually works
24:39 - The best marketing is simple
27:44 - What makes a great CMO?

In partnership with NBCUniversal, we sit down with Grainne Wafer, Global Category Director (Beer, Vodka, Liqueurs) at Diageo, to explore how one of the world’s biggest drinks companies drives growth and builds iconic brands. Grainne shares the trends shaping the beverage industry, the transformation of Baileys, and how Diageo manages a portfolio of global powerhouses like Guinness. We also discuss the value of sports sponsorships, the rise of Guinness 0%, and why marketing effectiveness is always on tap.

00:00 - Intro
01:19 - What are the trends in the beverage industry?
03:25 - What are the up and coming portfolio brands for Diageo?
05:01 - How does Diageo manage brands internally?
06:30 - Is Diageo going to sell Guinness?
08:42 - What’s behind Diageo’s 17% YoY growth?
12:03 - Guinness sport activation with Rugby and Football
12:36 - How Guinness 0% is so close to the original
14:23 - Guinness’ sponsorship of Football and Rugby
16:26 - How to do measure the value of a sponsorship of the Premier League
17:39 - When the UK ran out of Guinness
18:08 - Sponsoring the Women’s Six Nations
21:44 - How Diageo broadly measures the impact of marketing
23:57 - Baileys celebrates 50 years
25:22 - How Baileys was transformed
27:23 - The Diageo way of brand building
31:38 - Grainne’s advice to CMOs

To celebrate 200 episodes, Tom Goodwin is back on Uncensored CMO. He's got a pretty strong opinion on the state of advertising. It's broken, and we need to fix it. Tom lays out where he thinks it's all gone wrong for the industry and what we can do about it. As uncensored as ever, Tom brings an entertaining and fresh perspective on marketing. Strap in.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:50 - The state of advertising in 2025
02:40 - Why is the advertising industry not moving forward?
06:13 - Brand vs performance marketing
09:20 - What’s broken with marketing in 2025
11:54 - How to actually be customer centric
17:23 - Winning internal battles to allow long term work to thrive
21:18 - Is performance marketing fraud?
26:23 - How to make advertising better
33:02 - Are we valuing creativity enough