CIM Marketing Podcast

A new season of the CIM Marketing Podcast is coming soon!

In episode 120 of the CIM Marketing Podcast, host Ben Walker is joined by the legendary Professor Hermawan Kartajaya, father of Asian marketing and co-author of the Marketing 3.0 - 7.0 series, and CIM’s chief executive, Chris Daly, to explore how marketing and leadership need to evolve in the age of AI. 

Together, they unpack what Marketing 7.0 really means in practice: shifting from influencing customer behaviour to leading customer cognition, balancing human creativity with machine intelligence, and ensuring marketing remains an engine for growth, as well as the moral compass of the organisation.

Across the conversation, they discuss how AI is reshaping customer decision-making, why differentiation is at risk in an AI-first world, and how leaders can build trust, avoid burnout, and create safe “sandboxes” for experimentation, all whist keeping marketing’s human soul at the centre.
Listen in to the full episode, released Thursday 4th June to discover:
  • Why modern marketing leadership must move beyond nudging behaviour and begin “leading the customer’s mind” and how understanding the attention, social, and reward “brains” is key to driving decisions in an AI-shaped world.
  • How to treat AI as a coworker that handles the heavy lifting while humans focus on creativity, differentiation, empathy, and trust, avoiding the twin pitfalls of ignoring tech or over-relying on it.
  • A glimpse of what comes next: using technology responsibly to drive impact across the 5Ps – People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace, and Partnership—positioning marketing as both top-line growth engine and force for societal good.
Can’t wait for the full episode on Thursday? Check out the CIM Content hub now for all things marketing.

Creators and Guests

Host
Ben Walker
Host, CIM Marketing Podcast
Guest
Chris Daly
Chief Executive, CIM
Guest
Hermawan Kartajaya
Co-Author, Marketing 7.0 and bestselling author

What is CIM Marketing Podcast?

The official podcast of The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

We spotlight actionable strategies, highlight best practices, and source expert opinions to help you elevate your marketing game. Whether you're focused on digital marketing, content creation, SEO, strategy, or something else entirely, we’ve got you covered.

Get the latest news, trends, and insights from across the industry. Hosted by Ben Walker, this podcast offers accessible, relevant discussions on the big issues impacting marketing today.

This podcast is your essential resource for staying ahead of the curve.

Ben Walker:

Look like, Hermawan, with those those lessons in mind, what does excellent execution look like? What should we be aiming for in 2026?

Hermawan Kartajaya:

Yes. You have to go back how to get attention from the customer because it's very difficult to get attention now because everything is automated, right? So, if you you are pouring messages, so they will ignore your message. Number two, after that, after getting attention, you must go into the value proposition. You have to prove that your offer is better than your competitor, or to the reference that is recommended by AI, and then after that, you propose something that is concrete, and then you lead the customer to action.