Hey there, Welcome to the first edition of CMO Signal.
This week: how the most visible marketing leaders are using AI positioning and strategic storytelling to build undeniable presence.
What's inside:
A CMO who used the stage to demonstrate her AI workflow
The CMO social posts that generated real business impact this week
Why niche conferences are great for career acceleration
Your weely visibility challenge Let's get into it.
Nneka
CMO of the Week
Sarah Franklin, Salesforce
The Signal: Franklin didn't just announce Salesforce's AI strategy at Dreamforce, she personally demonstrated her AI workflow live on stage, then posted a raw 90-second behind-the-scenes video on LinkedIn.
As a result, her engagement jumped, and her strategy shows that unpolished authenticity beats every polished. The video outperformed because it was vulnerable, not perfect.
Your Takeaway: Stop explaining what your company does and show what YOU do. Show don’t tell and authentic beats polished for executive presence.
Social Signals
The CMO posts that moved the needle this week:
Jessica Jensen, Udemy
Posted about rebuilding her demand gen team with AI-first roles. Brutal honesty about an uncomfortable decision. Impact: 2,400+ reactions, 310 comments from CMOs facing the same challenge. Positioned herself as the executive willing to say what others won't.
Ryan Bonnici, G2
Shared his "anti-thought leadership" framework: stop trying to be original, start being useful.
Impact: 1,800+ reactions, saved by 400+ marketers. People immediately asked for the template.
Download the Anti-Thought Leadership Framework → (Free)
Visibility Play of the Week
The Niche Conference Strategy
The Pattern: Three CMOs landed board advisor roles this week. What they had in common? They spoke at small industry-specific conferences (100-300 attendees), not massive marketing events.
Why it works:
Decision-makers actually attend (CEOs, board members, investors)
You're the specialist, not just another marketer
Easier to get accepted + more meaningful conversations
Your move:
Identify 3 niche conferences in YOUR industry (not marketing conferences)
Pitch a specific outcome, not general tactics
This Week's Challenge
The 5-Minute Visibility Move
Write a 3-sentence LinkedIn post about one thing you learned this week and how it’s changing your approach. No essay. No carousel. Just three sentences.
Hit publish before Monday.
Reply to this email and tell me you did it. I read every response.
ICYMI
What's buzzing in marketing this week:
Hot Campaigns
Liquid Death's "Death to Plastic" Super Bowl Spot - The canned water brand spent $7M on a 30-second ad featuring zero product shots. CMO response on LinkedIn: "Finally, someone who gets brand building." The debate: Is this genius or reckless? [link to article]
Duolingo's Unhinged Mascot Strategy - Their owl mascot crashed a competitor's conference uninvited. Result: 2.3M TikTok views and a 40% spike in app downloads. Marketing leaders are asking: How far is too far?
CMO Moves
Promoted: Jasmin Guthmann elevated to CMO at Bolt after 18 months as VP Marketing. Her edge? Led their AI-first content strategy that cut CAC by 60%.
Departing: Kipp Bodnar stepping down as CMO of HubSpot after 6 years to pursue board opportunities. His visibility play: Published a LinkedIn newsletter that hit 100K subscribers.
New Hire: ServiceNow brings on former Salesforce VP as CMO, signaling aggressive enterprise push. Industry chatter: She's the third Salesforce marketing exec poached this quarter.
Let’s Connect
Was this useful? Hit reply and let me know what visibility challenge I should tackle next week.
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Free resources:
Visibility Persona Framework (Starter Guide)
50 Niche B2B Conferences for Speakers
AI Positioning Stack for Marketers
Access the resource library → See you next week.
Nneka Founder, CMO Signal P.S. — Want to sponsor CMO Signal? Reach out.*