Everyone sees the household names..

But how do you stay at the top?
In this episode of Digital Cheesecake, we sit down with Helen Cutmore (Bacardi, ex-M&S) to unpack the real world of global Brand Marketing Leadership.
From retail giants to spirits powerhouses, Helen shares the strategic moves that turn a product into a cultural icon. We cover:
• The "secret sauce" global brands have that startups miss
• Is performance marketing is quietly overshadowing brand building?
• What separates a good marketer from a great one in 2026
• Key focus areas for marketing leaders this year
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:15 Realising the brand marketing niche
07:40 What turns a product into a brand people love?
13:10 The "Global Brand" advantage startups ignore
21:20 Brand vs. Performance: The ultimate debate
29:45 Good vs. Great: The skill that changes everything
36:20 Advice for future CMOs
🎙️Listen now on:

Most people see the brand now. But how did it actually start?

In this episode, we sit down with Molly Goddard from Desmond & Dempsey to unpack the real journey behind building a luxury loungewear brand.

From failing uni to launching a business, Molly shares what those early months actually looked like and how they turned uncertainty into momentum.

We cover:

• The reality of starting from scratch

• When the brand started to click

• Building a distinctive brand world around slow living

• The move from online to in-store

• Lessons learned the hard way

• What’s next for the brand

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:15 The origin story

08:40 Early struggles

15:10 First big breakthrough

22:30 Building the brand world

30:45 Hiring & team growth

38:20 Lessons learned

45:00 Future opportunities

#MarketingPodcast #BrandBuilding #D2C #FounderStory #Ecommerce

What does it take to go from CMO to founder?

In this episode, Andrew Higgins shares the journey behind building Parsnipp — from the initial idea through to launching in one of the most exciting areas of marketing today.

We explore how AI search is evolving, what it means for brands, and why this shift presents a huge opportunity for marketers willing to adapt early.

Learn more about Parsnipp here: https://parsnipp.com/

In this episode:

The journey from CMO to founder

The story behind Parsnipp (and its name)

What GEO is and why it matters

How AI search is changing marketing

The evolution of SEO

Lessons from building in a new space

What marketers should focus on in 2026

🎧 Listen now:

Youtube:

Apple:

Fiver: https://fiverr.partnerlinks.io/3ci0r5r179mi

Quillbot: https://try.quillbot.com/4hew88esymv8

Trainual: https://start.trainual.com/aecgw0yogmw7

#founder #cmo #marketingpodcast #marketing #AISearch #AI #GEO #SEO