Show notes
Walter Susini, former CMO of Coca-Cola Europe, joins us to share what it really takes to succeed inside one of the world’s most iconic brands. From the enduring power of “Holidays Are Coming” to the role of jingles and distinctive assets.We also dive into innovation at Coca-Cola, including the lessons from Coke Zero and the failed launch of Coke Energy, and where brands often get innovation wrong.But beyond marketing, Walter offers a candid look at the political reality of being a CMO, a theme he explores in his book Bullsh*t Inc., an unfiltered guide to how companies really operate behind the scenes. Drawing on decades of experience, he shares why performance alone isn’t enough, how decisions actually get made, and what it takes to survive and succeed inside large organisations. Get Walter's book here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/BULLSH-INC-Unfiltered-Survival-Corporate/dp/B0G6PVDM11Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480cTimestamps00:00 - Start00:58 - Walter Susini’s career journey02:38 - Why Coke ran the holidays are coming ads for so long?05:51 - The power of distinctive assets for Coca Cola - especially jingles08:34 - Why Pepsi used Coke’s polar bear11:50 - What the data says about the Pepsi polar bear ad15:41 - Why Walter is a “Professor of Practice”18:10 - The failed launch of Coke Energy21:29 - Innovation in the drinks industry: launching Coke Zero23:32 - The sweet spot for innovation25:53 - The political reality of being a CMO34:00 - Why Walter’s book cover is yellow37:11 - Why Walter wrote a book on corporate politics40:29 - How to navigate the politics in a business42:27 - Why you can still be fired if your performance is great44:54 - Performance theatre beats actual theatre47:15 - Why decisions don’t get made in meetings47:57 - Why vulnerability and psychological safety are non-existent in business49:33 - Dealing with buzzword hyperfocus53:39 - How to survive the corporate jungle
