Turning a Legacy Telco Brand into Australia's Most Creative, with Brent Smart, Former CMO of Telstra

Brent Smart is one of the most respected marketers in the world. After spending more than 20 years in advertising, he made the rare move from agency life to become CMO of NRMA Insurance. Brent's most recent role as CMO of Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company, he helped transform the brand through bold, distinctive and highly effective marketing.

In this episode, Brent shares the principles behind his approach to creativity, from selling big ideas inside large organisations and drawing on academic marketing frameworks to building a culture where great work can thrive. We discuss the campaigns that defined his career, including Telstra's viral "Better on a Better Network" campaign, why humour and surprise remain powerful competitive advantages, and the unique agency model that helped Telstra consistently produce standout work.

Vodafone CMO Bec Darley: How to Grow a Challenger Brand

Bec Darley, CMO of Vodafone Australia, joins Jon Evans to discuss what it really takes to grow a challenger brand in one of the world's toughest telecoms markets.

From competing against an entrenched duopoly to building distinctive campaigns with Ali Wong, Bec shares how Vodafone has embraced its challenger mindset rather than trying to imitate the market leaders. Bec also explores why marketers need to understand far more than advertising, why audio has been integral to their growth and why the best marketing leaders are, ultimately, business leaders.

Listen here or where you get your podcasts.

Audio: The Engine Behind Challenger Brand Auto & General with CMO Jonathan Kerr

Jonathan Kerr, CMO of Auto & General, joins us to explore how one of Australia's most successful challenger brands has built sustained growth by combining strong marketing fundamentals with relentless execution.

From creating a role for himself at Auto & General to helping Budget Direct become one of the country's fastest-growing insurance brands, Jonathan shares why product should always come before growth, how marketers can take greater ownership of the 4 Ps, and what insurance consistently gets right about creativity. We also discuss the power of distinctive brand characters, audio branding, in-house creative teams and a media strategy designed to maximise long-term effectiveness.

The Uncensored CMO Gets Uncensored

We didn't get a chance to answer every audience question when Jon joined us live on stage at Cairns Crocodiles. So we headed back to the studio with our CEO, Lizzie Young, to keep the conversation going.

Jon answers audience questions on the marketers and CMOs he most admires, why the 95/5 rule continues to shape modern marketing, how to think about brand versus performance budgets, and what AI is really changing (and what it isn't). He also discusses why so many marketers aren't being trained effectively, shares the three books that have influenced him most, and reveals what actually helps people get promoted.