Ahead of the Game

In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with Laura Costello, Head of Sustainability and Planet Services at youth agency Thinkhouse, as well as Ireland lead at Purpose Disruptors. Starting with having Ben & Jerry's as her first client, Laura shares her deep understanding of how marketers can embrace sustainability, avoid greenwashing, and build authentic connections with, especially, younger audiences. She explores what B Corp really means, how brands can shift from consumer focus to community impact, and why storytelling is key to driving meaningful change.

Lauras top 3 tips:

1. Sustainability starts with long-term thinking

2. Storytelling should focus on values, not just products

3. Avoid greenwashing by collaborating with other teams, including legal

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Resources

• Read about Greenwashing on the DMI blog
• WARC - Future of Effectiveness
• The Good Life campaign
• UN Pact for the Future
• AdGreen
• Climate Communications

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Timestamps

0:00:51 What Laura is working on now

0:03:51 The meaning and challenges of B Corp certification

0:08:30 Why youth and sustainability are deeply connected

0:11:26 Embedding sustainability without tokenism

0:15:30 Changing consumer expectations and community building

0:22:45 Creative global campaigns that make an impact

0:31:54 Using social media to promote long-term behavior change

0:36:06 Making climate storytelling specific and relatable

0:40:53 Where to start with sustainability in your business

0:44:56 How to measure effectiveness and real impact

0:47:25 The future of responsible consumption marketing

0:50:26 Lauras career path into climate communications

0:52:30 Lessons learned from the front lines of sustainable marketing

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The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Check out the DMIs extensive digital marketing library of ebooks, toolkits, webinars, guides, templates, and more! Join for free today.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us!

In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis⁠⁠ speaks with Elizabeth Greene, co-founder of Junglr, a specialist agency for Amazon advertising. As someone who works in a niche world of Amazon ads, Elizabeth breaks down how they actually function within the wider Amazon ecosystem, and provides insightful tactics on how to use them effectively for business growth on the platform.

Elizabeth's top 3 tips:

1. Focus on sponsored products

2. Understand and master bid management

3. Fit your products to the right relevancy

Timestamps

0:00:51 - What are Amazon Ads?

0:02:13 - Where do Amazon Ads Appear?

0:03:59 - How are Amazon Ads Unique?

0:10:24 - Order Velocity, Conversions, and Relevancy

0:13:38 - Trend Watching and Product Differentiation

0:23:48 - The Impact of TikTok Shop on Amazon

0:31:47 - The Perception of Amazon-Centric Businesses

0:38:04 - Scaling with Amazon Ads, with metrics like TACOS

0:43:48 - The Interplay of Ads and Organic Growth

0:49:25 - Consumer Behaviour and Search Specificity

0:55:54 - Top Three Tips for Amazon Advertising Beginners

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The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠.

Check out the DMI’s extensive digital marketing library of ebooks, toolkits, webinars, guides, templates, and more! ⁠⁠Join for free today⁠⁠.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us!

In this episode of the DMI podcast, host ⁠Will Francis⁠ sits down with Kineta Kelsall, founder of School of Social and LinkedIn trainer, to dive into the art of building genuine communities in social media. Kineta challenges the traditional notion of brand-centric marketing, emphasizing that true community is about creating spaces where like-minded people can connect authentically.

She shares insights on how brands can move beyond follower counts to create meaningful connections, highlighting the importance of understanding audience needs, providing value, and letting community members take the lead.

0:01:08 - Defining true community in social media

0:13:11 - Changes in social media community building over the past decade

0:22:19 - Examples of successful community building (Cleats Club, Lululemon)

0:32:52 - Top 5 tips for building a community

"It's not that we want to connect, it's that we need to connect. We want to be understood."

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The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on our ⁠website⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠.

Check out the DMI’s extensive digital marketing library of ebooks, toolkits, webinars, guides, templates, and more! ⁠Join for free today⁠.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us!

How can marketers use data effectively without getting completely lost in the numbers?

In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis sits down with Eli Goodman, CEO and founder of Datos, a company specializing in clickstream data. They discuss how anonymous, large-scale data can help marketers better understand consumer behavior, how marketing attribution is evolving, and why nonlinear customer journeys are often misunderstood.

Eli also shares his founder journey, from launching Datos during the pandemic to its acquisition by Semrush in 2023. Datos is also the provider of data to SparkToro, run by Rand Fishkin who came on the podcast during 2024.

What you'll learn:

• What clickstream data is and why it matters for marketers
• The biggest misconceptions about marketing attribution
• How brands can measure the real impact of their content
• Why nonlinear consumer journeys challenge traditional analytics
• How data-driven marketers should think about AI
• The key lessons Eli learned from growing and selling a startup

Eli also shares insights on the future of data privacy, why marketers should think beyond last-click attribution, and how AI is reshaping both creativity and analytics in marketing.

00:06 – Introduction
00:40 – What is Datos and how does it use clickstream data?
03:08 – Understanding consumer behavior through anonymized data
06:17 – The challenge of marketing attribution and nonlinear journeys
10:36 – Why correlation matters as much as causation
14:01 – The biggest surprises marketers discover in their data
19:21 – Data vs. creative decision-making in marketing
24:04 – AI’s impact on both data analysis and creative work
35:54 – Eli’s founder journey and the early days of Datos
41:23 – From startup to acquisition: Lessons in scaling a business
45:41 – Advice for marketers: Using data effectively without over-relying on it
49:55 – Where to find Eli online

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The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Check out the DMI’s extensive digital marketing library of ebooks, toolkits, webinars, guides, templates, and more! Join for free today.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us!

The word "fractional" gets bandied around a lot these days. But what does it really mean, and how can a CMO be fractional?

In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis sits down with Peter Murphy Lewis of StrategicPete.com and a successful fractional CMO. Peter shares his journey from launching a travel business in South America to becoming a data-driven marketing strategist for a wide range of industries, including software, finance, media, and even zoos.

🔹 What you’ll learn:

• What a Fractional CMO is and why the role is booming
• Who actually needs a CMO, and who doesn’t
• The biggest marketing mistakes Peter made and what he learned
• The most in-demand digital marketing skills for 2025
• Why LinkedIn newsletters and automation are underrated goldmines
• How and why Peter builds high-performing remote teams using global talent

Peter also talks about the power of vulnerability in leadership, his intern-to-MVP framework, and why he believes AI is an opportunity, not a threat.

Check out Peter's documentary on YouTube - People Worth Caring About

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• 00:06 – Introduction
• 00:54 – What is a Fractional CMO?
• 04:38 – Does Every Business Need a CMO?
• 06:49 – Peter’s Background & Path to Becoming a Fractional CMO
• 09:18 – Performance-Based Marketing Contracts: Pros & Cons
• 12:36 – Biggest Early Career Mistakes & Lessons Learned
• 16:05 – How Digital Marketing Has Changed in 15 Years
• 18:26 – Leveraging Global Talent for Growth
• 21:06 – Peter’s Internship Model: Training Future Marketers
• 23:32 – The Importance of Soft Skills in Digital Marketing
• 27:09 – Coaching, Feedback, and the Power of Vulnerability
• 33:42 – The Most In-Demand Marketing Skills for 2025
• 36:09 – The Role of AI in Marketing
• 42:50 – The Top Marketing Trends for 2025
• 46:46 – Advice for Young Marketers & Entrepreneurs
• 49:25 – Where to Find Peter Online

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The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Check out the DMI's extensive digital marketing library of ebooks, toolkits, podcasts, webinars, guides, templates, advice, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join for free today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

And if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review so others can find us!