To convince a skeptical CFO who dismissed brand spend, MasterCard's CMO Raja Rajamannar pointed to her expensive Cartier watch. He explained that the significant price premium she paid over a functional, cheaper watch was the tangible, financial definition of brand value. This personal, disarming example immediately reframed the conversation.

To truly change a brand's narrative, marketing's 'talking the talk' is insufficient. The product experience itself must embody the desired story. This 'walking the walk' through the product is the most powerful way to shape core brand perception and make the narrative shareable.

Generic use cases fail to persuade leadership. To get genuine AI investment, build a custom tool that solves a specific, tangible pain point for an executive. An example is an 'AI board member' trained on past feedback to critique board decks before a meeting, making the value undeniable.

MasterCard's CMO advises embedding a finance professional on the marketing team who can present ROI data to leadership. Because the message comes from a non-marketer, it carries more weight and credibility with the CFO and board. This tactic acknowledges that who delivers the message is as important as the message itself.

Instead of waiting for top-down alignment, salespeople should take the initiative to bridge the gap with marketing. The most effective way to do this is by bringing marketing team members onto actual sales calls. This direct exposure to customer interactions is the fastest way to ensure marketing creates relevant and effective support materials.

The most effective CMOs see themselves as 'architects of growth.' Their core function is to bridge consumer/human growth opportunities with commercial goals, blending the science of data and the art of creativity to design a holistic, company-wide vision for expansion.

To keep non-technical stakeholders engaged, don't show code or API responses. Instead, have team members role-play a customer scenario (e.g., a customer service call) to demonstrate the 'before' and 'after' impact of a new platform service. This makes abstract technical progress tangible and exciting.

To get leadership buy-in for a new media project, use a two-step pitch. First, show a best-in-class example from another company to paint a clear vision of the desired outcome. Second, explicitly anchor your project to a core strategic narrative or go-to-market message for that quarter.

Instead of being siloed in a corporate office, Lifetime's creative and marketing leadership is encouraged to work directly from their clubs. This provides invaluable, first-hand insight into member patterns, team member needs, and the real-world customer journey, which directly informs a more authentic marketing strategy.