Rachel Zaoui Marketing & Digital Recruitment

The CMO role is evolving, are you hiring for the future? The CMO role is constantly evolving and is already dramatically different to what it was even just a few years ago. With the rapid advancement of AI and technology, the qualities we look for in our marketing leaders must change too. The critical question is "what will your marketing team look like in two years?" It's no longer enough to hire a leader based only on past performance. You need a CMO who is forward-thinking and ready to build the marketing team of the future. They need to: ⏩ Have technological fluency and be able to embrace and integrate new technologies. 📣 Be an adaptive innovator and an innovation catalyst and who is able to identify and adopt emerging technologies. 🎯 Be a customer experience orchestrator and focus on data-driven growth strategies. 🌐 Have a strategic collaboration with the C-Suite and have a critical voice and influence over the board. 🤝 Be a talent magnet for next-generation of marketers. The new priority must be to hire a leader who can secure your brand's relevance in the age of AI. Have you thought about which interview questions will help to identify these skills? (content to follow). What future-focused quality do you prioritize in a CMO? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #CMO #MarketingLeadership #AI Photo from Jurassic world, which is an immersive attraction, using advanced technology to take you back to the prehistoric era.

How do you seamlessly integrate your brand into your dream TV show? I had a fabulous catch-up with Annie Bank, founder of entertainment marketing agency BAM, to hear more:   Q: What’s the story behind BAM’s successful growth in the UK and USA? BAM might be a relatively new name, but we’re built on over 15 years of experience in entertainment marketing. Our team brings deep, trusted relationships with production companies, studios, networks, and talent agencies, meaning our black book runs very deep.   But what really sets us apart is how we activate those relationships. We’re known for crafting partnerships that go way beyond a logo placement and no two are ever the same, meaning we customise the campaign to meet the brand’s needs and to drive real value.   We also have a strong track record of helping European and Middle Eastern brands grow their presence in the US market, which is why many of our clients are based internationally. At the same time, we work with US-based brands looking to break through or do something different.   Ultimately, we’ve been lucky to work with ambitious clients who truly believe in the power of entertainment marketing and trust us to deliver standout campaigns that cut through.   And because most of our work comes through referrals, delivering results isn’t just important, it’s everything 😊   Q: How do you connect and align brands with the entertainment category? It starts with understanding both sides of the equation inside-out. We get under the skin of our clients’ goals, their budget realities, and their brand voice, and we pair that with a deep understanding of how studios and showrunners envision brands showing up in their content.   There’s a real art to placing a brand in content in a way that hits KPIs without disrupting the creative integrity of a show. That balance is where we shine.   Beyond integration, we also work across licensing, connecting brands with powerful IP (whether that’s a new movie, a nostalgic cartoon, or a major sports league) to supercharge campaigns and create moments that truly resonate.   Q: Which shows do your clients feature in—and what kind of audience reach does that deliver? We’re everywhere that culture is. From daytime staples like Good Morning America and The View, to must-watch scripted hits like Hacks and Mobland, and unscripted favourites like Love Island and American Idol. We’ve even got clients lined up for Devil Wears Prada 2.   Our approach is platform-agnostic and genre-fluid, meaning we’re focused on matching the right brand with the right moment, in the right content, to drive visibility, engagement, and real-world results.   And the reach? That’s the magic of great content…it lasts. Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye still attract new viewers 10 years after launch, which means brand integrations keep working long after the first airing. Some of these placements go on to reach billions of views. They become part of culture, not just a moment in time.    

I had the pleasure to place Ollie Miles in the newly created CRM Director role at Popsa to develop their global CRM strategy and drive customer engagement throughout all stages of the customer lifecycle. Ollie what was your vision for the role? My vision for the role really aligned with Popsa’s mission - making it easier to celebrate your most cherished memories. As a dad of three boys, I know how quickly time flies and how easily those big and small moments get lost on your camera roll. As Retention Director, I wanted to inspire our customers to bring more of those memories to life. That meant building engaging content that educates, supports, and encourages them - whether it’s through compelling stories from our global community or highly personalised CRM journeys that feel timely and relevant. How closely is Retention aligned to the wider commercial strategy? Very closely - the more inspired our customers are, the more they’ll print with Popsa. Retention is about helping customers find value in your service - so whether it’s through promoting specific products or app features, surfacing meaningful moments from your camera library or by creating compelling offers - everything we do is designed to drive growth, loyalty and genuine user value. What have been your biggest achievements so far? One of the biggest wins we’ve had is to launch a series of new lifecycle journeys; talking to our millions of customers in a much more relevant and timely way based on who they are and where they are in their Popsa journey. We’ve worked closely with our creative team to diversify our content strategy, too - CRM’s no longer just functional or commercial - it’s inspiring, interesting, and engaging for our customers. Internally, we’ve built a real experimental mindset into the team - we don’t send anything without learning something. That approach, along with improving operational efficiency, means we can now scale and diversify great content much faster. We’ve also made big strides with segmentation and forecasting - it’s helped us better understand our customers and more confidently predict how we’ll grow the business. What is the culture like at Popsa? Honestly, it’s amazing. It’s one of the most friendly, collaborative and agile environments I’ve worked in. There’s a real sense of team spirit - everyone’s pushing in the same direction, and that alignment makes a huge difference. The leadership has cultivated a lean and high-performing team that’s ambitious, focused, and empowered. What can we expect to see next? Big things are coming - thanks to the power of AI. We’ve got some really exciting product developments on the way that will unlock game-changing, highly personalised CRM experiences. Everything we’re building is focused on our core mission: inspiring more customers to celebrate and cherish their most meaningful memories - with less effort and more joy.