As you look ahead to 2026, what’s rising to the top of your marketing priorities? In this special episode of Growth Talks with Krystina Rubino, we highlight our favorite CMO insights on building brands that customers trust and love.  It's packed with insights on subjects all CMOs should be thinking about today, such as brand versus performance marketing, incorporating AI into your marketing strategy, and how to build and enable your team. 🗝️Key Takeaways: Tamara Mendelsohn, COO at Overstory and former CMO at Eventbrite, shares why brand and performance aren’t competing priorities and how real growth comes from bringing both teams together. Jaleh Bisharat, former fractional CMO at Skillshare, argues that the best CMOs think like CEOs, focusing on what the business truly needs, even if that means reallocating budget away from marketing. Katelyn Watson, CMO at Talkspace, recommends that leaders step into an AI-native mindset and rethink how teams create, connect, and scale brands. Aaron Magness, CMO at Full Glass Wine Co., highlights why effective marketing leaders should stop obsessing over tactics and instead focus on hiring great talent, setting clear expectations, and deeply understanding the business and its narrative. Cate Lochead, CMO at Bentley Systems, shares how leading with empathy creates more authentic campaigns and builds deeper connections with customers. Matt Gehring, CMO & Advisor, details how clear data definitions such as clarity around LTR versus LTV keep teams aligned and focused on the metrics that matter. ⏰  Timestamps 00:42: Tamara Mendehlson 04:21: Jaleh Bisharat 06:09: Katelyn Watson 08:41: Aaron Magness 10:30: Cate Lochead 13:09: Matt Gehring 🔗  Mentioned in this episode: Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/ Skillshare: https://www.skillshare.com Talkspace: https://www.talkspace.com/ Full Glass Co: https://www.fullglass.wine/ Bentley Systems: https://www.bentley.com/ 👍 Did you enjoy this video? Don’t forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc 🤝 Connect with Right Side Up Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals.  ‣ Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt ‣ Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD ‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: http://bit.ly/44SEjbu ‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/ ‣ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightSideUpCo/ ‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco