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Oliver Buchannon
Behind The CMO Team

The Rise of the Synthetic CMO

The Rise of the Synthetic CMO

I built a marketing council with Steve Jobs, Ogilvy, and Kim Kardashian

AI Tech

Your Brand Is the Last Performance Channel Left

Your Brand Is the Last Performance Channel Left

AI collapsed the funnel. Trust and proof are the new performance metrics.

Brand

The Seniorification of Marketing

The Seniorification of Marketing

The market’s not getting flatter. It’s getting top-heavier.

Career

Why Fit Beats Pedigree in Marketing (and Football)

Why Fit Beats Pedigree in Marketing (and Football)

“The wrong system makes talent look imaginary. The right one makes talent look inevitable.”

Leadership

The First Great AI Ad Didn’t Sell AI at All

The First Great AI Ad Didn’t Sell AI at All

What Anthropic just did, and why every CMO should be paying attention

Brand

Every Channel Sucks. Now What?

Every Channel Sucks. Now What?

American advertising legend Bill Bernbach said, “A dull truth will not be looked at. An exciting lie will.”

Strategy

Grit > Gloss: A 3 Pillar 2026 Marketing Plan (That Actually Performs)

Grit > Gloss: A 3 Pillar 2026 Marketing Plan (That Actually Performs)

2026 is coming. This 3-pillar plan will make sure your marketing is ready.

Strategy

AI Won’t Save You. It’ll Expose You.

AI Won’t Save You. It’ll Expose You.

AI doesn’t close gaps. It makes them obvious.

AI Tech

Adapt or Die: The Real AI Moat

Adapt or Die: The Real AI Moat

You know what word perfectly describes who wins in the AI era? Adaptability.

AI Tech

AI: The World’s Smartest Yes-Man

AI: The World’s Smartest Yes-Man

I asked AI if it’d rather be helpful for truthful. It smiled in bits and bytes and then lied to my face.

AI Tech

Why CMOs Are Getting Outplayed (Unless They Do This)

Why CMOs Are Getting Outplayed (Unless They Do This)

No matter how successful you are, change is always good. — Billy Beane

Strategy

The Physics of Marketing: Why Momentum Beats Magic

The Physics of Marketing: Why Momentum Beats Magic

Physics is the only real science. The rest are just stamp collecting. —Ernest Rutherford

Strategy

You’re No Longer the Instrument. You’re the Conductor.

You’re No Longer the Instrument. You’re the Conductor.

Less doing, more directing: wield AI like a conductor’s baton and turn speed into your moat.

Leadership

Embarrassment Is the Price of Progress. And Urgency? That’s the New Status Symbol.

Embarrassment Is the Price of Progress. And Urgency? That’s the New Status Symbol.

In the age of AI, the game isn’t about who’s smartest anymore. It’s about who’s fastest.

AI Tech

Marketing x AI: Why Swiss Army Knives Beat Scalpels

Marketing x AI: Why Swiss Army Knives Beat Scalpels

We’ve hit a weird moment. Every marketer now has a supercomputer in their pocket. Any stat, model, or insight? A few taps away.

AI Tech

When Vibes Eat Marketing: Why Gut Feel Beats Big Brains

When Vibes Eat Marketing: Why Gut Feel Beats Big Brains

The best campaigns don't make sense; they make an impact. Here's how to market with vibe, not a slide.

Brand

90% Sanding: Why Great Marketing Still Lives In the Boring Stuff

90% Sanding: Why Great Marketing Still Lives In the Boring Stuff

How top CMOs build durable marketing: boring, repeatable, and insanely effective.

Strategy

From Mobile-First to AI-First

From Mobile-First to AI-First

A pocket playbook for CMOs ready to catch the next wave

AI Tech

Does Your Agency Have Agency?

Does Your Agency Have Agency?

A CMOs guide to spotting high agency

Leadership

You Can’t Spell Attribution Without AI

You Can’t Spell Attribution Without AI

How to add AI wind to marketing’s classic measurement triangle

AI Tech

Get Clean Analysis from Dirty Data (Thanks to AI)

Get Clean Analysis from Dirty Data (Thanks to AI)

Dirty data used to be a dealbreaker. Now it's just Tuesday.

AI Tech

Turn Marketers into Managers

Turn Marketers into Managers

A CMO’s playbook for managing your AI intern before it manages you

Leadership

How Modern CMOs Pilot AI‐Driven Marketing Without Losing Control

How Modern CMOs Pilot AI‐Driven Marketing Without Losing Control

Shining Light on Marketing's Black Box

AI Tech

Doing More With Less (Without Starving the Future)

Doing More With Less (Without Starving the Future)

Budgets are tighter. Expectations aren’t.

Leadership

Behind the CMO

The playbook for marketing leaders who want to think bigger and execute better.


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