Lessons from a 4× CMO: AI, Brand Voice, and Annual Planning in B2B Marketing (with Ruth Zive)

Growth Activated | The B2B Marketing Leadership Podcast

#29 - AI is reshaping B2B marketing - but what does that actually look like inside a CMO’s org, plan, and P&L? Four-time CMO Ruth Zive (Voices; ex-Ada, LivePerson) joins host Mandy Walker to share practical plays marketing leaders can use right now across customer experience, brand, content, and go-to-market - without losing the human edge.

You’ll learn:

• AI in CX & Brand: Why voice is the next brand asset (like your logo) and how leading brands license voices ethically and at scale.
• Marketing Team + AI: Where AI accelerates content, research, and competitive intel - and where skilled humans still matter.
• Annual Planning in the AI Era: Ruth’s planning flow - start with revenue, set a few big bets, align pipeline ownership with sales, fund what works.
• Lessons from a 4× CMO: Ruth’s approach to sales–marketing alignment, org design, and why her mantra is outcomes over strategy.

About our guest:
Ruth Zive is a 4× B2B SaaS CMO who has built and led high-performing marketing teams across AI-driven products. She currently leads marketing at Voices, helping brands show up through voice in an AI-first world.

If this episode sparked an idea, share it with a fellow B2B marketing leader. And as always - keep activating growth for yourself and your company.

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1. Welcome to Growth Activated: Elevating B2B Marketing Leaders (00:00:00)

2. Ruth Zive’s Journey: From Agency Founder to 4× CMO (00:06:02)

3. AI in B2B Marketing: Transforming Customer Experience and CX Strategy (00:13:35)

4. Brand Voice as the New Logo: Why Voice Matters for Modern CMOs (00:19:23)

5. Marketing Teams + AI Tools: Balancing Efficiency and Human Creativity (00:25:40)

6. Annual Planning for CMOs: Frameworks That Drive B2B Growth (00:30:31)

7. Sales and Marketing Alignment: Ending the Attribution Turf Wars (00:37:17)

8. The CMO Playbook: Building GTM Teams with an “Assembly Line” Model (00:43:45)

9. Events, Demand Generation, and the Future of B2B Marketing Channels (00:50:38)

10. Lessons from a 4× CMO: Outcomes Over Strategy for Marketing Leaders (00:56:12)