In a downturn, marketing budgets are the first to go. But CMOs know that chaos equals massive opportunity–if you can earn the trust to take risks. In this episode, we’re joined by Karl Van den Bergh, 2024 Cybersecurity Marketer of the Year and CMO at Illumio, to talk about how marketing leaders can build credibility, keep budgets, and turn uncertainty into a competitive edge. Karl shares the playbook he used to align marketing with the way sales is measured: building forecasts, hitting targets, and earning trust from even the ever-skeptical CFO.  We’ll show you how to make intangible measurable with the one-page marketing plan that maps business goals directly to marketing execution.  If you’re trying to defend long-term strategy while your executive team needs short-term ROI, this episode will give you the language, framework, and tools to do it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlvandenbergh    Timestamps:  [03:13] - Why CMO is the Hardest C-Suite Role [07:26] - Finding Growth During Economic Downturns [10:07] - Investing in Brand During Recessions [18:20] - Running Marketing Like Sales [26:02] - Marketing Dollars = Sales Investment [28:38] - The One-Page Marketing Plan [22:52] - First-Time CMO Survival Guide