Euphemia Smith, CMO of AI consultancy Neurons Lab, shares her playbook for modern marketing. She discusses building predictable “growth engines,” why success means balancing the “dance floor” (execution) and the “balcony” (strategy), and her vision for a future of “tiny teams plus agents.”
To watch Euphemia’s interview, subscribe to our CMO Chats interview series on YouTube. You can also listen to the interview on Spotify or pour yourself a cup of coffee and read the full interview below. Subscribe to the CMO Chats Newsletter on LinkedIn to keep up-to-date on our conversations with today’s marketing leaders.
Watch the interview
Listen on Spotify
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- The Future is “Tiny Teams Plus Agents” Marketing will be driven by small teams of experts who are highly augmented by AI, leading to greater efficiency and impact than larger, traditional teams.
- Balance the “Dance Floor and the Balcony” The most successful marketers can effectively switch between the “dance floor” (day-to-day execution) and the “balcony” (high-level strategic thinking).
- Brand Yourself First Before you can brand a company, you must learn to position your own unique story. This develops the essential “outside-in” thinking needed to create value for any audience.
Could you please introduce yourself and your role at Neurons Lab?
I’m Euphemia, the Chief Marketing Officer at Neurons Lab. We are an AI consultancy primarily focused on supporting companies in financial services on their AI journeys with a range of services and solutions.
The CMO role is multifaceted, but at Neurons Lab, I essentially take care of growth from a demand and lead generation perspective. I’m also heavily involved with brand positioning and, of course, management of the marketing team.
What is your main marketing focus at the moment?
Right now, our main focus is building up our growth engines so they can consistently generate leads for us in a predictable way. This is crucial for scaling. We are currently working on partnerships and go-to-market activities, particularly events, as two of our core engines.
We are now building up our third lead generation engine, which will be inbound. A key part of that SEO strategy will be the optimisation for LLMs, which is the next evolution of search.
What are the biggest challenges facing marketers today?
The main challenge is the amount of noise. There are so many new tools, tactics, and channels, especially around AI, that it’s difficult to prioritise or understand the potential ROI. I also find that on platforms like LinkedIn, it can be hard to distinguish between genuinely valuable insights and marketers who are simply promoting their own agenda.
Our approach is to be very intentional. You have to be able to say no and test hypotheses in a systematic way. To cut through the noise, I rely on a trusted network of advisors. It’s unrealistic for any single marketer to have all the answers in such a fast-moving market, so it’s important to have contacts you can depend on for expert advice.
How do you define success in marketing?
For me, success is about achieving outcomes over outputs. A successful marketer doesn’t just complete a list of tasks and hope they achieve the right result. Instead, they stay focused on the end objective and keep iterating their approach until they reach it.
I also believe a successful marketer is able to move between the “dance floor and the balcony.” The “dance floor” is the day-to-day execution—generating content, analysing data, and all the bits and pieces we need to do. The “balcony” is the strategic perspective—looking at the big picture and ensuring we are meeting our objectives. The most successful marketers are able to balance both, being great at strategy and execution.
Could you share an example of a successful campaign or event you’ve run?
The most successful go-to-market event we did was in Vietnam. The key learning was the importance of providing a unique and memorable experience. We hosted it in an amazing restaurant with the right atmosphere, which really engaged the attendees and created a positive experience. That positive feeling stays with them and becomes connected to the Neurons Lab brand in the long run.
Another initiative I’m excited about is our new focus on optimisation for LLMs. It’s cutting-edge. People say “SEO is dead,” but I think it has just evolved. We believe many of our key buyer personas are now looking for AI solutions on these new platforms, and if they’re looking there, we want to be well-positioned to make their journey as easy as possible.
What career advice would you give to anyone starting out in the marketing industry?
My advice is to brand yourself first. If you can’t brand yourself, you probably can’t brand a company. Think about how you are positioning your experience and what makes your story unique compared to other marketers. It’s an incredibly competitive market, so you have to lean into your strengths.
This process is a great building block because it helps you develop the critical thinking that is so important in marketing. It forces you to see yourself from the “outside in,” which is the same perspective you need to have when creating value for a target audience.
What’s a piece of traditional marketing advice that doesn’t really apply to modern CMOs?
The old perception that marketers just do “colouring in.” Today, the marketing role holds far more gravity and is fundamentally about growth. The C-suite now understands that it is a really important role, and marketers get a chance to bring their analytical, critical-thinking perspective to the table. We are no longer seen as just dealing with unserious topics; our opinion is highly valued.
What does the future of marketing look like in your eyes?
In two words: “tiny teams plus agents.” I believe the future will consist of small teams of expert marketers who are heavily empowered and augmented by AI-based agents. This model increases efficiency and allows a small “superstar team” to achieve more than a larger one could.
My advice is not to be scared of this change, but to be prepared and get excited about it. Many of the day-to-day tools we already use have AI functions integrated into them. It’s not a thing of the future anymore; AI is here. We just need to be open-minded and shift towards that change.
How would you describe the role of the CMO in one word?
Evolving.
The role is changing so much, and you have to keep an open mind. The days of a traditional career ladder where you take certain steps to get to a certain point are over. There are so many different ways to arrive at a CMO role. You have to be able to “go with the flow” in a world with a high level of uncertainty, be a critical thinker, and advocate for yourself.
More Interviews
