How Boots stays culturally sharp at 176 years old w/ Peter Markey
Episode description
Welcome back to Makes You Wonder - the podcast for marketers, creators, and optimists building at the edge of brand and AI.In this episode, Oskar is joined by Peter Markey, Chief Marketing Officer at Boots, one of the UK’s most iconic and enduring retail brands. Peter shares a refreshingly human take on how legacy brands can keep pace with culture, tech, and AI - without losing their soul.From embracing virtual production and personalization to drawing the line on AI-generated models in health and beauty, Peter is clear-eyed about the opportunities and limits of tech in creative work. He also unpacks how improv comedy helped him unlock creativity as a leader, and why soul, emotion, and human connection still matter more than ever in marketing.In the episode:👢 Why “Good old Boots” had to become “Wow Boots”👢 How to embed innovation without losing trust👢 The real job of a CMO today - and how Peter runs a 150-person team👢 Where AI helps most: from creative scaling to Co-Pilot-assisted job descriptions👢 Why marketers should watch The Mandalorian and Pixar as creative inspiration👢 Practical advice for CMOs on applying AI without losing your teamPeter also gets personal about:
- Why Star Wars changed his life
- How improvisation reshaped his leadership
- The future he’s manifesting for AI in marketing