Marketing has long been relegated to the “creative” wing of the corporate office—the department responsible for picking the right color palette, drafting punchy slogans, and managing the social media calendar. In the traditional corporate hierarchy, it is often viewed as a tactical function: a way to polish a product after the real work of business strategy has already been done.
Seth Matlins, a veteran executive who has navigated the highest levels of brand strategy at Live Nation and Forbes, argues that this perspective is not just outdated—it is a liability. According to Matlins, when marketing is treated as a mere tool for promotion rather than a core driver of enterprise value, businesses miss the fundamental reality of their own operations.
To challenge this paradigm, Matlins is launching a new podcast, Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing. Produced in partnership with Vox Media and its podcast network, the series is a collaboration with Matlins’ new venture, The Wisdomous Company. The show aims to move the conversation away from “how to sell” and toward “how to create value,” featuring a roster of guests that spans the spectrum of business, luxury, and political strategy, including Gary Vaynerchuk, LVMH brand advisor Mathilde Delhoume, and veteran political strategist David Axelrod.
Marketing as a Mindset, Not a Department
The central thesis of Create or Destroy is that there is no such thing as a “neutral” business decision. In Matlins’ view, every choice a CEO or founder makes either creates value for the enterprise or destroys it. When a company treats marketing as a siloed function, it risks making decisions that destroy value because it fails to see the brand as the primary vehicle for that value creation.
“What many enterprises don’t realize is that every decision they make is inescapably tied to value creation or destruction—there is no neutral,” Matlins said. “More businesses need to understand that marketing is a mindset, not a function.”
This philosophy is rooted in Matlins’ extensive track record. His career has been defined by scaling brands in high-pressure, high-visibility environments. He served as the first global CMO at Live Nation, where he had to align live entertainment with brand equity on a massive scale, and later as the managing director of the Forbes CMO Network. He also led Rock the Vote as president, blending cultural movements with strategic communication.
The podcast will reflect this multidisciplinary approach. Rather than focusing on the “how-to” of digital advertising, the format will utilize a recurring set of questions designed to reveal the distinct philosophies of its guests. By contrasting the perspectives of a luxury advisor like Delhoume with a political operator like Axelrod, Matlins intends to highlight the universal principles of value creation that apply regardless of the industry.
The Strategic Logic of the Vox Partnership
For an executive launching a solo venture through The Wisdomous Company, the decision to partner with a major player like Vox Media was a matter of infrastructure. While the “creator economy” has made it easier than ever to start a podcast, Matlins noted that the scale of his ambition required more than a home studio and a distribution app.
By partnering with Vox, Matlins gains access to a sophisticated production engine, including dozens of staffers dedicated to production, marketing, and promotion. This allows Matlins to focus on the editorial substance and guest curation while Vox manages the operational heavy lifting. He cited his professional relationships with Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff and senior vice president and general manager of podcasts Ray Chao as key drivers in the partnership.
However, the timing of the launch is particularly interesting from a corporate strategy perspective. Vox Media is currently navigating a complex period of valuation and potential divestiture. The company is reportedly fielding competing offers for the Vox Media Podcast Network, one of its most profitable assets. Reports indicate that James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems has submitted a bid of $300 million or more for both the podcast network and New York Magazine, competing with Versant, a Comcast cable spinoff that had previously been viewed as the frontrunner.
For Matlins, the partnership represents a bet on the network’s current strength. for Vox, adding a high-profile, business-centric show like Create or Destroy adds a layer of prestige and a new audience of C-suite executives to its portfolio at a moment when the network’s value is being scrutinized by potential buyers.
Expanding Beyond the Audio Feed
The project is designed as a multi-platform ecosystem rather than a standalone audio show. Create or Destroy will release weekly episodes without a traditional season structure, distributed across all major audio platforms and YouTube, supported by dedicated social media channels.
More significantly, the partnership extends into the physical world through the “Create or Destroy Sessions,” a global event series. These events are designed to translate the podcast’s theoretical discussions into actionable networking and strategy sessions for top executives.
| Initiative | Format | Key Detail/Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Create or Destroy Podcast | Audio & YouTube | Weekly releases; no season structure |
| CMO Summit | Live Event | London, September |
| Executive Retreat | Live Event | Napa, October |
| Strategic Partnership | Corporate Sponsor | Canva (Launch Partner) |
The integration of Canva as a launch partner suggests a focus on the democratization of design and branding—aligning with Matlins’ goal of making marketing a “mindset” accessible to all leaders, not just those with a marketing degree. Revenue for the venture will be diversified, flowing from traditional advertising and sponsorships to high-ticket event pricing.
“This represents a business show about marketing—it’s not just for the marketing community,” Matlins said. “Everything that I do is intended to have the audience leave better able to do better work because they were a part of it.”
The next major milestone for the partnership will be the inaugural CMO summit in London this September, which will serve as the first live test of the “Create or Destroy” philosophy in a professional setting.
Do you believe marketing should be a core business strategy or a tactical support function? Share your thoughts in the comments or share this article with your network.
