
Destination Marketing Podcast · 2026-08-11 · 40 min
In a solo episode, Adam Stoker unpacks a shift he can't stop thinking about since the latest CMO Jam: the agency-of-record model in destination marketing is about to change - whether agencies drive it or clients do. Adam walks through the forces quietly reshaping the relationship - media commissions shrinking, AI erasing the knowledge gap that once justified agency premiums, and DMO teams pulling more work in-house - and what all of it means for who you hire and why. He also shares the one thing every destination should refuse to outsource, the budget line he thinks smart DMOs will start protecting, and a blunt look behind the curtain at how agencies really handle your vendor relationships. Plus, the story behind DMO Jam - the new application-only peer program born out of two years of CMO Jam.