Uncensored CMO

I speak to Airbnb's CMO, Hiroki Asai, fresh off their 2025 Summer Release, where they announced their brand new "Services" and "Experiences" addition to the platform. This now positions Airbnb as the perfect alternative to a hotel when travelling. Hiroki touches on how they have launched this massive new innovation, why they do all their creative work in-house and rounds off with some poignant advice to marketers.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:42 - Joining Airbnb at the start of COVID02:44 - Why Airbnb turned off performance marketing but invested in brand04:01 - Airbnb's origin story as told by their CMO, Hiroki Asai06:31 - The importance of design for Airbnb07:37 - Why all branding and advertising is done in house17:36 - How the new launch helps Airbnb hosts18:33 - What went into such a big launch20:36 - Some of the notable Airbnb experiences21:28 - The big redesign of the Airbnb app23:59 - How Hiroki leads the marketing organisation27:29 - How to launch a big product update29:37 - Revamping the Airbnb host experience31:45 - Hiroki's advice for aspiring CMOs

Since Elon Musk acquired X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, the platform has undergone dramatic changes; slashing headcount, losing major advertisers, and redefining its identity. Now, under CEO Linda Yaccarino and marketing lead Angela Zepeda (formerly of Hyundai), X is staging a comeback. Angela joins Jon to discuss her leap from automotive to tech, rebuilding advertiser trust, and the bold vision of turning X into “the everything app.”They cover the platform's role in breaking news, championing free speech, and why brands are flocking back.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:39 - From Hyundai to X: Angela's leap03:46 - Leading marketing when everyone has an opinion05:56 - Free speech and platform identity07:45 - Why news breaks on X13:11 - X as a place to think differently15:58 - The rise of sports on X19:35 - Helping brands join the conversation26:16 - Winning back advertisers34:25 - What advertisers gain from returning36:06 - How X markets itself39:58 - The “everything app” vision42:54 - Integrating Grok AI47:20 - How advertisers can win on X

Rankin Carroll is the Chief Brand Officer at Mars, having joined the company in 2002. Mars is responsible for some of the most well-known advertising in the world, for brands including M&M's, Twix, Snickers, Skittles, and more. Jon speaks to Rankin about long-term brand building vs. performance marketing, how to get the most out of agencies, and what it takes to build a portfolio of incredible brands.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:52 - Rankin's career journey05:49 - How the Chief Brand Officer role works at Mars07:37 - Marketing mix spend at Mars – can you implement a fully earned strategy?13:27 - Brand building vs. performance marketing15:13 - How Mars stays so consistent with their marketing19:06 - The power of consistency and longevity at Mars24:55 - How agencies can get the most out of their clients32:09 - How Twix became a $1 billion brand38:41 - Own Goal Snickers AI campaign explained40:43 - The dominance of M&M's advertising in the System1 database44:40 - The power of the M&M's characters48:04 - Rankin's advice to young marketers

Nicole Parlapiano is the CMO of Tubi, an ad-supported streaming platform taking on the subscription giants. Nicole has previously had her own dating startup acquired by Match Group, before working in private equity, famously being Head of Marketing at WeWork during their crash and most recently VP Marketing for Tinder. Nicole is one of the most entrepreneurial CMOs on the planet, bringing a unique lens to brand building, embracing chaos and driving the business forward with marketing.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro00:01:06 - What makes an entrepreneurial CMO?00:06:04 - Why Nicole embraces chaos / her career journey00:11:34 - Nicole's experience at WeWork00:15:49 - Dealing with a leaked WeWork email00:19:16 - Leaving WeWork for Tinder after the crash / how to successfully join a company as CMO00:24:57 - Marketing's role in private equity businesses00:33:43 - Working with Mischief and what would you do if you weren't afraid?00:36:20 - Why Nicole joined Tubi (and the streaming wars)00:38:04 - Working with Mischief to create a brave Super Bowl campaign00:44:28 - The00:47:53 - How Tubi markets to their advertisers00:52:19 - The “Stubios” innovation for fan led content00:58:33 - Getting creative ideas seen in a corporate environment01:01:31 - How marketing can help grow the organisation01:04:03 - Nicole's advice to aspiring CMOs

Colin Fleming is a returning guest, and the CMO of ServiceNow, a B2B company ripping up the B2B marketing playbook. It's not the first time Colin has done this, having previously spent 13 years at Salesforce turning them into a brand to be reckoned with. In this episode I talk to Colin about their new brand campaign with Idris Elba, what the future of marketing with AI looks like and the biggest lessons a CMO can take from a former F1 racing driver.00:00 - Intro01:36 - What is ServiceNow?03:03 - How well is the marketing role understood at ServiceNow04:26 - How to position marketing for leadership05:38 - How are B2B buying decisions made07:49 - Dealing with losing 50% lead volume10:22 - How Colin is building the ServiceNow brand?12:00 - ServiceNow's use of distinctive assets14:21 - ServiceNow's ads with Idris Elba17:07 - Understanding Agentic AI19:47 - AI agents use cases20:37 - Why we shouldn't fear AI23:10 - The risks of AI agents24:12 - How to make AI agents work together26:04 - What skills will CMOs need to win in the next 5-10 years?27:20 - 5 things B2B marketers are wrong about29:10 - How ServiceNow are using personalisation at scale31:53 - Why the data is so important for AI34:13 - How Colin went from F1 to CMO35:04 - Lessons from being a racing driver to marketing36:06 - ServiceNow's partnership with Aston Martin37:43 - Most surprising lesson for Colin since he left Salesforce

In a world first, Scott Galloway and Rory Sutherland go head to head to talk about some of the biggest topics in marketing. They lock horns on Scott's controversial statement "the era of brand is dead" and why most successful companies don't advertise. You'll also hear the two disagreeing on the Jaguar rebrand, at which point Scott may or may not have called Rory sexy...Timestamps00:00 - Intro02:15 - Be in an industry you get better at as you get older05:41 - Does wealth redistribution need to change?16:22 - Why the most successful companies don't advertise22:49 - The era of brand is over30:39 - Scott's fear for young men35:52 - Scott and Rory discuss dating40:56 - Was the Jaguar rebrand stupid?

Today, I'm joined by James Kuczynski, Creative Director at Duolingo, and Dan Salkey, Founding Partner at Small World, for a conversation on how to build truly entertaining brands.Fresh off their SXSW panel titled "Entertain or Die", named after a report by Small World, we explore how Duolingo has built such a standout brand, particularly through the rise (and death...) of their iconic mascot, Duo.In the first half of the episode, I chat with James about Duolingo's brand success, why they decided to "kill off" their beloved mascot, and how giving creative autonomy to their team has been key to their growth. In the second half, I speak with Dan about the most entertaining brands in the world today—and the specific traits you can apply to make your own brand more entertaining.Download the Entertain or Die report here.Timestamps00:00 - Start00:47 - Part 1: James Kuczynski from Duolingo01:22 - James' background in marketing03:23 - How James joined Duolingo04:18 - What is Duolingo06:34 - How Duolingo has used gamification to help people learn languages09:47 - How is AI enhancing Duolingo?11:20 - Is AI a threat to Duolingo?12:13 - Why Duolingo created “Duo”, their mascot15:47 - How the Duolingo owl evolved17:56 - Duolingo's April fools plans20:00 - Why Duolingo killed off their mascot23:57 - The results of Duo killing their mascot25:08 - How partnerships have played a role in the success of Duolingo28:02 - How Duo is bigger than A-list celebrities29:26 - How Duolingo built such a huge social media following32:08 - The importance of being in-house for growing Duolingo33:17 - How Duolingo hires social media talent34:34 - The thing that makes Duolingo stand out36:32 - Part 2: Dan Salkey from Small World37:15 - Why Small World created the Entertain or Die report38:57 - How they identified the most entertaining brands on the planet39:30 - What brands are the most entertaining?40:41 - Why the most boring categories have most space to innovate42:35 - The entertainment gap44:07 - How can brands be more entertaining?49:54 - Final advice on how brands can be more entertaining

In this episode, we deep dive into the irrational world of customer behaviour with legendary behavioural economist Dan Ariely. Dan reveals why we're all predictably wrong, how tiny invisible cues can radically change price perception, and why effort makes things feel more valuable. We also unpack the real reason people fall for misinformation, how to rebuild trust in broken industries like insurance, and why letting customers choose their own price might just be your smartest move. If you want to understand what truly drives decisions — and how to use that insight to become a better marketer — this one's unmissable.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:50 - The story of Dan Ariely's half beard00:07:53 - Dan's painful introduction into behavioural science00:11:46 - Reaction to Jon's house tragedy00:15:11 - The hidden truths revealed by social science00:21:43 - Invisible vs visible motivation00:29:20 - How Dan would change insurance companies00:33:30 - Lemonade insurance example00:35:39 - Why the human brain is a vintage Swiss Army knife00:38:08 - How context radically changes price perception (the relativity effect)00:45:01 - Why you should let your customer choose their own price00:47:11 - Why economists donate the least to charities00:49:58 - Why effort greatly increases your price perception01:00:06 - The real cause of misinformation and why it isn't what you might think01:12:18 - What will be Dan Ariely's new book?01:13:38 - Why we are so afraid of mistakes

Rory Sutherland returns to the Uncensored CMO podcast, tackling the economic crisis with his signature wit and wisdom. As ever, he offers a refreshingly unconventional perspective on the world's biggest problems — and marketing's role in solving them.In this episode, Rory explores why marketing is more like a casino than a science, how to capitalise on your competitors' blind spots, and what his unexpected TikTok fame has taught him. Expect laughs, left-field insights, and the kind of brilliantly bizarre anecdotes only Rory can deliver.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:03 - Are we looking in the wrong place for growth?05:33 - Should we slow down our adoption of AI?09:08 - What marketers and the police have in common14:40 - Marketing is a casino17:42 - The most transformative behavioural science insights19:47 - Take what your competition are doing badly and double down on it26:20 - Fame is a luck multiplier32:43 - Why AO add bears to every order37:19 - How Rory would boost growth in the economy?47:13 - What has Rory been profoundly wrong about and why

Scott Galloway (Prof G) has returned to the Uncensored CMO podcast for a second time, in a special live episode. Galloway is Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business and host of the Prof G and Pivot podcasts. He joins Jon in a special live episode in London and lives up to his billing as the most uncensored guest of all time. Scott takes big swings at the advertising industry throughout the episode - despite the audience of CMOs - claiming that the days of the CMO are numbered. He continues with his damning commentary on why the era of brand is dead, why rage is the new sex, why young men are in trouble and what marketers need to do in the age of AI.Timestamps00:00 - Intro02:15 - How does Scott deal with the online negativity?09:00 - Why the CEO saviours of social media won't be turning up16:13 - Scott's thoughts on the Adolescence Netflix show23:51 - Why marketers need to do the hard things27:56 - How does Prof G assess a business opportunity33:36 - What corporate employees can learn from entrepreneurship40:22 - Why the CMOs days are numbered47:33 - How should marketers approach AI56:06 - What things has Prof G been profoundly wrong aboutThank you to System1 for making the live event possible.CreditsHost: Jon EvansExecutive Producer: James McKinvenDirector: Kerry CollingeEvent management: Lara Zwirn, Gen NorrisSocial media: Sam PriceEvent graphics: Colin JenkinsonProduction: Kinura

Live from Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, in this bonus triple header, Jon speaks with Colin Fleming (ServiceNow), Stacy Martinet (Adobe) and Billy Seabrook (IBM) about the hot topic in marketing today, AI, and what a new wave of agentic AI technology means for marketers.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:51 - Part 1: Colin Fleming01:51 - The things people don't understand about B2B marketing03:32 - How AI is having an impact on marketing05:29 - ServiceNow's relationship with Adobe06:21 - Advice to marketers to stay on cutting edge of AI08:47 - Part 2: Billy Seabrook IBM09:17 - Where are we on this AI journey11:31 - Principles of an effective campaign using AI13:02 - How effective has AI been for IBM18:16 - What's next when AI at scale becomes the norm?21:08 - AI: a threat or an opportunity?22:06 - Part 3: Stacy Martinet22:33 - Stacy's role at Adobe23:18 - What makes great marketing for marketers?24:12 - Communicating all the changes in marketing (specifically with AI)25:15 - What is Agentic AI and what are it's use cases?28:27 - How technology is used to enhance creativity30:31 - Tips on how to utilize agentic AI31:43 - How to future proof our marketing32:48 - What goes into creating an event like Adobe Summit00:00 - Intro00:51 - Part 1: Colin Fleming01:51 - The things people don't understand about B2B marketing03:32 - How AI is having an impact on marketing05:29 - ServiceNow's relationship with Adobe06:21 - Advice to marketers to stay on cutting edge of AI08:47 - Part 2: Billy Seabrook IBM09:17 - Where are we on this AI journey11:31 - Principles of an effective campaign using AI13:02 - How effective has AI been for IBM18:16 - What's next when AI at scale becomes the norm?21:08 - AI: a threat or an opportunity?22:06 - Part 3: Stacy Martinet22:33 - Stacy's role at Adobe23:18 - What makes great marketing for marketers?24:12 - Communicating all the changes in marketing (specifically with AI)25:15 - What is Agentic AI and what are it's use cases?28:27 - How technology is used to enhance creativity30:31 - Tips on how to utilize agentic AI31:43 - How to future proof our marketing32:48 - What goes into creating an event like Adobe Summit

Seth Matlins is the Managing Director of the Forbes Forbes CMO Network, where he oversees the annual Forbes World's Most Influential CMOs List, the Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50 List, the Forbes CMO Summit, the Forbes European CMO Summit, and an expanding marketing content portfolio. Seth is an award-winning marketer, who has spent a career in and advising the C-suite of dozens of the 100 most valuable brands globally.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:45 - Seth's new podcast02:58 - Why are there not enough CMOs becoming CEOs05:28 - Marketing needs much better marketing07:36 - Seth's career history08:00 - Working jobs that have never existed before11:41 - Scars from being a failed entrepreneur13:24 - Making unexpected connections between fields18:23 - Why organisations need to trust their marketers20:26 - What makes a CMO influential26:29 - Everyone is a brand manager28:35 - How CMOs can be more influential35:13 - The world's most entrepreneurial CMOs41:12 - What makes a CMO entrepreneurial46:22 - Doing a lot with little47:02 - What is changing for CMOs in 2025

Today Jon talks with Eugenia Zalis, CMO for one of the most iconic sweet brands in the world, Oreo. We talk about their "stay playful" positioning, incredible brand collaborations (with the likes of Coca-Cola and Post Malone) and some of the interesting innovations the brand has worked on.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:46 - Eugenia's marketing journey01:33 - What can we learn from the Unilever approach to marketing?02:27 - How Dove turned into the brand it is today05:42 - How Eugenia started with Oreo06:33 - The “stay playful” positioning09:49 - The best way to eat an Oreo cookie11:08 - Managing a 110 year old brand12:14 - The Oreo playbook for marketing in different regions15:18 - Oreo's collab with Coca-Cola18:49 - Oreo's approach to innovation21:14 - System1 testing on Oreo innovations23:40 - Innovations from around the world25:23 - The surprising Coca-Cola collaboration25:52 - Oreo's SuperBowl ad in 202428:34 - Winning a Cannes Lion for a tweet30:34 - Why is humour not used more35:37 - Oreo x Post Malone collab38:07 - Creative process for collabs39:02 - How to lead a $4.5b organisation43:57 - Advice to aspiring CMOs

Cadillac is an iconic American brand who are navigating the shift to electrification in the automotive industry and have partnered up with 72andSunny to launch their brand new campaign “Let's Take the Cadillac. So today, Melissa Grady Dias, CMO of Cadillac, and Marianne Malina, President of 72andSunny join Jon to talk about working with a new agency and launching their first campaign together.Timestamps00:00 - Intro03:53 - Marianne's background06:49 - How to manage a brand like Cadillac08:34 - How EV's are changing the industry13:53 - How do you change your marketing for EVs15:08 - Insights and inception of “Let's Take the Cadillac”17:56 - Developing the “Let's Take the Cadillac” campaign21:41 - How to launch a new car23:39 - Building the campaign for different formats25:42 - 72andSunny and Cadillac's first campaign together28:11 - Challenging the conformity in car advertising30:48 - Why brand is so important for car purchasing32:31 - Leading the marketing agenda inside a big org like General Motors34:24 - In car Cadillac Car-aoke35:22 - Melissa's song36:13 - Coolest feature about Escalade IQ38:37 - Creating a luxury experience39:27 - Choosing your car as CMO of Cadillac40:57 - Creating a premium vehicle42:53 - Thoughts on the Escalade IQ

Rob Mayhew joins Jon for bonus episode, talking about his big move to New York City, becoming a full-time content creator and how brands can work with creators like him effectively.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:39 - Why Rob moved to NYC04:20 - Rob's new YouTube show05:47 - London vs New York for marketers08:00 - Rob's approach to content in 202511:00 - Rob's view on the future of the social platforms14:17 - How System1's ad testing works17:27 - Rob's funniest posts on LinkedIn18:46 - Rob's process for making content20:16 - Any trends that are different in the US than UK21:43 - Thoughts on the creator economy23:09 - The Poppi vending machine backlash24:22 - How does Rob plan his content?25:18 - Different audiences for TikTok and LinkedIn25:38 - Rory Sutherland's TikTok26:48 - Power of B2B content creation

Rare Beauty is a brand built on the inclusive approach to beauty set by their celebrity founder, Selena Gomez. They've taken the US market by storm and so I'm speaking to their CMO, Katie Welch, about how they've done it. From strong positioning and making a difference in mental health across their customer base to growing a strong presence on social media (with a little help from their founder with over 400m Instagram followers), Rare Beauty is a wonderful success story of a challenger brand.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:50 - Katie's career background07:46 - How Katie joined Rare Beauty11:09 - The challenges of launching a startup beauty brand14:19 - The positioning of Rare Beauty16:21 - New guest host interruption16:58 - Being true to the brand positioning19:48 - Being a purpose led brand22:47 - Addressing the pressures of social media26:27 - Building the Rare Beauty brand on social media28:22 - How involved does Selena Gomez get in the Rare Beauty brand29:57 - The secret to a successful product launch for Rare Beauty33:00 - Dealing with the growth challenges of a scale up40:36 - Evolving the Rare Beauty community42:24 - What's next for the Rare Beauty brand?42:47 - Being an entreprenuer in a startup45:09 - Katie growing her own social accounts

This episode is a QSR masterclass. Ken Muench is the CMO of Yum! brands, who own Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. I speak to Ken about how he started the agency that got acquired by Yum! (The Collider Lab) and his journey to being the CMO of such a large group of brands. We also talk about how all CMOs within Yum! are encouraged to swing big to make impactful campaigns and drive innovation within their brands. Ken is also the co-author of "R.E.D Marketing: The Three Ingredients of Leading Brands" which breaks down why Relevance, Ease and Distinctiveness are essential for QSR brands.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:07 - Ken's career background03:44 - In-house vs agency creative06:39 - Taking bigger swings07:46 - The secret to the success of The Collider Lab12:06 - Food is fuel vs experience14:42 - Why Ken wrote the book: R.E.D Marketing17:29 - The R.E.D framework20:51 - How brands grow23:58 - Why “ease” is an untapped opportunity for marketers28:26 - The power of distinctive assets30:31 - Changing the Taco Bell strapline to Live Mas!32:52 - How Yum! brands approach innovation37:14 - How Yum! brands innovation scored41:29 - What happens when innovation goes wrong44:10 - Saucy by KFC47:47 - The innovators dilemma49:44 - Taking chances: KFC FCK campaign51:48 - Ken's favourite moments as Yum! CMO53:01 - How to be a successful CMO at such a large brand55:44 - What makes a great CMO

Marcel Marcondes is the CMO of AB InBev, who run the largest portfolio of beer brands in the world. Stella Artois, Corona, Michelob Ultra and Budweiser are all under the marketing leadership of Marcel. Through creativity and consistency, AB InBev have produced some of the most effective campaigns of the past few years, often topping out the System1 charts. This has led to Marcel and his team to win some incredible awards, including WFA marketer of the year (Marcel) and most effective marketer of the year by the Effies (AB InBev).Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:48 - Marcel's journey to running the biggest portfolio in the world03:51 - The global beer brands Marcel oversees04:27 - How to manage such a large portfolio of brands07:04 - Being the most effective marketing team for the past 3 years09:39 - The Olympics partnership13:08 - How important is creativity to deliver effectiveness16:35 - How to demonstrate the power of marketing internally18:10 - Why campaign consistency is so important for AB InBev21:25 - The most effective ad by AB InBev22:39 - Having 4 brands with Super Bowl ads24:53 - Stella Artois 2025 Super Bowl ad with David Beckham30:20 - Michelob Ultra at Super Bowl33:29 - Executing a campaign across platforms36:18 - The relationship with creative agencies40:07 - Marcel's advice to CMOs

I think one of the biggest problems facing us today is the amount of distraction in our lives. Social media feeds, unnecessary meetings, huge inboxes full of emails you didn't really need. All these things are grabbing our attention and taking us away from doing what we're supposed to be doing.In this episode I'm talking to Nir Eyal, who's the author of a brilliant book called Indistractable, which is all about how we can reclaim our attention to focus our energy around the things that really matter. Now, as marketers, we can have a massive impact on our brands and our business, if only we can focus our time and effort on the right things. So Nir is uncovering all the tips and tricks for how to do that and how to make sure you're more productive and less distracted.Timestamps:00:00 Intro05:12 What is the source of distraction07:06 How to deal with the internal triggers12:50 Turning your values into time 18:14 Multi channel multitasking20:06 Why we need to change meeting culture26:20 Building a culture of indistraction in an organization32:20 Imposter syndrome34:53 Our perception of our quality of sleep38:03 Luck is a belief set42:12 Marketers are bad judges of marketing44:06 Why successful people get more successful

The Super Bowl is the biggest advertising event of the year, with the biggest brands in the world flexing their advertising muscles (and budgets). A new entrant to the Super Bowl in 2024 was Pfizer, and they're back again this year with an ad that has blown the socks off the Pharma category. Their big game ad "Knock Out", scored 4.4 stars in System1 testing, also making it one of the best ads overall. I speak with Pfizer CMO, Susan Rienow about what it takes to create such a successful ad in the most competitive environment.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:20 - Susan's successful career so far03:19 - What Pfizer does and their mission04:21 - The Covid vaccine rollout06:29 - The role of insights for making business decisions07:36 - Dealing with the complexities of different audiences10:12 - Managing the impact of fair balance in advertising14:51 - The role of Pfizer's advertising17:04 - Why have Pfizer gone all in with a Super Bowl ad20:12 - The Pfizer Super Bowl ad in 202525:20 - What role does testing play for creating an effective ad33:31 - The role of testing giving confidence to the board37:39 - How tiny changes can make such a big difference39:15 - How to evaluate the impact of a Super Bowl ad41:22 - What makes a great CMO46:40 - Advice Susan would give to young marketers

Today Jon sits down with Benjamin Braun, CMO at Samsung Europe, for a fascinating conversation that spans from innovative tech demos to Olympic marketing strategies. Benjamin shares insights on Samsung's role as a 40-year Olympic sponsor, demonstrates the latest AI capabilities in Samsung devices, and discusses how the company balances long-term brand building with short-term sales goals. The conversation takes a personal turn as Benjamin opens up about his experience with dyslexia and how neurodiversity can be a strength in business leadership. From product innovation to marketing effectiveness in the boardroom, this episode offers a glimpse into the mind of one of Europe's leading CMOs and the future of consumer technology.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro00:00:50 - Why podcasts are now video00:03:54 - Samsung's approach to AI products00:12:21 - Showing Samsung's AI photo editing features00:15:20 - The Samsung Galaxy Ring and the health benefits of tech00:20:35 - The history of Samsung00:22:47 - How Samsung have innovated in TV's00:27:37 - Having products across all price points00:29:11 - What can marketers learn from being a Police Officer?00:36:17 - The mini max approach to marketing00:42:13 - Samsung sponsoring the Olympics00:49:18 - The best Samsung ads00:55:56 - How to be an effective CMO in a large organisation01:00:37 - Put your CFO and CEO in the shoes of the customer01:07:22 - How Benjamin manages his dyslexia as a CMO

Dr Karen Nelson Field is a multiple returning guest to the podcast, talking about her book "The Attention Economy: A Category Blueprint" which takes an in-depth look into the dynamic world of marketing and advertising, unveiling the pivotal role that human attention measurement plays in the present and future landscape.  In this episode we discuss the history of attention, how the platforms are manipulating our attention, why not all reach is equal, and, ultimately, what we can do about it.00:00 - Intro00:49 - Karen's new book01:42 - The history of attention03:20 - The case for attention04:17 - The difference between active and passive attention09:37 - Linking attention to memory11:30 - Linking attention to advertising outcomes14:12 - The concept of attention elasticity15:17 - How platforms are manipulating our attention17:51 - How to measure attention20:10 - Seen vs served25:22 - How is the industry progressing?27:21 - Is there a new metric we can use in place of CPM?29:10 - How to buy media based on attention31:25 - Karen's new course32:31 - How is Amplified Intelligence going

In this episode I'm joined by Allison Ellsworth, founder of the fastest growing beverage brand in the US, Poppi.Poppi was started as Mother Beverage in 2018 (a nod to the raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar used in the drink) but was rebranded after featuring on Shark Tank in the same year. Now, it's one of the biggest soda brands in the US, outselling Coke and Pepsi on Amazon. I speak to Allison about the journey of creating the brand, how influential TikTok was for their growth, their merch strategy and how they ended up buying a Super Bowl ad. This is a fascinating account of how a challenger brand can disrupt an industry in such a small period of time.Timestamps00:00 - Intro02:08 - Allison's experience on Shark Tank05:56 - Funding and rebrand of Poppi10:36 - Launching the brand during COVID11:06 - Outselling Coke and Pepsi on Amazon12:33 - How big is the impact of Shark Tank13:45 - Growing the brand on social media17:02 - The influencer and social first marketing strategy19:45 - How Poppi's marketing popup worked22:05 - Why Poppi invested in merch and launching in Target24:36 - Choosing which flavours to launch with Poppi28:04 - Approach to retail and growth29:27 - Breaking into a competitive market30:29 - Poppi's Super Bowl campaign35:30 - The journey from 2 to 200 employees40:18 - How Allison hires at Poppi42:05 - The hardest part of the journey at Poppi44:07 - How Allison would start a new startup today

Mr Bates vs The Post Office is a the most watched drama on ITV of all time. It's the extraordinary story of the greatest miscarriage of justice in British legal history, where hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a defective IT system. I speak to the producer of the show, Patrick Spence, to get a behind the scenes look at the drama, how it was discovered, how it was made and why the country rallied around Mr Bates.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:09 - The story of Mr Bates05:33 - Having the film commissioned by ITV08:59 - How true was the drama12:04 - How big was the cover up at the Post Office14:12 - How did this scandal happen17:21 - Why some people pleaded guilty19:36 - How has the show impacted real people22:08 - Why no one has received compensation yet24:46 - What awards has the show won26:24 - The reaction from Fujitsu and the Post Office31:53 - How has the drama translated globally?

Mark Abraham leads Boston Consulting Group's Marketing, Sales & Pricing practice in North America. He also launched and leads the firm's personalization capability. He has built some of the firm's largest ventures and AI platforms, including Fabriq Personalization AI by BCG X, a personalization platform that accelerates personalization.Mark coauthored the book Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI, which helps executives learn how to put personalization at the center of their strategy, accelerate growth, and capture their share of the $2 trillion personalization prize.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:49 - Why 2025 is the year of personalisation at scale01:38 - When personalisation goes wrong06:04 - Consumer data on our openness to personalisation07:48 - The $2 trillion opportunity10:08 - Who is doing personalisation well14:27 - The competitive advantage of speed and scale15:50 - How AI is driving personalisation forward24:15 - The 5 areas to build the framework for personalisation26:49 - How do you get information about your customer31:53 - What is the most useful intelligence to gather37:43 - How to make mass campaigns more targeted42:36 - Some of the barriers to personalisation50:19 - Why companies need to embrace AI53:25 - Parting advice to people on implementing personalisation

It's our annual tradition to bring Sarah Carter and Les Binet, authors of How Not To Plan, onto the podcast to discuss the hot topics of the year and what marketers need to know in 2025. We've broken this episode into 8 key discussion points, including why consistent advertising is so effective, why the era of purpose is over and another year of the advertising industry needing to remember they are not the customer.00:00:00 - Intro00:00:55 - Reflecting on the agency's year00:05:25 - Point 1: You are not the customer00:19:51 - Point 2: Ignore Price at your peril00:26:13 - Point 3: Consistency but not a lack of creativity00:42:08 - Point 4: Never forget the eyeballs00:50:48 - Point 5: Emotions aren't just about making people cry00:55:08 - Point 6: Is the era of purpose over?01:00:38 - Point 7: Don't just be in culture, stay in culture01:03:48 - Point 8: Don't forget the power of Out of Home

Ed Smith leads the Amazon mass marketing team in Europe. In this episode we talk about how Amazon create such emotional advertising, how they make such huge decisions in their marketing and what Ed thinks about consistency within the Amazon brand.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:48 - The top selling Amazon products at Christmas02:53 - Ed's career journey to Amazon09:08 - Amazon's sledging grannies campaign (age representation)14:49 - Why is Amazon's advertising emotional21:10 - Being consistent with your brand24:39 - How Amazon make big decisions28:27 - Managing the demand side of Amazon29:30 - Amazon's sustainability pledge35:12 - The role of influencers at Amazon38:56 - Culture at Amazon46:42 - Ed's marketing predictions for 2025

Uncensored CMO Reloaded. This episode was first published in May 2021.Rupert Howell is one of the founders of the iconic advertising agency HHCL & Partners. This is a bumper 2 hour episode, but I promise you it's worth it. We spend a lot of time actually talking about new business and the importance of winning pitches and growing customers. We also look at the campaigns that the HHCL created, where the ideas came from that inspired such iconic and effective work. And I think you'll find that quite revealing also how relationships are basically underpinned all of Rupert's success. Enjoy.We covered so much ground in this bumper 2 hour episode, so here's the list of what we touched upon:How Rupert made HHCL the best agency of the 90'sRuperts New Business Mantra – Honesty. Respect. Trust.Why saying ‘I don't know' and ‘we got it wrong' is so importantHow the agency's sole focus is Advertising but the Clients sole focus is the businessWhy new business should always be separate to the day to day account managementHow Rupert became ‘the finest new business director of all time'How to win a pitch even after you have lost itWhy the pitch process begins with the phone call and only ends when its announced in CampaignThe sole purpose of the pitch is to win and not to solve the clients business problemWhy HHCL had a strike rate of 65% for new businessWhat the company annual report can tell you for the pitch processWhy you should try and get your customer promotedHow Carling Black Label inspired the most successful Tango Advertising of all timeHow Tango destroyed Fanta and forced Coke to withdraw it from the marketHow a call from a Surgeon led to the Tango Slap commercial being withdraw from marketWhy the ‘4th Emergency Service' transformed The AA and how the bold idea was sold inHow spending time with an AA team out on a call led to the ideaThe importance of winning your internal teams and why they matter as much as your customersInterrogating the product until ‘it confesses its strength' Why the harder you practice the luckier you get is just as true for an agencyThe real hard yards of the start-up phase that meant not taking a day off in 3 yearsHow tabloids create controversy and how to respond to itWhy relationships are the secret to really succeeding in businessTurning down offers to sell the agency including a £1million bribeWhy HHCL accepted an offer from Chime with the support from Sir Martin SorrellWhy so few agencies ever succeed after being acquired by a networkWhy HHCL was never the same after Rupert left and why he would never go backThe importance of timing for Founders handing over to the next generationDealing with bullies, bribary and negotiating an exit from McCann with a boat & DB9 as consolationWhich celebrities are still speaking to Rupert after he left ITVWhy social media is driven by click bait and negative headlinesWhy you should give up the news, except perhaps local newsThe Pros and Cons of a British free pressHow to get a non-exec role

For a special Christmas edition of the Uncensored CMO, we've recorded a bonus episode of the Never Mind the Adverts podcast, featuring our good friend Orlando Wood. We talk about some breaking news, have some festive drinks and review some of the best Christmas Ads this year (yes, including that Coke ad). Enjoy.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:10 - The news03:53 - Orlando's Christmas Stocking Fillers09:06 - Drinks trolley12:38 - Review of the 2024 Christmas Ads16:45 - A break from the ads21:03 - Name that ad

Jess Myers CCO of The Very Group, returns to the podcast sharing the success of her role over the past year. We'll explore how Jess and her team navigates the crucial "Golden Quarter" leading up to Christmas, the importance of creative consistency, and the successes they've achieved by sticking with what works. Plus, we'll hear about the innovative launch of the Very Media Group and how their flamingo-themed campaigns resonate with customers.Jess also sheds light on balancing commercial objectives with customer experience, fostering collaborative relationships, and the unique challenges of her executive role. Whether it's optimizing holiday ads or championing a vibrant company culture, Jess's insights are sure to inspire.Timestamps00:00 - Start01:07 - Jess' custom merch for the podcast02:07 - Jess' review of the year at Very04:28 - From Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Customer Officer - what's changed06:17 - How marketers can thrive in the boardroom08:53 - Embracing “hun culture”12:35 - How important the golden quarter is for retailers15:46 - Why Very chose the run the same campaign at Christmas21:05 - Why short term is important in the Golden Quarter23:57 - Very's Flamazing Flamingos as a fluent device28:40 - Launching the Very Media Group31:03 - Launching House of Flamingo34:18 - Jess' learnings from the last year at Very35:45 - Making the most out of your agencies39:29 - Closing thoughts

In this episode, we're diving into a fascinating conversation with Sadira Furlow, known as the "Dean of Dopeness" at Tony's Chocolonely. We unpack Sadira's career journey from launching viral campaigns at PepsiCo to driving industry change at Tony's Chocolonely.We'll explore her admiration for Tony's authentic mission, their innovative approach to storytelling, and how they're reshaping the chocolate industry. Sadira also opens up about her bold career moves, the lessons learned from transitioning between major brands and startups, and her commitment to making a meaningful impact.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:37 - How Sadira discovered Tony's02:01 - Why Sadira is known as the Dean of Dopeness03:19 - Sadira's role at Pepsi; Puppy Monkey Baby and Mountain Dew13:06 - From PepsiCo to a fintech (Happy Money)16:03 - Making an impact in a product-led organisation18:24 - Writing your own redundancy case21:09 - Why Sadira took a 9 month Sabbatical23:51 - How Sadira got the role at Tony's28:11 - The commitment to being a change brand29:55 - Working with constrained budgets34:26 - The lawsuit for Tony's look alike bars38:27 - The Tony's advent calendar that caused a stir39:53 - Using fun and humour to tell a serious story42:21 - In house vs agencies at Tony's43:17 - Tony's collaboration with The Washington Post44:25 - Custom branded Tony's Chocolonely bars45:46 - The most successful campaigns for Tony's47:45 - Where does the brand go from here?49:55 - What has surprised Sadira most about the brand

The marketing world has been dominated by the recent Jaguar rebrand. It's split opinion in the industry with many criticising the bold new approach with Jaguar's move to electrification. Rory Sutherland may be best positioned to give his thoughts on the change, as a six-time Jaguar owner and behavioural science expert. Rory comes at the rebrand with a more positive spin, suggesting that Jaguar needed to make a bold change in the new wave of electrification to save it's dying brand, and many of the critics have never owned a Jaguar and likely never will. As always, chatting with Rory is a lot of fun with many uncensored opinions.

In the first of a two part special on one of my favourite challenger brands of all time, Tony's Chocolonely, I speak with their Chief Chocolonely (CEO), Douglas Lamont. Douglas is an expert in Challenger Brands, having previously led Innocent Smoothie for 15 years, guiding them through their acquisition by Coca-Cola and subsequent scaling. In this episode, we'll explore the delicate balance between maintaining a strong mission and driving business growth. Douglas also shares insights into Tony's dedicated efforts to eradicate child labor, pay fair wages, and maintain transparency in their cocoa sourcing, all while making their chocolate appealing and fun for consumers.Tune in next week for an interview with Tony's Dean of Dopeness, Sadira E. Furlow (aka their Chief Brand Officer), to find out exactly what it takes to grow a brand like Tony's.Timestamps00:00 - Start01:38 - Douglas' journey to CEO at Innocent Smoothies06:36 - Lessons on how to scale up at Innocent12:47 - Why Coke kept Innocent independent15:03 - Innocent's approach to launching new products21:52 - Why Douglas moved to Tony's Chocolonely24:22 - Tony's Chocolonely origin story28:29 - Why is Tony's chocolate so good29:42 - The B2B side of Tony's Chocolonely32:56 - Is it more expensive to be a change brand?34:03 - Balancing a serious mission with a fun brand35:53 - Why Tony's is so transparent41:48 - Tony's international expansion44:38 - Challenges of being in the biggest retailer in the US47:35 - Lessons as a CMO51:33 - Creating the culture at Tony's

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of digital retail and YouTube with our special guest, Sophie Neary, Retail MD at Google. We explore studies comparing rational and emotional advertising, uncover the power of YouTube in capturing audience attention, and discuss the vital role of creativity in ad success, even in the age of AI.Sophie shares insights from her extensive career, including her pivotal role in transforming Boots' digital presence and launching successful campaigns like Fenty beauty. We'll also cover trends shaping the future of retail, such as the impact of Cyber Monday falling in December for the first time in five years and retailers leveraging "Fake Friday" to boost profits.Additionally, we'll touch on the evolving dynamics of YouTube creators, the significance of emotional engagement in content, and innovative advertising strategies. Plus, we'll delve into the limitless curiosity driving the continuous evolution of Google Search and the role of AI in shaping marketing strategies.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:46 - Sophie's career history04:12 - Sophie's time at Jack Wills06:14 - Sophie's job at Boots09:26 - Top 2 retail trends from Google Search11:50 - How Google Search has evolved over the years18:12 - How to take advantage of insights from search23:10 - What Google Trends tells us about Black Friday29:51 - How retailers can go up against Amazon31:48 - Is YouTube going to replace TV?37:01 - Trends in formats for YouTube, short vs long41:35 - How YouTube empowers creators (Chicken Shop Date)47:19 - How advertisers can make the most out of YouTube52:36 - Advice on how to grow a podcast on YouTube55:00 - The greatest gift AI can give to humanity

In this episode, we're going to be talking about Compound Creativity, a new report by System1 in partnership with the IPA showing how being consistent with your creative compounds over time. I'm speaking with the author of the report, Andrew Tindall, who explains the core facets of the report and shares some fascinating statistics on the impact of creative consistency.And in a double bill, I'm also joined also joined by Dom Dwight, from Yorkshire Tea, and Vickie Ridley, from their partner agency Lucky Generals. Yorkshire Tea have been putting the principles of compound creativity to practice over many years and have been hugely successful as a result. So not only are we talking about the data, we're also talking about the practice.Download the Compound Creativity report here.Part 1  with Andrew Tindall00:00 - Intro00:58 - Launching the Compound Creativity report01:35 - Coming up with the right name for Compound Creativity02:52 - The building blocks of consistency05:13 - The value of being consistent08:04 - How compounding helps wear in09:25 - Power of fluent devices12:14 - Collaborating with the IPA for the business effects data15:00 - Don't fire your agency16:39 - The 5 most consistent brandsPart 2 with Dom Dwight and Vickie Ridley of Yorkshire Tea18:29 - Intro to Lucky Generals and Yorkshire Tea19:25 - Dom Dwight's history with Yorkshire Tea22:28 - Where did the “doing things proper” idea originate25:31 - Narrowing 17 ideas down to 326:19 - How to use celebrities well in advertising29:57 - Yorkshire Tea Ad with Sean Bean32:06 - Yorkshire Tea Ad with Kaiser Chiefs38:03 - How does the campaign work across channels42:24 - Key to a successful client agency relationship48:37 - The results of Yorkshire Tea's compounding creativity52:56 - Advice to clients to get the most out of their agency

Mark Ritson is back on the podcast for a review of the most read stories this year. We debate if Liquid Death is more than just water in a can, why Nike's focus on DTC was a mistake and what we can all learn from KitKat's perfect positioning. Recorded in a pub in London, expect some uncensored opinions from everyone's favourite marketing professor.00:00 - Start05:40 - Mark #5: Brand purpose doesn't need a commercial excuse14:13 - Jon #5: Liquid death article21:15 - Mark #4: There's no such thing as performance branding25:47 - Jon #4: Nike Winning isn't for everybody29:07 - Mark #3: KitKat's perfect positioning34:33 - Jon #3: Compounding interest, relationships and creativity39:55 - Mark #2: Why Liquid Death are running into trouble45:42 - Jon #2: Outrage is the new s*x in marketing48:32 - Ritson #1: Nike's biggest mistake52:44 - Jon #1: Airbnb's focus on brand

Chris Baker is an award-winning advertising and social change strategist turned entrepreneur. He is the Founder & CEO of Serious Tissues, a toilet roll brand that fights climate change and deforestation by planting trees with every sale. Over 1.2m trees have been planted in just three years. He is also the Co-Founder of Change Please, a coffee brand that has helped hundreds of homeless people off the streets by training them as baristas, and is available in 23 countries. Change Please was named the World's Leading Social Enterprise in 2018 and in Marketing Week's 100 Most Disruptive Brands in the World. He has spent 20 years working on the world's biggest brands including Unilever, Pepsico, Boots, Sky and Alpro whilst winning over 100 strategic and creative awards along the way.Find out more about Chris' book, Obsolete, here:https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/obsolete-9781399416658/00:00 - Intro02:09 - The premise of his book04:27 - Why Chris called the book Obsolete06:41 - Making positive change with small businesses18:32 - Being inspired by change brands21:53 - How to win against established brands27:03 - The advantages of purpose29:31 - How Chris started Change Please32:48 - Measuring the impact of Change Please36:28 - How change brands can be distinctive40:14 - Why Tony's Chocolonely are making an impact42:06 - Putting change ahead of profits47:06 - Applying a change mindset to other industries49:37 - Making an impact commercially and with purpose52:55 - How Serious Tissues started55:53 - The power of partnerships57:49 - Chris' biggest takeaway from writing Obsolete

Elfried Samba is CEO of Butterfly 3ffect. Samba immigrated from D.R. Congo to the UK at age 14 before rising to prominence in the Social media space through his work at global fitness brand, Gymshark.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro00:00:52 - Why Elfried Samba wears a hat00:03:49 - Elfried's dissertation on social media00:10:23 - The skills most in demand in 202400:12:36 - Elfried's early work at Gymshark00:21:11 - The challenges of scaling up00:26:23 - Elfried's approach to personal growth00:36:01 - How Elfried approaches finding talented people00:41:59 - Why Elfried left Gymshark00:49:26 - Scaling through influencers and community01:00:52 - Power of personal brands

Mark Ritson is back and has convinced me to record in a pub, talking about the top 10 beer ads of all time (while drinking beer) - what could go wrong? We break down some classic ads from Heineken & Stella, Super Bowl hits from Michelob & Sam Adams and round off drinking Britain's favourite pint.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:27 - The idea for the beer podcast04:16 - Ad 10: Budweiser08:24 - Ad 9: Budweiser10:43 - Ad 8: Heineken13:56 - Ad 7: Stella Artois18:30 - Ad 6: Corona21:46 - Ad 5: Michelob Ultra25:17 - Ad 4: Carlsberg29:10 - Ad 3: Sam Adams36:36 - Ad 2: Guinness46:05 - Ad 1: HeinekenTop 10 Ranking (with System1 Test Your Ad Report)HEINEKEN DANIEL CRAIG VS JAMES BOND (5.6)GUINNESS IN THIS TOGETHER (5.3)BOSTON BEER SAM ADAMS YOUR COUSIN FROM BOSTON (4.9)CARLSBERG THE SEAL (4.9)MICHELOB ULTRA MESSI SUPERBOWL AD (4.8)CORONA TINY UMBRELLAS (4.8)STELLA ARTOIS REASSURINGLY EXPENSIVE (4.6)HEINEKEN WATER IN MAJORCA (4.5)BUDWEISER WHASSUP (4.3)BUDWEISER OLD SCHOOL DELIVERY (4.2)

Kerris Bright is the Chief Customer Officer at the BBC. She was previously Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Media.She is a highly experienced leader, bringing a customer-centred, data driven approach to setting marketing strategy and executing with creative flair. Before Virgin, she held senior marketing positions at British Airways, ICI Paints and Unilever. While at British Airways, she spearheaded the development of ‘To Fly: To Serve', a new purpose for the organisation and a multi-platform campaign and at ICI Paints she transformed the company from a ‘multi-local' to global brand building organisation. After gaining a PhD in molecular neuroscience from the University of Sussex, she began her career in marketing as a graduate trainee at Unilever.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro00:00:26 - Why Kerris has a PHD in molecular neuroscience00:04:04 - Getting marketing training at Unilever00:09:56 - From Unilever to joining Dulux in crisis00:18:33 - How marketers can work closely with commercial teams00:22:12 - Purpose led campaigns00:31:36 - Lessons from Kerris' time in Private Equity00:42:06 - From British Airways to Virgin00:48:42 - Kerris' role at the BBC00:58:32 - The power of the BBC's editorial independence01:01:05 - Marketing the BBC01:05:20 - How the BBC makes engaging content01:08:13 - Kerris' advice to aspiring marketers

The NFL is one of the biggest sporting entities in the world and it's reaching the biggest audiences it ever has. So in this episode, I'm joined by their CMO Tim Ellis, and Glenn Cole, co-founder of 72andSunny, their agency partner. We talk about the secrets behind a successful 7 year agency-client relationship, how to consistently make groundbreaking, emotional work, and what it takes to create a leading Super Bowl campaign.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:43 - Tim Ellis career journey01:51 - How Tim met Glenn from 72andSunny04:20 - Secret to a successful client agency relationship08:21 - The compounding effect of a long term agency relationship11:51 - Helmets off strategy15:09 - You can't make this stuff up campaign17:40 - This is Football Country campaign24:41 - Growing the audience for the NFL27:22 - The Taylor Swift effect34:32 - The growth of flag Football39:30 - Growing the sport internationally42:35 - How to make a great Super Bowl ad49:07 - The power of emotion in advertising

In this episode, we're talking about one of my favourite subjects; innovation. And who better to talk about it with than Mauro Porcini, who's the Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo, who is also the author of “The Human Side of Innovation”. We talk about what it takes to make innovation that succeeds, and importantly, what characteristics of people can make innovation that works, (and he really knows, because if you've read the book, there are 24 characteristics that he talks about that are essential). Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:56 - The office of Pepsi's Chief Design Officer02:56 - How Mauro got into design07:01 - Why you need to focus on people when innovating16:29 - Why so many innovations fail23:17 - Hiring the right people to foster innovation25:42 - Key characteristics of successful innovators33:50 - How to inspire kindness, optimism and curiosity40:27 - Finding the balance in character traits47:58 - The ideal recipe for innovation51:26 - How to cultivate happiness at work55:10 - Fighting the dictatorship of normal57:00 - Pepsi Rebrand

Today I'm speaking with one of the most awarded creatives on the planet, David Droga, founder of iconic agency Droga5, and now CEO of Accenture Song, one of the largest creative groups in the world. Described by David himself as "therapy", this conversation spans topics from his start as life as a copywriter, how he created some of the most creative work on the planet and what it's like to transition from a creative to a CEO.00:00 - Intro01:58 - How David Droga got into advertising07:36 - Working at Saatchi and Saatchi Singapore12:19 - Pushing boundaries and making yourself uncomfortable14:29 - Moving to Saatchi London20:32 - Why David Droga started Droga525:55 - Droga5's first campaign for Marc Ecko31:23 - The first idea Droga5 presented: GE Olympics Campaign38:30 - Droga's Unicef campaign43:25 - Droga's Newcastle Brown Ale work46:25 - Huggies Super Bowl Ad48:44 - The Coinbase QR Code Super Bowl ad52:22 - Characteristics of the best CMO's Droga has worked with56:23 - What it's like being CEO of Accenture Song

In this episode, Antonia Wade, CMO of PwC, turns the tables and interviews our usual host, Jon Evans. From tax intern to marketing podcast host, we delve into Jon's journey through entrepreneurial endeavours at Britvic, through to being fired at Lucozade to finding a successful role in B2B at System1. We also discuss lessons Jon has learned from 150 podcast episodes with CMO's, agency creatives, founders and more.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:43 - Jon's journey from tax to marketing10:18 - Deciding if you're more suited to corporate or entrepreneurial life12:35 - Why Jon got fired at Lucozade17:15 - Traits of a confident CMO18:35 - How do you go from tax to research?25:21 - Why Jon chose Richard Shotton as his first guest27:10 - Lesson's we can take from COVID times30:20 - What makes a great CMO36:49 - Do emotional ads really work?39:44 - Favourite campaign that didn't perform well with System141:19 - Is winning a Cannes Lion worth it or not?44:42 - How important is purpose in advertising?48:37 - Is AI the saviour of creativity?52:35 - What has Jon learned about leadership from Uncensored CMO guests?56:25 - Who would Jon love to have on the podcast?57:34 - Happy 50th Birthday Jon!

Welcome to the 150th edition of the Uncensored CMO podcast. To celebrate, I'm joined by Orlando Wood, my colleague at System1 and author of Lemon and Look Out, with the legend that is Sir John Hegarty, iconic founder of BBH. Today we're talking about why they believe a creative revolution is necessary for the industry and why they are collaborating on a new course "Advertising Principles Explained" as the antidote.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro00:02:22 - Have Oasis created the most effective ad of all time?00:16:13 - What can we learn from the history of advertising?00:22:43 - The advertising landscape when John started BBH00:28:04 - The next creative revolution - Advertising Principles Explained00:32:32 - The scientific evidence for emotional advertising00:38:38 - Who is doing the best, most effective advertising today?00:41:58 - BBH work with Lynx / Axe00:44:55 - Why we need more humour in advertising00:49:32 - Advice to CMOs for selling in this approach00:51:44 - When does Advertising Principles Explained launch?00:54:42 - Campaigns that didn't go well for Sir John Hegarty00:57:11 - What role do planners have in the success of the creative00:57:33 - How did they sell in flat Eric to Levi's00:58:34 - How to challenge clients to think differently00:59:13 - What emerging trends will shape the future of advertising01:00:05 - What skills will the CMO of the future need?01:02:58 - What trend needs breaking today?

Regular listeners of the podcast will know how much I love challenger brands, and Gymbox are one of the best examples of a challenger brand really shaping up their industry. Rory McEntee is the Brand and Marketing Director for the challenger Gym brand, and is responsible for some of the most creative campaigns (which have often come along with a side helping of legal letters) that have really put Gymbox on the map.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:45 - Rory's marketing background02:27 - Rory's time at Paddy Power08:18 - Why Rory joined Gymbox10:11 - The Gymbox founding story14:01 - Reframing how people see the gym16:05 - Using your constraints to your advantage25:15 - Using every touch point as media35:11 - Being obsessed with execution39:27 - Forgiveness not permission with your marketing46:43 - Dealing with taking risks48:56 - Why the Gymbox culture is so important53:44 - How does the business of a challenger gym work

Rebecca Hirst is the Chief Marketing Officer of EY UK, a TEDx Speaker and a winner of Campaign's 40 over 40. Before joining EY and making the switch to B2B, Rebecca was Marketing Director at Samsung and working on brands including Coca-Cola, Schweppes, Kellogg's, Kleenex, Microsoft, IBM, United Airlines, Lufthansa and Star Alliance.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:54 - Winning Campaign's 40 over 4004:33 - Being a Ted Talk speaker08:01 - Rebecca's time at Samsung13:08 - Why Jon loves being a challenger brand17:08 - Working at Coca Cola vs Pepsi23:00 - How Rebecca transitioned into a B2B role25:46 - The power of compounding32:03 - How is B2B marketing different to B2C?37:36 - How to influence change at a large organisation46:12 - How EY became UK's strongest brand52:14 - Rebecca's advice to young marketers

Michelle Moscone is the VP of Brand and Content at GEICO, one of the most famous insurance brands in the US. Michele's career has spanned from project management at some of the biggest agencies in the world to leading creative at an organisation where creativity is at its core. In this episode we talk about why humour is so important for advertising and why we're so afraid to use it.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:08 - Michelle Moscone background and career08:18 - How Michelle landed at GEICO11:20 - Why are there so many characters in insurance?21:42 - When insurance goes wrong32:34 - Why humour is so important36:37 - Why are we afraid of humour?41:16 - GEICO's greatest hits49:51 - How to get the best out of your agency55:43 - Michelle's favourite GEICO campaigns

Greg Hahn is the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Mischief. One of the hottest agencies in the world doing work for the likes of Tinder, Tubi and Coors Light. Previous to Mischief, Greg was the CCO of BBDO NY. During that time BBDO was recognized as the most awarded agency in the world by the Gunn Report. It was also named Agency of the Year at The One Show, ADC and The Webbys multiple times.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro00:01:10 - How did Greg Hahn get into the advertising industry?00:02:42 - 14 years at BBDO00:03:52 - Getting fired from BBDO00:06:24 - From being fired to creating Mischief00:11:08 - The extraordinary cost of being dull00:14:11 - Why do so many companies play it safe?00:16:36 - Winning a Grand Effie with Tubi00:19:29 - The Mischief mindset00:26:21 - The opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea00:26:59 - How can you use you disadvantage as your advantage?00:30:50 - How can you change the context and reframe things00:34:10 - What would you do if you weren't afraid00:38:14 - How to make the best out of being fired00:49:24 - What Mischief believes in00:53:49 - How Mischief hires great people00:55:29 - How does Mischief stay sharp as they grow?00:56:29 - Choosing the right clients to work with00:58:55 - What's next for Mischief?01:00:10 - Hardest part of growing and scaling Mischief01:03:27 - Advice for starting an agency from scratch

Kofi Amoo-Gottfried is the CMO of DoorDash, the premier local commerce platform valued at over $40 billion and dominates over 65% of the market for restaurant delivery. In his role as CMO, he is responsible for driving growth and engagement across all three sides of the marketplace. Prior to DoorDash, Kofi was VP of Brand & Consumer Marketing at Facebook, having previously served as the company's Head of Consumer Marketing for internet.org.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:03 - What it's like judging a Cannes lion02:34 - DoorDash Valentines Day Campaign04:54 - Kofi's background08:56 - Starting an agency in Africa for Publicis13:41 - From agency to brand side15:13 - Kofi's role at Facebook/Meta18:11 - From Facebook to DoorDash20:23 - DoorDash backstory28:10 - Navigating through COVID at DoorDash33:24 - How DoorDash prepared to IPO37:23 - How successful have DoorDash been post IPO?39:12 - How DoorDash stay on top of innovation44:41 - DoorDash's Sesame Street Super Bowl ad48:40 - DoorDash's most recent Super Bowl campaign54:00 - In house vs external agencies55:51 - The culture at DoorDash

Greg Nugent was the CMO for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, one of the biggest events ever to take place. The entire world was watching as Greg's work came to life. Before working on the Olympics, Greg oversaw the move of the Eurostar to St Pancras, which included creating the world's longest champagne bar.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:51 - How did Greg get into marketing00:10:02 - Greg's time at Eurostar00:17:47 - The longest champage bar in the world00:22:43 - Becoming the CMO of the London 2012 Olympics00:29:49 - How the team was pivotal for putting on the Olympics00:34:13 - The importance of the legacy of London 201200:37:53 - Why the Paralympics became so prevalent in 201200:45:38 - What happened after London 201200:50:37 - From Olympics to Rising Pheonix01:01:05 - How to execute on big ideas - Magic and Logic01:16:35 - The power of persistence01:23:24 - Telling powerful stories about those with disability