Podcast appearances and mentions of mark ritson

What actually mattered at Cannes?More importantly...What should marketers do differently because of it?In this special collaboration between The Sleeping Barber, That's What I Call Marketing, and System1, we unpack the biggest lessons from Cannes Lions and turn them into practical advice for the second half of the year.Topics include:Mark Ritson & Byron Sharp's rare appearance togetherWhy creativity still beats optimizationAI's real role in advertisingThe rise of creatorsWhy memory—not impressions—is becoming the metric that mattersWhy audio may be marketing's biggest opportunityThe Q4 creative playbookIf you're planning campaigns for the second half of the year, this conversation is your roadmap.Chapters:00:00 - Welcome & Why This Conversation Matters01:20 - What Really Happened Between Byron Sharp & Mark Ritson05:35 - Where They Still Disagree06:15 - Why Consistency Is Marketing's Biggest Weakness09:20 - What Marketers Often Misunderstand11:45 - AI After Cannes: Hype vs Reality17:15 - Are We Already Bored of AI?18:35 - Brand Characters, Consistency & Memory23:40 - Why Audio Could Be Marketing's Next Big Opportunity31:30 - Why Radio Still Works37:20 - Creators: What Most Brands Get Wrong43:30 - Memory Is Becoming Marketing's Most Important Metric51:50 - The Q4 Playbook54:00 - Feels vs Deals59:00 - Why Great Christmas Ads Return Every Year1:00:30 - Final Advice for Marketers

What should marketers take from Cannes Lions once the presentations are over and the real work of planning for Q4 begins?In this special crossover episode of That's What I Call Marketing and The Sleeping Barber Podcast, System1's Andrew Tindall and Vanessa Chin join Conor Byrne, Marc Binkley and V to explore what the latest marketing thinking means in practice for brands, agencies and creative teams.The conversation begins with Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp's Cannes debate, looking at where they agree, where important differences remain and why marketers need to go beyond familiar headlines on penetration, distinctiveness, consistency and brand purpose. Andrew and Vanessa discuss whether distinctiveness alone can drive growth, why differentiation still matters and how the search for “new news” can lead brands to abandon creative assets before they have built recognition.The episode also examines how AI is changing advertising. Rather than removing people from the process, AI is becoming part of production, helping brands adapt and localise ideas more efficiently. The group considers Coca-Cola's AI Christmas advertising, PepsiCo adapting Lay's creative for Walkers in the UK, and why human judgement still matters. There are practical lessons on creator marketing, brand characters, fluent devices and staying consistent. Andrew explains why creators should be treated as creative partners who understand their platforms, not as interchangeable media assets.The discussion then turns to audio and radio advertising. System1 research suggests campaigns using audio can produce stronger business effects, support profit and penetration, and reduce price sensitivity. The group explores sonic branding, jingles and why radio should not be treated only as a short-term performance channel.Attention matters, but it is not the end goal. Andrew explains why marketers need to move from impressions, to attention, and ultimately to the brand memories advertising creates.The episode closes with a practical Q4 playbook for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas. “Salesmanship” may deliver immediate conversion, but emotional “showmanship” builds memories, demand and pricing power. The lesson: focus on the feels, not only the deals.CHAPTERS03:24 Ritson and Sharp at Cannes04:45 Distinctiveness versus differentiation06:00 Is brand purpose outdated?08:00 Why marketers struggle with consistency11:05 Turning theory into growth13:09 AI, creativity and human judgement16:10 How PepsiCo uses AI in advertising19:05 Why AI was quieter at Cannes19:55 AI avatars and brand characters22:01 Why marketers need to stay the course22:54 When did a campaign become a media flight?24:45 Turning Cannes insights into a Q4 plan25:22 The “Double Double” audio research28:04 Why audio matters30:13 What makes an effective radio ad?32:29 Why radio is more than a performance channel34:00 Storytelling and creating an audio world36:50 Should creators work across every channel?38:00 What System1's creator research found40:54 Is Q4 the right time for a fluent device?42:06 Moving from attention to brand memory46:36 Can brands be built through Meta and TikTok?48:49 Why brands need to appear early50:02 The Q4 marketing playbook50:43 Make people feel something51:52 Black Friday: deals versus feels52:23 Salesmanship, showmanship and short-term optimisation54:48 What marketers can learn from Amazon56:26 Feels, not deals57:01 Why brands should re-air effective Christmas ads58:00 Consumers do not get bored of good advertisingThis episode was created in partnership with System1. Find out more at system1group.com.Subscribe to That's What I Call Marketing for more conversations on brand growth, marketing effectiveness and creative strategy.That's What I Call Marketing is where marketers come for real conversations about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession.Hosted by Conor Byrne, the show features conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, authors, thinkers and practitioners about what good marketing looks like in practice.Listen, follow and find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.comConnect with Conor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbyrneirl/If you enjoy the show, please follow, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more marketers find the conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Ritson is back to talk all things marketing skills, back-to-basics brand fundamentals, the impact of AI on the marketing workforce and why he's tired of marketing's 'culture of bullsh*t'. Hosted by WARC's David Tiltman. Guest: Mark Ritson, Founder, miniMBA Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: Mark Ritson joins The WARC Podcast 02:33 – Ritson & Byron Sharp: surprising areas of agreement 07:40 – The Multiplier Playbook and the effectiveness “say–do” gap 09:09 – Ipsos x Ritson test: two‑thirds of marketers fail basics 11:28 – Marketing's skillset problem 15:20 – Fewer, bigger, longer: brand building vs short‑termism 18:58 – Why “idiot competitors” help smart brands win in recessions 19:41 – CreativeX data: 93% of big‑brand digital ads spend under $10k 22:38 – When performance thinking invades long‑term brand building 23:08 – AI and synthetic data: what will really change in marketing 24:56 – AI‑built marketing plans and a 60–65% cut in jobs 28:45 – Creator marketing, TikTok and the distinctiveness challenge 32:31 – The “uncivil war” in effectiveness and why debate matters For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday. Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcastsSign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latestBook a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe

Lieve FC Mediacircus-luisteraars,Jos en ik gaan natuurlijk helemaal John de Mol met deel 1 van FC Merkcircus, de podcast over marketing en merken. Mochten jullie meer houden van de analyses over Freek Jansen, Dick voor Mekaar en Studio Sport. We zijn in augustus weer terug hoor!Groeten, Jos en BasFC Merkcircus #1 – AI, merken en de influencerhypeWelkom bij de allereerste aflevering van FC Merkcircus. In deze nieuwe podcast bespreken merkstrateeg Jos Govaart en marketingjournalist Bas Hakker iedere week de opvallendste ontwikkelingen uit de wereld van marketing, merken en reputatie. Geen jargon of theoretische modellen, maar scherpe observaties, praktijkvoorbeelden en af en toe een stevige discussie.In de eerste aflevering staat AI centraal. Zijn jonge marketingprofessionals straks de dupe van kunstmatige intelligentie? Jos denkt dat de praktijk weerbarstiger is. Hoewel junioren juist nieuwe cultuur en frisse inzichten meebrengen, vreest hij dat bureaus door de toenemende druk steeds minder ruimte hebben om jonge mensen rustig op te leiden. De belangrijkste eigenschap van de marketeer van de toekomst? Niet vakkennis, maar aanpassingsvermogen.Daarna bespreken Bas en Jos een onderzoek waaruit blijkt dat het probleem van veel merken niet zozeer de strategie is, maar de organisatie eromheen. Goede specialisten zijn er genoeg, maar wie bewaakt nog de samenhang? Waarom beginnen zoveel marketingtrajecten zonder duidelijke doelstellingen? En waarom besteden bedrijven zoveel aandacht aan uitvoering en zo weinig aan onderzoek en strategie?Tot slot duiken ze in de opvallende keuze van Unilever om een groot deel van het marketingbudget richting influencers te verschuiven. Is dat de toekomst van merkbouwen of dreigen grote merken juist hun massabereik kwijt te raken? Jos legt uit waarom influencers absoluut waarde hebben, maar volgens hem nooit de basis van een merkstrategie mogen vormen. Grote merken vragen uiteindelijk nog steeds om groot bereik.Een eerste aflevering waarin meteen duidelijk wordt waar FC Merkcircus voor staat: actuele marketingonderwerpen, gekoppeld aan merkstrategie en praktische lessen voor iedereen die met merken bezig is.OnderwerpenZijn junior marketeers de verliezers van AI?Waarom organisaties belangrijker zijn dan nog een nieuwe strategie.Is Unilever te enthousiast over influencers?Wat marketeers kunnen leren van Byron Sharp en Mark Ritson.Veel luisterplezier! Vergeet je niet te abonneren op FC Merkcircus en laat vooral een beoordeling achter als je de podcast leuk vindt.

For years, Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp have been two of the most influential and most opinionated voices in marketing. They've challenged each other's ideas, debated strategy, and helped shape how an entire generation of marketers thinks.Now, for the first time in more than a decade, at Cannes Lions, they sit down together to answer a simple question: what do they actually agree on?From How Brands Grow and the 95:5 rule to distinctiveness, the 4 Ps, mass marketing, luxury brands, purpose and AI, this conversation explores the fundamental marketing principles they both believe every marketer should understand.There are still plenty of disagreements (and more than a few jokes at each other's expense), but this is a rare opportunity to hear two of the industry's biggest thinkers build a shared foundation for modern marketing.This episode is brought to you by System1. Download their creator effectiveness report here: https://system1group.com/the-creator-effectiveness-playbookTimestamps00:00:00 - Start00:00:40 - Teaser00:02:08 - Mark Ritson on Champagne00:03:42 - When did Mark and Byron meet00:05:36 - Why Byron and Mark are coming together after a decade00:07:25 - When Jon met Byron00:08:57 - Is AI more brand centric than humans?00:11:08 - Mark and Byron's criticism on their Cannes talk00:12:49 - The problem with academia00:13:45 - What do marketers still not understand about How Brands Grow00:18:06 - You are not the customer00:20:56 - Distinctiveness vs relative differentiation00:28:45 - Why we need to control all 4 Ps00:33:10 - The 95:5 rule00:39:20 - Why Byron doesn't like the term “Long Term”00:42:41 - The role of mass marketing00:46:40 - How to do mass marketing as a challenger brand00:53:45 - How long does it take to build a proper brand00:56:10 - What does Byron think of P&G00:58:47 - The power of distinctive brand assets01:03:42 - Why brand anniversaries are pointless01:04:40 - How luxury brands grow01:09:16 - The role of purpose01:16:58 - The dark lord of penetration01:18:17 - What pet name does Byron have for Mark01:23:17 - Closing remarks

Byron Sharp — Professor of Marketing Science, Director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute at the University of Adelaide, and author of How Brands Grow — joins us at Cannes fresh off his sold-out Bassey Theatre session with Mark Ritson (a thousand people queued to get in).We dig into the five fundamentals he and Ritson agreed on and, more usefully, where the industry keeps getting them wrong. Byron explains why mental availability is not the same as brand awareness, why “search advertising” was a branding con that confuses purchase availability with memory-building, and why your media metrics are lying to you about reach.Along the way: the retail-media gold rush (sorry, Marriott Media), the AI hype bubble he expects to pop, why Elsa buried every other Disney princess, and the “non-artificial intelligence” agent Ehrenberg-Bass is building to stop corporate AI from breaking marketing's laws of physics.A masterclass in thinking clearly about what your marketing money is actually supposed to do.Chapters:00:00 - Welcome: Byron Sharp at Cannes, and why impact (not academic prestige) drives Ehrenberg-Bass01:39 - The “two festivals” of Cannes: creativity awards vs. the serious fringe; the sold-out Ritson session04:03 - What's being sold to marketers on the Croisette — and the retail-media land grab (Marriott Media)05:26 - Fragmentation, monetizing inventory, and why ~80% of this year's AI vendors will be gone07:02 -The five things Byron agreed with Ritson on10:21 - #1 Mental availability — and the critical mistake of confusing it with awareness12:27 - “You overestimate your reach”: fleeting exposures and inflated media metrics14:19 - Why calling it “search advertising” was a disservice: purchase vs. mental availability15:27 - #2 Distinctive brand assets — why a logo checkbox isn't enough17:46 - #3 Consistency — everyone agrees, nobody does it18:50 - The “big idea,” category entry points, and the Frozen/Elsa problem21:42 - Inside the How Brands Grow executive program23:46 - “Non-artificial intelligence”: the AI agent Ehrenberg-Bass is building25:20 - WrapLinks:Ehrenberg-Bass Institute: https://marketingscience.info/Professor Byron Sharp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorbyronsharp/How Brands Grow Live: https://marketingscience.info/learn-with-us/learning-opportunities/how-brands-grow-live-for-executives

Today in the business of podcasting:Register here for the Podcast Atlas debut webinar next week!Tom Webster previews The Podcast Atlas, a new Sounds Profitable research report debuting at Vidcon that maps how audiences move across audio, video, clips, social, and newsletters, finding that vertical clips from platform-native creators drive podcast discovery for listeners under 35 far more than trailers or podcast ads.Richard Fawal, founder and CEO of Voxtopica, argues that mission-driven podcasters at nonprofits, universities, and government agencies are overlooked by the industry, and calls for research, benchmarks, and pricing that recognize their impact beyond downloads and CPMs.A global study of 1,262 campaigns from the Effie x System1 Databank, presented by Mark Ritson at Cannes Lions 2026, finds that campaigns using audio delivered 75% higher profits, 81% greater trust, and 19% more customer acquisition, with profits roughly doubling when audio is paired with emotional creative.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Day three at Cannes Lions revealed something unexpected.Coming into the festival, many predicted AI would dominate every conversation.Instead, another topic has quietly taken centre stage:Creators.Not creator hype. Not influencer marketing. Creator effectiveness.Presented by System1, today's Cannes Cut explores one of the biggest conversations happening across the Croisette. Marc and Vassilis reflect on another packed day at Cannes, including the System1 Stars of the Show event featuring Andrew Tindall, Orlando Wood, Mark Ritson, Les Binet, Adam Morgan and many of the industry's leading thinkers.The featured interview is with Andrew Tindall, Chief Growth Officer at System1, who joins us to discuss the new Creator Effectiveness Playbook, developed in partnership with WPP and TikTok.One insight stood above the rest:Most creator campaigns aren't driving meaningful brand growth. A small "brilliant minority" are responsible for the majority of the impact.The conversation has evolved beyond follower counts and engagement rates. Instead, marketers are asking better questions:Does this creator genuinely fit the brand?How do creators build memory, not just engagement?Why does emotion still outperform optimisation?What role do distinctive brand assets play in creator content?And how do we stop treating creator marketing like a casino?We also bring back another edition of The Buzz Cut, hearing directly from marketers around the world, including Lauren Anderson (Amazon Ads), David Tiltman (WARC), Reno from Nikkei, and Vinnie from Leo São Paulo, sharing what's capturing their attention halfway through Cannes.In this episode:Highlights from System1's Stars of the ShowAndrew Tindall on the Creator Effectiveness PlaybookWhy only a small minority of creator campaigns drive real growthWhy brand fit matters more than follower countPinterest's positioning around quality engagementWhy AI feels more like infrastructure than the headline storyThe latest perspectives from marketers across the CroisetteThe rosé can wait. Our questions can't.Chapters00:00 Introduction03:04 Insights from System1's Baoli Event05:54 The Role of Creators in Sports09:01 Pinterest's Marketing Strategy and Insights11:50 The Current State of Creative Effectiveness14:55 The Importance of Emotion in Advertising18:11 The Evolving Role of Content Creators21:03 Key Findings from the Creator Effectiveness Playbook25:21 The Role of Emotion in Branding29:08 Effective Briefing for Creators30:34 Understanding Distinctive Brand Assets32:17 Leveraging Social Devices in Marketing35:08 Insights from Amazon's Brand Activation38:35 The Evolution of Cannes Lions Festival43:11 Creative Impact and Effectiveness47:13 The Value of Attending Cannes Lions

Today in the business of podcasting:Register here for the Podcast Atlas debut webinar next week!Tom Webster previews The Podcast Atlas, a new Sounds Profitable research report debuting at Vidcon that maps how audiences move across audio, video, clips, social, and newsletters, finding that vertical clips from platform-native creators drive podcast discovery for listeners under 35 far more than trailers or podcast ads.Richard Fawal, founder and CEO of Voxtopica, argues that mission-driven podcasters at nonprofits, universities, and government agencies are overlooked by the industry, and calls for research, benchmarks, and pricing that recognize their impact beyond downloads and CPMs.A global study of 1,262 campaigns from the Effie x System1 Databank, presented by Mark Ritson at Cannes Lions 2026, finds that campaigns using audio delivered 75% higher profits, 81% greater trust, and 19% more customer acquisition, with profits roughly doubling when audio is paired with emotional creative.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Cannes Lions 2026 Day 2: Google's Paul Limbey on AI Transformation, LinkedIn Creators & Heineken's Bronze LionOn day two at Cannes Lions 2026 (Tuesday, 23 June), host Conor Byrne recaps a busy schedule at Brand Tech Beach, including an interview with Natasha Wallace to be released later in the summer with The Digital Voice. He doorstops Google's Paul Limbey, who warns against the “double shift” of giving top performers both day jobs and transformation work, highlights the rise of forward-deployed roles backed by major programs from Google Cloud, Anthropic and OpenAI, and explains his upcoming leadership fable The Frog in a Sock (out early July) about organizational constraints like workflows, approvals and pilot obsession; he also argues for product-minded scaling, better performance metrics for transformation, and repeated communication. At the System1 party, Conor discusses talks from Andrew Tindall, Mark Ritson and Jon Evans, chats with creator Henry about high-effort LinkedIn video, and interviews Jon Evans on going full-time with Uncensored CMO. Fiona shares Heineken Ireland's Bronze Lion wins for The Pub That Refused To Die, while Digital Voice street interviews cover AI, retail media, and creators seeking long-term brand partnerships.00:00 Day Two Kickoff01:02 Paul Limbey from google01:28 Ending The Double Shift05:00 Frog In A Sock05:50 Scaling Beyond Pilots06:45 Performance And People08:07 Repeat To Lead Change09:31 System1 Party Recap10:35 Henry Hayes On LinkedIn Comedy14:45 Jon Evans Goes Solo20:54 Heinekens Bronze Lion with Fiona Curtin23:19 Croisette Street Interviews Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's day 2 at Cannes Lions! Today we're talking all things effectiveness with new research from Effie, EOS Products shares how it became a marketing effectiveness leader, we review 'effectiveness frenemies' session starring Byron Sharp vs Mark Ritson, and discuss new data on influencer effectiveness based on new data from Circana. Hosted by WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin. The WARC Podcast in Cannes is sponsored by Circana. Download the latest insights today at circana.com/warc.   For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.  Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here:  https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts Sign up to daily WARC News for free:   https://www.warc.com/en/latest Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe

This episode has been presented by System1.What happens when Byron Sharp, Mark Ritson, System1, creators, AI, and Cannes Lions all collide on Day One?In the first edition of our Cannes Cut series, presented by System1, Marc and V unpack the biggest themes emerging from Cannes Lions 2026, including why creativity is increasingly being judged through the lens of effectiveness, why marketers may be spreading budgets too thin, and why some of the industry's biggest thinkers are converging on a surprisingly small set of principles.Along the way, the guys sit down with Vanessa Chin (SVP Marketing, System1) to discuss creativity, creators, celebrities, emotional advertising, AI-generated campaigns, and why happiness and humour continue to outperform serious purpose-driven work.They also hit the Croisette to capture perspectives from attendees, founders, creators, publishers, and marketers about the trends shaping Cannes this year.In this episode:Why effectiveness has become the dominant conversation at CannesDavid Tiltman's "Fewer, Bigger, Better" frameworkThe five things Byron Sharp and Mark Ritson agree onMental availability and why awareness isn't enoughDistinctive brand assets and why logos alone don't cut itWhy sophisticated mass marketing still mattersThe case against purpose-led marketingHow creators are becoming marketing "super touchpoints"Why funny advertising continues to outperform serious advertisingThe role AI is actually playing in modern creative developmentSights and sounds from the CroisettePlus: exclusive insights from Vanessa Chin and conversations with marketers attending Cannes from around the world.The Rosé can wait. The questions can't.In this episode:Why effectiveness has become the dominant conversation at CannesDavid Tiltman and WARC's "Fewer, Bigger, Better" frameworkThe five things Byron Sharp and Mark Ritson agree onMental availability and why awareness isn't enoughDistinctive brand assets and why logos alone don't cut itWhy sophisticated mass marketing still mattersThe case against purpose-led marketingHow creators are becoming marketing "super touchpoints"Why funny advertising continues to outperform serious advertisingThe role AI is actually playing in modern creative developmentSights and sounds from the CroisetteThe Rosé can wait. The questions can't.Chapters00:00 - Welcome to Cannes: The Excitement Begins02:53 - Insights from Industry Leaders06:06 - The Importance of Mental Availability08:52 - Distinctive Brand Assets and Their Impact12:09 - The Shift from Purpose to Emotion in Advertising14:59 - The Role of Celebrities in Marketing17:58 - The Power of Humour in Campaigns20:52 - The Future of Creators in Advertising23:48 - Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways27:25 - Conor Byrne, Exploring AI's Human Element30:03 - Alex, Insights from AI Central Media32:49 - Rachel Higgins, Connecting and Gaining Inspiration35:38 - Mariam Bebiashvili, Marketing Strategies and AI Integration

For years, Cannes Lions has been the home of creativity. This year, it feels like effectiveness is taking center stage.In this special Cannes preview edition of The Barber's Brief, Marc and Vassilis discuss what they're most excited to explore at Cannes Lions 2026.From the surprising reunion of Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp, to the growing influence of effectiveness research, creator marketing, AI, and measurement, this conversation explores the biggest questions facing modern marketers.The duo also shares details about their partnership with System1 and previews the conversations they'll be recording throughout the week with Orlando Wood, Andrew Tindall, Vanessa Chin, and many others.Plus, they break down one of last year's most creative Cannes winners: Hyundai's Night Fishing.In this episode:Why the Ritson & Sharp reunion mattersCan creativity still drive disproportionate growth?What happens to creativity in an AI-driven world?Are marketers measuring the wrong things?The difference between Cannes' Palais and the FringeWhat System1 is teaching marketers about effectivenessHyundai's Cannes-winning film experiment, Night FishingOh and our theme this year? The rosé can wait. The questions can't.Enjoy the episode.Chapters00:00 - The Excitement of Cannes Lions 202302:57 - The Power of Effectiveness in Marketing05:55 - Creativity vs. AI in Advertising09:10 - The Importance of Measurement in Marketing11:59 - Exploring the Cannes Fringe Festival15:07 - Ad of the week: Hyundai's Night Fishing Campaign20:07 - Looking Ahead: Customer JourneysAd of the weekTitle: Night Fishing Hyundai - 2025 Cannes Lions Grand Prix Winner Entertainment Link: https://www.innocean.com/ww-en/work/recent/944

Teams are moving faster than ever, producing more content, running more campaigns, and optimizing everything. But without strategy, it's mostly noise.  In this episode of Frontier CMO, Josh travels to London to sit down with Mark Ritson, brand strategist, former marketing professor, and advisor to companies like LVMH, Sephora, and Donna Karan, to talk about the state of marketing, which frankly is a mess.  Based on new global research, Ritson argues that most marketers don't actually understand the fundamentals of marketing. In an AI-driven world, that's about to matter a lot more.  Drawing on examples from brands like Apple, Nike, Target and Walmart, Ritson shares his hot takes on who's getting it right, who's getting it wrong, and why brand building is still one of the most misunderstood and undervalued parts of marketing.  They also get into what's coming next and how to position yourself to stand out in an AI-driven marketing world.  No matter where you are in your career, this is what it takes to not get left behind. 00:00 – The Marketing Knowledge Crisis 04:09 – Has America Lost Its Marketing Edge? 05:31 – Why Creators and Brand Ads Work Together 09:24 – The Most Important Job of a CMO 10:13 – Strategy Before Tactics 13:08 – The Skills Marketers Need in the AI Era 15:43 – AI as a Marketing Superpower 18:10 – Walmart, Target & Great Positioning 21:25 – How to Build a Strong Brand Positioning 24:00 – What Founders Teach Us About Branding 27:19 – Mark Ritson's Biggest Marketing Mistake 37:18 – AI Clones, Digital Twins & The Future of Marketing

More than 40% of American marketers can't define positioning. And 84% of those same marketers rate themselves as above average. Both can't be right.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Mark Ritson, marketing professor, consultant, and creator of the Mini MBA. Mark walks through his new research with Ipsos on US marketing knowledge, explains why formal training is the single biggest predictor of marketing competence, and shares the one concept every marketer should prioritize. The conversation also covers market orientation, how AI is reshaping marketing careers, and what it takes to stay relevant in the years ahead.Topics covered:•    [01:00] Ipsos study reveals the US marketing knowledge gap•    [04:00] Why formal education is the top predictor of marketing success•    [08:00] Where marketers can find good training today•    [13:00] Market orientation as the most important concept to learn•    [17:00] How AI will reshape marketing careers and roles•    [24:00] Byron Sharp and Mark Ritson's upcoming Cannes Lions session•    [27:00] What the rise of AI means for the agency worldTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.Resources:2025 Adweek Article: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/two-thirds-of-american-marketers-would-fail-a-basic-marketing-test/Mark Ritson's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markritson/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Most marketers believe brand purpose drives growth.The data says otherwise.In this episode of The Sharp Cut, we take on one of marketing's most widely accepted ideas and put it under a microscope. Drawing on research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Peter Field's IPA databank analysis, and perspectives from Mark Ritson and Roger Martin, we unpack a simple but uncomfortable truth:Brand purpose works… rarely.We explore why purpose has become so dominant despite weak commercial evidence, how industry incentives have turned it into a “comfort blanket,” and why the outliers like Patagonia and Dove don't translate to most brands.Along the way, we break down:The “say–do gap” between what consumers claim and how they actually buyWhy most purpose strategies show little to no impact on market shareThe hidden downside of poorly executed purpose campaignsHow purpose often replaces the harder work of real positioningThe three conditions required for purpose to actually work (and why most brands don't meet them)This is not a takedown for the sake of it. It's a reframing.Because the real question isn't whether purpose is good or bad.It's whether your organization has earned the right to use it.If not, you may be trading growth for a story that simply sounds good.Enjoy the show!TakeawaysConsumers often express a desire for brands with purpose, but this doesn't always translate to purchasing behavior.Brand purpose has become an unfalsifiable idea in marketing, often lacking robust evidence.The say-do gap highlights the difference between consumer sentiment and actual buying decisions.Purpose campaigns can generate emotional engagement but may not lead to increased market share.Most brands adopting purpose strategies do not see meaningful commercial outcomes.The effectiveness of purpose campaigns varies significantly based on execution quality.Patagonia and Dove are often cited as successful purpose-driven brands, but their models are not easily replicable.Real purpose requires genuine commitment and often involves sacrifices.Purpose can enhance employee satisfaction and brand loyalty, but it is not a direct marketing strategy.The industry often conflates purpose with marketing effectiveness, leading to misconceptions about its value.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction02:29 - The Evolution of Purpose in Marketing06:31 - Research Findings on Brand Purpose10:51 - The Complexity of Purpose Campaigns14:40 - The Outlier Problem: Patagonia and Dove20:00 - Understanding the Value of Purpose23:16 - Conclusion: The Reality of Brand PurposeReferencesTait, V., Beal, V., Dawes, J., & Sharp, B. (2025). Brand purpose awareness: Evidence from 14 leading purpose brands. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science.Dawes, J., Tait, V., Beal, V., & Sharp, B. (2026, March 31). Does having a brand purpose actually lead to growth? Marketing Week. https://www.marketingweek.com/purpose-brands-actually-grown/Ritson, M. (2022, January 19). Good purpose, bad purpose: Marketers shouldn't oversimplify the arguments. Marketing Week. https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-good-purpose-bad-purpose/Ritson, M. (2019). Brand purpose doesn't require a commercial excuse. Marketing Week. https://www.marketingweek.com/ritson-brand-purpose-commercial-excuse/Ritson, M. (2019). A true brand purpose doesn't boost profit, it sacrifices it. Marketing Week. https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-true-brand-purpose-doesnt-boost-profit-sacrifices/Field, P. (2021, October). The effectiveness of brand purpose [Conference presentation]. IPA EffWorks Global 2021. https://ipa.co.uk/news/power-of-brand-purposeShotton, R. (2021). Critique of IPA purpose methodology. Twitter/LinkedIn commentary, October 2021. As reported in The Drum, 14 October 2021.Field, P. (2019). The crisis in creative effectiveness. IPA / WARC. https://ipa.co.uk/knowledge/publications-reports/the-crisis-in-creative-effectivenessSharp, B. (2010). How brands grow. Oxford University Press.Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why. Portfolio/Penguin.

In aflevering 224 van FC Mediacircus vliegen de onderwerpen weer alle kanten op, maar we hebben weer wat antwoorden paraat. We openen met een gelijkspel op het tennisveld en Jos die aanschuift bij marketinggoeroe Mark Ritson (want daar wordt hij blij van). Na de intro bellen we direct met Rob Jansen. Bouwt hij stiekem aan een media-imperium? En hoe zou zijn ultieme club eruitzien als hij het op marketinggebied voor het zeggen had?Daarna duiken we in een stevige stelling: heeft het vrouwenvoetbal niet wat vaker een echte start-up-mentaliteit nodig? Vanuit lef en ondernemerschap kijken we naar de kansen én de obstakels binnen de sport liggen. En rustig bouwen. Ook AZ komt voorbij, want in Alkmaar liggen ambitie en grootheidswaanzin soms gevaarlijk dicht bij elkaar. Een beetje flauw want die wijs...leuke directeur van AZ was prima op TV. Tot slot hebben we het over Steven Berghuis. Verfrissend om hem zo open en scherp te horen, al blijft de vraag: waarom kwam dat geluid niet tien jaar eerder? En Bas neemt natuurlijk weer iets bijzonders mee: Football Island.

Carlo Crocco ha fondato Hublot, Jean‑Claude Biver lo ha trasformato in un brand capace di resistere alla prova del tempo. A partire da questa storia, esploriamo il ruolo della differenziazione nel branding, insieme a Mark Ritson – consulente di marketing e brand management per alcuni dei più grandi brand del mondo e fondatore del corso formativo avanzato Mini MBA, nonché uno degli editorialisti più letti e apprezzati nel mondo del marketing.***Per maggiori informazioni sul MiniMBA: minimba.com***Fonti:- B. Weinstein, Timing Is Everything, Entrepreneur, 1 luglio 1996- V. Gomelsky, Edgy watchmakers' material links time and space, New York Times, 11 aprile 2007- T. Hulse, Jean Claude Biver: Sleep is like dying, sleep takes your life away, Wired, 21 maggio 2018- Marketing Deconstructed - Brand Management: Dropping The Stupid Stuff…, Australian Association of National Advertisers, YouTube- J. Trout, S. Rivkin, Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition, Seconda edizione, Wiley 2008- L. Bruni, Il capitale narrativo, Città Nuova 2018

Carlo Crocco founded Hublot, and Jean‑Claude Biver turned it into a brand able to stand the test of time. Starting from this story, we explore the role of differentiation in branding together with Mark Ritson – marketing and brand management consultant for some of the world's biggest brands and founder of the advanced Mini MBA program, as well as one of the most widely read and respected columnists in the marketing world.***More on MiniMBA: minimba.com***Sources:- B. Weinstein, Timing Is Everything, Entrepreneur, 1 luglio 1996- V. Gomelsky, Edgy watchmakers' material links time and space, New York Times, 11 aprile 2007- T. Hulse, Jean Claude Biver: Sleep is like dying, sleep takes your life away, Wired, 21 maggio 2018- Marketing Deconstructed - Brand Management: Dropping The Stupid Stuff…, Australian Association of National Advertisers, YouTube- J. Trout, S. Rivkin, Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition, Second edition, Wiley 2008- L. Bruni, Il capitale narrativo, Città Nuova 2018

Brandroad è tornato.Per la prima volta con ospiti internazionali ed episodi in doppia lingua, italiano e inglese.La terza sarà una mini-stagione per indagare l'oggi. Cosa significa fare branding adesso? Quali sono gli argomenti più caldi?Ne ho selezionati quattro.Si comincia con la differenziazione, che fino a quindici anni fa era tutto, poi è sembrata non essere più niente. Ne parliamo con Mark Ritson, consulente di marketing e brand management per alcuni dei più grandi brand del mondo e fondatore del corso formativo avanzato Mini MBA, nonché uno degli editorialisti più letti e apprezzati nel mondo del marketing.Passiamo poi alla riconoscibilità, che oggi è probabilmente il singolo aspetto più cruciale per il successo di un brand. Ne parliamo con Jenni Romaniuk, docente e ricercatrice dell'Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, autrice di molti libri e studi tra cui «Building Distinctive Brand Assets» e, probabilmente, la più grande esperta al mondo in questo campo.Attraversiamo la gestione di un brand, per osservare questi temi nel concreto e capire come agisce oggi un grande manager che ha in mano un brand iconico. Ne parliamo con Carlo Colpo, Chief Marketing Officer del Gruppo Lavazza.Infine chiudiamo con la creatività, di cui abbiamo oggi sempre più dati che ne dimostrano l'importanza essenziale per la crescita e il successo di un brand. Nel parliamo con Erik Kessels, artista, curatore e designer, creative partner dell'agenzia KesselsKramer, che l'anno scorso è entrato nella Hall of Legends dell'Art Directors Club Italiano.Benvenuti, questa è la terza stagione di Brandroad. E inizia venerdì.

Brandroad is back.For the first time, with international guests and bilingual episodes — in Italian and English.This third edition is a mini-season that explores the present. What does it mean to do branding today? What are the hottest topics?I've chosen four.We start with differentiation — once everything, then suddenly nothing. We'll discuss it with Mark Ritson, marketing and brand management consultant for some of the world's biggest brands, founder of the Mini MBA, and one of the most respected columnists in the marketing world.Then we move to distinctiveness, probably the single most crucial factor for brand success today. We'll talk about it with Jenni Romaniuk, professor and researcher at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, author of Building Distinctive Brand Assets, and arguably the world's leading expert on this topic.Next comes brand management, to see how these ideas work in practice — how a leader runs an iconic brand today. We'll discuss it with Carlo Colpo, Chief Marketing Officer of the Lavazza Group.Finally, we close with creativity — now backed by more data than ever proving its essential role in brand growth and success. Our guest is Erik Kessels — artist, curator, and designer, creative partner at KesselsKramer, and a recent inductee into the Italian Art Directors Club Hall of Legends.Welcome — this is the third season of Brandroad. And it starts on Friday.

This week, Cathy McKnight, Chief Problem Solver at Seventh Bear, is back to share her latest Bear Essentials research. This week, she and our host Ian Truscott dig into her post, "Your KPIs Are Measuring Activity, Not Impact." Highlights from their chat: The “Data Barf Binder”-  where marketing teams measure activity, not impact. Investing in employee communications leads to better outcomes. Awareness metrics can only be useful if connected to outcomes. Quality and context are more important than quantity in content. OKRs help align marketing efforts with business objectives. They also discuss Cathy's podcast, Uncharted Journey, which is currently on hiatus, which shares stories of successful women in marketing.  Ian then joins Robert Rose in the virtual bar, The Rose & Rockstar, for a classic cocktail and a chat, and Robert shares his view on a recent article in AdWeek by Mark Ritson about Anthropic's report on AI's impact on the labor market.  If you have any comments or thoughts on this topic, we would love to hear them! Enjoy! — The Links The people: Ian Truscott on LinkedIn  Cathy McKnight on LinkedIn Robert Rose on LinkedIn Mentioned this week: Uncharted Journey | Podcast Bear Essentials: Your KPIs Are Measuring Activity, Not Impact This Old Marketing - AI Can Now Do Marketing. Now What? (523) Mark Ritson on AdWeek 65% of Marketing Jobs May Not Survive AI Robert's newsletter: Lens, his websites, robertrose.net and seventhbear.com Rockstar CMO: The Beat Newsletter that we send every Monday Rockstar CMO on the web and LinkedIn Previous episodes and all the show notes: Rockstar CMO FM. Track List: We'll be right back by Stienski & Mass Media on YouTube Piano Music is by Johnny Easton, shared under a Creative Commons license You can listen to this on all good podcast platforms, like Apple, Amazon, and Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On 18th February, Commercial Radio & Audio held its 2026 HEARD Conference at Sydney's International Convention Centre. Steve Ahern was there for RadioToday, he tells Jen Seyderhelm what he thought. We also share some audio from the conference of Mark Ritson, Lara Thom and breakfast radio stars. This week it’s a HEARD special as Commercial Radio and Audio held their annual audio showcase. I’ll catch up with Steve Ahern in a moment who was there for a reflection on the event, and later the National Radio Airplay Chart song of the week. Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) unveiled its industry roadmap at the annual audio showcase event HEARD, with Australia's commercial networks uniting to deliver what agencies and advertisers have asked for: frictionless access to audio's growing reach and proven effectiveness. For more on the event Steve Ahern joins me. Our conference reports: https://radiotoday.com.au/audio-the-campaign-catalyst-for-brand-growth-2026-heard-conference/ https://radiotoday.com.au/ad-campaigns-that-invest-in-audio-are-more-effective-mark-ritson-at-heard26/ https://radiotoday.com.au/ad-campaigns-with-regional-audio-are-33-more-effective-heard-conference/ The RCS National Radio Airplay Chart Song of week this week takes us 100 times around the sun with Guy Sebastian. It debuted at #31 on the Chart with 239 spins across 23 stations. Don't forget to enter the Australian Audio Awards. Closing date is approaching fast! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we're joined by the brilliant Mark Ritson - marketing professor, columnist and founder of the MiniMBA in Marketing. We talk about the underestimated power of consistency in marketing, his “Bothism” approach to strategy and why insights from B2C marketing also work in B2B. 

When a profession brags about its ability to operate without formal training, you know you have a vanity problem. Founder of the MiniMBA, marketing professor and not-actually-that-angry columnist Mark Ritson joins the Looking Outside podcast to reiterate the central role of marketing in business – to understand the other. Marketers today have a branding problem, making it about themselves, the glitz and the awards, and Mark says this is all imposter syndrome stemming from lack of formal training. Empathy is foundational to marketing and is so needed in organizations distracted with short term priorities and obsessed with a narrative of constant change. And it can be a powerful unlocker of transformative ideas (like saving abandoned dogs).---Learn more:Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.comConnect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.comConnect with Mark on LinkedInLearn more about Mark www.marketingritson.com & read his Adweek columns Learn more about the MiniMBA---⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!---Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.All views are that of the host and guests and don't necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Azteca X.

After collaborating with Worldwide Partners on the Confessions of a CMO report (the anonymous report asking top tier CMOs what they really think about the state of the role), I thought I'd team up with the world's most opinionated professor to discuss some of the comments. We talk tenure, politics, management and more.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:04 - How the Uncensored CMO started02:41 - How Confessions of a CMO originated03:44 - The CMO tenure data06:35 - Why the CMO role isn't dead, it's just changing12:02 - The real 4 Ps of a CMO18:57 - Becoming the Chief Mood Officer22:16 - Why marketing needs to provide the meaning for the business27:04 - Why CMOs need to combine data and storytelling28:38 - Why CMOs need to create momentum40:53 - Were there any surprises from the report?About Worldwide Partners:Worldwide Partners, Inc. (WPI), the world's most collaborative agency network, enables growth through access, flexibility and partnership. With over 90 independent agencies in more than 50 countries, and experience in over 90 industry verticals, Worldwide Partners serves as a hub that harnesses the talent, expertise and diversified capabilities of the agencies within our network to reimagine growth for both brands and agencies.

We're closing out 2025 with a highlight reel from Season 6 of JUST Branding. This year we sat down with some serious heavy hitters, including Mark Ritson, Rory Sutherland, Marty Neumeier (round two), David Aaker (round two), Laura Ries, plus guests like Simon Dixon (DixonBaxi), Michael Bungay Stanier, Jay Clouse, and more. In this best of episode, Jacob and Matt pull the sharpest clips, biggest lessons, and most repeated themes that matter if you're building a brand that lasts. What you'll hear in this episode Branding basics that still win: meaning, relevance, relationshipsPositioning that actually works (and why “positioning” isn't the goal)Strategic enemies and the power of contrastLeadership and alignment (yes, including the uncomfortable honesty)Culture as brand, not a side projectCustomer truth and the discipline of saying “not everyone”Problem framing and why the first answer is rarely the bestBrand fame vs hype and playing the long gameExecution realities, including SEO getting tougher in an AI driven worldCommunity vs audience, and what participation really costs Featured clips in this highlight episode Branding earns its keep through meaning, relevance, relationships (Ep. 6.11, Simon Dixon)Positioning is not the end, it's the start (Ep. 6.05, Mark Ritson)One page brand strategy thinking (Ep. 6.05, Mark Ritson)Strategic enemy creates value through contrast (Ep. 6.17, Laura Ries)Leadership endorsement is non negotiable (Ep. 6.01, Steve Noss)Brand alignment requires honesty (Ep. 6.03, Brandon Coleman Jr.)Culture is the brand, internally first (Ep. 6.15, David Aaker)Brands need a real relationship with culture (Ep. 6.08, Cyril Louis)Go wide on problem solving, don't accept the first frame (Ep. 6.09, Rory Sutherland)Stay curious longer when coaching (Ep. 6.10, Michael Bungay Stanier)Not everyone is a customer (Ep. 6.11, Simon Dixon)Talk to your customers, find your core group (Ep. 6.02, Brandon Kim)Play drives innovation (Ep. 6.06, Melissa Dinwiddie)Hype vs fame, and why the long game wins (Ep. 6.19, Dan Cushing and Diego Borgo)Complexity happens for a reason, learn the client's world (Ep. 6.18, James Greenfield)Influence matters (Ep. 6.02, Lida Citroën)Be careful entering politics and bandwagons (Ep. 6.04, Jeroen Reuven)SEO is harder with AI, so brand matters more (Ep. 6.14, Mordy Oberstein)ABM works when sales and marketing actually align (Ep. 6.07, Jennifer Mancusi)Audience is not community (Ep. 6.12, Jay Clouse) Season 7 kicks off late January 2026. Until then, hit follow, share this episode with a brand builder mate, and if you've got 30 seconds, a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts helps the show reach more people.

As has become a tradition, marketing professor Mark Ritson is back to break down his top 10 marketing moments of the year. We talk fighter brands, the president, Amazon's grannies, deepfakes, mergers and more in this snappy episode. There's nothing more to say - strap in and enjoy the opinionated marketing professor dropping some clangers.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:32 - Mark Ritson's top 10 stories of the year01:55 - 10. A big year for mergers04:35 - 9. The painkiller vs the president09:42 - 8. Tesla's Fighter Brand Failure12:56 - Mark Ritson's advice to Elon Musk23:05 - 6. Amazon brings back the grannies (compounding)30:10 - Marketing Buzzwords of 202530:20 - Buzzword 1: Hyperpersonalisation30:54 - Buzzword 2: Onmichannel Marketing31:44 - Buzzword 3: Growth Hacking32:38 - 5: The great Cracker Barrel crisis of 202539:06 - 4. Starbucks and their positioning42:10 - 3: New CEOs chasing growth vs gimmicks43:44 - 2. Deepfake Martin Lewis and fraudulent advertising48:33 - 1: Maxi-miniflation

This week we saw multiple changes and multiple cup disasters for Segunda sides, another Segunda coach lost his job, it was home sour home as at the time of recording we have seen NO Home wins in any of the 11 Segunda games of the MD Racing Santander went outright top with a stunning remontada and CD Castellon showed us they are here to stay with a statement win in Riazor.  In Part 2 we cover Racing's remontada against Cadiz, the lack of home wins and the trouble it causes for Real Sociedad B and Eibar as well as the bizarre managerial situations at a number of clubs currently. Over on the Patreon this week we have a fan interview with Granada CF fan Mark Ritson and on the extra content tier we have a sliding doors special episode where we take a look at Mirandes, Real Oviedo and Amorebieta. ===== Want to hear all that Patreon content and get the show early and ad free? Why wait until Thursday? Listen early and ad free for as little as 3 Euros a month on Patreon or sign up for our extra content tier to hear the second 45 of the show, FREE TRIAL FOR 7 DAYS and then from as little as 3 Euros per month (billed in your local currency). On the link below;⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/spanishsegundashow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we saw multiple changes and multiple cup disasters for Segunda sides, another Segunda coach lost his job, it was home sour home as at the time of recording we have seen NO Home wins in any of the 11 Segunda games of the MD Racing Santander went outright top with a stunning remontada and CD Castellon showed us they are here to stay with a statement win in Riazor.  In Part 1 we cover the Copa Del Rey midweek disaster, Paco Lopez's Leganes sacking and the statement win from CD Castellon in Riazor against Deportivo La Coruña. In Part 2 (out Thursday) we cover Racing's remontada against Cadiz, the lack of home wins and the trouble it causes for Real Sociedad B and Eibar as well as the bizarre managerial situations at a number of clubs currently. Over on the Patreon this week we have a fan interview with Granada CF fan Mark Ritson and on the extra content tier we have a sliding doors special episode where we take a look at Mirandes, Real Oviedo and Amorebieta. ===== Want to hear all that Patreon content and get the show early and ad free? Why wait until Thursday? Listen early and ad free for as little as 3 Euros a month on Patreon or sign up for our extra content tier to hear the second 45 of the show, FREE TRIAL FOR 7 DAYS and then from as little as 3 Euros per month (billed in your local currency). On the link below;⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/spanishsegundashow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is modern marketing broken, and are you missing the fundamental frameworks that are relevant today? In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague welcomes back Mark Ritson, founder of the Mini MBA, to unpack why marketing has regressed despite unprecedented access to data, tools, and talent. Mark breaks down the misconceptions and differences behind "strategies with long and short impact," why the 95/5 rule should guide budget allocation, and how most CMOs are dangerously undertrained. He exposes the pitfalls of discounting, the power of friction in brand positioning, and the realities of growth that many leaders overlook. Packed with frameworks, brutal truths, and practical direction, this conversation equips marketers to build sustainable, profitable brands in a noisy landscape. What You Will Learn: Why advertising effectiveness has declined 10% over three decades despite AI and data abundance The critical difference between "Long and Short impact" and what brands actually need  How the 95/5 Rule reshapes budget allocation The profitability vs. revenue trap that derails most businesses Why price discounting is almost always a losing move, and how to reframe pricing  How to build distinctiveness into brand positioning through productive friction  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here. Mark Ritson Bio: Mark Ritson is a PhD marketer, celebrated professor, and founder of the Mini MBA. Over 25 years he taught at London Business School, MIT, Melbourne Business School, and Minnesota, earning multiple top-teaching awards. A former in-house consultant to LVMH, he has advised brands from Subaru to Sephora. His pricing research was cited during a Nobel Prize speech, and his prolific journalism has earned seven PPA Columnist of the Year awards. Now based in Tasmania, he focuses on the Mini MBA, writes for major publications, and continues skewering marketing nonsense with trademark wit. Quotes: "I think it's slightly worse than it was thirty years ago; we're certainly not improving. For all the talk of data and AI and everything else, when you see the occasional longitudinal data point, advertising is less effective than it used to be. We've slipped a little, not too much, but we certainly haven't made a lot of progress." "Retailers are selling the same stuff to the same people at the same time in the same place. Their obsession with price is because over the road, there's a competitor with 80% the same stock in the same places, going after the same customers. Price becomes this golden lever, and it's just something I never thought of before until I actually went in and started seeing it from the retail point of view." "All of the campaigns which are extraordinarily good at long-term brand building are also, with almost without exception, really good at immediately selling product. Long delivers short. You run a great TV campaign, it's gonna instantly start shifting product the next day as well as creating long-term changes in memory structures that might last for years." "There are 19 times more consumers outside the market than inside it. You want to spend 60-70% of your budget on the 95% so you're ready for when they come in later. The key lesson is it's usually too late to go after the 5% when they come into market, you need salience established beforehand." Episode Resources: Mark Ritson on LinkedIn MiniMBA Website  Nick Hague on LinkedIn World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Hoy analizamos una crítica contundente del experto en marketing Mark Ritson, dirigida directamente a los directores de marketing por centrarse demasiado en la táctica a expensas de la estrategia a largo plazo. Explicamos cómo, en un contexto de incertidumbre económica y tecnológica, muchos profesionales caen en un exceso de activismo y pierden la visión del consumidor, poniendo demasiada atención en el rebranding y en complejidades innecesarias del posicionamiento. También hablamos del desequilibrio presupuestario actual, donde se destina una cantidad excesiva de fondos al performance marketing en lugar de invertir en branding, a pesar de que la evidencia demuestra que el branding es esencial para la rentabilidad a largo plazo. Además, destacamos la importancia de la constancia en las campañas publicitarias, la falta de contenido emocional en la publicidad actual y la necesidad de mejorar los briefings que se envían a las agencias. Finalmente, dejamos claro que el marketing va mucho más allá de la publicidad, incluyendo elementos clave como la estrategia de precios. 📱 Selección editorial de Javier Piedrahita para MKD. ⭐ Si te interesa el lado crítico del marketing, comparte y deja tu valoración.

Less than half of ads are correctly attributed to the right brand after viewing. And it takes two to three years of consistent investment before a brand asset truly feels like it belongs to you.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob explore what it actually means to build distinctive brand assets. They dig into Mark Ritson's latest column for Marketing Week, break down the research on what makes assets memorable, and share why most marketers quit way too soon. Plus, test your own knowledge with a distinctive assets quiz.Topics covered: [01:00] What distinctiveness actually means for your brand[04:00] Why creativity and distinctiveness aren't the same thing[09:00] Why you need seven brand cues to boost recall to 100%[14:00] Brands that nailed distinctiveness over decades[18:00] Balancing creative freshness with brand consistency[22:00] How to measure if your assets are truly distinctive  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2025 The Drum Article: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2025/10/06/mark-ritson-we-know-what-distinctive-marketing-looks-now-let-s-agree-what-call-it Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

What happens when one of the world's most opinionated marketing professors looks beyond 2025 and starts thinking about the 2030s?In this unfiltered conversation, Mark Ritson joins Conor Byrne on That's What I Call Marketing for a fast-moving, hilarious, and deeply practical chat about what marketers are getting wrong and what still works.From pricing and profitability to AI and the Mini MBA, Ritson lays out the truths that most brands quietly ignore:

Mark Ritson is one of the most distinctive voices in marketing today. He's been a marketing professor at top business schools around the world for more than twenty years, won numerous awards for his writings, and he is the creator of the Mini MBA in Marketing and Brand Management with Mark Ritson — courses that have given thousands of marketers worldwide the knowledge to up their game in making better decisions everyday and the confidence to argue their case in boardrooms. Among other topics we discuss ...

Returning guest and everyone's favourite marketing professor, Mark Ritson, is back. As usual, Mark comes out firing with some no nonsense advice to all marketers. He talks about AI taking over his Mini MBA, leaving Marketing Week, why pricing is the most important P and some rules for creativity. Sit back and soak up the knowledge from Mr Mark Ritson.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:06 - Why Mark Ritson sold Mini MBA02:12 - Mark Ritson leaving Marketing Week04:19 - Jon's favourite AI use case08:07 - Will AI take over Mini MBA?11:38 - What marketers think is different to what customers think12:58 - Mark Ritson on that Sydney Sweeney ad16:15 - The Creative Dividend: what makes great marketing in 202527:45 - Why marketers need to be involved in the 4 Ps30:30 - Why pricing is so important (and why marketers should be involved)38:28 - The absence of strategy and what to do about it42:38 - What has surprised Mark Ritson most in 202543:09 - Why AI is being marketed so poorly49:58 - The power of synthetic data

Marketing budgets are a mess right now, says Mark Ritson. His solution? A simple, three-step system inspired by triple-cooked chips: spend 5-10% of revenue, balance long and short-term investment, and measure each piece properly.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob tackle one of the trickiest questions in marketing: how do you set a budget that actually drives growth? They explore Ritson's budgeting system, why marketers struggle to secure investment, and the frameworks needed to justify balanced spending.Topics covered: [01:00] Mark Ritson's three-step budgeting system[04:00] High-growth companies spend far more than 5-10%[11:00] The 60/40 rule and why most brands fall short[15:00] Setting measurement expectations for brand vs performance spend[20:00] How performance backgrounds shape budgeting approaches[26:00] Keeping unallocated budget for real-time opportunities  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2022 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/ritson-triple-cooked-chips-marketing-budgets/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

The Drum's opinion editor John McCarthy has recently signed up the biggest name in the biz to a regular column. Here you can listen to their first pitch meeting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this captivating experiment, we bring together ChatGPT and Claude to channel the thoughts and strategies of renowned marketing experts Mark Ritson, Byron Sharp, Scott Galloway, and James Hurman. This episode dives deep into hotly debated marketing principles such as segmentation, targeting, and positioning, the myth or necessity of differentiation, and the optimal balance between brand building and performance marketing. From exploring whether traditional marketing models are outdated to discussing the importance of mental availability and brand distinctiveness, ChatGPT and Claude provide unique perspectives by embodying famous thought leaders. You'll hear strong arguments on both sides, including detailed strategies for brands with limited budgets and insights on how AI is transforming the world of search. Is differentiation essential, or is distinctiveness the key to brand success? Should marketers focus on broad reach or targeted campaigns? How will AI reshape the landscape of consumer interactions and search? Join us as we address these questions and more in a compelling AI-driven debate. Don't miss the chance to see which AI delivers a more convincing argument and what real marketing heavyweights might think of their digital counterparts. Share your thoughts on who you believe was the better debater—ChatGPT or Claude? Tune in to find out.00:00 – Intro: Robots Debate Marketing00:47 – Why this matters01:32 – Meet ChatGPT & Claude02:22 – STP: Outdated or essential?02:52 – Differentiation vs Distinctiveness03:46 – Reach or segments?04:29 – What should small brands do?05:16 – Budget advice: Claude vs ChatGPT06:49 – Do great brands advertise?08:01 – Galloway vs Hurman09:20 – What to tell a CFO10:45 – Are you contradicting yourself?11:52 – Innovation vs advertising12:23 – €1M plan for challenger brands13:49 – Fame first, clicks second14:44 – How AI changes search15:56 – If you're not in the model, you don't exist16:24 – Final thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Ritson goes off-script to answer listener questions about Byron Sharp's view on pricing, agency upheaval, creators, AI, brand mega-deals and more with WARC's David Tiltman. Check out the video version on WARCs YouTube channel.

This week, we're resharing a top episode from the archive. Originally recorded a year ago, this episode features the one and only Mark Ritson and remains one of our most popular episodes to-date. Enjoy, and we'll be back with new content next week!This episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by professor, consultant, and columnist Dr. Mark Ritson. Based on his experience as both a marketing academic and practitioner, Mark shares his thoughts on the state of marketing effectiveness in the US, what we can learn from the history of marketing, and the importance of balancing research with active testing to discover marketing strategies that really work.Topics covered:   [04:30] What is marketing effectiveness?[07:30] Why Mark created the Mini MBA[15:00] How AI will change the future of advertising[17:15] Why marketers undervalue TV advertising[21:00] The differences between effectiveness and marketing science[29:30] Marketing fundamentals don't change To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2023 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/effectiveness-ignorance-american-marketing/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

We're back with another episode from the Croisette — and today, we unpack a busy (and very hot) Day 4 at Cannes Lions.Marc and Vassilis reflect on a standout presentation by Mark Ritson, who laid out three pillars for marketing effectiveness: fluency, emotion, and time — and challenged long-held assumptions about personalization, ad wearout, and brand purpose.They're also joined by Vanessa Chin, SVP of Marketing and Josh Fruttiger, VP of Global partnerships from System1, who share insights from their latest report, The Long and the Short Form of It (co-authored with Andrew Tindall), which explores how brands can build attention, recognition, and results through short-form video.Highlights include:Ritson's point: “Make fewer ads. Run them longer. Make more money.”Why distinctive brand assets matter more than your logoThe creative secret behind Corona's Cannes-winning eclipse campaignSystem1's forced fatigue study: why entertaining ads fatigue less and perform longerThe surprising absence of AI and personalization from the Croisette conversationThe myth of more = better: why 3,500 assets ≠ 3,500 ideasThe return of out-of-home — and what Super Bowl marketers can learn from itPlus, find out why entertainment outperforms even hard-selling tactics across both brand and conversion metrics.Stick around until the end to hear short interviews with Josh and Vanessa directly from the ground.Enjoy the episode!Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction01:12 – Recapping Day 4 at Cannes + why we need to talk about Ritson02:20 – Mark Ritson's 3 rules for effectiveness: fluency, emotion & time04:45 – Why we overvalue personalization and short-term refreshes06:30 – Creative consistency vs. fragmentation: 3,500 assets ≠ 3,500 ideas08:20 – The case for distinctiveness, memory, and emotional resonance10:00 – Interview: Josh Fruttiger (System1) on the long and the short form10:50 – How System1 + TikTok measured short-form creative performance13:15 – Entertainment vs. salesmanship: what actually converts?15:30 – Why lazy branding hurts attention — and what to do instead17:10 – What fluent devices and brand characters do better than logos18:30 – Ad fatigue is real, but good creative ages well20:00 – How to keep ideas fresh without losing consistency21:15 – Interview: Vanessa Chin (System1) on brand, storytelling, and Corona22:45 – The return of brand identity and emotional storytelling24:10 – System1's new out-of-home research and the future of Super Bowl ads25:15 – Vanessa's final takeaway from Cannes: sunscreen + storytelling26:00 – Outro: Thanks for keeping us in your ears

Do you think brand purpose is a tired idea that never truly had relevance in the world of branding and business? Or do you believe that having a brand purpose—and activating it in everything you do—is the most effective way to run a successful company?On this show, we've heard compelling arguments on both sides of the debate. So today, we're bringing together four thought leaders to discuss and explore one big question: Is brand purpose dead, or more alive than ever?Jim is joined by:Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer of e.l.f. Beauty and President of Keys Soulcare. Kory previously held roles at LVMH, Puig, and Shiseido before joining e.l.f. in 2019.Mark Ritson, former marketing professor, Marketing Week columnist, creator of the Mini MBA in Marketing, and advisor to a range of global brands. Lisa Materazzo, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Ford Motor Company since 2023, following a 20-year marketing career at Toyota.Sara Carter, Global Planning Partner at adam&eveDDB and co-author (with Les Binet) of How Not to Plan: 66 Ways to Screw It Up.Let us know where you stand in the Purpose debate—right here or on social media!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brands today have endless choices to communicate. As budgets are always limited, two key questions are What is the best combination of media? and What makes our creative effective? The answer is complex and therefore it needs very clear thinking and experience. One person that can provide both is my guest Dan White. Dan has a career that includes decades as an insights professional, another decade as a Chief Marketing Officer and a third one as a brand advisor. Dan co-developed BRANDZ, the world's biggest brand equity measurement system and his thinking has shaped the design of leading copy test and brand tracking systems. He has advised famous, billion-dollar brands on how to thrive and his summaries and trademark drawings which he published in a series of books and on LinkedIN are praised by some of MARKENKRAFT most prominent English speaking guests like Jenni Romaniuk, Koen Powels, Paul Feldwick or Mark Ritson.

Joining Shahin and Vinnie is marketing legend, Mark Ritson, Founder of the Mini MBA. From almost buying Kylie Minogue's house, to consulting, and building a global brand, Mark shares with us the journey of his Mini MBA.

Buckle up—this is our most unfiltered episode yet. Mark Ritson joins us for a no-BS conversation on branding, marketing myths, and why so many marketers still miss the point.

"There is an unofficial reason why pre-testing is so popular, and that's that clients work in very complex organisations with lots of stakeholders," says Martin Beverley, former chief strategy officer at Adam&Eve/DDB.Beverley joins the Campaign team on the podcast to discuss the efficacy of pre-testing and its contentiousness in adland: some say data can stifle creativity while others argue it's a sure method to improve advertising effectiveness.Marketing professor Mark Ritson said it wasn't divisive but actually a "no-brainer", that it's essentially infallible, and we now live in a different age of pre-testing. Beverley discusses this argument alongside Campaign editor Maisie McCabe and deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings, hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley. The team consider how creatives and strategists should look at the bigger picture, what certainty does for creativity and if pre-testing denies originality.Plus, at the end of the episode, Campaign tests the pre-testing, with Rawlings and Shelley testing their own ad ideas for Liquid Death using Kantar's Link AI early stage testing tool.Further reading:How do you solve a problem like… pre-testing?The Year Ahead for CampaignIs big data driving a short-term view?Troy Ruhanen: 'I wouldn't have taken OAG job if it was all about efficiency and smashing things'Former Amazon CCO Simon Morris appointed chair of new audience insight platform Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of The Barber's Brief, by the Sleeping Barber Podcast! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our Updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/ Follow our Hosts: Marc Binkley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/ Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:18 - Mark Ritson's Annual Top Marketing Moments 10 - 5 5:56 - How Small Brands Grow 10:18 - Mark Ritson's Annual Top Marketing Moments 4-1 15:41 - Chipotle Expands Partnership with Strava 19:17 - The Marketing Moment: Questioning the Growth Dogma. A Replication Study 25:49 - Ad of the week: Apple's Heartstrings 28:45 - Coming up next week. In The News Links: Mark Riston's Annual Top 10 Marketing Moments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk9ju-avzNo How Small Brands Grow Source LinkedIn - Author Julia Skinner Link: https://shorturl.at/Kwy9Y Headline: Chipotle expands Strava tie-up globally to fuel New Year's fitness goals Source: Marketing DiveLink: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/chipotle-strava-global-new-years-fitness-goals/736446/ Questioning the Growth Dogma: A Replication Study Ad of the Week Title: Heartstrings Advertiser Apple Agency: TWBA & Media Arts LabLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvnJhwIwqds Apple had introduced their annual Holiday advertisement for the 2024 season at the end of November, titled “Heartstrings”, and it's an unusually moving commercial that focuses on hearing loss and the hearing aids feature of AirPods Pro 2 (which happen to be hugely discounted on Amazon right now, if you're in the market). In the touching and family oriented commercial, a small family is gathered around a Christmas tree opening presents, and as the father reminiscences about his daughter growing up over the years, he gets a nudge from his wife to listen to his daughter singing a rendition of “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash, where he puts in his AirPods and is able to hear her clearly.

Why has America fallen behind the world in marketing effectiveness knowledge? And what can we do to catch up?This episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by professor, consultant, and columnist Dr. Mark Ritson. Based on his experience as both a marketing academic and practitioner, Mark shares his thoughts on the state of marketing effectiveness in the US, what we can learn from the history of marketing, and the importance of balancing research with active testing to discover marketing strategies that really work. Topics covered:   [04:30] What is marketing effectiveness?[07:30] Why Mark created the Mini MBA[15:00] How AI will change the future of advertising[17:15] Why marketers undervalue TV advertising[21:00] The differences between effectiveness and marketing science[29:30] Marketing fundamentals don't change  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2023 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/effectiveness-ignorance-american-marketing/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Brace yourselves. This week, we're covering a highly debated marketing topic: targeting strategy. Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by VP Strategy Dan Cleveland to talk about misconceptions around narrow vs broad targeting, problems with hypertargeting, and how CTV targeting is changing the game for TV advertisers. Plus, hear about a new targeting method Dan created with the help of machine learning, called Smart Targeting. Topics covered:   [01:30] Mark Ritson vs Byron Sharp on targeting[02:30] The cost of broad targeting[08:00] Brand vs performance marketing[12:00] Types of targeting for connected TV[15:45] Targeting on CTV vs digital advertising[17:30] Fees behind third-party targeting[19:30] How machine learning can help solve targeting  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast  Resources: 2023 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/ritson-sgementation-pointless/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.