Uncensored CMO

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 Quarter28:40 - 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