Uncensored CMO

The Uncensored CMO was created to explore the good, the bad and quite frankly downright ugly truth about marketing theory & practice.

Ritson reviews the highest scoring beer ads of all time (down the pub)

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)

10-16
56:01

Building Britain's Most Iconic Brands - Kerris Bright (BBC)

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

10-09
01:11:15

How the NFL harnesses the power of emotion to drive record audiences - Tim Ellis & Glenn Cole

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

10-02
53:06

An innovation masterclass; how Mauro Porcini created a culture of innovation at Pepsi

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

09-25
01:00:51

David Droga on fearless creativity, founding Droga5 and becoming CEO of Accenture Song

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

09-18
01:04:51

Jon Evans Uncensored; what makes a great CMO and other lessons from 150 episodes with guest host Antonia Wade

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!

09-11
01:01:32

Sir John Hegarty & Orlando Wood on the next creative revolution

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?

09-04
01:06:17

A Challenger Brand Workout with Gymbox Brand Director Rory McEntee

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

08-28
59:34

Brand of the year CMO on Innovation, TED talks and what B2B can learn from B2C - Rebecca Hirst

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

08-21
56:11

Characters, humour & disasters: how GEICO changed the insurance game

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

08-14
01:02:16

The Mischief mindset behind the most creative agency in the US with Greg Hahn

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

08-07
01:07:20

How DoorDash built a $40 billion business in 10 years with Kofi Amoo Gottfried, CMO

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

07-31
01:00:37

Olympics CMO on Olympic glory and a Paralympic legacy

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

07-24
01:30:50

How CMO’s get a seat in the boardroom and not get fired - Chris Burggraeve

I often get asked why are there not more marketers on boards of companies? It turns out that only around 2.6% of board positions are filled by marketers, so I'm joined in this episode by somebody who really knows what it's like to be a marketer on a board, Chris Burggraeve. Previously he was the Global CMO of AB InBev, he's since been on many boards and has even written a book explaining the playbook for being a successful CMO on board.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:00 - Chris’ marketing background01:43 - What makes a great CMO05:08 - Making the case for marketing in the boardroom09:48 - How many CMO's have a seat at the table14:36 - Why every board should have a marketer24:06 - Is there a language problem for marketers in the boardroom?30:03 - Stakeholder outreach37:00 - What makes a successful board member40:00 - Skills that CMO’s need to retain a board seat46:26 - How to find board seats to get on49:44 - Chris transistion from large to small companies

07-17
59:23

From F1 to Manchester United: How marketing drives success in the worlds most elite teams - Ellie Norman

Ellie Norman has been at the top end of some of the biggest organisations in the world, having held senior marketing roles at Formula 1 and Virgin Media. Most recently, Ellie has been the Chief Communications Officer of Manchester United, one of the most high-pressure jobs in the world. In this episode I talk to Ellie about what it takes to drive success at the very top of your game.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:48 - Celebrating Southampton FC03:12 - Ellie’s marketing background07:29 - Virgin Media campaign with Usain Bolt12:09 - Why Ellie moved to Formula 115:12 - How Formula 1 owns the brand17:51 - The Drive to Survive partnership with Netflix25:59 - Moving to work for Manchester United29:51 - Goals for the CMO of Manchester United31:23 - When do people choose the club they support32:59 - What role does social media play for Manchester United35:01 - Dealing with scrutiny as a huge brand37:10 - How Manchester United work with huge sponsor deals41:39 - How do you do a great brand partnership47:59 - Ellie’s one peice of advice for marketers

07-10
49:42

The Marketoonist on why humour is good for business - Tom Fishburne

In this episode I speak with Tom Fishburne, better known as the Marketoonist. Tom likes to poke fun at our industry through his entertaining cartoons saying what we're all thinking. We recently had him join as as our cartoonist in residence at Cannes Lions, where he shared his experience through a cartoon each day. We also discuss some of Tom's greatest cartoons and why humour is good for business.Timestamps00:00 - Start01:16 - How Tom Fishburne became a cartoonist05:00 - Why is humour so important in the workplace06:29 - Going full time as the Marketoonist12:42 - Humour in the creative process19:21 - Outdoor ads22:30 - Discussing some of the Marketoonist’s greatest hits23:17 - IoT cartoon26:59 - Customer funnel cartoon33:05 - Shiny new things cartoon34:13 - Covid Cartoon36:32 - AI cartoon39:44 - The Marketoonist at Cannes42:37 - Day 1 Cannes cartoon45:39 - Day 2 Cannes cartoon49:31 - Day 3 Cannes cartoon53:46 - Day 4 Cannes cartoon54:25 - Day 5 Cannes cartoon57:59 - Jon’s own podcast cartoon

07-03
01:00:33

How e.l.f built a billion dollar beauty brand - Kory Marchisotto

Kory Marchisotto is the Chief Marketing Officer of e.l.f Beauty, a beauty company that surpassed over $1b in annual sales. They're digital first brand builders, taking the internet by storm and connecting closely with their customers. In this episode we talk about why Kory invests heavily in their brand, how every employee is a shareholder and why they collaborated with Liquid Death.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:15 - Kory’s background06:11 - Founding story of e.l.f08:39 - How do e.l.f make their products so affordable11:30 - Why e.l.f are investing in brand building15:15 - Staying close to your consumer19:44 - Bringing customer insight into the business21:23 - Staying agile as a large business23:43 - Where have e.l.f invested marketing spend27:28 - The e.l.f customer demographic30:57 - e.l.f’ x Liquid Death collaboration33:24 - e.l.f x Chipotle37:01 - The e.l.f culture and why it’s important41:00 - Kory’s advice to younger marketers44:08 - Why Kory shares her learnings so much on LinkedIn

06-26
46:52

How Gymshark built a unicorn with influencers - Noel Mack

We're again talking about one of my favourite topics; challenger brands. In this episode we've got one of the most successful challenger brands in the world, Gymshark. They're one of the original influencer and social media creative brands, growing to be Britain's fastest growing Unicorn. I'm joined by their Chief Brand Officer, Noel Mack, to give me the inside scoop on exactly how they did it.Timestamps00:00 - Intro02:29 - Gymshark Origins04:49 - How Noel Mack bet Ben Francis07:59 - What is a Chief Brand Officer?09:28 - How Gymshark do influencer marketing differently15:17 - Growing the Gymshark community20:38 - The benefits of being a newcomer22:59 - Working at a founder-led company25:36 - When Ben Francis met the Prime Minister29:09 - The challenges of scaling up fast37:21 - Launching the Gymshark flagship store in London43:22 - What’s it like working with Ben Francis?46:46 - Career advice from Noel Mack

06-19
50:21

B2B brand building in the era of AI with Jon Lombardo and Peter Weinberg

Listeners of have shown me time and again that you want more B2B content, so in this episode I'm joined again by the Les and Peter of B2B, Jon Lombardo and Peter Weinberg (previously of the LinkedIn B2B Institute). We discuss why B2B marketing departments need to put their focus on building brands rather than talking about product features, why distinctive assets continue to be an essential part of any brand, and we find out what the B2B boys will be doing now they've left LinkedIn.Find out more about Jon & Peter's new company here:https://www.evidenza.ai/Timestamps00:00 - Start00:49 - The Les and Peter of B2B02:34 - The biggest B2B revelations03:52 - Is B2B really different to B2C?06:28 - Determining buying cycles08:25 - The brand building opportunity in B2B20:05 - Why B2B companies need to create fluent devices30:48 - Why Jon and Peter left LinkedIn to start a new company33:37 - What does Evidenza do38:19 - Why AI-powered market research is going to be revolutionary

06-12
50:04

Cannes Lions CEO on the power of creativity, the creator economy and making connections - Simon Cook

Every year, the advertising industry descend upon the south of France to meet up in Cannes over a glass of rosé to celebrate the power of creativity. So I thought it was about time that I caught up with the CEO of Lions, Simon Cook, to discuss why creativity matters.The conversation ranges from how can you make the case for creativity in business while budgets are strained, to what you can expect this year from Cannes Lions.Timestamps00:00 - Start01:37 - Origins of Cannes Lions03:38 - The scale of Cannes Lions05:19 - Creative marketer of the year07:16 - State of the Nation research09:30 - Friction between agencies and clients12:47 - Jon’s two Cannes Lions with Lucozade15:15 - The return of humour at Cannes17:46 - Trends and themes for Cannes Lions 202418:39 - Will we see an AI category at Cannes?20:01 - Big names at Cannes Lions 202421:14 - Cannes for creative effectiveness, or just celebrating the craft?23:56 - Cannes embracing creators25:27 - Jon’s pitch for a low budget category27:57 - Advice on how to win a Lion30:20 - How Simon Cook got the CEO job at Cannes Lions32:40 - Challenges Simon has faced as CEO35:09 - Dealing with criticism of Cannes Lions37:02 - The Cannes Lions legacy38:06 - Simon’s proudest moment

06-05
40:43

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