Uncensored CMO

Today, Jon and Kory explore a simple but often overlooked skill: how to actually find inspiration.From brands like Tony’s Chocolonely to supermarkets, subways, and even nature, they break down why the best ideas rarely come from inside your own company. Instead, inspiration comes from changing your environment, staying curious, and being open to unexpected moments.If you’re feeling stuck, this episode is a reminder that great ideas are everywhere, if you’re willing to look for them.Get Uncensored Renegades every week:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480cTimestamps00:00 - Start00:32 - Why Jon is inspired by Tony’s Chocolonely06:45 - Why you need to look outside your company for inspiration08:35 - Finding inspiration in nature10:54 - The importance of changing your context12:56 - Getting inspiration in a supermarket14:33 - Getting inspiration on the metro16:57 - Why you need to be open to be inspired

Walter Susini, former CMO of Coca-Cola Europe, joins us to share what it really takes to succeed inside one of the world’s most iconic brands. From the enduring power of “Holidays Are Coming” to the role of jingles and distinctive assets.We also dive into innovation at Coca-Cola, including the lessons from Coke Zero and the failed launch of Coke Energy, and where brands often get innovation wrong.But beyond marketing, Walter offers a candid look at the political reality of being a CMO, a theme he explores in his book Bullsh*t Inc., an unfiltered guide to how companies really operate behind the scenes. Drawing on decades of experience, he shares why performance alone isn’t enough, how decisions actually get made, and what it takes to survive and succeed inside large organisations. Get Walter's book here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/BULLSH-INC-Unfiltered-Survival-Corporate/dp/B0G6PVDM11Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480cTimestamps00:00 - Start00:58 - Walter Susini’s career journey02:38 - Why Coke ran the holidays are coming ads for so long?05:51 - The power of distinctive assets for Coca Cola - especially jingles08:34 - Why Pepsi used Coke’s polar bear11:50 - What the data says about the Pepsi polar bear ad15:41 - Why Walter is a “Professor of Practice”18:10 - The failed launch of Coke Energy21:29 - Innovation in the drinks industry: launching Coke Zero23:32 - The sweet spot for innovation25:53 - The political reality of being a CMO34:00 - Why Walter’s book cover is yellow37:11 - Why Walter wrote a book on corporate politics40:29 - How to navigate the politics in a business42:27 - Why you can still be fired if your performance is great44:54 - Performance theatre beats actual theatre47:15 - Why decisions don’t get made in meetings47:57 - Why vulnerability and psychological safety are non-existent in business49:33 - Dealing with buzzword hyperfocus53:39 - How to survive the corporate jungle

Leadership at the top level doesn't come free it costs time, energy, and often the comfort of a predictable life. In this episode, Kory and Jon get honest about what it really takes to lead as a CMO: the personal sacrifices, the travel, the pressure, and the constant balancing act between work and home. From managing time zones on the road to the surprisingly powerful concept of strategic laziness, this is a candid look at what high-performance leadership actually demands, and how to make it sustainable.Get Uncensored Renegades every week:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480cTimestamps00:00 - Start00:39 - What sacrifices do CMOs need to make04:37 - How to balance work with home life06:36 - Managing time zone differences when you travel10:41 - How to apply strategic laziness14:15 - How to lead effectively under pressure from travelling

Last year, I sat down with Jaguar MD Rawdon Glover to unpack one of the most controversial rebrands in automotive history. Now, the car is real and I got a chance to ride around the test track in it.Joined by Rory Sutherland, we travelled to Jaguar’s HQ to experience the new car in prototype form. What followed was a conversation on whether this radical reinvention is genius or madness.We dive into the thinking behind the design, the disappearing trade-offs between performance and comfort, and why Jaguar is deliberately challenging convention. Rory brings his trademark perspective on behaviour and perception, including how to rethink “range anxiety” and what makes a product feel truly desirable.This is a rare look inside a brand attempting one of the boldest transformations in modern automotive history.Timestamps00:00 - Start01:10 - What has gone into creating the new Jaguar?04:00 - Balancing performance and comfort05:43 - The power of choosing conflicting goals07:51 - Why the new Jaguar is being tested on ice?10:32 - How close is the concept car to the production car?12:54 - Who is the target audience for the new Jaguar?14:30 - The design process of the new Jaguar18:41 - The Spirit of Jaguar Campaign20:46 - Why the metrics for electric cars need to change22:13 - Why the new Jaguar is a bargain at £130,00025:34 - Will petrolheads like this car?26:37 - Why electrification changes the paradigm of what’s possible30:47 - Rory’s pitch for removing battery anxiety33:08 - Why Ferrari and Lamborghini took different approaches to EVs35:21 - Will the new Jaguar be a Waymo?36:27 - How are Jaguar predicting demand for this car?36:41 - How will Jaguar predict demand for the car?37:57 - The marketing plan for the new Jaguar40:57 - Is the residual value of electric cars a worry?42:12 - Customisation options for the new Jaguar46:03 - What would Rory do if he was in charge of Jaguar49:26 - The decision behind the bold car colours

Getting fired is one of the most humbling experiences in business, and one of the most instructive. In this episode, Kory and Jon get candid about the times they've been let go, what went wrong, and the hard-won lessons that followed. Jon in particular has a story or two to share (including getting fired twice in 18 months), and between them they unpack what it really takes to survive and thrive in high-stakes leadership roles.Get Uncensored Renegades every week:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480cTimestamps00:00 - Start01:22 - What Jon learned from being fired twice03:35 - How not to get fired08:20 - How to understand your boss (so you don’t get fired)10:50 - Align yourself with the company, not just personal goals13:11 - How Jon got fired for the second time in 18 months16:12 - Are you the right person to work for a high growth company?17:50 - Be careful where you get hired

It’s not often you meet a CMO who helped build a unicorn from the ground up while creating an entirely new category. Steve Beckett, CMO of Zwift, joined as employee number five and played a key role in turning Zwift into the global sporting powerhouse it now is.In this episode, Steve shares how Zwift balanced performance marketing with brand building, deeply understanding the acquisition metrics while making bold brand bets, including becoming the founding sponsor of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. We also explore how the business scaled through COVID, the bold move to launch their own hardware, and the role brand played in raising capital.This is a conversation about what it really takes to build a category-defining company and why the best CMOs understand both the metrics and the magic.Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480cTimestamps00:00 - Start02:51 - Steve’s work with team Sky05:05 - Learning about success inside Team Sky07:09 - From Sky to employee number 5 at Zwift08:36 - How Zwift invented the indoor training category13:37 - The behavioural science behind Zwift14:51 - Has anyone turned pro from riding on Zwift?17:18 - How Covid impacted Zwift23:11 - Growing at all costs vs profitability27:28 - Whats it like working for a founder led startup29:50 - How brand helped Zwift raise money32:06 - From selling software to selling hardware34:14 - Why Zwift sponsor the women’s Tour De France38:09 - Advice on how to create a unicorn business