Uncensored CMO

Here's my mini conversation with Orlando Wood, author of Lemon and Look Out where I ask him about 5 key insights from the new book:why it’s rude to stare and how the fixed gaze took over art and advertising whether you can actually build a brand online the serious case for humour how emotions capture our attention the surprising power of the finer details Listen to my longer conversation with Orlando: https://share.transistor.fm/s/9496c9ddBuy the book: https://ipa.co.uk/knowledge/publications-reports/look-out/

Orlando Wood is Chief Innovation Officer of System1 Group and Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. He is also a member of the IPA’s Effectiveness Leadership Group. Author of Lemon (IPA, 2019), co-author of System1, Unlocking Profitable Growth (2017), his research on advertising effectiveness draws on psychology and a study of the creative arts.Orlando’s work has influenced thinking and practice in the research, marketing, and advertising, winning him awards from the ARF (Great Minds Distinction Award), the AMA (4 under 40), Jay Chiat (Gold Award for Research Innovation), ISBA (Ad Effectiveness Award), MRS (Best Paper and Research Effectiveness Awards) and ESOMAR (Best Methodology).Orlando led the IPA’s Creativity and Effectiveness research for Effectiveness Week in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He has repeatedly worked with Peter Field and the IPA’s DataBank to demonstrate the long and broad effects achieved by emotional advertising, including the performance of fluent devices, a term he coined.Orlando is a frequent conference speaker and has been published in The Journal of Advertising Research, Admap, and Market Leader.What we covered in this episode:Why digital disruption means we need to start ‘looking out’His last book was a Lemon but it did rather wellHow Prof Iain McGilchrist inspired OrlandoWhat history can tell us about what is happening todayHow understanding the brain helps us capture & sustain attentionThe left brain argument for right brain creativityHow our culture lost its vitalityThe separation of writing a book during lockdownOrlando reads his own introduction to the bookIts rude to stare. How the stare has been used throughout historyHow advertising is starting to reflect art from periods of disruption & conflictFake news isn’t new. How the printing press created a publishing revolutionHow the industrial revolution created a loss of communityThe rapid rise of anxiety and the loss of humourThe different modes of attention and why they matterWhy we can’t see the wood for the treesWe watch what interests us and sometimes that’s advertisingHow emotion orientates our attention, encodes in memory & aids decision makingThe role of digital to support brand building ‘broad beam’ advertisingWhy brand building becomes more important for online businessesHow emotion drives more viewing of advertising in digital environmentsThe trap of using digital style ‘narrow beam’ advertising on TVWhat features in advertising holds attention and drives business effectsThe swordfish strangler called Wilford. Why uniqueness creates believability.Yorkshire Tea and creating connectionsPoking fun at rigidity and the serious case for humour What’s too silly to be said can be sungHow colour grading can change our mood and how effective an Ad will beThe pandemic and why we need a right-brained reactionThe story of a dog and cone and the inspiration for this bookLook Out for the book o Amazon and via the IPA’s website

Nicole is an advertising and media researcher with a particular interest in how to design effective advertising content.Her expertise spans advertising measurement, management and decision making, distinctive brand assets, brand performance metrics and consumer behaviour. She has published in international journals including the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, and the European Journal of Marketing. Nicole also has extensive experience conducting research projects for the Institute’s sponsors across industries and markets, and regularly presents seminars and workshops on various marketing topics.What we covered in this episode:Why Marketers are not good judges of advertisingMarketing departments are not better than a coin tossIntermediate campaign variables don’t often correlate to salesWhy experience doesn’t make you any better at spotting winnersThe importance of distinctive assetsWhy characters are a dying art formWhy we all need to be a little more ChurchillThe case for not changing the creativeWhat happens when brands stop advertisingAlcohol, babies, pet food & PandemicsWhy scale matters when you go darkHow your trajectory determines how bad going dark will beWhat to do when you manage a portfolio and have to cut spendThe long term consequence of going darkWhy you need a range of distinctive assets to aid memoryThe power of blackcurrants as a Ribena distinctive assetWhy the high turnover of brand managers is bad for effectivenessWhy How Brands Grow is the one book every marketer should haveQuiet behind the scenes discipline is what matters when everything changesThe comfort of familiarity when it comes to memoryBuilding your business around what doesn’t changeAre you measuring what really mattersOrganisations suffer from short term memory and short datasetsLearning from success and failures over a long time seriesWhy the insight department need to start letting goWinning the Boardroom battle with data

Peter Field has spent 15 years as a strategic planner in advertising and has been a marketing consultant for the last 20 years. His pioneering work on the link between creativity and effectiveness – such as Media in Focus with Les Binet - has earned Peter a global reputation as one of the Godfathers of Effectiveness. What we covered in this episode:How he become ‘Godfather of effectiveness’Getting fired from two agencies The evidence based approach to marketingCreating the IPA database Origin of The Long and Short of It The curse of short term thinking Why brands take time to build The power of emotion to create connections The window in which you measure effectiveness is vital Long term is broad reach emotional creative Why the 60/40 ratio works Why brand building matters even more for DTCThe conflation of physical and mental availability on line The myth of digital replacing brand Convincing the CFO of the role of brand building Why investors really get it Why the ESOV model matters and what it tells us The impact of brand size on ESOVThe challenge facing new entrants and why challenger brand thinking matters How economies of scale benefit market leaders The amplification power of creativity The tidal wave of disposable creativity How award judges are celebrating short term activation Even effectiveness awards lack long term results The dangers of going dark in a recession Why we should be more P&G than CokeWhy it’s time to celebrate consistency The power of strong fluent devicesWhat happens when brands stop advertisingThe one thing we should be talking about which we aren’t The breakdown in the correlation between media spend and share of voice Why we should be measuring share of attention rather than share of voice It’s time to start paying for attentionPeter FieldThe Long and the Short of It

Here's the articles before you listen:Read the Campaign articleRead James' articlePart 1 – The Case for Creativity in BusinessGrowing up in a world that didn’t recognise the potential of creativityHow Apple ‘Crazy Ones’ Ad inspired James to pursue AdvertisingJames’ mission to prove the value of CreativityWhy Jon was supposed to have a career as an ActuaryWhat the research tells us about the role of Creativity on your successWhy we should define effectiveness in hard commercial termsEstablishing a universal definition with the Creative Effectiveness LadderWhy understanding your commercial contribution will get you promotedWhy the CMO needs to match the certainty and measurability of their Exec colleaguesHow to sell a Gorilla playing drums to your businessWe overestimate what we can achieve in 1 year and underestimate what we can achieve in 10The surprising impact on light buyers even on large brandsVery few people are buying right now so you must focus on creating future demandThe seduction of short term performance metricsHow the failure rate of start-ups warn us about the danger of rely on short term metrics onlyWhy it takes an average of 7 years to have an ‘over-night success’The importance of using familiarity when launching a new innovationWhy you shouldn’t ditch the old creative if its good Part 2 – The Controversy over CannesHow little time CMO’s actually spend on AdvertisingJon shares the story before his Effie and Cannes Lion winsHow Jon created the name for Uncensored CMO on the beach at CannesSystem1 puts Cannes Lion winners to the testWhy James reacted so strongly to my Campaign articleThe importance of recognising the power of Creativity in AdvertisingHow the emotion being created by Cannes winners has changedThe case for picking a side and standing up for your valuesEffectiveness awards look back whilst Creative awards look forwardWhat the Nike winners tell us about Juries decision makingAldi Kevin the Carrot and the power of consistencyWhether we can judge creative on a first impression onlyThe importance of authenticity when it comes to purposeWisdom of Crowds and how a Nat Rep samples can be a good guide to effectivenessThe power of Excess Creative Share of Voice in addition to standard ESOVHow the opinion of others impacts on our opinion of a brandThe history of Essity’s Bodyform campaign and how agency & client worked togetherPeter Field’s Crisis in Creativity and how we have seen a significant shift to short termismWhat the role of Creative Awards should beWhy we all need to work towards a longer term view and apply creativity to the health of our business

Andy Nairn is one of the 3 founders of Lucky Generals, a creative company for people on a mission. It's been shortlisted for Campaign's Agency of the Year for 5 years in a row. In 2021, Campaign named him the top brand strategist in the UK, for the 3rd time in a row. Business Insider has also named him one of the top 5 creative people in world advertising. He's won 24 IPA Effectiveness Awards (including the 2005, 2007 and 2010 Grands Prix) as well as the top 2 planning prizes in the USA (Gold Effie and Gold APGUS). And he's just launched his first book GO LUCK YOURSELF, with all the royalties going to help working class kids get a lucky break into the creative industry. What we covered in this episode:How lockdown led to Andy writing a bookWhy he went from law to advertisingJon’s ‘lucky’ break creating a new businessWhy successful companies use their luck betterGood luck is more how you handle bad luckHow being clear on your purpose helps prepare for bad luckHow Napolean inspired Lucky GeneralsThe importance of a popular idea rather than PowerPoint slidesWhy strategists should make things simple rather than being super intellectualsLucky Lockdown and a socially distanced Teapot from YorkshireHow Lucky General took Yorkshire Tea from No.3 to No.1Lucky timing and how the Coop strategy would have been much cooler in SwedishTrolling Tesco with the Coop’s recycling messagePremier league footballers lacing up in support of the LGBTQ communityLucky dog story and the role of jeopardy in creating a good adMaking the best Super Bowl ad for AmazonWhy the more boring the category the more interesting you becomeHow we lost our history and forgot the power of nostalgiaWhy lucky mascots are unloved marketing goldHow Lucky Generals got everyone to complete their tax returnsHow the navy beat enemy u-boats by using a new paint schemeWhat took Taylors so long to put coffee in bags and how they turned this into an advantageGoing commando for a good cause and the power of a beautiful constraintLucky legacy and the battle of the bread brandsHow they updated the legendary Hovis boy on a bike campaign a won ad of the decade

Nils Leonard has spent over 20 years in the advertising and design industries working at a number of the most recognised agencies in London. In 2017, he founded the Uncommon Creative Studio alongside Lucy Jameson and Natalie Graeme, which aims to be “a creative studio building brands the real world is happy exists”. This episode is split into 3 parts, including a bonus segment from my recording with Nils over a year ago. Here's what we covered:Part 1 - Creating brands you wish existed How Nils turned art into a careerHow he found the 1 ad land job at the Job centreThe importance of culture & trust in the turnaround of GreyWhy it’s always the people and not the name above the door you should care aboutThe importance of being so clear on your mission that people choose to be in the roomHow Volvo Life Paint was the inspiration for UncommonWhy you should invest in your own idea rather than begging others to do itMystery project names, secret hotels and being followed by private investigatorsHow Halo coffee came into the worldWhy the stories we tell ourselves manifest who we areHow panic drove the early success for the agencyThe power of a website with nothing on itWalking away from a major new client because it didn’t lead to Uncommon workGiving young men confidence via the one second suitPart 2 - The Uncommon workWhy Uncommon’s B&Q campaign brought tears to my eyesUncovering a real truth that led to those funny bright orange posters for B&QBlowing things up with Reality TV stars for ITVWhy we need to make the Ad break as entertaining as the programmeBacking start ups with an Uncommon acceleratorMoving from advertising to design, experience and new product launchesWhy the Olympics needs to hold up a mirror to the world right nowAn Uncommon year to win Campaign Agency of the YearHow the Pandemic crisis put creativity into overdriveThe emotion of seeing people in the office againNils gives his best advice to CMO’s on how to get to the best workPainting a picture of cultural success as much as commercial successDon’t be ashamed of talking about your personal ambition to make an impact in the worldJim Carey “if you can fail at what you don’t love why wouldn’t you risk trying at something you do”How fear gives us loopholes to get out of what we should be doingWhy you can’t brief someone else on your dream. Only you can make it happen.Part 3 - a pre-pandemic view on the worldAn early mistake by Nils when he did ‘release copy’ too early how Jon shut down the undergroundWhy your personal purpose matters and how we are seeing a return to creativityThe Gigabyte landfill of social content that no-body is asking forHow people used to look forward to the Ads as much as the programs themselvesIs the fire in your belly stronger than the fear in your head?Breaking the internet with BrewDog’s first ever TV AdHow we entered the age of outrage and sharing what we are offended byWhy you should treat outdoor like InstagramThe woods are burning so make a choice because everything we do is something we don’t doHow making good work is actually a magnet for talentWhat the Uncensored CMO’s mission should be to galvanise people to start their own ventureMake a difference in the world because our time is short

Pick up a copy of Steve's book "Can't Sell, Wont Sell" here.Steve was European Creative Director (OgilvyOne) and Global Creative Director (Wunderman) either side of starting his own agency, HTW, where, in the seven years the agency operated, he won more Cannes Lions (18) in his discipline than any creative director in the world. His work has subsequently featured in the D&AD Copy Book. He has also authored Changing the world is the only fit work for a grown man; How to write better copy; and How to do better creative work - the latter becoming the most expensive advertising book ever when it traded on amazon for £3,854 a copy.What we covered in this episode:Why a propose driven entry will increase your chances of winning a CannesWhy creative should come up with an idea to dramatise the benefit of the brand and then sell it to the clientHow Turkeys beat Lions and what that says about our priorities areCreative awarded campaigns are less effective than in the entire 24 year history of the IPA databaseDo people still believe in advertising’s role in creating demand? We need to see our purpose as commercial againThe drug of fast data. Why we prioritise what is easy to measure rather than what worksLack of accountability to track and evaluate the impact over the long termWhy you should judge a CMO on year 2The importance of winning the board room battleClients no longer appreciates the time and talent to create great work. The public now to anything they can to avoid advertising. A once powerful business tool is now debased and devalued. Chairman of D&AD.Dropped commercial purpose for social purposeGreat examples of social and commercial purpose combiningWhy social purpose shouldn’t be marketing strategyFirst purpose is shareholders and employeesLazy solution to a complex marketing problemThe insanity of Gillette’s toxic masculinity and how it performed badly against menHow did we disconnect from the audience we serve? 84% are 18-40, 80% AB etc we live in a London centric metropolitan bubbleHow regional agencies reacted differently to London onesSteve’s surprise at the reaction for his book and why he believes social purpose is being pushed by a small cliqueWhy the boycott of GB News should worry us whatever political side we atWhy Twitter pressure groups shouldn’t dictate your media strategyWhy fear is driving the politicisation of businessHow pampers got social and commercial purpose rightSteve’s manifestos for changeEvery speech should end with the commercial value of AdvertisingA new initiative to make creative effectivenessAwards panels needs cognitive diversityWhat a CMO thinks of CannesHow people fear speaking upSteve’s vision for the future of awards

Dolvett Quince is a real inspiration to his millions of followers but it’s not his Fitness that captured my attention, although you cant argue with the chiselled good looks and winning smile, but his mindset that really impresses. Having overcome a very troubled childhood Dolvett has not let any excuse stop him from pursuing what he loves and being successful. In this episode he shares the mindset that shaped him and the habits that helped him become successful. Consider this a workout for your mind.What we covered in this episode:Dolvett shares his troubled family background and how it was both a gift and a curseThe impact of being told he would never amount to anythingHow facing adversity shaped his outlook on life.The power of forgiveness and how it sets you free.Dolvett’s plan to become the next 007Why giving away everything he knows to other trainers led to his successWhy Jeff Bezos no longer packs his own boxesHow do you scale yourself when you hit maximum capacityWhy he added cheats into his diet – leaning to clean and earning the cheatOvercoming your perception of yourself and why it’s all in your mindHow he could predict who would succeed on The Biggest LoserThe impact of the Pandemic on his Fitness business and how ‘stopping helps you see’The power of persistence and joining the 1% club of podcastsWhat Dolvett is doing nextCan you stay humble and also be successful?The power of Self Love to help you succeedWhat Dolvett would tell to his 21 year old selfThe 3 kinds of people in the WWW, those that Wait, Wish & WillChanging lives ‘one rep at a time’ and other great quotesThe reason for Dolvett’s next book ‘work out the doubt’The importance of learning from failure and getting back up and going againWhy the most successful people are those that teach others

What we covered in this episode:What is Econometrics and why you do it?The critical role of people in any econometric projectCristiano, Coke and the complete misattribution of dataImportance of senior buy-in to an Econometrics projectMaking econometrics like art on a Friday not maths on a MondayMarketing as an investment not a costHow the data captures the behaviour of peopleWhat Grace learnt when rebranding her businessWhy Grace has been turning business downHow Jon created the Uncensored CMO brand in 45minsWhy every tech company has a blue logoTraditional vs Modern marketing and who is rightIs creative effectiveness really in decline?How life stage influences media choice more than anythingThe Wrong and the Right of it and what the data really saysWhy ‘it depends’ is usually the right answerThe importance of evidence over opinion on social mediaDoes paid search actually lead to sales?The role of search as a window into consumer demandDoes Share of Search actually predict demand for your brandThe one thing Marketers are not talking about but should beAbout Dr Grace KiteWith more than 20 years’ experience, Dr Grace Kite is a business economist who’s worked on more than 120 econometrics projects across all the main advertising buying categories. In each of these categories, she has developed deep knowledge on market trends and the true nature of competition.Grace is a columnist at marketing week and WARC and a regular speaker on marketing effectiveness. With over 4,000 social media followers, she now appears alongside the likes of Mark Ritson and Les Binet. She believes that knowledge that arises from effectiveness analysis doesn’t get fed back to the people that plan campaigns often enough. Her writing and talks set out to ‘lift the lid’ in a way that normal people can understand.After earning a PhD in Economics, Grace took on increasingly senior roles at Mindshare, Millward Brown, Holmes & Cook, Mediacom, PHD and OMD. In 2010 she founded the business now known as magic numbers.Her work has led to twelve IPA Effectiveness award winners plus a Cannes Grand Prix. She was a technical judge for the 2020 IPA awards, and will judge for WARC in 2021.

Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, an attractively vague job title which has allowed him to co-found a behavioral science practice within the agency. ​Before founding Ogilvy Change, Rory was a copywriter and creative director at Ogilvy for over 20 years, having joined as a graduate trainee in 1988. He has variously been President of the IPA, Chair of the Judges for the Direct Jury at Cannes, and has spoken at TED Global. He writes regular columns for the Spectator, Market Leader and Impact, and also occasional pieces for Wired. He is the author of two books: The Wiki Man, available on Amazon at prices between £1.96 and £2,345.54, depending on whether the algorithm is having a bad day, and Alchemy, The surprising Power of Ideas which don't make Sense, to be published in the UK and US in March 2019. ​What we covered in this episode:Why economics doesn’t explain why people buy thingsHow the channel can be more important than the messageWhy dropping your price should be the most controversial decision you ever makeThe book that gave Rory a nudge towards behavioural scienceWhy 1 x 10 is not the same thing as 10 x 1 from a marketing perspectiveErgodicity. The word every Marketer needs to learn.Why the better your creative is the less you should target itWhy Effectiveness is not the same as EfficiencyThe role uncertainty and risk avoidance plays in choosing a brandWhy Usain Bolt eats McDonalds chicken nuggetsHow to charge for creative workAlchemy. How marketing can add as much value as the product itself.Why it’s time we appreciated Country music and Worthers originalsHow David Ogilvy described people who don’t respect the consumerWhy being over 40 in Marketing means you must be brilliantThe case for moving out of LondonWhy students should be allowed to spend their student loan on anythingFind out something Rory has never told anyone, it might surprise you!

Rupert Howell is one of the founders of the advertising agency HHCL & Partners famous for campaigns for Tango, The AA, Ronseal, First Direct and Go amongst to name just a few. They were awarded ‘Agency of the Decade’ by Campaign in the 1990’s and experienced phenomenal growth for over a decade before being sold to Chime.We covered so much ground in this bumper 2 hour episode, so here's the list of what we touched upon:How Rupert made HHCL the best agency of the 90’sRuperts New Business Mantra – Honesty. Respect. Trust.Why saying ‘I don’t know’ and ‘we got it wrong’ is so importantHow the agency’s sole focus is Advertising but the Clients sole focus is the businessWhy new business should always be separate to the day to day account managementHow Rupert became ‘the finest new business director of all time’How to win a pitch even after you have lost itWhy the pitch process begins with the phone call and only ends when its announced in CampaignThe sole purpose of the pitch is to win and not to solve the clients business problemWhy HHCL had a strike rate of 65% for new businessWhat the company annual report can tell you for the pitch processWhy you should try and get your customer promotedHow Carling Black Label inspired the most successful Tango Advertising of all timeHow Tango destroyed Fanta and forced Coke to withdraw it from the marketHow a call from a Surgeon led to the Tango Slap commercial being withdraw from marketWhy the ‘4th Emergency Service’ transformed The AA and how the bold idea was sold inHow spending time with an AA team out on a call led to the ideaThe importance of winning your internal teams and why they matter as much as your customersInterrogating the product until ‘it confesses its strength’ Why the harder you practice the luckier you get is just as true for an agencyThe real hard yards of the start-up phase that meant not taking a day off in 3 yearsHow tabloids create controversy and how to respond to itWhy relationships are the secret to really succeeding in businessTurning down offers to sell the agency including a £1million bribeWhy HHCL accepted an offer from Chime with the support from Sir Martin SorrellWhy so few agencies ever succeed after being acquired by a networkWhy HHCL was never the same after Rupert left and why he would never go backThe importance of timing for Founders handing over to the next generationDealing with bullies, bribary and negotiating an exit from McCann with a boat & DB9 as consolationWhich celebrities are still speaking to Rupert after he left ITVWhy social media is driven by click bait and negative headlinesWhy you should give up the news, except perhaps local newsThe Pros and Cons of a British free pressHow to get a non-exec roleFollow meTwitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact meWebsite | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected]

“the buying of time or space is not the taking out of a hunting license on someone’s private preserve, but it is the renting of a stage on which we may perform” - Howard Gossage This is just one of the tremendous quotes contained in Paul Feldwick’s intriguingly titled new book ‘Why Does the Pedlar Sing?’ about what creatives really means in Advertising.Here's what we covered in this episode:How a Shakespear play inspired the title of the bookA short history of Advertising and the different models usedThe importance of Daniel Kahnemans availability and affect heuristicThe Adland myth that entertainment doesn’t sellShowmanship and why we should all be more like PT BarnumWhy bad research forces you to do one thing whilst actually doing anotherBarclaycard and the most honest case history of making an Ad ever writtenHow Rowan Atchison inspired one of the greatest Ads ever madeWhy any process of discovery will involve a lot of trial and error How PT Barnum created Fame for his Jenny Lind TourWhy celebrity fame and brand building are far more similar than people care to admitWhy we should be talking about Fame rather than Mental AvailabilityWhat we can learn from Strictly Come Dancing“I had more energy & ingenuity” The importance of energy in creating & sustaining successThe 4 different facets of Fame that are critical for successPaul’s manifesto for reclaiming Creativity

Damian Symons is the CEO of Clear M&C Saatchi and author of 'From Choas to Clarity', which we reference a bunch in this conversation. He shares some of the excellent insight gained from this study of over 700 CEO’s and CMO’s into the changing role of the CMO over the past year and more.What we covered in this episodeHow aligned is the CEO and CMO when it comes to business priorities?Why is the CMO a lot more influential now than a year ago?How a crisis makes you a lot more connected to your customers and colleaguesHow business strategy and the actions required to deliver it get easily disconnectedWhy Marketing needs to be much more than just ‘colouring in’Why CMO’s need to be more accountable for both short and long term investmentsHow CEO’s become more focussed on the long terms whilst demanding short term action from their CMOThe importance of a clear narrative, clear evidence and a clear short, medium and long term goalsWhy successful CMO’s aren’t always the best marketersHow you can make this crisis the best thing that ever happened to youThe failure of CMO’s to nurture talent and why no-one wants the jobThe 4 point plan to create clarity from chaos

Confession time. As a Saints fan, this is certainly a case of mixing business with pleasure. But bear with me for a moment. A year ago Saints suffered the worst defeat in premier league history going down 9-0 at home to Leicester. For most clubs this would have meant firing the manager and sparking an inevitable tumble into relegation and financial uncertainty. But not Southampton. They stuck by their man and a year later are challenging at the top of the Premier League briefly going top on the same day as this interview was recorded (obviously my motivational skills were critical ….). So what does this have to do with Marketing? Well, it turns out quite a lot! Most of us will have faced a giant setback at some point (if you haven’t then maybe you not trying hard enough!) and how you respond is one of the most important things you’ll ever do in your career. Understanding the importance of your belief and values, the role consistency plays, communicating much more than usual, learning to play as a team etc. In this episode, I meet David Thomas, Commercial Director to find out what has transformed Southampton as a Football Club and what you can learn from it.Here's what we discussed:How the greatest defeat in Premier League history led to Saints challenging the bestWhat Premier League managers and CMO’s have in common and the importance of consistencyThe secret to why playing behind closed doors might be playing into Saints handsThe Southampton Way – the role of walking the talk in the transformation of the clubHow a good strategy means you can handle a few knocks without losing your wayWhy Saints chefs made over 1000 meals a week during lockdown How the sport sponsorship model had to be turned on its head and why it shouldn’t be called sponsorshipThe need for accountability and ROI for any partnership to succeedWhy Saints have the ‘John Lewis’ of kit launches and the most engaged social media of any clubHow values and belief are at the heart of any great Challenger brandWhy the club going into Administration led the foundations of success todayTurning potential into excellence and the importance of not punishing failureWhy one of the most capped England women chose to coach the Saints women in the 6th tier!How Saints are tackling racism in football.A top 6 finish versus an FA Cup appearance

Here's what we covered in this episode:Who is Orlando and what is Lemon all about?Have the insights in Lemon changed on the back of the Coronavirus crisis?How emotion plays out in online videoWhy emotion is imperative online when you only have 6 seconds to capture people's attentionWhy you don't just need to be rational because your ads are targetedBrands should be using online advertising not only for activation, but also for brand buildingExamples of brands and ads doing this wellHow advertising is similar to writing a novel and artWhy we've lost some humility in our advertisingWhat the vital ingredients are to make online advertising work effectivelyFollow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedIn

Here's what we covered in this episode:Find out what inspired Mark to switch the actual classroom for the virtual oneHow he ended up being the old, rich guy with a wine collection he used to laugh atWhat he thinks of the 50% of Marketers that have no professional trainingWhy it's now time we all just all ditch the ‘D’ word and get back to MarketingFind out what every normal person knows about Advertising that Marketers pay good money to figure outDiscover the most important factors in marketing effectiveness and why its time to think about the s**t we put through the pipeWhy a recession is exactly the time you want to be increasing your spendWhy you should never confuse a change in consumer context for a change in consumer behaviour“Tell me what hasn’t changed and I will build a business around that” & other great quotes to counter the constant stream of ‘everything's changed. Buy this book’ hypeDiscover why Mark believes the smartest people are not the ones sat around the boardroom tableFind out why most CMO’s are more C than M and are not always the best marketers in their teamThe secret to CMO success is 80-90% politics over marketingThe dangers of Canadian morning TV after a big night outWe round off the episode finding out why Jon got fired after a 6-month ‘walk of shame’Follow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected] Ritson:TwitterLinkedIn

Mark Borkowski is PR written large. He represents international celebrities and corporate heavyweights and is a sought-after commentator on the world of celebrity, the Media and spin.I recorded another episode with Mark not too long ago but it didn't feel right releasing it amidst the pandemic, so I caught up with him again.In this episode we covered:Why business is booming for BorkowskiHow they've handled the shift to fully remoteThe role of celebrities during the crisisWhy Boris' message and tone was poorWhat key advice would Mark give everyone

What we covered in this episode:Why some brands have accelerated their growth with 3 years of market progression in 3 months, while others hit hardHow those brands that have gone dark and said nothing will be worst affectedWhy Brewgooder’s work during the crisis has been impressiveHow brands can do things without looking like they’re just jumping on the COVID bandwagonAre there any signs of things getting better for clients?How has Manifest changed in the past 3 months and what is going to stay permanentWhy they love the officeAdvice - write your brief. There is an opportunity for you to recast your brand in the ‘new normal’. We won’t ever get a chance to hit the reset button again!

In this episode we discuss:Brewdog's hand sanitiserITV's Clap From Our Carers campaignWhy Uncommon are making candlesHow Boris could have handled his messaging betterWhat advice Lucy would give people in advertisingWhy this recession presents an opportunityFollow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected]

Kate joined ITV in 2019 in the newly created role of Director of Client Strategy and Planning, with a remit to help ITV Commercial build broader and deeper relationships with advertisers. A creative strategist by background and a highly respected and well known strategic leader with twenty years’ experience across a range of communications disciplines from advertising, to PR to digital, Kate has worked across sectors as diverse as automotive, retail, government and public sector, FMCG and financial services. Kate has written / contributed to award winning IPA Effectiveness entries for Co-op Food Retail, Public Health England Tobacco Control and Stoptober.In this episode we covered:What is the impact on the team with remote working?How has TV and ITV in particular changed (programs/advertising/production etc)I see viewing figures up so isn’t this a good thing?Clap for Carers – well done! What was the idea behind thatPeople’s Ad break – tell me more …Are you seeing Advertising changing?Any sign of Advertisers coming back?What advice would you give brands now?

Ian Millner is global CEO and co-founder of Iris - one of the most successful independent agencies in the UK. He set the agency up 20 years ago as a partnership with his co-founders and it now boasts some of the world’s most famous brands such as Samsung and Adidas. A genuine multi-disciplinary agency with offices around the World iris have successfully moved with the times.In this episode we coverIntroduction – how Ian is doing!Impact – how the virus affected businessChallenges – what have been the biggest challenges this crisis has created for the agency, given the budget cutsOpportunities – have there been any opportunities arise from the pandemic?Team – what has been the impact on the team? How should you lead others remotely?Future – how do we look to the future and stay positive?Follow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected]

Orlando Wood is the chief innovation officer at System1, and author of the IPA's best-selling book, Lemon. He also happens to be my colleague.What we cover:What is Lemon all about?How right-brained attributes in advertising can help long term brand buildingWhat impact will the Coronavirus have on the left-right brained way we think of the world?Should you continue doing the 'Covid-Ads' or should you stick to what you know?Can old Ads really be effective? Should brands go into the archives?Follow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected]

About the guests:Simon DentSimon Dent is a former sports lawyer and founder of Dark Horses, a sports marketing agency. Simon had experience of mental health problems in his 20s and after launching a couple of failed businesses he finally got it right with Dark Horses. Dark Horses, the sports creative agency, is the fifth fastest-growing creative agency in the world.Ben BidwellBen, otherwise known as The Naked Professor, is a mindset coach, writer & public speaker who is pioneering a revolution to change the stigma about mental health. He invites his audience to connect more with their emotions whilst empowering the men in the room to retain their authentic masculinity.What we discussedIntroduction – who are our guests and how did they get to where they areImpact – how has COVID impacted on a fast-growing agency?Challenges – what have been the biggest challenges this crisis has created for the agency?Opportunities – have there been any opportunities arise from the pandemic?Team – what has been the impact on the team? How should you lead others remotely?Future – how do we look to the future and stay positive?Follow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected]

Mark Evans is the Managing Director, Marketing & Digital at Direct Line and has been at the company for over 8 years. He's seen some ups and downs but has never seen a challenge such as the Coronavirus. How has the company been impacted, what challenges have they faced and what opportunities can come from this?What do we cover in this episode?Introduction – who is Mark Evans and how did he end up in this positionImpact – how has COVID impacted on DLG? It happened on the tail end of a major relaunch of the Direct Line brandChallenges – what have been the biggest challenges this crisis has created for Direct Line? How are they responding to these?Opportunities – what opportunities have emerged through this? Are people taking insurance more seriously?Media – will Direct Line continue to Advertise? Wil the message change?Team – what has been the impact on the team? How should you lead others remotely?Future – what's the outlook for the economy and their sector? Short v Long termFollow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected]

Welcome back everybody to the Uncensored CMO in rather different circumstances this time. So we were nicely underway with recording season 2 and we had interviews with Rory Sutherland, we had Mark Borkowski on there, Nils Leonard from Uncommon.But you know what? It just didn't seem right to go out there with season 2 as planned when we're all in the middle of a crisis and our minds quite frankly or are elsewhere.So what I thought I'd do instead was bring you some Covid-related catch-ups with industry leaders from different sectors. PR experts, CMOs running businesses with big P+Ls and thought leaders in the industry people like Orlando Wood, author of Lemon. I really want to hear their perspective on how should we be responding to this crisis?What advice can they give us about how they are managing through what is unprecedented times with high level of uncertainty about what the future is going to hold? So rather than give you the whole hour as I did in season 1 these are going to be tight 20-30 minute interviews with people that can offer their perspective advice.Another thing you'll probably notice is a slightly different sound because we're recording from home, so bear with us this season. It might not be quite the rich experience that you're used to if you listened to season 1, but we'll be doing our very best and producer James will be working his considerable magic from his home office. And on the other side will bring you season 2.

Jessica Butcher MBE is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor, speaker and mentor. She is perhaps most famous as one of the co-founders of Blippar, a pioneer in Augmented Reality which was once valued at over $1billion and described as one of the 20 most disruptive brands in the world. She is the recipient of numerous awards including BBC’s Top 100 women.In this episode:How falling in love led to her big break as an entrepreneurHow Blippar created Augmented Reality and what it was like on board a rocket ship that went from 4 to 350 employees and a valuation of $1billion.Why someone with a degree in history wanted to be a tech entrepreneurWhich client inspired them to create Blippar enabled business cardsHaving 3 children in 4 years and how that changed her prioritiesThe challenge of scaling a business and knowing your limitsHow social media is promoting polarisation, narcissism and infinite scroll time-wasting and how tech needs to become more humaneWe need to identify between healthy and junk technology and treat it as suchPreparing the child for the road not the road for the childThe inspiration behind Tick.Done and how it will help people learn how to do things without getting sucked into infinite scrollThis is part 1 of the interview with Jess and we’ll be returning in Season2 to discuss what it's like being a woman in tech.Follow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected] Butcher:TwitterTick DoneBlipparThe Coddling of the American Mind

Alex Myers is founder of Manifest who were recently awarded Agency of the Decade for their work making BrewDog famous. Having worked on BrewDog for most of the past 10 years they helped establish the brand as the UK’s most valuable Beer brand (source BrandZ top 75 UK brands) with virtually no paid for media. Manifest have a clear purpose of creating brands that change the world and put their money where their mouth is. In this episode:How Alex started a PR agency with no experience at allNever mind the bollocks here’s Brewdog was Alex’s opening pitch to work for themIts not what you stand for its what you stand up for that countsThere is no such thing as a boring brief only boring creativeFinding inspiration from roof tiles and why Alex believes his job is to find out why people get up in the morningHello my name is Vladimir. Creating a protest beer to promote what BrewDog believe in.How to make brave the new safeHow Twitter went from a platform for collaboration to a platform for outrageHaving a public spat with James Watt over Punk AF and not getting creditWhy pitching doesn’t work for brands and why CMO’s need to do their researchStrategy should come from your belief and not a rationaleManifests vision to create brands that change the worldWhy Awards are easy to game but do provide a Sat Nav for CMO’s on who is doing good workFind out who Alex has a professional crush onWhy doing good and having a positive impact should be synonymous with successWhy the best work comes from making every channel amplify the otherWhat Alex has never told anyoneFollow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected] Alex:Alex on TwitterManifest TwitterManifest

Ian Millner is global CEO and co-founder of iris one of the most successful independent agencies in the UK. He set the agency up 20 years ago as a partnership with his co-founders and it now boasts some of the world’s most famous brands such as Samsung and Adidas. A genuine multi-disciplinary agency with offices around the World iris have successfully moved with the times.In this episodeWhy agencies get the clients they deserveThe importance of genuine diversity and how it contributes to innovationWhy a good pitcher does not always make a good partnerFinding sources of unfair advantageWhen clients make things they wouldn’t buy from an agencyWhy Ian can’t stand Ad industry awardsWhen it makes sense to in-house your agency and out-source your agencyWhy Campaign should apologise for backing down on the Nigel Farage front coverThe importance of creating cultural assets in today's social media driven ageIan reveals his plans to write a book about unspoken social behaviourFollow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected] MillnerIan's TwitterIris' TwitterIris Worldwide

Arron is co-founder of The Goat Agency which is the fastest-growing agency in Europe and one of the most successful influencer agencies in the World. He and his co-founders set up the agency 4 years ago with their own money and now employ 130 people around the world and manage around 90 social media campaigns at any one time. Arron has a wonderful personal story and a very compelling pitch for his agency.In this episodeArron’s entrepreneurial roots and creating something out of nothingThe fear of not trying is much greater than the fear of failureWhy more people should realise how hard being an entrepreneur isHow they generated 2,000 responses from a £10 investment in their first influencer What you do when 80% of influencer campaigns don’t workWhy Arron loves the procurement department and he proves the return on investment of an influencer campaignThe benefit of having no experience in your sectorThe importance of recruiting talent without experienceHow an influencer campaign can make your TV campaign more impactfulHow Content & Collaboration are the key to any campaign including B2BArron’s vision to build the world’s largest creative agencyArron reveals his secret new dietFollow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected] ShepherdArron's TwitterThe Goat Agency TwitterThe Goat Agency

Adam is the founder of the eatbigfish consultancy and author of Eating The Big Fish which reached the Top100 books in the Amazon charts inspiring a whole generation of challenger brands in the process. Adam is a popular speaker and consults with brands all over the world on how to be a challenger. He has also written The Pirate Inside about building a challenger culture within your organisation and A Beautiful Constraint how to turn your limitations into advantages.In this episode:Why being No.2 is betterHow he turned the anger of his project being shelved into a career-defining opportunityBeing turned down by Phil Knight and where the idea of a Challenger brand came fromThe importance of over-commitment and being obsessed with executionHow Tony’s Chocolonely have become a truly challenger brandHow to be a pirate in the navy without getting firedWhat you can learn from a catwalk show and how constraints can turn into your greatest advantageThe curse of data and how it leads us to a decline in creativityThe furtile zero and what to do with no budgetAdam shares his worst career momentWhy the meeting is never really the meeting and why the Japanese fall asleep in meetingsThe one thing Adam has never told anyone beforeFollow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInContact me:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail – [email protected] Morgan:Twitter | @eatbigfishwww.eatbigfish.comEating The Big FishThe Pirate InsideA Beautiful Constraint

Richard is author of the No.1 Marketing Book The Choice Factory which was the winner of BBH’s World Cup of Advertising books in 2018 beating some industry heavy-weights. Richard has 20 years of experience in Advertising planning, market research and behavioural science and last year made the big leap to set up a consultancy following the success of his book.In this episodeHow he ended up writing the best-selling marketing book of 2019Why behavioural science should matter to every marketerWhy rhyming phrases are not just more memorably but also more believable tooHow the decline in CMO & agency tenure is impacting on long term effectivenessHow our own experience impacts on our perceptions (the false consensus effect)The impact of social proof on sales and how to use itWhy you’ll spend less on a night out when paying cashHow making something easy is a huge competitive advantageWhy branded glasses make beer taste better and worth moreWhy a 4.5* review beats a 5* review (the pratfall effect)How many of the best ideas happened by accident but were Follow me:Twitter | @uncensoredCMOLinkedInGet in touch:Website | www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail | [email protected] Richard:Twitter | @rshottonThe Choice Factory

When I say CMO what do you think of? I know, for me, I think boardroom politics. I think carefully managed messages. I think slick presentations. But what I don't get is, I don't get an honest answer. I don't get to know what they really think. I don't get to know how have they got where they are today, and what has shaped and influenced their career. And that got me thinking, wouldn't it be great if we had a podcast that asked some of the tough questions that get to the heart of what's going on. One that takes you behind the scenes to see how it really works. That's where the idea of Uncensored CMO came from.I want to connect you to the best marketers on the planet. The people that have founded and run ad agencies, the people that do the most amazing research and the people that influence people through PR. I want to get to those people and find out how it actually works. Tell me the things that have gone well. Tell me the things that have failed. Let me give you a little flavour to season one. I'm gonna be meeting people like Adam Morgan who founded the whole idea of challenger brands. I asked him, "How do you make a great challenger brand?"The whole world of influencers, to me, was quite mysterious, but I went and met Arron Shepherd, he co-founded The Goat Agency, and I asked him about what a successful influencer campaign looks like.Or, someone like Ian Millner, global CEO and founder of Iris. What's it like running a big ad agency? How do you get great work and how do you measure great advertising? What does a modern brand today have to do to stand out and be successful?These are just some of the conversations I've been having, and there are loads more to come.So I really hope you'll listen and subscribe to The Uncensored CMO. I'm gonna be launching this podcast on 16th December so set a notification, remind yourself to subscribe.You can also follow me on Twitter, @UncensoredCMO. I look forward to having a great conversation with you.