Advertise on podcast: Uncensored CMO

Today I'm speaking with Whyte and Mackay Marketing Director Janice McIntosh and Mr President (their agency) CCO Jon Gledstone about the launch of their new campaign for The Woodsman brand. The "Well Earned" campaign score a whopping 4.8 stars on the System1 test and saw the launch of a brand character, Barry the Beaver, in a move that defies convention in the traditional Whisky category. From internal battles to hurdles presented by the regulators, both Whyte and Mackay and Mr President had to overcome some barriers to bring this campaign to life. Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:01 - Inventing The Woodsman01:42 - Creating a brand dominated by big players04:00 - Standing out in a product dominated category05:46 - Balancing demand and supply06:31 - Availablity of the brand07:11 - Overcoming perception barriers09:15 - Coming up with the “Well Earned” positioning13:06 - How to sell in breaking convention16:00 - How the agency helped sell the idea18:29 - Creating a new character20:02 - Characters vs Celebrities21:07 - Using humour in a traditional category23:23 - Creating a physical barry the beaver24:18 - The importance of craft in the ad26:07 - Staying on the right side of regulations28:23 - A good client agency relationship30:09 - How important is testing and data to back up creative decisions31:53 - The importance of mental and physical availability33:32 - The results35:01 - What’s next for the brand?

Bozoma Saint John is a Hall of Fame Inducted Marketing Executive, Entrepreneur and Author of her memoir, The Urgent Life. Her career has included roles as the Global CMO of Netflix, CMO of Endeavor, CBO of Uber, Head of Marketing of Apple Music & iTunes and Head of Music and Entertainment Marketing at PepsiCo. Follow Boz InstagramLinkedInTwitter/XHer book - This Urgent LifeFollow Jon Jon's LinkedInJon's TwitterWatch the Uncensored CMO on YouTubeTimestamps 00:00 - Start01:34 - Why Boz wrote such an emotional book05:02 - The reception to the book08:32 - Encountering Spike Lee13:32 - Making decisions based on intuition16:05 - Working for founder led brands20:36 - Leading marketing at large organisations23:55 - Managing the relationship with the CEO and CFO28:42 - Hire Boz, Get Boz - how to have confidence in yourself31:57 - Why you shouldn’t “play the game”33:06 - Dawn always comes; dealing with grief41:09 - Making the choice to change your life45:11 - From corporate jobs to entrepreneur48:24 - What’s next for Boz?

Today we’re diving deep into the high-stakes world of Super Bowl advertising with a very special guest—Ricardo Marques, the VP of Marketing for Michelob ULTRA. Ricardo, a veteran with 19 years at AB Inbev and the marketing maestro behind Michelob ULTRA's growth. He is here to share his playbook on how to score big during the most anticipated advertising event on American television. In this episode we get an exclusive look at how Michelob ULTRA prepares for the Super Bowl. Ricardo breaks down the importance of the Super Bowl as a platform, not just for audience reach but for creating conversations and excitement around the brand. But is Super Bowl advertising really worth the investment? Ricardo weighs in on the multifaceted approach to this question, assessing the creative, the conversion, and the long game of brand relevance. Key performance indicators, the intricate balance of novelty versus authenticity, and the seismic impact of this year's Super Bowl on Michelob ULTRA's growth trajectory are all on the table. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro00:55 - Why the Super Bowl is such a landmark event for advertisers03:07 - Ricardo’s background03:56 - The best advertisers in Super Bowl history05:05 - Michelob’s Super Bowl history06:03 - Launch before game day, or on the day?07:23 - Michelob’s Ad for 202410:04 - Is a Super Bowl ad worth $7m?11:09 - KPIs for a successful Super Bowl Ad11:48 - How involved are distributors in the process12:50 - The 2024 Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl Ad with Leo Messi16:14 - The briefing process for a Super Bowl ad17:25 - Brand positioning for a more premium beer18:39 - The core ingredients for a successful ad21:02 - The impact of celebrities in ads22:46 - Advice for people making their first big budget campaign27:26 - Selling in the campaign internally28:52 - Tying campaigns into global events31:25 - Using AI in activations33:57 - McEnroe vs McEnroe36:35 - Lap Against the Legends38:14 - Blind man commentating on NBA game41:45 - How has the brand performed from the campaigns42:38 - The secret to sustained success as a marketer47:29 - Who is Ricardo supporting for the Super Bowl?

Today we're joined by Jessica Myers, CMO of The Very Group. Previously Jess was CMO at Metro Bank and has since made the transition to the highly competitive retail market. At Very, she has overseen the launch of a brand new fluent device; the pink flamingoes. The campaign featuring the new characters scored a whopping 5.7 stars on the System1 scoring platform, Test Your Ad, amongst the very best ads made this year. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro00:52 - Jess’ background06:11 - Marketing academy fellowship07:13 - From big brand to challenger brand10:46 - The modern marketer11:57 - From finance to retail15:31 - Dealing with the challenges of joining a new business18:03 - Nailing positioning22:09 - Doing long term marketing in retail23:39 - Agency selection process for Very27:22 - Understanding your customer31:50 - The power of testing creative36:36 - The increasing standard of advertising38:28 - Creating a new fluent device - The Flamingoes43:20 - The future of the brand46:08 - Jess’ advice to aspiring marketers

Dave Kaufman is responsible for the marketing for one of the biggest tech bets of all time; the Metaverse. As Director of Global Marketing for VR and the Metaverse for Meta (formerly Facebook), it's fair to say Dave has a pretty sizeable task on his hands. He's no stranger to large marketing bets, having been on the marketing team for Google Glass, which ultimately failed. But sandwiched in-between working for Google and Meta, Dave worked for Obama's Whitehouse for the United States Digital Service. In this episode we discuss if the US is behind the UK in terms of marketing thinkers, why marketing education is overlooked, why Google Glass failed and what the future holds in terms of the Metaverse. Links Dave's LinkedInDave's viral LinkedIn articleJon's LinkedInJon's TwitterWatch the Uncensored CMO on YouTubeTimestamps 00:00 - Intro00:58 - Dave’s favourite episodes of Uncensored CMO01:50 - Elon vs Mark in a fight02:31 - US vs UK marketing03:57 - How to not be full of sh*t in marketing09:16 - Was Google Glass a failure?15:50 - Launching the Meta X Rayban Sunglasses20:28 - Explaining the metaverse24:02 - How to quantify the success of the metaverse26:29 - When will the metaverse become mainstream?30:58 - Making virtual reality more familiar32:28 - Does tech have a marketing problem?38:20 - Working for founders46:39 - Working at President Obama’s Whitehouse53:35 - Working with low budgets56:47 - Dave’s bets for 2024

Today I'm joined by Antonia Wade, Global CMO at PwC and Author of The B2B Buyer Journey. This episode is a true B2B masterclass. We break down the importance of brand, reputation and relationships vs what people traditionally think is important in B2B. We also break down each stage of the marketing funnel to find out how best to reach them at every point in the buyer journey. Links Antonia's LinkedInAntonia's BookJon's LinkedInJon's TwitterWatch the Uncensored CMO on YouTubeTimestamps 00:00:00 - Intro00:01:10 - Antonia’s background00:06:01 - How does B2B and B2C differ?00:09:25 - How to reach B2B customers00:11:52 - Building B2B relationships00:17:30 - The importance of people in B2B00:20:53 - Why brand and reputation are so important00:24:43 - Why having an online presence matters00:29:39 - Marketing from cost centre to profit centre00:34:14 - Marketing at different stages of the buyer journey00:39:54 - Why people think B2B is boring00:46:30 - Why purpose has a bigger role in B2B00:48:38 - Stage 1: Reaching Horizon Scanners00:51:41 - Stage 2: Reaching Explorers00:55:18 - Stage 3: Reaching Hunters00:57:39 - Stage 4: Capturing the Active Buyer00:59:15 - Stage 5: Marketing post-purchase01:01:18 - How will AI transform B2B marketing

One of the most popular episodes of all time was my first with Sarah Carter and Les Binet, so I'm bringing them back to do a review of 2023. We talk about what makes Les cry and if AI is going to take over our jobs. Links Jon's LinkedInJon's TwitterWatch the Uncensored CMO on YouTubeTimestamps 00:00:00 - Intro00:01:05 - Les’ favourite ads of 202300:04:45 - Sarah’s favourite Christmas ads00:07:15 - Wear out00:12:30 - Why familiarity breeds contentment00:17:42 - Have we rediscovered homour in 2023?00:19:47 - The role of purpose in advertising00:29:17 - Diversity and representation00:34:53 - Kevin the carrot and characters00:41:52 - Fluent devices and consistency00:49:01 - Why do John Lewis run christmas ads every year00:50:40 - How did the first ad to ever air score?00:52:51 - The highest performing advertising categories00:55:04 - Lowest performing advertising categories01:00:12 - Outperforming your category01:03:08 - US Superbowl vs UK Christmas01:04:02 - Les and Sarah’s thoughts on AI01:14:03 - How reliable is ESOV01:15:52 - MMM Models01:19:32 - The best performing Adam and Eve ad01:21:42 - Predictions for 2024

Now in this episode, we're talking about one of the most competitive markets in the world - insurance comparison. Anyone who's followed this market will know just how intense it is. And how do you build a brand when you don't have a product yourself, but you're selling someone else's product? Well, it's one of those situations where marketing is all important and advertising can make all the difference to your success. I'm catching up with Sam Day, who's been the CMO of confused.com, for the past 6 years, who successfully challenged this market and taken it from 4th to 2nd place on very limited budgets. So I want to find out from Sam the secret behind the success of the campaigns that he's run over the last few years, how he's transformed their business and what his plans are for the future. Links Jon's LinkedInJon's TwitterWatch the Uncensored CMO on YouTubeTimestamps 00:00 - Intro03:53 - Sam’s advice to a young marketer06:27 - Sam’s greatest failure08:44 - Management and leadership advice12:27 - The secret to an extended CMO tenure19:41 - Getting c-suite buy in with data22:50 - Consistency24:26 - Marketing when you don’t have a product26:01 - Brand vs price28:43 - Why name the brand after the problem (confused.com)31:24 - Branding against one of the best branded characters of all time34:02 - Why there’s no silver bullet for success37:02 - Spontaneous awareness - how to win an effie39:50 - Selecting an agency42:01 - Great examples of populous advertising44:14 - How agencies should pitch to CMOs49:39 - What’s next for Sam Day

Today I'm revisiting episode 3, with Adam Morgan, founder of eatbigfish and author of Eating The Big Fish, The Pirate Inside and A Beautiful Constraint to find out what it takes to become a successful challenger. Adam shares his tips for creating a challenger brand, transforming your culture and the power of constraints to driving innovation. 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 – jon@uncensoredcmo.comAdam Morgan: Twitter | @eatbigfishwww.eatbigfish.comEating The Big FishThe Pirate InsideA Beautiful Constraint

Today I'm joined by Phill Agnew, senior product marketer at Buffer and host of Nudge, the only podcast dedicated to consumer psychology, and the other podcast that regularly hits the top spot of the UK marketing charts. In this episode we share 5 behavioural science "nudges" and 5 marketing lessons that we've taken from our respective podcasts and careers. Links Nudge podcastJon's LinkedInJon's TwitterPhill's LinkedInPhill's TwitterTimestamps 00:00 - Intro01:19 - How did Phill get into podcasting04:03 - Bonus Nudge - The Halo Effect06:29 - Nudge 5 - The Labour Illusion09:40 - Marketing Lesson 5 - The Power of Getting Fired13:25 - Nudge 4 - The Pratfall Effect19:26 - Marketing Lesson 4 - The Power of Purpose24:49 - Nudge 3 - The Curiosity Gap30:03 - Marketing Lesson 3 - Be Distinctive35:26 - Nudge 2 - Social Proof41:14 - Marketing Lesson 2 - The Power of Creativity45:10 - Nudge 1 - Fresh Start Date48:59 - Marketing Lesson 1 - The Power of Consistency

Today I'm joined by Susan O'Brien, who is the VP Brand at Just Eat Takeaway. Just Eat are famous for their ads with celebs such as Snoop Dogg and Katy Perry, but are even more well known for their catchy jingle "Did somebody say...?". In this episode we break down Susan's career and how to make such an effective campaign. Timestamps 00:00 - Start01:16 - How Susan got into marketing03:43 - Freelancing07:30 - The secret to longevity as a marketer09:44 - The realities of being a CMO14:25 - The CMO’s view on Cannes16:44 - The “Did Somebody Say” campaign20:54 - The impact of audio branding24:11 - Operating in a fiercely competitive market26:01 - Choosing to invest in celebrity talent / Snoop Dogg29:06 - From Snoog Dogg to Katy Perry31:31 - Secret to an effective client agency relationship32:44 - Coming up with new ideas35:47 - Using your gut vs using the data39:35 - Advice to marketers in scale ups

Anselmo Ramos is the co-founder and Creative Chairman of GUT, a global independent creative agency with offices worldwide. He, along with his co-founder Gaston Bigio, opened GUT in 2018 with the goal of being the go-to agency for the world’s biggest brands, including Popeyes, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Tim Hortons, among others, who are looking to do brave work and long-term bold brand building. Prior to co-founding GUT, Anselmo was the co-founder of award-winning global creative agency DAVID, and he was also previously the Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Brazil. Timestamps 00:00:00 - Start00:01:04 - Why Anselmo is an ad nerd00:03:12 - Favourite Ogilvy quotes00:07:38 - Most proud of from time at Ogilvy00:17:20 - Founding the DAVID agency00:18:43 - Founding the GUT agency00:20:55 - Being an independent agency00:25:35 - Winning business in the early days00:30:30 - What makes a great CMO?00:33:00 - How to find good clients00:37:30 - Agency of the year00:40:59 - Stand out Grand Prix winners00:45:29 - The one line brief00:47:05 - Who else is doing great work?00:48:46 - Scaling while staying true to your values01:02:06 - Expansion