What do you do when your big pitch idea quite literally vanishes in front of the client? For James Tomlinson, it involved a magician, a torn-up Financial Times, and the most awkward silence of his career.

In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, James reveals the pitch fails that taught him more than any win ever could from sanding a CEO’s boardroom table to dealing with AI-written briefs that make no sense. With two decades in agency leadership, he now helps brands and agencies avoid the same time-wasting, budget-draining mistakes.

Expect brutal honesty, plenty of laughs, and practical lessons on how to run pitches that actually work.

🎧 Because sometimes, the best way to learn about winning… is by talking about the fails that nearly broke you.

Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

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EP 85: AI-Written RFP Fail: Why Pitches Collapse