Uncensored CMO

In this episode I'm joined by Tass Tsitsopoulos, Strategy Director, and Brandon Pracht, Managing Director for the McDonald's global advertising team at Wieden+Kennedy. I catch up with them to find out how they brought McDonald's swagger back with some of their most memorable and effective work in recent years, including the "Famous Orders" and "As Featured In" campaigns.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:56 - The difference between UK and US agencies03:15 - How did Brandon get into advertising04:52 - What makes the culture special08:07 - How W+K won the McDonald’s account11:34 - Importance of connecting with real people12:52 - What happens after winning the pitch15:15 - What was the best McDonald's ad?19:19 - The "Famous Orders" campaign23:46 - The impact of the campaign27:00 - The financial results27:49 - Investing in long term having short term effects29:05 - The “As Featured In” campaign31:09 - Building fame36:03 - How to thrive with a client like McDonald's39:02 - What happens when things don’t do well41:44 - Advice for clients wanting to make great work

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Marketing professor Mark Ritson discusses the best campaigns of the year, US marketers lagging behind, and the importance of differentiation and distinctiveness. They also explore Cadbury's successful generosity campaign, the history and reformulation of Luca's Aid, and the role of constraints and challenges in building a brand.

Julia Goldin, Global CMO of LEGO, discusses the importance of play in unlocking creativity. She shares insights on staying on top of trends, the LEGO mission and the role of play, product innovation, collaborations, sustainability, and marketing career advice.

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TikTok sensation Rob Mayhew, Creative Director at Gravity Road, shares his journey from stand-up comedy to creating viral TikTok videos. They discuss successful content strategies, brand partnerships, and their love for a brand of jumpers. They also brainstorm ideas for British Airways ads and talk about the power of podcasting and B2B marketing creativity.

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