Uncensored CMO

Sarah Carter and Les Binet join the host to review the highs and lows of 2023. They discuss emotional ads, the impact of humor and purpose in advertising, diversity representation, and the strategy behind John Lewis' Christmas ads. They also touch on the power of humor in diffusing sensitive topics, AI in advertising, wear out of ads, and the importance of creative and media in advertising.

Sam Day, former CMO of confused.com, shares the secret behind their successful campaigns on limited budgets. Topics include management advice, brand vs price in insurance comparison, and how to compete in a highly competitive market. The chapter also discusses selecting advertising agencies and pitching to CMOs.

Adam Morgan, founder of eatbigfish and author of Eating The Big Fish, The Pirate Inside and A Beautiful Constraint, shares tips on creating a challenger brand, the power of constraints, Tony's Chocolonely as a successful challenger, over-commitment and obsession with execution, the curse of data, and creating emotional connections through challenger brands.

Phill Agnew, senior product marketer at Buffer and host of Nudge podcast, shares 5 behavioral science 'nudges' and 5 marketing lessons. Topics include the Halo Effect, the Labor Illusion, the Pratfall Effect, the Curiosity Gap, and Social Proof. Marketing lessons include the Power of Purpose, Being Distinctive, the Power of Creativity, Fresh Start Dates, and the Power of Consistency.

Susan O'Brien, VP Brand at Just Eat Takeaway, discusses how they used celebrities and catchy jingles to become market leaders. Topics include the 'Did Somebody Say' campaign, impact of audio branding, investing in celebrity talent, and advice for marketers in scale ups.

Anselmo Ramos, Co-founder and Creative Chairman of GUT, a global independent creative agency, discusses his journey, starting independent agencies, winning business, what makes a great CMO, and stand out Grand Prix winners.

Vicki Maguire, Chief Creative Officer at Havas London, responsible for some of the best ads of all time, discusses her background in advertising, the impactful British Heart Foundation campaign with Vinnie Jones, and the creation of the happiest Christmas ad ever. They also touch on retrograding projects, the success of Christmas ads, and their experience at an event.

Nancy King, VP of Marketing at Airbnb, discusses how Airbnb survived losing 80% of their business, the challenges of not owning their product, creating in-house advertising, the impact of culture on their work, and the power of industry events.

Dr Iain McGilchrist, psychiatrist and former Oxford literary scholar, discusses the divisions between the left and right brain, the power of attention, and how our perception of the world is influenced. Topics include the changes in society due to right-brained dominance, training ourselves to be more right-brained, and the impact of the spiritual life on mental and physical health.

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