
Uncensored CMO
The Uncensored CMO was created to explore the good, the bad and quite frankly downright ugly truth about marketing theory & practice.
Latest episodes

Dec 27, 2023 • 56min
Reloaded: How to be a successful challenger - Adam Morgan (2020)
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.

7 snips
Dec 18, 2023 • 1h 2min
Top 10 marketing and behavioural science insights with Nudge host, Phill Agnew
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.

Dec 13, 2023 • 43min
How Just Eat used celebrities and jingles to help them become market leader - Susan O'Brien
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.

Dec 6, 2023 • 1h 7min
No GUT no glory; from startup to Cannes Lions agency of the year in 5 years - Anselmo Ramos
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.

Nov 29, 2023 • 53min
Creativity, Christmas and a Cardiac Crisis - Vicki Maguire, Havas
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.

14 snips
Nov 22, 2023 • 44min
How Airbnb bounced back from losing 80% of their business with long term brand building - Nancy King
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.

8 snips
Nov 15, 2023 • 49min
The divided brain, attention and how we see the world - Dr Iain McGilchrist
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.

Nov 8, 2023 • 48min
The Mac is back: how Wieden+Kennedy gave McDonald's its swagger
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

Nov 1, 2023 • 34min
How NBCU harnesses the power of entertainment; iconic shows, reality TV and the Olympics - Josh Feldman
The CMO of NBCUniversal, Josh Feldman, discusses his background in marketing and advertising. He shares strategies used by NBC to make their B2B efforts successful and emphasizes the importance of partnerships. They also discuss the collapse of the funnel in full funnel marketing and the success of Bravo shows like Real Housewives.

Oct 25, 2023 • 44min
How Salesforce built the world's most successful B2B brand - Colin Fleming
Colin Fleming, former Red Bull Racing driver and VP of Brand Marketing at Salesforce, shares insights on their effective brand marketing strategies including Super Bowl ads, brand characters, and the creation of their own event Dreamforce. He also discusses the importance of investing in brand assets, their partnership with Matthew McConaughey, the significance of trust in messaging, and their collaboration with Formula One.