Call To Action

This week, we posed as a wide receiver to catch ad land’s premier Super Bowl pundit, Andrew Tindall, to tell us which of this year’s cohort of cost-the-earth commercials were MVPs…and which fumbled the ball.    A man who hadn’t slept in days, we snared Andrew straight from System1’s Super Bowl “war room”. After spending the past week testing the ads our industry can’t help but get sweaty about year on year, he’s here to tell us what “won” the Super Bowl and why.  An award-winning marketer with a commercial background at some top notch FMCGs, Andrew leads System1's global partnership strategy and growth, seeking out the world’s best ads and why they work to unlock the potential of their world-leading effectiveness database. He talks to us on Young Apprentice being a way of "getting out of Huddersfield'', studying medicine for 3 years, wanting to work in alcohol, how System1 predicts creative potential and effectiveness, his mentor, colleague and friend Orlando Wood, why effectiveness is relative; outperform your category, the hierarchy of evidence, the brilliant Jenni Romaniuk, creativity as the UK’s greatest export, and lots more. Plus, of course, the Super Bowl winners and losers, including Michelob Ultra, Messi, using celebs, mayo cat, T-Mobile and Pfizer.  Touch down on the play button. You won’t be disappointed.  ///// Follow Andrew on LinkedIn  Find out more about System1 and their ad effectiveness predictors  The only four slides you need for Super Bowl 2024 ad insights from System1 Here’s Andrew’s Super Bowl piece in The Drum  And his personal favourite Super Bowl ad of 2024, Foot Washing Plus Mr P by Pringles  And if you haven’t seen them, watch 2024’s top scoring Super Bowl ads here:  Dunkin’ Donuts, Hellmann’s, Reese’s, Oreo, State Farm, Popeyes, T-Mobile, NFL, Michelob ULTRA, Booking.com, and Budweiser. Timestamps (01:50) - Quick fire questions (03:45) - First jobs, BBC’s Young Apprentice, and going from med school to marketing (07:40) - How he ended up testing marketing effectiveness at System1  (13:12) - How System1 predicts creative potential and effectiveness (17:50) - Which ads “won” the Super Bowl? (21:15) - What Michelob ULTRA did right  (27:14) - His favourite Super Bowl ad of 2024 (and it’s one no one is talking about) (30:45) - Efficiency and effectiveness  (36:35) - Listener questions  (42:00) - What US marketers can learn from the UK  (46:30) - 4 pertinent posers  Andrew’s book recommendation is:  Building Distinctive Brand Assets by Jenni Romaniuk  /////

Go, Shotton, it’s our birthday, we gon’ podcast like it’s our birthday. This week, we claimed that 50 Cent is better than 49 Cent to coax out and catch a man who knows his onions on the ‘left hand digit effect’; Richard Shotton.  In February 2019, Richard agreed to be our inaugural guest to launch the Call to Action® podcast. Almost exactly 5 years, 343309 listens (or 686618 ears), and 1 book better, we're snaring him for a second, celebratory episode to mark the occasion. Drawing on academic research, previous ad campaigns, and his own original field studies, Richard is the best in the business when it comes to improving marketing with findings from behavioural science. His brace of best-selling books, The Choice Factory and The Illusion of Choice, are practical guides on how any business can use behavioural biases to win customers and sell more stuff.  He chinwags to us on dressing up as Mr Blobby, second album syndrome, why ‘muscular gentleman’ is more memorable than ‘common fate’, rejecting dubious papers (not the whole field), the IKEA effect, Rory Sutherland and The World of Jam, tips to sell more champagne, releasing the handbrake vs pushing the accelerator, how to make your ad more believable, why Giles is scared of Jollibee, and loads more. You’d be a fool not to fill your ear canals up. *Feel free to ignore this*…but if you leave a review for Call to Action® on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, we’ll choose the best 5 to WIN a book pack prize of The Illusion of Choice, The Choice Factory, Delusions of Brandeur, and How Brands Blow. Mega.  ///// Follow Richard on Twitter and LinkedIn Listen to our maiden episode with him here  Here’s Astroten  Get your grubby mitts on his books:  The Choice Factory  The Illusion of Choice  And here’s that Gregory and Gregory stunt from Greggs  Timestamps (02:02) - Quick fire questions (04:45) - Second album syndrome and writing The Illusion of Choice  (07:26) - Why marketers should always use concrete words   (12:20) - Richard’s response to behavioural science critics  (17:05) - Choice paralysis and the importance of context  (19:08) - The IKEA effect   (23:08 ) - ‘Press for champagne’ and why marketers should weigh up appeal vs friction  (28:00) - Should ads use more rhyme and humour?  (33:00) - Quick wins for marketers looking to wield the powers of behavioural science  (42:00) - Listener questions  (50:10) - 4 pertinent posers  Richard’s book recommendations are:  Writing for Busy Readers by Todd Rogers Alchemy by Rory Sutherland  /////

Feel better about marketing™ The go-to podcast for anyone trying to make sense of the world of marketing, business and beyond. In an industry that is a minefield of utter bollocks, we aim to capture our heroes and allies from the front line to have a chin-wag with. It’s like Pokémon Go, with the single but vital exception that it’s not a short-term bandwagon of shite. UK TOP 2 | US TOP 50 | RELEASED FORTNIGHTLY

This year marks 5 years since our maiden episode with Richard Shotton in February 2019. To celebrate Call to Action® turning 5, we asked the …Gasp! team to rummage through all 130 episodes for us to re-release some of their favourites.  Back in January 2020, we kicked off the year with fizzy, fuzzy energy. The fizz and fuzz faded come March 2020, but before that, we packed our plasticine and carried out a search of The Avon to pick up Bristol’s finest maker of noise, Gavin Strange.  By day, Gavin is Director and Designer at the beloved Aardman Animations, the Academy Award winning studio behind Wallace & Gromit. It is probably easier to ask what Gavin does not do, a sucker for a night-time side project, under the pseudonym of Jam Factory, he’s also an author, toy inventor and speaker on the global circuit. In one of the …Gasp! team’s all time favourite episodes, Gavin talks to us candidly on having car parts thrown at his head, pixels, plasticine, what Morph is really like, the unlikely crossover of Maya Angelou and Dragon Ball Z and why we need more wonky things.  Feel better about marketing with Episode 28 of Call to Action® with Gavin Strange.  Follow Gavin on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn Check out his website And get his book: Do Fly Timestamps (01:59) - Quick fire questions (02:40) - First jobs, having car parts thrown at his head, getting a job in design (10:00) - Tinkering and creating his alter ego JamFactory  (13:15) - What it’s like working at Aardman Animations  (16:39) - Pixels vs plasticine and long standing characters like Morph  (23:30) - Being time buddies with Beyonce and how he gets so much done  (33:10) - Doing silly stuff and his directorial debut (41:50) - Writing his book Do Fly  (53:00) - Listener questions  (1:00:00) - 4 pertinent posers  Gavin’s book recommendations are:  Feck Perfuction by James Victore  Draplin Design Co: Pretty Much Everything by Aaron Draplin  Why? How? What? The First Big Book of Art by Brosmind  Cabinet of Curiosities by Guillermo del Toro  Anything by Shepard Fairey 

This week, Call to Action® laid bait in a box trap to lure and snare our maiden catch of 2024, Roger Wade. First founding Boxfresh, a pioneering British streetwear brand, he went on to transform a patch of wasteland to create the world’s first pop-up dining and shopping destination, BOXPARK, in the heart of London’s Shoreditch. Today, Roger is putting his passion for independent brands, the future of retail, and thinking outside the Box, into his role as Chairman of Boxfund VC. We shoot the breeze on stealing sweets, getting sacked from his first three jobs in advertising, having a positive attitude to problems, entrepreneurship, risk, how Boxfresh gave 90s kids a new uniform, being special to your customer, investing in people not spreadsheets, emotion in business, golf, why in-store is better than online for all three key pillars of retail, and loads more.  In fact, we had to stop and reload a few times to take aim at Bezos, bean counters, Boris and Brexit. And he certainly doesn’t sit on the fence. What an episode.  ///// Follow Roger on LinkedIn Here’s Boxfund VC Check out BoxSeat, a live pitch session for ESG consumer startups hosted every month  We’ve made our decision by Omid Djalili  Timestamps (02:00) - Quick fire questions (03:55) - Stealing sweets, running nightclubs, and getting sacked from his first 3 jobs in advertising  (06:40) - Realising he was unemployable and why it was the best thing that ever happened to him  (08:54) - Creating a new uniform for 90s kids with Boxfresh   (12:50) - “If you aren’t special to your customer, you won’t exist” (17:00) - Investing in people not spreadsheets and why we need to talk more about emotion in business  (23:43) - Giving both barrels to Bezos, Boris, and Brexit  (33:52) - Listener questions  (39:34) - 4 pertinent posers  Roger’s book recommendations are:  Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart  But What Can I Do? by Alistair Campbell  /////

This week, we used plenty of plaid to lure and poach the planning pro in patterned shirts, Julian Cole.  Strategy consultant to leading brands like Uber, Apple, Facebook and ex-Head of Comms Planning at BBDO and BBH, Julian noticed the void of proper education for the role and started the Strategy Finishing School. Putting an end to impostor syndrome, he’s now whipping up world class strategists by the bucket load.  We talk delivering prescriptions, loving maps, horse racing, gambling, why going straight into strategy was a curse, learning (and now teaching) the fundamentals of strategy, imposter syndrome, spotting an untrained vs strategist, how to actually use AI in a helpful way, Giles’s Thermomix, hallways not boardrooms, nemawashi, his definition of an insight, where he gets his shirts from, and loads more.  Sink your houndstooth in wherever you get your podcasts.  ///// You can find Julian on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Check out the Strategy Finishing School  This episode is proudly dedicated to Richard Huntington  And if you like Julian’s crazy shirts, have a gander at Lazy Oaf  Timestamps (02:00) - Quick fire questions (02:56) - His first job delivering prescriptions by bike, loving maps, and what led him down the path of strategy  (05:05) - The similarities between strategy and gambling (09:45) - Why going straight into strategy was a curse, being a lone ranger, impostor syndrome, and deck monkeys  (18:07) - The positive side to impostor syndrome and how to overcome it  (22:27) - Spotting a trained vs untrained strategist  (28:08) - Using AI for strategy like you’d use salt in cooking  (31:30) - How he actually uses AI as a strategist  (35:13) - Diplomacy, hallways not boardrooms, and nemawashi (40:38) - Listener questions  (51:42) - 4 pertinent posers  Julian’s book recommendations are:  Strategy is Your Words by Mark Pollard  Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath  Trust Me I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday  /////

This week, we gave ourselves 50 minutes and the task to catch master of mirth, Alex Horne.  Comedian, frontman of six-piece band The Horne Section, and sensationally silly sod, Alex is best known for creating and co-hosting cult TV show, Taskmaster. Alongside Greg Davies, the only man in comedy big enough to call him ‘Little’ Alex Horne, he tests the wiles, wit and wisdom of comedians through a series of tasks teeming with tomfoolery. We chat middle children, sorting potatoes from toads, Big Brother and berocca, reviewing an all-male strip show, The Cambridge Footlights, British humour overseas, car games, silly versus wacky, escapism, how he comes up with tasks, catching tears in an eggcup, and (of course) the glorious 'stupid waste of time' that is Taskmaster.  Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. You’ve got 49 minutes and 18 seconds. Your time starts now.  ///// Follow Alex on Twitter  Here’s his website And see The Horne Section on tour   Timestamps (02:00) - Quick fire questions (03:56) - His first jobs sorting potatoes from toads, reviewing an all-male strip show, and working on Big Brother  (08:08) - Giving comedy a crack and The Cambridge Footlights  (12:10) - How Taskmaster went from playing games in the back of the car, to Edinburgh Fringe, and then onto the tele  (14:27) - What’s behind the success of Taskmaster, the role of luck, and what he’d do differently if the show started today  (24:20) - Trying to entertain, silly vs wacky, and the importance of escapism  (30:03) - How he keeps coming up with tasks  (36:10) - Listener questions  (41:39) - 4 pertinent posers  Alex’s book recommendations are:  Game On by Marley Byng  Palindromes and Anagrams by H.W. Bergerson  The Pebble Spotter’s Guide by Clive Mitchell  /////

This week, we went meep meep past Contagious HQ to catch an ACME wielding Alex Jenkins.  As Managing Partner at Contagious, Alex’s industry knowledge encompasses a treasure trove of past campaigns, current narratives, and future predictions. Part editorial, part consultancy, part research, Contagious believes in the best version of our industry, one where creativity wins.  After trying to crush us with a Greco-Roman catapult, Alex talks to us on his wonderfully wiggly career path, having his marketing budget poached by Girls Aloud, feeling like Wile E. Coyote after education, Contagious as a triaging function, walking around a problem, the current state of creativity, anti-creative forces, Most Contagious 2023, David Lynch, and French supermarkets.  That’s not all folks, he also explains what we've always known deep down...that Les Binet and Peter Field are one of your 5-a-day.   Follow Alex on LinkedIn and Twitter  Here’s Contagious  Get your tickets to Most Contagious (use promo code "GASPMOCO" for 30% off the full price of a ticket)  Go gorge on our episodes with Bob Hoffman and Richard Huntington Here’s the ad by Ruavieja  And a clip of Angelo Badalamenti explaining how he wrote the Twin Peaks soundtrack  Timestamps (01:44) - Quick fire questions (03:04) - His first jobs, music, creativity, and feeling like Wile E. Coyote after  (09:25) - Having his marketing budget stolen by Girls Aloud  (10:45) - His role at Contagious, triaging, and how they stay objective  (16:49) - The state of creativity in advertising, anti creative forces, and why Les Binet might be one of your five a day  (30:40) - Most Contagious 2023  (38:40) - Listener questions  (46:46) - 4 pertinent posers  Alex’s book recommendations are:  R.U.R. by Karel Capek  The Human Use Of Human Beings by Norbert Wiener  Essays by George Orwell  Invisible Ink by Brian McDonald  Lynch on Lynch by David Lynch  Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt 

This week, darling, we dangled a bit of Bolly to lure and ensnare the Absolutely Fabulous, Tara Austin. Behavioural science leader, Nudgestock host, and Rory Sutherland wrangler, Tara’s been on the frontline of the applied B.S. revolution for over a decade. More recently she’s turned ‘psychedelic evangelist’, lobbying to change the UK's approach to magic mushrooms. Tara talks to us on attempting to model herself on Ab Fab’s Patsy, ringing up Scottish farmers to chat anaerobic digestate, being at the basecamp of behavioural science, Ogilvy, Rory, combining Pimms with spicy food, painting babies faces on shop shutters (h/t Nicole Yershon), her favourite Nudgestock memories, her time at 10 Downing Street, psilocybin, the stoned ape hypothesis, finding hope in the form of a mushroom, and tons more. ///// Follow Tara on LinkedIn  Take action for psilocybin access rights through PAR  Watch Fantastic Fungi on Netflix And, of course, check out the world's biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity; Nudgestock  Including these talks from the archives:  Andrew Sheerin's talk 'The Persuasive Power Of Play' from 2017 Dave Trott’s talk ‘Complexity Kills Creativity’ from 2016 Dr Paul Zak’s talk ‘Messiness in the brain’ from 2023  Timestamps (02:02) - Quick fire questions (03:14) - First jobs, cleaning up bodily fluids and why menial jobs are a worthy experience for any young person  (06:19) -  How Ab Fab inspired her career and whether she’s more Eddie or Patsy  (08:16) - Getting into behavioural science, Rory Sutherland, and the market opportunity to pair Pimms with spicy food  (12:37) - Painting babies faces on shop shutters after the London riots  (17:40) - Favourite Nudgestock talks from the archives (cc Dave Trott, Andrew Sheerin, Paul Zak) (26:03) - Advocating for psilocybin, the stoned ape hypothesis, and the bouba and kiki effect  (34:33) - Campaigning for PAR, Project Croydon, and why hope exists in the form of a mushroom  (49:04) - Listener questions  (54:18) - 4 pertinent posers  Tara’s book recommendations are:  The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt Falling in Love with Where You Are by Jeff Foster  /////

This week we led Lucky Saint’s Head of Brand, Emily Laws, not into temptation but into Call To Action's recording studio. With marketing chops spanning a decade in brand management, PR, and brand activation, Emily is currently breaking rules and honouring traditions at the helm of the UK’s Number 1 Dedicated Alcohol-Free Beer. We get in a round of tantalising topics, including her first jobs selling shoes and speaking French, how The Yorkshire Post dashed her dreams, Flat Eric, behaving like an iconic brand, not doing ‘new’ for new’s sake, using brand codes with fresh consistency, why they don’t talk about hangovers, riding the alcohol-free wave and cracking on with whatever data you have (or don’t have), the tattoo test, and loads more. If you’re a fan of Lucky Saint or simply proper marketing, pour this into your ear holes.  ///// Follow Emily on LinkedIn  Here’s Lucky Saint  And their Marylebone pub, The Lucky Saint  Timestamps (01:44) - Quick fire questions (02:45) - First jobs, speaking French, and dashed dreams of being a journalist  (10:20) - Brand codes and behaving like an iconic brand  (15:20) - Not giving in to the pressure to always bring something new  (18:45) - How attitudes to alcohol-free are changing  (21:10) - Research, data, and wrong assumptions  (33:40) - Staying humble and being market-oriented  (48:50) - Listener questions  (54:59) - 4 pertinent posers  Emily’s book recommendations are:  The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo Damn Good Advice by George Lois  Alchemy by Rory Sutherland The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene  /////