Call To Action

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  /////

This week, ​​in a world where most businesses blend together like a briefcase filled with slightly smaller briefcases, we’re seeking out the business leaders who are standing out in their sector, and doing things very much their own way. Mind Your Business is the sponsored spin-off of Call to Action® that gives inspiring, unusual or simply very likeable businesses a chance to share their story. It’s like reading a business book with the word ‘guru’ in the title, with the single but vital exception that it won’t make you do a little sick in your mouth. This is the third and final episode of a special, three-part, series with Startle. A talented tech company curating music for brands looking to deliver customer experiences within spaces spanning retail, hospitality and beyond.  Whether you’re a food operator looking to get customers chewing faster, a retailer wanting to get shoppers shopping longer, or simply a fan of behavioural science and its application across a range of industries, press play to find out why the music sounds better with Startle. For the encore, we’ve got the band back together with Adam Castleton, CEO, James Picken, Creative Director, and Magnus Linn, Playlist Manager, belting out their favourite behavioural science hits, like expectancy theory and the peak end rule, before facing a ton of tough posers from people in the industry.    If you listened to Episode 1 and 2, jump to [02:50] to skip the recap and get straight into Episode 3.  ///// Check out Startle, Adam, Magnus, and James on LinkedIn. Here’s Startle’s first-of-its-kind book, Atmospheres That Sell.  And find out what happened when Startle handed out free air guitars at Nudgestock.  Timestamps:  (01:12) - An introduction to Startle, Adam, Magnus, and James (02:50) - If you listened to Episode 1 and 3, jump here to skip the recap and get straight into Episode 3.     (03:20) - A quick lesson in expectancy theory   (06:54) - How to manage first impressions at scale  (08:25) - Brands doing it well and the power of a balloon  (10:57) - Peak end rule and playing musical scrabble   (15:25) - Questions from people in the industry   (15:40) - Is there one playlist that does it best?  (23:00) - Should you let employees play their favourites?  (27:28) - How the weight of cutlery impacts how you perceive your meal  (30:28) - Wrap up  ///// This episode of Call to Action® is sponsored.  Got a business we could stick our sponsored spinoff shaped nose into next? Email calltoaction@gasp.agency. 

This week, ​​in a world where most businesses blend together like a briefcase filled with slightly smaller briefcases, we’re seeking out the business leaders who are standing out in their sector, and doing things very much their own way. Mind Your Business is the sponsored spin-off of Call to Action® that gives inspiring, unusual or simply very likeable businesses a chance to share their story. It’s like reading a business book with the word ‘guru’ in the title, with the single but vital exception that it won’t make you do a little sick in your mouth. This is the second episode of a three part series with Startle. A talented tech company curating music for brands looking to deliver customer experiences within spaces spanning retail, hospitality and beyond.  Whether you’re a food operator looking to get customers chewing faster, a retailer wanting to get shoppers shopping longer, or simply a fan of behavioural science and its application across a range of industries, press play to find out why the music sounds better with Startle. For Episode 2, we've caught a Startle BOGOF of Magnus Linn, Playlist Manager, and James Picken, Creative Director, to shoot the breeze on how music can influence every aspect of how we behave, why you shouldn’t view music solely as an entertainment service, the science of sound, boosting bass to sell more Rolexes, dealing with a constantly changing context, how to use music to say something about your brand, and tons more.  If you listened to Episode 1, jump to [02:50] to skip the recap and get straight into Episode 2.  ///// Check out Startle, Magnus, and James on LinkedIn. Here’s Startle’s first-of-its-kind book, Atmospheres That Sell.  And find out what happened when Startle handed out free air guitars at Nudgestock.  Timestamps:  (01:12) - An introduction to Startle, Magnus, and James (02:50) - If you listened to Episode 1, jump here to skip the recap and get straight into Episode 2.     (03:20) - The power of music to influence every aspect of our lives  (06:45) - How brands can use music as an atmospheric tool  (09:24) - The pitfalls of seeing music solely as an entertainment service (15:26) - The science of sound and why boosting the bass could sell more Rolexes  (19:18) - The role of context  (28:40) - A teaser for Part 3  ///// This episode of Call to Action® is sponsored.  Got a business we could stick our sponsored spinoff shaped nose into next? Email calltoaction@gasp.agency.