Embracing Marketing Mistakes

A single soft line on The Body Shop catalogue haunted copywriter Vikki Ross for six months. Years later, another forgettable line slipped through and ended up across London on billboards. In this episode, I talk to Vikki about how those moments changed the way she presents copy and how she helps clients avoid drifting into the dull middle.We get into why stakeholders so often choose the safest option, how she now protects the creative process, and what it really takes to build a brand voice for Sky, Virgin, Expedia, Jaguar Land Rover and Formula E. Vikki also opens up about imposter syndrome, the reality of AI in copywriting, and the pressure that comes with presenting work to a room full of decision makers.If you have ever watched your best idea, get watered down in a meeting, this episode is going to hit home. Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

Christopher McKay, Head of Brand Engagement at Hillarys shares his career-defining failure when working at Ministry of Sound, revealing how a creative idea bombed due to lack of audience research and testing.• Started career in journalism before moving to PR at CalPR in Leeds• Moved to Ministry of Sound in London• Created "French Lessons with Bob" featuring DJ Bob Sinclair teaching French phrases• Campaign received only 50 likes compared to the usual 800-1,000 engagement• After two failed posts, had to cancel the planned 10-part series• Learned a valuable lesson about using data and insights before creative brainstorming• Key takeaway: Test before investing significant resources into a campaign Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

What if the key to leading brilliant brand teams was already wired into your brain? Claire Koryczan, founder of Imagine Beyond, has helped FTSE 100 brands and creative agencies unlock smarter ways to lead, create and think. In this episode, she shares how neuroscience shapes everything from energy in meetings to decision-making under pressure. Expect practical tips, brain-friendly habits, and a few stories from the front lines of brand leadership.  Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

Marketing mishaps from major brands reveal the critical importance of PR coordination with marketing efforts and careful forward planning to prevent campaign disasters. • Zara's campaign featuring mannequins with missing limbs was filmed before the Israel-Palestine conflict but released during war coverage, resulting in widespread criticism• Negative sentiment towards Zara surged from 13% to 76.4% following the incident• Nike initially refused to sell Mary Earps' England goalkeeper kit despite her popularity• After public outcry and a petition with 150,000 signatures, Nike reversed course and the kit sold out immediately• Bud Light's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney faced transphobic backlash• The company's vague response failed to support Mulvaney, alienating both conservative customers and the LGBTQ+ community• Bud Light suffered a 15% drop in revenue and lost its position as America's top-selling beer Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

 What happens when you leave a top PR agency to launch your own business, only for the world to shut down weeks later? Darryl Sparey, co-founder of Hard Numbers and former Hotwire leader, shares how he built an agency focused on proving marketing impact through data. In this episode, Darryl explains how marketers can move beyond vanity metrics and start connecting PR and SEO performance to measurable ROI.You’ll learn why access to GA4, Looker Studio, Search Console and CRM data changes everything, and how brands like Reddit, The FT and the BBC are shaping authority in the age of ChatGPT and Gemini. We also unpack what generative engine optimisation means for the future of earned media and how to future-proof your marketing results in 2026. If you care about clear metrics, credible reporting and meaningful outcomes, this conversation is for you.  Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

Sam Benton, co-founder of Mad Masters, shares a career-shaping error many ambitious marketers will recognise: believing you know it all and avoiding help until reality proves otherwise. He explains why pricing is a feeling, not a number, how KFC’s box-meal flop only succeeded after they doubled the price, and the pitch-room mistake where an Experian logo appeared in an Expedia meeting but still led to a client win. Sam explores herd effects, talk-trigger moments like hotel cookies, and the idea of “reverse benchmarking” to turn competitor weaknesses into creative strengths. You’ll learn how to build a culture that encourages risk-taking, use the SCARF model to motivate teams, and reframe pricing without relying on discounts. This episode is a reminder that the smartest marketers fail first, learn fast, and stand out by thinking differently.  Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

Today we speak with Greg Matusky, CEO & Founder, Gregory FCA Public Relations. He talks about being a young PR professional. We learn how Auntie Anne Beiler, founder of the famous pretzel franchise, brilliantly managed a potential scandal by revealing her own past mistakes before they could be used against her.• Auntie Anne grew up connected to the Amish community in Pennsylvania• Her hand-rolled soft pretzel recipe allegedly came through divine inspiration, creating a wholesome origin story• Secured an appearance on The 700 Club with Pat Robertson to share her story• Unexpectedly revealed a scandalous past involving an affair with a pastor and church fraud• Strategically shared her dark past publicly so it couldn't be weaponised against her later• Demonstrated the PR principle that "if you put bad news out, it can never be used against you"• The business now has approximately 1,200 franchises globally Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

When Google rolled out AI Overviews, Prohibition PR’s founder Chris Norton and co-owner Will watched something shocking: their clients’ sites still ranked high, but traffic plummeted overnight. The cause? AI summaries stealing clicks before users ever reached their pages. In this episode, Chris and Will reveal how a 50% traffic crash exposed the myth that “rankings = revenue,” and how they pivoted to GEO, meaning Generative Engine Optimization. From an awkward AI hallucination that invented a fake client to the discovery that authority beats keyword every time, they share the playbook that rebuilt visibility and leads. Learn how to make your brand the cited source inside AI answers, not the forgotten footnote. This is the new marketing reality: adapt your SEO to AI or risk disappearing entirely.  Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

We explore marketing mishaps and professional blunders that offer valuable life lessons with a bit of humour. Our guest today is Gerry White, SEO, Growth and Product Led Marketing Expert he talks about costly decimal point errors right through to accidentally breaking the BBC homepage himself.• How a decimal point error (£50 instead of 50p) in a pay-per-click campaign led to dismissal• Setting a lifetime budget as a daily budget over a weekend – and how the client actually loved the results• Accidentally publishing Doctor Who fan fiction articles on a government website• An intern documenting her drunken weekend on a client's Instagram account• Breaking the BBC homepage and discovering the mysterious "burning clown" test card• The evolution of digital content from early BBC webpages to modern platforms Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube

What do you do when your big pitch idea quite literally vanishes in front of the client? For James Tomlinson, it involved a magician, a torn-up Financial Times, and the most awkward silence of his career.In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, James reveals the pitch fails that taught him more than any win ever could from sanding a CEO’s boardroom table to dealing with AI-written briefs that make no sense. With two decades in agency leadership, he now helps brands and agencies avoid the same time-wasting, budget-draining mistakes.Expect brutal honesty, plenty of laughs, and practical lessons on how to run pitches that actually work.🎧 Because sometimes, the best way to learn about winning… is by talking about the fails that nearly broke you. Is your strategy still right for 2026? Book a free 15-min discovery call to get tailored insights to boost your brand’s growth. 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈 Subscribe to our Newsletter✒️Don't miss a hilarious mistake or free event by 👉 subscribing to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris Norton:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will Ockenden:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube