Embracing Marketing Mistakes

A single missing gesture can set the internet alight. We open up about a day when Royal Mail faced a fast-moving backlash over Paralympics stamps and how a quiet policy gap looked like a loud value judgment on social media. From the first surge of tweets to the uncomfortable hours stuck in monitoring mode, we walk through what happens when your team lacks the tools, approvals, and scripts to respond at the speed of the timeline.You’ll hear how the narrative formed in real time: honour given to Olympians, absence for Paralympians, and a rush of anger that framed the issue as dignity denied. We unpack why silence isn’t neutral, why a clear holding statement can stabilise a story, and how early Twitter’s velocity made every minute count. Along the way, we get practical about social listening, crisis playbooks, and the small operational choices, like pre-approved templates and escalation paths that create big advantages when things go sideways.We also talk about brand symbolism and equity. Commemorative stamps seem simple, but they carry cultural weight, and unequal treatment reads as exclusion. That’s why policy stress testing matters: diverse eyes, scenario planning, and checks for unintentional bias before a campaign goes live. If you work in comms, marketing, or customer care, you’ll find clear takeaways you can implement today: set up the tech stack, define who can speak when, rehearse the response flow, and protect your team with debriefs that turn chaos into learning.If this conversation helps sharpen your crisis plan, follow the show, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review telling us the one change you’ll make this week. 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 Lisa, co-founder of Common People and strategist at Wavemaker Manchester, accidentally misbooked an out-of-home campaign linked to a BBC event, it was more than an embarrassing blunder back in episode 41.It became the moment she started questioning who really gets to thrive in advertising and media. In this episode, Lisa recounts that campaign mishap, a chaotic run of travel mix-ups, a painful pitch-room tumble, and the day she ended up crying at her desk. She then connects those experiences to a bigger issue: how class, confidence and unspoken office rules quietly shut working-class people out of the industry. Lisa shares practical ideas for change, from dropping unnecessary degree requirements and paying real living wages to simplifying recruitment tasks and making workplace norms explicit. This is a candid, funny and insightful conversation for marketers who want more relatable teams, smarter campaigns and fewer people feeling like they don’t belong.Click here to listen to the full episode 41. 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 drop £30,000 on an influencer and the sign-ups never show?In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, Andy Lambert, co-founder of ContentCal, author of Spheres of Influence and now Principal Manager of Product at Adobe Express, unpacks two costly growth errors: overinvesting in performance ads and running a transactional influencer campaign that barely moved the needle.Andy explains why demand capture can look like growth until it suddenly stops, and how “pilot” influencer tests often fail because trust is not built in a week. He shares the practical reset that followed: tighter audience focus, creators who genuinely use the product, stronger community signals, and personality-led brand building that supports revenue over time.If your paid media efficiency is slipping, your influencer spend feels underwhelming, or you are trying to rebalance brand and demand, this episode will help you avoid the same expensive mistakes.  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 Director of Thinking and Creative PR Specialist Peter Freedman joined us for this episode 39, he unpacked the unusual marketing mistake he made while working with Craigslist.Tasked with satirising the rise of in-your-face shirt sponsorships, Peter sponsored a women’s football team in Battersea Park and put them in full advertising sandwich boards. The stunt was pretty clever, photogenic and completely impractical, yet it barely registered with any journalists.One even called it the most peculiar idea they had ever seen. Peter explains why the campaign fell flat, how it was simply too weird and not familiar enough, and what he learned from books like The Creative Curve and Contagious about the sweet spot between novelty and recognition. Marketers will hear a candid breakdown of why some ideas stay niche, why moderate innovation works better than pure shock value, and how to judge whether your next PR concept is different in the right way. Click here to listen to the full episode. 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

Ken Hughes spent 15 years chasing NPS scores, loyalty points and dashboards, only to realise his “loyal customers” were simply trapped by discounts and habit. Then he ignored two clear warning signs on his own roof, fell 30 feet and shattered 26 bones. That moment forced him to reconsider risk, fear and what real loyalty means for modern brands. In this episode, Ken explains why many brands confuse transactions with true connection, how data worship blinds marketers, and why emotion, humour and intimacy are now non-negotiable. He also shares how agentic AI will change buying decisions and what brands must do to stay in their customers’ heart space. If you are under pressure to prove ROI on every campaign yet still worry your brand is forgettable, this conversation will challenge how you think about loyalty.  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

As Creative Marketer Anil Manji joined the show, he reflected on an early-career incident that continues to guide his thinking today. We take you into this segment of episode 40, inside a haircare TV ad that reused legacy footage, layered on a week of pricey CGI to turn shampoo into conditioner, and accidentally created a texture that read like something no brand wants on primetime. The client’s blunt feedback changed everything, and once we heard it, we couldn’t unsee it either.We break down how efficient asset reuse can backfire when context and semiotics are ignored, why fluid simulations demand more than photorealism, and how a single freeze-frame can become meme fuel. From the first treatment to the final cut, we map the decisions that led us there: close-up hair shots, a convincing squeeze-to-palm animation, and the overlooked risk in colour, opacity, and flow. Then we show the fix that is warmer tones, micro-bubbles, altered angles, and strand separation which pulled the work back into brand-safe territory without losing impact.This conversation goes beyond one mishap. We talk perception checks, diverse feedback loops, and how to design review gates that ask, “What could this be mistaken for?” We dig into sunk-cost bias during CGI iterations, how to use cold reads at key milestones, and why creative teams should plan for what social media might clip and share. If you work in advertising, brand management, or production, you’ll get practical steps to reduce risk while keeping speed: better briefs for reused footage, early semiotic audits, and a culture where someone can say the awkward truth sooner.If this story helped sharpen your creative process, follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a quick review telling us your most unforgettable client note.Click on this link to the full episode 40. 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

This week on Embracing Marketing Mistakes, Chris Norton is joined by Chris Attewell, former CEO of Search Laboratory and now board advisor at Realise Advisory, to explore how AI is changing the future of SEO. Chris revisits his early years in digital marketing and explains how Search Laboratory moved from PPC into SEO, digital PR and integrated search. He breaks down how Google, Bing and ChatGPT are reshaping user behaviour, why brand authority now matters more than ever, and how AI overviews and multi platform search are shifting the mechanics of visibility. Together they unpack the North Star trap, where teams chase a perfect strategy instead of delivering value in stages, and how marketers can link content, PR, social, brand and search without falling into silos. Whether you work in digital, PR or brand, this episode gives you clear insight into how AI is transforming search and what it means for your marketing in 2025.  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 Pinterest Strategist and Niche Marketing Expert Meagan Williamson joined the show for Episode 38, she opened up about a painful and expensive mistake that shaped the way she works today. Early in her business, she hired a Facebook ads expert to run paid traffic to a new funnel that had never been tested organically. Over a 90-day period she spent more than twenty-five thousand dollars on ad spend and fees with almost nothing to show for it. The only purchase was a sixty-seven-dollar sale that ended in a refund four days later. The experience was embarrassing for Meagan, but it completely changed the way she evaluates contractors, tests funnels, and teaches clients about paid traffic. In this episode she shares the red flags she ignored, the questions she now asks before outsourcing, and the lessons every marketer should take from her story. Click on this link to the full episode. 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

Marshall Manson is the CEO of Fleishman Hillard and a communications strategist with deep experience in both brand marketing and corporate reputation. In 2006, while working at Edelman, he played a central role in the infamous "Walmarting Across America" campaign, an early and much criticised attempt at influencer marketing that quickly unravelled due to a lack of transparency. Marshall joins us to reflect openly on what went wrong, what he learned, and why the lessons from that experience still matter today. The 2006 "Walmarting Across America" PR scandal offers valuable lessons about transparency and ethics that remain relevant in today's influencer marketing landscape. This storytelling deep-dive reveals how a promising campaign featuring anonymous bloggers in Walmart-branded RVs unraveled when they refused to identify themselves to a journalist, leading to front-page coverage in major newspapers.• Campaign concept: Bloggers would travel in Walmart-branded RVs, staying in store parking lots and documenting their experiences• Critical mistake: Allowing bloggers to remain anonymous despite red flags• Campaign built momentum that made it difficult to cancel despite ethical concerns• Media coverage quickly turned from positive to highly critical• Leadership response from Richard Edelman emphasized learning from mistakes rather than scapegoating• Importance of transparency in sponsored content remains a crucial lesson for modern influencer campaigns• Setting high ethical standards when operating in uncharted territory 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

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