Marketing Meetup Podcast

We hear so much advice from folks these days about how to grow on social media, but a lot of it isn't grounded in a reality for people trying to build something from scratch.This session is different.A practical story from someone who has done it themselves recently. Rachael, the Founder and Company Director of Because of Marketing, a global digital marketing publication. Founded from her bedroom in July 2020, Because of Marketing has become a go-to source for the latest in marketing campaigns, industry news, and trends.This is her story of building a social following from the ground up. What worked, what didn’t, and what she’d do differently if she had to start again tomorrow.Take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they're useful companies for lovely marketers.Frontify - All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Cambridge Marketing College - The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable - the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.NOAN - your superhuman business partner. Easily build your strategy & control your business knowledge with AI, then use it to manage your tasks, create content & supercharge your marketing.

Today, we spoke to Mel Barfield and Ben McKinney (Indie Business Club podcast and Copy Or Die copywriting agency) on how to stand out and grow your business as a freelancer or contractor. Whether you're already solo or pondering a career change, this session will be packed with tips and advice. We'll cover:- how to get started and stand out- pitfalls to watch out for!- why more people than ever are going solo- ways to grow when you're doing allllll the things--Take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they're useful companies for lovely marketers.Frontify - All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Cambridge Marketing College - The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable - the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.NOAN - your superhuman business partner. Easily build your strategy & control your business knowledge with AI, then use it to manage your tasks, create content & supercharge your marketing.

Traditional search is dead!" - wellllll we don't agree with that, but we do know the opportunities in search have changed dramatically since generative-AI has come into play. In this webinar we'll cover:how SEO is changing and what you need to do about itactionable tips to get you started quickly on SEO in a AI search worldand as always, we'll have questions from the community (that's you!) 🙂Chima is Senior Content Marketing Manager at Moz and also runs her own content agency, Zenith Copy. Tim is Chief Marketing Officer at Ahrefs, offering SEO tools to help you accelerate the growth of organic search traffic to a website. Both are highly respected thought leaders in SEO, so this session will be jam-packed full of great insights and advice.--Take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they're useful companies for lovely marketers.Frontify - All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Cambridge Marketing College - The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable - the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.NOAN - your superhuman business partner. Easily build your strategy & control your business knowledge with AI, then use it to manage your tasks, create content & supercharge your marketing.

What does it take to keep one of the world’s most iconic creative brands relevant, human, and globally resonant — 40 years on?In this episode, we sit down with Simon Morris, VP of International Marketing at Adobe, to explore how Adobe blends creativity, technology, and purpose in its brand strategy. From sponsoring the Women’s FA Cup to navigating the ethics of AI, Simon shares how Adobe empowers creators, drives global consistency with local nuance, and builds a creative culture across continents.We cover:Why Adobe’s Women’s FA Cup sponsorship is about more than just brand awarenessHow Adobe stays ahead in a hyper-competitive, AI-driven landscapeWhat vulnerable leadership looks like in a high-performance global teamTune in for a thoughtful look at how marketing can inspire, connect, and lead - even at scale.

In this episode, we chat with Kevin Branscum, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at Typeform.We dive into Kevin’s career journey — from studying Mandarin to marketing fashion and eventually moving into B2B SaaS. Kevin shares how curiosity and a sense of fun drive his work, and how he balances bold creativity with data-driven decisions.We also explore:The surprising similarities between fashion and SaaS marketingHow to cut through jargon and bring clarity to brand languageWhy conventional logic can be dangerous for marketersThe challenges of measuring brand impact when outcomes aren’t easily quantifiableTypeform’s approach to brand building, from memorable YouTube ads to their recent rebrand from “Forms worth filling out” to “Now you know”How to market a simple, premium product in a world full of free alternativesIf you’re curious about branding, creativity, and marketing leadership, this one’s for you.

In this episode, we’re joined by Stephen Kenwright — co-founder of Rise at Seven and now a consultant and non-exec to agencies across the UK. Stephen shares lessons from a career spent building, scaling, and exiting agencies. We cover:The biggest challenges facing agencies today — and whether it’s the model or the momentHow to build an inbound engine that consistently brings in qualified leadsThe role of positioning in standing out in a crowded marketHiring your first employees and managing agency growth stagesPractical advice on pricing your services and balancing client relationshipsIf you’re thinking about growing your agency or making it more resilient, this one’s packed with wisdom.

Dive into the world of idea evaluation in marketing! Discover the common pitfalls that hinder great ideas from taking flight. Learn practical tips for enhancing creative decision-making and the necessity of clear communication between marketers and agencies. Uncover the challenges faced by small teams and how AI can aid creativity. Explore the importance of trust in partnerships for sparking innovation. This engaging discussion mixes psychology with actionable strategies to nurture impactful marketing ideas.

🪂 Welcome to The Chutes 🪂The marketing awards for brands and agencies of all shapes and sizes where, uniquely, the work that works, is the work that wins.Today we’re proud to announce the second winner of The Chutes is Ginsters with ‘Taste The Effort’. Congratulations to everyone involved, including the agency partners Truth, Kantar & TBWA.To hear more about how the work that worked was made, Emma Stower joined Joe Glover and Giles Edwards for a 25 minute masterclass. We hope you enjoy!The objective After speaking to consumers and uncovering how Ginsters was perceived, Emma Stowers experienced quite an awakening. Misconceptions about poor quality were creating a barrier for the brand, making it difficult to shift public perception. Ginsters set out to change this, aiming to showcase the quality and craft behind both their brand and their products.  This dedication to care and craftsmanship inspired the creation of Merryn, a devoted Ginsters potato farmer who became the heart of the campaign. The resultsAfter pre-testing and refining a rough cut storyboard with System1, Ginsters achieved an impressive 4.0 Star Rating for their final cut. By leveraging humour and strong brand codes, they secured high brand recognition and cut through the category noise. Taking a bold and unconventional approach, Ginsters established a unique and distinctive identity to reinforce one simple message: great taste, great quality. Merryn injects the brand with fun and has become a consistent part of its identity, and thankfully, she is here to stay. Ginsters aim to build a distinctive asset with Merryn, a smart strategy backed by System1’s The Magic of Compound Creativity. Data from the IPA shows that over five years, brand characters grow in effectiveness, increasing by an average +1.0 Star Rating. But it is not just the brand that is pleased with the campaign’s success. Within the first 12 weeks, the campaign drove a significant uplift in value sales and added over 1.5 million households to the brand. Real consumers even called Ginsters after the ad aired to share how much they loved it, expressing their appreciation for the way it highlighted British farming. 

🪂 Welcome to The Chutes 🪂The marketing awards for brands and agencies of all shapes and sizes where, uniquely, the work that works, is the work that wins.It’s time to announce the inaugural winner of The Chutes awards which goes to…The Woodsman Whisky & Mr President for ‘Well Earned’.And now, for an acceptance speech that’s a bit more acceptable, we're here with Jaimie Anderson from Whyte & Mackay and Lillie Price from Mr. President to explain exactly how they created the work that worked.The objectiveTo attract a new audience of consumers and bring fresh energy to the category by positioning it as fun and sociable. Designed as a Scotch that behaves like a bourbon, Woodsman whisky was uniquely placed to stand apart. It offered something different to the category, appealing to a younger audience of drinkers who enjoy mixing their drinks. Traditionally, the whisky category is known for adhering to familiar tropes, often leaning into a more formal tone rooted in heritage and seriousness. Woodsman set out to break that mould, injecting a sense of playfulness and modernity to resonate with a new generation. Enter Barry the Beaver: a rugged puppet character who, after a long day of gnawing trees and building dams, kicks back, relaxes, and enjoys a glass of The Woodsman whisky. Defying all category conventions, The Woodsman faced a polarising challenge: they had something new, creative, and completely distinctive within the whisky category, but would consumers respond with the positivity needed to drive long-term commercial growth?The resultsOn System1’s Test Your Ad platform, The Woodsman achieved an impressive 4.8-Star Rating and exceptional short-term sales potential, ranking it among the top five spirits ads of all time and the number one whisky ad in System1’s Premium database. This campaign’s success in testing translated directly to commercial impact, propelling The Woodsman into the Top 10 blended whisky brands and exceeding its 20% growth goal by an additional 15%. Driven by data, insight, a clear strategy, and emotional resonance, this campaign stands as a testament to a brand that is both market-oriented and unafraid to challenge the status quo. Despite Barry’s “gnarly” appearance, he is a beloved character who resonates deeply with consumers. System1’s emotional FaceTrace© reveals that his presence evokes surprise and joy, leading to a notable increase in positivity. This positions the Woodsman perfectly to continue leveraging Barry in their communications. A distinctive and well-received brand character is truly one of the most valuable assets a brand can have!  Extra resources:Write up: https://system1group.com/ad-of-the-week/barrels-beavers-brilliance-the-worlds-best-whisky-adSystem1 report: https://report.testyourad.com/report/23122294-7b86-474c-8c3c-9dff36db228dWatch the ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQPELZriAs0

Dan Fleming, Country Lead at Tracksuit, dives into brand marketing's nuanced terrain. He shares how to make brand efforts quantifiable, emphasizing practical KPIs beyond just reach or impressions. Fleming discusses strategies to track brand impact on budgets of all sizes, and why understanding brand awareness is crucial for performance. He also reveals insights on navigating budget cuts while maintaining brand trust and effectiveness. His expertise shines through real-world case studies, showcasing the powerful link between brand efforts and bottom-line success.