Uncensored CMO

For the 50th episode of Uncensored CMO, I'm live in Cannes to talk about the triple threat to creative effectiveness. Why effectiveness has been declining over the years, how attention has impacted mental availability and what we can do about it. Fresh off the stage at Cannes Lions 2022, Peter Field, Orlando Wood and Karen Nelson-Field talk us through what they're calling Triple Jeopardy.From Peter Field himself: "Triple Jeopardy is three things: the withdrawal of money from brand and putting it into performance marketing and the short-term on a massive scale. That has drained the mental availability fuel supply, if you like"What we covered in this episodeKaren, Peter and Orlando's triple jeopardy Cannes panelHow effectiveness has progressively declined throughout the yearsWhat's causing the decline? Is it a focus on short term activation vs long term brand building?Why are you calling this triple jeopardy?Why short term activation is damaging mental availabilityMeasuring inwards vs outwardWhy we need to change attention metricsActive vs passive attention85% of ads sit below the attention memory thresholdViewablity metrics are failing usHow the elasticity of attention variesSo how do we solve this? How do we sustain attention?Why we need more right-brained features in advertisingWhat captures attention?Are you paying attention to this very message on this podcast? (and in these show notes?)

22 Juni 202223min

Margaret Jobling is the Group Chief Marketing Officer at NatWest. Margaret has spent the majority of her marketing career in FMCG, before to joining the utilities sector in 2014, as Director of Marketing at British Gas. At the beginning of 2016 she moved into a CMO role at Centrica, transforming the firm’s marketing capabilities across all regions. Then in 2020, joining NatWest as CMO.In September 2020, Margaret was announced as one of Marketing Week’s Top 100 Most Effective Marketers for her work at Centrica.What we covered in this episode:How Marg went from laser chemistry to marketingBlagging her way through her first job in marketingCapturing an emotional response in a rational wayHow to look smart giving creative feedback to an agencyThe ABC of assessing a piece of creativeWhy marketers face a much more complex context todayHow marketing is like sex and drivingUsing the language of business in the Board roomWhy marketers should focus on customers and commercials firstThe two hats every CMO wearsCreating a culture where people can test and learnInverting the pyramid and supporting the marketing teamWhy the store manager is kingThe power of showcasing what has gone wrongMarg’s hidden showreel of what went wrongJon’s best training talking about his biggest failuresWhy Marg wouldn’t go back to fast moving consumer goodsThe importance of a consistent customer experienceHow service sector and FMCG differDefining what marketing isThe inspiration behind ‘tomorrow starts today’Why procrastination is the largest barrier to your successWhat NatWest is doing to protect the climateHow banks can finance a greener economyWhich technology we should be paying attention toWhy not even the tech giants know what the future holdsIf it saves time, money or effort it will workWhat being in the Top 100 CMO charts does for MargLeaving the world in a better state than we found it

7 Juni 202245min

Tom Goodwin is an author of a quote you might just have heard of: "Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. And Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate. Something interesting is happening."He does other things too, like spending an immense amount of time on LinkedIn and writing some seriously impressive books - two of them in fact - Digital Darwinism 1 and 2 (out now in the UK).What we covered in this episode:From architecture to advertisingCoping with job rejection lettersJon blags himself a jobThe terrifying feeling of going soloBeing a Decathlete rather than sprinterThe importance of saying NoHow the industry lost its wayWhy customer service has been lostThe story behind THAT quotePotential applications of the insight and its limitationsHow we may be coming full circleWhy is better to leverage existing tech rather than gambling on newThe challenge of the Metaverse and how society will reject itHow technology should be making us more human not lessTechnology as augmentation rather than replacementWhy nothing new has happened in the past 8 yearsThe power of Nowism vs FuturismThe biggest barriers to innovation inside larger corporate businessesWhere the next big innovations should beThe ‘in the office’ auto replyTom’s new book is out nowLinksFollow me on Twitter: @uncensoredCMOFollow me on LI: LinkedInMy website: www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail me: jon@uncensoredcmo.com

9 Maj 202241min

It's 40 years since the founding of one of the most famous and iconic advertising agencies; BBH or Bartle, Bogle, Hegarty. Today I speak with founder, Sir John Hegarty to find out what it's been like to be at the helm of one of the world's most successful ad agencies for 4 decades.We take a look back over a long history of advertising to see what's changed, what we can learn and maybe what new techniques today are worth investing in. We touch on many of the great campaigns that come out to BBH, two of my favourites in particular being Levi's from the early eighties and more recently, Audi, which was in fact, one of their founding clients and spanned the entire 40 year history of the agency. As you would expect an amazing storyteller full of wit and wisdom and lots of great advice.Here's what we covered:How Sir John got into advertisingWhat advice he would give after 5 decades in AdvertisingWhy you should entertain rather than informHow advertising followed cultural trendsWhy advertising appears to be making worse creative but expect better resultsThe lack of evidence for brand building via social mediaHow BBH turned Levi’s around and inspired their own agency positioningThe making of Levi’s iconic Laundrette advertWhy the model ended up wearing Boxer shortsHow Levi’s ad revitalised famous music tracksThe longest running BBH clientHow the ‘factory visit’ inspired one of the most famous taglinesWhy being illogical can be the right thing to doBeing defined by your workThe importance of creative people at the top of the companyHow creativity helps solve business problemsAdvice to clients for how to get the best out of their agencyHow the audience ended up coming last in our prioritiesWhy we are all making creative decisions and how to be more creativeThe importance of being Fearless and not being afraid to failAdvice for selling in creative ideas to clientsThe one piece of creative work John is most proud ofWhy purpose gets you on the pitch but doesn’t win you the gameAdvice to a 20 year old JohnLinksFollow me on Twitter: @uncensoredCMOFollow me on LI: LinkedInMy website: www.uncensoredcmo.comEmail me: jon@uncensoredcmo.com

25 Apr 202252min

Pip Murray is the founder of Pip & Nut, which she launched in 2015 and it's now stocked in over 3,000 stores around the UK. It's the fastest growing nut butter brand around, and it's clear to see why. Pip is full of stories and insights in journey building the company, from humble beginnings in her kitchen and at craft fairs to becoming a staple brand on the shelves of all major supermarkets.What we covered in this episode:Why Pip started a nut butter businessFrom kitchen table to full scale productionThe constant trial and error to find the perfect recipeThe confidence that comes from being close to your customerThe importance of the right manufacturing partner and selling them the dreamThe challenge of minimum production run when you get startedPip&Nut’s first customer and the importance of focussing on itWhat to do when you have no marketing budgetBootstrapping and crowdfunding to cover the first couple of yearsThe pro’s and con’s of starting a business when you are youngHow easy it is to convince yourself our of an idea and the power of intelligent naivetyHow the biggest doubts come in as you scale and stakes get biggerThe opportunity cost of doing too muchBetting big on brand identity from the startInspiration from the B&B studios portfolio and finding the right chemistryThe 3 things every Private Equity company does when they acquire a brandFinding the right design and why Pip used her name in the brand identityThe challenge and opportunity of a national retailer listingThe trade off between focussed distribution and full scale distributionWhy keeping it tight is so importantWhat we can learn from the best soft drink launchesThe advantage of playing in the niche to begin withCash flow challenges of a scale upSources of funding for growth and finding the right people to investThe messy nature of startups and the power of empathy from an experienced investorWhat the hardest moment of Pip’s journey taught herDivesting yourself and learning to delegate to the teamThe nerve wracking moment of going on TV for the first timeThe importance of B-Corp status and making a sustainable brandHow Pip would define successThe energy you gain from a crisisWhy the best way to learn is doingPip’s advice for her 24 year old self

11 Apr 202258min

Peter Weinberg and Jon Lombardo are the heads of research and development at the B2B Institute, a think tank at LinkedIn that studies the laws of growth in B2B. You can follow Peter and Jon on LinkedIn. What we covered in this episode:Introducing the youngest B2B marketers on the planetJon & Peters favourite Super Bowl adsThe very low hurdle of writing a B2B articleHow half the economy is in fact B2BIs B2B really different to B2CSales vs Product led B2B companiesThe Product Delusion and why it damages marketingHow B2B ads compare to B2C on long term brand buildingWhat everyone can learn from SalesforceHow brand advertising is good for sales and talentThe power of cuddly furry animalsPublicity vs Persuasion in AdvertisingPlug for ‘Why does the Pedlar Sing’ by Paul FeldwickIntroducing the 95:5 ruleThe best search engine is the one in your headThe importance of aligning marketing with financeSponsoring the first ever B2B Cannes LionAdvertising is the tax for having a bad productTheir least successful Marketing Week articleLiberty Mutual and the power of soundWhat we can learn from Boston beers Super Bowl winning AdHow emotion regulates what we pay attention toWhy characters are the most underused tactic in advertisingWear in vs Wear out and why incentives for agency and client aren’t alignedThe Originality Delusion and the power of old ideasBitcoin maximalism and the power of blending something old and new

23 Mars 202252min

Andrew Robertson has been President and Chief Executive Officer of BBDO Worldwide since June 2004, and has worked with major clients including AT&T, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Ford, GE, Mars Inc, PepsiCo, SAP and Visa. It has been named Network of the Year at Cannes a record-setting seven times and the world's most awarded agency network according to The Gunn Report/World Advertising Research Center for thirteen years in a row. Since 2005, BBDO has been honoured as Global Agency of the Year in Ad Age, Adweek (three times) and Campaign (five times). BBDO Worldwide was also recognized as the Most Effective Network in the world by the Global Effies in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2017.Andrew first came to BBDO in the UK in 1995, joining Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO where he subsequently served as Chief Executive. In 2001, he moved to BBDO North America to serve as President and CEO. He began his advertising career at Ogilvy & Mather, London as a Media Planner. He switched to Account Management and was appointed to the Board of Ogilvy & Mather in 1986. In 1989, he joined J. Walter Thompson and in November 1990, was appointed Chief Executive of WCRS.Andrew has a degree in Economics from City of London University. He currently serves on the Boards of Autism Speaks and Hope Funds for Cancer Research. He is a past Chairman of The Advertising Council.What we covered in this episode:Falling into advertising after starting out in civil engineeringWhy Andrew learnt selling insurance and gambling through the nightThe late night conversation that led Andrew to advertising18 years at the helm of a global adverting businessWhy getting the people right is the most important task of any CEOThe importance of time spent with customersLearning to love problems and embrace them as opportunitiesLoving what your business createsWhere the trophies of ‘The most awarded network agency in the world’ are keptWhy ‘meaning it’ is the secret to staying on top of your creative gameBuilding a strong network bottom up with strong local creative agenciesAttracting a limited pool of truly exceptional peopleWhy emotion is the most effective thing you can doThe power of platform ideasDon’t understand the value of craftCalculating the downside risk to help you take the leaps that lead to upsideThe pursuit of certainty leads to the normHow the snickers creative idea was ‘caught’ in a line of copyWhy all great ideas are obvious after their inventionThe power of a new way of seeing an old ideaWhy Andrew’s favourite ad was one that delivered bad newsThe benefits of sleeping with a homeless guyIt’s hard not to buy from someone who makes you smileHow confidence in the team beats the silver bullet when it comes to pitchingThe expectation of agencies to deliver effortlessly seamless and connected communication at every tough pointHalf my advertising is wasted but it’s gets a lot worse in digital

2 Mars 202245min

Jon chats with CMO of Boston Beer, Lesya Lysyj, who has nearly 30 years of marketing experience in the food and beverage industry. Prior to joining Boston Beer, she served as President U.S. (Sales and Marketing) for Welch’s Foods.Watch the ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9GUnNAL9yYWhat we covered in this episodeCounting down the Top 10 Super Bowl ads of 2022The power of humour and nostalgia for LaysWhy babies are the stars of many Super Bowl adsThe reason car ads are so predictableRobo puppy and why Kia made the best car adThe winning Super ad of 2022 and no it wasn’t a set upInventing ‘Your cousin from Boston’ and why it worksThe power of sticking to the same creative ideaWhy we get bored of our own ads before our customer doesThe case for releasing a Super Bowl ad earlyCreating 2 billion PR impressions from the campaignThe power of Your Cousin From Boston lock upTaking a big swing with the company dollarsWhy a CMO can’t enjoy the Super Bowl when they are advertisingThe actual robot dogs that protect Boston DynamicsHow Boston Beer approach testing advertisingWhy the idea you like is not always the best ideaFounder Jim and his famous post it notesHow to get payback from a Super Bowl adLesya’s top 3 tips for making a winning Super Bowl adWhy the CFO is such a fan of System1How do you top a winning Super Bowl ad

23 Feb 202244min