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    Marketing

    Embracing Marketing Mistakes

    Welcome to Embracing Marketing Mistakes, the world’s leading irreverent podcast for senior marketers who are tired of the polished corporate b*llshit. 

    Join Chris Norton and Will Ockenden, founders of the award-winning Prohibition PR, as they sit down with industry leaders to dissect the career-ending f*ck-ups they’d rather forget. The show moves past any pretty vanity metrics to uncover the brutal, honest truths behind marketing disasters, from £30,000 SEO black holes and completely failed companies, to social media crises that went globally viral for all the wrong reasons.

    We don’t just celebrate the f*ck-ups; we extract the tactical blueprints you need to avoid them yourself. If you are a business owner, or a CMO looking for a competitive advantage that only comes from real-world experience, this is your weekly masterclass in resilience and strategy.

    • Listen for: Raw stories from top brands, ex-McKinsey strategists, and industry disruptors.
    • Learn from: The errors that cost thousands and the recoveries that saved careers.
    • Get ahead by: Turning other people’s nasty disasters into your unfair market advantage.

    If you have a story to tell and would like to appear on the show, tell us your biggest marketing mistake and drop us a line.

    Advertise

    Copyright: © 2026 Embracing Marketing Mistakes

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    Latest Episodes:
    I Lost $25,000 On Ads And Learned Exactly What Not To Outsource Nov 27, 2025
    Show notes

    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.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

    Follow Chris:
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    What Happens When Your Influencers Refuse to Use Their Own Names Nov 25, 2025
    Show notes

    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

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

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    EP 90: The Body Shop Line That Haunted Vikki Ross Nov 18, 2025
    Show notes

    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.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

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    From helping DJ Bob Sinclair to almost getting fired. Nov 13, 2025
    Show notes

    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

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

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    EP 89: The Secret Brain Hack Powering the World’s Biggest Brands with Claire Koryczan Nov 11, 2025
    Show notes

    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.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

    Follow Chris:
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    Three PR Nightmares That Cost Brands Millions Nov 06, 2025
    Show notes

    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

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

    Follow Chris:
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    Follow Will:
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    EP 88: How I Built a PR Agency from Zero During COVID - Darryl Sparey Nov 04, 2025
    Show notes

    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.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

    Follow Chris:
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    EP 87: From KFC’s Pricing Error to Expedia’s Deck Disaster: Lessons from Sam Benton on Creative Courage Oct 28, 2025
    Show notes

    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.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

    Follow Chris:
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    She controlled her narrative by revealing her darkest secrets first Oct 23, 2025
    Show notes

    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

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

    Follow Chris:
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    Follow Will:
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    EP 86: When Google’s AI Stole Their Clicks: How Prohibition Turned a Traffic Crisis into GEO Strategy Oct 21, 2025
    Show notes

    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.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Your competitors are being named by AI. Are you? One of our clients went from being named in 4 of 50 buyer prompts to 19 in 90 days. Book your free AI visibility check with Chris here. 👉 [Book free AI Visibility Check] 👈

    Subscribe to our newsletter
    The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈

    Follow Chris:
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    Follow Will:
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