Uncensored CMO

Latest Episodes:

Go Luck Yourself - Andy Nairn, Lucky Generals Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

Andy Nairn is one of the 3 founders of Lucky Generals, a creative company for people on a mission. It's been shortlisted for Campaign's Agency of the Year for 5 years in a row. In 2021, Campaign named him the top brand strategist in the UK, for the 3rd time in a row. Business Insider has also named him one of the top 5 creative people in world advertising. He's won 24 IPA Effectiveness Awards (including the 2005, 2007 and 2010 Grands Prix) as well as the top 2 planning prizes in the USA (Gold Effie and Gold APGUS). And he's just launched his first book GO LUCK YOURSELF, with all the royalties going to help working class kids get a lucky break into the creative industry.

What we covered in this episode:

How lockdown led to Andy writing a book
Why he went from law to advertising
Jon’s ‘lucky’ break creating a new business
Why successful companies use their luck better
Good luck is more how you handle bad luck
How being clear on your purpose helps prepare for bad luck
How Napolean inspired Lucky Generals
The importance of a popular idea rather than PowerPoint slides
Why strategists should make things simple rather than being super intellectuals
Lucky Lockdown and a socially distanced Teapot from Yorkshire
How Lucky General took Yorkshire Tea from No.3 to No.1
Lucky timing and how the Coop strategy would have been much cooler in Swedish
Trolling Tesco with the Coop’s recycling message
Premier league footballers lacing up in support of the LGBTQ community
Lucky dog story and the role of jeopardy in creating a good ad
Making the best Super Bowl ad for Amazon
Why the more boring the category the more interesting you become
How we lost our history and forgot the power of nostalgia
Why lucky mascots are unloved marketing gold
How Lucky Generals got everyone to complete their tax returns
How the navy beat enemy u-boats by using a new paint scheme
What took Taylors so long to put coffee in bags and how they turned this into an advantage
Going commando for a good cause and the power of a beautiful constraint
Lucky legacy and the battle of the bread brands
How they updated the legendary Hovis boy on a bike campaign a won ad of the decade

The fast and the fearless - Nils Leonard, Uncommon Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

Nils Leonard has spent over 20 years in the advertising and design industries working at a number of the most recognised agencies in London. In 2017, he founded the Uncommon Creative Studio alongside Lucy Jameson and Natalie Graeme, which aims to be “a creative studio building brands the real world is happy exists”.

This episode is split into 3 parts, including a bonus segment from my recording with Nils over a year ago. Here's what we covered:

Part 1 - Creating brands you wish existed

How Nils turned art into a career
How he found the 1 ad land job at the Job centre
The importance of culture & trust in the turnaround of Grey
Why it’s always the people and not the name above the door you should care about
The importance of being so clear on your mission that people choose to be in the room
How Volvo Life Paint was the inspiration for Uncommon
Why you should invest in your own idea rather than begging others to do it
Mystery project names, secret hotels and being followed by private investigators
How Halo coffee came into the world
Why the stories we tell ourselves manifest who we are
How panic drove the early success for the agency
The power of a website with nothing on it
Walking away from a major new client because it didn’t lead to Uncommon work
Giving young men confidence via the one second suit

Part 2 - The Uncommon work

Why Uncommon’s B&Q campaign brought tears to my eyes
Uncovering a real truth that led to those funny bright orange posters for B&Q
Blowing things up with Reality TV stars for ITV
Why we need to make the Ad break as entertaining as the programme
Backing start ups with an Uncommon accelerator
Moving from advertising to design, experience and new product launches
Why the Olympics needs to hold up a mirror to the world right now
An Uncommon year to win Campaign Agency of the Year
How the Pandemic crisis put creativity into overdrive
The emotion of seeing people in the office again
Nils gives his best advice to CMO’s on how to get to the best work
Painting a picture of cultural success as much as commercial success
Don’t be ashamed of talking about your personal ambition to make an impact in the world
Jim Carey “if you can fail at what you don’t love why wouldn’t you risk trying at something you do”
How fear gives us loopholes to get out of what we should be doing
Why you can’t brief someone else on your dream. Only you can make it happen.

Part 3 - a pre-pandemic view on the world

An early mistake by Nils when he did ‘release copy’ too early how Jon shut down the underground
Why your personal purpose matters and how we are seeing a return to creativity
The Gigabyte landfill of social content that no-body is asking for
How people used to look forward to the Ads as much as the programs themselves
Is the fire in your belly stronger than the fear in your head?
Breaking the internet with BrewDog’s first ever TV Ad
How we entered the age of outrage and sharing what we are offended by
Why you should treat outdoor like Instagram
The woods are burning so make a choice because everything we do is something we don’t do
How making good work is actually a magnet for talent
What the Uncensored CMO’s mission should be to galvanise people to start their own venture
Make a difference in the world because our time is short

Can't Sell, Won't Sell; Why adland has stopped selling and started saving the world - Steve Harrison Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

Pick up a copy of Steve's book "Can't Sell, Wont Sell" here.

Steve was European Creative Director (OgilvyOne) and Global Creative Director (Wunderman) either side of starting his own agency, HTW, where, in the seven years the agency operated, he won more Cannes Lions (18) in his discipline than any creative director in the world. His work has subsequently featured in the D&AD Copy Book. He has also authored Changing the world is the only fit work for a grown man; How to write better copy; and How to do better creative work - the latter becoming the most expensive advertising book ever when it traded on amazon for £3,854 a copy.

What we covered in this episode:

Why a propose driven entry will increase your chances of winning a Cannes
Why creative should come up with an idea to dramatise the benefit of the brand and then sell it to the client
How Turkeys beat Lions and what that says about our priorities are
Creative awarded campaigns are less effective than in the entire 24 year history of the IPA database
Do people still believe in advertising’s role in creating demand? We need to see our purpose as commercial again
The drug of fast data. Why we prioritise what is easy to measure rather than what works
Lack of accountability to track and evaluate the impact over the long term
Why you should judge a CMO on year 2
The importance of winning the board room battle
Clients no longer appreciates the time and talent to create great work. The public now to anything they can to avoid advertising. A once powerful business tool is now debased and devalued. Chairman of D&AD.
Dropped commercial purpose for social purpose
Great examples of social and commercial purpose combining
Why social purpose shouldn’t be marketing strategy
First purpose is shareholders and employees
Lazy solution to a complex marketing problem
The insanity of Gillette’s toxic masculinity and how it performed badly against men
How did we disconnect from the audience we serve? 84% are 18-40, 80% AB etc we live in a London centric metropolitan bubble
How regional agencies reacted differently to London ones
Steve’s surprise at the reaction for his book and why he believes social purpose is being pushed by a small clique
Why the boycott of GB News should worry us whatever political side we at
Why Twitter pressure groups shouldn’t dictate your media strategy
Why fear is driving the politicisation of business
How pampers got social and commercial purpose right
Steve’s manifestos for change
Every speech should end with the commercial value of Advertising
A new initiative to make creative effectiveness
Awards panels needs cognitive diversity
What a CMO thinks of Cannes
How people fear speaking up
Steve’s vision for the future of awards

Improving your mental game - Dolvett Quince Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Dolvett Quince is a real inspiration to his millions of followers but it’s not his Fitness that captured my attention, although you cant argue with the chiselled good looks and winning smile, but his mindset that really impresses. Having overcome a very troubled childhood Dolvett has not let any excuse stop him from pursuing what he loves and being successful. In this episode he shares the mindset that shaped him and the habits that helped him become successful. Consider this a workout for your mind.

What we covered in this episode:

Dolvett shares his troubled family background and how it was both a gift and a curse
The impact of being told he would never amount to anything
How facing adversity shaped his outlook on life.
The power of forgiveness and how it sets you free.
Dolvett’s plan to become the next 007
Why giving away everything he knows to other trainers led to his success
Why Jeff Bezos no longer packs his own boxes
How do you scale yourself when you hit maximum capacity
Why he added cheats into his diet – leaning to clean and earning the cheat
Overcoming your perception of yourself and why it’s all in your mind
How he could predict who would succeed on The Biggest Loser
The impact of the Pandemic on his Fitness business and how ‘stopping helps you see’
The power of persistence and joining the 1% club of podcasts
What Dolvett is doing next
Can you stay humble and also be successful?
The power of Self Love to help you succeed
What Dolvett would tell to his 21 year old self
The 3 kinds of people in the WWW, those that Wait, Wish & Will
Changing lives ‘one rep at a time’ and other great quotes
The reason for Dolvett’s next book ‘work out the doubt’
The importance of learning from failure and getting back up and going again
Why the most successful people are those that teach others

Making econometrics like art on a Friday and not maths on a Monday – Dr Grace Kite Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

What we covered in this episode:

What is Econometrics and why you do it?
The critical role of people in any econometric project
Cristiano, Coke and the complete misattribution of data
Importance of senior buy-in to an Econometrics project
Making econometrics like art on a Friday not maths on a Monday
Marketing as an investment not a cost
How the data captures the behaviour of people
What Grace learnt when rebranding her business
Why Grace has been turning business down
How Jon created the Uncensored CMO brand in 45mins
Why every tech company has a blue logo
Traditional vs Modern marketing and who is right
Is creative effectiveness really in decline?
How life stage influences media choice more than anything
The Wrong and the Right of it and what the data really says
Why ‘it depends’ is usually the right answer
The importance of evidence over opinion on social media
Does paid search actually lead to sales?
The role of search as a window into consumer demand
Does Share of Search actually predict demand for your brand
The one thing Marketers are not talking about but should be

About Dr Grace Kite

With more than 20 years’ experience, Dr Grace Kite is a business economist who’s worked on more than 120 econometrics projects across all the main advertising buying categories. In each of these categories, she has developed deep knowledge on market trends and the true nature of competition.

Grace is a columnist at marketing week and WARC and a regular speaker on marketing effectiveness. With over 4,000 social media followers, she now appears alongside the likes of Mark Ritson and Les Binet. She believes that knowledge that arises from effectiveness analysis doesn’t get fed back to the people that plan campaigns often enough. Her writing and talks set out to ‘lift the lid’ in a way that normal people can understand.

After earning a PhD in Economics, Grace took on increasingly senior roles at Mindshare, Millward Brown, Holmes & Cook, Mediacom, PHD and OMD. In 2010 she founded the business now known as magic numbers.

Her work has led to twelve IPA Effectiveness award winners plus a Cannes Grand Prix. She was a technical judge for the 2020 IPA awards, and will judge for WARC in 2021.

The power of ideas that don't make sense - Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, an attractively vague job title which has allowed him to co-found a behavioral science practice within the agency. Before founding Ogilvy Change, Rory was a copywriter and creative director at Ogilvy for over 20 years, having joined as a graduate trainee in 1988. He has variously been President of the IPA, Chair of the Judges for the Direct Jury at Cannes, and has spoken at TED Global. He writes regular columns for the Spectator, Market Leader and Impact, and also occasional pieces for Wired. He is the author of two books: The Wiki Man, available on Amazon at prices between £1.96 and £2,345.54, depending on whether the algorithm is having a bad day, and Alchemy, The surprising Power of Ideas which don't make Sense, to be published in the UK and US in March 2019.

What we covered in this episode:

Why economics doesn’t explain why people buy things
How the channel can be more important than the message
Why dropping your price should be the most controversial decision you ever make
The book that gave Rory a nudge towards behavioural science
Why 1 x 10 is not the same thing as 10 x 1 from a marketing perspective
Ergodicity. The word every Marketer needs to learn.
Why the better your creative is the less you should target it
Why Effectiveness is not the same as Efficiency
The role uncertainty and risk avoidance plays in choosing a brand
Why Usain Bolt eats McDonalds chicken nuggets
How to charge for creative work
Alchemy. How marketing can add as much value as the product itself.
Why it’s time we appreciated Country music and Worthers originals
How David Ogilvy described people who don’t respect the consumer
Why being over 40 in Marketing means you must be brilliant
The case for moving out of London
Why students should be allowed to spend their student loan on anything
Find out something Rory has never told anyone, it might surprise you!

How I created the most successful agency of the 90’s - Rupert Howell, HHCL & Partners May 19, 2021

Show notes

Rupert Howell is one of the founders of the advertising agency HHCL & Partners famous for campaigns for Tango, The AA, Ronseal, First Direct and Go amongst to name just a few. They were awarded ‘Agency of the Decade’ by Campaign in the 1990’s and experienced phenomenal growth for over a decade before being sold to Chime.

We covered so much ground in this bumper 2 hour episode, so here's the list of what we touched upon:

How Rupert made HHCL the best agency of the 90’s
Ruperts New Business Mantra – Honesty. Respect. Trust.
Why saying ‘I don’t know’ and ‘we got it wrong’ is so important
How the agency’s sole focus is Advertising but the Clients sole focus is the business
Why new business should always be separate to the day to day account management
How Rupert became ‘the finest new business director of all time’
How to win a pitch even after you have lost it
Why the pitch process begins with the phone call and only ends when its announced in Campaign
The sole purpose of the pitch is to win and not to solve the clients business problem
Why HHCL had a strike rate of 65% for new business
What the company annual report can tell you for the pitch process
Why you should try and get your customer promoted
How Carling Black Label inspired the most successful Tango Advertising of all time
How Tango destroyed Fanta and forced Coke to withdraw it from the market
How a call from a Surgeon led to the Tango Slap commercial being withdraw from market
Why the ‘4th Emergency Service’ transformed The AA and how the bold idea was sold in
How spending time with an AA team out on a call led to the idea
The importance of winning your internal teams and why they matter as much as your customers
Interrogating the product until ‘it confesses its strength’
Why the harder you practice the luckier you get is just as true for an agency
The real hard yards of the start-up phase that meant not taking a day off in 3 years
How tabloids create controversy and how to respond to it
Why relationships are the secret to really succeeding in business
Turning down offers to sell the agency including a £1million bribe
Why HHCL accepted an offer from Chime with the support from Sir Martin Sorrell
Why so few agencies ever succeed after being acquired by a network
Why HHCL was never the same after Rupert left and why he would never go back
The importance of timing for Founders handing over to the next generation
Dealing with bullies, bribary and negotiating an exit from McCann with a boat & DB9 as consolation
Which celebrities are still speaking to Rupert after he left ITV
Why social media is driven by click bait and negative headlines
Why you should give up the news, except perhaps local news
The Pros and Cons of a British free press
How to get a non-exec role

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Website | www.uncensoredcmo.com
Email – jon@uncensoredcmo.com

Why Does The Pedlar Sing? - Paul Feldwick May 06, 2021

Show notes

“the buying of time or space is not the taking out of a hunting license on someone’s private preserve, but it is the renting of a stage on which we may perform” - Howard Gossage

This is just one of the tremendous quotes contained in Paul Feldwick’s intriguingly titled new book ‘Why Does the Pedlar Sing?’ about what creatives really means in Advertising.

Here's what we covered in this episode:

How a Shakespear play inspired the title of the book
A short history of Advertising and the different models used
The importance of Daniel Kahnemans availability and affect heuristic
The Adland myth that entertainment doesn’t sell
Showmanship and why we should all be more like PT Barnum
Why bad research forces you to do one thing whilst actually doing another
Barclaycard and the most honest case history of making an Ad ever written
How Rowan Atchison inspired one of the greatest Ads ever made
Why any process of discovery will involve a lot of trial and error
How PT Barnum created Fame for his Jenny Lind Tour
Why celebrity fame and brand building are far more similar than people care to admit
Why we should be talking about Fame rather than Mental Availability
What we can learn from Strictly Come Dancing
“I had more energy & ingenuity” The importance of energy in creating & sustaining success
The 4 different facets of Fame that are critical for success
Paul’s manifesto for reclaiming Creativity

Why every CMO needs a crisis to thrive - Damian Symons, Clear M&C Saatchi Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

Damian Symons is the CEO of Clear M&C Saatchi and author of 'From Choas to Clarity', which we reference a bunch in this conversation. He shares some of the excellent insight gained from this study of over 700 CEO’s and CMO’s into the changing role of the CMO over the past year and more.

What we covered in this episode

How aligned is the CEO and CMO when it comes to business priorities?
Why is the CMO a lot more influential now than a year ago?
How a crisis makes you a lot more connected to your customers and colleagues
How business strategy and the actions required to deliver it get easily disconnected
Why Marketing needs to be much more than just ‘colouring in’
Why CMO’s need to be more accountable for both short and long term investments
How CEO’s become more focussed on the long terms whilst demanding short term action from their CMO
The importance of a clear narrative, clear evidence and a clear short, medium and long term goals
Why successful CMO’s aren’t always the best marketers
How you can make this crisis the best thing that ever happened to you
The failure of CMO’s to nurture talent and why no-one wants the job
The 4 point plan to create clarity from chaos

How to punch above your weight - David Thomas, Commercial Director, Southampton FC Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

Confession time. As a Saints fan, this is certainly a case of mixing business with pleasure. But bear with me for a moment. A year ago Saints suffered the worst defeat in premier league history going down 9-0 at home to Leicester. For most clubs this would have meant firing the manager and sparking an inevitable tumble into relegation and financial uncertainty. But not Southampton. They stuck by their man and a year later are challenging at the top of the Premier League briefly going top on the same day as this interview was recorded (obviously my motivational skills were critical ….). So what does this have to do with Marketing? Well, it turns out quite a lot! Most of us will have faced a giant setback at some point (if you haven’t then maybe you not trying hard enough!) and how you respond is one of the most important things you’ll ever do in your career. Understanding the importance of your belief and values, the role consistency plays, communicating much more than usual, learning to play as a team etc. In this episode, I meet David Thomas, Commercial Director to find out what has transformed Southampton as a Football Club and what you can learn from it.

Here's what we discussed:

How the greatest defeat in Premier League history led to Saints challenging the best
What Premier League managers and CMO’s have in common and the importance of consistency
The secret to why playing behind closed doors might be playing into Saints hands
The Southampton Way – the role of walking the talk in the transformation of the club
How a good strategy means you can handle a few knocks without losing your way
Why Saints chefs made over 1000 meals a week during lockdown
How the sport sponsorship model had to be turned on its head and why it shouldn’t be called sponsorship
The need for accountability and ROI for any partnership to succeed
Why Saints have the ‘John Lewis’ of kit launches and the most engaged social media of any club
How values and belief are at the heart of any great Challenger brand
Why the club going into Administration led the foundations of success today
Turning potential into excellence and the importance of not punishing failure
Why one of the most capped England women chose to coach the Saints women in the 6th tier!
How Saints are tackling racism in football.
A top 6 finish versus an FA Cup appearance

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