This week, we put pedal to the metal and found a new top gear, a Walter Geer III.    Sport-bike racer, track and field All-American, and seriously impressive fella, Walter is Chief Experience Design Officer at VMLY&R HEALTH, bridging tech, storytelling, design, and user experience to create innovative design solutions to health.  Walter hits top speed talking on a ton of tantalising topics like the lies he told people in awful suits, his early rich media roles at The New York Times and Myspace, why the best creatives are inquisitive, ethics around wearables, why chatbots are s***, being the second penguin in the water, why more brands need to understand that screwing up is OK, a tirade on timesheets and more.    ///// Follow Walter on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram  Call To Action alumni Derek Walker was kind enough to link us up with Walter to record this episode. Go give his episode some kudos.  Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.     Timestamps (02:08) - Quick fire questions (04:06) - First ever job and why he lied to people in awful suits   (06:29) - His early days in the rich media team at The New York Times (13:45) - Moving up the food chain to eat the problem sooner agency side   (17:52) - Working in health  (19:05) - What does a Chief Experience Design Officer do?  (22:49) - Data, ethics, chatbots and wearables  (29:33) - Listener questions  (37:46) - 4 pertinent posers  Walter’s book recommendations are:  It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden  What Lucy Taught Us by Walter T Geer Jr  /////

This week, we twiddled our Poirot-Esque moustache and put our egg-shaped heads together to track down and catch ad industry titan, Sara Tate, for a chinwag.   Sara is former CEO of TBWA London and, alongside Anna Vogt, penned The Rebuilders, a guide to building resilience and turning obstacles into opportunities. She talks to us on TV detectives, working in a teabag factory, being a nosy ninny, struggling early on in her strategy career, courier-related mini-mega cringes, writing about setbacks and resilience, the commonalities between our personal and professional lives, dealing with your mental inbox, moving into a leadership position, and tons more for your little grey cells to devour.  ///// Follow Sara on Twitter and LinkedIn  Pop a copy of The Rebuilders in your basket  And pour the pod version into your ears, pronto   Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.     Timestamps (01:45) - Quick fire questions (03:19) - First-ever jobs (06:05) - Being a strategist (and a nosy ninny) (13:35) - Writing about setbacks and resilience   (17:50) - Commonalities between our personal and professional lives (26:41) - How to focus on the now  (31:48) - Dealing with your mental inbox   (38:31) - The beginner’s mind  (46:03) - Listener questions  (52:37) - 4 pertinent posers  Sara’s book recommendations are: Grit by Angela Duckworth  What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt  /////

This week, we’re up all night to get Lucky General, Andy Nairn.   One of the world’s most respected brand strategists, Andy is a founder of one of the UK’s most successful agencies, Lucky Generals, and author of Go Luck Yourself. Boasting a client roster including Amazon, Virgin Atlantic and Yorkshire Tea, they’ve been shortlisted for Campaign’s Agency of the Year five years in a row.  Andy chats to us on manipulating the UK music charts, chopping thistles and weeding wild oats, working for David Abbott, giving out really bad legal advice, the early days of Lucky Generals, the rainbow laces campaign, defining, acknowledging and creating your own luck, why he hates big tables, and loads more. Feeling lucky? Click play.  ///// Follow Andy on Twitter and LinkedIn  Here’s Lucky Generals  Stack the odds in your brand’s favour with his book Go Luck Yourself  Or wait for the soon-to-be-released deck of cards version by emailing [email protected] Support Commercial Break  Listen Up by Andy Nairn on ISOLATED Talks  Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.     Timestamps (01:46) - Quick fire questions (02:56) - First ever (slightly medieval) job (04:06) - His first agency job at AMV with David Abbott (11:06) - Why did he want to set up his own shop?  (12:47) - The chaotic story behind the name Lucky Generals  (15:04) - Early days at Lucky Generals and rainbow laces campaign  (18:38) - Defining luck  (23:10) - Practicing being lucky  (30:05) - Brands born lucky  (33:01) - Supporting Commercial Break  (37:21) - Listener questions  (46:15) - 4 pertinent posers  Andy’s book recommendations are: Run with Foxes by Paul Dervan  Brandsplaining by Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts  /////

We laid traps of tactics before strategy to lure Mark Ritson (and Ritdad) as he was reintroduced to mainland UK to unleash his Tasmanian devilish take on the industry, for Call to Action’s 100th episode.   He’s spent 25 years working as a marketing professor, has been a columnist at Marketing Week for over a decade, is a world-class speaker and has built, presented, and demolished marketing plans for some of the world’s biggest brands. Through his Mini MBA courses in Marketing and Brand Management, Mark has trained nearly 30,000 marketing marsupials across 60 countries, including 83.7% ish of …Gasp!     Mark chirps on being the rarest breed of marketing professor who loves (and actually does) marketing, getting aroused at Wacker Drive, being lured to la Maison LVMH, how the Mini MBA became his AirPods, what to do with woolly briefs, planning cycles, Pot Noodle’s purpose, pricing, and more, before piling on praise for the grumpy Byron Sharp in our feast of listener questions. So get your ears out and listen in. ///// Follow Mark on Twitter and LinkedIn  Become a better marketer with the Mini MBA in Marketing and Brand Management  Read Mark’s Marketing Week column  Here’s the Tone of Voice work …Gasp! did for the Mini MBA series  Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.     Timestamps (02:21) - Quick fire questions (05:50) - First ever job (08:45) - Professor or Marketer?  (11:10) - Getting aroused at Wacker Drive (13:30) - Landing the role at LVMH  (17:49) - Is marketing changing for the better?  (23:15) - Marketing Twitter vs the silent majority  (27:34) - Problems in marketing academia (36:19) - Why he isn’t really Mr Anti-Purpose  (37:54) - How to plan your marketing  (49:52) - Listener questions  (57:53) - A masterclass in pricing  (1:00:22) - 4 pertinent posers  Mark’s book recommendation is: Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt  /////

Ahead of our 100th episode next week, one of the most outspoken and brilliant voices in ad land, Steve Harrison, dropped by …Gasp! HQ and tore up our usual script for a special bonus episode of Call to Action.   Copywriter, author, and great friend of the agency, Steve stuck the boot very much on the other foot and snared Giles to shoot the breeze on all things …Gasp!, with an extra dose of eloquent fire for good measure. It is Steve after all.  We chat on why we’re called …Gasp!, art director heroes, being a bunch of creatives who excel a strategy (and vice versa), turning down pitches and firing rude clients, turning 13, abusive voicemails from Sophie, the confidence crisis amongst agencies, our work for Langleys and Zen Internet, setting fire to the Leo Burnett offices, getting sued, selling the agency and tons more.  Tune in next Friday for our 100th episode with an extra special guest. It’s going to be mega. Ritson Mark my words.  ///// Follow Steve and Giles on Twitter  See what happened when …Gasp! turned 13  Check out our work with Langleys and Zen Internet  Here’s Jonathan Barnbrook  Watch Giles’s talk on breaking away from billable time   Over 80% of our team has completed at least one of Mark Ritson's Marketing & Brand Management Mini MBAs Timestamps (02:54) - Why we’re called …Gasp!  (04:46) - Art Directors and creative heroes  (09:30) - …Gasp!’s focus on strategy over tactics  (13:23) - Working for big shops or little shops?  (19:32) - Turning down pitches and firing clients   (32:00) - Moving away from the billable hour  (35:45) - Confidence crisis amongst agencies  (44:42) - A social purpose campaign that works for Zen Internet (52:10) - Setting fire to the Leo Burnett office; have we lost rock and roll creatives?  (59:00) - Our work, that worked, with Langleys  (1:08:43) - Would Giles sell the agency?  Giles & Steve’s Book Recommendations  A Smile In the Mind by Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart  The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher  Can’t Sell Won’t Sell by Steve Harrison  /////

Let’s get ready to rumble! Grab your ringside seat for the second episode in our battle royale-style heavyweight series; They Might Be Right. It’s the boisterous brother of Call To Action that breaks up bundles in the pithy playground of Twitter.   Named in honour of Bill Bernbach’s famed jacket pocket card, we invite our challengers into the octagon of debate for a verbal slugfest, whilst being mindful and welcoming to the opinions of others.   This week’s motion is ‘Client-side or agency-side; a proper marketer could do both?’   And our challengers are:   Lee Grunnell. The top marketing director whose tweet sparked all this off, Lee is obsessed with applying the latest thinking from marketing leaders like Binet, Field, and Sharp to professional services. Gillian Rightford. Creativity champion and industry agony aunt, Gillian is Founder of Adtherapy, a management, skills development, and communication consultancy.   Tom Lewis. A Commercial Performance Improvement advisor to businesses, Tom, is ex-adland and now cuts his teeth in law and Private Equity.   It’s a judge's decision and YOU are the judge. Vote for the winner (or a split decision). ///// Here’s the Twitter spat that kicked it all off And the piece Lee wrote up to summarise it all; I’ll be Your Mirror (or What you Should Know if you’re Thinking About Joining an Agency)  Check out Gillian’s new offering to grow marketing & advertising talent, together; The School of Thought  Tom wants to share a couple of summaries of Michael Farmer’s book:  Agencies don't know what they are selling and don't know how to price it Madison Avenue Manslaughter And here’s the WFA talent research Gillian mentions  Timestamps (01:56) - Reminder of today’s motion  (02:18) - Opening statements  (06:10) - Royal Rumble  (06:42) - Agencies stifled by their own operating model  (08:10) - Fun things in ad land squeezed out by lack of commerciality  (12:06) - Lack of commercial skills underpins everything  (14:18) - Clients turning off the creative tap  (15:18) - The system is dysfunctional (21:15) - Making the briefs better (23:58) - Specialists vs generalists  (28:00) - Closing statements /////

We took a trip in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, to catch two girls with kaleidoscope eyes, Stefana Bosse and Jennifer Tessler, this week.  Stefana and Jennifer’s own personal experiences with psychedelics and inner work inspired them to found Alalaho, a series of psilocybin-assisted retreats offering a safe, legal environment for a psychedelic journey. Join us in the sky with diamonds as we explore tasty topics like mushrooms or truffles, their favourite Beatle, what Stefana’s dad thought of her taking a job in psychedelics, Alalaho and their psilocybin-assisted retreats, the benefits of doing inner work, the restorative role of psychedelics, being in a group versus a solo journey, the quick fix mentality, creativity, and a whole load more.     ///// Follow Stefana and Jennifer on LinkedIn  Check out Alalaho’s website for more on their safe and legal psychedelic retreats  And sign up to their newsletter here  Stefana dedicates this episode to Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hanover and urges you to check out The Path of Love  She also wants to shout out Rick Doblin from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Timestamps (01:58) - Quick fire questions  (06:13) - Stefana’s first job in political activism (07:53) - What her dad thought of her taking a job in psychedelics  (08:40) - Jen’s first job and how they started working together   (10:35) - What is Alalaho and inner work?  (12:26) - Whether inner work always requires a retreat of sorts  (16:51) - The role of psychedelics in inner work  (20:17) - The collective group vs a solo journey  (26:41) - Can you stop people from falling back into learned behaviours?  (34:46) - The quick-fix mentality  (45:35) - Listener questions (50:15) - 4 pertinent posers Their book recommendations are: Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das  The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible by Charles Eisenstein ///// 

Life’s a peach, this week, as we soak up the sun in South Carolina to snare a man who can sniff out agency B.S. a mile away. Here to vent eloquent fire, it’s Derek Walker.  Chief instigator, janitor, secretary, and mailroom person for his tiny agency brown and browner, Derek is a stellar copywriter and a loud, proud critic (and lover) of the ad industry.  He talks to us on his “late start” in advertising, agencies flat-out refusing to hire him because he’s black, what he learned from Pizza Hut, going agency side, why you should always read the employee manual, what agencies fear most, why there’s a problem with so many DE&I roles, the confidence crisis in advertising, and a ton more.  This episode is so good it's ridiculous. In fact, we should charge you for it. But we aren't going to. Partly because we can't work out how to. And partly cos you couldn't afford what it's worth. ///// Follow Derek on Twitter and LinkedIn  Watch The Advertising Industry Is Working Scared And This Isn’t A Winning Strategy Listen to him talk about advertising, client relationships, and advice for copywriters here Check out The Boondocks  And treat yourself to some Marvel comics from the 70s and 80s Timestamps (01:51) - Quick fire questions  (03:19) - First ever job  (04:19) - His “late start” in advertising (09:54) - Jump from client side to agency side (20:26) - Why you should always read the employee manual  (26:39) - What agencies fear & the confidence crisis in advertising  (35:50) - Listener questions  (41:44) - The problem with DE&I roles & how to make them better  (57:57) - 4 pertinent posers (1:00:11) - Why more ad people should read The New Testament Derek’s book recommendations are: Damn Good Advice by George Lois  How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie  From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor by Jerry Della Femina  Anything by Stephen King  /////

We picked a card, any card, and drew the econometrics Ace and Founder of magic numbers, Dr. Grace Kite.  Grace has over 20 years of number crunching experience across all the main advertising buying categories and is dead set on helping marketers make the most of their data. Tune in as we pull a ton of topics out of a hat, including her first job at a bingo hall, her fascination with real people, why data people need people skills, explaining analytics to clients like they’re a mate in the pub, whether ROI is higher when advertisers commit more budget, strategies for marketing effectiveness in a recession, and loads more.   Open sesame your ears and let the smarts pour in.  ///// Follow Grace on Twitter and LinkedIn   Check out magic numbers  And follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn too Read all Grace’s Marketing Week articles This episode talks about these two in particular: When it comes to marketing payback, words matter just as much as numbers Advertisers need to get over their fear of commitment    Timestamps (01:48) - Quick fire questions  (03:23) - First ever job at a bingo hall (06:26) - Similarities between her insurance and marketing jobs  (09:26) - magic numbers and what they do  (14:38) - Why words matter as much as numbers in data analysis  (18:18) - Findings around annual marketing budget versus ROI  (28:41) - Listener questions (including one from Dave Wakeman) (35:20) - 4 Pertinent Posers  Grace’s book recommendations are: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson /////

This week all it took was a tasty tipple of classic TV ads to trap tenor turned top strategist, and alliteration aficionado, Tom Roach.  Currently VP of Brand Planning at Jellyfish, Tom has worked at some brilliant acronyms agencies like AMV BBDO, Leo Burnett, BBH, and adam&eveDDB, creating pitch-perfect campaigns for McDonald’s, Sainsbury’s, and the BBC to name a few.  He gets vocal on a ton of topics, including his early days as a choral scholar, his first agency job, what account people and snow ploughs have in common, The Guardian Points of View ad, why funnels getting flack is unfair, whether advertising will ever die, freedom within a framework, why media, strategy and creative shouldn’t be siloed, a dedication to Les Binet, and more.  ///// Follow Tom on Twitter and LinkedIn  Here’s his blog Make sure to read:  Most marketing is bad because it ignores the most basic data Why advertising will never die The sales funnel is wrong but it’s here to stay, so let’s fix it. And his Marketing Week column  Check out Jeremy Bullmore on Plonk and Placebos   If you enjoyed this episode, please do share and review the pod and help more marketers feel better about marketing. Tom also asks that you check out the brilliant work of Dr. Grace Kite (who’ll be on Call to Action very soon) and CTA alumni Professor Karen Nelson-Field.  Here’s your starting point:  The wrong and the real of marketing effectiveness by Dr. Grace and Tom And here’s a thread from Tom on Professor Karen’s research  Timestamps (01:59) - Quick fire questions  (04:23) - His beginnings as a choral singer (07:19) - First proper job in an agency (09:41) - Why account people are often unsung heroes  (17:51) - What makes Jellyfish different from other agencies? (20:41) - His adapted sales funnel and adopting freedom within a framework (23:29) - Why media, strategy and creative shouldn’t be siloed  (32:40) - Advertising will never die  (36:49) - Incredible value of brands  (38:20) - Listener Questions from Jonny McGrath-Smith, Nick Ellis and Will Humphrey (48:55) - 4 Pertinent Posers Tom’s book recommendation is: The Anatomy of Humbug by Paul Feldwick /////

Lots of girls and lots of boys, lots of smells and lots of noise, playing football in the park, we caught baggy trousered Marc. We’ve snared the Dean of the world’s most awarded ad school, Marc Lewis, for an hour of masterly Madness. A seriously impressive creative mind perched atop the industry’s finest pantaloons, Marc is the man at the helm of School of Communication Arts. He’s dead set on delivering the very best creative education to the very best talent, endeavouring to have at least one third of their students on scholarships.        Point your ears this way as Marc talks Tango Orange Man, getting expelled and fired, his scholarship to SCA, Ferraris, reciprocity, reopening SCA, an exclusive scoop on the future of SCA, social mobility, stopping charity shop shoplifters, unpacking diversity, inspiring creativity, self-tanning chocolate bars, gratitude, why Steve Harrison is our industry’s Plato and a whole lot more.   ///// Follow Marc on Twitter  Check out School of Communication Arts  And book a call with Marc to chat about joining or supporting the school   A Message to Anyone Considering University During Covid on ISOLATED Talks  Here’s the work of Professor Richard Wiseman Read a couple of articles written by Marc too:  Impact of Purpose-Led Advertising AdAge article is an insult to our trade   Timestamps (02:20) - Quick fire questions  (05:07) - First ever job  (06:58) - Being an outlier (and why that got him expelled and fired) (08:20) - Getting a scholarship to SCA  (13:32) - Reopening SCA in 2010 (14:40) - Reciprocity is one of the most powerful things in the world (17:45) - An exclusive on the future of SCA (23:14) - Our industry jumping on the bandwagon of diversity (30:22) - Inspiring creativity in the school (33:48) - Listener Questions from Matt Sibley and Dave Birss (34:08) - Importance of practicing gratitude  (43:26) - 4 Pertinent Posers Marc’s book recommendations are: Ideas: A History from Fire to Freud by Peter Watson  Watching the English by Kate Fox  Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath  Anything by Steve Harrison /////

Carpe Diem. Seize the day. The Cameron Day. This week we’ve snared industry legend, author, and birthday boy, Cameron Day, for a chinwag.  Creative Director, writer, and chainsaw enthusiast, Cameron has been crafting ads and shape-shifting brands for over thirty laps around the sun. Pile your paper plate high with topics including the influence of his father Guy Day (of Chiat/Day), writing his Advertising Survival Guides, hiring the quietest person in the room, patience, jargon, trying to pitch a naked lady ad, and tons more.   And the icing on the cake is a side-splitting story involving a power cut, an unfinished joke, winning the Land Rover account, too much sushi, and a fart that nearly brought down a plane. Party on.    ///// Follow Cameron on Twitter and LinkedIn  Check out his website  Here’s his interview with Luke Sullivan, David Baldwin, Thomas Kemeny and Nancy Vonk  Cameron’s Advertising Survival Guides  Chew With Your Mind Open  Spittin’ Chiclets  Timestamps (02:06) - Quick fire questions  (03:20) - First ever job  (06:32) - How his dad, Guy Day, influenced his decision to go into advertising  (15:49) - Why he’s never tried to prove himself because of his dad’s name (18:27) - His experience of big versus small agencies (21:42) - Writing his Advertising Survival Guides  (26:43) - Why it’s so hard for creatives to leave work on time (30:17) - Spittin’ Chiclets  (34:38) - Cameron’s disaster story that’ll leave you in stitches  (43:37) - Pitching a naked lady ad  (46:00) - Listener Questions (including one from Luke Sullivan) (55:46) - 4 Pertinent Posers  Cameron's book recommendations are: Junior by Thomas Kemeny  Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan  The Belief Economy by David Baldwin  Pick Me by Nancy Vonk  Well-written and red by Alfredo Marcantonio  /////

We flagged down a Big Yellow Taxi and rode it all the way to Melbourne to catch copywriter and Joni Mitchell mega-fan, Carolyn Barclay, this week.  A stubbornly strategy-first copywriter, Carolyn helps brands sound like actual humans instead of soulless robots sent from the future to bore us to death. She’s also co-founder of Kingswood & Palmerston, a creative consultancy solving marketing puzzles for B2B and making ads for ad agencies. She talks to us on selling cheap suits to men who call them straitjackets, Bob Dylan, writing great copy by studying song writing, outspending versus outsmarting, why ordering ten blogs with a side of social is rarely the right thing to do, Eaon Pritchard, making ads for ad agencies, why rappers are good copywriters, whether AI robots really will take our jobs and a shed load more.  ///// Follow Carolyn on Twitter and LinkedIn  Check out her website  And Kingswood & Palmerston  Follow K&P on Twitter and LinkedIn too  Here’s David Moore’s collection of Ads for Ad Agencies  Carolyn recommends Eaon Pritchard’s Back to Basics course  Read Carolyn’s blog “How my failed songwriting career helps me write better copy” When Writing Sings by Gary Provost  To Leave Something Behind by Sean Rowe  Ads we chat about:  …Gasp! Turns 13 Life. Be in it.  Slip! Slop! Slap!  Backbone by Young & Rubicam  TDA Advertising & Design  Timestamps (01:45) - Quick fire questions  (03:12) - First job selling cheap suits  (07:50) - First marketing job organising Avon’s Bargain Bin catalogue (13:51) - Writing great copy by studying song writing  (18:46) - Why she’s a stubbornly strategy-first copywriter (23:59) - Kingswood & Palmerston (27:57) - Ads for ad agencies (34:07) - Listener Questions from John Lyons, Louis Lucente, Kate Taylor, and David Moore (34:29) - Why rappers make great copywriters  (39:20) - Thoughts on AI copywriting (44:39) - 4 pertinent posers Carolyn’s book recommendations are: Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris   Anything by Margaret Atwood    Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell  Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison    Junior by Thomas Kemeny  /////

This week, we laid out hordes of Humbugs* to catch the Bah-rilliant Bristol-based strategist and Paul Feldwick fan, Alex Murrell.  He is currently Strategy Director at brand agency Epoch. Supplying strategic simplicity to the world’s biggest FMCG brands. Alex talks to us on tonnes of topics, including making the jump from graphic design to strategy, efficiency vs effectiveness, why an ad being expensive and ignored is a good thing, what the Superbowl and a peacock’s plumage have in common, Darwin, Derren Brown, the pitfalls of purpose, Eastern European dystopian fiction, and a whole lot more.  *The book, not the mint. But we have those too if you’d like one.    ///// Here’s Alex’s website  Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn  You’ve got to read his articles “Errors of Efficiency” and “The Pitfalls of Purpose” Here’s a baby-faced Derren Brown tricking ad-people with adverts  Ads Don’t Work That Way by Kevin Simler  And listen to our #CTAPod chinwags with the ridiculously smart Prof. Karen Nelson Field and Paul Feldwick too Timestamps (01:50) - Quick fire questions  (03:00) - First job in graphic design (10:10) - The jump from design to strategy (15:50) - Efficiency versus effectiveness  (18:50) - Signalling  (23:30) - Error 1 - Mass media is wasteful because it is untargeted  (27:34) - Error 2 – Mass media is wasteful because it is ignored  (38:22) - Error 3 - Mass media is wasteful because it is expensive  (42:06) - Listener questions on brand purpose and favourite marketing book   (47:29) - 4 pertinent posers Alex’s book recommendations are: Anatomy of Humbug by Paul Feldwick  How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp  We by Yevgeny Zamyatin  The Trial by Franz Kafka    Metropole by Ferenc Karinthy   /////

We’ve gone bar crawling in Washington DC and laid bait of Tanqueray & tonic to lure and lubricate the writer, teacher, speaker and “Revenue Architect” Dave Wakeman this week. Clients call him a “shot of adrenaline”, and his work has taken him around the world working with some of the world’s biggest brands like American Express, Google, Coca-Cola, Nike, and the Boston Red Sox. He’s also the host of the number 1 podcast in the world for folks marketing and selling sport, theatre, and experiences: The Business of Fun.    Join us for a proper session that takes us through his unique route into marketing via nightclubs, how gin taught him about customer experience and pricing (hic), leveraging Eddie Vedder, the vital choices faced when considering your strategy, The key P pricing, why discounts destroy brands, the meh metaverse and loads more. ///// Follow Dave on Twitter and LinkedIn. Check out his website, which is also a good place to see his upcoming events around the world. Here’s the amazing EB Research Partnership Dave worked with.  Two useful resources: a LinkedIn article on value-based pricing and an article on the 10 core strategy principles. Timestamps (2:30) - Quick Fire Qs  (07:45) - First ever job  (11:30) - Falling into Nightclubs (18:50) - Price (19:40) - Going from Nightclubs to Marketing (22:35) - Different challenges with different types of live experiences (26:20) - Route into and learnings on marketing  (30:10) - Gaining confidence and adding value to marketing (31:40) - Eddie Vedder Story (37:00) - Listener questions  (59:25) - 4 Pertinent Posers (59:30) - Advice to younger self (1:02:05) - Banish one thing from the industry (1:04:30) - Recommended books Dave’s book recommendations are: A New Way to Think by Roger L. Martin  Managing for Results by Peter F. Drucker  Underworld by Don DeLillo  The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles  The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway  The Confessions of the Pricing Man by Hermann Simon  /////

Health and Safety went ballistic when they got wind of this week’s guest being both a Blades fan and one of the sharpest strategic minds in media. Safety goggles on folks, it’s Rich Kirk.   Rich is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Zenith UK. Named the UK’s second-best media planner in 2021 by Campaign, Rich, like Avis, clearly tries harder, contributing to Zenith winning work from Lloyds, Halifax, Uswitch, Confused, Zoopla, and Nestle last year.  This episode covers a sharp showdown (Billy vs Byron), his early interest in how stuff got sold, the volatile and ever-changing media market, media planning’s pandemic shake-up, how on earth you quantify reach, risk, the world cup, corporate inertia, word soup, and more. Open your ears and let the smarts pour in. ///// Follow Rich on Twitter and LinkedIn Or pop into The Broadcaster at White City Listen to us talk attention metrics with Prof. Karen Nelson-Field here Timestamps (01:53) - Quick-fire questions (03:37) - First-ever job & getting into Google Ads (13:04) - The volatile media market (19:15) - How the pandemic shook up media planning (26:01) - Quantifying effective reach (36:19) - Why media planners should get excited about FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (42:29) - The barriers to clients taking on the best strategy (49:43) - 4 pertinent posers Rich’s book recommendations are: Changing the World Is the Only Fit Work for a Grown Man by Steve Harrison    Management in 10 Words by Terry Leahy  /////

This week, we’ve laid 57 varieties of bait to snare Salad Cream sommelier and TikTok star, Rob Mayhew, for a chinwag. Currently Head of Influence at Fleishman Hillard, Rob has over 20 years’ experience working at some of London’s top agencies with big brands like McVities, Krispy Kreme, and Lacoste. His sketches send Jenny’s, Gavin’s, and Tara’s across agency land into hysterics by holding up a mirror to our decidedly dumb behaviours. Rob talks to us on a ton of topics, including being a salad cream superfan, the comedian Jessica Kirson, booking a meeting room to nap, what he loves about TikTok, how to grow on LinkedIn, his sketches as a love letter to the industry, enthusiasm, why every workplace needs a Becky and a whole lot more. Get stuck in. *Seriously Heinz. Give this man the pale, yellow, emulsified brand deal he deserves, pronto. ///// Follow Rob on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram He gets his awesome jumpers from Rowing Blazers Check out comedian Jessica Kirson And hold onto your spaghetti hoops, here’s the infamous Instagram account @ohmybeiges Rob’s a big fan of Call to Action alumni Zoe Scaman and Vikki Ross. Check out the talks they kindly donated to ISOLATED Talks here: Is Sci-fi the next frontier for strategists? by Zoe Scaman on ISOLATED Talks Write Right by Vikki Ross on ISOLATED Talks Timestamps (02:44) - Quickfire questions (03:37) - An ode to Salad Cream (08:57) - First-ever job (12:00) - His role at Fleishman Hillard (15:19) - Why he loves TikTok (19:14) - TikTok versus Stand-Up (22:38) - How to win at LinkedIn (30:54) - His love letter to the industry (38:49) - Where he gets his jumpers (39:37) - Real-life Rob versus TikTok Rob (49:46) - 4 pertinent posers Rob’s book recommendations are: Eating the Big Fish by Adam Morgan   Easily Distracted by Steve Coogan   Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow   /////

This week, we’ve masqueraded as a cartoon tiger and talked our way into Kellogg to catch truly gr-r-reat marketer, Keerti Nair, for a chinwag.  Hell-bent on bridging the gap between commerce and creativity, she’s Marketing Effectiveness and Digital Transformation Lead at Kellogg and has cut her teeth in the industry over 16 years, 4 continents and 2 recessions.  She talks to us on going from engineering to marketing, selling Coca Cola products door-to-door, relentless learning, why selling tea bags wouldn’t work in Sudan (and other lessons from a career spanning four continents!), tips to take advantage of the golden age of media planning, KFC, tacos, why we should be proud to be marketers and tons more.  You’d be a fool not to snap, crackle and pop it in your ears, pronto.    /////   Follow Keerti on Twitter Here’s KFC’s FCK campaign And check out Keerti’s side of the debate around consumer habits & demands since the start of the pandemic Listen Up by Andy Nairn on ISOLATED Talks Timestamps (01:55) - Quick fire questions (04:26) - First ever job (06:54) - Going from engineering to marketing (14:31) - Being a relentless learner (17:19) - Experiences & learnings from working across 4 continents (25:58) - The unsexy boring bits of marketing (retail, promotion, distribution, pricing) (30:50) - How you can take advantage of the golden age of media planning (39:37) - Who is doing purpose well? And who’s lying? (44:17) - What she looks for in an agency partner (47:39) - Campaigns she wishes she’d done (49:41) - Go-to recipe (53:38) - 4 pertinent posers Keerti’s book recommendations are: You’re Not Listening by Kate Murphy  Go Luck Yourself by Andy Nairn  /////

This week, armed with duty-free’s finest Yo Ho Ho’s and a bottle of rum, we’re in the Big Apple to rub shoulders with the pirates at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York and catch their Chief Creative Officer, Amy Ferguson, for a chinwag. Amy describes herself as a chronic exaggerator. Yet, her reputation as a creative renegade and rule rewriter needs none of that. She’s got the pencils, Lions, Clios and pieces of eight to prove it. So, listen up landlubbers as Amy chats to us on a treasure trove of topics including her favourite pirate, melting things, leaning into humour in recent Mountain Dew ads with Charlie Day, the trick to get punters to forgive the giant logo at the end of your ad, cracking TikTok, hacking the Super Bowl, why pitches are bananas, why agencies should hire more mums, and more.  Follow Amy on Instagram  Here’s an old blog we wrote on Allstate’s Mayhem ads    This is the second Call to Action episode dedicated to Captain Rob Schwartz, George Tannenbaum got there first here in a cracking 2-parter (Part 1 and Part 2)   Ads to watch:  MTN DEW - A Really Short Ad    MTN DEW - Blatant Product Placement (NBA Execution)   MTN DEW - Major Millions (Super Bowl 2021)   Nissan - Thrill Driver (Super Bowl 2022)   MTN DEW – The Shining (Super Bowl 2020)   Timestamps (01:55) - Quickfire questions  (03:14) - First-ever job  (07:45) - Young Bloods experience (14:42) - Mountain Dew campaign with Charlie Day (26:36) - What goes into making a great Super Bowl ad?  (33:59) - Her “do good work, have fun, go home” philosophy (38:54) - Being a working mum of 3  (41:47) - Favourite classic TBWA ads (44:00) - How she makes sure work at TBWA\Chiat\Day stays true to the creative standard they’ve set   (46:07) - 4 pertinent posers Amy’s book recommendations are: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead   Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan    Advertising Today by Warren Berger 

Fix up, Look Sharp* because this week we’ve lured Lincolnshire lad and the Rascal of professional services marketing, Lee Grunnell, for a chinwag. A top marketing director and fellow Ritson fanboy, Lee is obsessed with applying the latest thinking from marketing leaders like Binet, Field, and Sharp to professional services. He talks to us on picking brussels sprouts, the Grunnéll vs Grunnell debate, why advertising is like Voldemort, how marketing in law firms isn’t as different as you’d think, and tons more. Plus, he’s got practical pointers for adopting a two-speed strategy, getting buy-in from skeptical partners, and applying the work of Ritson, Sharp, and Wiemer Snijder's banana to professional services. *A copy of How Brands Grow is compulsory ///// Follow Lee on Twitter See his smarts on Medium Read his article On Bananas (or Why Professional Services isn’t as Different as You Think) And check this out to see how we somehow got 30-odd partners in a law firm to agree on an advertising campaign Timestamps (01:55) - Quickfire questions (03:52) - First-ever job (11:16) - Getting into business development and marketing at EY (18:00) - Do professional services have a problem with advertising? (23:54) - Why marketing in professional services isn’t as different as you think (38:38) - Applying the laws of How Brands Grow in his career (45:31) - Tips for adopting a 2-speed strategy (Listen up Mini MBAers🔥) (48:37) - How to get buy-in from skeptical partners in professional services (56:13) - 4 pertinent posers Lee’s book recommendations are: That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph  Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel  /////

This week, we whizzed back to the 90s and stuck out our thumb on the side of the information superhighway, hoping to catch a ride with award-winning creative and digital pioneer, Laura Jordan Bambach.  Currently President and Chief Creative Officer at Grey London, Laura is a total ad land powerhouse, dishing out truly creative work for some of the world’s biggest brands.  Topics covered in this episode somehow span; zombies, Nine Inch Nails, industrial quantities of chicken breast, fixing tractors, the “Geekgirl” hyperzine, the early days of the net, how we can prevent agencies from becoming the least creative places on earth, an infinite robotic knitting machine, a deep dive into service stations, and why her mum has a pixelated clitoris hung on the wall. Dial-up the World Wide Web and listen. Bee-bee-bee-dsshhhh. ///// You can find Laura on Twitter   Check out She Says    Find out more about Grey   Laura will be speaking very soon at TBD Conference    Spot the #SheepMask in the Macmillan Infi-Knit campaign     Read Laura’s article on “Preventing agencies from becoming the least creative places on earth”     And here’s some of the ground-breaking art from Linda Dement       Timestamps (02:00) - Quick fire questions  (04:41) - First ever job  (11:20) - Getting into digital art and the early days of the web   (18:17) - Starting her own agency and living in an art commune (25:37) - Have we relied too much on tech at the expense of creativity?  (31:12) - Preventing agencies from becoming the least creative places on earth (36:00) - Listener questions (including one from Nick Ellis) (44:02) - 4 pertinent posers    Laura’s book recommendations are: Mr. Eternity by Elizabeth Meyers and Roy Williams  Hard Boiled Wonderland by Haruki Murakami   Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami  /////

This week, we laid bait of lofty vision statements and years of intricate tax dodging, to lure one of Britain’s most-awarded copywriters from the shadows. Locked and loaded to lob a few volleys at brand purpose, he’s Nick Asbury.   A brilliant writer and a thoroughly good bloke to boot, Nick crafts witty and charming words for branding and design.  Pile your plate high as Nick talks to us on how a poem about the England football team got him in real trouble, differentiating between writing for design versus writing for ads, Paul Newman’s salad dressing, using wit (properly), a Friends NFT, why the Innocent imitators in packaging copy need to cut it out, and his plans to dismantle brand purpose. You won’t be disappointed.  ///// Check out Nick’s Substack  Especially his blog Start with why, end with wire fraud     Follow him on Twitter   He’s one half of Asbury & Asbury   Alongside, Sue Asbury, whose ace paintings you should check out here   Read The Nations Prayer poem that got him in real trouble    Buy the Perpetual Disappointments Diary   Here’s Realtime Notes   Clive James on Desert Island Discs  And the brilliant Ends Fri Friends ad  Timestamps (02:05) - Quickfire questions  (05:22) - First-ever job  (13:31) - Writing for design versus writing for advertising  (18:50) - A Smile in the Mind  (22:05) - Use of wit in advertising and design  (27:05) - Brand purpose (🔥) (54:54) - Listener questions from Paul Bailey and Andrew Spurrier Dawes (1:02:26) - 4 pertinent posers Room for more? In this episode, we plugged a choice cut of Call to Action episodes for you to get your chops around.  Andrew Spurrier Dawes  Thomas Kolster   Steve Harrison   Paul Feldwick   Nick’s book recommendations are: Nonzero by Robert Wright   A Smile in the Mind by Beryl McAlhone, David Stuart, Greg Quinton & Nick Asbury   In Pursuit of the Common Good by Paul Newman & A.E. Hotchner   The Anatomy of Humbug by Paul Feldwick   /////

We stuck a fake shark fin on our back and lurked in the waters off Adelaide to catch the attention of one of the industry’s most respected researchers, Prof. Karen Nelson-Field, this week. Hell-bent on fighting the broken media ecosystem as founder and CEO at Amplified Intelligence, Karen is also an author and alumni of the world-renowned Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. When she’s not binge-watching Home & Away (yes, she’s still a fan), Karen’s research into the measurement of attention has made her a global authority on media effectiveness. Tune in to a show packed like sardines in a tin, as Karen talks on her 10 years at Ehrenberg-Bass, skateboarding cats, myth-busting Facebook likes, going viral, seeing dead people patterns, why attention is an important metric, how to measure it and more. And strap in as Karen finally answers the red-hot question of whether our attention spans really are becoming shorter than a goldfi- Oh, look, some links…  ///// Follow Karen on LinkedIn  And on Twitter  Here’s her website And, Karen kindly dedicates this episode to the bullshit-detecting bulldog himself, Bob Hoffman Grab yourself her books: Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing  The Attention Economy and How Media Works  Karen’s book recommendations are:  Play Bigger by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead & Kevin Maney That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph  /////

Let’s get ready to rumble! Grab your ringside seat for the first episode in a new special heavyweight series; They Might Be Right. It’s the boisterous brother of Call To Action that breaks up bundles in the pithy playground of Twitter. Named in honour of Bill Bernbach’s famed jacket pocket card, we invite our challengers into the octagon of debate for a verbal slugfest, whilst being mindful and welcoming to the opinions of others. This week’s motion is ‘Loyalty programmes; a complete waste of time?’ And our challengers are: Jake Sanders. The man whose tweet started this particular brawl, and not content with only being a great marketer, Jake is also a Grammy-nominated musician and host of his own out-of-this-world marketing-sci-fi podcast show, Outbound. Derek Walker. A truly great copywriter who makes writing an art form, Derek runs the successful advertising agency brown & browner. Lee Woodard. One of the best Digital and Marketing consultants around, Lee is Founder of Nomi Digital and the Co-Founder of Privacy Experience Agency. It’s a judge's decision and YOU are the judge. Vote for the winner (or a split decision). ///// Here’s the Twitter spat that kicked it all off. Follow Jake, Derek, and Lee on Twitter. /////

We’ve sailed on the waters of the U.S coast to catch the Moby Dick of advertising this week; the one and only Luke Sullivan. A man whose book ‘Hey Whipple, Squeeze This’ is so iconic it’s coined by many as the creative bible, Luke is one of the most talented blokes in the business, having spent 33 years in adland at shops like Fallon and The Martin Agency. Join us for a raucous and riotous voyage across topics including the importance of mentors, the soon-to-be-released and updated 6th edition of his book, the state of global creative education, how do you create and define a good idea, and the value of advertising awards. That’s not to mention finding out what he fervently sees as the bane of the advertising industry… ///// Follow Luke on LinkedIn And on Twitter Here’s his website And Luke’s video on conflict & tension Here are his books: Hey Whipple, Squeeze This Thirty Rooms to Hide In Luke’s book recommendations are:  Junior: Writing Your Way Ahead in Advertising by Thomas Kemeny Chew With Your Mind Open by Cameron Day  The Belief Economy by David Baldwin  Darling You Can’t Have Both by Janet Kestin & Nancy Vonk. /////

We’ve commandeered a (now) irate New Zealander’s fishing trawler to poach the strategy and risk expert Andrey Ivanov for a right royal chit chat this week. A podcast host in his own right, Andrey fronts the popular and educational Business Games podcast, where he applies game theory to help leaders overcome uncertainty. Go press play and unleash a huge catch of informative piranhas, including why Andrey thinks business people should consider stand-up comedy, why poker is a good analogy for life, game theory, economics, how to make good decisions, and more. /////   Follow Andrey on LinkedIn And his podcast show on Twitter Andrey has a request if you have time; to complete his survey over on Business Games Check out Greenlamp marketing agency Here's the Togs or Undies ad we mention And this episode is dedicated to Alexei Domorev Andrey’s book recommendations are:  The Art of Strategy by Dixit, Avinash K., Nalebuff, Barry J.  The Rule of Benedict by Benedict   The Expanse Series by Corey, S. A.   /////

This week, all it took was a blue tick and the gall of a Gary Vee groupie to lure our latest guest from the shadows. It’s a man with a brilliant marketing brain and alarmingly dirty mind, John Lyons.  John has shed loads of experience in marketing strategy, campaigns and promotions for agencies, start-ups, and huge brands. And he’s currently living the miniature brick-building dream as Senior Loyalty Proposition Manager at a certain Danish toy company. Listen to John chat rant on his all-access pass to the Houses of Parliament, what being an architect taught him as a marketer, tactics, strategy, and why one is not better than the other, promotions, loyalty, the Batwing, James Blunt and tons more. Plus, he doth tip his Twitter famous hat to Jerry Daykin, gem Higgins, Mark Ritson and Tom Goodwin.  ///// Find John on LinkedIn  Follow the #AdventuresofHat on Twitter  John’s book recommendations are: Eat Your Greens by Wiemer Snidjers  The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson /////

We’ve sent out our largest trawler into the (Quiet) Storm and landed ourselves a bumper super catch this week as we snare ad land power couple Rania and Trevor Robinson OBE. Rania and Trevor are the CEO and ECD respectively of Quiet Storm; a creative marriage of ad agency and production company. Rania has worked magic on accounts and strategy for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Haribo, Mercedes, Google and Coca Cola, whilst Trevor is the creative force of nature behind some of the most talked about advertising of our era, including You’ve Been Tangoed and Haribo’s Kids Voices adverts.  Tune in for an epic and topical tale that takes us through working as a court illustration artist, the benefits of working in a small independent agency, how to direct a great TV advert, How the Haribo ads were created, their Create Not Hate initiative, balancing running an agency together with life as a married couple and a net full of more nuggets.  ///// Follow Rania and Trevor on LinkedIn  And Rania on Twitter   Here is their agency, Quiet Storm    And their recently rejuvenated Create Not Hate initiative that you can get involved with and support.  Trevor’s book recommendations are: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger  Auto Da Fé, Elias Canetti.  And Rania's book recommendations are: Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman.  The Chimp Paradox, Professor Steve Peters  /////

We’ve lurked in the long grass by the canal and nabbed consultant, mentor, and music-geek Jess Gregson for a chinwag as she visits her houseboat this week. An optimistic, pragmatic, and friendly soul from Sheffield, Jess is the founder of Extra Brain, where she uses her experience to help business leaders come unstuck. She is also the founder of Open to everyone. Closed to racism, an initiative getting businesses to take a stand against racism, and also hosts themed social listening party #Sunday7social every other Sunday on Isolated Talks radio. Tune in to hear Jess talk about her first job working with Unilever as a client, her priceless experience of both agency and client-side, why she set up her new business Extra Brain, common business problems and themes that go across all sectors, the highs and lows of living on a boat and tonnes more. ///// Follow Jess on LinkedIn and Twitter  Read more on her new consultancy business, Extra Brain Get involved with Open to everyone. Closed to racism  Check out the #Sunday7Social hashtag on Twitter and get listening to her bi-weekly Sunday radio show on Isolated Talks. Jess’s book recommendations are:  Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman  Just Kids & M Train by Patti Smith  /////

This week, baited by a Bedouin birthing blanket, we caught big thinker and bestselling author, Paul Feldwick. The man behind one of our favourite all time ad campaigns, Paul worked at the legendary agency BMP on some of Britain’s most famous brands for over 30 years. His latest book ‘Why Does the Pedlar Sing?’ explores why selling and entertainment go hand in hand and was described by Rory Sutherland as “possibly the book I would most highly recommend to anyone in marketing”. Paul talks to us on tonnes of topics, including BMP, being the world’s worst account manager, clowns, talking to real people, what brands can learn from Snow White, Jeremy Bullmore, PT Barnum, fame, shame, purpose, Mrs Brown’s Boys, whether ads need to be "liked", Martin Boase, and a whole lot more. Tuck in. ///// Check out his website  Follow Paul on LinkedIn  We implore you to read both of his fabulous books:  Why Does the Pedlar Sing?  Anatomy of Humbug And here’s that famous Barclaycard ad with Rowan Atkinson  Paul’s book recommendations are: How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp  Building Distinctive Brand Assets by Jenni Romaniuk /////

All it took was a curly-wurly and a whiff of Hooblahoo to snare bumbling, bestselling author, Andrew Boulton, this week.  A senior lecturer on copywriting and creative advertising at the University of Lincoln, Andrew has over a decade’s scribbling experience writing for big brands, tiny brands, and even a man who carved dolphins out of cheese. Andrew talks to us on tonnes of topics, including being robbed by Roy Keane, teaching, why copywriting makes you a better creative writer, Umbongo, a cartoon toilet brush, his terrible radio play, wandering, words with no consonants, the inspiration behind Adele Writes an Ad, and a whole lot more. You’d be a fool not to let us bend your ear ‘ere. ///// Follow Andrew on Twitter and LinkedIn Get wandering with Creativity in the Wild on ISOLATED Talks  Here’s his column for The Drum His book Adele Writes an Ad might be just the thing for ad parents struggling to explain what they do to their children There’s also a free audiobook version narrated by gem Higgins And for a glimpse into what life as a copywriter is like, here’s Copywriting Is Andrew’s book recommendations are: Read Me by Gyles Lingwood   Junior by Thomas Kemeny   The Art of the Click by Glenn Fisher   /////

This week we’ve laced up our hiking boots and traversed the trails of North Carolina to track down Founder and CEO of Indie Consulting, Molly Baker, for a chinwag.  Molly is a digital marketing pro both client-side and agency-side chops, including a tasty stint at Ben & Jerry’s. Over the past 3 years she’s built a fully remote team of boffins around the world who agree that nothing is more valuable than people’s time and thoughts.   She gives us the lowdown on her first job as a “supreme babysitter”, why her mum had her filling out cost sheets at 14-years-old, studying abroad in Perugia, what she’s learnt building a remote team, how to avoid Zoom fatigue, the art and science of data driven marketing, accountability and ethics when using data, her counterargument to Byron Sharp’s POV on brand loyalty, her approach to client services, building trust and tons more. ///// Follow Molly on LinkedIn and Instagram Check out Indie Consulting and sign up for their newsletter Fight off Zoom fatigue with advice from her ISOLATED Talks donation Molly’s book recommendations are:  The Great Client Partner by Jared Belsky   The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah   The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah   The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah   /////

This week we’ve got our longship out of dry dock and nipped North to Nyhavn to snare Danish marketing activist and author, Thomas Kolster.  Hell-bent on making businesses put people and the planet first, Thomas is a branding and sustainability professional, the founder of the global Goodvertising movement, and the author of two books, Goodvertising and The Hero Trap. He talks to us about joining the industry with dreams of helicopters and Ogilvy’s Chateau, frustration, getting brand purpose all wrong, the problem when megalomanic brands try to do good, Simon Sinek’s self-glorifying exercises, dinosaurs, what he really thinks of Patagonia, consuming Carlsberg and playing Lego (simultaneously, of course), where to get an evasive cheap pint in Copenhagen and bucket loads more. ///// Follow Thomas on Twitter and LinkedIn Here’s his website Check out his books: The Hero Trap Goodvertising And if you’re gasping for a pint in Copenhagen, but don’t fancy paying through the nose for it, Thomas recommends Det Lille Øresund, Oehlenschlægersgade 41, 1663, Copenhagen. Thomas’s book recommendation is:  Spørge-Jørgen by Kamme Laurents and Robert Storm Petersen   /////

Summer is over, so we’re migrating south (well, to Bristol) to catch a Bird not afraid to ruffle some feathers: one of the all-time greats in the world of copywriting, Drayton Bird.  A man who could fill The British Library twice-over with his stories of mayhem and misadventure, Drayton was dubbed the man who “knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world” by David Ogilvy and, at 85 years old, still writes great copy every day.  He chirps to us on what makes a great copywriter, reading, what he learned from David Ogilvy, applying his principles to Airbus planes and Peppa Pig, living under a false name for 7 years, why despair is the route to success, skirting death (more than once) and a treasure trove more. ///// Follow Drayton on Twitter and LinkedIn Here’s his website And sign up for his mailing list (if you're brave enough) If you want to learn from the man himself, check out Ask Drayton Get a free copy of Scientific Advertising Drayton’s book recommendations are: Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy   Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins   Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples   How to Write Sales Letters that Sell by Drayton Bird   /////

This week we’ve ditched the Dolmio and danced across the pond to sniff out Brooklyn’s master meatball maker and talented designer, Victoria Rosselli.  Victoria is a freelance Art Director and Designer based in New York. She’s also a Pitch 100 Superwoman and co-founder of Our Silent Partner, a collection of crowdsourced work designed to give voice to the silent mental health struggles of creatives. We tuck into tons of topics including the benefits of an early internship at FCB, mental health in the advertising industry and why she chose to leave it altogether, hustle culture, imposter syndrome, freaky flashbacks of Gary Vaynerchuk, using ADHD as a creative advantage, Our Silent Partner, and, most importantly, the Rosselli family secrets for a winning meatball are revealed. Buon appetito. ///// You can find Victoria on Twitter and Instagram. Go support Our Silent Partner. Here’s her Campaign article on mental health and working in advertising. Watch Mental Health and Creativity by Victoria Rosselli and Laurel Stark Akman. Enjoy the Mental Health Matters Clear Channel Event.     Victoria kindly dedicates this episode to Becky Brinkerhoff. Give her some love too. And, most importantly, has Victoria finished redoing her portfolio yet? Victoria’s book recommendations are: The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair   Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler   /////

There’s a Freaky Friday/Trading Places film vibe to this episode, as JP Castlin puts the boot very much on the other foot to volley a tonne of tough posers to the outspoken founder and Creative Director of Gasp, and this show’s usual host, Giles Edwards.  A “wonderful overachiever”, he’s also the creator of ISOLATED Talks and has collaborated on two #1 best-selling books. He believes in “proper (timeless) Marketing” and its vital role in the boardroom and usually rants about this, and more, with esteemed guests on this podcast. But today, it is him who is in the hot seat. He talks to us on almost becoming Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, learning Serbo-Croat and the fundamentals of communication, what he set out to do with Gasp, media neutrality, the noose around the neck of many marketers (aka the billable hour), awards, behavioural economics, stand-up comedy, and Wu-Tang Clan. Plus, find out why the front page of an Indonesian newspaper dubbed him “Mr. Cheater” after an ill-fated spelling bee… ///// You can find Giles on Twitter and LinkedIn.   Enjoy all 67 episodes of Call to Action so far.   Check out and support ISOLATED Talks.   Don’t Be Brave, Be Right by Giles Edwards and Ryan Wallman. Here’s the Hans Brinker ads, the Party Cannon logo, and Gasp’s award-winning crumpled up letter campaign. A huge thank you to a friend of the show JP Castlin who, not being content with being on this podcast twice already, humbly invited himself to be a guest host. You can listen to both his episodes of Call to Action here and here. Giles’s book recommendations are: Delusions of Brandeur by Ryan Wallman   Copywriting Is by Andrew Boulton   How to Make Better Advertising and Advertising Better by Vic Polkinghorne and Andy Palmer   A Smile in the Mind by Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart    Sync by Steven Strogatz   /////

We flogged an old, precious ad book on Amazon for three grand and just about covered a one-way ticket t’Blackpool (cheers privatisation) to nab one of the most outspoken voices in ad land: copywriter, Creative Director and author, Steve Harrison.  He’s bagged more Cannes Lions in his discipline than any other Creative Director in the world, and his book “How to do better creative work” became the most expensive ad book ever sold. His new, updated version of "Can't Sell, Won't Sell: Advertising, Politics and Culture Wars" has turned up the heat and promises to be “the most provocative advertising book in years”.  He not only shoots the breeze, but scary Birds, the big problem with big agencies, the juggernaut band-wagon of social purpose, class and the diversity conversation, and the vanity and entitlement of our industry to think we can set a cultural agenda. In fact, we had to stop and reload a few times to take aim at industry leaders, publications, Soho pub-goers, and Peter Crouch. What an episode. ///// Follow Steve on Twitter and LinkedIn  Bung the updated version of Can’t Sell, Won’t Sell in yer’ basket   Check out How To Write Better Copy  Here’s his biography on Howard Gossage   And here’s How to do better creative work (but good luck getting your mitts on it!)  Here’s his pod with Dave Dye  And the talk we mention by Hans Rosling   Steve’s book recommendations are: More Bull More by Jeremy Bullmore  Factfulness by Hans Rosling   /////

We’ve set tripwires to snare the Jimmy Choo’s of the freelance community’s very own Anna Wintour, the editor of Freelancer Magazine, Sophie Cross.     An OG freelancer with over 15 years’ marketing experience, Sophie launched her very own 100-pages of glossy printed freelance goodness earlier this year.    She talks to us her first cheese-related jobs, thinking she wasn’t creative enough for marketing, sausage and mash business plans, launching a magazine, her ‘Kevin from Home Alone’ moment, starting before you’re ready, the immensely supportive freelance community, how to get your first client and more. Ears this way please.  /////   Check out Sophie’s website   Follow her on Twitter   Issue 2 ‘Community’ of Freelancer Magazine is out now  Watch Start Before You’re Ready on ISOLATED Talks  Listen to the stunning rendition of Dave Harland’s poem ‘Dogs’  Sophie kindly dedicated this episode to @thatcontentshed    Sophie’s book recommendations are: The Artists Way by Julia Cameron   The Choice Factory by Richard Shotton  /////

This week we’ve laid bait of crisp apple strudels and schnitzel with noodles to snare Munich-based performance artist, Marcus John Henry Brown, to talk on a few of his favourite things.    Hisüber-talented creative chops have conjured up “performance hacks”, a keynote format that disrupts conference proceedings, delighting and shocking audiences across the world.    Marcus gives us the lowdown on the best (and worst) Batman, hacking business conferences, creating Blade Runner with PowerPoint, hanging in there as an artist last year, audience obsession, ideas, your left buttock, and tonnes more.    Plus, there’s an unmissable masterclass on how to do better virtual keynotes. Danke schön. ///// You can follow Marcus on Twitter Here’s his website Check out his performances and tips to make better virtual keynotes here His beloved ISOLATED Talk Hanging in There is well worth a watch too  These are his speaking terms and conditions Marcus’s book recommendations are: Anything by Mark Earls   Anything by Eaon Pritchard  Anything in the future by Vikki Ross (So keep an eye out here)  /////

We’ve masqueraded as a bellboy and snuck into the G-Suite to catch freak in the (Google) Sheets and designer turned creative strategist, Izzi Hays, this week.  An awfully loud introvert, Izzi Rascal is bonkers for a tricky problem and is currently breaking industry moulds and bolstering their strategy chops at MultiAdaptor. They chinwag to us on their accidental shift from design to strategy, empathy, bullsh*t job titles, why a good craftsperson isn’t always a good manager, research in the wild, what living in 10 countries has taught them, building diverse teams, pancakes, what they’d be doing in a world without brands and tonnes more. ///// You can follow Izzi on Twitter Check out MultiAdaptor Here’s One Sandbox Make your life easier with Raindrop and Notion With the subtlety of a bulldozer, we manage to plug our episodes with: Zoe Scaman, Doug Melville, Nick Ellis, Andrew Willshire and Sarah Benson. So go forth and gorge on those too. Izzi’s book recommendations are: The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley  Real Life by Brandon Taylor   Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby   /////

This week we’re leading the frontline charge against marketing B.S. by catching and conscribing the fiery Frenchman and frère from another mère, Louis Grenier.    Quite simply one of the most maverick marketers on the planet, Louis’ mega-successful marketing podcast, Everyone Hates Marketers, has over 1 million downloads and interviews industry giants like Seth Godin and Mark Ritson.    Lend us your ears for a riotous rendezvous on why everyone really hates marketers, being radically different, how to up your Tinder game, the problem with looking at your own belly button, misquoting Richard Shotton, psychographics, and a bike shed load more.  Plus, find out what on earth Marcelo Bielsa and Daft Punk have in common.  ///// You can follow Louis on Twitter   Learn to stand the f*ck out by signing up for his newsletter  Listen to his podcast Everyone Hates Marketers (after this one, of course)  Watch Louis’ talk for The Marketing Meetup  And here’s what Russell Davies has to say about “bikeshedding”     Louis’ book recommendations are: Purple Cow by Seth Godin  ZAG by Marty Neumeier  Different by Youngme Moon   Eat Your Greens by Wiemer Snijders   How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp   Building Distinctive Brand Assets by Jenni Romaniuk   Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari   /////

This week we’ve cast a spell to catch one of the most talented strategists in Middle-earth the UK, ad land’s answer to Gandalf, Richard Huntington.    A high-octane brand strategist, Richard has been leading his merry band of creatives and hobbits to the edge of The Shire for nearly 30 years. Richard is currently Chairman, Chief Strategy Officer, and part of the furniture at Saatchi & Saatchi.   He talks to us on being interesting versus being right, the lost art of salesmanship, why you must join a choir, wild swimming, how buying a dog grooming magazine will make you a better strategist, and finally, if there really is one brief template to rule them all.    You’d be a fool of a Took not to fill your ear canals up.  /////   Follow Richard on Twitter Here’s his blog, Adliterate Richard kindly dedicates this episode to Marie Benton so make sure to check out the wonderful work of The Choir with No Name    Richard’s book recommendation is: Waterlog by Roger Deakin  /////

We snuck aboard a streetcar and cruised down Castro Street to catch the Bay Area’s finest Creative Director and Pitch 100 Superwoman, Laurel Stark Akman, this week. Laurel leads creative marketing efforts for The Sims at EA and is the mind (and heart) behind “world changing” and “industry bettering” work, including mental health initiative, Our Silent Partner, and diversity boosting portfolio competition, Next Creative Leaders. She adds smarts and sass to tons of topics including going to ad school to make her right-brained parents happy, why thrashing in the undergrowth makes you a better creative, her own mental health journey, finding her voice, creating a space for the parts of her the industry didn’t celebrate, mentorship matchmaking and lots more. ///// Follow Laurel on Twitter and Instagram Check out her website Sign up for Mentorship Matchmaking And go support Laurel’s brilliant initiatives, Our Silent Partner and Next Creative Leaders Laurel kindly dedicates this episode to Niki Selken  If you are interested in shadow work, have a look at: Laurel’s article for The Rosie Report This program and this book Laurel’s book recommendations are: Pick Me by Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin  Darling, You Can’t Do Both by Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk   Herding Tigers by Todd Henry  Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May   /////

We’ve posed as a jester in the throne room of the Burger Kingdom to nab the recently abdicated and most influential CMO and brand genius in the industry; the mind behind the Mouldy Whopper, Fernando Machado.   A global marketer with enough Lions to rival Joe Exotic, Fernando has recently tucked into a new role as CMO at Activision Blizzard. At the time of recording, Fer was CMO at Restaurant Brands International, serving up great creative work for Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons.    So, pull up to the next window and pick-up Fer’s final flame-grilled interview* pre-abdicating. We chat on his obsession with creativity, how to make the case for creativity, the role of the CMO, why Mouldy Whopper was never a risk, brand heritage, cancel culture, Bill Bernbach, Dads in Briefs and the cliff divers of Acapulco.   Do you want fries with that?      *probably /////   Follow Fernando on Twitter   Check out The One Club for Creativity  BGH Air Conditioners: Dads in Briefs      Fernando’s book recommendations are: Bill Bernbach's Book by Bob Levenson  The Copy Book by D&AD   /////

It’s lights out and we’re off with Red Bull Racing alumni, David Granger, in the driver’s seat, this week.    David got his wings managing the international digital and social strategy for Red Bull, its Formula One teams and for companies in aviation, fashion and music including the Wu-Tang Clan.    So protect ya neck as David brings da ruckus on reading ‘F1 for Dummies’ (twice) before joining Red Bull Racing, pissing off Fernando Alonso, owing his career to Leo Sayer, taking pole position ahead of other F1 teams on the socials and using it to deal with feuding fans…badly. Oh, and after a quick pit stop to chat AR in sports, find out what Giles really thinks of Pokémon Go.   ///// Follow David on Twitter   You can enjoy his columns for iSPORTCONNECT on Medium   And David proudly dedicates this episode to Katherine Chan     David’s book recommendation is: Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy   /////

We’ve taken cover in the jungle and laid bait of some intriguing research in the wild to snare planner, pattern spotter and people watcher, Sarah Benson, this week.     Currently a Senior Planner at adam&eveDDB, Sarah is an exceptionally talented strategic mind with 12 years’ experience making telly ads, creating brands and finding out what people really think.    She chats to us on being fired from her first job at IKEA, tackling industry biases, why planners should pay attention to the mundane, pattern spotting, research in the wild, cracking on, hard pants and lots more. Plus, a bonus pitch story of power, corruption and blueberry cheesecake.  ///// Follow Sarah on Twitter  Sarah proudly dedicates this episode to @izzihays, give them a follow too  Check out her film recommendation The Florida Project    Sarah’s book recommendations are: The Optimists Telescope by Bina Venkataraman  Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino   Perfect Pitch by Jon Steel   /////

This week we’ve laid bait of a pint and picture round to snare sharp thinker, pub quizzer and Strategy Director at Wunderman Thompson, Will Humphrey. A lifelong problem solver with experience across Advertising, PR, CRM and Digital, he’s devised award-winning strategies for the likes of O2, Budweiser, NatWest and Land Rover and is a huge advocate for mentoring junior folk in the industry. He talks to us on a treasure trove of topics including ad land as a walled garden, binding machines and nappies, asking Londoners to find Coventry on a map, empathy, educated guessing, planning from within, what’s special about Robbie Earnshaw, hippos, custard creams and lots more. You’d be a fool not to let us bend your ear ‘ere. ///// Follow Will on Twitter and Instagram Check out his blog Here's his advice for junior strategists/planners And keep an eye out for future Getting In & Getting On events Will proudly dedicates his episode to @sarahspoon, give her a follow too Will’s book recommendations are: The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan  Saki, The Complete Short Stories by H. Munro   Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing by Karen Nelson-Field  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi  /////

We lurked in the waters of Loch Lomond to catch Strathclyde’s top dog in data for a natter; independent analytics consultant, Andrew Willshire.    Andrew is the Founder of Diametrical, a Strategic Analytics Consultancy. He has over a decade of experience in media analytics and his expertise includes marketing mix modelling, media optimisation, segmentation and market analysis.    This pod is packed with nuggets of golden insight as Andrew talks to us on his work with JP Castlin (and their argument over mint sauce), the state of analytics in media, data problems in The Long and the Short of it, murky metrics on Facebook, why ROI stinks, Christopher Nolan, Franz Ferdinand, Ferrari, and lots more. /////   Follow Andrew on Twitter  Check out Diametrical  And enjoy his Marketing Week articles   ROI is Dead: Now Bury It by Tim Ambler   If Russ Ackoff had given a TED Talk video    Remember, JP is offering Call to Action listeners the Castlin Manifesto for nothing. Just email [email protected] and ask nicely.   Andrew’s book recommendations are: How to Measure Anything by Douglas W. Hubbard   Management F-laws by Russel L. Ackoff & Herbert J. Addison  Everything Is Obvious: Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts   The Mind is Flat by Nick Chater   /////