Call To Action

• 159: Alex Smith on the battle to make business strategy better

  This week we positioned our most powerful fan at the rear end of a corpulent bull in hopes of snaring the attention of legendary bullshit fighter, Alex Smith A strategist who’s set himself the mountainous task of extracting all the nonsense from business strategy, Alex is very much a breath of a fresh air in a field that can, at its worst, smell a lot like somebody’s done a poo… on a dead crab… in the drains of an abandoned laundrette… and then set it on fire. He is the author of a bestselling book on strategy, titled, with Alex’s typical disregard for fluff, No Bullshit Strategy. In those pages – and through Alex’s wildly popular LinkedIn posts – he makes a compelling case for businesses to look more closely at the decisions they make and wheedle out the ‘anti-strategic’ ones that are causing 99% of all pickles. So, in true Alex fashion, we probably could have just said something like ‘he helps businesses get stuff right, more of the time’ instead of all that nonsense about the crab and the laundrette. Ah well. This episode is dedicated to Alex’s wife who is the engine and foundation underneath everything.  ///// Follow Alex on LinkedIn. Timestamps: (03:26) - First Jobs and Failures (06:19) - Reflections on Being Fired (08:53) - Finding the Right Fit (10:46) - The Challenge of Entering Advertising (12:24) - Polishing the Pig: Agency Work (15:36) - The Importance of Unique Value (19:08) - Theory vs. Practice in Strategy (20:26) - Defining Business Strategy (22:03) - Value Generation in Business (24:16) - The Role of Communication (28:04) - The Hierarchy of Business Strategy (30:28) - The Role of Founders in Strategy (32:10) - Navigating Corporate Structures (36:15) - The Myth of the Legendary Founder (40:05) - Mediocrity vs. Strategy (42:58) - Learning from Established Brands (45:11) - Applying Strategy to Personal Business (47:30) - The Shift from Freelancer to Entrepreneur Alex's Book Recommendations are:  Zero to One by Peter Thiel Incerto Series by Nassim Taleb Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson  Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson  The Matter with Things by Ian McGilchrist /////

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• 158: Paul Dervan on a marketing future that embraces mistakes and machines

  This week we released AI from the punishment cupboard in which we’ve been keeping it in order to win the approval of author, marketing super-brain and AI believer Paul Dervan. As the Head of Brand Marketing at Miro, Paul has been busy bolstering his reputation as one of the industry’s smartiest pant-wearers when it comes to marketing effectiveness. Miro is just the latest stop in a marketing career you could only possibly describe as both distinguished and glittering (glittinguished?) and has seen Paul tackle the marketing challenges on behalf of everyone from O2 to Telefonica to the National Lottery in Ireland (scooping, along the way, the title of Ireland’s Marketer of the Year in 2022.) He’s also the author of Run With The Foxes, a superb book about marketing, mistakes and making much better decisions. This episode is very proudly dedicated to Peter Field. Peter has had a huge influence on Paul’s career both as a mentor and advisor. ///// Follow Patrick on LinkedIn. Timestamps: 03:45 - First Job and Proper Job 05:10 - Early Career in Marketing 07:34 - Career Path and Focus 09:30 - Paul's Sweet Spot in Marketing 11:00 - Writing the Book: Run with Foxes 13:27 - Learning from Mistakes 15:51 - Mistakes and AI in Marketing 18:08 - Decision-Making Process 20:40 - Classical vs. Modern Marketing 22:22 - AI's Impact on Marketing 25:06 - Practical Applications of AI 30:05 - Advanced Uses of AI 33:08 - Synthetic Research 34:28 - Skepticism vs. Cynicism 36:42 - Curiosity and Experimentation 39:27 - Admitting Mistakes 43:27 - Listener Questions: Embedding Chapter One  Paul's Book Recommendations are:  Ogilvy on Advertising – David Ogilvy The Anatomy of Humbug – Paul Feldwick Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy – Phil Barden /////

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• 157: Patrick Freyne is here to save us from a Productive life

  This week we shredded our vision board and fed it to some ornamental carp, purely to win the approval of author, critic and quite possibly the world first demotivational speaker, Patrick Freyne. Before becoming the enormously popular columnist and critic for the Irish Times, Patrick spent his 20s chasing the rock star dream. But while the life of big hair, hard drugs and tight trousers wasn’t to be, it did give Patrick the time and space required to be one of the creative world’s leading authors, thinkers and sense-talkers. His book ‘Ok, Let’s Do Your Stupid Idea’ is a glorious celebration of curiosity, experimentation and letting your heart lead the way. And now he’s on a mission to dismantle the cult of ‘Big P’ productivity and remind people that ‘maximising your potential’ is a poor substitute for living your life.  This episode is dedicated to Patrick’s wife Anna Carey, who has been his biggest influence. She also has an amazing funny romance fiction book coming out later this year called Our Song.  ///// Follow Patrick on X and Bluesky Timestamps:  01:32 - The Concept of Demotivational Speaking 07:36 - Patrick's Early Jobs and Musical Aspirations 09:08 - The Influence of Music on Patrick's Life 12:04 - The Importance of Curiosity in Career Paths 15:18 - Exploring the Idea of 'Stupid Ideas' 17:14 - The Impact of Burnout and Productivity Culture 20:40 - Finding Peace in Accepting Average Productivity 22:37 - Cultural Expectations and Work-Life Balance 25:31 - The Role of Technology in Productivity Anxiety 30:17 - The Dangers of Measurable Metrics 32:03 - Writing Techniques and Approaches 36:30 - The Importance of Rhythm in Writing 39:01 - Listener Questions: Generational Perspectives on Productivity 42:57 - Antidotes to Hustle Culture and Finding Balance 45:27 - Final Thoughts on Productivity and Well-Being Patrick's Book Recommendations are:  The Fourth Time We Drowned – Sally Hayden  Commonwealth – Anne Patchett A Visit from Lagoon Squad – Jennifer Egan /////

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• 156: Tom Fishburne on why the best marketers are the ones who can laugh at themselves

  This week we deliberately trapped ourselves in a cartoon like the dude from A-Ha in order to cross paths with marketing’s MirthMaster 3000, Tom Fishburne aka The Marketoonist. Apart from your CEO accidentally getting trapped in his own futuristic private bathroom over the bank holiday weekend, the funniest stuff in marketing usually comes from Tom’s brain. The comic genius behind The Marketoonist, Tom has been skewering this highly skewerable business for years – giving a reassuring chuckle to millions of marketers along the way. As well as being a famous side-splitter he’s also an expert eye-opener, with his Marketoonist agency having persuaded mega brands like Google, Microsoft and even LinkedIn of the value of having (and giving) a laugh. And, in his bid to remove the ‘po’ from the face of marketing, he also shares his wit and wisdom as one of the industry’s most in-demand keynote speakers. This episode is dedicated to David and Claire Hyatt from Wales, as without these two Tom’s cartooning may never have transitioned from hobby to work.  ///// Follow Tom on LinkedIn. Tom Fishburne's website here. The Marketoonist website here. Timestamps: 02:14 - Quick Fire Questions with Tom Fishburne 03:21 - Tom's Career Journey: From English Major to Cartoonist 07:00 - Early Influences and Inspirations 08:42 - Observations and Humour in Prague 10:09 - First Office Cartoons and Their Impact 13:49 - Humour in Marketing and Business 17:55 - Finding Material for Cartoons 19:06 - The Role of Humour in Serious Topics 23:21 - Can Any Brand Embrace Humour? 25:18 - Humour During the COVID-19 Pandemic 27:50 - Variety of Brands Tom Has Worked With 29:54 - Consistency of Human Nature in Humour 30:41 - Listener Questions: Balancing Satirical Humour 33:28 - Digital Transformation and Industry Jargon 35:07 - Listener Questions: AI and Humour 38:07 - Listener Questions: Humour Category at Cannes 39:38 - Listener Questions: AI vs. Human Comedians 42:26 - Four Pertinent Poses: Advice to Younger Self 43:23 - Four Pertinent Poses: Banish One Thing from the Industry Tom's Book Recommendations are:  Orbiting the Giant Hairball – Gordon MacKenzie  School is Hell – Matt Groening  /////

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• 155: The mightiness of mininess with Gus Co-Founders Spencer LaVallee and Graham Douglas

  This week we shrank ourselves down to Dennis-Quaid-in-Inner-Space micro proportions to catch Spencer LaVallee and Graham Douglas, the co-founders of mega-successful micro creative agency Gus. Spencer and Graham lead a creative crew leaner than a wildebeest that got banished from its herd last Tuesday for repeatedly messing around. But size means little when you have big ideas, and the agency regularly rubs shoulders with the behemoths of the ad and marketing world when it comes to gongs and glory. From Gus being named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, to their campaigns winning top honours at the likes of Cannes, Forbes and the New York Film Festival, Spencer and Graham are a testament that brains can beat brawn in this industry. Especially when those brains are inside the heads of a couple of fellas who’ve had such an interesting journey through it. This episode is dedicated to all the small but mighty creative agencies out there proving that size doesn't limit impact. ///// Follow GUS on LinkedIn Visit their website here. Timestamps: (01:54) - Quick Fire Questions with Spencer & Graham (03:26) - Graham & Spencer’s Career Journey (10:35) - Spencer's Inspiration from an Outdoor Ad (12:08) - Working at Campfire and True Blood Campaign (15:54) - Graham & Spencer's Partnership and Founding of Gus (18:56) - Strategy and Creativity Silos in Agencies and Clients (20:32) - The Importance of Singular Creative Statements (22:33) - The Mural Test for Brand Platforms (24:56) - Internal vs. External Brand Positioning (26:36) - The Role of Simplicity in Branding (28:05) - Optimism About AI in Creativity (30:01) - The Threat of AI in Strategy and Research (32:29) - Staying Small on Purpose (36:18) - The Changing Shape of Agencies (42:18) - The Gus Grid and Creative Strategy (43:13) - Breaking Norms with Back Market Campaign (44:48) - Four Pertinent Poses: Advice to Younger Self (47:59) - Banish One Thing from the Industry: Lack of Mentorship Spencer and Graham's Book Recommendations are:  Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The Artists Way by Julia Cameron Essentialism by Greg McKeown  /////

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