Sleeping Barber - A Marketing Podcast

What if the biggest problem in marketing isn't your message, your targeting, or your budget? What if it's the map you're using?
For more than a century, marketers have relied on funnels, customer journeys, and pipeline stages to explain how people buy.
The problem?
People don't move in straight lines.
In this Sharp Cut, Marc and Vassilis unpack why buying behaviour looks far more like a messy search pattern than a carefully planned journey. Drawing on research from Ehrenberg-Bass, Google, WPP, Oxford, James Hankins, Gartner, Bain, and the LinkedIn B2B Institute, they explore why most consumer decisions are made before shopping begins and why so many B2B deals stall after the buying process has already started.
Along the way, they tackle the real purpose of the funnel, the limits of customer journey mapping, the hidden role of buying committees, and why the pipeline may be better at reporting decisions than helping people make them.
In this episode:
Why the traditional funnel continues to survive
What the Consumer Decision Journey got right—and wrong
The surprising finding that 84% of purchases favor brands consumers already lean toward
Why "good enough" beats "best" more often than marketers realize
The difference between consumer and B2B buying behavior
How buying committees create friction inside organizations
Why 40-60% of qualified B2B deals end in no decision
The pipeline's real purpose
Why probability may be a better model than journeys

The funnel is a useful reporting tool. It just isn't a very good theory of human behaviour.
Takeaways:
Success in marketing is often misrepresented as a straight line.
The consumer decision journey is more complex than traditional models suggest.
Buyers often choose brands they are already leaning towards before shopping.
The funnel oversimplifies the buying process, leading to ineffective strategies.
Fear of making the wrong decision can paralyze B2B buyers.
Satisficing is a common behavior where buyers settle for 'good enough'.
Mental and physical availability are crucial for influencing buyer decisions.
The traditional funnel model is outdated and needs to be rethought.
Understanding buyer behavior requires acknowledging the chaos of the decision-making process.
Marketers should focus on building frameworks based on real consumer behavior rather than idealized models.

Chapters:
Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
02:48 - The Complexity of the Consumer Decision Journey
06:06 - The Limitations of Traditional Marketing Models
08:49 - Understanding Buyer Behavior and Decision-Making
11:59 - Rethinking the Marketing Funnel
14:57 - The Role of Fear in B2B Buying Decisions
17:53 - Building a Better Marketing Framework

For years, Cannes Lions has been the home of creativity. This year, it feels like effectiveness is taking center stage.
In this special Cannes preview edition of The Barber's Brief, Marc and Vassilis discuss what they're most excited to explore at Cannes Lions 2026.
From the surprising reunion of Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp, to the growing influence of effectiveness research, creator marketing, AI, and measurement, this conversation explores the biggest questions facing modern marketers.
The duo also shares details about their partnership with System1 and previews the conversations they'll be recording throughout the week with Orlando Wood, Andrew Tindall, Vanessa Chin, and many others.
Plus, they break down one of last year's most creative Cannes winners: Hyundai's Night Fishing.
In this episode:
Why the Ritson & Sharp reunion matters
Can creativity still drive disproportionate growth?
What happens to creativity in an AI-driven world?
Are marketers measuring the wrong things?
The difference between Cannes' Palais and the Fringe
What System1 is teaching marketers about effectiveness
Hyundai's Cannes-winning film experiment, Night Fishing

Oh and our theme this year? The rosé can wait. The questions can't.
Enjoy the episode.
Chapters
00:00 - The Excitement of Cannes Lions 2023
02:57 - The Power of Effectiveness in Marketing
05:55 - Creativity vs. AI in Advertising
09:10 - The Importance of Measurement in Marketing
11:59 - Exploring the Cannes Fringe Festival
15:07 - Ad of the week: Hyundai's Night Fishing Campaign
20:07 - Looking Ahead: Customer Journeys
Ad of the week
Title: Night Fishing Hyundai - 2025 Cannes Lions Grand Prix Winner Entertainment
Link: https://www.innocean.com/ww-en/work/recent/944

Most marketers think great creative comes from better talent. Karen Pearce made a different case.
In this Post Pod discussion, Marc and Vassilis reflect on their conversation with Karen Pearce, Partner at Rethink and one of the leaders behind some of the most awarded creative work in the world.
The discussion explores why creativity often dies inside organizations before it ever reaches the market, how criticism can become a cultural trap, and why the best creative teams focus on finding sparks rather than flaws.
They unpack Rethink's CRAFTS framework, the importance of psychological safety, the role of strong client-agency relationships, and why great ideas should start with human truths rather than channels.
If you've ever wondered why some organizations consistently produce breakthrough work while others struggle to move beyond safe ideas, this conversation is for you.
In this episode:
Why creativity shouldn't feel scary
The danger of rewarding criticism over contribution
How Rethink's CRAFTS framework shapes better ideas
Why relationships matter more than process alone
The importance of psychological safety in creative teams
Why ideas should come before channels
The hidden systems behind award-winning creative work

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:42 - Rethinking Marketing Culture
04:21 - The Role of Creativity in Marketing
06:58 - The Importance of Effective Creative
09:53 - Expanding Creative Horizons
11:33 - The Value of Independence in Agencies
13:39 - Building Strong Client Relationships
16:40 - Harnessing Human Truths for Creativity
19:24 - Frameworks for Creative Success
22:30 The Significance of Briefs in Marketing
24:46 Consistency and Success in Creative Work

Most people assume award-winning creative work is a high-wire act: brilliant, risky, and impossible to repeat.
Karen Pearce of Rethink makes the opposite case.
Fresh off Ad Age's 2026 Agency of the Year and ADWEEK's 2025 Independent Agency of the Year, and as the most-awarded independent agency in the world last year, Rethink keeps producing famous, business-moving work on purpose.
Recorded as a Cannes Lions lead-up, this conversation gets into the machinery behind the run. Karen explains why independence lets Rethink protect creative standards instead of chasing scale, why the client's real job is finding sparks rather than poking holes, and how the CRAFTS framework gives a whole agency a shared language for what good looks like.
Karen walks us through the Heinz philosophy that every ad is a product ad, the go-then-grow approach that turns big swings into low-risk reps, and why, going into Cannes, she expects a reclaiming of human craft in an AI-flooded market.
The through-line: bold creative shouldn't feel scary. Build the right system and the right partnership, and the work that wins awards is the same work that drives the business.
Timestamps
00:00 Find the sparks, not the holes
02:08 What's behind the run: independence and the receipts
05:48 Why great creative shouldn't feel scary
09:12 Builders vs hole-pokers: the client's real job
14:27 Famous brands outperform business metrics
19:17 AI, human craft, and the IKEA sleep talkers
22:42 CRAFTS: a shared language for great work
30:57 Heinz: every ad is a product ad
36:24 Go then grow: getting your reps in
44:17 Idea first: when media becomes the creative

References
Rethink: rethinkideas.com
Karen Pearce: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/karengpearce/
Rethink's Book: The Business of Creativity
Referenced campaigns:
IKEA “U Up” and IKEA organizer / Skittles out-of-home; Heinz “Looks Familiar” and the keystone ketchup pouch; Destination Canada; Coinbase craft-led film; Epitaph “garbage media” dumpster billboards
Anthropic “Keep Thinking” campaign for Claude, by Mother
Awards context: Ad Age 2026 Agency of the Year

What if the biggest threat to your strategy isn't a competitor, a budget cut, or AI?
What if it's busyness?
In this Sharp Cut, Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros tackle one of marketing and leadership's biggest comfort blankets: the belief that activity equals progress.
Drawing on the work of Roger Martin, Richard Rumelt, Michael Porter, Henry Mintzberg, and decades of research in strategy, psychology, and organizational behaviour, they explore why so many companies mistake plans, initiatives, and corporate buzzwords for actual strategy.
The conversation unpacks:
Why strategy is fundamentally a series of choices
How organizations become trapped in the illusion of progress
Why indecision is often the most common strategic outcome
The hidden cost of strategic ambiguity
What B2B buying behaviour can teach us about leadership
Why marketing departments produce more content than ever while achieving less impact
How AI accelerates both good strategy and bad strategy
Three practical actions leaders can take immediately to make better strategic decisions

This episode is ultimately about one uncomfortable truth:
Most organizations don't have a strategy problem.
They have a choice problem.
And until they're willing to make difficult choices, strategy remains little more than activity wearing a strategy costume.
Takeaways
Most strategies presented are often just lists of initiatives.
Real strategy involves making explicit choices and trade-offs.
Indecision can be a strategy, but it's not an effective one.
Ambiguity can be useful short-term but harmful long-term.
Fluffy language often indicates a lack of real strategy.
Marketing and strategy should be aligned for effectiveness.
The say-do gap reflects a disconnect in organizational goals.
AI can exacerbate existing strategic issues if not managed properly.
Effective strategy requires clear, actionable frameworks.
Leaders must be willing to make specific, falsifiable choices.

Chapters
00:00 - The Illusion of Strategy
03:13 - Defining Real Strategy
05:49 - The Challenge of Decision-Making
08:49 - Indecision as a Strategy
11:59 - The Role of Ambiguity in Strategy
14:50 - The Cost of Fluffy Language
17:48 - Marketing and Strategy Alignment
21:04 - The Say-Do Gap in Organizations
23:52 - The Impact of AI on Strategy
27:03 - Practical Steps for Effective Strategy
References
Cappellaro, G., Compagni, A., & Vaara, E. (2021). Maintaining strategic ambiguity for protection: Struggles over opacity, equivocality, and absurdity around the Sicilian Mafia. Academy of Management Journal, 64(1), 1–37.
Dixon, M., & McKenna, T. (2022). The JOLT effect: How high performers overcome customer indecision. Portfolio.
Drucker, P. F. (1967). The effective executive. Harper & Row.
Eisenberg, E. M. (1984). Ambiguity as strategy in organizational communication. Communication Monographs, 51(3), 227–242.
Hurman, J. (2024). The case for creative effectiveness. Cannes Lions / WARC.
Kantar. (2024). How optimized touchpoint planning drives brand growth. Kantar Insights.
Kapero. (2024). Channels and content: The state of the marketing department. Kapero Management Consultants.
Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Harvard Business Review Press.
Lafley, A. G., & Martin, R. L. (2013). Playing to win: How strategy really works. Harvard Business Review Press.
Martin, R. L. (2020, October 5). The role of management systems in strategy. Roger Martin Substack. https://rogerlmartin.substack.com
Martin, R. L. (2021, April 19). It's time to accept that marketing and strategy are one discipline. Medium. https://rogermartin.medium.com
Martin, R. L. (2023, January 23). Being ‘too busy’ means your personal strategy sucks. Roger Martin Substack. https://rogerlmartin.substack.com
Martin, R. L. (2026, March 16). Becoming an AI-augmented enterprise. Roger Martin Substack. https://rogerlmartin.substack.com
Mintzberg, H. (1973). The nature of managerial work. Harper & Row.
Mintzberg, H. (1987). The strategy concept I: Five Ps for strategy. California Management Review, 30(1), 11–24.
Morgan, A. (2024). The cost of dull. Cannes Lions / System1 Research.
Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, 74(6), 61–78.
PwC. (2025). 28th annual global CEO survey: Reinvention on the edge of tomorrow. PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Rush. (1980). Freewill [Song]. On Permanent Waves. Anthem / Mercury Records. (Lyrics by Neil Peart.)
Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good strategy, bad strategy: The difference and why it matters. Crown Business.
Strategic ambiguity systematic review (Authors, 2025). Strategic ambiguity: A systematic review, a typology and a dynamic capability view. Management Decision, 63(13), 123–xx. [Full citation TK once confirmed]
Turner, M. (2024). How buyable B2B emotions unlock $19 trillion in category growth. LinkedIn / The B2B Institute.
WARC. (2026). The Multiplier Playbook. WARC.
Waytz, A. (2023, March-April). Beware a culture of busyness. Harvard Business Review.
Wilson, T. D., Reinhard, D. A., Westgate, E. C., Gilbert, D. T., Ellerbeck, N., Hahn, C., Brown, C. L., & Shaked, A. (2014). Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind. Science, 345(6192), 75–77.