S4 Ep26: Mark Ritson on The Biggest Mistakes Marketers Still Make & How to Stop
What happens when one of the world’s most opinionated marketing professors looks beyond 2025 and starts thinking about the 2030s?In this unfiltered conversation, Mark Ritson joins Conor Byrne on That’s What I Call Marketing for a fast-moving, hilarious, and deeply practical chat about what marketers are getting wrong and what still works.From pricing and profitability to AI and the Mini MBA, Ritson lays out the truths that most brands quietly ignore: 👉 The real reason discounting destroys long-term value. 👉 Why profitability, not revenue, is the measure that matters. 👉 How brand equity lets companies charge 30% more — and why few marketers understand margins. 👉 The coming decade of synthetic data, AI-driven planning, and marketing’s Thirties where the fundamentals still decide who wins.We also dive into Ritson’s columns on Nestlé’s new CEO, brand consolidation, the chaos of AI branding, and his viral takes on Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad. Expect blunt language, sharp analysis, and the kind of clarity only Ritson can deliver.This is Ritson at full throttle cynical, evidence-based, and funny enough to make you forget you’re learning.What You’ll LearnWhy pricing is the forgotten P — and marketers must reclaim it.The psychological and financial damage of endless promotions.What Nestlé’s portfolio clean-up reveals about focus and profit.How the marketing profession lost the plot on creativity and strategy.Why AI won’t kill marketing — it will expose who actually understands it.The truth about the Mini MBA sale to Brave Bison and what’s next in the U.S.⏱️ Episode Chapters 01:20 – Mark Ritson & his return to Dublin 03:00 – Why sold-out events show poor pricing strategy 04:30 – The hidden cost of discounting and brand devaluation 07:00 – How Kellogg’s proves the power of price premium 08:30 – Profitability vs. revenue: what marketers forget 10:20 – Why marketers must be part of pricing decisions 12:30 – Nestlé’s new CEO and the art of brand consolidation 15:00 – The 80/20 rule and why most portfolios are bloated 17:00 – “Kill a brand, keep a customer”: cutting smart 20:00 – Marketing talent and the future of brand management 22:00 – Have we over-hyped creativity? 23:00 – The 4Ps and why product and price still dominate 25:00 – Why marketers stop learning after launch 26:30 – “Strategy is the orgasm of marketing” 28:00 – OpenAI’s ad: a masterclass in bad branding 30:30 – The branding chaos in AI tools 31:50 – The “Thirties” lens: long-term change, not next-year fads 34:00 – What AI really means for marketers 36:00 – Why strong brands will still win in an AI world 38:00 – Synthetic data and the future of perfect marketing plans 40:30 – Sydney Sweeney, American Eagle & System1 scores 43:00 – Non-profits and the four Ps done right 46:00 – The Mini MBA sale & Brave Bison partnership 49:00 – The U.S. expansion plan with Adweek 51:00 – How success proved his own theories right 52:00 – On Ireland, Guinness, and the art of the deal 55:00 – Why Ireland outsmarted everyone in the EU 56:30 – Why Ritson never preps a talk — and why it worksFind out more about Tracksuit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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