On Strategy Showcase

Craig Mawdsley shares the story behind this APG Grand Prix award-winning campaign from 2007. The campaign drove £1.8 billion in revenue for the British grocery store chain in the first two years... £1.14 at a time. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution) and the Master of Advertising Effectiveness Program for making this episode possible. More at gotracksuit.com and MAE.academ...

Milk's favorite cookie, losing share, finds new ways to bring shoppers across aisles. In this 2024 Gold Effie Award-winning initiative, Mondelez's Anne Martin and VML's Christina Ryan share the story behind OREO Codes, the idea that turns bar codes into cookie stacks... and savings. Thanks to the Effies for supporting our show and this new 2024 awards series. 

Dixons overcame its significant weaknesses by hijacking its competitors strengths. A brilliant APG Grand Prix award winner from 2011, its irreverent tone made it feel like the brand was on the side of the consumer, not just selling to them. Thanks to our friends at Jira (the project management platform) for sponsoring this episode. More at jira.com.

We're joined by Kim Baffi and Darren Brady-Harris to talk about the in-house Matthew McConaughey campaign designed to position Salesforce as the only trustworthy B2B Generative AI provider. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution) for making this episode possible. More at gotracksuit.com

In his new book, The Road to Hell, Nick talks about the myth of "Purpose" being a market-driven phenomenon and the contagion he feels truly drove its growth. A fascinating conversation. Thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness (MAE) program for supporting our show. Learn more at mae.academy.

Kit Kat debated whether to update its “Have a break” platform or to abandon it. This APG Grand Prix winning campaign from 2003 is about the peril of becoming so ubiquitous that you’re no longer noticed. About all the brand signals looking strong, while profitability was in decline. Fern Miller, the planner on the account at then JWT, shares the journey and the pivot. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affor...

Originally recorded in May 2020, this is a wonderfully refreshing and inspiring conversation about strategy and Wieden's approach to it. We hear about the importance of breaking institutional practices as a way to unearth opportunity hidden by "scar tissue." About the history of what defines Nike over time and the brand truth in everything it undertakes. And we talk about iconic Lev...

The original strategist on The Economist, Laura Marks, CBE shares the unlocks that shaped its decades-long campaign. A Gold Award winner from 1993, it's part of our Classics series with APG London, and is timeless in its lessons for marketers. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution) for sponsoring this series.

Fold7's CSO, Yelena Gaufman shares the journey they've taken with audible resulting in this first global campaign. See all the creative work on our website. And thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness Program (MAE.academy) for supporting our show. We love those guys.

George was the marketer behind Old Spice, KFC and Tinder. He's now at Chili's Grill & Bar working again with Mischief to reframe the 50 year old brand. We're joined by Mischief CSO, Jeff McCrory. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution) for supporting our show. Learn more at gotracksuit.com.

Today it's voices of the research industry on why they feel pre-testing is useful. Some strong, supportive points are made and some glaring gaps are identified. I hope the conversation is helpful for those considering what's right for their campaigns. My advice? Ask granular questions and experience the process first-hand. Thanks to Jon and Pedr for participating. They're both genui...

The last episode in this series focuses on B2B. We talk with S&P Global's CFO, Grace Lee and CMO, Alice Cherry. In B2B, there’s a harsher reality for marketers. The conversations are more practical. There’s a tendency toward the short term, and a perceived difficulty in tracking KPIs and attribution evidence, which makes it FEEL more difficult to make the case for investment. Thanks to ou...

We kick-off our 2024 "Live from..." tour in Dublin. We discuss how a country with such incredible achievements in the arts is finding its confidence in marketing. Check out Irish agency work on this episode's page on our site. Grainne Wafer of Diageo, Karen Martin of BBH, Rory Hamilton of Boys & Girls, Michelle Spillane of Paddy Powers and Patrick Hickey formerly of Rothco, join...

In Ep#3 of our 2024 Effectiveness Series, we talk with Jorge Ruiz, Global Head of Marketing Sciences at TikTok and Sorin Patilinet, Sr. Dir. Global Marketing Effectiveness at MARS. Thanks to GALE (the business agency) for sponsoring this series. Learn more at GALE.agency.

In its latest campaign from LOLA MullenLowe, AXE may have once again found its sweet spot with young men.  We talk about it with Caroline Gregory, Global Brand Director at Unilever and Federico Duberti, Global Business Leader at IPG. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution for modern brands) and the Master of Advertising Effectiveness (MAE) Program for supporting our show.

If your product has a level of seasonality or occasion, then this is an episode for you.  In the winter months, ice cream sales drop by up to 50% in the UK. But there are markets with harsh winters where sales don’t drop at all. So it’s not simply an issue of climate, but of behavior. We hear about what influences that behavior and the role of mental and physical availability. Thanks to Analytic P...

In Ep#2 of our 2024 Effectiveness Series, we talk with Les Binet and Sarah Carter about what's next in effectiveness and about the landscape of pre-testing. Thanks to GALE (the business agency) for sponsoring this series. Learn more at GALE.agency.

Hendrick’s created the super premium category in gin. It has built many distinctive brand assets: among them its visual identity, which harkens back to the Victorian era, even though the product was first created in 2000. Muiris O Riada, Global Brand Director joins us from Dublin.

For the Irish airline, it was not a deliberate attempt at being disrespectful to passengers. There was a strategic imperative behind it all and we hear about it today from Michael Corcoran, former Head of Social Strategy at the ultra low cost airline. Thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness (MAE) program for sponsoring. Learn more at MAE.academy.

Sarah Moore, SVP Brand Marketing at MGM Resorts International and George Felix, CMO of Chili’s Grill & Bar, join me for a conversation about breathing new life into brands and about the opportunity of defining a consumer-facing role for your corporate brand. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution for modern-day brands) for sponsoring this series. More at gotracksuit.com.

I'm joined by James Sowden, CSO at TBWA/Chiat/Day NY and Dan Reynolds, Global SVP at Hilton to chat about the latest campaign for their portfolio of properties. Thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness (MAE) program for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at MAE.academy.

To kick off this year's effectiveness series, we talk with Adam Morgan of eatbigfish about his latest work with Peter Field on the cost to brands of producing dull advertising. We talk about what makes dull dull and how we can make it more effective, for less. Thanks to GALE (the business agency for companies that want to drive growth) for sponsoring this year's effectiveness series. Lea...

Mark talks us through the formation of Thirsty for More, what it means and its strategic role in the global business. Thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness program for sponsoring this episode. More at www.mae.academy.

We're joined by CFO Bob Lucian and CMO Christy Hoskins. This episode is a great example of what's possible when both speak each others language and genuinely believe in both the value of marketing and the necessity of responsible financial management. Thanks to Analytic Partners (The leader in commercial analytics) for sponsoring this series. More at www.analyticpartners.com/onstrategy

We hear from CMO, Sofia Colluci about the impact of Molson Coors’ recently completed review of its marketing effectiveness principles, from Sofia Hernandez, Global Head of Business Marketing about TikTok’s distinct creative needs as an entertainment platform, and from David Chriswick, SVP Brand at Orangetheory about the challenges of standing out in the in-person fitness studio space, post covid....