Sleeping Barber - A Marketing Podcast

We’re back with another episode from the Croisette — and today, we unpack a busy (and very hot) Day 4 at Cannes Lions. Marc and Vassilis reflect on a standout presentation by Mark Ritson, who laid out three pillars for marketing effectiveness: fluency, emotion, and time — and challenged long-held assumptions about personalization, ad wearout, and brand purpose. They’re also joined by Vanessa Chin,...

Live from Cannes Lions, the Sleeping Barber Podcast welcomes back Matthew Herbert and Connor Archbold from Tracksuit. Together, we unpack the standout talks, themes, and campaigns that caught our attention—from Instacart’s performance-to-brand pivot to Elf Beauty’s billion-dollar playbook. We explore the evolving role of creators, lessons from compound creativity, the power of consistency in B2B m...

In this lively episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast, hosts Marc, Vassilis, and special guest Conor Byrne (That's What I Call Marketing) recap their first two days at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Broadcasting from Cannes (though not from a yacht), they reflect on standout sessions, evolving industry trends, and a few jetlag-fueled laughs. Key takeaways include: Kare...

In this episode of Barber's Brief, hosts Vassilis Douros and Marc Binkley express their excitement for the upcoming Cannes festival while discussing significant marketing news. They delve into Airbnb's leadership changes and strategic shifts, Tesla's declining sales and media perception, and their preparations for Cannes, including interviews with industry leaders. They also share insi...

In this episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast, Marc and Vassilis delve into the importance of brand tracking and creative marketing in today's performance-driven landscape. To help them dive into this topic, they host Connor Archbold and Matthew Herbert, co-founders and co-CEOs of Tracksuit. Together they discuss the evolution of performance marketing, the impact of cookie deprecation on meas...

Summary In this episode, Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros discuss various topics, including brand purpose, insights from Google Marketing Live, the impact of AI on advertising, the decline of Hudson's Bay, and strategies for capturing consumer attention in a digital landscape. They also highlight a humorous advertising campaign featuring Jason Alexander. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates: https:/...

In this episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast, our hosts Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Mitch Joel, a renowned entrepreneur and marketing expert. They explore Mitch's diverse career journey, the evolution of marketing and agency relationships, and the impact of AI on the industry. The discussion emphasizes the importance of custodianship in br...

In this episode of the Barber's Brief, hosts add a little twisst. Vassilis and Marc discuss their upcoming Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity attendance. They explore the significance of the festival, its structure, and the various components that make it a premier event in the marketing and creativity space. The hosts share their excitement about networking opportunities, notable speakers, and k...

In this episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast, Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros sit down with Pieter-Paul and Matt Davies from BetterBriefs to talk about one of marketing’s most overlooked tools: the creative brief. From common pitfalls to practical fixes, they explore why so many briefs miss the mark — and what marketers and agencies can do to write ones that actually drive great work. Expect ca...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcb...

In this episode of The Sleeping Barber, Charlotte Blank, US CMO of Jaguar Land Rover, shares how the brand balances heritage with modern luxury. She explores the power of creative advertising, the role of psychological research in understanding consumers, and how marketing science supports strategic decisions. The conversation also dives into the Jaguar rebrand, the success of the Range Rover Spor...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcb...

In this episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast, hosts Mark Binkley and Vasilis Douros are joined once again by Mary Kirikiri, global thought leader at Kantar. They explore insights from Mary’s CMO series, diving into future power, meaningful difference, and pricing strategy. The conversation covers how brand equity drives growth, the link between pricing power and perceived value, and why evidence...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcb...

In our latest episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast, we welcome Jeremy Miller, President of Sticky Branding. Jeremey breaks down revenue gaps and shows how businesses can turn them into opportunities for growth. He introduces the slingshot strategy for rapid acceleration in uncertain times, emphasizing market validation and customer needs. We also discuss the Play to Win framework, the dangers of...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcb...

In this episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast, we sit down with Paul Dervan, Head of Brand Marketing at Miro and author of Run With Foxes, to explore the evolving world of marketing in the age of AI. Paul shares his insights on evidence-based marketing, learning from failures, and the challenges of navigating marketing metrics effectively. We dive into the shifting landscape of marketing communic...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcb...

In this episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast, hosts Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros dive into the art of creativity with Karen Pierce and Morgan Tierney from the award-winning Canadian agency, Rethink. They explore the role of creativity in marketing, Rethink’s distinctive Crafts Framework, and how it fuels their success. The conversation delves into the power of strong partnerships, the nuance...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcb...

Welcome back to another episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast! Super Bowl 59 may be over, but the ads are still making waves! Today, we’re joined by Vanessa Chin, SVP at System1, to break down the intricacies of Super Bowl advertising. We analyze four standout ads and explore how they scored across Star, Spike, and Fluency, diving into key topics like: - The effectiveness of creative quality - Th...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. This week though, they tackle the topic of the potential trade war that could be looming! Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleepin...

In this episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast, Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros welcome Hilary Borndahl to discuss the critical role of measurement in marketing, with a focus on marketing mix modelling (MMM) and its impact on ROI. They explore the challenges marketers face in justifying budgets, the importance of understanding ad stock, and the consequences of cutting marketing spend. The convers...

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief, by the Sleeping Barber Podcast! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our Updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/ Follow our Hosts: Marc Binkley: https://www.linkedin.co...

In this episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast, Professor Byron Sharp discusses key marketing resolutions for 2025, emphasizing the importance of understanding consumer behaviour, the limitations of loyalty programs, and the need for evidence-based marketing practices. He shares insights from his extensive research at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, challenging conventional marketing wisdom and advo...