The Fuel Podcast

Join Keith & Natasha as they chew the new business fat after a very long summer and autumn break, as they get to the bottom of what makes the perfect client? Is there ever such a thing as the perfect client for any agency? Is it a myth and legend on a par with Excalibur and Xanadu? The guest for this exciting little podlet is Geraint Edwards, Chief Growth Officer for design agency Tangerine. He he...

Is your company pet holding your agency’s sales back? Is your leadership giving out leader-ick vibes? Agencies often think they know what makes a winning creds or pitch deck, web site or even presenter, but if that were the case, you’d win more pitches, right? Steve Fair of Sponge NB is an expert in agency credentials targeting, preparation and presentation and in this show, he gives us a simple l...

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what does your LinkedIn profile say about you? Your LinkedIn profile copy, posts and pictures should all be carefully crafted to convey the message you want to give. And so are your prospects’. This gives you a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the person or company that you’re looking to sell into. But how do you decode the hidden cues and clue...

Female British Entrepreneurs need to behave like American male founders.   With a change in government in the UK, what initiatives should they focus on to help grow the economy through innovation and entrepreneurship?   We can either tax our way to prosperity or grow our way to success on the world stage. Or both.   Julie Thompson-Dredge, founder of Frame PR is at the cutting edge of the start-up...

Marketing budgets are increasing, and yet creative spend is decreasing. Clients want more creative for less. This podcast teaches you how to find those efficiencies, using working examples in the retail and B2B sector. My guest is Michael Veitch, ex-Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand and a seasoned digital master, whose new company OutcomePath helps companies across all sectors find their online MOJO....

https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-ellard-shoefield-the-hand/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ukkeithjsmith/ In the news: Parkrun and phone boxes that power cars. Interview with Jayne Noblet of The Collaborators - What does it mean to be a B Corp? How to obtain B Corp status B Corp and the Food and Drink industry How B Corp helps you win new clients Should B Corp be adopted by the Government? Missed...

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, says the proverb. Never has that been truer than in the case of corporate purpose, the movement that took over the business and advertising world following the financial crisis of 2008.   Nick Asbury, creative writer, corporate purpose critic, poet, songsmith, humorist and author of the new blockbuster book The Road to Hell, discusses his perspective...

Discussing the findings of a massive survey of creative agencies and their clients, actor, coach and business presentation guru Catherine Allison gives advice on how to make business presentations, talks, seminars and online meetings fun, engaging, entertaining and most of all, memorable. Catherine uses her extensive career in the spotlight to help remove the ‘resent’ from presentations, put the ‘...

The undeniable link between advertising and entertainment explained by Paul Feldwick, the author of ‘Why Does the Pedlar Sing?’ Paul’s investigation into this subject began a few years ago when he worked in senior planning roles in some of the world’s biggest advertising agencies. As our focus on metrics and data increases, it seems our understanding of the basic principles of marketing is similar...

Retail stores need to do everything they can to entertain and retain their walk-in customers, and on a wider basis, brands are fighting for an increasingly tougher share of their customers' attention. Sound is the new frontier of marketing and AVC Music specializes in matching brands to audio content. Managing Director Euan McMorrow is ex-radio industry DJ and producer who knows a thing or two whe...

When times get tough, companies always look to the sales team to help them out. The new business role in agencies is one of the most underfunded and yet entirely necessary responsibilities in creativeland. Adam Graham is one of the people who agencies turn to when they need help with their company's growth. He's got years of experience helping creative agencies straighten out their sales and new b...

Some incredible agency management advice from David Meikle - former Director of Ogilvy London and Head of Ogilvy Russia.   Alongside his role of advising some of the world’s biggest brands and agencies on their strategic marketing advice, he’s the author of two pivotal books –“ How to Buy a Gorilla" and “Tuning Up” which have been helping brands and agencies create greater value together, many of...

What's in a name? Does your agency's name influence its destiny? How important is getting your business's name right? It could mean all the difference between winning and losing. Keith and Natasha pour a coffee and muse this proposition with the help of Laura Bent, a co-Director at creative agency CITE, who relates her own personal experience of trying to transition from one agency into another, a...

Howard Gossage - often dubbed the "Socrates of San Francisco," revolutionised advertising in the 1950s and 60s with his unconventional and humanistic approach. So it took two equally unconventional and humanistic creatives - Steve Harrsion and Dave Dye, to write - no, craft - a book documenting some of the most captivating and exemplary pieces of Gossage's short but prolific career, producing a fo...

How much your agency charges for its work is critical to success. Or is it? What is creativity worth? How long does it take? Keith & Natasha - two new business experts sit down over a coffee to discuss the issue and how it impacts agency life. We also interview David Meikle, author of 'Tuning Up' and 'How to Buy a Gorilla' on the value of creative ideas to clients. Learn more about your ad choices...

We need a hero. We need someone Pleasingly Reserved and Artfully Modest. Mark Denton is a creative veteran of some 40 years. He’s directed over 500 commercials. He’s one of the most awarded creatives in the world Yet he still regards himself as the new boy. An hour of entertainment, delivered in Mark's inimitable style: Ageism, the best old TV adverts, Stingo, a tribute to Brian Griffin, AI Photog...

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing as old as commerce itself, but in recent times, where there's so many messages being blasted at us and lies dressed up as facts, the medium has taken on a new level of credence. We trust influencers more and more these days, and it's fast becoming THE weapon of choice for so many CMOs. It's not just the high-profile consumer icons we all know - it's happ...

"Stand and Deliver!" is not a recommended sales technique we've ever heard of, so why are behemoths like Apple, Google, Twitter and Facebook all doing it? Keith & Natasha dissect the right and wrong way to generate new business and create loyalty. In less than 20 minutes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who are you? Director, Relater, Socialiser or Thinker? Who you are – how you communicate and who you’re communicating to, depends on knowing this. Grant Thornton says that within this decade, every leader of every dynamic organisation will need to have a clear strategic vision and be able to articulate that to the business. This is important stuff, and as part of The Fuel Podcast’s quest for answe...

Discussing morality in the creative agency world. What role do agencies play in changing the public mindset when it comes to big oil or tobacco? And what other sins do creative agencies regularly commit? Also - your chance to choose our theme music! Vote: 1. Acid 2. Dance 3. Starsky 4. Chill 5. Cheezy 6. Bebop All in a highly caffeinated 15 minutes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

What effect does faith have in the sales and marketing process? Whether you’re a religious person or not, belief in things yet to happen is part and parcel of sales and marketing. We’re all doing things now that will hopefully benefit us in the future. But does believing in the future make it happen? There’s more to the sales process than technique, there’s also attitude and that’s what this show...

In this show, we discuss the unspoken signs of success; in leadership, branding, and work and personal relationships. Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation and my guest - Dr Rachel Lawes is a social psychologist specializing in the interface between individuals and consumer culture. She is a Fellow of the Market Research Society and her latest book "Using Semi...

Is the advertising business a form of business or entertainment? It needs to be entertaining but there definitely is a science to it. Paul Bainsfair is the Director General of the IPA – the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. He’s a veteran of the industry, with board-level experience at TBWA, Saatchis and Iris, he’s using his 35+ years in the business to champion the cause of advertising a...

Is today's technology preventing us from developing meaningful relationships - in business and in life? What techniques can we use to make sure that our approaches are both genuine and timely? Keith Smith sits down with experts Natasha Ellard-Shoefield - the founder of business development consultancy The Hand, and Peter Meikle Partner and Head of News & Media Relations EMEA, at PR agency Fleishma...

David Brown, the host of the ‘Creatives with AI’ podcast is on the show to simultaneously scare and soothe us about the unstoppable march of AI into our lives.   David is a creative agency owner, so he totally understands how AI can be used to help us win business and grow our agencies.   We discuss the subject of how the military is using AI and the global view of AI ethics. We look at how our pr...