Uncensored CMO

e.l.f. lives by the mission of being "a bold disruptor with a kind heart" a refreshing stance when disruption is rarely paired with kindness. Kory explains why kindness is at the core of how e.l.f. operates, what it actually looks like in practice, and what holds most people back from embracing it. Get Uncensored Renegades every week: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensore...

Zach Kitschke joined Canva as employee number five. Today, the company serves hundreds of millions of users worldwide. In this episode, Zach shares the inside story of Canva’s growth, from the scrappy early marketing that put the company on the map to scaling a brand and product used across the world. We discuss the power of Canva’s freemium model, their bold “Make the Logo Bigger” campaign, and h...

Every week, Jon and Kory pull back the curtain on the messy, unfiltered reality of building a career on your own terms. Throughout their long and successful careers, they've had their fair share of sh*tty moments and even sh*ttier bosses. From Kory being literally barked orders at in her first job, to Jon being fired after just 3 months at his dream job. These are the moments that make you questio...

Jessica Jensen, CMO of LinkedIn, joins us for a high-energy conversation on careers, personal branding, and the future of B2B marketing. We dive into the latest job market data (it might surprise you), the skills employers are actively looking for, and how to grow your personal profile on LinkedIn (which could include posting with flamingo glasses). We also unpack the LinkedIn algorithm, handling...

How are great products created through innovation? Jon and Kory tackle this topic bringing entertaining examples from their careers, including the runaway success of e.l.f.'s Power Grip primer. So what's the key to innovation? Culture, constraints, and most importantly, being close to your customer. Get Uncensored Renegades every week: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensor...

Jim Cregan built Jimmy’s Iced Coffee from scratch, spotting an untapped market, designing a product that stood out, and making its way onto the shelves of Selfridges in just 4 months. In this episode, Jim shares the founding story, the thinking behind Jimmy’s distinctive “BottleCan” packaging, and how personal touches and relentless energy helped build a brand people loved. We also dive into retai...

How do you distil something as complex as marketing into something simple? In this special episode of Uncensored Renegades , Kory delivers a powerful seven-minute poem (originally written as a pattern-disrupting acceptance speech) that captures the emotional weight, pressure, and responsibility of modern marketing leadership. Born from a flash of inspiration at an AC/DC concert, the poem explores...

Thomas Barta is one of the world’s leading experts on marketing leadership. A former McKinsey partner, CEO of the Marketing Leadership Institute, and co-author of The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader , Thomas has studied what makes CMOs successful through the largest global research project of its kind, over 68,000 leadership assessments. In this episode, we explore what CEOs really expect from CMO...

With Cannes Lions deadlines looming, Jon and Kory dive into what it really takes to pitch, and win, at Cannes. We recorded this episode on the final day of Cannes 2025, with Kory in the thick of e.l.f’s "So Many D*cks" campaign submission for both a Glass and Titanium Lion. With the experience fresh in her mind, she breaks down the realities of the process. Jon brings a different perspective, refl...

Syl Saller CBE is one of the most respected marketing leaders of her generation. Former Global Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Diageo, Syl helped lead a FTSE 10 business with more than 200 brands across 180 countries. Today, she’s an executive coach and mentor, President of The Marketing Society, and works closely with C-suite leaders to develop the next generation of marketing leadershi...

This is an episode of the Uncensored Renegades podcast. To hear episodes of this new show, subscribe here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c When you define any other business function, the answer is simple. What is finance? What is HR? What is IT? When you ask, w...

The last time I spoke to today's guest, James Watt, he fired me. It's the first thing we talk about in the episode, but I have nothing but respect for the man who built Brewdog into the Unicorn it is today. Through their impressive marketing stunts, focus on product quality and immense speed of execution, Brewdog successfully took on the beer behemoths and solidified its place in the industry. In...

This is the first episode of the Uncensored Renegades podcast. To hear episodes of this new show, subscribe here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c Know your e.l.f.ing numbers - it's your responsibility as a leader. Jon and Kory share stories of when this has help...

Jenn Chase, CMO of SAS, joins us to share how one of the world’s most established AI and analytics companies is reinventing its brand. From launching SAS’s first brand campaign in 25 years to shifting the organisation from performance-led to brand-led thinking, Jenn walks through what it takes to drive meaningful change inside a founder-led business. We also discuss how COVID reshaped the brand, w...

This is the first episode of the Uncensored Renegades podcast. To hear episodes of this new show, subscribe here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c Failure needs to be rebranded. Most see it negatively, but history shows great successes are followed shortly after...

After collaborating with Worldwide Partners on the Confessions of a CMO report (the anonymous report asking top tier CMOs what they really think about the state of the role), I thought I'd team up with the world's most opinionated professor to discuss some of the comments. We talk tenure, politics, management and more. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - How the Uncensored CMO started 02:41 - How Con...

Listen to the launch episode of my brand new show, Uncensored Renegades , co-hosted with Kory Marchisotto, CMO of e.l.f. and a previous guest on Uncensored CMO . Listen to the new show here: Apple Podcasts Spotify In Uncensored Renegades , we talk about the things most people are too afraid to discuss: being fired, failure, terrible bosses, and more. Get to know your hosts, Jon Evans and Kory Marc...

Our most popular guest ever is back - Rory Sutherland returns for a wide-ranging conversation on why marketing works best when it embraces luck, spontaneity, and a little irrationality. From the dangers of confected outrage and self-censorship to the unfair economics of marketing, Rory challenges the industry’s obsession with logic, optimisation, and process. We discuss why success is often misund...

Les Binet and Sarah Carter are back for our yearly special, tacking the biggest marketing stories of the year and what to focus on in 2026. We explore the power of consistency, disguised repetition, and why brands so often misunderstand campaigns. Les and Sarah explain why big brands can’t behave like small ones (and vice versa), how marketers can persuade businesses to invest more in the long ter...

In this special crossover episode, we’re joined by Jimmy McLoughlin, host of Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future , to explore the intersection of politics, media, and marketing. Jimmy shares how he built one of the UK’s most influential political podcasts, landed interviews with the Prime Minister, and why big podcasts now rival traditional media in shaping public opinion. We also compare the most impactfu...

This week’s bonus episode comes from Never Mind the Adverts , hosted by Jon Evans and joined by returning Uncensored CMO guest Orlando Wood. Together, they look back on the biggest marketing stories, debates, and creative moments of 2025. Expect festive cheer, some interesting tipples, and a healthy dose of advertising showmanship. Timestamps 00:00 - Start 00:41 - Starting with some festive cheer...

Emma Harris spent a decade revolutionising Eurostar as its Marketing and Sales Director, leading the brand through years of success and navigating multiple crises. Now the Founder and Chief of Glow London, she works with clients around the world to build brands that are deeply connected to their people and culture. In this episode, Emma shares her journey through marketing, leadership, and entrepr...

As has become a tradition, marketing professor Mark Ritson is back to break down his top 10 marketing moments of the year. We talk fighter brands, the president, Amazon's grannies, deepfakes, mergers and more in this snappy episode. There's nothing more to say - strap in and enjoy the opinionated marketing professor dropping some clangers. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - Mark Ritson’s top 10 stor...

Andrew Warden, CMO of Semrush, joins us to unpack how AI is reshaping search, and what it means for marketers heading into 2026. We discuss whether SEO is really “dead,” the biggest insights from Semrush’s new AI Visibility Index , and how different AI models surface and rank content across industries. Andrew also shares why brand and digital visibility matter more than ever, the growing importanc...

Jo Shoesmith, Chief Creative Officer at Amazon, joins us for a second time to reveal how one of the world’s biggest brands continues to make advertising that connects emotionally and stands the test of time. She shares what she’s learned moving from agency life to leading creativity inside a global giant, why Amazon still invests in traditional media, and the secret to ads that run for 3–5 years w...