Start-up marketing stories: The Marketing Hustle

Most marketing teams don’t talk enough about what’s actually working. So in this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on one of our favourite campaigns - from idea to execution - and unpacking the real reasons it delivered. James and I take you inside the strategy, creative, and chaos of a campaign we ran for a challenger brand that was big on personality, small on budget, and laser-focused on...

This week’s hot take: Activism isn’t just a marketing gimmick - it can be the heartbeat of a brand. Lottie and James unpack what makes Ben & Jerry’s the gold standard for activist branding, from fighting for legislative change to structuring their business around social impact. They dive into the difference between “purpose” and true activism, and how Ben & Jerry’s has kept their mission a...

This week’s hot take : Most hiring processes are broken. Companies focus on the wrong things, overlook the right talent, and end up with marketing teams that don’t actually deliver. James and I have seen it all - hiring wins, hiring disasters, and those moments when you realise you’ve brought in the wrong person for the job. So, we’re breaking it all down. From writing job descriptions that actual...

This week’s hot take : Most brand-agency relationships fail—not because the agency isn’t good, but because the partnership is set up to struggle from the start. James and I have had many moments lately where we’ve sat in meetings thinking, “This could have been avoided if…” So, we’re unpacking it all. From the weird power dynamics of brand-agency relationships to the absolute musts for making it w...

Welcome to the debut episode of "The Marketing Hustle Hot Takes," where we ditch the fluff and dive straight into the juicy, unfiltered conversations setting the marketing world ablaze. Hosted by the dynamic duo, Lottie Unwin and James Hickson, we serve up bold insights and candid advice for startups and seasoned brands alike. Whether you're side-stepping marketing missteps or juicing up your cont...

“You have to follow what feels right…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Founder of Pip & Nut, Pip Murray. Pip & Nut is now a decade old, and has totally transformed the natural nut butter category, taking the title of the fastest growing nut butter brand in th...

“They had men seeing how they’d insert a tampon with our tampon microphone…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Here We Flo, Susan Allen Augustin. Here We Flo began in 2016 and since day one the brand has been on a mission to create...

“Your email inbox is not your to-do list…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Co-Founder of Unplugged, Hector Hughes.  If your New Year resolution is to spend less time on your screens, you’re in the right place! Hector came up with the idea of digital detox cabin stays...

“You see some people go mega viral, but that engagement's not gonna get you anything… ” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the CEO & Co-Founder of Flexa careers.  Flexa is a workplace platform, allowing people to discover companies that make them unique in this modern w...

“Big budget energy is about getting more value…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Co-Founder of NICE wine, Jeremy May.  NICE began when two freelancers joined forces to take over the world of canned wine. They went on to become known as the start-up with bold ideas, s...

“What makes a great marketer? People who realise that the consumer isn’t them…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Co-Founder of BOTIVO, Imme Ermgassen.  BOTIVO have taken non-alc, indulgent drinks to a whole new level with their magnetising brand visuals, and confident...

“We thought Waitrose was going to be the end of our journey…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Co-Founder of MOTH cocktails, Rob Wallis.  MOTH have taken the RTD category by storm since their launch in 2018, and have created the best-selling margarita in the UK along...

“Marketers need to stop being marketers…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Founder of Be A Bear, Max Maharajh.  Be A Bear is a 360 degree strategy agency that focuses on driving solutions for any brand in the digital space. Their published content was seen over 2 Bill...

“We WhatsApp Steven Bartlett every single day…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to Co-Founder of Perfect Ted, Marisa Poster. You’ll know the brand from the widely loved Dragon’s Den show, the beaming partnership and of course the green matcha tins on the shelves at the supe...

From the rugby pitch to high growth CBD brand with George Kruis, Co-Founder of fourfive “I’m definitely a Founder for life but I really want to do different chapters…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that brings you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to Co-Founder of fourfive, George Kruis. An idea that grew from experienci...

“It required a huge amount of sacrifice and wasn’t a pleasant lifestyle at the time…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that cuts through the BS to bring you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Founder of POT GANG, Sam Smith. A lockdown business that stood the test of time, POT GANG is all about getting people into grow...

“The glass isn’t half full or half empty, it’s actually both, simultaneously…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that cuts through the BS to bring you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Co-Founder of SURI, Mark Rushmore. Every year over 4 billion toothbrushes end up in landfill or in our oceans. That's enough to circle...

“We are there for the people who don’t use Vinted…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that cuts through the BS to bring you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Founder & CEO of Thrift+, Joe Metcalfe.  Thrift+ journey began back in 2017 with one aim: to solve fashion resale, at scale. To date, the second hand market...

“Ice baths make me feel like I’ve done a line of cocaine…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that cuts through the BS to bring you unfiltered stories from start-up Founders of bold brands. This week, your host Lottie chats to the Founder & CEO of MyoMaster, Lottie Whyte. MyoMaster was created with one goal: to revolutionize recovery and it's all based on one radical idea that r...

“I would definitely err on the side of removing roles over marketing spend…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that hears from top marketers and Founders about what it takes to survive and thrive in startup life. This week, Lottie chats to Freddie Blackett, Founder of Patch Plants.  Since 2016, Patch Plants have been changing the way people think about buying plants. They were the...

“I think purpose is exaggerated, you can also just love what you do.” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that hears from top marketers and Founders about what it takes to survive and thrive in startup life. This week, Lottie chats to Huib van Bockel, Founder of TENZING. He was also head of marketing for Red Bull, so he knows a thing or two about making big moves in the energy drink...

“In a world with Meta, we've all lost the art of brand building…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that hears from top marketers and Founders about what it takes to survive and thrive in startup life. This week, Lottie chats to Matthew Herbert, Co-Founder of Tracksuit. Very much a startup, they’re on a big mission to make always-on brand tracking beautiful, accessible and affordab...

“For me, incremental change is boring. It’s what you need, but it doesn’t inspire me.” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that hears from top marketers and Founders about what it takes to survive startup life. This week, Lottie chats to Camilla Barnard, Co-Founder of Rude Health, a brand who are shaking up the dairy free alternative world. They’re a B-corp, have secured 23 great tas...

"Our greatest asset in marketing is our happy customers…" Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that breaks through the faff and hears from top marketers and Founders about what it takes to survive startup life. This week, Lottie chats to Ben Parker, Co-Founder and Head Coach of Runna, the #1 rated running app in the world! Runna’s journey began back in 2021 and whether you’re doing a...

“Founder life is really hard, but I would not change it for the world…” Welcome back to The Marketing Hustle, the podcast that breaks through the faff and hears from top marketers and Founders about what it takes to survive startup life. Did you know the deodorant industry produces over 15 million pounds of plastic waste each year? That’s enough to fill over 200 Boeing 747s. This week, we sweat th...