141: Lessons in Creative Leadership with Coca-Cola’s Adam Ross.

This week, we ate and left no some crumbs to lure and catch GEN-Z copywriters, Carolyn McMurray and Em Goodier.  Co-founders of Word Tonic, the world’s first GEN-Z copywriting community, Carolyn and Em are hell-bent on helping and inspiring more young people to write for a living. Driven directly by young copywriters, it's a space to connect, share advice and learn from both each other and in masterclasses with the world's most noticeable brands like Disney and Google.  With over 700 GEN-Z copywriters involved, they’re growing so fast they’ve got brands reaching out to recruit fresh, emerging talent straight from the community.  We spill the tea (we’ll stop now) on embracing chaos in your career, building a community as an introvert, why research matters before a GEN-Z marketing effort, flexibility, mentorship, wanky creative directors, creating a diverse and inclusive community, short-term echo chambers, listener questions from Vikki Ross, Dave Harland, Thomas Kemeny and Andrew Boulton, boyfriend dedications, and loads more*. *including a World Cup of GEN-Z words designed solely to get Giles to say “yeet”, “bussin”, and “vibe check”.  ///// Follow Word Tonic on Instagram  Find them on LinkedIn  Here’s their website and newsletter  And check out one of Carolyn’s recommendation; Farnam Street Timestamps (01:47) - World Cup of GEN-Z Words  (03:31) - Early (chaotic) career paths; from Costa Coffee and cleaning to copywriting  (12:31) - How Word Tonic started, the recruitment side, and why you should join  (22:46) - How to nail GEN-Z marketing efforts  (31:31) - Listener questions  (40:51) - 4 pertinent posers  Their book recommendations are:  Junior by Thomas Kemeny  Hey Whipple Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan  Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters by Dan Nelken  The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey /////

This week we asked “Is Pepsi okay?” to bait and catch Coca-Cola Creative Lead, Adam Ross.  Creative Lead for Coca-Cola across the ASEAN & South Pacific region, Adam is responsible for translating and elevating global core creative ideas regionally and locally, wrangling agencies around the world, and driving thought leadership across the business. So, gather on a Hilltop and listen as we sing on working on impactful campaigns for the Met Police, the power of brand and why it’s far from dead, “leaving loudly”, serendipity, the power of a great brief, going from agency to client side at Coca-Cola, Cantona, being an agency whisperer, balancing parenthood and leaderships and loads more. ///// Follow Adam on LinkedIn  Listen to his sister, Vikki, on Episode 6 of Call to Action®  Check out Adam’s Creative Sparks post each month   And keep an eye out for Vikki’s Copy Safaris  Timestamps (02:01) - Quickfire questions  (02:56) - His first jobs and first proper job at MediaCom  (05:05) - Tackling issues like knife crime and gun violence for the Met Police (08:29) - The role of serendipity in his career  (13:07) - Transition to client-side at Coca-Cola (23:17) - Being an ‘agency whisperer’  (26:08) - The power of a brief  (31:15) - Leaving loudly  (40:55) - Listener questions (51:38) - 4 pertinent posers  Adam’s book recommendations are:  Emotion by Design by Greg Hoffman  Misfits by Michaela Coel  Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld  Dave Trott’s books  The Course of Love by Alain de Botton  The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton /////

This week, we caught Scott ‘The Boom’ to shake-shake-shake the room.  Cutting his teeth at Saatchi and Saatchi, Scott Morrison has run the Nike business at Wieden and Kennedy, and been CMO and Commercial Director at Levi’s, Activision and Diesel. Now he brings the Boom! to brands and leaders to Unblock, Unlock and Unleash commercial, creative or cultural impact that transforms business and individuals. Strap in as we wag chins on picking tomatoes, the power of stating intent, the magic of positive disruption, and the art of creating a movement. Scott's not just about making noise - he's about making a real impact. From quiet leadership lessons inspired by Nelson Mandela to the bold moves that drive businesses forward, Scott's got the playbook for success. Listen quick. Tic-tic-tic-tic... Follow Scott on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram  Find out more about the Boom!  Here’s the Boom! Book Club  Read 10 ways future-thinking clients are bringing the Boom! to Business Unusual Scott's ISOLATED Talk Leadership Lessons from Marvin and Mandela Timestamps 02:07 - Quickfire questions  03:40 - His early jobs and career path 06:19 - Importance of being open to serendipity in career choices 13:39 - The importance of positive disruption in business 21:29 - The "unblock, unlock, unleash" approach 25:40 - Defining success and unblocking obstacles 33:24 - Stating intent as a powerful leadership tool 36:52 - Characteristics of impactful leaders and the concept of learning fast 41:25 - Impactful leadership styles and the balance between quiet and loud impact 45:37 - Listener questions  51:38 - 4 pertinent posers  Scott’s book recommendations are:  The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest  The Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday  The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham

This week we sent off a coupon to catch 1960s advertising copywriter, Howard Gossage, through the eyes and work of Steve Harrison and Dave Dye. As a copywriter, Steve tamed more Cannes Lions in his discipline than anyone else in the world. He’s been on the show twice before, once guesting, once hosting, and is a great friend of …Gasp!. Dave is the true “art director’s art director”. Through his career he’s won everything, worked for the best agencies in the business, and the visual techniques he uses to squeeze every ounce of juice from an idea are frankly unparalleled.  The pair have joined forces to pen and produce ‘The Howard Gossage Show’, a fitting celebration of the fun and fame peddling ad man; one of the industry’s lesser known greats. We gossip on Gossage’s showmanship, breaking conventions, having half an interesting conversation through his ads, writing to somebody, stunts, fame, and so much more. At a time when advertising is disliked and avoided by most people, his legacy feels even more important now than it was 60 years ago. So listen up.  ///// Here’s The Howard Gossage Show  Follow Steve and Dave on LinkedIn  Check out Dave’s Stuff From the Loft And Steve’s biography on Howard Gossage  Timestamps (02:34) - Quick fire questions (Posh Spice or Persil?) (04:41) - How Gossage ended up in advertising  (12:09) - Why now’s the time for a book about Gossage (20:50) - How he broke conventions  (26:28) - People read what interests them  (35:00) - The industry becoming hyper-serious  (45:17) - Listener questions from Vikki Ross and Nick Asbury  (52:00) - The Cannes Lions humour category   (1:00:00) - A dedication to Alice Lowe and Phish Food  Image of Howard Gossage credit: ©George W Dippel /////

It’s been 5 years since Call to Action® captured our first of what’s now over 130 heroes and allies from the industry front lines to have a chin-wag with. To celebrate, we’re rereleasing a choice cut of our favourite episodes as part of a ‘Best Of’ series.  In February 2022, we stuck a fake shark fin on our back and lurked in the waters off Adelaide to catch the attention of one of the industry’s most respected researchers; Prof. Karen Nelson-Field.  Hell-bent on fighting the broken media ecosystem as founder and CEO at Amplified Intelligence, Karen is also an author and alumni of the world-renowned Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. When she’s not binge-watching Home & Away (yes, she’s still a fan), Karen’s research into the measurement of attention has made her a global authority on media effectiveness. Point your ears this way as Karen talks on her 10 years at Ehrenberg-Bass, skateboarding cats, myth-busting Facebook likes, going viral, why attention is an important metric, how to measure it and more. And strap in as Karen finally answers the red-hot question of whether our attention spans really are becoming shorter than a goldfi- Oh, look, some links…  ///// Follow Karen on LinkedIn  And on Twitter  Here’s her website And, Karen kindly dedicates this episode to the bullshit-detecting bulldog himself, Bob Hoffman Grab yourself her books: Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing  The Attention Economy and How Media Works  Timestamps (01:50) - Quick fire questions (03:15) - First jobs and early fascination with advertising  (08:40) - What she learnt about media from cinema  (14:00) - Her time at Ehrenberg-Bass  (15:45) - Myth-busting Facebook likes  (19:15) - A deep dive into the attention economy  (25:30) - Are our attention spans really getting shorter?  (30:00) - Single piece of advice to marketers to better understand attention (34:30) - Listener questions  (38:15) - 4 pertinent posers  Karen’s book recommendations are:  Play Bigger by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead & Kevin Maney That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph  Feel better about marketing with Episode 81 of Call to Action® with Professor Karen Nelson-Field.  /////

This week, we scoured wardrobes far and wide to catch a man who has dressed rock icons, Sapeurs of the Congo, a blue monster for Ed Sheeran, and even ‘plug boy’ from the Sainsbury’s Christmas ad; Mr Gammon.   Costume designer, fashion stylist, and distinctive English gent, Mr Gammon is the go-to guy for creatively styled costumes. Whether it’s dressing The Rolling Stones, elegant men of the Congo, Usain Bolt, a school nativity like no other, or mum and dad in jeans and a t-shirt; no cast is too vast, nor celebrity too big. We wag chins on his first ever job with an alcoholic called Malcolm, his first proper job dressing Adam Ant, making and selling bermuda shorts at school, being a colourful punk, what he loves about being on set, how a joke about needlework changed the trajectory of his life, managing expectations, where ‘Mr Gammon’ came from, taking 25 suitcases to film Guinness ‘Sapeurs’, making jackets for Mick Jagger, drawing as ‘creative offsetting’, and a treasure trove more.  ///// Find Mr Gammon on Instagram Here’s his website  Loving You is Killing Me by My Life Story  And a choice cut of Mr Gammon’s best work:  Guinness Sapeurs  Sainsbury’s The Big Night  The brand new Carlsberg spot 'Curious Beginnings' And DJ Shadow - Rocket Fuel ft. De La Soul Timestamps (02:09) - Quick fire questions, Doctor Who, and the reality check The Rolling Stones gave him  (08:14) - First jobs, making bermuda shorts, and designing for Adam Ant  (16:05) - His time at the Royal College of Art  (20:30) - The ‘common good of the shoot’ when you’re on set  (27:55) - Dealing with the opinions and emotions of different people on set (39:39) - His new work for Carlsberg  (41:35) - Listener questions  (46:30) - 4 pertinent posers  Mr Gammon’s book recommendations are:  Small Trades by Irving Penn  Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie Learning to Love You More by Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher  The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux The Financial Times Weekend Edition /////

It’s been 5 years since Call to Action® captured our first of what’s now over 130 heroes and allies from the industry front line to have a chin-wag with. The show is still very much like Pokémon Go, with the single but vital exception that it’s not a short-term bandwagon of shite. And to celebrate, we’re rereleasing a choice cut of our favourite episodes as part of the ‘Best of’ series.  In September 2020, we pulled a network agency worm out of the Big Apple and used it as topic-bait to catch one of advertising’s biggest fish; the one and only George Tannenbaum.  One of the most highly awarded, revered and talented copywriters and creative directors on the planet, George was Executive Creative Director and Copy Chief at Ogilvy for over 10 years. He has worked with huge brands like IBM, Boeing, PayPal, and General Motors, writes a hugely influential marketing blog called Ad Aged, and has a charming if alarmingly deluded French alter ego called ‘Le Agency Holding Company CEO’ who holds up a satirical mirror to the holding company era. Initially released as a two-parter, this is the full, director’s cut. So strap in for an hour and 20 minutes of George’s blissful yet biting NY tones as he talks on subjects such as the agency scene in the 80s and 90s, ageism, the state of copywriting, rediscovering his love for advertising, his time at Ogilvy including his last assignment working on the Boeing account, how to write a good headline, and tons more.  And the whole thing kicks off with an unmissable cameo from Le Agency Holding Company CEO. So what are you waiting for? Go listen. Feel better about marketing with Episodes 46 and 47 of Call to Action® with George Tannenbaum.  Follow George on LinkedIn Here’s his Ad Aged Blog And his website George’s book recommendations: The Saddest Words by Michael Gorra The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Caste by Isabel Wilkerson 

This year marks 5 years since our maiden episode launched in 2019. And to celebrate Call to Action® turning 5, we’ve asked the …Gasp! team to rummage through all 130 episodes to re release some of their favourites.  In June 2020, we cast a net off the coast of Adelaide and caught one of the globe’s greatest researchers, Jenni Romaniuk, for her first of two Call to Action® appearances.  Jenni is a Research Professor at the conveyor belt of marketing stars, the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, where she has advised many of the world’s biggest brands. She’s also authored what’s now a trilogy of true industry bibles; How Brands Grow 2, Building Distinctive Brand Assets, and Better Brand Health.  In one of our most listened to episodes of all time, you can hear all about Jenni’s first job as a talented mixologist, how to build mental availability, context, memory, metrics, and more. If you work for a company with a brand logo, font or colour scheme, this episode is as close to essential listening as you’re going to get to understand how to build, measure, manage and, crucially, protect distinctive brand assets.  Feel better about marketing with Episode 39 of Call to Action® with Professor Jenni Romaniuk.  ///// Follow Jenni on LinkedIn. If you haven’t already, you’d be a fool not to fill your ear canals up with Jenni’s second cameo on Call To Action®, here. And check out her books; Building Distinctive Brand Assets, How Brands Grow Part 2, and Better Brand Health. Timestamps (01:55) - Quick fire questions (04:30) - First job behind the bar at a football club  (07:00) - Getting a phone call from Byron Sharp and landing a job at EBI  (12:30) - How Brands Grow 2 and Building Distinctive Brand Assets  (17:05) - How to build mental availability  (24:10) - The link between context and memory   (31:25) - Best practices for managing and measuring distinctive assets (45:35) - Listener questions  (52:40) - 4 pertinent posers  Jenni’s book recommendation is:  A Scandalous Life by Mary S. Lovell  /////

This week, we posed as a wide receiver to catch ad land’s premier Super Bowl pundit, Andrew Tindall, to tell us which of this year’s cohort of cost-the-earth commercials were MVPs…and which fumbled the ball.    A man who hadn’t slept in days, we snared Andrew straight from System1’s Super Bowl “war room”. After spending the past week testing the ads our industry can’t help but get sweaty about year on year, he’s here to tell us what “won” the Super Bowl and why.  An award-winning marketer with a commercial background at some top notch FMCGs, Andrew leads System1's global partnership strategy and growth, seeking out the world’s best ads and why they work to unlock the potential of their world-leading effectiveness database. He talks to us on Young Apprentice being a way of "getting out of Huddersfield'', studying medicine for 3 years, wanting to work in alcohol, how System1 predicts creative potential and effectiveness, his mentor, colleague and friend Orlando Wood, why effectiveness is relative; outperform your category, the hierarchy of evidence, the brilliant Jenni Romaniuk, creativity as the UK’s greatest export, and lots more. Plus, of course, the Super Bowl winners and losers, including Michelob Ultra, Messi, using celebs, mayo cat, T-Mobile and Pfizer.  Touch down on the play button. You won’t be disappointed.  ///// Follow Andrew on LinkedIn  Find out more about System1 and their ad effectiveness predictors  The only four slides you need for Super Bowl 2024 ad insights from System1 Here’s Andrew’s Super Bowl piece in The Drum  And his personal favourite Super Bowl ad of 2024, Foot Washing Plus Mr P by Pringles  And if you haven’t seen them, watch 2024’s top scoring Super Bowl ads here:  Dunkin’ Donuts, Hellmann’s, Reese’s, Oreo, State Farm, Popeyes, T-Mobile, NFL, Michelob ULTRA, Booking.com, and Budweiser. Timestamps (01:50) - Quick fire questions (03:45) - First jobs, BBC’s Young Apprentice, and going from med school to marketing (07:40) - How he ended up testing marketing effectiveness at System1  (13:12) - How System1 predicts creative potential and effectiveness (17:50) - Which ads “won” the Super Bowl? (21:15) - What Michelob ULTRA did right  (27:14) - His favourite Super Bowl ad of 2024 (and it’s one no one is talking about) (30:45) - Efficiency and effectiveness  (36:35) - Listener questions  (42:00) - What US marketers can learn from the UK  (46:30) - 4 pertinent posers  Andrew’s book recommendation is:  Building Distinctive Brand Assets by Jenni Romaniuk  /////

Go, Shotton, it’s our birthday, we gon’ podcast like it’s our birthday. This week, we claimed that 50 Cent is better than 49 Cent to coax out and catch a man who knows his onions on the ‘left hand digit effect’; Richard Shotton.  In February 2019, Richard agreed to be our inaugural guest to launch the Call to Action® podcast. Almost exactly 5 years, 343309 listens (or 686618 ears), and 1 book better, we're snaring him for a second, celebratory episode to mark the occasion. Drawing on academic research, previous ad campaigns, and his own original field studies, Richard is the best in the business when it comes to improving marketing with findings from behavioural science. His brace of best-selling books, The Choice Factory and The Illusion of Choice, are practical guides on how any business can use behavioural biases to win customers and sell more stuff.  He chinwags to us on dressing up as Mr Blobby, second album syndrome, why ‘muscular gentleman’ is more memorable than ‘common fate’, rejecting dubious papers (not the whole field), the IKEA effect, Rory Sutherland and The World of Jam, tips to sell more champagne, releasing the handbrake vs pushing the accelerator, how to make your ad more believable, why Giles is scared of Jollibee, and loads more. You’d be a fool not to fill your ear canals up. *Feel free to ignore this*…but if you leave a review for Call to Action® on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, we’ll choose the best 5 to WIN a book pack prize of The Illusion of Choice, The Choice Factory, Delusions of Brandeur, and How Brands Blow. Mega.  ///// Follow Richard on Twitter and LinkedIn Listen to our maiden episode with him here  Here’s Astroten  Get your grubby mitts on his books:  The Choice Factory  The Illusion of Choice  And here’s that Gregory and Gregory stunt from Greggs  Timestamps (02:02) - Quick fire questions (04:45) - Second album syndrome and writing The Illusion of Choice  (07:26) - Why marketers should always use concrete words   (12:20) - Richard’s response to behavioural science critics  (17:05) - Choice paralysis and the importance of context  (19:08) - The IKEA effect   (23:08 ) - ‘Press for champagne’ and why marketers should weigh up appeal vs friction  (28:00) - Should ads use more rhyme and humour?  (33:00) - Quick wins for marketers looking to wield the powers of behavioural science  (42:00) - Listener questions  (50:10) - 4 pertinent posers  Richard’s book recommendations are:  Writing for Busy Readers by Todd Rogers Alchemy by Rory Sutherland  /////