Rock Face CEO on Category-First Thinking, Modern Masculinity & Building a Men’s Brand That Lasts - Ep 66

What does it take to build a creative culture that lasts? CMO Sandie Dilger shares how Proper turned culture into a commercial advantage - from lunch-table rituals to balloon-filled pitch decks.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this episode, Sandie lifts the lid on Proper Snacks’ iconic creative culture. From theatrical trade pitches to free vegetarian lunches that bring everyone together, every detail is designed to spark creativity and connection.We explore what it really takes to scale culture without losing what makes it special and how creative leadership can be your biggest competitive advantage.

Oddbox has rescued over 60 million kilos of wonky fruit and veg, but their real story is one of brand, mission and heart. Former CMO Gaston Tourn reveals how Oddbox scaled purpose without losing soul and why doing good doesn’t mean growing slow.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this episode, Gaston Tourn, former CMO of Oddbox, takes us inside one of the UK’s most beloved mission-led brands. From scrappy startup to national household name, Oddbox didn’t just sell boxes of veg - they sold a movement against food waste.Gaston opens up about the realities of growing a purpose-driven brand: how to scale a mission, stay authentic and make sustainability commercially powerful. He also shares lessons on leadership, creativity and what it really means to be a marketer who wants to make a difference.Expect insights on:How Oddbox built a brand that people root for (pun intended)Turning mission into measurable impactThe emotional side of leadership in fast-growth teamsWhat purpose-led marketing looks like in the age of AIIt’s inspiring, practical and surprisingly honest - a must-listen for anyone building a brand that wants to do good and do well.

Butternut Box is on track to become Europe’s #2 pet food brand, but still feels like a “secret discovery brand.” Interim Brand & Creative Director Sarah Keegan reveals how she’s using her mat leave cover to reset the brand platform, overhaul design and prepare Butternut for its next decade.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is Sarah Keegan, Interim Brand & Creative Director at Butternut Box - the DTC pet food brand that’s quietly become Europe’s leading fresh dog food provider and is on track to become the second largest pet food brand across the continent.Sarah stepped into her maternity cover role with a reputation for thriving in transition moments and she hasn’t wasted a second. Instead of just “holding the fort,” she’s set about putting the foundations in place for Butternut’s next 10 years: a new visual identity, a brand platform, a creative agency pitch and a sharper positioning that matches the business’s true scale.In this conversation, Sarah opens up about:Why Butternut’s perception as a “small challenger” no longer matches realityThe difference between fighting against something (kibble) and standing for something bigger (the love of dogs)How to break down silos between brand and performance with small, everyday ritualsWhy events, referrals and ambassadors are still central to Butternut’s growth storyThe commercial rigour and cultural rituals that make Butternut tickWe also dive into Sarah’s career across three very different challenger brands (OVO Energy, Vertical Aerospace, Butternut Box) and why the best marketing work happens when you’re brave enough to fight for the bold ideas.This episode is packed with lessons on scaling challenger brands into decade-defining category leaders.

What happens when a former L’Oréal fragrance manager takes on men’s grooming? Rock Face CEO James Wilkinson shares how he’s reshaping the category with a retail-first strategy, refillable innovation and a bold mission to redefine modern masculinity.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is James Wilkinson, CEO of Rock Face – the men’s grooming brand that’s taking on global giants and redefining what it means to build a category-first business.James began his career at L’Oréal before moving into innovation consulting, where he honed a category-led mindset that now powers Rock Face’s retail strategy. Instead of chasing DTC trends, Rock Face has focused on winning in supermarkets with repeat rates, category insights and retailer-first storytelling as the levers of growth.In this episode, James shares how Rock Face is building a fragrance-led product system (not just formulas), launching refillable deodorants to push sustainability forward and navigating the challenge of balancing awareness with sales as a challenger brand.We also dive into:Why starting in retail (not DTC) gave Rock Face the fastest path to scaleHow to build a category-first playbook that retailers can’t ignoreThe repeat rate metric that’s more powerful than penetration for startupsRock Face’s mission to tackle modern masculinity and create better voices in the conversationThe innovation pipeline that could make refillables mainstream in men’s groomingMistakes James made along the way – from hiring to media timing – and what he’d do differently. This one’s a masterclass in category-first thinking, retail growth and building purpose into everyday products.

An in-house agency at a bakery? Gail’s Head of Brand, Charlotte Gunn, reveals how she codified the brand, built a creative studio from scratch and turned bakeries into brand experiences.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is Charlotte Gunn, Head of Brand at Gail’s Bakery - the fast-scaling chain that’s rewriting what a “bakery brand” means in the UK. Charlotte was tasked with two huge challenges: codify the brand so everyone in the business knows what “being on-brand” means and build an in-house creative team that could replace traditional agencies.In this conversation, Charlotte opens up about what it takes to run a brand-led creative studio inside a food business, why brand lives in experiences (not guidelines) and how Gail’s has made brand everyone’s job – from bakery managers to ops teams. We also dive into:Why in-housing creative makes sense for scale-ups (not just Adidas or Lego)How Gail’s trains 170 bakeries to deliver consistent brand experiencesThe “brilliant basics & magic moments” framework powering community loveWhy storytelling, not campaigns, is the real moat for growing food brandsHow to protect brand soul while scaling 40+ new bakeries a yearThis is a masterclass in brand-building that goes way beyond croissants.

60% of traffic. 1.6 billion views. A YouTube celebrity in-house. Carwow CMO Ben Carter reveals how they built a content machine so powerful, it became their moat and their moneymaker.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is Ben Carter, CMO of Carwow - one of the most quietly disruptive brands in the UK. In this episode, Ben shares the inside story of how content became their unfair advantage: 60% of their traffic is free. Their YouTube channel boasts 10 million subscribers and 1.6 billion views. And their in-house presenter? Recognised by 25% of UK men.But this conversation is about far more than content.Ben opens up about losing his job unexpectedly and what it really takes to lead inside a Series E business during economic uncertainty.We also dive into:How CarWow raised $52M in Series E funding from Bessemer and othersWhy first-party data and retail media are the real goldmine for modern marketersThe death of SEO as we know it and the coming AI-ification of searchWhy most CMOs are either too brand or too performance and what it means to be bothThe future of jobs, AI, and marketing orgs in the next 5 yearsThis is an honest, high-intensity and highly strategic episode for anyone trying to scale a brand, build a resilient team, or keep up with the seismic shifts reshaping marketing today.

In this bold, brilliantly honest episode, Marketer and Founder of Sprowt Carly Osman Holmes turns the tables on Brand Hackers founder Lottie Unwin for a no-holds-barred chat on marketing’s biggest problems and possibilities. From the rise of tactical fluff to the cult of hot takes, Lottie opens up about what’s broken, what’s working and how we fix it. Together, they pull apart the myths around personal brand, purpose-led fluff and why most teams are running on fumes. Essential listening for anyone who actually wants to sell stuff (and still sleep at night).Welcome to the Marketing Hustle – a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this bonus episode, Carly Osman Holmes interviews Lottie Unwin in a refreshingly candid deep dive into the state of marketing today. They unpack the dangerous drift toward tactical thinking, the dilution of “challenger brand” into pure aesthetic and why many marketers have lost their strategic edge. Lottie shares her unfiltered views on building a commercial brand, navigating AI hype and why clarity, curiosity and ruthless prioritisation are key. From team burnout to the future of personal branding, this episode is a real-time reflection on what it takes to build smart, resilient brands in 2025.Want 30% off Valerie? Type "CARLYOH" into the checkout at wearevalerie.com.Follow Lottie: https://linktr.ee/themarketinghustleFollow Carly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyosman/Listen on Apple & Spotify: https://linktr.ee/themarketinghustle

He drove Fever Tree's growth from 50 million to over 250 million, expanding from the UK to 93 global markets. Now Marketing Expert Vince Lawson unveils the strategic insights and challenges behind this remarkable journey to Biotiful CMO. From doubling sales annually to venturing into new businesses during the pandemic, Vince shares his candid experiences of taking calculated risks, handling failures, and the essence of crafting a resilient brand. Essential listening for anyone passionate about transforming brand potential into global success.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle – a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this episode, we turn the spotlight on Vince Lawson, the marketing expert who scaled Fever Tree from £50 million to £250 million, expanding into 93 global markets. Vince discusses his dynamic career transitions and his current role as CMO at Biotiful, where he's fostering innovation in the gut health space through groundbreaking dairy products. He delves into the strategies behind building brand visibility and consumer awareness in a competitive market. Vince's insights on risk-taking, resilience, and leadership provide essential takeaways for anyone interested in brand expansion and the evolving trends within the wellness industry.

She built not one, but three businesses - and now she’s planning to step away. In this special episode, Brand Hackers founder Lottie Unwin gets grilled by Koru Kids CEO Rachel Carrell on the messy truth of scaling, letting go and leading with impact. From how to not be that annoying founder, to the AI shifts no one’s ready for – this is a raw, witty and essential listen for anyone building something that matters.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle – a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this episode, the mic flips and founder Lottie Unwin sits in the hot seat. Interviewed by Rachel Carrell – founder of childcare platform Koru Kids and self-confessed AI obsessive – this conversation dives deep into the challenges of leading a fast-growing business, being a marketing-led founder, and how not to drive your marketing team mad.They cover everything from how to hire a maternity cover CMO (spoiler: think strategically, not symmetrically) to why most job descriptions are stuck in 2019. Lottie also opens up about planning for mat leave as a founder of three businesses, building a rocket-ship team at Brand Hackers and how LinkedIn changed everything for her.Candid, sharp, and full of hard-won wisdom - this is essential listening for anyone juggling leadership, legacy and life transitions.

He scaled a mission-led brand from 50 million to 120 million users. Now he’s revealing the truth behind it all. Former Too Good To Go CMO Ivo van den Brand opens up about imposter syndrome, emotional leadership, and why most people misunderstand what a CMO actually does. Bold, honest and essential listening for anyone building a brand.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts. Today’s guest is someone you may not know by name, but you’ve almost certainly used the app he helped scale to over 120 million users across 19 countries: Too Good To Go.Ivo van den Brand is the outgoing CMO of one of the most successful mission-driven brands in Europe and in this episode, he opens up about what it really took to lead a business at that scale - what worked, what didn’t and what he wishes more marketers understood.But this conversation goes way beyond food waste or app growth.It’s about the real job of being a CMO - why it’s more about leadership than marketing and how to stay grounded in a mission-led business without burning out. Ivo speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, pressure and navigating company-wide change while still showing up with empathy.It’s honest, it’s sharp and it’s full of insights for anyone growing a career - or a brand - with purpose. Follow Lottie: https://linktr.ee/themarketinghustleListen on Apple & Spotify: https://linktr.ee/themarketinghustle