Nils Leonard: Don’t Confuse S**t Ads For The Death Of Creativity
Swashbuckling Uncommon Studio co-founder and Creative Director is back, and the mic is hotter than ever. We're tackling why Uncommon is pushing the boundaries of out of home, including the divisive BA "Reflections" campaign, what Nils thinks of the energy in the US vs the UK, and why we have a lot of work to do if we want creativity to thrive in this country.Timestamps00:00 - Start00:52 - How did Uncensored CMO end up at Uncommon Studios02:33 - What just Jon want to happen as a result of this episode?04:45 - What does Nils want to happen as a result of this podcast?06:10 - Nils' advice to founders wanting to start an agency07:51 - Uncommon’s work with The Ordinary13:38 - Why Uncommon loves out of home15:31 - Uncommon’s out of home work with British Airways22:20 - Uncommon's B&Q out of home26:51 - Uncommon's Hiscox work29:55 - Uncommon’s EA work32:51 - Uncommon’s JD Sports work turning the lens on the community37:45 - British Airway’s safety video43:40 - The culture of creativity in the UK vs US46:40 - Why Campaign’s"Turkey of the Week" is a terrifying reflection on the UK48:52 - WPP and creativity51:28 - Who killed creativity?53:53 - What Brits can learn from Americans to bring creativity back
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1:00:37
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1:00:37
Gary Vee on the most undervalued and overvalued media
Entrepreneur, investor, and VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk joins us from Wine Library to share his unfiltered take on marketing in 2025. We cover everything from spotting consumer trends to staying authentic in the age of AI. Gary explains why generosity is his most powerful growth strategy, why the customer is always right, and which media channels are over or undervalued in 2025.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:03 - Being back at Wine Library02:38 - Why the customer is always right according to Gary Vee07:17 - Why Gary Vee doesn’t believe in luck09:28 - How Gary Vee has managed to have so much reach13:14 - The power of generosity17:51 - Gary Vee’s advice on spotting trends19:31 - Why you need to pay attention to the consumer21:18 - What does good marketing look like according to Gary Vee22:01 - Why social media is better than all other media channels24:08 - Is TV advertising dead?28:26 - Undervalued or overvalued: media channel edition29:26 - Undervalued or overvalued: podcasts31:34 - Undervalued or overvalued: LinkedIn32:24 - Undervalued or overvalued: Email33:26 - Undervalued or overvalued: sms/text34:03 - Undervalued or overvalued: YouTube35:29 - Undervalued or overvalued: search38:39 - Undervalued or overvalued: TikTok40:16 - Undervalued or overvalued: Twitter/X42:29 - Undervalued or overvalued: New York Jets44:54 - How do we maintain authenticity in the age of AI49:00 - Gary Vee’s advice on how to execute on ideas
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54:25
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54:25
Unreasonable Marketing - lessons from the creator of the world’s #1 restaurant - Will Guidara
Will Guidara is the author of Unreasonable Hospitality and co-founder of the world’s #1 restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. He joins us to share how lessons from hospitality can be a huge competitive advantage for your brand. We discuss the power of small but impactful gestures, intelligent naivety, the 95/5 rule and investing in the things that can’t be measured but make all the difference.Will also reflects on the mindset that took Eleven Madison Park to the top, what businesses can learn from restaurants, and how applying unreasonable hospitality can turn any customer experience into something truly extraordinary.Timestamps00:00:00 - Start00:00:57 - Will’s experience writing his book00:02:11 - Getting 4 stars from The New York Times00:04:43 - What marketers can learn from Unreasonable Hospitality00:08:08 - Where did the term “unreasonable hospitality” come from?00:14:13 - Why Will is fine being “The Dining Room Guy”00:16:40 - Why Will added a beer sommelier - reverse benchmarking00:20:29 - Intelligent naivety and the advantages of youth00:23:30 - The power of small thoughtful gestures that make a lasting impact00:27:22 - The 95/5 rule - how to succeed with things that cannot be measured00:31:47 - Restaurant smart vs corporate smart00:36:50 - Why you sometimes need conflicting goals00:41:34 - Is the customer always right?00:45:55 - Turning pain points into highlights00:48:06 - How Will Guidara makes getting the bill a memorable experience00:51:38 - Why nothing in the world can replace persistence00:53:40 - Never waste a good crisis00:56:52 - What Will would do at Cannes with no budget00:59:56 - How Shake Shack kept 11 Madison Park going01:00:48 - Which fast food chains does Will admire01:03:51 - Hiring exceptional talent01:06:17 - Getting siloed teams to work together in harmony01:09:07 - What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail
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1:12:36
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1:12:36
From Tech founder to solving the social media addiction crisis - Jess Butcher
Jess Butcher MBE has built a career at the intersection of technology and consumer behaviour. She co-founded AR pioneer Blippar and has since turned her attention to a growing issue: how AI and social media are shaping our brains, behaviour, and wellbeing.In this episode, Jess shares what she’s learned as a founder, why female entrepreneurs still struggle to access funding, and why she believes brands must take responsibility for the attention economy they help create. We discuss how “More Soul, Less Scroll” is encouraging healthier digital habits, and the practical steps companies can take to drive positive change.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:41 - Jess’ background as a female founder05:56 - How Jon used Jess’ QR code startup13:19 - Why Blippar ultimately failed17:34 - The lessons from Blippar’s failure21:30 - Why female founders struggle to get funding25:50 - The characteristics of successful founders31:15 - How AI is re-wiring our brains negatively34:05 - Why social media is ruining our lives40:09 - Why is this problem getting worse if we know about it?44:17 - What ScrollAware is trying to do about the problem48:38 - Which brands are taking responsibility for this problem best?54:46 - Less Scroll More Soul sleeping bags
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58:56
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58:56
American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign - what really happened with CMO Craig Brommers
Craig Brommers, CMO of American Eagle, joins us to go behind the scenes of one of the most talked-about campaigns of the year; Sydney Sweeney for American Eagle. Craig reveals what really happened, why the brand partnered with Sydney, and how they handled the extreme social-media reaction. We discuss the data behind the campaign’s success, the decision to pause before responding, and what the advertising press got wrong. Craig also shares lessons in brand leadership, navigating public scrutiny, and what it takes to be a successful CMO in 2025.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:35 - The Travis Kelce x American Eagle collaboration01:51 - Why American Eagle partnered with Sydney Sweeney03:21 - Did American Eagle know the campaign was going to explode on social media04:24 - What caused the extreme reaction to the campaign?06:08 - The System1 scores for the Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle campaign08:11 - How did it feel seeing the campaign come under so much scrutiny?11:50 - Choosing to pause instead of reacting immediately13:41 - Dealing with the personal side of some of the comments15:09 - The actual results of the Sydney Sweeney campaign16:51 - The reaction vs the media buy - what was the impact?18:11 - When Jon almost closed the London Underground with Amaretto20:53 - Did the advertising press get it wrong about the American Eagle campaign?22:14 - Craig’s advice for other marketers facing a crisis27:15 - Will American Eagle continue to work with Sydney Sweeney?28:31 - Are we entering a “Jeans Wars” era?29:40 - The product strategy for American Eagle30:51 - How important are celebrity endorsements in Fashion31:45 - What are the elements for success for American Eagle33:26 - 3 things that make a successful CMO in 202539:56 - What does a successful CMO look like?40:44 - The one thing to remember from this conversation
Australia