Embracing Marketing Mistakes
Welcome to Embracing Marketing Mistakes, the essential top-ten pod for senior marketers determined to grow their brands all by learning from real-world screw ups.
Each week, join hosts Chris Norton and Will Ockenden, seasoned PR professionals with over 45 years of combined experience, as they candidly explore the marketing failures most marketers would rather forget. Featuring insightful conversations with industry-leading marketing experts and value-packed solo episodes, the podcast tries to uncover the valuable lessons from genuine marketing disasters and, crucially, the tips and steps you need to take to avoid them.
Chris and Will bring practical experience from founding the award-winning PR agency Prohibition PR, where they have successfully guided top brands to significant growth through PR strategy, social media, media relations, content marketing, and strategic brand-building.
Tune in to to turn f*ck ups into progress, mistakes into lessons, and challenges into real-life competitive advantages. Well we hope so anyway.
Episodes
79 episodes
"Getting Fired Was the Best Career Move I Ever Made"
Getting fired can be devastating to your career - or it can be the catalyst for something greater. For Patrick Collister, being unceremoniously dismissed from a French-owned direct marketing agency where he was billed at £1000 per hour became a...
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1:04:08
Severance: The Marketing Masterclass Behind Apple TV's Cult Show - Campaign Crunch
Marketing a TV show in today's crowded streaming world requires more than just trailers and billboards - it demands innovative thinking that captures attention and builds genuine connection. That's exactly what we explore in this fascinating co...
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22:12
The Fake Follower Epidemic: Stop Vanity Metrics Killing Your Brand - Marketing Room 101 Special
In this special episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, Chris and Will take a seat on the guest side as they're invited onto the Marketing Room 101 podcast, hosted by Ben Norman. The theme? Banishing their marketing bugbears forev...
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35:09
AI, Reddit, and Micro-Virality: Our Social Media Trends for 2025
Following on from our most popular episode last year where we looked at social media trends for 2024, we have our 2025 prediction list.Social media continues to evolve rapidly, with new platforms emerging and established ones ...
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50:17
"I Didn’t Pay Myself for 3 Years" - How Agorapulse Built a Thriving Business
What does it really take to build a successful SaaS business from scratch with no funding? Emeric Ernoult knows the answer all too well - he went three years without a salary while bootstrapping Agorapulse, now one of the world's leading social...
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49:11
YouTube Dominance: Why Most Brands Fail at Video Marketing
YouTube isn’t just holding its own against TikTok and Instagram – it’s thriving. In fact, in the US, it’s now watched more on televisions than computers, marking a major shift in how audiences engage with digital content. Yet despite this growt...
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1:01:30
How to turn passionate fans into your most powerful marketing channel, with Paul Archer
Who would you trust more to recommend a product or service - an influencer who is paid to promote it, or a friend who is a genuine fan and user of the brand? In this episode, we sit down with Paul Archer, founder of Duel and passion...
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52:49
How a Family Cleaning Brand 'Swept Up' the Competition, with Howard Moss
Yep, Astonish cleaning products really started out in a shed in Leeds… In this episode, we go behind the scenes of cleaning brand, Astonish, with owner and CEO Howard Moss, to learn about the one-man business that has transformed o...
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1:04:00
Crisis Control 2025: What to Do When It All Goes Wrong
It’s easy to feel like things are quickly spiraling out of control when a crisis hits. Our latest episode takes a look at exactly what needs to be done when the heat is high, the pressure is on, and it feels like your back’s against the wall be...
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1:01:38
Why Comms Teams Are Wasting £10K a Month (And How to Fix It)
AI is transforming PR, but is it actually replacing PR professionals? In this episode, we sit down with Jono Matusky, founder of Newsprint AI. Jono has built AI tools that automate media monitoring, press release writing, and executive briefing...
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54:19
The Powerful Role of Psychology in Business and Marketing with Abby Dixon
Abigail Dixon, the brilliant mind behind the Whole Marketer, shares her inspiring journey from working at Burger King to hosting a podcast with over 130 episodes. Have you ever wondered how aligning personal values like connection, growth, and ...
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53:53
How to Avoid the Dirty Tricks from the Media with Helen Nugent
Award-winning journalist Helen Nugent, renowned for her 27-year career across multiple media channels, joins us to breakdown the world of journalism and media training. Discover how seasoned journalists carve out the perfect soundbite and why m...
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51:29
Why Your PR ROI is Failing – And How to Fix It
Are you measuring PR ROI all wrong? If you’re relying on outdated metrics like AVEs or vanity impressions, you could be missing the real value of your PR efforts—and losing budget because of it. In this episode, we break down the biggest...
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55:53
It’s Better to Belong: The Art of Building Customer Loyalty in Competitive Markets
Nikki Dixon, Director of Brand & Marketing @ Leeds Building Society, shares her journey from retail to finance, highlighting the critical importance of authenticity and community in successful marketing. This episode explores her strategies...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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59:11
The £400 Billboard That Made Headlines: Mark Rofe’s Love-Seeking PR Stunt
What does a £400 billboard, 1,400 unsold England flags, and a taxi website have in common? For digital PR expert Mark Rofe, they’re all part of a journey filled with creative risks, quirky mistakes, and invaluable marketing lessons. In t...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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48:37
From Zero to 110K Downloads: Master Podcasting in 2025 to Transform Your Brand
Explore the power of podcasting, we discuss why it has become essential in today's marketing world for brands to maximise engagement and ROI. With practical insights and case studies, we reveal how to expose common challenges while crafting a s...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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1:01:51
How Gap Leveraged TikTok Trends for a Bold Fashion Move
What happens when a legacy brand like Gap teams up with a TikTok star to redefine fashion trends? Senior account manager Sinead Morrissey joins us to share how Julia Huynh's quest for the ultimate "hoodie that hoodies" sparked a groundbreaking ...
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21:21
Failing Forward: Brian Keane’s Road From Broke to Bestseller
In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, we sit down with Brian Keane, bestselling author of The Fitness Mindset and Rewire Your Mindset. Brian opens up about his journey from struggling as a personal trainer ...
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54:11
The Report That Scared CMOs: AI, Backlash, and Budget Squeezes
Robin Smith, Head of Corporate at Censuswide, joins us in unravelling the complexities of modern marketing in our latest episode as we look at a brand new comprehensive report on CMOs.We invited Robin onto the show so you could gain rea...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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54:06
Unlocking 40% Profit Margins: The Secret to Agency Pricing Success
Unlock the secrets to charging what your agency is truly worth with insights from Crispin Manners, CEO of Onvert and former chairman of the PRCA. We explore how agencies can move beyond outdated pricing models by embracing value-based strategie...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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57:49
Why 80% of New Grocery Products Fail: Lessons from the Food & Beverage Sectors
Unlock the secrets to marketing success in the food and beverage industry in this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, where we dissect both the challenges and triumphs brands experience in this cutthroat arena. Featuring insights from indu...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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48:15
450K Emails in One Hour?! How a HubSpot Blunder Turned into a Nightmare
Ever wondered how rejection can fuel innovation? Zohe Mustafa, the visionary founder and head of marketing at Growth Hakka, shares his inspiring journey from being turned away by advertising agencies to pioneering AI-driven marketing strategies...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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39:32
How to Build a Premium Brand: Insights from Lexus - Mat Thomas
World-renowned brand strategist Mat Thomas shares his fascinating journey from finance to marketing, offering insights on how his diverse experiences have shaped his approach in the competitive world of automotive branding. With a background in...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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41:43
£15M and 37 Downloads: Inside the Kylie Minogue Campaign That Went Horribly Wrong - Tom Goodwin
Can you imagine a world where the relentless march of technology isn't as swift as we perceive it to be? Join us as we explore this intriguing possibility with futurist and digital transformation expert, Tom Goodwin. In a thought-provoking conv...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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34:04
How Can You Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking? Jayne Constantinis
In this episode, we’re joined by Jayne Constantinis, an esteemed trainer and presenter whose career spans the high-pressure world of BBC broadcasting, corporate PR, and TEDx stages. Jayne shares her captivating journey from navigating live TV t...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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56:54