Call To Action

Hosted by Giles Edwards

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179

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Feel better about marketing™ The go-to podcast for anyone trying to make sense of the world of marketing, business and beyond. In an industry that is a minefield of utter bollocks, we aim to capture our heroes and allies from the front line to have a chin-wag with. It’s like Pokémon Go, with the single but vital exception that it’s not a short-term bandwagon of shite. UK TOP 2 | US TOP 50 | RELEASED FORTNIGHTLY

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August 14, 2026Episode 17630 min

176: They Might Be Right – a law special

Welcome to They Might Be Right, the disagreeable cousin to Call To Action. It’s a podcast so unfamiliar with the concept of diplomacy that even a judge couldn’t settle this. This week’s audio squabble is a law-industry themed special. Tackling one of the prickliest topics in the modern law business are four of the industry’s most compelling and convincing voices – a group carefully selected for their intellect, eloquence and experience. Our collection of courtroom confrontationists are… Clare Quinn-Waters, the first ever Chief Growth Officer at Edwin Coe. Leor Franks, Chief Commercial Officer at Kingsley Napley. Addleshaw Goddard’s Chief Marketing Officer, Laura Ottley And Matt Skipper, Head of Business Development at Mills & Reeve Desperately trying to keep the haymakers at bay is our host and referee, Giles Edwards, a man so afraid of conflict he has never successfully retrieved his own pound coin from a supermarket trolley. The freshly dismembered bone of contention for this debate is: ‘Partners are no longer the primary source of growth.’ If you're building the case for proper marketing inside your firm, consider this episode exhibit A. Exhibit B is our printed guide to Proper Marketing for Law & Professional Services. Get in touch with elliot(at)gasp.agency for a copy. Follow Clare , Leor , Laura , and Matt on LinkedIn ///// Timestamps 01:21 - Meet the Contenders: Four Perspectives on Growth 07:04 - The Main Event: What Really Drives Growth? 10:02 - The Four Rs: Recognition, Reputation, Relationships & Revenue 12:13 - The Human Element: Why Relationships Still Matter 14:49 - Commoditized vs. Sophisticated: When Partners Matter Most 19:20 - The Future of Legal Services: Human Skills vs. AI 21:27 - Navigating Change: Rethinking How Legal Work Is Delivered 26:29 - The Bigger Picture: Recognising the Whole Growth Team 28:10 - Clare's Final Word: Are Partners Really the Primary Drivers? 28:33 - The Verdict: A Draw /////

July 17, 2026Episode 17552 min

175: Allyson June Smith on why funny has never mattered more

This week we tried unsuccessfully to put a bucket hat on a moose (three people were killed) all in order to create a Canadian/Manc symbol powerful enough to lure in Commonwealth comic queen, Allyson June Smith. Hailing from the land of Mounties and saying ‘eh?’, Allyson now resides in Manchester, a base from which she has built one of the busiest and most eclectic careers in comedy. As well as serving up scoopfuls of her nervelessly candid humour through her own stand-up shows, she’s also toured the country as a warm up act (laugh lubricant?) for some of the biggest names in the funny business. She’s also all over the media landscape like bear on hiker, appearing regularly on tv, radio and her two own excellent podcasts - Women Talking Bollocks (funny) and Horror Motel (terrifying). In a chat where Giles struggles to conceal the fact that the only Canadian he truly trusts is Celine Dion, we skate through everything from the pressures of comedy content creation to the subtleties of winning over different kinds of audience - all before she disappears back on the road for Allyson Wonderland, her current UK tour. Follow Allyson on Instagram This episode is proudly dedicated to Joan Rivers. ///// Timestamps 03:35 - From Acting Dreams to Stand-Up Comedy 06:42 - Glasses On or Off? 14:02 - The Secret Society of Stand-Up 20:58 - Cultural Influences: Growing Up Canadian 24:24 - North vs South: Finding Your Comedy Audience 26:20 - What Actually Makes Something Funny? 31:01 - The Power of Humour in Dark Times 36:06 - Two Very Different Podcasts 41:07 - Horror Films and Comedy: More in Common Than You Think Allyson’s book recommendations are: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse /////

March 27, 2026Episode 17456 min

174: Oli Barrett on making the connections that matter most

This week we spent all our time pressing the flesh (until finding out we’d misunderstood what that means and getting very firmly asked to leave Subway) all in order to win the approval of this week’s guest, the master networker Oli Barrett MBE. Blessed with the ability to bring together the right people with the right ideas at the right time, Oli has built a reputation for being the nation’s ultimate connector. But, being a fine fellow as well as a canny-business operator, he has used his powers for good – forming remarkable social change initiatives like ‘Tenner’, the UK’s largest schools entrepreneurship competition and ‘Turn On The Subtitles’, a global children’s literacy campaign. Deftly uniting the worlds of entrepreneurship, innovation, education and social impact, Oli has been rightly lauded and awarded for his considerable efforts – bagging, among other accolades, the title of ‘Most Connected Man in Britain’ from Wired and a place in GQs ‘Top 100 connected figures’. Plus there’s the small matter of being awarded an actual MBE from the actual Queen who, we assume, Oli was able to successfully introduce to an off-the-grid artisan driving-goggle manufacturer based in the Peak District. In a chat where Oli reveals the magic behind all his connective conjury, we ponder everything from the value of active learning to the magnetic powers of a well-built network. Follow Oli on LinkedIn //// Timestamps 02:27 – Quick Fire Questions 05:18 – The Zigzag Journey: Dropping Out and Moving On 11:04 – Disney World vs. Lecture Halls: The Awakening 12:01 – Networking: Chance Encounters vs Intentional Connections 14:40 – The First Business: Amazing You 18:05 – The £10 Challenge That Took Off 24:22 – The Power of Defaults: Small Changes, Big Impact 26:04 – Permission to Create: The Entrepreneurial Mindset 30:08 – Connecting the Dots: How to Build Real Networks 35:45 – The Art of Introduction: What Actually Makes It Work //// Oli’s book recommendations are: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell Reflections on Success by Martyn Lewis The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger ////

February 27, 2026Episode 17352 min

173: Paul McVeigh on football, psychology and leading without ego

This week we tried (unsuccessfully, messily, hauntingly) to mate a canary with a cockerel – all in a bid to impress our guest, former Norwich and Tottenham footballer, turned performance psychologist, Paul McVeigh. Having played more than 270 professional games, as well as earning 20 caps for Northern Ireland, Paul kicked ball with and against some legendary players, earning a few trophies, a few promotions and, perhaps the ultimate honour, his own song. But rather than go off and do the sort of generic post-playing jobs many ex-pros go for (like moaning about stuff on the tv. Or moaning about stuff on the radio. Or moaning about stuff on a podcast etc.) Paul has bottled up all his remarkable experiences in sport and used them to help all kinds of leaders to perform when it matters most. As a highly respected performance psychologist, Paul has built a super-successful second career out of helping to dismantle the old narratives about shouty, macho, ego-driven leadership, through his coaching and his two excellent books: ‘The Stupid Footballer is Dead’ and ‘It’s Not About You: The Psychology of Leadership. In a chat where Giles tries really, really hard not to dribble ‘Spurs’ all over the conversation, we ponder the most common mistakes, and misunderstanding, when it comes to ‘being the boss’, and some of the most influential sporting figures who inspired Paul’s philosophies on leadership. This episode is proudly dedicated to Paul’s Aunt Jean – proof that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself and that anything is possible. Follow Paul on LinkedIn ///// Timestamps 1:32 – Quick Fire Questions 5:37 – Leaving Belfast for Tottenham Hotspur 10:05 – Inside a High-Performance Environment 16:03 – Leadership Styles in Football 19:12 – It’s Not About You and Modern Leadership 24:21 – Leadership Beyond Football 27:25 – Humility and Misconceptions About Leadership 33:18 – Ahead-of-the-Curve Professional Habits 39:58 – Transformational Habits That Stick 42:52 – Advice to His Younger Self ///// Paul’s book recommendations are: Awaken The Giant Within by Anthony Robbins Money Master the Game by Anthony Robbins /////

December 12, 2025Episode 17255 min

172: Tim Delaney on building one of ad-land’s most brilliant careers

This week we made our way through twenty rolls of ‘Word a Day’ toilet paper – not (entirely) because of tummy trouble, but in order to impress one of the world’s greatest wielders of words, copywriting legend Tim Delaney. An advertiser who made all of advertising try harder with their adverts, Tim is of course the founder of the famous Leagas Delaney agency as well as being one of the all-time great copywriters. You’ll no doubt have spent much time gawping at and/or weeping over some of his most iconic work – including some extraordinary campaigns for Harrods, Adidas and Nationwide. He’s also the creative brain behind the unforgettable ‘Perfect Day’ film for the BBC – giving the world the briefest sniff of what a Bowie/Boyzone collaboration might have been. Wildly successful in both the building of an agency and the writing of copy, Tim is also one of advertising’s most compelling talkers of sense – with a philosophy built around strategic thinking, disciplined work and a healthy appreciation for the value of intuition. In a chat where we skid quickly and wildly away from what we laughably called ‘the agenda’, Tim takes us on an entertaining and eye-opening journey through one of the most remarkable lives in the creativity game. This episode is proudly dedicated to Tom Harrington. Follow Tim on LinkedIn ///// Timestamps 04:40 - First Job in Advertising 06:45 - Transitioning to Copywriting 09:40 - Early Days in Advertising 12:49 - The Band Experience 14:03 - From Music to Advertising 19:07 - Climbing the Advertising Ladder 22:11 - The Role of Creativity in Advertising 29:03 - Challenges at BNP 30:41 - Understanding Advertising's Mystique 34:08 - The Impact of Technology on Advertising 39:39 - Enthusiasm for Newcomers 43:53 - Advice for Junior Copywriters

October 24, 2025Episode 17157 min

171: Kazeem Jamal on the importance of finding the funny side

This week we’ve been out every night, committing crimes (twocking Nokias, cussing at ducklings, stealing the dust caps off your dad’s tyres) all to attract the attention of South-London Batman himself – and this week’s guest – Kazeem Jama. A comedian so entertaining he almost makes you hate yourself slightly less for being on Instagram all the goddam time, Kazeem has been liberally lubricating the amusement pipes on the BBC, Comedy Central and the Mobo Awards. Before comedy grabbed him by the earlobe and dragged him over to the funny side, Kazeem spent decades working in the education sector, primarily with children with special needs and in alternative education – making him humorous and kind-hearted enough to make us all feel really bad about our own decisions, especially the terrible stuff we said to those ducklings. This episode is proudly dedicated to the people who shaped Kazeem: his mum, his dad, his kids, and all the doubters along the way. ///// Follow Kazeem on Instagram and Facebook Watch the videos that has us cracking up: Frozen and Waze Sign up to the mailing list To go see him live: tickets here . ///// Timestamps 02:50 - Kazim's Uncommon Path: From Rugby to Comedy 07:51 - Ownership: The Key to Kazim's Comedy Journey 11:26 - Drama Class: The Shy Comedian's Dilemma 12:52 - Channelling Frustration: The Sports Outlet 18:30 - Stage vs. Socials: The Comedy Landscape 21:26 - Navigating Tough Topics: Kazim's Approach 27:06 - The Unexpected Funeral Laugh 31:03 - Nine-to-Five vs. Comedy Dreams: The Struggle 34:08 - Attention, Skill, Monetizing: The Comedy Cycle 39:03 - The Art of Not Giving a Damn: Embracing the Process 42:48 - Comedy Contracts: The Safe Space Agreement

September 19, 2025Episode 17055 min

170: Marcus du Sautoy on how to see the stories in numbers

This week we rented the top 3 maths movies of all time – A Beautiful Mind, The Imitation Game and 3 Men and a Baby – all in order to be mathematically competent enough to share a pod with one of the world’s greatest number nibblers, Marcus du Sautoy. So highly acclaimed and awarded, we could have filled the entire podcast by listing out his many achievements, Marcus is perhaps best known as a Professor in Mathematics, Fellow of the Royal Society and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. But, as well as being one of the very smartest people on the planet, he’s also one of the most engaging and enlightening speakers on the unexpected stories to be found in numbers, having written for several national newspapers and appeared on a number of mathematically-inclined TV shows including Mind Games, The Story of Maths and The Code (not to be confused with The Cube). By now you’ve probably run out of fingers to tally up all the brilliant things he’s done, so we shall just wrap up by saying he’s also the author of a series of superb books examining the relationship between maths, creativity, music, games and more – including Blue Prints, The Music of Primes and The Creativity Code. (Basically, the fact that it took us all this time to mention he’s also an OBE tells you all you need to know. He’s an impressive dude.) In an episode where Giles wears his disappointing GCSE results like a hi-vis vest of inadequacy, we ponder the search for meaning in numbers and how the stories behind them can help shape ideas and solve problems. This episode is proudly dedicated to Mr Baleson. Follow Marcus on LinkedIn ///// Timestamps 04:17 - The Influence of a Great Teacher 06:03 - Mathematics as a Language and Creative Outlet 08:44 - The Intersection of Mathematics and the Arts 12:08 - Exploring Creativity in Mathematics 15:17 - The Relationship Between Structure and Artistic Expression 21:10 - The Cicada's Prime Number Life Cycle 30:51 - Patterns and Expectations in Art and Comedy 33:09 - The Role of Mathematics in Problem Solving 43:15 - The Importance of Storytelling in Science 46:25 - The Search for Meaning in Numbers 48:13 - The Dual Nature of Scientific Thinking Marcus’ Book recommendations are: A Mathematician’s Apology by G.H. Hardy /////

August 29, 2025Episode 1691 hr 3 min

169: Richard Shotton and MichaelAaron Flicker on hacking the human mind.

This week we broke a golden rule and crossed podcast streams with a pair of excellent guests, Richard Shotton and MichaelAaron Flicker, hosts of the Behavioural Science for Brands podcast and co-authors of the soon-to-be released (and definitely-to-be brilliant) Hacking The Human Mind. Richard is, of course, returning for a record third appearance on Call To Action® although we have respectfully honoured his request to not be left alone with Giles. Responsible for opening industry eyes to the potential of behavioural science, Richard is the author of two books that serious marketing types like you and I could not do without – The Choice Factory and The Illusion of Choice. Alongside him today, as is so often the case, is MichaelAaron Flicker, founder and president of (Zeeenno-Sigh) XenoPsi Ventures, a brand incubator firm that helps out all kinds of companies with financial, marketing and intellectual capital. As well as co-hosting their pod, and co-authoring their book, they’ve completed a hattrick of Co’s by co-founding the Consumer Behaviour Lab, where they apply their considerable collective knowledge to help make marketing smarter, better and less stinky. In an episode where we open the sunroof on the human mind and reveal there’s much more to it than day dreams, crippling doubt and song lyrics from 1996, we hear from two of the field’s most compelling experts on what it really takes for a brand to be chosen. This episode is proudly dedicated to Rory Sutherland. Follow Richard and MichaelAaron on LinkedIn. ///// Timestamps 08:27 - Reflections on Career Path and Pivots 10:09 - Richard's Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne 12:39 - How Richard and Michael Met 14:22 - The Concept Behind Their New Book 16:01 - Writing Process and Collaboration Insights 20:21 - Discussion on Haagen-Dazs and Country of Origin Effect 25:04 - The Power of Naming: Patagonian Toothfish vs. Chilean Sea Bass 30:07 - Marketing Confusion Between Marketing and Sales Their Book Recommendations are: Alchemy by Rory Sutherland Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg /////

August 15, 2025Episode 16853 min

168: Professor Byron Sharp on a lifetime of learning in the marketing world

This week we tucked in our shirt, straightened our tie and resisted the temptation to nip off for a quick vape behind the pickle-ball court, all in order to suitably impress our guest, one of the world’s greatest marketing academics, Professor Byron Sharp. A man who would need no introduction (if we weren’t contractually obliged to provide all our pod guests with one) Prof Byron is one of the world’s most respected thinkers in the field of brands and consumer behaviour. Unless you’re deliberately trying to get yourself fired from your marketing role, you’ll no doubt have read his seminal book ‘How Brands Grow’ and, if you’re especially lucky, you may well have learned directly from the man himself in one of his globally prestigious academic roles. A speaker, a teacher, a thinker and a pioneering researcher, Byron still has the time to be a thoroughly entertaining podcast guest, and is famously happy to share the kind of knee-buckling market truth that the industry fears but also really, really needs. In an episode where Byron jabs a scholarly finger into the flabby thinking that holds brands back, we ponder the many different disciplines a proper marketer should be able to wrap their heads around if they want a consumer to care. This episode is proudly dedicated to John Scriven. Follow Byron on LinkedIn ///// Timestamps 03:27 - Early Jobs and Academia 04:38 - The Importance of Real-World Experience 06:09 - Working with Andrew Ehrenberg 08:28 - The Intent Behind "How Brands Grow" 09:41 - Marketing Blind Spots and Unexplored Areas 10:30 - Cognitive Biases and Behavioral Science 11:48 - The Role of Heuristics in Consumer Behavior 12:43 - Understanding Double Jeopardy Law 14:08 - Consumer Efficiency vs. Laziness 15:26 - Predictive Power of Marketing Science 16:06 - The Weirdness of the Real World 17:37 - Misconceptions About Marketing Science 19:40 - The Role of Synthetic Research 32:58 - B2B Marketing and Growth Strategies 35:22 - The Value of Awards in Marketing Byron's Book recommendations are: The Halo Effect by Phil Rosenzweig Everything is Obvious by Duncan Watts The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver /////

August 1, 2025Episode 16759 min

167: Lisa Parfitt on doing the business for women’s sport.

This week we’re pushing our withered hamstrings way beyond their wretched limits, all in order to win the attention of our guest, sport and brand marketing super-baller Lisa Parfitt. In a career that has been, figuratively, one top bin after the other, Lisa has done more than most to give women’s sport a serious platform, particularly when it comes to those all-important commercial relationships. A star player in the efforts to land the Women’s FA Cup their first brand sponsorship, Lisa can be found on the prestigious pages of PR Week’s Power 100 for her work in pushing for greater representation for women in the sports business. Having gone toe-to-toe with the inequalities in the game in her time as both a Level 1 coach and director, she now devotes her considerable skills and stamina to creating better, fairer and more sustainable partnerships, sponsorships and culture in the game. In an episode with absolutely no time wasting, even for the occasional glug of branded energy pop, we ponder everything from the unique brand value of fans of women sport, to how the game is changing, in both sporting and commercial ways. This episode is proudly dedicated to Karen Earl. Follow Lisa on LinkedIn. ///// Timestamps 04:34 - Transitioning to the Sports Industry 10:31 - First Job in Women's Sport 12:18 - The Shift to Sponsorship and Commercial Focus 15:32 - The Role of Brands in Women's Sport 20:10 - Securing the First Women's FA Cup Partnership 26:32 - The Impact of COVID on Women's Sport 30:35 - Research on Women's Sports Fans Engagement 36:59 - The Future of Women's Sport and Upcoming Events 42:06 - Changing Perceptions in Women's Sport Lisa's Book Recommendations are: Eat Sweat Play - Anna Kessel Why She Buys - Bridget Brennan Game On - Sue Anstiss /////