Welcome to Embracing Marketing Mistakes, the world’s leading irreverent podcast for senior marketers who are tired of the polished corporate b*llshit. Join Chris Norton and Will Ockenden, founders of the award-winning Prohibition PR, as they sit down with industry leaders to dissect the career-ending f*ck-ups they’d rather forget. The show moves past any pretty vanity metrics to uncover the brutal, honest truths behind marketing disasters, from £30,000 SEO black holes and completely failed companies, to social media crises that went globally viral for all the wrong reasons. We don't just celebrate the f*ck-ups; we extract the tactical blueprints you need to avoid them yourself. If you are a business owner, or a CMO looking for a competitive advantage that only comes from real-world experience, this is your weekly masterclass in resilience and strategy. Listen for: Raw stories from top brands, ex-McKinsey strategists, and industry disruptors. Learn from: The errors that cost thousands and the recoveries that saved careers. Get ahead by: Turning other people's nasty disasters into your unfair market advantage. If you have a story to tell and would like to appear on the show, tell us your biggest marketing mistake and drop us a line.
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June 16, 20261 hr 1 min
EP 115: The Moment Claude Co-Work Replaced 4 Days of Work in 30 Minutes
He handed AI a full marketing project… and it came back finished in 30 minutes.What used to take 4 days of analysis, reporting, and presentation building was done in a single sitting with better insights included.In this episode, Andrew Bruce Smith breaks down how tools like Claude Co‑Work are changing the way marketers actually work. This is not about faster copy or better prompts. It is about delegating entire workflows to AI and shifting your role from execution to management.You will hear how AI can analyse raw marketing data, build reports, create presentations, and even improve on your thinking without being explicitly asked. The implications for agencies, in-house teams, and professional services are immediate.There is also a clear warning. Most organisations are still treating AI like a tool rather than a system. That gap is where both risk and opportunity now sit.If you work in marketing, this is already affecting your output, your value, and your role.Send us Fan Mail Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
June 9, 202657 min
EP 114: We Deepfaked a CEO in 2 Minutes. Here’s What Happened
A finance worker joins a Zoom call with their CFO and colleagues.Everything looks and sounds real. They transfer $25 million. Every person on that call was fake.AI misinformation has moved from theory to real-world crisis, and brands are already losing control. From deepfake CEOs and fake giveaways to hijacked campaigns and cloned influencer accounts, the speed and scale of risk has changed completely.In this episode, Will and I break down how AI is reshaping crisis management in 2026 and why most organisations are still underprepared. You’ll hear real examples of deepfake fraud, brand damage, and misinformation spreading faster than teams can respond.We also walk through a practical framework to help you protect your brand, including how to respond in the first 24 hours, how to monitor AI-driven threats, and how to build a proactive crisis plan that accounts for today’s risks.If you lead marketing, comms or brand, this is no longer optional. It is operational risk.Send us Fan Mail Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
June 4, 20264 min
The Mistake That Burnt Me Out: Staying Too Long Where I Didn’t Belong
Cory Koryczan opens up about the career mistake that nearly broke her.Staying too long in a role that no longer fit. She’d built her identity around someone else’s business and clung to safety until it led to burnout. In this episode, Cory talks about the cost of over-loyalty, the fear that kept her stuck, and how she rebuilt her courage to finally walk away. She also shares a second big lesson from returning to work after maternity leave. Why confidence doesn’t just snap back and how discomfort became her best teacher. It’s honest, raw, and packed with lessons for anyone who’s ever ignored their gut to “play it safe.” Send us Fan MailIs your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
June 2, 20261 hr 5 min
EP 113: Why Most CMOs Fail at Brand Strategy
Most marketing fails before a single ad is made. Not because the execution is bad, but because teams leap straight to tactics and skip the strategy underneath. Ben Norman calls the result "busy fools": lots of activity, very little impact.Ben, Strategy Director at Principles Agency and host of Marketing Room 101, joins Chris and Will to break down what brand strategy actually is, why so many senior marketers get it wrong, and how to do it properly without drowning in 20-page decks and brand "salad bowls".What you'll learn:The simplest definition of strategy you'll hear, using Ben's "person and product" modelWhy diagnosis comes before strategy, and strategy before tactics (borrowed from the ancient Greeks)The Three Cs framework: customer, company, competition, and why every problem comes back to themThe "bow tie" method for distilling a mountain of insight down to a single wordWhy you should think in alternatives, not competitors (a Snickers competes with doing nothing, not just a KitKat)The McCafé anti-poncery campaign and what makes it a masterclass in positioningWhy "channel neutrality" matters, and why SEO, GEO and AEO are all just "search"How strategic thinking applies to everything from cleaning your house to running the countryPlus Ben serves up his now-famous Menu of Mistakes, including the £70k pitch that got away, the food shoot where he forgot to book the art director and styled it out by pretending he was one, and the Wally the Whale mascot meltdown at Wetherby Racecourse that ruined childhoods and lost punters their bets.The conversation closes with the three things Ben would banish from marketing right now: tiny microphones, people misusing the word "omnichannel", and the damage social media is doing to society.Chapters:0:00 Intro 1:15 Building a podcast with Room 101 4:35 Mini MBA and marketing basics 7:40 What strategy really means 12:35 The Three Cs and the bow tie 17:55 Listening first and field research 21:00 Knowing when insight is enough 24:55 McCafé and anti-poncery positioning 29:10 Strategy thinking in daily life 34:45 False binaries and channel neutrality 39:35 What communications means in practice 42:25 The menu of marketing mistakes 46:30 Wally the Whale mascot meltdown 51:05 The missing art director food shoot 54:40 Three things to banish now 57:35 Social media harm and regulationConnect with Ben Norman on LinkedInSend us Fan Mail Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
May 28, 20266 min
I Took A Team To Paris And Discovered The Brief Was In Spam
A missed brief. A room full of decision-makers. A team fresh off the Eurostar waiting to present a tailored proposal that never existed—because the client’s detailed instructions were quietly filed in spam. We tell the whole story with candour, including the costs, the embarrassment, and the uncomfortable gap between personal brand and reality when a simple system failure derails a big moment.We dig into what professionalism really looks like in sales and agency life: not bravado at the pitch, but the boring brilliance of process. You’ll hear why “creds plus” only works at the right funnel stage, how attendee lists hint at evaluation versus discovery, and where most teams stumble when meetings evolve without explicit re-qualification. We break down practical safeguards—48-hour objective confirmations, shared inbox rules, whitelisting, pre-flight checklists, and backup comms channels—that make important emails unmissable and keep live meetings aligned with buyer expectations.There’s also the human layer. Pride takes a knock when your edge is process mastery and the basics fail; we talk openly about that ego hit and how to respond without excuse-making. From rapid acknowledgement to a 48-hour turnaround on a tailored proposal, we share recovery moves that rebuild trust and sometimes strengthen relationships. If you sell, pitch, or lead client work, this story will arm you with simple, repeatable habits that prevent single points of failure and turn confidence into evidence.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a teammate who runs high-stakes meetings, and leave a quick review telling us your most expensive lesson learned.Send us Fan MailIs your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
May 26, 202648 min
EP 112: Author of Decoded Explains Why This T‑Mobile Ad Failed in One Sec
Phil Barden, Author of Decoded once led a European brand relaunch that cost millions. The problem was not the strategy, the budget or the agency. The human brain rejected the advert in seconds.In this episode, Phil explains the T‑Mobile campaign that quietly failed and why the creative meant something very different to audiences than it did in the boardroom.That mistake changed his career. It took him from senior brand roles into behavioural science, neuroscience and decision science, and eventually to writing Decoded, one of the most cited books in modern marketing.You will hear why perception always beats intention, why first impressions lock in meaning, and why marketers routinely overestimate what audiences will “take out” of an ad.Phil also breaks down category entry points, mental availability, and why consistency in brand assets often beats constant reinvention.This episode is essential listening for senior marketers, brand leaders and agency teams who want to understand how advertising is actually processed, not how it is explained in presentations.Send us Fan Mail Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
May 21, 20266 min
The Expedia Pitch Mix-Up: When the Wrong Logo Won the Deal
In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, Sam Benton, co-founder of Mad Masters, joins Chris Norton and Will Ockenden to revisit one of his most unforgettable marketing moments. Early in his career, Sam walked into a major pitch for Expedia only to realise that Experian’s logo was proudly displayed on every single slide. What could have been a career-ending blunder turned into a long-standing client relationship and a story that still gets a laugh today.The team reflects on the lesson behind the mishap. Sam shares how working alongside Rory Sutherland shifted his perspective from “knowing it all” to embracing curiosity and collaboration. It’s an honest conversation about humility, growth, and the surprising ways that small mistakes can lead to big professional wins.Whether you have ever sent the wrong deck or just enjoy hearing marketers own their most human moments, this episode is equal parts insightful and entertaining.Send us Fan MailIs your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
May 19, 202651 min
EP 111: The Typo That Lucy Woolfenden Made It Onto a 96-Sheet Billboard
Growth looks exciting from the outside. Inside, it is usually chaotic, opinion-led and full of avoidable mistakes.In this episode, we sit down with Lucy Woolfenden, a former Skype marketer turned fractional CMO who now helps B2B and fintech scale-ups turn messy growth into focused, repeatable momentum.Lucy Woolfenden is a growth-focused fractional CMO and founder of The Scale-Up Collective, with senior marketing experience at Skype, Starling Bank and high-growth fintech scale-ups.She shares what really happens between product-market fit and the next funding round. From billboard typos that made it to print, to emails accidentally forwarded to clients, she explains why growth only works when teams prioritise properly, base decisions on real customer insight and stop trying to do everything at once.We also dig into why most B2B brands struggle to stand out, how marketers earn credibility with the rest of the business, and why focus beats hustle at every stage of scale.This is an honest conversation about growth, mistakes and the systems that stop chaos killing momentum.Send us Fan Mail Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
May 14, 20266 min
The Disappearing Pitch: How a Magician Cost Us the Client
When James Thomlinson decided to “bring some magic” to a high-stakes pitch for InterContinental Hotels Group, he meant it, literally. The plan? A magician disguised as a team member, ready to wow the client with a “reappearing newspaper” trick. The result? Cringe, confusion, and a fast lesson in what not to do when pitching creative ideas. In this hilarious and humbling episode, James shares how a failed attempt at showmanship turned into one of his biggest professional lessons and how he eventually won the client with a smarter, more authentic approach. If you’ve ever pushed creativity a little too far in your marketing, this episode will hit home. Send us Fan MailIs your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
May 12, 20261 hr 0 min
EP 110: Most Creative Directors Are Never Told What Their Job Is | Mick Mahoney
Most creative directors are never told what their job actually is.That confusion leads to imposter syndrome, burnout and years of silent mistakes at the top of agencies.In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, we sit down with Mick Mahoney, one of the most experienced creative leaders in advertising. Mick spent over 25 years as a Creative Director, Executive Creative Director and Chief Creative Officer at agencies including Ogilvy and BBH.He has led award-winning teams, topped creative rankings and worked alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. Despite that success, Mick openly admits that for much of his career he felt like he was winging it.We talk about the real job of a creative director, why no one ever defines it, and how that lack of clarity fuels ego, micromanagement and burnout. Mick shares the mistakes he made early on, the clients he lost, and the leadership lessons that only come from experience.This is an honest conversation about empathy, psychological safety, confidence and what creative leadership actually looks like when you strip away the posturing.If you lead creative people, manage senior teams or feel the pressure of needing to have all the answers, this episode will resonate.Send us Fan Mail Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈Subscribe to our newsletter👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show: TikTok, YouTube Instagram
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