That's What I Call Marketing

Conor Byrne
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Conor Byrne hosts That's What I Call Marketing meeting some of the most incredible marketing minds in our industry, CMO's, founders and marketing leaders from across the globe, this podcast tackles the big issues facing marketers today, as well as providing inspiration by hearing the incredible stories marketing leaders share of their journey to the top. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. S5Ep13: Christmas in April with Pete Markey & Leanne Tomasevic powered by Electric Twin

    12 HR AGO

    S5Ep13: Christmas in April with Pete Markey & Leanne Tomasevic powered by Electric Twin

    How Brands Should Really Be Planning Christmas Campaigns What happens when you start planning Christmas… in April? In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne is joined by Pete Markey (former CMO of Boots, Marketing Week Marketer of the Year) and Leanne Tomasevic (Insights Lead at Electric Twin) to explore how brands should approach Christmas advertising — using real-time synthetic audience insights. Instead of guessing what consumers want, this episode puts Electric Twin’s platform to the test live, revealing how marketers can simulate audience reactions, test ideas, and sharpen creative briefs months before campaigns go live. The result is a grounded, practical look at: What people actually want from Christmas ads in 2026Why emotional storytelling still matters (but needs reframing)The role of celebrities, music, and consistencyHow to balance commercial pressure with authenticityAnd how AI-driven research can speed up better decisionsIf you’re working on a Christmas campaign, brand strategy, or creative development, this is a genuinely useful watch. ⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – The reality of planning Christmas in April 01:10 – What Electric Twin actually does (synthetic audiences explained) 03:00 – Why speed matters in modern marketing decision-making 05:30 – Live demo: Understanding the mood of the nation at Christmas 08:30 – What consumers really want this year (family, realism, restraint) 12:00 – Gifting trends: practicality vs meaningful connection 14:30 – The balance between storytelling and selling 16:00 – What people want from Christmas ads now 18:00 – Should brands use celebrities? (and when it works) 21:00 – The role of consistency (Kevin the Carrot, John Lewis, Coca-Cola) 24:00 – Realism vs escapism in Christmas creative 27:00 – How agencies can use this to build stronger briefs 29:00 – The most memorable Christmas ads and why they last 32:00 – Should brands reuse ads instead of making new ones? 33:00 – Why music is critical to Christmas advertising effectiveness 35:30 – Final thoughts: faster insight, better decisions 🎯 Key TakeawaysChristmas advertising isn’t about excess — it’s about connection under constraintConsumers want authenticity, not performanceCreative effectiveness improves when insight is iterative, not staticConsistency often beats novelty in building long-term brand memoryAI isn’t replacing research — it’s changing how quickly you can think🔗 Links & ResourcesLearn more about Electric Twin: https://electrictwin.comListen to more episodes: That’s What I Call MarketingPrevious episode with Dr. Ben Warner (Synthetic Research deep dive)🎙️ About the PodcastThat’s What I Call Marketing features conversations with leading marketers, CMOs, and industry thinkers — focused on how marketing actually works in practice. If you’re working on Christmas 2026 right now, get in touch with Electric Twin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min
  2. The Singles: The hot hits of April with McDonald’s, KitKat & Bieber

    6 DAYS AGO

    The Singles: The hot hits of April with McDonald’s, KitKat & Bieber

    The Singles is back with a new line-up from Tracksuit, looking at the marketing stories everyone is talking about In this episode joined by Bella & Ed we take a look at the data behind three very different moments McDonald’s shifts the conversation away from product and towards Gen Z employees, at a time when confidence in job opportunities for young people is low. It could easily have drifted into familiar employer-brand territory, but early signals suggest it is doing something more meaningful, with trust moving among younger audiences in a category where that is not easy to shift.KitKat finds itself at the centre of a global story after 12 tonnes of product are stolen, and instead of containing it, turns it into something participatory. Consumers are actively engaging, brands are joining in, and even a “KitKat” crypto coin spikes by 2000%. Most reactive marketing creates attention. Very little of it changes behaviour. This one starts to.Justin Bieber’s Coachella set works in a different way, stripping everything back and building the performance around YouTube. Nearly 6 million people stream it, and it splits opinion in a way that keeps it moving. It takes something familiar and presents it in a way that forces people to reprocess it, which is often where attention sustains rather than fades.Along the way, the conversation gets into why authenticity is showing up differently in production, how nostalgia actually works when brands get it right, and why participation is becoming more valuable than passive reach. 05:00 – McDonald’s: trust, Gen Z and employer brand 10:30 – KitKat: heist, participation and brand response 15:50 – Justin Bieber: YouTube, nostalgia and polarisation 20:30 – Nostalgia in advertising and brand memory 25:00 – Always-on tracking and what the data shows Don't forget to check out the new Entertain or Die report at Tracksuit COMING SOON - TWICM Training course will launch, stay tuned Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  3. S5Ep12: Meet The Young Lions Headed to Cannes

    13 APR

    S5Ep12: Meet The Young Lions Headed to Cannes

    The first Cannes Sessions episode of That’s What I Call Marketing is here and we kick off the series by interviewing three Irish IAPI Young Lions winner teams heading to Cannes: Darragh Spain and Fardosa Flanagan (Young Marketer, 123.ie/Intact Insurance), Ciara and Niamh (Film, Droga5), and Emily and Rhea (Digital, Omnicom Media). They discuss why they entered, how they tackled the 48-hour brief, research and insight methods, time management, prototyping and AI tools for film, adapting to an older target audience, presentation pressure, reactions to winning, and how they’re preparing for Cannes through past work review, equipment planning, bootcamps, and confidence. The Cannes Sessions are brought to you by The Digital Voice. These interviews shine a spotlight on their exceptional talents and the creative potential that exists within the next generation of marketing leaders, lets support and celebrate these future leaders as they prepare to bring home some medals from one of the most prestigious events in the marketing world. 01:05 Young Lions Explained 01:40 Meet the Winning Teams 02:43 Darragh and Fardosa Intro 03:19 Cracking the Brief 04:33 Research and Insights 06:55 Teamwork Under Pressure 08:21 Shortlist to Presentation 10:11 Winning the Call 11:29 Preparing for Cannes 12:55 Niamh and Ciara Win 13:35 Film Category Workflow 15:45 Agency Advantage 16:21 Why Enter Young Lions 17:07 Choosing a Category 17:22 Learning Film Skills 18:06 Upskilling With AI 18:52 Planning For Cannes 19:35 Storytelling Edge 21:07 Why Enter Young Lions 22:24 Team Dynamic Under Pressure 24:03 Choosing The Digital Route 24:51 Cracking The Age Group 25:39 Winning Call Reaction 26:42 Cannes Prep And Mindset Sponsored by The Digital Voice, the amplification agency working with global ad tech and martech brands across press, thought leadership, content, social, events, and creative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  4. S5Ep11: Descript CEO on What Actually Grows A Product.

    31 MAR

    S5Ep11: Descript CEO on What Actually Grows A Product.

    Laura Burkhauser, CEO of Descript, explains the surprising truth about what actually grows a product. Most marketing advice assumes growth comes from better targeting, smarter funnels, or stronger loyalty. Laura sees it differently. In this episode, we get into what actually drives product growth — and why some of the most widely accepted ideas in marketing and SaaS don’t hold up when you look at real behaviour. From why freemium often fails, to why loyalty doesn’t grow your business (but still matters), to what AI will and won’t change — this is a grounded, operator-level view of how products actually scale. If you work in marketing, product, or growth, this will likely challenge a few default assumptions. In this episode, we cover: Growth doesn’t come from loyalty — it comes from penetrationMost freemium models don’t work the way companies think they do“Target audiences” often aren’t real, connected communitiesAI will amplify creativity, not replace itCustomer care is one of the last real competitive advantages 02:00 – What Descript actually is and who it’s for 04:30 – Product vs product marketing: the career fork that shapes everything 07:30 – Why big tech can slow you down (and what startups get right) 10:00 – Moving from product leader to CEO — what actually changes 13:30 – The freemium myth: why it didn’t work the way they expected 15:00 – “Are we dating or not?” — a better model for product growth 16:30 – How products actually get discovered (SEO, content, and reality) 18:00 – Why most “target audiences” aren’t real communities 20:30 – The shift from founder-led to customer-led companies 22:00 – What customers are actually good at telling you (and what they’re not) 24:30 – Why customer care is a competitive advantage (and why most companies cut it) 25:00 – Loyalty isn’t growth — but it might be your moat 26:00 – How to actually achieve penetration in a crowded market 28:00 – The challenge of building a product for “everyone” 30:00 – AI, content, and the future of podcasting — what’s real vs hype 33:00 – Why most AI-generated content won’t work 34:30 – The “Finding Nemo” moment AI still hasn’t had 36:00 – Scaling a company without losing creativity 37:00 – Why “intrepid” might be the most important mindset for modern teams About Laura Burkhauser Laura Burkhauser is the CEO of Descript, one of the most widely used platforms for podcasting, video editing, and content creation. She has held senior product leadership roles at companies including Amazon and Twitter, and is known for her product-first approach to growth. Listen / Watch more episodes: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com/ Thanks to our partner on this episode the always on brand tracking dashboard Tracksuit If you enjoyed this, subscribe for more conversations with CMOs, founders, and marketing leaders on how growth actually happens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    40 min
  5. S5 Ep10: Inside Saatchi & Saatchi, with CEO Claire Hollands

    25 MAR

    S5 Ep10: Inside Saatchi & Saatchi, with CEO Claire Hollands

    Inside Saatchi & Saatchi. Sit down with the CEO of one of the most iconic agencies in advertising, a name that carries both weight and expectation, to understand how CEO Claire Hollands leads for today. This is a conversation about ambition. Not in the abstract, but in how it shows up in the work, in the culture, and in the relationship between agencies and clients. We get into how Saatchi & Saatchi is positioning itself around growth, why creativity still holds commercial power (even if the industry occasionally forgets it), and how agencies are rethinking their value, from billable hours to business outcomes. There’s also a clear view on where things are shifting: the role of AI, the reality of pitching, and why agencies need to be more deliberate about the clients they choose. Running through all of it is leadership, how you make decisions without perfect information, how you build a culture of high challenge and high support, and how you balance legacy with the need to move forward. What you’ll learn: Why agencies need to reposition themselves around growth, not outputsHow creativity still drives commercial performance and where it gets undervaluedWhat actually builds trust between agencies and clientsWhy most pitch processes are flawed and what better looks likeHow to think about agency value, pricing, and remunerationThe difference between growth brands and transformation brands and why it mattersWhat “high challenge, high support” looks like in practiceHow great leaders make decisions without having all the answersWhat AI is changing in agencies and what it isn’tWhy hiring for attitude and curiosity matters more than experience Timestamps 00:03:00 – Finding your people in the industry 00:06:00 – Why account management sits at the centre of the agency 00:07:00 – Building trust in client relationships 00:12:00 – How decisions are really made at senior level 00:15:00 – Culture, values, and collective ambition 00:19:00 – High challenge, high support: what it means in practice 00:23:00 – Managing pressure across career and family 00:25:30 – Where the agency world is heading 00:29:30 – The evolving agency model 00:32:00 – The role and reality of pitching 00:33:30 – What needs to change in pitch processes 00:37:30 – Hiring for attitude, not just skill 00:39:00 – What excites Claire about what’s next About the podcast That’s What I Call Marketing is a podcast for marketers who care about how brands grow, how advertising works, and how the industry is evolving through conversations with the people shaping it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    42 min
  6. S5 Ep9: Andrew Tindall: The Creative Dividend, How Creativity Drives Profit

    10 MAR

    S5 Ep9: Andrew Tindall: The Creative Dividend, How Creativity Drives Profit

    In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne speaks with Andrew Tindall, Chief Growth Officer at System1, about his new publication/pdf The Creative Dividend. Built using global Effie case study data and creative testing from over 250,000 respondents, the research explores a simple but uncomfortable truth: most advertising fails to deliver profitable growth. Andrew explains why creativity has been undervalued in modern marketing, why many campaigns generate revenue but not profit, and why the industry’s biggest problem may actually be a lack of creative confidence. The conversation also explores the relationship between emotion, distinctiveness, media investment, pricing power and brand growth and what marketers should actually do differently. If you care about marketing effectiveness, advertising creativity, and long-term brand growth, this is a fascinating deep dive. Topics Covered• Why only 9% of advertising campaigns report profit growth • The concept of creative confidence • What the Creative Dividend actually means • Why distinctiveness beats differentiation • Why advertising cannot create loyalty • The link between emotion and profit • Why many campaigns are designed to fail • The tension between creative quality and media investment Timestamps05:00 What The Creative Dividend is trying to solve 06:32 Why global Effie data matters for marketing effectiveness 07:17 Has creativity been undervalued in advertising? 08:59 The crisis of confidence in marketing creativity 10:16 Why many organisations see creativity as a risk 11:21 The role of the client in protecting great ideas 12:17 Why businesses avoid creative risk 13:00 The shocking statistic: only 9% of campaigns report profit growth 14:17 Are marketers measuring the wrong outcomes? 15:21 The importance of pricing power in marketing 16:45 How creativity enables brands to charge more 19:16 What the “Creative Dividend” actually means 21:00 The four drivers of creative effectiveness 22:00 Why 83% of campaigns are designed to fail 23:06 Why great creative fails without media support 24:16 The power of long-term creative platforms 26:00 Consistency vs freshness in advertising 28:46 What surprised Andrew most in the research 29:07 Why distinctiveness matters more than differentiation 29:48 Why advertising doesn’t create loyalty 30:00 Distinctiveness vs emotion: efficiency vs effectiveness 31:41 Why emotional advertising drives profit 32:44 Why revenue alone isn’t success in marketing 34:00 The debate about gated content in marketing research 39:00 AI, marketing knowledge and the future of learning Links MentionedThe Creative Dividend (download the pdf): https://system1group.com/the-creative-dividendTracksuit https://www.gotracksuit.comThat’s What I Call Marketing Podcast https://www.thatswhatIcallmarketing.comGreen Hat Episode (gated content discussion): https://open.spotify.com/episode/72D5zXtNRzzNgdjYytRQdI?si=r2kbvHU3QqWVh6sM6na7wg OR https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/s3-ep39-the-b2b-power-shift-what-marketers-must-do/id1615415427?i=1000672178838 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
  7. S5 Ep8: Synthetic Research Explained

    3 MAR

    S5 Ep8: Synthetic Research Explained

    Synthetic Research Explained, Understanding AI-Powered Audience Testing for Marketers What is synthetic research and how accurate is it really? In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Dr. Ben Warner, former Chief Data Adviser to the UK Prime Minister and co-founder of Electric Twin, to unpack one of the most talked-about developments in modern market research: synthetic audiences. This is not ChatGPT pretending to be a consumer. Synthetic research uses real-world survey data, behavioural modelling and large language models to create AI-driven audience simulations that allow organisations to test messaging, product ideas and strategy at speed before committing real budgets. If you work in marketing, insight, product, strategy or leadership, this episode will challenge how you think about research, risk and decision-making. ⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Introduction to synthetic research 02:00 – From quantum physics to behavioural modelling 03:35 – Why human behaviour is harder to predict than we think 05:17 – The problem with traditional decision-making tools 09:02 – What Electric Twin actually does 10:00 – What a “synthetic audience” really means 13:59 – Testing creative, messaging and propositions in real time 15:06 – Accuracy vs traditional survey research 17:00 – Real-world use cases across marketing and product 19:02 – The danger of asking the “wrong” question 23:06 – Democratising customer insight inside organisations 25:00 – Where synthetic research fits (and where it doesn’t) 27:00 – Innovation vs risk-averse organisations 29:09 – The story behind the name “Electric Twin” In this episode, we cover:How synthetic audiences are built from real-world dataWhy traditional surveys can be slow, expensive and restrictiveHow AI allows teams to iterate research questions instantlyThe difference between testing ideas safely and making bold decisions blindlyWhy trust and validation matter in emerging AI toolsWhere synthetic research complements (not replaces) conventional methodsWhy this mattersEvery organisation says it wants to be “customer-centric”.But insight is often expensive, delayed, siloed or underused.Synthetic research introduces a new tool into the decision-making toolkit — one that allows teams to explore, iterate and pressure-test ideas before they go live.Whether you are a CMO defending budget, a product lead developing a proposition, or a strategy team modelling future scenarios, this conversation explores how AI-driven research could reshape how decisions are made. If you found this useful, share it with a colleague and subscribe for more conversations with marketing leaders shaping the future of the industry. 🎧 Listen to more episodes of That’s What I Call Marketing 📌 Connect with Conor Byrne for more marketing insight 🔗 Learn more about Electric Twin and synthetic audiences Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  8. S5Ep7: What your CFO actually wants to hear from you

    24 FEB

    S5Ep7: What your CFO actually wants to hear from you

    What does your CFO actually want to hear from you? In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Michael Kaminsky former analytics leader at Harry’s and Founder & CEO of Recast to unpack the real tension between marketing and finance. After Michael’s Harvard Business Review article on the CMO–CFO relationship circulated widely (and resonated strongly with CFOs and CMOs), this conversation goes deep on: Why marketing forecasts keep missingWhy finance doesn’t trust marketing numbersHow to talk about ROI and risk crediblyThe problem with last-click attributionHow to structure experiments properlyWhat “expected value” really means for marketersWhy brand investment must be framed as capital allocationIf you’re a CMO, Marketing Director, Head of Performance or brand leader trying to build a stronger relationship with your CFO — this episode is essential. ⏱️ Chapters 01:02 – Michael’s time at Harry’s: analytics, growth & experimentation 05:00 – The early days of podcast advertising & growth bets 06:15 – False precision in marketing measurement 07:23 – Brand tracking, survey data & real signal 08:42 – The Harvard Business Review article 09:07 – Why CMOs and CFOs feel tension 10:13 – Speaking the language of finance 14:21 – Discounted cash flow & thinking in timelines 15:00 – The credibility killer: marketing marketing 15:32 – Why being willing to be wrong builds trust 18:20 – Talking about risk & expected value 22:18 – Incrementality & structured experimentation 25:05 – Recast: forecasting & bridging marketing and finance 28:28 – The forecasting trap: last-touch attribution 30:19 – Compounding learning & agency transparency 32:00 – Final reflections: marketing as growth co-pilot 🔎 Topics CoveredCMO CFO relationshipMarketing finance alignmentMarketing ROIForecasting marketing investmentIncrementality in marketingLast click attribution problemsMedia mix modelling (MMM)Brand investment vs short-term performanceCapital allocation in marketingBuilding trust with finance If you found this valuable: ✔️ Share it with a fellow marketer ✔️ Subscribe for more conversations with leading marketing thinkers ✔️ Leave a review — it helps the show reach more senior marketers Check out Recast here https://getrecast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
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Conor Byrne hosts That's What I Call Marketing meeting some of the most incredible marketing minds in our industry, CMO's, founders and marketing leaders from across the globe, this podcast tackles the big issues facing marketers today, as well as providing inspiration by hearing the incredible stories marketing leaders share of their journey to the top. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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