Call To Action Giles Edwards

This week, we caught Scott ‘The Boom’ to shake-shake-shake the room. 

Cutting his teeth at Saatchi and Saatchi, Scott Morrison has run the Nike business at Wieden and Kennedy, and been CMO and Commercial Director at Levi’s, Activision and Diesel. Now he brings the Boom! to brands and leaders to Unblock, Unlock and Unleash commercial, creative or cultural impact that transforms business and individuals.

Strap in as we wag chins on picking tomatoes, the power of stating intent, the magic of positive disruption, and the art of creating a movement. Scott's not just about making noise - he's about making a real impact. From quiet leadership lessons inspired by Nelson Mandela to the bold moves that drive businesses forward, Scott's got the playbook for success.

Listen quick. Tic-tic-tic-tic...

Follow Scott on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram 
Find out more about the Boom! 
Here’s the Boom! Book Club 
Read 10 ways future-thinking clients are bringing the Boom! to Business Unusual
Scott's ISOLATED Talk Leadership Lessons from Marvin and Mandela

Timestamps
02:07 - Quickfire questions 
03:40 - His early jobs and career path
06:19 - Importance of being open to serendipity in career choices
13:39 - The importance of positive disruption in business
21:29 - The "unblock, unlock, unleash" approach
25:40 - Defining success and unblocking obstacles
33:24 - Stating intent as a powerful leadership tool
36:52 - Characteristics of impactful leaders and the concept of learning fast
41:25 - Impactful leadership styles and the balance between quiet and loud impact
45:37 - Listener questions 
51:38 - 4 pertinent posers 

Scott’s book recommendations are: 
The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest 
The Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday 
The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham

This week we sent off a coupon to catch 1960s advertising copywriter, Howard Gossage, through the eyes and work of Steve Harrison and Dave Dye.

As a copywriter, Steve tamed more Cannes Lions in his discipline than anyone else in the world. He’s been on the show twice before, once guesting, once hosting, and is a great friend of …Gasp!. Dave is the true “art director’s art director”. Through his career he’s won everything, worked for the best agencies in the business, and the visual techniques he uses to squeeze every ounce of juice from an idea are frankly unparalleled. 

The pair have joined forces to pen and produce ‘The Howard Gossage Show’, a fitting celebration of the fun and fame peddling ad man; one of the industry’s lesser known greats.

We gossip on Gossage’s showmanship, breaking conventions, having half an interesting conversation through his ads, writing to somebody, stunts, fame, and so much more. At a time when advertising is disliked and avoided by most people, his legacy feels even more important now than it was 60 years ago. So listen up. 

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Here’s The Howard Gossage Show 
Follow Steve and Dave on LinkedIn 
Check out Dave’s Stuff From the Loft
And Steve’s biography on Howard Gossage 

Timestamps
(02:34) - Quick fire questions (Posh Spice or Persil?)
(04:41) - How Gossage ended up in advertising 
(12:09) - Why now’s the time for a book about Gossage
(20:50) - How he broke conventions 
(26:28) - People read what interests them 
(35:00) - The industry becoming hyper-serious 
(45:17) - Listener questions from Vikki Ross and Nick Asbury 
(52:00) - The Cannes Lions humour category  
(1:00:00) - A dedication to Alice Lowe and Phish Food 

Image of Howard Gossage credit: ©George W Dippel

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It’s been 5 years since Call to Action® captured our first of what’s now over 130 heroes and allies from the industry front lines to have a chin-wag with. To celebrate, we’re rereleasing a choice cut of our favourite episodes as part of a ‘Best Of’ series. 

In February 2022, we stuck a fake shark fin on our back and lurked in the waters off Adelaide to catch the attention of one of the industry’s most respected researchers; Prof. Karen Nelson-Field. 

Hell-bent on fighting the broken media ecosystem as founder and CEO at Amplified Intelligence, Karen is also an author and alumni of the world-renowned Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. When she’s not binge-watching Home & Away (yes, she’s still a fan), Karen’s research into the measurement of attention has made her a global authority on media effectiveness.

Point your ears this way as Karen talks on her 10 years at Ehrenberg-Bass, skateboarding cats, myth-busting Facebook likes, going viral, why attention is an important metric, how to measure it and more. And strap in as Karen finally answers the red-hot question of whether our attention spans really are becoming shorter than a goldfi-

Oh, look, some links… 

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Follow Karen on LinkedIn 
And on Twitter 
Here’s her website
And, Karen kindly dedicates this episode to the bullshit-detecting bulldog himself, Bob Hoffman

Grab yourself her books:
Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing 
The Attention Economy and How Media Works 

Timestamps
(01:50) - Quick fire questions
(03:15) - First jobs and early fascination with advertising 
(08:40) - What she learnt about media from cinema 
(14:00) - Her time at Ehrenberg-Bass 
(15:45) - Myth-busting Facebook likes 
(19:15) - A deep dive into the attention economy 
(25:30) - Are our attention spans really getting shorter? 
(30:00) - Single piece of advice to marketers to better understand attention
(34:30) - Listener questions 
(38:15) - 4 pertinent posers 

Karen’s book recommendations are: 
Play Bigger by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead & Kevin Maney
That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph 

Feel better about marketing with Episode 81 of Call to Action® with Professor Karen Nelson-Field. 

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This week, we scoured wardrobes far and wide to catch a man who has dressed rock icons, Sapeurs of the Congo, a blue monster for Ed Sheeran, and even ‘plug boy’ from the Sainsbury’s Christmas ad; Mr Gammon.  

Costume designer, fashion stylist, and distinctive English gent, Mr Gammon is the go-to guy for creatively styled costumes. Whether it’s dressing The Rolling Stones, elegant men of the Congo, Usain Bolt, a school nativity like no other, or mum and dad in jeans and a t-shirt; no cast is too vast, nor celebrity too big.

We wag chins on his first ever job with an alcoholic called Malcolm, his first proper job dressing Adam Ant, making and selling bermuda shorts at school, being a colourful punk, what he loves about being on set, how a joke about needlework changed the trajectory of his life, managing expectations, where ‘Mr Gammon’ came from, taking 25 suitcases to film Guinness ‘Sapeurs’, making jackets for Mick Jagger, drawing as ‘creative offsetting’, and a treasure trove more. 

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Find Mr Gammon on Instagram
Here’s his website 
Loving You is Killing Me by My Life Story 
And a choice cut of Mr Gammon’s best work: 
Guinness Sapeurs 
Sainsbury’s The Big Night 
The brand new Carlsberg spot 'Curious Beginnings'
And DJ Shadow - Rocket Fuel ft. De La Soul

Timestamps
(02:09) - Quick fire questions, Doctor Who, and the reality check The Rolling Stones gave him 
(08:14) - First jobs, making bermuda shorts, and designing for Adam Ant 
(16:05) - His time at the Royal College of Art 
(20:30) - The ‘common good of the shoot’ when you’re on set 
(27:55) - Dealing with the opinions and emotions of different people on set
(39:39) - His new work for Carlsberg 
(41:35) - Listener questions 
(46:30) - 4 pertinent posers 

Mr Gammon’s book recommendations are: 
Small Trades by Irving Penn 
Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie
Learning to Love You More by Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher 
The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux
The Financial Times Weekend Edition

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It’s been 5 years since Call to Action® captured our first of what’s now over 130 heroes and allies from the industry front line to have a chin-wag with. The show is still very much like Pokémon Go, with the single but vital exception that it’s not a short-term bandwagon of shite. And to celebrate, we’re rereleasing a choice cut of our favourite episodes as part of the ‘Best of’ series. 

In September 2020, we pulled a network agency worm out of the Big Apple and used it as topic-bait to catch one of advertising’s biggest fish; the one and only George Tannenbaum. 

One of the most highly awarded, revered and talented copywriters and creative directors on the planet, George was Executive Creative Director and Copy Chief at Ogilvy for over 10 years. He has worked with huge brands like IBM, Boeing, PayPal, and General Motors, writes a hugely influential marketing blog called Ad Aged, and has a charming if alarmingly deluded French alter ego called ‘Le Agency Holding Company CEO’ who holds up a satirical mirror to the holding company era.

Initially released as a two-parter, this is the full, director’s cut. So strap in for an hour and 20 minutes of George’s blissful yet biting NY tones as he talks on subjects such as the agency scene in the 80s and 90s, ageism, the state of copywriting, rediscovering his love for advertising, his time at Ogilvy including his last assignment working on the Boeing account, how to write a good headline, and tons more. 

And the whole thing kicks off with an unmissable cameo from Le Agency Holding Company CEO. So what are you waiting for? Go listen.

Feel better about marketing with Episodes 46 and 47 of Call to Action® with George Tannenbaum. 

Follow George on LinkedIn
Here’s his Ad Aged Blog
And his website




George’s book recommendations:
The Saddest Words by Michael Gorra
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson 

This year marks 5 years since our maiden episode launched in 2019. And to celebrate Call to Action® turning 5, we’ve asked the …Gasp! team to rummage through all 130 episodes to re release some of their favourites. 

In June 2020, we cast a net off the coast of Adelaide and caught one of the globe’s greatest researchers, Jenni Romaniuk, for her first of two Call to Action® appearances. 

Jenni is a Research Professor at the conveyor belt of marketing stars, the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, where she has advised many of the world’s biggest brands. She’s also authored what’s now a trilogy of true industry bibles; How Brands Grow 2, Building Distinctive Brand Assets, and Better Brand Health. 

In one of our most listened to episodes of all time, you can hear all about Jenni’s first job as a talented mixologist, how to build mental availability, context, memory, metrics, and more. If you work for a company with a brand logo, font or colour scheme, this episode is as close to essential listening as you’re going to get to understand how to build, measure, manage and, crucially, protect distinctive brand assets. 

Feel better about marketing with Episode 39 of Call to Action® with Professor Jenni Romaniuk. 

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Follow Jenni on LinkedIn.
If you haven’t already, you’d be a fool not to fill your ear canals up with Jenni’s second cameo on Call To Action®, here.
And check out her books; Building Distinctive Brand Assets, How Brands Grow Part 2, and Better Brand Health.

Timestamps
(01:55) - Quick fire questions
(04:30) - First job behind the bar at a football club 
(07:00) - Getting a phone call from Byron Sharp and landing a job at EBI 
(12:30) - How Brands Grow 2 and Building Distinctive Brand Assets 
(17:05) - How to build mental availability 
(24:10) - The link between context and memory  
(31:25) - Best practices for managing and measuring distinctive assets
(45:35) - Listener questions 
(52:40) - 4 pertinent posers 



Jenni’s book recommendation is: 
A Scandalous Life by Mary S. Lovell 

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