Call To Action Giles Edwards
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- Business
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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Building the world’s first GEN-Z copywriting community, Word Tonic, with Carolyn McMurray and Em Goodier.
This week, we ate and left no some crumbs to lure and catch GEN-Z copywriters, Carolyn McMurray and Em Goodier.
Co-founders of Word Tonic, the world’s first GEN-Z copywriting community, Carolyn and Em are hell-bent on helping and inspiring more young people to write for a living. Driven directly by young copywriters, it's a space to connect, share advice and learn from both each other and in masterclasses with the world's most noticeable brands like Disney and Google.
With over 700 GEN-Z copywriters involved, they’re growing so fast they’ve got brands reaching out to recruit fresh, emerging talent straight from the community.
We spill the tea (we’ll stop now) on embracing chaos in your career, building a community as an introvert, why research matters before a GEN-Z marketing effort, flexibility, mentorship, wanky creative directors, creating a diverse and inclusive community, short-term echo chambers, listener questions from Vikki Ross, Dave Harland, Thomas Kemeny and Andrew Boulton, boyfriend dedications, and loads more*.
*including a World Cup of GEN-Z words designed solely to get Giles to say “yeet”, “bussin”, and “vibe check”.
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Follow Word Tonic on Instagram
Find them on LinkedIn
Here’s their website and newsletter
And check out one of Carolyn’s recommendation; Farnam Street
Timestamps
(01:47) - World Cup of GEN-Z Words
(03:31) - Early (chaotic) career paths; from Costa Coffee and cleaning to copywriting
(12:31) - How Word Tonic started, the recruitment side, and why you should join
(22:46) - How to nail GEN-Z marketing efforts
(31:31) - Listener questions
(40:51) - 4 pertinent posers
Their book recommendations are:
Junior by Thomas Kemeny
Hey Whipple Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters by Dan Nelken
The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey
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Lessons in Creative Leadership with Coca-Cola’s Adam Ross.
This week we asked “Is Pepsi okay?” to bait and catch Coca-Cola Creative Lead, Adam Ross.
Creative Lead for Coca-Cola across the ASEAN & South Pacific region, Adam is responsible for translating and elevating global core creative ideas regionally and locally, wrangling agencies around the world, and driving thought leadership across the business.
So, gather on a Hilltop and listen as we sing on working on impactful campaigns for the Met Police, the power of brand and why it’s far from dead, “leaving loudly”, serendipity, the power of a great brief, going from agency to client side at Coca-Cola, Cantona, being an agency whisperer, balancing parenthood and leaderships and loads more.
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Follow Adam on LinkedIn
Listen to his sister, Vikki, on Episode 6 of Call to Action®
Check out Adam’s Creative Sparks post each month
And keep an eye out for Vikki’s Copy Safaris
Timestamps
(02:01) - Quickfire questions
(02:56) - His first jobs and first proper job at MediaCom
(05:05) - Tackling issues like knife crime and gun violence for the Met Police
(08:29) - The role of serendipity in his career
(13:07) - Transition to client-side at Coca-Cola
(23:17) - Being an ‘agency whisperer’
(26:08) - The power of a brief
(31:15) - Leaving loudly
(40:55) - Listener questions
(51:38) - 4 pertinent posers
Adam’s book recommendations are:
Emotion by Design by Greg Hoffman
Misfits by Michaela Coel
Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld
Dave Trott’s books
The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton
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Unleashing your leadership potential with Scott ‘The Boom’ Morrison
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 -
A front row seat at The Howard Gossage Show with ad land greats Steve Harrison and Dave Dye
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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[BEST OF] Professor Karen Nelson-Field schools us on all things attention.
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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Meet Mr Gammon, the costume designer behind the award-winning Guinness ‘Sapeurs’ and ‘plug boy’ in the Sainsbury’s Christmas ad.
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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