That's What I Call Marketing

Conor Byrne
  • 5.0 (4)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. S5 Ep6: Marketing Masterclass with Marketing Leader Orla Mitchell

    15H AGO

    S5 Ep6: Marketing Masterclass with Marketing Leader Orla Mitchell

    What does it really take to move from brand marketer to global growth leader? In this episode Conor Byrne sits down with Orla Mitchell for a candid, commercially grounded conversation about leadership, long-term brand building and earning marketing’s seat at the growth table. Orla’s career spans senior roles at Nestlé, Kerry Foods, and Mars, where she led global food and confectionery portfolios including the transformation of the gum category and the return of Extra to the #1 position in the US. She later returned to Ireland to join WaterWipes, ultimately becoming CEO and helping scale the brand internationally with sharper strategic focus and disciplined portfolio choices. This episode goes far beyond career highlights. It’s about how marketing thinking matures from creative execution to enterprise-level value creation. 3:00 – Winning the Marketing Champion Award & what recognition really means 4:40 – From accountancy to marketing: finding the discipline that fit 6:00 – Cutting her teeth in FMCG at Nestlé 9:50 – Being headhunted to Mars & stepping into bigger challenges 13:00 – Dealing with disappointment & knowing when to leave 15:20 – Long vs short term thinking before it was fashionable 17:30 – Entering Mars: business model transformation over “just advertising” 19:15 – Business marketer vs creative marketer 21:00 – The Ehrenberg-Bass moment: science over opinion 24:30 – Creative effectiveness, star systems & why great ads last 27:00 – Test & learn done properly (with action standards) 31:30 – Global roles & navigating “we’re different” market objections 35:30 – Leading the gum category transformation 38:20 – Extra’s growth in the US & penetration focus 41:00 – Leaving Mars & the WaterWipes opportunity 43:00 – Scaling a challenger brand & making tough market choices 46:00 – Marketing as growth co-pilot, not support function If you lead brands, sit at an executive table, or aspire to do either, this episode is a masterclass in commercially credible marketing leadership. Thanks to Tracksuit for their support of this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min
  2. System, Sizzle & Sales Impact of Super Bowl 2026 with CMO Nataly Kelly

    5D AGO

    System, Sizzle & Sales Impact of Super Bowl 2026 with CMO Nataly Kelly

    Zappi CMO Nataly Kelly joins to talk about the Sizzle, Systems & Sales Impact of The Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest stage. $8 million for 30 seconds. Cultural noise at maximum volume. Celebrities everywhere. Music in almost every ad. But once the spectacle fades, one question remains: which ads actually drove impact? In this episode, we unpack the Zappi Super Bowl 2026 report (check it out here) built from testing every ad live with 20,000 American category buyers and benchmarking them against the top 100 performing TV ads in the US. We explore: – Why emotional response alone isn’t enough – The role of purchase likelihood in predicting sales impact – How celebrities can amplify an ad — or bury the brand – Why distinctive brand assets (Budweiser’s Clydesdales, Nerds’ characters) still matter – The Pepsi polar bear debate and what it says about brand memory – How health brands like Wegovy, Hims & Hers and Ro cut through – Why the best Super Bowl ads are part of a system, not a one-night stunt This conversation goes beyond ranking ads. It looks at what actually moves the needle — and what marketers without Super Bowl budgets can learn from the world’s most expensive media moment. Zappi’s full report is available at zappi.io here. Chapters 2:25 – What Zappi Measures 4:07 – How the Super Bowl Ads Were Tested Live 5:00 – Celebrity Usage: Amplifier or Distraction? 8:54 – Brand Recall vs Entertainment 10:15 – Super Bowl Ads as Part of a System 12:38 – Music, Multi-Screening & Attention 13:54 – Health Brands, Outrage & Cultural Relevance 16:12 – Why Budweiser Still Wins with Distinctive Assets 18:34 – Pepsi, Polar Bears & the Coke Asset Debate 20:41 – System Over Sizzle: Campaign vs One Night 23:40 – The Emotional Power of Lays 24:35 – Nerds, Product Demonstration & Penetration 27:00 – What Marketers Without Super Bowl Budgets Should Learn 31:56 – Are Super Bowl Trends Changing? 36:50 – Favourite Ad 38:00 – Why Sales Impact Still Matters Most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
  3. S5 Ep4: The Eye-Watering Cost of Dull Media & Creative with Karen Nelson-Field & Adam Morgan

    FEB 3

    S5 Ep4: The Eye-Watering Cost of Dull Media & Creative with Karen Nelson-Field & Adam Morgan

    Most advertising doesn’t fail because it’s wrong. It fails because it’s dull and dull is expensive. In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Adam Morgan and Karen Nelson-Field to unpack the real cost of dull creative and dull media using hard evidence from IPA effectiveness data, System1 testing, and large-scale attention measurement. The conversation moves beyond taste or opinion and into economics: why rational, low-emotion advertising can still “work” but only by wasting millions; why some media environments structurally suppress attention; and why optimisation, procurement pressure, and performance thinking have quietly normalised mediocrity. If you work in brand, media, B2B, finance-led marketing, or any category that tells itself it has to be boring, this episode is a wake-up call. What you’ll learn Why 50% of ads struggle to beat a cow chewing grass on attention and emotionHow dull creative drives up required spend by millions to achieve the same outcomesWhy CPM is often a cost per meaningless thousandHow attention volume predicts ROI, memory, and effectivenessWhy great creative fails when media doesn’t give it a stageHow risk, responsibility, and “sensible” decisions slowly drain impact from workWhere AI may actually help creativity rather than flatten it This episode draws directly on the “Cost of Dull” research programme and explains what it means for marketers trying to balance effectiveness, efficiency, and real-world constraints. 02:27 – What do we actually mean by “dull” advertising? 03:55 – The cow-chewing-grass test and why half of ads lose 06:00 – Attention vs emotion: two ways to measure dullness 08:00 – The Cannes “Ennui” experiment and burning money as a signal 11:10 – What “dull media” really means (and why it’s misunderstood) 13:55 – When great creative is wasted by low-attention environments 16:20 – Is dull creative ever the better option? 17:24 – Trust, facts, and why rational messaging costs more 19:00 – Campaigns vs single ads: where attention is really lost 20:00 – Why mix matters more than hero-only thinking 21:00 – Global differences: creative vs media effects 23:00 – Why B2B marketing is structurally duller and the cost of that 26:00 – The “dull eclipse”: performance mindset, optimisation, benchmarks 28:20 – Procurement, pricing pressure, and creative erosion 31:00 – CPM, wastage, and the illusion of efficiency 34:20 – AI, challenger brands, and testing creativity at speed 37:55 – Risk vs responsibility: how sensible decisions kill ideas 41:00 – What marketers can actually do differently 43:45 – Final reflections and where the research goes next About the guests Adam Morgan is co-founder of Eatbigfish and a leading voice on challenger brands, effectiveness, and commercial creativity. Karen Nelson-Field is Professor of Media Science and one of the world’s foremost researchers on attention, media value, and advertising effectiveness. If you’re trying to explain to a CFO, procurement team, or board why “safe” work keeps underperforming, this episode gives you the language and the evidence to do it properly. Content Mentioned in the Episode: Risk & Responsibility https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJx2IJjaFwCost of Dull Media Report https://21467338.fs1.hubspotusercontent-ap1.net/hubfs/21467338/COMPANY%20MATERIALS/Cost%20of%20Dull%20Final.pdfCost of Dull Eat Big Fish https://www.eatbigfish.com/thinking/challengers-and-cost-of-dull Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min
  4. S5 Ep3: The Tensions Every Brand CEO Has to Manage with CMO Francois Bazini

    JAN 27

    S5 Ep3: The Tensions Every Brand CEO Has to Manage with CMO Francois Bazini

    François Bazini, CMO of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe is one of the most thoughtful brand CMOs in global FMCG François shares a rare, inside view of what it really means to be a brand steward in organisations like Danone, BCG, PepsiCo and Suntory. From resisting short-term zig-zagging, to building brands that can withstand private label pressure, this conversation goes deep on the realities of modern brand leadership. We explore why marketers must act as brand CEOs, how tension with CFOs can be productive rather than problematic, and why targeting older audiences is one of the most under-exploited growth opportunities in marketing today. François also unpacks the Ribena turnaround, Schweppes’ response to Fever-Tree, and why most advertising testing is misunderstood. This is a wide-ranging, honest discussion about judgment, evidence, culture, and the long game in brand building. Topics include: Brand stewardship vs short-termism, marketing ROI, working with finance, global vs local marketing roles, age targeting myths, private label competition, creative testing, and why some brands endure while others drift. 03:25 – Career path: from Danone to consulting and global brand roles 04:55 – What BCG teaches marketers about being fact-based 07:00 – Brand stewardship and avoiding strategic zig-zagging 09:30 – Timeless vs timely brand decisions 11:00 – Marketing ROI beyond short-term sales 12:30 – Marketers as brand CEOs 13:45 – Working with CFOs and productive tension 16:00 – Global vs local marketing roles 20:00 – Ribena: brand decline and recovery 22:30 – Going back to a brand’s peak moment 26:00 – The myth of always targeting youth 29:00 – Schweppes, Fever-Tree and category disruption 31:45 – Targeting over-45s unapologetically 34:00 – Media thresholds and focus over fragmentation 35:45 – Moving beyond marketing mix modelling 38:15 – The limits of advertising testing 41:00 – When great ads fail tests but succeed commercially 42:20 – Competing with private label 43:00 – DAQV: desirability, affordability, quality, visibility Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    50 min
  5. S5 Ep2: Building a New Category Around a 2,000-Year-Old Drink

    JAN 20

    S5 Ep2: Building a New Category Around a 2,000-Year-Old Drink

    What happens when a radio comedian, a senior drinks marketer, and a 2,000-year-old Roman hydration recipe collide? In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, co-founders of Posca Hydrate — a sugar-free, hypertonic hydration drink inspired by ancient Roman Posca. Posca isn’t a nostalgia play. It’s a sugar-free, hypertonic drink inspired by a Roman solution to unsafe water — rebuilt for modern life, modern habits, and modern expectations. That means confronting everything from flavour and formulation to packaging, positioning, and retail resistance. Along the way, Merrick and Ed unpack a set of ideas that matter far beyond drinks: Why liquid still matters more than marketing. Why category creation is harder than brand building. Why refusing “me-too” formats can slow growth — but protect belief. And why brands should aim for humour, not jokes. Merrick explains why jokes age quickly, but a sense of humour travels across audiences, occasions, and time and how that thinking shapes Posca’s tone, creative decisions, and internal culture. It’s not about being funny. It’s about not taking yourself seriously while taking the product seriously. They also discuss building brand in-house rather than outsourcing belief, measuring brand as a startup using Tracksuit, balancing mental and physical availability, and what it really takes to scale a challenger brand globally without losing the story that made it matter in the first place. This is a conversation about founders, flavour, brand discipline, and the uncomfortable decisions that come with doing something genuinely different. 3:50 – From radio comedy to drinks founder 5:50 – Why the liquid comes first 7:50 – The Roman origin of Posca 10:50 – Turning history into a brand story 14:50 – Ancient wisdom meets modern science 16:20 – Building brand from the inside out 19:50 – Tone, humour, and taking the product seriously 23:50 – Building a category, not fitting one 29:50 – Brand vs physical availability 32:50 – Measuring 34:50 – Global expansion strategy 38:50 – The hypertonic breakthrough moment 44:50 – Risk and belief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  6. S5 Ep1: What KitKat Gets Right About Attention, Breaks & Consistency with Wael Jabi

    JAN 13

    S5 Ep1: What KitKat Gets Right About Attention, Breaks & Consistency with Wael Jabi

    Kit Kats Global Head of Marketing Shares what it really takes to build and protect an iconic global brand? In this season opener for Season 5 of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne is joined by Wael Jabi, KitKats Global Head of Marketing at Nestlé, for a deep conversation about brand judgement, consistency, partnerships, and the decisions that quietly shape long-term growth. Wael’s career spans Leo Burnett, Procter & Gamble, and Nestlé, and the discussion moves well beyond surface-level case studies. Together, they explore what KitKat teaches us about resisting reinvention, diagnosing the right marketing problems under pressure, and how major cultural platforms like Formula 1 can be used to express brand meaning rather than dilute it. This is a practical, reflective conversation for CMOs, brand leaders, and senior marketers who care about building brands that last not just chasing short-term performance. Topics covered include: Why most brands don’t need reinvention they need restraintThe marketing failure that taught Wael when price becomes the wrong answerWhat KitKat gets right about consistency and memory structuresHow to think about F1 and major sponsorships without losing brand meaningBrand vs performance decisions under pressureWhy judgement matters more than tactics at senior levels 01:55 – Wael’s career path: agency to P&G 05:50 – Why advertising isn’t the most important thing 09:40 – A pricing decision that went wrong 14:20 – Diagnosing the wrong marketing problem 18:40 – KitKat and brand consistency 23:15 – “Breaks are broken” insight 26:50 – Making iconic work at global scale 30:20 – Formula 1 and partnerships 34:50 – Showing up in your world vs theirs 38:20 – Judgement under pressure 41:00 – What’s next for KitKat Thanks to Tracksuit for their partnership with this episode, check out https://www.gotracksuit.com to find out more about the always on brand tracking platform Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
  7. The Singles: Don't Look Back In Anger 2025

    12/17/2025

    The Singles: Don't Look Back In Anger 2025

    Don't Look Back In Anger - the episode where we look back at the biggest stories we covered on The Singles and see how those brands have gotten on this year. So What happens after the marketing headlines fade? Let's we revisit some of the biggest brand stories of 2025 — and test them against what actually changed over time. Using always-on brand health data from Tracksuit, Conor Byrne is joined by Dan and Jasper to look back at Tesla, American Eagle, Rhode, and Deliveroo, six to nine months after the noise. Not opinions. Not predictions. Just evidence of where attention turned into demand — and where it didn’t. Across very different categories, a consistent pattern emerges: “The campaign didn’t hurt sales — but the brand is weaker than it was.” In this episode, we explore: Why Tesla still dominates innovation perception but is leaking trust and preference in both the US and UKHow American Eagle’s controversial campaign held short-term revenue while brand fundamentals quietly erodedWhat Rhode’s acquisition by e.l.f. gets right — and the brand risks that come with scaling distributionWhy Deliveroo, post-DoorDash acquisition, faces a preference problem in a category defined by low loyalty and easy switchingThis is a conversation is about thinking about long-term demand, pricing power, and resilience not just quarterly performance. If you care about the gap between being noticed and being chosen, this episode is for you. 02:40 – Tesla: innovation without reassurance 11:40 – American Eagle: sales hold, brand weakens 17:45 – Rhode: scaling without dilution 23:05 – Deliveroo: preference in a default-driven category Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min
  8. S4 Ep29: A Red Star Christmas 2025 - The Best Christmas Ads of 2025

    12/09/2025

    S4 Ep29: A Red Star Christmas 2025 - The Best Christmas Ads of 2025

    Which Christmas ads did Irish viewers love in 2025? In this special Christmas edition of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne is joined by Ciara Reilly from Red C Research, Linda Bradley (Head of Planning, Diageo Ireland), and Marc Smith (Global Director of Insights & Analytics, Mark Anthony Brands) to reveal the Top 20 Christmas Ads in Ireland, as ranked by real consumers on the Red Star testing platform. We analyse the biggest festive campaigns of the season, including: Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl, Spar, Sky Mobile, An Post, Vodafone, Boots, Dunnes Stores, Home Store + More, M&S, Woodie’s, Eason, Aldi, Amazon, and Coca-Cola. Across the episode we explore: • Why some Irish Christmas ads performed far better than expected • The surprising gap between marketer opinion vs consumer reaction • What emotional storytelling gets right and wrong at Christmas • How branding, memory structures and fluent devices shaped the rankings • Why consistency helped brands stand out • The role of humour, reality, nostalgia and AI in this year’s festive campaigns Whether you work in marketing, advertising, strategy, media, or creative, this deep dive into the best Christmas ads of the year reveals what truly resonates with audiences and what doesn’t. 🎄 Brands discussed: Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl, Spar, Sky Mobile, An Post, Vodafone, Boots, Dunnes Stores, Woodie’s, Home Store + More, M&S, Eason, Aldi, Amazon, Coca-Cola. 📍 CHAPTERS 03:03 The lowest ranked ads 05:18 John Lewis debate emotional truth vs emotional fit 07:41 Functional ads & the problem of “sameness” 13:28 Sea Swim: why it keeps winning hearts 15:27 Sky Mobile & the Roy Keane effect 17:23 National Lottery: a new less fun direction 21:25 An Post Tin: Man does the story need a new chapter? 23:33 M&S Food: when style overtakes substance 26:20 Home Store + More the surprise hit 27:56 Coca-Cola Holidays Are Coming (AI version) 30:56 Dunnes Stores Shine Bright: the craft that endures 32:50 Aldi & Kevin the Carrot: did they need a 3 parter? 36:00 Eason: an emotional standout 38:56 Amazon: a global festive story returns 41:54 Woodie’s crowned #1 in Ireland https://www.youtube.com/shorts/22prv5XcpSM 44:50 The panel’s all-time favourite Christmas ads Check out the Red Star Testing Platform https://redcresearch.com/product/red-star/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 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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