13h ago

Building a $600M Empire, Creating Demand & The Future of D2C Marketing with Simon Beard

How do you go from sweating bullets in a market tin shed ready to quit, to handing Justin Bieber $10,000 cash and building a $600M+ street style retail empire? In this episode, Culture Kings founder Simon Beard tells us how he built high-energy, world-famous retail destinations while scaling to over $100M a year online. He breaks down the exact playbook Culture Kings used to engineer viral experiences, turn store floors into arcade gamification hubs, and rewrite the rules of modern customer acquisition. Plus, Simon drops raw, unfiltered takes on why traditional loyalty programs are dead and the #1 ad mistake wrecking your Meta accounts. If you run an e-commerce brand, buy media, or want to turn products into emotional movements, this is your masterclass. Key moments: 00:00: The Market Shed Breakdown That Built a $600M Empire 6:07: How Culture Kings Scaled Past $100M Online 16:33: What Turning Stores Into Arcade Gamification Hubs Does for Sales 18:56: Why Traditional Loyalty Programs Are Dead (And What to Do Instead) 25:37: How $10,000 Cash to Justin Bieber Created Millions in Free PR 30:40: Stop wasting ad spend by fixing the #1 media buying mistake brands make today. 33:31: How to Completely Rewrite the Rules of Modern Customer Acquisition 40:26: How AI and Dynamic Content Scaling Are Changing D2C Marketing Connect with Simon Beard on LinkedIn or follow his journey on Instagram. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place. Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

Aug 5

Everything Marketers Get Wrong About Gen Z with The Daily Aus Co-Founder

Every brand wants to talk to young Australians … Almost none of them have asked one. Sam Koslowski co-founded The Daily Aus at 22 with Zara Seidler. It's now the most read independent news source in Australia, and for 70% of its audience it's the only news they read at all. So today I’m talking to him about what Gen Z actually want and are thinking right now, and what most brands get wrong when they start trying to talk to this audience. You’ll learn: The two ways brands destroy trust and how to build it What makes a brand feel inauthentic and gives consumers ‘the ick’ The type of content young Australians are consuming more and more of even after reducing their screen time How The Daily Aus decides which platform a story belongs on before writing a word What their Future Proof research found about young Australians and AI at work The question Sam thinks every brand should ask before it spends a dollar Chapters 00:00 Why every brand is getting young Australians wrong 00:51 Inside The Daily Aus 07:31 The fastest way to destroy trust 09:54 Why brands get it wrong 14:32 Never do this when following ‘trends’ 15:49 The attention span myth 19:00 Which channels to focus on if you’re trying to talk to a younger audience 23:38 How TDA changed it’s approach to marketing and reporting 28:45 What Future Proof found about AI at work 32:32 This change is the reason 88% of Gen Z consumers would choose a brand 37:36 The best ways to use AI in media 43:17 What you should never use AI for 45:30 The Effing Truth If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place, make sure you’re following because you won’t want to miss our next few episodes. Check out the latest episodes here https://tfm.marketing/tfm-marketing-podcast/ See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

Jul 29

Inside the TikTok Strategy That Moved Billions for Kmart with Arielle Thomas

Brands can burn hundreds of thousands of dollars on polished content that does absolutely nothing for their bottom line. In this episode, we sit down with Arielle Thomas, the powerhouse director behind Cinema Thom who operates in the ultimate high-low mix. One day she’s shooting luxury campaigns for Vogue, Cartier, and YSL; the next, she’s building commercial creative engines for retail giants like Kmart and Anko Global. Arielle breaks down how a problem-solving TikTok framework drove a staggering 26% sales boost for Kmart, why buyer psychology beats "pretty" aesthetics every time, and her famous "pulled pork" method for squeezing every drop of ROI out of your budget. If you're tired of rigid agency briefs and stale campaigns, this is your blueprint for making content that actually sells. Key moments: 00:00: Mastering the High-Low Mix to Drive ROI from Retail to Ultra-Luxury Vogue Campaigns 6:34: The Memory and Emotional Trigger That Dictates Why Consumers Actually Spend Money 8:34: Turning Everyday Customer Problems into High-Converting Product Hooks 9:28: What Happens When You Sit Outside a Retail Store for 6 Hours to Study Buyers 12:02: The 10k Airbnb "UGC Day" Formula That Crushed Traditional TVC Budgets 17:12: The 80/20 Rule That Lets Brands Test Bold Creative Ideas Without Blowing Their Budget 21:02: The "Pulled Pork" Method to Squeeze Every Asset Off the Bone of a Single Shoot 23:32: What Brands Are Doing Wrong When Briefing Creative Studios and Agencies 25:03: Why Aesthetic Perfection Is Killing Your Campaign Performance 30:00: How Setting Timelines Stops Last-Minute Creative Disasters Between Media and Production 32:55: How to Safely Use AI for Fixing Mistakes Without Losing Human Authenticity 43:26: Turning Stiff Camera-Shy Founders into Confident Personal Brand Builders Catch more from Arielle Thomas by visiting cinemathom.com or following her work over on Instagram at @ariellethomas and @cinema_thom Want to know exactly which channels will you give REAL return on your paid ads? We've created a full playbook that that covers that plus how to get people buying your products online. If you want a copy, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us PLAYBOOK. Organic social media is still one of the easiest ways to build trust with your audience. So if you're ready to create a community around your brand, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us the word ORGANIC to grab our ultimate social media organic guide. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place. Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

Jul 22

What The Future of Marketing Looks Like with IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan

Sam Buchanan probably has one of the clearest views of what’s happening inside Australia’s independent media agency sector right now. As CEO of the IMAA, he’s across more than 175 indie agencies, which means he’s seeing first hand what consumers and businesses want from marketing right now in 2026. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Sam to get an honest read on where the market is heading and what the best agencies are doing right. Key moments: 0:00 - Where Australian media is sitting right now, and why agencies are dealing with more change, fragmentation and uncertainty than ever 2:40 - How indie agencies went from being the “wild card” in a pitch to winning most of them 5:46 - Why 2026 could be the year indie agencies stop being the alternative option 10:39 - Why the indie agency network is working so well right now (and will it continue to?) 12:36 - How the IMAA actually manages competition between members when everyone knows everyone and the market is so small 14:27 - What CMOs need to understand when they pick the cheapest agency in a pitch 16:09 - What the strongest indie agencies have in common, from how they hire to how they use tech 22:20 - What happens when brands start taking more media in-house, and where agencies still have a role to play 26:08 - What the IMAA census is showing about where indie agencies are investing, and the channels getting the most attention right now 29:27 - Sam’s predictions for what’s going to happen to indie agencies in the next 5 years 30:00 - Why the industry needs to rethink how young people get trained when AI is taking over the old junior work 32:28 - What media partnerships look like when more buying becomes automated If you want to get in touch with Sam, you can find him on Linkedin here, or visit IMAA www.theimaa.com.au If you're ready to start seeing growth in your franchise every single year then head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us RECRUITMENT to grab a copy of our franchise development playbook. If you want your ads to finally get in front of the right audience, DM us CREATIVE over on IG @tfm.digital and we'll send you our creative strategy to get you started. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place. Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

Jul 15

How CMO’s Should Choose An Agency From The Woman Who Won Gucci, Tiffany & RedBull

Most agencies know how to pitch. Far fewer know how to win the right work, keep the right clients and build something people want to be a part of. I sat down with Virginia Hyland, who previously led Havas Media Group and is now co-founder of Squad M&A, to talk about what really makes an agency valuable. Virginia has worked with huge brands - we’re talking Red Bull, Gucci, Tiffany, Rimmel, Bumble and Tourism Fiji, and has sat on almost every side of the agency world from founder, CEO, pitch leader, acquisition advisor AND buyer. I wanted to sit down and chat with Virginia about what indie agencies can do better than the big networks, why chemistry matters before any pitch, what marketers should look for when choosing an agency, and how founders can start building a business that’s worth buying years before they plan to sell. Key moments: 0:00 - How Virginia built an agency before social media changed everything 3:49 - Why indie agencies can beat the big networks 11:49 - How a 15-person team won against global agencies. 15:19 - The client win that led to helicopters and Tiffany jewellery 18:09 - How to tell if a pitch is actually worth your time 23:10 - The best way to get into someone’s boardroom 28:18 - The mistake most agencies make in pitches 31:57 - How to let your team lead a pitch without taking over 34:00 - How Havas stood out against more than 100 agencies 35:42 - What Virginia learned from losing Red Bull the first time 39:20 - What to watch for when your agency gets sold 41:44 - What changes when you go from indie founder to HoldCo CEO 45:54 - Why founders should prepare for sale years before they exit 51:11 - How AI could change the agency model 54:29 - What makes an agency worth buying If you want to connect with Virginia you can find her on Linkedin here, or visit Squad M&A www.squadma.com Organic social media is still one of the easiest ways to build trust with your audience. So if you're ready to create a community around your brand, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us the word ORGANIC to grab our ultimate social media organic guide. Want to know exactly which channels will you give REAL return on your paid ads? We've created a full playbook that that covers that plus how to get people buying your products online. If you want a copy, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us PLAYBOOK.If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place. Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

Jul 8

5 Reasons your business isn’t converting leads into Sales. Spoiler - It’s not the leads fault

“Our leads are terrible.” Said every business ever. But what if the leads aren’t the problem? In today’s episode, Matt and Taylor dig into one of the most common problems in business, and why marketing almost always gets blamed. From the moment a lead drops into your CRM, to the point of sale there are a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. We will break down why your leads are getting lost in your funnel and how to fix it. Key moments: 0:48 The real reason your leads aren’t converting. Hint: It has do to with your funnel 3:09: When you should be contacting your leads and how SMS is not dead 4:08: What really makes a quality buyer. And the stats that make the decision for you. 5:37: What you can be doing to build quality leads 6:12:The High Value Franchisee playbook you need to help improve your sales funnel 7:22: What is a bad lead…and how to recognise them so you don’t waste your time 9:18 What a good sales process looks like and what you need to do to nurture your leads 10:39: The biggest change we made to our sales process that 12:42: What to do if your offer is not hitting the mark and why it could be losing you leads 16:21: How to build a targeted audience through Youtube and Podcasts 17:35: The simple steps you can take today to convert quality leads into sales If you want your ads to finally get in front of the right audience, DM us CREATIVE over on IG ⁠@tfm.digital⁠ and we'll send you our creative strategy to get you started. If you're ready to start seeing growth in your franchise every single year then head over to IG ⁠@tfm.digital⁠ and DM us RECRUITMENT to grab a copy of our franchise development playbook. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place. Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

Jul 1

Nathan McCallum on Creator Marketing, Trust and Building a Brand People Actually Buy From

Creator marketing is one of the fastest growing channels, but so many brands are using outdated strategies that just don’t work anymore. Nathan McCallum has over 750K followers on Instagram, 180K subscribers on Youtube and has been doing this long before “creator” was a job title. He’s built an audience, a coaching business, a clothing brand and long-term brand partnerships by doing things his own way. In this episode, I’m chatting with Nathan to find out what brands get wrong with creators, why trust beats follower count, building a founder-led brand, AI, online negativity and the expensive lesson he learned behind the scenes of Furore. Key moments: 0:00 - Why Nathan moved away from one-off brand deals and started prioritising long-term partnerships 14:49 - Why Nathan doesn’t obsess over every platform change, and what he focuses on instead of chasing the algorithm 19:34 - Nathan’s advice for creating content people want to watch 24:53 - Why Nathan never tried to fit the typical fitness influencer mould, and how that became part of what makes his content work 27:21 - How Nathan deals with negativity online without turning the comment section into a fight 31:09 - The behind-the-scenes reality of building Furore, (including what went wrong…) 37:41 - How Nathan makes Furore feel like a real extension of him, rather than another creator brand that disappears after one launch 39:04 - The biggest lessons Nathan would give anyone building a brand from scratch 45:41 - Why Nathan isn’t worried about AI replacing creators 51:48 - The most expensive mistake Nathan made in business + why founders still need to understand the parts they outsource Find Nathan on over at @nathan or @furore Organic social media is still one of the easiest ways to build trust with your audience. So if you're ready to create a community around your brand, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us the word ORGANIC to grab our ultimate social media organic guide. Want to know exactly which channels will you give REAL return on your paid ads? We've created a full playbook that that covers that plus how to get people buying your products online. If you want a copy, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us PLAYBOOK. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place. Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

Jun 24

Getting into The Kardashians Hands, Neiman Marcus & Bloomingdales with KAILO’s Kristy Morris

1,000 new customers a month. And most of them never came back. Not because the product wasn't good. Because the trust wasn't deep enough yet. Kristy Morris built KAILO, a wellness brand stocked in Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, and Kourtney Kardashian's gift guide, by learning that lesson the hard way. A $159,000 event loss, an accidental Dubai expansion, and a complete rebuild of her retention strategy later, she's got a playbook worth hearing. This episode is about what actually builds a brand people keep coming back to. Key moments: 00:00: What McDonald's can teach you about consistency and why you need to get it right 7:13: The real reason local marketing dilutes your brand 7:51: How to position a brand in the most saturated category in the world 26:39: How to crack a market you know nothing about 29:50: The Kardashian gift guide. What it actually costs to and what it actually did 33:25: Why opening a cafe is actually a marketing strategy 37:25: 1,000 new customers a month who weren’t coming back 42:57: The Goop Summit that lost $159, 000 and became the best campaign ever 46:18: The ONE thing every marketing need to get right before they spend a single dollar To find out more on Krisy, KAILO and Sureyya Kahve, you can find them on instagram @kailo_aus , @kailo_medispa and @sureyya_kahve If you want your ads to finally get in front of the right audience, DM us CREATIVE over on IG @tfm.digital and we'll send you our creative strategy to get you started. If you're ready to start seeing growth in your franchise every single year then head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us RECRUITMENT to grab a copy of our franchise development playbook. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place. Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠ Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠

That F*cking Marketing Podcast

Building a $600M Empire, Creating Demand & The Future of D2C Marketing with Simon Beard

Everything Marketers Get Wrong About Gen Z with The Daily Aus Co-Founder

Inside the TikTok Strategy That Moved Billions for Kmart with Arielle Thomas

What The Future of Marketing Looks Like with IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan

How CMO’s Should Choose An Agency From The Woman Who Won Gucci, Tiffany & RedBull

5 Reasons your business isn’t converting leads into Sales. Spoiler - It’s not the leads fault

Nathan McCallum on Creator Marketing, Trust and Building a Brand People Actually Buy From

Getting into The Kardashians Hands, Neiman Marcus & Bloomingdales with KAILO’s Kristy Morris

Trailer

Welcome to That F*cking Marketing Podcast

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That F*cking Marketing Podcast

Episodes

Building a $600M Empire, Creating Demand & The Future of D2C Marketing with Simon Beard

Everything Marketers Get Wrong About Gen Z with The Daily Aus Co-Founder

Inside the TikTok Strategy That Moved Billions for Kmart with Arielle Thomas

What The Future of Marketing Looks Like with IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan

How CMO’s Should Choose An Agency From The Woman Who Won Gucci, Tiffany & RedBull

5 Reasons your business isn’t converting leads into Sales. Spoiler - It’s not the leads fault

Nathan McCallum on Creator Marketing, Trust and Building a Brand People Actually Buy From

Getting into The Kardashians Hands, Neiman Marcus & Bloomingdales with KAILO’s Kristy Morris

Trailer

About

Information

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