Uncensored CMO

Jon Evans
  • 4.5 (42)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Uncensored CMO was created to explore the good, the bad and quite frankly downright ugly truth about marketing theory & practice.

  1. 4D AGO

    How Brewdog built a £billion beer brand - James Watt

    The last time I spoke to today's guest, James Watt, he fired me. It's the first thing we talk about in the episode, but I have nothing but respect for the man who built Brewdog into the Unicorn it is today. Through their impressive marketing stunts, focus on product quality and immense speed of execution, Brewdog successfully took on the beer behemoths and solidified its place in the industry. In this episode we talk about why James made a mistake hiring an executive team (including me), how they convinced a bank to give them a loan in the global financial crisis and how he almost lost £50m to a Russian bank account. Now, James has launched a new venture, Social Tip, a new way brands can connect with consumers. Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861 Timestamps 00:00 - Intro00:58 - Why did James fire Jon?01:56 - Being in the detail and close to the customer06:07 - Brewdog founding story: how they got funding08:54 - Why Brewdog is so passionate about making a great product13:07 - How Brewdog won their Tesco listing15:58 - How a Tesco listing transformed Brewdog17:37 - The secret to an overnight success20:22 - Why constraints led to great marketing for Brewdog22:09 - Examples of Brewdog’s incredible marketing stunts27:43 - Why James changed his name to Elvis29:28 - Collaborating with copycats: launching ALD IPA31:14 - When marketing stunts go wrong33:28 - How James almost lost £50 million37:48 - James Watt’s favourite business books41:17 - How James Watt felt when he left Brewdog43:01 - Leadership lessons from James Watt about scaling46:05 - Dealing with public scrutiny47:26 - Why James started his new business: Social Tip54:03 - How to pitch your business to James Watt

    58 min
  2. Why you need to know your e.l.f.ing numbers with Kory Marchisotto [Uncensored Renegades]

    6D AGO

    Why you need to know your e.l.f.ing numbers with Kory Marchisotto [Uncensored Renegades]

    This is the first episode of the Uncensored Renegades podcast. To hear episodes of this new show, subscribe here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c Know your e.l.f.ing numbers - it's your responsibility as a leader. Jon and Kory share stories of when this has helped them in roles, and share advice on how CMOs can be successful in getting more budget, taking bigger risks and, ultimately, grow the brand (for 25 consecutive quarters in Kory’s case). Timestamps 00:00 - Intro00:34 - You just do the cutting, sticking and colouring in01:42 - Why knowing your numbers is so important for CMOs05:25 - Making the case for long term marketing investment08:10 - Why CMOs need to earn the right to take risks12:05 - Managing internal politics in the c-suite15:16 - Kory’s formula to create successful work

    20 min

  3. JAN 28

    How SAS went from performance to brand - Jenn Chase

    Jenn Chase, CMO of SAS, joins us to share how one of the world’s most established AI and analytics companies is reinventing its brand. From launching SAS’s first brand campaign in 25 years to shifting the organisation from performance-led to brand-led thinking, Jenn walks through what it takes to drive meaningful change inside a founder-led business. We also discuss how COVID reshaped the brand, why SAS is leaning into humour, the decision to sponsor Liverpool FC, and where AI is having the biggest impact on marketing today. Plus, Jenn shares leadership lessons, the skills every modern CMO needs, and how to build a great culture. Timestamps 00:00 - Start01:00 - What is SAS?02:11 - Being a founder led business after 50 years04:38 - Being at the company for 27 years06:03 - How Jenn became CMO of SAS07:57 - How COVID changed the brand forever08:33 - Launching their first brand campaign in 25 years09:22 - Convincing the business to switch from performance to brand10:45 - Creating an effective relationship with the finance team14:31 - What did the business think of the first brand campaign in 25 years?17:22 - How did they manage the effectiveness of their brand campaign?22:04 - Why their new campaign leans into humour24:28 - Why SAS decided to sponsor Liverpool FC27:06 - How to sell in a big idea to an organisation?32:16 - Where is AI having the biggest impact in marketing?36:25 - Leadership advice from Brene Brown39:54 - Skills to be a successful CMO42:59 - What creates a great culture45:12 - How big of a change will AI search be47:08 - The 95:5 rule

    50 min
  4. Why we need to embrace failure with Kory Marchisotto [Uncensored Renegades]

    JAN 26 · BONUS

    Why we need to embrace failure with Kory Marchisotto [Uncensored Renegades]

    This is the first episode of the Uncensored Renegades podcast. To hear episodes of this new show, subscribe here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c Failure needs to be rebranded. Most see it negatively, but history shows great successes are followed shortly after failures. Jon and Kory tackle the stigma against failures, why we should embrace them across the organisations we work for. They also share their biggest failures in their career and what they’ve learned from them. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro01:54 - Why are we afraid to talk about failure?04:07 - Why failures set you up for success11:11 - Jon’s biggest failure18:20 - Kory’s biggest failure

    24 min

  5. JAN 22

    Confessions of a CMO with Mark Ritson

    After collaborating with Worldwide Partners on the Confessions of a CMO report (the anonymous report asking top tier CMOs what they really think about the state of the role), I thought I'd team up with the world's most opinionated professor to discuss some of the comments. We talk tenure, politics, management and more. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro01:04 - How the Uncensored CMO started02:41 - How Confessions of a CMO originated03:44 - The CMO tenure data06:35 - Why the CMO role isn’t dead, it’s just changing12:02 - The real 4 Ps of a CMO18:57 - Becoming the Chief Mood Officer22:16 - Why marketing needs to provide the meaning for the business27:04 - Why CMOs need to combine data and storytelling28:38 - Why CMOs need to create momentum40:53 - Were there any surprises from the report? About Worldwide Partners: Worldwide Partners, Inc. (WPI), the world’s most collaborative agency network, enables growth through access, flexibility and partnership. With over 90 independent agencies in more than 50 countries, and experience in over 90 industry verticals, Worldwide Partners serves as a hub that harnesses the talent, expertise and diversified capabilities of the agencies within our network to reimagine growth for both brands and agencies.

    45 min
  6. Uncensored Renegades Launch Live from New York City with Kory Marchisotto

    JAN 16 · BONUS

    Uncensored Renegades Launch Live from New York City with Kory Marchisotto

    Listen to the launch episode of my brand new show, Uncensored Renegades, co-hosted with Kory Marchisotto, CMO of e.l.f. and a previous guest on Uncensored CMO. Listen to the new show here: Apple PodcastsSpotifyIn Uncensored Renegades, we talk about the things most people are too afraid to discuss: being fired, failure, terrible bosses, and more. Get to know your hosts, Jon Evans and Kory Marchisotto, hear why we started the show, and find out what’s coming next. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro01:06 - Background to Uncensored Renegades01:59 - Why Renegades?02:39 - The response to Jon’s launch post05:48 - What topics will be discussed on the show?08:47 - The partnership that led to the podcast11:50 - Why the name “Renegades”?13:54 - Getting to know Jon and Kory27:45 - What do you do to recharge?38:33 - Inspiring books41:32 - Crowdsourcing topic ideas

    47 min

  7. JAN 14

    Rory Sutherland on why luck beats logic in marketing

    Our most popular guest ever is back - Rory Sutherland returns for a wide-ranging conversation on why marketing works best when it embraces luck, spontaneity, and a little irrationality. From the dangers of confected outrage and self-censorship to the unfair economics of marketing, Rory challenges the industry’s obsession with logic, optimisation, and process. We discuss why success is often misunderstood as skill rather than luck, the value of doing a few things irresponsibly, and why inefficiency can be a feature rather than a flaw. As ever, Rory connects behavioural science, creativity, and business reality in ways few others can. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro01:16 - How Rory deals with his new micro fame03:12 - How Jon shut down the London Underground07:04 - The problem with confected outrage10:34 - How self-censoring is affecting creativity12:10 - The power of spontaneity and luck in advertising16:03 - The unfair economics of marketing20:54 - Is success just luck?23:12 - Spend 95% responsibly, and 5% irresponsibly30:12 - Doubling down on what your competitors do badly34:32 - Why so many businesses are no longer customer focused35:29 - Inefficiency as a feature37:08 - The power of herd mentality43:26 - What marketers can teach the business world48:13 - Why internal process is killing businesses51:15 - Lessons from 200 years of The Spectator advertising54:47 - Rory’s closing thoughts on marketing

    58 min

  8. JAN 7

    How Not to Plan in 2026 with Les and Sarah

    Les Binet and Sarah Carter are back for our yearly special, tacking the biggest marketing stories of the year and what to focus on in 2026. We explore the power of consistency, disguised repetition, and why brands so often misunderstand campaigns. Les and Sarah explain why big brands can’t behave like small ones (and vice versa), how marketers can persuade businesses to invest more in the long term, and whether we’re seeing the end of the purpose era and a return to product-led growth. We also look ahead to the role of AI versus craft in advertising, and what the evidence suggests for the year ahead. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro00:38 - The year of consistency05:26 - Disguised repetition11:13 - Do we define campaigns wrong?12:27 - Why you need to go big on your media spend17:07 - Why big brands can’t market like small brands and vice versa23:15 - How can you persuade your business to spend more28:52 - Why don’t we do the long term work, despite the evidence34:19 - Why everyone is wrong about CMO tenure37:18 - Have we seen the end of the purpose era? (and the renaissance of product)44:50 - AI vs craft in advertising

    1h 1m
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4.5
out of 5
42 Ratings

About

The Uncensored CMO was created to explore the good, the bad and quite frankly downright ugly truth about marketing theory & practice.

Information

  • Creator
    Jon Evans
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    239
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Uncensored CMO
  • Show Website
    Uncensored CMO

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