Uncensored CMO

In this episode, we're diving into a fascinating conversation with Sadira Furlow, known as the "Dean of Dopeness" at Tony's Chocolonely. We unpack Sadira's career journey from launching viral campaigns at PepsiCo to driving industry change at Tony's Chocolonely.We'll explore her admiration for Tony's authentic mission, their innovative approach to storytelling, and how they're reshaping the chocolate industry. Sadira also opens up about her bold career moves, the lessons learned from transitioning between major brands and startups, and her commitment to making a meaningful impact.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:37 - How Sadira discovered Tony’s02:01 - Why Sadira is known as the Dean of Dopeness03:19 - Sadira’s role at Pepsi; Puppy Monkey Baby and Mountain Dew13:06 - From PepsiCo to a fintech (Happy Money)16:03 - Making an impact in a product-led organisation18:24 - Writing your own redundancy case21:09 - Why Sadira took a 9 month Sabbatical23:51 - How Sadira got the role at Tony’s28:11 - The commitment to being a change brand29:55 - Working with constrained budgets34:26 - The lawsuit for Tony’s look alike bars38:27 - The Tony’s advent calendar that caused a stir39:53 - Using fun and humour to tell a serious story42:21 - In house vs agencies at Tony’s43:17 - Tony’s collaboration with The Washington Post44:25 - Custom branded Tony’s Chocolonely bars45:46 - The most successful campaigns for Tony’s47:45 - Where does the brand go from here?49:55 - What has surprised Sadira most about the brand

The marketing world has been dominated by the recent Jaguar rebrand. It's split opinion in the industry with many criticising the bold new approach with Jaguar's move to electrification. Rory Sutherland may be best positioned to give his thoughts on the change, as a six-time Jaguar owner and behavioural science expert. Rory comes at the rebrand with a more positive spin, suggesting that Jaguar needed to make a bold change in the new wave of electrification to save it's dying brand, and many of the critics have never owned a Jaguar and likely never will. As always, chatting with Rory is a lot of fun with many uncensored opinions.

In the first of a two part special on one of my favourite challenger brands of all time, Tony’s Chocolonely, I speak with their Chief Chocolonely (CEO), Douglas Lamont. Douglas is an expert in Challenger Brands, having previously led Innocent Smoothie for 15 years, guiding them through their acquisition by Coca-Cola and subsequent scaling. In this episode, we'll explore the delicate balance between maintaining a strong mission and driving business growth. Douglas also shares insights into Tony's dedicated efforts to eradicate child labor, pay fair wages, and maintain transparency in their cocoa sourcing, all while making their chocolate appealing and fun for consumers.Tune in next week for an interview with Tony's Dean of Dopeness, Sadira E. Furlow (aka their Chief Brand Officer), to find out exactly what it takes to grow a brand like Tony's.Timestamps00:00 - Start01:38 - Douglas’ journey to CEO at Innocent Smoothies06:36 - Lessons on how to scale up at Innocent12:47 - Why Coke kept Innocent independent15:03 - Innocent’s approach to launching new products21:52 - Why Douglas moved to Tony’s Chocolonely24:22 - Tony’s Chocolonely origin story28:29 - Why is Tony’s chocolate so good29:42 - The B2B side of Tony’s Chocolonely32:56 - Is it more expensive to be a change brand?34:03 - Balancing a serious mission with a fun brand35:53 - Why Tony’s is so transparent41:48 - Tony’s international expansion44:38 - Challenges of being in the biggest retailer in the US47:35 - Lessons as a CMO51:33 - Creating the culture at Tony’s

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of digital retail and YouTube with our special guest, Sophie Neary, Retail MD at Google. We explore studies comparing rational and emotional advertising, uncover the power of YouTube in capturing audience attention, and discuss the vital role of creativity in ad success, even in the age of AI.Sophie shares insights from her extensive career, including her pivotal role in transforming Boots' digital presence and launching successful campaigns like Fenty beauty. We'll also cover trends shaping the future of retail, such as the impact of Cyber Monday falling in December for the first time in five years and retailers leveraging "Fake Friday" to boost profits.Additionally, we'll touch on the evolving dynamics of YouTube creators, the significance of emotional engagement in content, and innovative advertising strategies. Plus, we'll delve into the limitless curiosity driving the continuous evolution of Google Search and the role of AI in shaping marketing strategies.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:46 - Sophie’s career history04:12 - Sophie’s time at Jack Wills06:14 - Sophie’s job at Boots09:26 - Top 2 retail trends from Google Search11:50 - How Google Search has evolved over the years18:12 - How to take advantage of insights from search23:10 - What Google Trends tells us about Black Friday29:51 - How retailers can go up against Amazon31:48 - Is YouTube going to replace TV?37:01 - Trends in formats for YouTube, short vs long41:35 - How YouTube empowers creators (Chicken Shop Date)47:19 - How advertisers can make the most out of YouTube52:36 - Advice on how to grow a podcast on YouTube55:00 - The greatest gift AI can give to humanity