Call To Action

• 172: Tim Delaney on building one of ad-land’s most brilliant careers

  This week we made our way through twenty rolls of ‘Word a Day’ toilet paper – not (entirely) because of tummy trouble, but in order to impress one of the world’s greatest wielders of words, copywriting legend Tim Delaney. An advertiser who made all of advertising try harder with their adverts, Tim is of course the founder of the famous Leagas Delaney agency as well as being one of the all-time great copywriters.  You’ll no doubt have spent much time gawping at and/or weeping over some of his most iconic work – including some extraordinary campaigns for Harrods, Adidas and Nationwide. He’s also the creative brain behind the unforgettable ‘Perfect Day’ film for the BBC – giving the world the briefest sniff of what a Bowie/Boyzone collaboration might have been. Wildly successful in both the building of an agency and the writing of copy, Tim is also one of advertising’s most compelling talkers of sense – with a philosophy built around strategic thinking, disciplined work and a healthy appreciation for the value of intuition. In a chat where we skid quickly and wildly away from what we laughably called ‘the agenda’, Tim takes us on an entertaining and eye-opening journey through one of the most remarkable lives in the creativity game.   This episode is proudly dedicated to Tom Harrington. Follow Tim on LinkedIn   ///// Timestamps   04:40 - First Job in Advertising 06:45 - Transitioning to Copywriting 09:40 - Early Days in Advertising 12:49 - The Band Experience 14:03 - From Music to Advertising 19:07 - Climbing the Advertising Ladder 22:11 - The Role of Creativity in Advertising 29:03 - Challenges at BNP 30:41 - Understanding Advertising's Mystique 34:08 - The Impact of Technology on Advertising 39:39 - Enthusiasm for Newcomers 43:53 - Advice for Junior Copywriters

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• 171: Kazeem Jamal on the importance of finding the funny side

  This week we’ve been out every night, committing crimes (twocking Nokias, cussing at ducklings, stealing the dust caps off your dad’s tyres) all to attract the attention of South-London Batman himself – and this week’s guest – Kazeem Jama.  A comedian so entertaining he almost makes you hate yourself slightly less for being on Instagram all the goddam time, Kazeem has been liberally lubricating the amusement pipes on the BBC, Comedy Central and the Mobo Awards. Before comedy grabbed him by the earlobe and dragged him over to the funny side, Kazeem spent decades working in the education sector, primarily with children with special needs and in alternative education – making him humorous and kind-hearted enough to make us all feel really bad about our own decisions, especially the terrible stuff we said to those ducklings.  This episode is proudly dedicated to the people who shaped Kazeem: his mum, his dad, his kids, and all the doubters along the way. ///// Follow Kazeem on Instagram and Facebook Watch the videos that has us cracking up: Frozen and Waze Sign up to the mailing list To go see him live: tickets here. ///// Timestamps 02:50 - Kazim's Uncommon Path: From Rugby to Comedy 07:51 - Ownership: The Key to Kazim's Comedy Journey 11:26 - Drama Class: The Shy Comedian's Dilemma 12:52 - Channelling Frustration: The Sports Outlet 18:30 - Stage vs. Socials: The Comedy Landscape 21:26 - Navigating Tough Topics: Kazim's Approach 27:06 - The Unexpected Funeral Laugh 31:03 - Nine-to-Five vs. Comedy Dreams: The Struggle 34:08 - Attention, Skill, Monetizing: The Comedy Cycle 39:03 - The Art of Not Giving a Damn: Embracing the Process 42:48 - Comedy Contracts: The Safe Space Agreement

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• 170: Marcus du Sautoy on how to see the stories in numbers

  This week we rented the top 3 maths movies of all time – A Beautiful Mind, The Imitation Game and 3 Men and a Baby – all in order to be mathematically competent enough to share a pod with one of the world’s greatest number nibblers, Marcus du Sautoy. So highly acclaimed and awarded, we could have filled the entire podcast by listing out his many achievements, Marcus is perhaps best known as a Professor in Mathematics, Fellow of the Royal Society and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. But, as well as being one of the very smartest people on the planet, he’s also one of the most engaging and enlightening speakers on the unexpected stories to be found in numbers, having written for several national newspapers and appeared on a number of mathematically-inclined TV shows including Mind Games, The Story of Maths and The Code (not to be confused with The Cube). By now you’ve probably run out of fingers to tally up all the brilliant things he’s done, so we shall just wrap up by saying he’s also the author of a series of superb books examining the relationship between maths, creativity, music, games and more – including Blue Prints, The Music of Primes and The Creativity Code.  (Basically, the fact that it took us all this time to mention he’s also an OBE tells you all you need to know. He’s an impressive dude.) In an episode where Giles wears his disappointing GCSE results like a hi-vis vest of inadequacy, we ponder the search for meaning in numbers and how the stories behind them can help shape ideas and solve problems.     This episode is proudly dedicated to Mr Baleson.  Follow Marcus on LinkedIn ///// Timestamps 04:17 - The Influence of a Great Teacher 06:03 - Mathematics as a Language and Creative Outlet 08:44 - The Intersection of Mathematics and the Arts 12:08 - Exploring Creativity in Mathematics 15:17 - The Relationship Between Structure and Artistic Expression 21:10 - The Cicada's Prime Number Life Cycle 30:51 - Patterns and Expectations in Art and Comedy 33:09 - The Role of Mathematics in Problem Solving 43:15 - The Importance of Storytelling in Science 46:25 - The Search for Meaning in Numbers 48:13 - The Dual Nature of Scientific Thinking Marcus’ Book recommendations are: A Mathematician’s Apology by G.H. Hardy   /////

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• 169: Richard Shotton and MichaelAaron Flicker on hacking the human mind.

  This week we broke a golden rule and crossed podcast streams with a pair of excellent guests, Richard Shotton and MichaelAaron Flicker, hosts of the Behavioural Science for Brands podcast and co-authors of the soon-to-be released (and definitely-to-be brilliant) Hacking The Human Mind. Richard is, of course, returning for a record third appearance on Call To Action® although we have respectfully honoured his request to not be left alone with Giles. Responsible for opening industry eyes to the potential of behavioural science, Richard is the author of two books that serious marketing types like you and I could not do without – The Choice Factory and The Illusion of Choice. Alongside him today, as is so often the case, is MichaelAaron Flicker, founder and president of (Zeeenno-Sigh) XenoPsi Ventures, a brand incubator firm that helps out all kinds of companies with financial, marketing and intellectual capital. As well as co-hosting their pod, and co-authoring their book, they’ve completed a hattrick of Co’s by co-founding the Consumer Behaviour Lab, where they apply their considerable collective knowledge to help make marketing smarter, better and less stinky. In an episode where we open the sunroof on the human mind and reveal there’s much more to it than day dreams, crippling doubt and song lyrics from 1996, we hear from two of the field’s most compelling experts on what it really takes for a brand to be chosen. This episode is proudly dedicated to Rory Sutherland.    Follow Richard and MichaelAaron on LinkedIn.   ///// Timestamps 08:27 - Reflections on Career Path and Pivots 10:09 - Richard's Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne 12:39 - How Richard and Michael Met 14:22 - The Concept Behind Their New Book 16:01 - Writing Process and Collaboration Insights 20:21 - Discussion on Haagen-Dazs and Country of Origin Effect 25:04 - The Power of Naming: Patagonian Toothfish vs. Chilean Sea Bass 30:07 - Marketing Confusion Between Marketing and Sales Their Book Recommendations are: Alchemy by Rory Sutherland Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg /////

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• 168: Professor Byron Sharp on a lifetime of learning in the marketing world

  This week we tucked in our shirt, straightened our tie and resisted the temptation to nip off for a quick vape behind the pickle-ball court, all in order to suitably impress our guest, one of the world’s greatest marketing academics, Professor Byron Sharp.  A man who would need no introduction (if we weren’t contractually obliged to provide all our pod guests with one) Prof Byron is one of the world’s most respected thinkers in the field of brands and consumer behaviour. Unless you’re deliberately trying to get yourself fired from your marketing role, you’ll no doubt have read his seminal book ‘How Brands Grow’ and, if you’re especially lucky, you may well have learned directly from the man himself in one of his globally prestigious academic roles.  A speaker, a teacher, a thinker and a pioneering researcher, Byron still has the time to be a thoroughly entertaining podcast guest, and is famously happy to share the kind of knee-buckling market truth that the industry fears but also really, really needs. In an episode where Byron jabs a scholarly finger into the flabby thinking that holds brands back, we ponder the many different disciplines a proper marketer should be able to wrap their heads around if they want a consumer to care. This episode is proudly dedicated to John Scriven.  Follow Byron on LinkedIn ///// Timestamps 03:27 - Early Jobs and Academia 04:38 - The Importance of Real-World Experience 06:09 - Working with Andrew Ehrenberg 08:28 - The Intent Behind "How Brands Grow" 09:41 - Marketing Blind Spots and Unexplored Areas 10:30 - Cognitive Biases and Behavioral Science 11:48 - The Role of Heuristics in Consumer Behavior 12:43 - Understanding Double Jeopardy Law 14:08 - Consumer Efficiency vs. Laziness 15:26 - Predictive Power of Marketing Science 16:06 - The Weirdness of the Real World 17:37 - Misconceptions About Marketing Science 19:40 - The Role of Synthetic Research 32:58 - B2B Marketing and Growth Strategies 35:22 - The Value of Awards in Marketing Byron's Book recommendations are: The Halo Effect by Phil Rosenzweig Everything is Obvious by Duncan Watts The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver     /////

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