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Call To Action

Call To Action

Giles Edwards

Feel better about marketingTM The go-to podcast for anyone trying to make sense of the world of marketing, business and beyond. In an industry that is a minefield of utter bollocks, we aim to capture our heroes and allies from the front line to have a chin-wag with. It’s like Pokémon Go, with the single but vital exception that it’s not a short-term bandwagon of shite. UK TOP 2 | US TOP 50 | RELEASED FORTNIGHTLY

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Top 10 Call To Action Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Call To Action episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Call To Action for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Call To Action episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

This week, we caught something Contagious. Luckily for us, it’s their Co-Founder Paul Kemp-Robertson.
A chap with serious smarts for global marketing communications, Paul is the brain behind Contagious. Part editorial, part consultancy, part research, they get their kicks helping brands and agencies be more creative, get smarter, and deliver better work.
Paul spreads his smarts across a tonnes of topics, including; being the intern who became editor at Shots, thinking Saatchi & Saatchi was an investment bank, creativity as giving the world something it didn’t know it was missing, Nordic socks on Instagram, zero based creativity, the manic unlock, question storming, drunken nights at the Gutter Bar, AI and the meh-taverse, agencies as outside agitators, ageism, and a whole lot more.
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Follow Paul on LinkedIn
Sign up for the Contagious newsletter
Check out Contagious IQ
Here’s his book The Contagious Commandments
Bag a seat at Most Contagious London 2023 on 7 December
And here’s Paul’s TED Talk
Timestamps
(02:00) - Quick fire questions
(04:25) - Going from intern to editor at Shots
(12:54) - Creativity is giving the world something it didn’t know it was missing
(20:00) - Zero-based creativity
(21:44) - What we learned about AI from Cannes Lions
(33:45) - The real value of agencies
(38:28) - Asking heretical questions
(46:38) - Listener questions
(50:57) - 4 pertinent posers
Paul’s book recommendations are:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
The Choice Factory by Richard Shotton
How Not to Plan by Les Binet and Sarah Carter
How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp
Anatomy of Humbug by Paul Feldwick
Shy by Max Porter
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We took a trip in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, to catch two girls with kaleidoscope eyes, Stefana Bosse and Jennifer Tessler, this week.
Stefana and Jennifer’s own personal experiences with psychedelics and inner work inspired them to found Alalaho, a series of psilocybin-assisted retreats offering a safe, legal environment for a psychedelic journey.
Join us in the sky with diamonds as we explore tasty topics like mushrooms or truffles, their favourite Beatle, what Stefana’s dad thought of her taking a job in psychedelics, Alalaho and their psilocybin-assisted retreats, the benefits of doing inner work, the restorative role of psychedelics, being in a group versus a solo journey, the quick fix mentality, creativity, and a whole load more.
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Follow Stefana and Jennifer on LinkedIn
Check out Alalaho’s website for more on their safe and legal psychedelic retreats
And sign up to their newsletter here
Stefana dedicates this episode to Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hanover and urges you to check out The Path of Love
She also wants to shout out Rick Doblin from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
Timestamps
(01:58) - Quick fire questions
(06:13) - Stefana’s first job in political activism
(07:53) - What her dad thought of her taking a job in psychedelics
(08:40) - Jen’s first job and how they started working together
(10:35) - What is Alalaho and inner work?
(12:26) - Whether inner work always requires a retreat of sorts
(16:51) - The role of psychedelics in inner work
(20:17) - The collective group vs a solo journey
(26:41) - Can you stop people from falling back into learned behaviours?
(34:46) - The quick-fix mentality
(45:35) - Listener questions
(50:15) - 4 pertinent posers
Their book recommendations are:
Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das
The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible by Charles Eisenstein
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The Lannisters send their regards this week as we catch Game of Thrones and After Life actor, Tim Plester, for a right royal chinwag.

All-round stellar chap (off-screen anyway), Tim is best known for selling drugs to Ricky Gervais in Netflix’s After Life and slitting Cat Stark’s throat in Game of Thrones.
But alongside his film and TV exploits, Tim has made documentaries capturing the weird-and-enduring folk customs of our Sceptred Isle, won the National Student Playwright of the Year Award and featured in over 70 adverts. Yes, that’s right, he was once one of the 118-118 runners.
Tim doesn’t sell Giles any drugs, but does talk to us on stealing comic books, Nativity plays, having an interesting face, ads bleeding into culture, Nobby’s (and Rowan’s) nuts, writing versus acting, getting the role in After Life, dipping his toe into ad land, his Morris dancing journey, why the Red Wedding stunk, and tons more.
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Here's Tim’s website
Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram
Check out Way of the Morris and The Ballad of Shirley Collins
Southern Journey [Revisited] is on Now TV
Backyard Village is on Apple TV and Amazon
Love Me Till Monday is on Amazon and iTunes
And finally, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself and Shadow & Bone are on Netflix
Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.
Timestamps
(02:28) - Quick fire questions
(05:00) - Stealing comic books and his first ever job
(11:57) - Getting an agent and having an interesting face
(14:58) - Writing vs acting
(19:43) - Acting in ads (118-118, AIB bank, Nobby’s Nuts)
(27:50) - Getting the role in After Life (after not getting the role in The Office)
(40:45) - Dipping his toe into ad land
(45:31) - Being a Morris dancing convert
(58:28) - Advice for copywriters
(01:03:35) - Game of Thrones and The Red Wedding
(01:14:39) - 4 pertinent posers
Tim’s book recommendations are:
Herzog on Herzog by Werner Herzog
A Guide for The Perplexed by Werner Herzog
Pilgrim At Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes
The Trespasser’s Companion by Nick Hayes
He also recommends a couple of films:
Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths by Alejandro Iñárritu
Haulout by Maxim Arbugaev and Evgenia Arbugaeva
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This week, we opened spoof copywriting dojo Cobra K-AI to sweep the leg of the scammer-scammer, Dave Harland.
Copywriter and messabouter with massive fingers. Dave helps businesses and brands speak to people with more personality, via the medium of the alphabet. His favourite part of it all is “getting paid to be silly”.
Tune in for an exclusive on his brand-new copywriting agency. Plus we chat about betting on illegal hedgehog duels, a size 5 Mitre Delta casey, what he’s been up to the last 1400 days, going all in on the funny stuff, positioning himself against our diligent robot overlords, confusing scammers, Uncle Tony’s underpants, where the most memorable ideas come from, Professor Henry Gremlin and tons more.
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Listen to his first Call To Action foray in 2019.
Follow Dave (and the tales of Uncle T) on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Here’s his website.
Sign up to The Word for tips, stories, silliness, and updates on his new agency.
He’ll be at The Marketing Meetup Liverpool and CopyCon.
And once he gets his arse in gear, there’ll be an Uncle Tony book to look out for.
Timestamps
(02:01) - Quick fire questions
(04:05) - What he’s been up to since his first episode
(05:02) - Lockdown and going all in on the fun stuff
(10:57) - Does funny have a formula?
(18:06) - The Origins of Confuse the Scammers
(25:12) - An exclusive look at his new copywriting agency
(31:02) - Listener questions
(31:58) - Something...something...copywriting and AI
(48:46) - 4 pertinent posers
Dave’s book recommendation is:
A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters by Dan Nelken
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This week, we said pspspsps to tempt and catch the c̶a̶t̶ man behind US Ad Agency of the Year, Mischief, Greg Hahn.
Dubbed a “legend who deserved to be a legend” by George Tannenbaum, Greg has produced creative work that works for decades, winning pretty much every award in the ad land arsenal in the process. But, more importantly than that, he’s one of our most important industry voices, talking the talk as Mischief walks the walk.
He talks to us on his first job knocking on stranger's doors, why he sacked off journalism, cutting his teeth in print and out-of-home, how to deal with the pressure to perform, saying no to work, bringing the joy back to ad land, why his agency Mischief meows, finding the most interesting problem, the story behind Tubi’s Super Bowl hijack, 80s hair metal, and more.
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Follow Greg on LinkedIn
Check out his agency Mischief
Here’s why Mischief meows
And make sure to watch that Tubi Interface Interruption Super Bowl ad
Timestamps
(01:45) - Quick fire questions
(02:43) - First-ever jobs
(07:55) - Cutting his teeth in print and OOH
(12:25) - Why he says no to work
(13:59) - Bringing the joy back
(17:14) - Why Mischief is a brand not just an agency
(22:26) - Don’t bark, meow
(29:59) - Listener questions
(33:15) - Tubi Super Bowl hijack
(37:11) - 4 pertinent posers
Greg's book recommendations are:

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Alchemy by Rory Sutherland
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Hit Makers by Derek Thompson
Nothin’ But a Good Time by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour
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This week, we opened wide and said 'aaaah-nd welcome back' as we once again caught Better Brand Health author, Jenni Romaniuk.
Research Professor and Associate Director at that conveyer belt of marketing minds, the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Jenni has advised many of the world’s biggest brands and authored what’s now a trilogy of true industry bibles.
3 years and 1 new book better, we snared Jenni for a second Call To Action chinwag on penning Better Brand Health, pomegranate trees, marketer’s frustrations around brand tracking, shiny new metrics, brand rejection, attributes, memory, charming condiments, healthy cars, a rant on Net Promoter Score, $3 hot dogs, a salacious soft p*rn novel, and a quick fire question she answered with a third alternative which was to gouge her eyes out with a spoon...
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If you haven’t already, you’d be a fool not to fill your ear canals up with Jenni’s first cameo on Call To Action, here.
Find Jenni on LinkedIn
Get your grubby mitts on a copy of Better Brand Health
Here’s Jenni’s other two brilliant books; Building Distinctive Brand Assets and How Brands Grow 2
And enjoy her current favourite ad, Go A Moe’s, if you’re after a serious earworm (or $3 hot dog)
Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.
Timestamps
(01:54) - Quick fire questions
(05:00) - Why she wrote Better Brand Health
(11:32) - The frustration marketers feel with brand tracking
(15:17) - Chasing shiny new metrics
(18:09) - Is tracking brand health easier than we assume?
(20:53) - A lesson on brand rejection
(25:43) - Is there a case for not tracking brand health?
(29:01) - Attributes and memory
(40:22) - Listener questions
(50:50) - 4 pertinent posers
(55:40) - The salacious soft p*rn version of Better Brand Health
Jenni’s book recommendations are:
Slow Horses by Mick Herron
A Scandalous Life by Mary S. Lovell
The Meaning of It All by Richard Feynman
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This week, we cast a spell of double double toil and trouble and caught the pair from Burst Your Bubble; it’s Andrew Tenzer and Ian Murray.
The duo behind a treasure trove of award-winning research on the culture of marketing, Andrew and Ian have recently launched a radical new consultancy powered by the art and science of perspective-taking.
There’s no eye of newt or toe of frog in this cauldron of conversation topics, but the duo turned up the heat on studying politics, when their paths first crossed, monkeys, bananas, and pandas, provocative research, why Ian is sickened by the idea of the ‘London bubble’, spotting bad research, whether the ad industry is left-leaning (h/t Steve Harrison), banning the word insight, and lots more.
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Follow Andrew and Ian on LinkedIn
Check out Burst Your Bubble
Here's their workshop on research for open thinkers
Read why we shouldn’t trust our gut instinct
And listen to our episode with Steve Harrison for good measure
Timestamps
(02:08) - Quick fire questions
(02:54) - Andrew’s first jobs, failed music career, and how he got into research
(07:54) - What happened when Ian followed what interested him
(13:43) - Their first joint research piece on gut instinct
(16:31) - How marketers compare to the rest of the population when it comes to taking notice of context
(28:01) - The Myth of the ‘London Bubble’ and why it sickens Ian
(33:39) - Their new consultancy Burst Your Bubble
(40:31) - Listener questions
(47:12) - 4 pertinent posers
Andrew and Ian’s book recommendations are:
The Road to Somewhere by David Goodhart
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
Lemon by Orlando Wood
Look Out by Orlando Wood
Decoded by Phil Barden
Obliquity by John Kay
Feminism for the 99% by Nancy Fraser
The Old is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born by Nancy Fraser
Editor’s Note: Steven Lacey, mentioned by Ian in this episode, has been in touch to clarify his stance on the 'London Bubble'. Steven concurs entirely with Ian and Andrew’s viewpoint that the London Bubble is a myth. For his full response, see here.
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This week Glover’s in the air(waves), everywhere I look around, as we catch Joe from The Marketing Meetup for a positively lovely chinwag.
The kind of guy who gives marketing a good name, Joe Glover is the smile behind a growing community of marketers that’s currently 25,000 strong. At weekly events, his community hears from Oscar nominees, disabled rights champions, and marketing heroes such as Ritson, Rory, and many of the world’s best-known marketers.
Lend us your ears as we talk Cantona, self-worth, salary, “inventing” the marketing funnel, how growth enables impact, why he never gives advice, shooting for the States when he should’ve shot for the moon, building a brand with love and kindness at its core, how he built the most welcoming community in marketing, and so much more.
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Follow Joe on Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out The Marketing Meetup
Join their online or in person events
And get your grubby mitts on their newsletter
Here’s Joe’s choice cut of TMM Talks to treat yourself to:
Why your website visitors are not converting by Mary Owusu
How to deliver great presentations, speeches and pitches by Max Hoppy
How to break away from billable time and charge for creativity by Giles Edwards
How to launch a business or project you love by Sophie Cross
How to find the right marketing messaging by Diane Wiredu
Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.
Timestamps
(01:42) -
Quick fire questions
(04:25) - First ever job and first job in marketing
(08:51) - Thinking he invented the marketing funnel
(14:04) -
Why he started The Marketing Meetup
(16:25) -
How he created a seriously welcoming community
(24:16) - The origin of ‘positively lovely'
(30:20) - The future of The Marketing Meetup
(38:19) -
Listener questions
(48:38) -
4 pertinent posers
Joe’s book recommendations are:
The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland
Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E Frankl
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This week, we twiddled our Poirot-Esque moustache and put our egg-shaped heads together to track down and catch ad industry titan, Sara Tate, for a chinwag.
Sara is former CEO of TBWA London and, alongside Anna Vogt, penned The Rebuilders, a guide to building resilience and turning obstacles into opportunities.
She talks to us on TV detectives, working in a teabag factory, being a nosy ninny, struggling early on in her strategy career, courier-related mini-mega cringes, writing about setbacks and resilience, the commonalities between our personal and professional lives, dealing with your mental inbox, moving into a leadership position, and tons more for your little grey cells to devour.
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Follow Sara on Twitter and LinkedIn
Pop a copy of The Rebuilders in your basket
And pour the pod version into your ears, pronto
Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.
Timestamps
(01:45) - Quick fire questions
(03:19) - First-ever jobs
(06:05) - Being a strategist (and a nosy ninny)
(13:35) - Writing about setbacks and resilience
(17:50) - Commonalities between our personal and professional lives
(26:41) - How to focus on the now
(31:48) - Dealing with your mental inbox
(38:31) - The beginner’s mind
(46:03) - Listener questions
(52:37) - 4 pertinent posers
Sara’s book recommendations are:
Grit by Angela Duckworth
What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt
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This week, we used a puff of smoke to catch pricing magician Blair Enns performing his favourite trick; making RFPs disappear. Founder of Win Without Pitching and Author of The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity, Blair is dead set on getting creative businesses to price their work properly, single-handedly saving those who sell ideas for a living from giving them away for nada.
We pulled a ton of topics out of a hat including his early years in account management and new business, pitching and RFPs, generalist vs specialist agencies, value-based pricing, why your agency should have a portfolio of pricing models, pricing creatively, how to raise your prices with current clients (and not p**s them off in the process), search consultants, hissing cockroaches and loads more.
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Follow Blair on Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out Blair’s website
Get his books Pricing Creativity and The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
Here’s the 2Bobs podcast
And listen to Blair’s new show 20% The Marketing Procurement Podcast
Strange Creatures: Pitches, Search Consultants, and Hissing Cockroaches by Blair Enns
Consultative Selling: Beating The Odds by Tom Lewis
Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.
Timestamps
(01:52) - Quick fire questions
(03:58) - Account management as a gateway drug into ad land
(09:38) - Doing new business remotely in 2000
(13:45) - The real problem with pitching
(21:44) - Value based pricing
(24:22) - Does the blame lie with agencies or clients?
(27:11) - Why pricing is a prison cell in your own mind of your own making
(31:53) - Pricing as a creative act
(37:25) - The importance of presenting more than one price
(43:28) - Listener questions
(50:36) - 4 pertinent posers
Blair’s book recommendations are:
$100M Offers by Alex Hormozi
The Boutique by Greg Alexander
The Business of Expertise by David C. Baker
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FAQ

How many episodes does Call To Action have?

Call To Action currently has 162 episodes available.

What topics does Call To Action cover?

The podcast is about Marketing, Management, Podcasts and Business.

What is the most popular episode on Call To Action?

The episode title '120: Why you can't afford NOT to be creative with Contagious co-founder, Paul Kemp-Robertson' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Call To Action?

The average episode length on Call To Action is 59 minutes.

How often are episodes of Call To Action released?

Episodes of Call To Action are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of Call To Action?

The first episode of Call To Action was released on Feb 8, 2019.

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