Embracing Marketing Mistakes

I Made the Worst Ad in British History

Kevin Chesters reveals the painful truth behind what he calls the worst advert ever made in British history. This is a forensic breakdown of ego, bad process and the less

EP 128: Why CFOs Keep Killing Influencer Budgets

Influencer spend hit $32.55 billion in 2025, and most brands still can't prove it works. In this Prohibition PR webinar, Chris Norton and Will Ockenden break down wh

One Tweet About Sleeping Beauty Ended in Death Threats

Back in episode 99 with Sarah Waddington, we dive into the story of a well-intentioned tweet about a Biff and Chip book image, posted during the height of the Me-Too era.

EP 127: Professor Jim Macnamara Says Most Of The PR Industry Is Still Measuring The Wrong Thing

A professor who built his entire career on communication measurement almost couldn't answer the question that started it all. Professor Jim Macnamara joins Embracing

He Asked for Honest Feedback. Then Never Spoke to Me

If you have ever watched a brilliant marketing strategy die in a sign‑off meeting, this episode is for you. We unpack the real reasons ideas fail in the boardroom and wha

EP 126: The Emotion Behind Every B2B Purchase Nobody Markets To - Talia Wolf

Most B2B brands are interchangeable, and Talia Wolf built a career proving it. In this episode, Talia Wolf, founder of GetUplift and creator of the emotional targeting f

EP 125: The PR Launch That Cleared The Building

A CIPR fellow with nearly six decades in PR says the industry still protects itself from its own scandals. In this episode, Robert Minton-Taylor, a CIPR fellow recognise

EP 124: He Built His Own AI Company Then Shut It Down

A toxic hire nearly cost him his agency. Then he made a similar mistake again, this time trying to build his own AI instead of renting one. In this episode, Roger Hurni,

EP 123: Why I Recommended the Man Who Fired Me - John O'Keeffe

He ran creative for the world's biggest advertising group. Then his own recommendation to the board cost him the job, and he sold every share he owned the same week.

EP 122: The Sales Funnel Is a Hundred Years Old and Wrong

KFC and Weetabix both threw away the most famous slogans in their category, and had to fight their way back to them. In this episode, Tom Roach explains how "Finger Lick

EP 121: I Invented a Category, Sold to Diageo, and Almost Lost It All

Ben Branson invented an entirely new drinks category from his kitchen. Then a £1 million hole nearly took it all away. In this episode, Ben explains how Seedlip, the wor

EP 120: We Fired 30 People and Nothing Changed

A growth lead at a fast-scaling startup admits the truth: his old company cut a 30-person marketing and sales team, and sales didn't change at all. In this episode,

EP 119: Moz Founder: 'I Was Making $50M a Year and Miserable'

Rand Fishkin built Moz into the biggest name in SEO. Then he raised $30 million in venture capital and watched it nearly break him. In this episode, Rand explains why ra

EP 118: This One Habit Cost Me 100 Million YouTube Views

A top YouTube strategist just revealed the single habit that cost him over 100 million views and then live-critiqued our own channel's titles on air. Leroy te Braak

From Petrified Wood to Pints Social Proof Gone Wrong

Behavioural science meets marketing mishaps back in episode 46 with Phill Agnew. As a specialist in testing what really works in ads, Phill exposes how well intentioned c

EP 117: 70% of Teams Are Using AI With Zero Oversight. Here’s What Happened

Most companies have bought AI. Hardly any are actually using it properly inside their teams. In this episode, recorded live at the AI for PR conference in London, we bre

How a Transparency Slip Sparked a PR Firestorm

In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, Chris Pharo CEO from 72 Point talks through the controversy that erupted after critics on social media challenged the ter

EP 116: "SEO Is Dead. It's an $85 Billion Market and It's Over"

Everyone is talking about AI transformation. Almost no one is thinking about whether their brand shows up when customers ask AI what to buy. This episode breaks down the

The Hangover That Landed Us A Major Client

Our guest, Guy Utley CEO of Tall Agency, shares a candid story about winning a major pitch despite being severely hungover from celebrating a "Best Creative Agency" award

EP 115: The Moment Claude Co-Work Replaced 4 Days of Work in 30 Minutes

He handed AI a full marketing project… and it came back finished in 30 minutes. What used to take 4 days of analysis, reporting, and presentation building was done in a