As has become a tradition, marketing professor Mark Ritson is back to break down his top 10 marketing moments of the year. We talk fighter brands, the president, Amazon's grannies, deepfakes, mergers and more in this snappy episode. There's nothing more to say - strap in and enjoy the opinionated marketing professor dropping some clangers.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:32 - Mark Ritson’s top 10 stories of the year
01:55 - 10. A big year for mergers
04:35 - 9. The painkiller vs the president
09:42 - 8. Tesla’s Fighter Brand Failure
12:56 - Mark Ritson’s advice to Elon Musk
23:05 - 6. Amazon brings back the grannies (compounding)
30:10 - Marketing Buzzwords of 2025
30:20 - Buzzword 1: Hyperpersonalisation
30:54 - Buzzword 2: Onmichannel Marketing
31:44 - Buzzword 3: Growth Hacking
32:38 - 5: The great Cracker Barrel crisis of 2025
39:06 - 4. Starbucks and their positioning
42:10 - 3: New CEOs chasing growth vs gimmicks
43:44 - 2. Deepfake Martin Lewis and fraudulent advertising
48:33 - 1: Maxi-miniflation

Andrew Warden, CMO of Semrush, joins us to unpack how AI is reshaping search, and what it means for marketers heading into 2026. We discuss whether SEO is really “dead,” the biggest insights from Semrush’s new AI Visibility Index, and how different AI models surface and rank content across industries. Andrew also shares why brand and digital visibility matter more than ever, the growing importance of creators in AI-driven discovery, and practical advice for CMOs trying to stay ahead as search rapidly evolves.

This episode is brought to you by Semrush — your unfair advantage in digital brand visibility. From fast-growing teams to global enterprises, Semrush shows you where you stand, where you can win, and how to stay visible across AI Search and LLMs. With unrivaled data and real AI intelligence, Semrush helps you move faster, grow faster, and make sure your brand is the answer wherever customers ask.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
02:08 - How disruptive is AI for search in 2026?
04:19 - Is SEO dead now because of AI?
08:32 - Biggest surprises from Semrush’s new AI Visibility Index Report
11:04 - How different AI models treat different industries
13:05 - Understanding how AI ranks different sources
15:48 - Why content creators are important in the age of AI search
18:35 - Why you need to be failing fast in AI
21:10 - Why brand matters more in the age of AI
24:20 - Why digital brand visibility matters so much
26:28 - Advice for CMOs for getting on top of AI for search
30:21 - Is AI just making decisions for us?
33:19 - Why humanity, authenticity and emotion are more important than ever
36:12 - What is Semrush One?

Jo Shoesmith, Chief Creative Officer at Amazon, joins us for a second time to reveal how one of the world’s biggest brands continues to make advertising that connects emotionally and stands the test of time. She shares what she’s learned moving from agency life to leading creativity inside a global giant, why Amazon still invests in traditional media, and the secret to ads that run for 3–5 years without losing impact.

We also discuss why right-brained storytelling works, the surprising insights about Gen Z, and how Amazon balances scale, agility, and creativity in the age of AI.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
01:21 - Learnings from going agency side to brand side
04:18 - How much does Amazon spend on advertising each year?
05:02 - Why Amazon still advertises using traditional media
06:21 - Why is Amazon’s creative so effective?
08:57 - Why Amazon’s advertising is so right brained
10:33 - Why Amazon make ads to run for 3-5 years
14:25 - Amazon re-airing the popular “Grannies” ad
17:00 - Why the industry is obsessed with youth
18:33 - The interesting numbers behind Gen Z and advertising
21:00 - Japanese Granny Ad from Amazon
23:07 - The only Cannes Lion Jon has ever won
26:11 - Using production to discover new stories
29:48 - Amazon’s CCO’s thoughts on AI and creativity
32:56 - Is AI used in the creative process at Amazon?
35:29 - How does such a big company stay so agile?
36:24 - What one thing has made the biggest difference for Jo?