Our most popular guest ever is back - Rory Sutherland returns for a wide-ranging conversation on why marketing works best when it embraces luck, spontaneity, and a little irrationality. From the dangers of confected outrage and self-censorship to the unfair economics of marketing, Rory challenges the industry’s obsession with logic, optimisation, and process.

We discuss why success is often misunderstood as skill rather than luck, the value of doing a few things irresponsibly, and why inefficiency can be a feature rather than a flaw. As ever, Rory connects behavioural science, creativity, and business reality in ways few others can.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
01:16 - How Rory deals with his new micro fame
03:12 - How Jon shut down the London Underground
07:04 - The problem with confected outrage
10:34 - How self-censoring is affecting creativity
12:10 - The power of spontaneity and luck in advertising
16:03 - The unfair economics of marketing
20:54 - Is success just luck?
23:12 - Spend 95% responsibly, and 5% irresponsibly
30:12 - Doubling down on what your competitors do badly
34:32 - Why so many businesses are no longer customer focused
35:29 - Inefficiency as a feature
37:08 - The power of herd mentality
43:26 - What marketers can teach the business world
48:13 - Why internal process is killing businesses
51:15 - Lessons from 200 years of The Spectator advertising
54:47 - Rory’s closing thoughts on marketing

Les Binet and Sarah Carter are back for our yearly special, tacking the biggest marketing stories of the year and what to focus on in 2026. We explore the power of consistency, disguised repetition, and why brands so often misunderstand campaigns. Les and Sarah explain why big brands can’t behave like small ones (and vice versa), how marketers can persuade businesses to invest more in the long term, and whether we’re seeing the end of the purpose era and a return to product-led growth. We also look ahead to the role of AI versus craft in advertising, and what the evidence suggests for the year ahead.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:38 - The year of consistency
05:26 - Disguised repetition
11:13 - Do we define campaigns wrong?
12:27 - Why you need to go big on your media spend
17:07 - Why big brands can’t market like small brands and vice versa
23:15 - How can you persuade your business to spend more
28:52 - Why don’t we do the long term work, despite the evidence
34:19 - Why everyone is wrong about CMO tenure
37:18 - Have we seen the end of the purpose era? (and the renaissance of product)
44:50 - AI vs craft in advertising

In this special crossover episode, we’re joined by Jimmy McLoughlin, host of Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future, to explore the intersection of politics, media, and marketing. Jimmy shares how he built one of the UK’s most influential political podcasts, landed interviews with the Prime Minister, and why big podcasts now rival traditional media in shaping public opinion.

We also compare the most impactful episodes from both shows, debate trust in marketing and politics, unpack why some of today’s biggest tech brands struggle with branding, and make the case for humour in advertising.

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
01:37 - How Jimmy McLoughlin became a podcaster
04:21 - How Jimmy got the Prime Minister of the UK on the pod
08:50 - The power of big podcasts
11:43 - Why can’t politicians be honest?
12:56 - The top 5 episodes of Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future
16:59 - The top 5 episodes of Uncensored CMO in 2025
21:25 - What episode has inspired Jimmy the most
23:27 - What episode has inspired Jon the most?
29:34 - What politician would Jon most like to interview?
30:33 - The danger of all the new podcasts being released
33:27 - The most untrustworthy professions; marketing and politics
34:39 - Webinars need a rebrand
35:56 - Why no marketer was involved with branding ChatGPT
37:27 - Monzo’s great marketing in 2025
39:33 - The serious case for humour in advertising
39:58 - The different types of happiness in advertising
41:46 - The shifting advertising landscape
46:13 - Approaching marketing like a politician
47:51 - Career advice in 2026 from Jimmy McLoughlin
49:20 - When politics and marketing collide

This week’s bonus episode comes from Never Mind the Adverts, hosted by Jon Evans and joined by returning Uncensored CMO guest Orlando Wood. Together, they look back on the biggest marketing stories, debates, and creative moments of 2025. Expect festive cheer, some interesting tipples, and a healthy dose of advertising showmanship.

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:41 - Starting with some festive cheer
02:04 - The big news stories from 2025
02:20 - The multiplier effect
03:51 - The creative dividend
05:05 - The Cost of Dull Media
07:17 - Les Binet Go Big or Go Home
09:22 - The Wild West of Influencer Measurement
13:00 - How the pause screen has become an advertising channel
14:30 - Sydney Sweeney, American Eagle and Jaguar - The Crisis
16:15 - Mergers and WPP
17:26 - Drinks Trolley Break
19:00 - Jon’s highlight - awards
20:12 - Orlando Wood’s highlight of 2025
21:46 - Rory Sutherland vs Scott Galloway
22:35 - Jon and Alix Earle in Cannes
23:52 - Jon cycles up a mountain with Zwift
25:12 - Becoming trustee for the History of Advertising Trust
26:42 - The History of Christmas Advertising with a special guest
33:10 - Who won Christmas in 2025?
34:27 - Aldi and Kevin the Carrot
35:18 - Waitrose’s strong Christmas showing
36:28 - The most viewed Christmas Ads on YouTube
37:25 - Amazon re-airing their Christmas ad this year
38:20 - The growth of Christmas Ads in 2025
39:47 - The right brained nature of the successful Christmas ads
40:51 - The Coca Cola AI Christmas Ad
43:23 - The Never Mind the Adverts Awards
44:02 - System1 Star of the Year
44:51 - System1 Turkey of the Year
45:32 - Name that ad

Emma Harris spent a decade revolutionising Eurostar as its Marketing and Sales Director, leading the brand through years of success and navigating multiple crises. Now the Founder and Chief of Glow London, she works with clients around the world to build brands that are deeply connected to their people and culture.

In this episode, Emma shares her journey through marketing, leadership, and entrepreneurship, and the life-altering moment that forced her to rethink everything. After suffering a cardiac arrest, she reflects on ambition, burnout, and what really matters. We talk about building great teams, leaving safe roles to start something new, bouncing back from the hardest year of her life, and why slowing down might be the most radical, and necessary, leadership move as we head into 2026.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:52 - How Emma got into marketing
04:58 - What can sales learn from marketers?
07:36 - How to respond to a comms crisis?
12:17 - Lessons from a 10 year tenure at a company
14:14 - How to get the best out of your employees
16:49 - How to hire great people
18:14 - Why Emma left her safe role to setup her own agency
19:41 - Bouncing back from the worst year of your life
20:42 - Why Emma set up Glow, her agency
21:39 - Advice for being your own boss
22:34 - Emma’s life changing cardiac arrest
25:54 - Life lessons from almost dying
28:06 - Why you need to slow the f*ck down
33:58 - How we should approach the new year
37:04 - The power of accountability

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?