Embracing Marketing Mistakes

Ever had that stomach-sinking moment when you realise you've made a massive, irreversible mistake? Try 50,000 glossy brochures printed with the wrong phone number. One poor marketer handed over a random pensioner’s number to the public, then had to hire temps to stick the correct digits on every single copy by hand. It only got worse from there. Mail merge cock-ups that sent rival names to customers and a sixty grand exhibition display with a typo you couldn’t cover up with gaffer tape. Brutal.
But here’s the thing. Back in 2004 there was no AI to save you, no Google to ask, and no easy fix. If you got it wrong, you owned it. You figured it out or went under. These stories aren’t just hilarious. They’re a lesson in grit, ownership and creative panic. Fancy hearing more of these marketing horror stories? Subscribe to the podcast and get stuck in. Link in bio.
Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

Subscribe to our newsletter
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈 
Follow Chris:
X, TikTok, LinkedIn

Follow Will:
LinkedIn

Follow The Show:
TikTok, YouTube

A single fax almost caused a multimillion pound pricing collapse. Yet the story is only the starting point. This episode goes much deeper into how marketers cope with relentless technological change and why so many professionals feel overwhelmed.
Allister Frost is the former Head of Digital Marketing Strategy at Microsoft and one of the first people inside the company to shape its early digital and performance marketing approach. He now writes, teaches and speaks globally about staying future ready, building adaptable teams and avoiding the slow suffocation of the comfort zone.
Chris and Allister's conversation explores AI hype, quantum computing, career resilience, the Frost Framework and the behaviours that help marketers stay relevant when the rules keep changing.
Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

Subscribe to our newsletter
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈
Follow Chris:
X, TikTok, LinkedIn

Follow Will:
LinkedIn

Follow The Show:
TikTok, YouTube

On this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, I’m joined by Gareth Turner, founder of Big Black Door and former Head of Marketing at Weetabix. Gareth has over 23 years of experience in food and drink, having led marketing for brands like John Smith’s, Bulmers, Lurpak and Arla. From buying a racehorse for John Smith’s to launching Bulmers fruit ciders and leading the viral Beanz on Bix campaign, his career is packed with bold ideas and brilliant lessons.
Gareth opens up about one of his biggest missteps: a bizarre PR stunt involving a coat made of human hair to promote a chocolate milkshake. The idea aimed to poke fun at over-the-top masculinity in advertising but fell flat due to a lack of strategic grounding and a weak link to the product.
• Created a coat from barbershop hair to promote protein chocolate milk
 • Concept satirised extreme masculinity in ads
 • Missed the mark with an unclear product connection
 • Broke a key food marketing rule by undermining appetite appeal
 • Gained international attention, including CNN Japan
 • Might spark social media buzz today, but still fails on brand relevance
Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

Subscribe to our newsletter
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈
Follow Chris:
X, TikTok, LinkedIn

Follow Will:
LinkedIn

Follow The Show:
TikTok, YouTube

One advert wiped out a supermarket product in six weeks, and Kevin Chesters was right in the middle of it. He saw the disaster coming, ignored the warning signs and watched the whole thing collapse in real time.

Kevin Chesters is a seasoned strategist with more than twenty five years in top flight marketing, including leadership roles as Chief Strategy Officer at Wieden+Kennedy London, Dentsu McGarryBowen and Ogilvy, plus a spell as Head of Strategy at BT. His track record gives him serious authority on how strategy actually gets done inside big organisations.
He now runs his own consultancy, lectures widely and speaks around the world on creativity, storytelling and problem solving. His book The Creative Nudge became an Amazon best seller and helped cement his reputation as someone who can turn complex thinking into practical tools for marketers.
Kevin talks through how a simple brief for a kid's snack turned into a chaotic TV script, a flawed media plan and a campaign he openly calls the worst ad in British history. His honesty shows how experienced strategists can still get caught in groupthink and momentum.
Chris and Will dig into how the Big Cheese Dipper fiasco unfolded, why the agency pushed ahead and how the failure shaped Kevin’s career. The conversation moves from creative misfires to pitch disasters, toxic clients, time pressure and the trouble with rushed workshops.
Kevin also shares what thirty years in agencies have taught him about confidence, collaboration and protecting work from being watered down. His stories are brutal, funny and painfully familiar for anyone who has ever tried to get a brave idea through an organisation.
Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

Subscribe to our newsletter
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈
Follow Chris:
X, TikTok, LinkedIn

Follow Will:
LinkedIn

Follow The Show:
TikTok, YouTube

I’m joined by Stuart Bruce, who is internationally recognised as the PR Futurist. He is a thinker, strategist and hands-on practitioner in modernised public relations, communications and corporate affairs. Stuart specialises in AI, communication technology (CommTech), measurement and evaluation, and crisis communications. He helps organisations embrace digital transformation and future-proof their communications in a changing world.
In this episode, Stuart tells the story of how he tried to bring Twitter into mainstream political campaigning during Alan Johnson's 2007 Deputy Leadership bid. It was an ambitious and forward-thinking move that nearly made history, but a sudden change by Twitter threw the plan off course.
• Joined Twitter on January 2nd, 2007 when the platform was brand new
 • Nearly became the world's first political campaign to use Twitter with a senior figure, beaten only by John Edwards by two weeks
 • Used Twitter primarily to generate media coverage through innovation, successfully getting a full page in The Guardian
 • Planned to leverage Twitter's SMS functionality to send free text messages to 200,000 Labour Party members
 • Twitter discontinued their SMS service between printing campaign leaflets and their delivery to members
 • Key lesson: don't rely on free services for important campaign communications
 • Few complaints received due to Twitter's limited adoption at the time
Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

Subscribe to our newsletter
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter here. 👈
Follow Chris:
X, TikTok, LinkedIn

Follow Will:
LinkedIn

Follow The Show:
TikTok, YouTube