How not to be boring in B2B, AI agents and lessons from F1 - Colin Fleming
Colin Fleming is a returning guest, and the CMO of ServiceNow, a B2B company ripping up the B2B marketing playbook. It’s not the first time Colin has done this, having previously spent 13 years at Salesforce turning them into a brand to be reckoned with. In this episode I talk to Colin about their new brand campaign with Idris Elba, what the future of marketing with AI looks like and the biggest lessons a CMO can take from a former F1 racing driver.00:00 - Intro01:36 - What is ServiceNow?03:03 - How well is the marketing role understood at ServiceNow04:26 - How to position marketing for leadership05:38 - How are B2B buying decisions made07:49 - Dealing with losing 50% lead volume10:22 - How Colin is building the ServiceNow brand?12:00 - ServiceNow’s use of distinctive assets14:21 - ServiceNow’s ads with Idris Elba17:07 - Understanding Agentic AI19:47 - AI agents use cases20:37 - Why we shouldn’t fear AI23:10 - The risks of AI agents24:12 - How to make AI agents work together26:04 - What skills will CMOs need to win in the next 5-10 years?27:20 - 5 things B2B marketers are wrong about29:10 - How ServiceNow are using personalisation at scale31:53 - Why the data is so important for AI34:13 - How Colin went from F1 to CMO35:04 - Lessons from being a racing driver to marketing36:06 - ServiceNow’s partnership with Aston Martin37:43 - Most surprising lesson for Colin since he left Salesforce
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41:07
Scott Galloway vs Rory Sutherland - is the era of brand over?
In a world first, Scott Galloway and Rory Sutherland go head to head to talk about some of the biggest topics in marketing. They lock horns on Scott's controversial statement "the era of brand is dead" and why most successful companies don't advertise. You'll also hear the two disagreeing on the Jaguar rebrand, at which point Scott may or may not have called Rory sexy...Timestamps00:00 - Intro02:15 - Be in an industry you get better at as you get older05:41 - Does wealth redistribution need to change?16:22 - Why the most successful companies don’t advertise22:49 - The era of brand is over30:39 - Scott’s fear for young men35:52 - Scott and Rory discuss dating40:56 - Was the Jaguar rebrand stupid?
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44:15
Who killed Duo? How Duolingo built a brand on entertainment
Today, I’m joined by James Kuczynski, Creative Director at Duolingo, and Dan Salkey, Founding Partner at Small World, for a conversation on how to build truly entertaining brands.Fresh off their SXSW panel titled "Entertain or Die", named after a report by Small World, we explore how Duolingo has built such a standout brand, particularly through the rise (and death...) of their iconic mascot, Duo.In the first half of the episode, I chat with James about Duolingo’s brand success, why they decided to "kill off" their beloved mascot, and how giving creative autonomy to their team has been key to their growth. In the second half, I speak with Dan about the most entertaining brands in the world today—and the specific traits you can apply to make your own brand more entertaining.Download the Entertain or Die report here.Timestamps00:00 - Start00:47 - Part 1: James Kuczynski from Duolingo01:22 - James’ background in marketing03:23 - How James joined Duolingo04:18 - What is Duolingo06:34 - How Duolingo has used gamification to help people learn languages09:47 - How is AI enhancing Duolingo?11:20 - Is AI a threat to Duolingo?12:13 - Why Duolingo created “Duo”, their mascot15:47 - How the Duolingo owl evolved17:56 - Duolingo’s April fools plans20:00 - Why Duolingo killed off their mascot23:57 - The results of Duo killing their mascot25:08 - How partnerships have played a role in the success of Duolingo28:02 - How Duo is bigger than A-list celebrities29:26 - How Duolingo built such a huge social media following32:08 - The importance of being in-house for growing Duolingo33:17 - How Duolingo hires social media talent34:34 - The thing that makes Duolingo stand out36:32 - Part 2: Dan Salkey from Small World37:15 - Why Small World created the Entertain or Die report38:57 - How they identified the most entertaining brands on the planet39:30 - What brands are the most entertaining?40:41 - Why the most boring categories have most space to innovate42:35 - The entertainment gap44:07 - How can brands be more entertaining?49:54 - Final advice on how brands can be more entertaining
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53:06
Dan Ariely: the hidden forces that shape your customers' decisions
In this episode, we deep dive into the irrational world of customer behaviour with legendary behavioural economist Dan Ariely. Dan reveals why we’re all predictably wrong, how tiny invisible cues can radically change price perception, and why effort makes things feel more valuable. We also unpack the real reason people fall for misinformation, how to rebuild trust in broken industries like insurance, and why letting customers choose their own price might just be your smartest move. If you want to understand what truly drives decisions — and how to use that insight to become a better marketer — this one’s unmissable.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:50 - The story of Dan Ariely’s half beard00:07:53 - Dan’s painful introduction into behavioural science00:11:46 - Reaction to Jon’s house tragedy00:15:11 - The hidden truths revealed by social science00:21:43 - Invisible vs visible motivation00:29:20 - How Dan would change insurance companies00:33:30 - Lemonade insurance example00:35:39 - Why the human brain is a vintage Swiss Army knife00:38:08 - How context radically changes price perception (the relativity effect)00:45:01 - Why you should let your customer choose their own price00:47:11 - Why economists donate the least to charities00:49:58 - Why effort greatly increases your price perception01:00:06 - The real cause of misinformation and why it isn’t what you might think01:12:18 - What will be Dan Ariely’s new book?01:13:38 - Why we are so afraid of mistakes
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1:19:41
Rory Sutherland on why marketing is the answer to economic growth
Rory Sutherland returns to the Uncensored CMO podcast, tackling the economic crisis with his signature wit and wisdom. As ever, he offers a refreshingly unconventional perspective on the world’s biggest problems — and marketing’s role in solving them.In this episode, Rory explores why marketing is more like a casino than a science, how to capitalise on your competitors’ blind spots, and what his unexpected TikTok fame has taught him. Expect laughs, left-field insights, and the kind of brilliantly bizarre anecdotes only Rory can deliver.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:03 - Are we looking in the wrong place for growth?05:33 - Should we slow down our adoption of AI?09:08 - What marketers and the police have in common14:40 - Marketing is a casino17:42 - The most transformative behavioural science insights19:47 - Take what your competition are doing badly and double down on it26:20 - Fame is a luck multiplier32:43 - Why AO add bears to every order37:19 - How Rory would boost growth in the economy?47:13 - What has Rory been profoundly wrong about and why
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