Startup masterclass - how Seedlip went from idea to Diageo exit in 3.5 years - Ben Branson
Ben Branson is the founder of Seedlip, a non-alcoholic spirit brand he started in 2015, and sold 3 years later to Diageo. Jon speaks to Ben about the origins of the brand, how the grew so fast, what makes Ben such an impressive marketer (despite him not liking marketing) and how a brand goes from 0 to exit in such a short space of time. We also talk about Ben's new brands and his Hidden 20% charity.Timestamps00:00:00 - SIntro00:01:01 - Where did the idea for Seedlip come from?00:14:14 - Charging a high price00:18:47 - How to push through the hard times00:21:10 - What led to such large growth in the early days of Seedlip00:24:29 - Planning for success vs making it up as you go00:27:44 - The power of intelligent naivety00:29:30 - Creativity within budget constraints00:31:05 - From innovator to scale up00:38:05 - Why did Ben Branson and Seedlip sell to Diageo?00:40:26 - What Ben doesn’t like about marketing00:41:25 - Why Ben is a masterful marketer00:48:51 - The Hidden 20%: Ben’s autism story and charity01:00:35 - Why Ben wants to close his charity, The Hidden 20%?
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1:02:43
Brand isn't dead, the 95:5 rule & why AI is B2B's most powerful painkiller - Jon Lombardo and Peter Weinberg
The B2B boys Jon Lombardo and Peter Weinberg return to the podcast for a third time, this time wearing their new distinctive assets. They go hard on Professor Scott Galloway, disagreeing with his "brand is dead" statement, suggesting that not only is brand not dead, it's alive, thriving and you need it for your brand to survive. They also give us an update on their synthetic research company, Evidenza, and what the future of brands look like in the age of AI.Timestamps00:00 - Intro02:07 - How is Evidenza going?03:36 - Why Evidenza have embraced distinctive assets08:29 - Why Jon and Peter disagree with Scott Galloway on brand17:20 - The future of brand in the age of AI21:21 - The 95:5 rule reinvented27:48 - Why brand efforts compound30:00 - Why brand matters more in B2B than B2C38:49 - The Evidenza jingle41:03 - What marketing questions can now be answered with AI55:17 - What is the future of AI for research
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1:03:18
Airbnb on their big new innovation, in-housing creativity and brand led communication - Hiroki Asai
I speak to Airbnb's CMO, Hiroki Asai, fresh off their 2025 Summer Release, where they announced their brand new "Services" and "Experiences" addition to the platform. This now positions Airbnb as the perfect alternative to a hotel when travelling. Hiroki touches on how they have launched this massive new innovation, why they do all their creative work in-house and rounds off with some poignant advice to marketers.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:42 - Joining Airbnb at the start of COVID02:44 - Why Airbnb turned off performance marketing but invested in brand04:01 - Airbnb’s origin story as told by their CMO, Hiroki Asai06:31 - The importance of design for Airbnb07:37 - Why all branding and advertising is done in house17:36 - How the new launch helps Airbnb hosts18:33 - What went into such a big launch20:36 - Some of the notable Airbnb experiences21:28 - The big redesign of the Airbnb app23:59 - How Hiroki leads the marketing organisation27:29 - How to launch a big product update29:37 - Revamping the Airbnb host experience31:45 - Hiroki’s advice for aspiring CMOs
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37:14
The future of X: winning back advertisers, breaking the news & building the world’s most powerful AI
Since Elon Musk acquired X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, the platform has undergone dramatic changes; slashing headcount, losing major advertisers, and redefining its identity. Now, under CEO Linda Yaccarino and marketing lead Angela Zepeda (formerly of Hyundai), X is staging a comeback. Angela joins Jon to discuss her leap from automotive to tech, rebuilding advertiser trust, and the bold vision of turning X into “the everything app.”They cover the platform's role in breaking news, championing free speech, and why brands are flocking back.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:39 - From Hyundai to X: Angela’s leap03:46 - Leading marketing when everyone has an opinion05:56 - Free speech and platform identity07:45 - Why news breaks on X13:11 - X as a place to think differently15:58 - The rise of sports on X19:35 - Helping brands join the conversation26:16 - Winning back advertisers34:25 - What advertisers gain from returning36:06 - How X markets itself39:58 - The “everything app” vision42:54 - Integrating Grok AI47:20 - How advertisers can win on X
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51:06
Mars Brand Building Masterclass with Rankin Carroll
Rankin Carroll is the Chief Brand Officer at Mars, having joined the company in 2002. Mars is responsible for some of the most well-known advertising in the world, for brands including M&M’s, Twix, Snickers, Skittles, and more. Jon speaks to Rankin about long-term brand building vs. performance marketing, how to get the most out of agencies, and what it takes to build a portfolio of incredible brands.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:52 - Rankin’s career journey05:49 - How the Chief Brand Officer role works at Mars07:37 - Marketing mix spend at Mars – can you implement a fully earned strategy?13:27 - Brand building vs. performance marketing15:13 - How Mars stays so consistent with their marketing19:06 - The power of consistency and longevity at Mars24:55 - How agencies can get the most out of their clients32:09 - How Twix became a $1 billion brand38:41 - Own Goal Snickers AI campaign explained40:43 - The dominance of M&M’s advertising in the System1 database44:40 - The power of the M&M’s characters48:04 - Rankin’s advice to young marketers
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