The 4Ps might be Marketing 101, but are we actually using them properly?

In this episode of Canned, Steph Quantrill from Cue Marketing and Ben van Rooy from Human Digital go deep on Product, Price, Place and Promotion and why these fundamentals still shape the strongest brands in New Zealand and Australia. 

Then in a special guest section, Kaleb Mearns joins to launch a new partnership survey in conjunction with the Marketing Association, unpacking why agencies and clients need to take a hard look at how they work together. 

The 4Ps Deep Dive (Or is it 7?)

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why product strength determines how much promotion you actually need
 • How pricing is positioning whether you realise it or not
 • Where place and distribution quietly create competitive advantage
 • Why promotion is the loudest P but rarely the most important
 • How modern marketers can use the 4Ps as a strategic filter before briefing creative

Special Section: The Partnership Survey with Kaleb Mearns

In this segment, Kaleb joins Steph and Ben to announce the new industry partnership survey in collaboration with the Marketing Association.

Why This Matters

• Why agency and client relationships often drift without measurement
 • How better feedback loops can strengthen commercial performance
 • What the survey aims to uncover about trust, expectations and value
 • Why both agencies and brand-side marketers should contribute

Call to action
If you work in an agency or sit client side, fill out the partnership survey and encourage your team to do the same. Stronger relationships build stronger marketing. And while you are at it, sense-check your next campaign against the 4Ps before you hit go.

Resources mentioned
 • Marketing Association https://marketing.org.nz

Connect with the creators and hosts
• Kaleb Mearns. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalebfrancis/

• Ben van Rooy https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/

• Stephanie Quantrill https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-quantrill/

Explore more from Canned
 • Canned the Marketing Podcast www.cannedmarketing.com

• Cue Marketing www.cuemarketing.co.nz

• Human Digital www.humandigital.com

Timestamps
 00:00 Why the 4Ps still anchor great marketing
 07:45 Product as the foundation of brand strength
 16:20 Pricing as a strategic signal
 24:10 Place and distribution power
 33:30 Promotion in a noisy market
 41:00 Special guest Kaleb Mearns and the partnership survey launch
 50:30 Why agencies and clients should participate

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

What does it take to futureproof an entire profession? On this episode of Canned, Ben van Rooy and Stephanie Quantrill sit down with John Miles, CEO of the New Zealand Marketing Association, to unpack how NZMA has evolved from its direct mail roots into a national engine room for marketing capability. 

John shares how COVID forced a fast pivot to digital learning, why leadership pathways matter more than ever, and the importance of a professional body in a profession that doesn't require one. 

If you care about lifting standards in NZ marketing, this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

•Why professional bodies must evolve from events hosts to true capability builders
•How marketing leadership pathways shape the future of the industry
•What real membership value looks like in 2026 and beyond
•Why modern marketers need breadth of thinking not just channel expertise
•How community and mentoring create long term industry advantage

Bonus Nuggets

•Steph and Ben unpack the Super Bowl ad landscape and what real cut through looks like
•A nostalgic McDonald’s Friends collab sparks a debate on audience relevance
•A reminder that marketing is as much about community as it is about campaigns

Call to action

If you’re serious about growing your career and raising the bar for marketing in New Zealand and Australia, this conversation will challenge how you think about professional development.

Resources mentioned:

•New Zealand Marketing Association (NZMA) https://marketing.org.nz
•Advanced Marketing Leadership Programme https://marketing.org.nz/training
•NZ Marketing Awards https://marketing.org.nz/marketing-awards
•System1 https://system1group.com

Connect with the creators, and hosts mentioned:

•John Miles https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-m-129a0521/
•Ben van Rooy https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/
•Stephanie Quantrill https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-quantrill/

Explore more from Canned:

•Canned the Marketing Podcast www.cannedmarketing.com
•Cue Marketing www.cuemarketing.co.nz
•Human Digital www.humandigital.com

Help improve our podcast

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and why this episode matters for NZ marketers
04:20 Super Bowl ads and the battle for attention
12:30 Meet John Miles and the role of NZMA
16:30 COVID pivots and digital transformation
20:00 Membership explained and what value really means
29:30 Building talent pathways and emerging marketer programmes
33:45 Events scale and capability building at pace
44:20 Creativity, ROI pressure and the future of marketing
47:15 Wrap and what’s next

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

When you’re up against a giant, you do not outspend them. You out-position them. 

In this episode of Canned, Ben van Rooy and Stephanie Quantrill unpack challenger brands versus market leaders and why bigger is not always better. From Pepsi taking on Coca-Cola at the Super Bowl, to Whittaker's holding its ground against Cadbury, and how Skinny emerged in response to 2degrees, this is a sharp, practical breakdown of how David can beat Goliath. 

If you manage brand in NZ or Australia, this one is worth a listen.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
 • Why positioning is your most affordable weapon
 • How repetition builds mental availability when budgets are tight
 • When market leaders should launch sub-brands versus stay the course
 • Why reframing the category can be more powerful than product innovation
 • How defending your lane beats trying to be everything to everyone

Bonus Nuggets
 • The Super Bowl Pepsi polar bear taste test and what it signals about competitive framing
 • Why Whittaker’s goes upmarket instead of chasing Cadbury on price

Call to action
 If you are either the scrappy challenger or the comfortable category leader, this episode asks one uncomfortable question: are you defending your positioning hard enough?

Resources mentioned:
 • Pepsi
 • Coca-Cola
 • Whittaker's
 • Cadbury
 • 2degrees
 • Skinny
 • Dollar Shave Club
 • Gillette
 • Unilever
 • OpenAI

Connect with us:
 • Ben van Rooy – https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/

• Stephanie Quantrill – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-quantrill/

Explore more from Canned:
 • Canned the Marketing Podcast: www.cannedmarketing.com

• Cue Marketing: www.cuemarketing.co.nz

• Human Digital: www.humandigital.com

Timestamps
 00:00 – Challenger brands versus market leaders
 00:11 – Pepsi, Whittaker’s and the positioning battle
 16:23 – Skinny launched as a response to 2degrees
 17:19 – Dollar Shave Club and acquisition strategy
 24:22 – Repeat, repeat, repeat as a challenger strategy
 44:15 – Why Whittaker’s cannot be Cadbury

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

Strategy gets talked about a lot in marketing—but is rarely defined well. In this episode of Canned: The Marketing Podcast, hosts Steph Quantrill (Cue Marketing) and Ben van Rooy (Human Digital) cut through the noise to unpack what strategy really is, why so many businesses confuse it with tactics, and how that confusion quietly kills focus, momentum, and results.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Strategy is a set of choices, not a plan
  True strategy answers where you play and how you win—before a single tactic is chosen.
• Why strategy is as much about saying “no” as it is saying “yes”
  Trade-offs are not a weakness; they’re the point.
• The hard line between strategy and tactics
  Media plans, campaigns, and content calendars are execution—not strategy.
• Why marketing strategy must ladder up to business strategy
  When marketers don’t understand the commercial direction, they are destined to fail.
• What good strategy looks like inside real organisations
  Clear positioning, consistency over time, and fewer, better campaigns.
• Why constant reinvention is usually a red flag
  Strong brands evolve—but they don’t panic-reset every year.

Bonus Nuggets

• Why being “busy” often masks a lack of strategy
• The inbox vs intention problem most marketers face
• Why channel-hopping is a symptom, not a solution
• The myth that strategy needs to be clever or complex
• A refreshingly practical take on “strategy on a page”

Why Listen?

If you’ve ever been asked to “do a strategy” when what’s really wanted is a media plan—or you’ve watched teams mistake activity for progress—this episode is for you. Steph and Ben bring clarity, lived experience, and straight talk to one of marketing’s most misunderstood disciplines. You’ll come away with sharper language, stronger conviction, and a clearer sense of how strategy should actually guide your work day to day.

Chapters (with timestamps)

• 00:00 – Welcome & scene setting
  Why strategy keeps coming up—and keeps being misunderstood.
• 02:30 – What strategy really is
  A clear definition and why documents aren’t the point.
• 06:30 – The cascade of choices
  Where to play, how to win, and the power of focus.
• 11:45 – Strategy vs tactics
  Drawing a firm line between thinking and doing.
• 15:30 – Marketing’s role in business strategy
  Why marketers need context, not just briefs.
• 20:00 – What good strategy looks like in practice
  Consistency, positioning, and fewer campaigns done better.
• 27:00 – Brand examples and lessons
  Who’s staying the course—and who’s getting distracted.
• 35:00 – Clarity over cleverness
  Why great strategy simplifies decisions instead of complicating them.
• 39:00 – What’s next
  Teasing the upcoming episode on challenger brands vs market leaders.

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

Customer Experience Is the Brand (Especially When Things Go Wrong)

In this episode of Canned the Marketing Podcast, Steph and Ben are joined by Sarah Clearwater, founder of Reframr, to unpack why CX is the delivery of your brand promise — and why the best brands shine brightest when everything goes sideways.

This is a practical, no-nonsense conversation for marketers who are tired of talking about “customer centricity” and actually want to do something about it.

What We Cover

1. Customer Experience ≠ Marketing (But They’re Inseparable)

Marketing makes the promise.
 CX keeps it — or breaks it.

Sarah explains why CX is the glue between marketing, sales, product, service and tech — and why organisations that treat it as a silo end up with beautifully branded disappointment.

2. Why Journey Mapping Still Matters (When Done Properly)

Journey mapping one of the most effective decision-making tools.

We get into:

• Why org charts are the enemy of good CX
• Where handovers really fail (hello B2B 👀)
• How mapping exposes misaligned KPIs across teams

Spoiler: most “lead quality” problems aren’t actually lead problems.

3. CX as a Growth Lever (Not a Vibe)

If you’re struggling with:

• Acquisition
• Conversion
• Retention
• Churn
• Cost to serve

…there’s a strong chance your promise and delivery are misaligned.

Sarah breaks down how CX work connects directly to the metrics CFOs actually care about — without needing a six-figure tech stack.

4. B2B CX: The Invisible Journey Everyone Ignores

B2B buying isn’t one customer — it’s a committee.

We unpack:

• Why 7–10 stakeholders break most B2B journeys
• The risk of selling to one person and onboarding another
• Why CRMs help, but don’t magically fix experience gaps

If you’ve ever heard “marketing brings rubbish leads” or “sales kills momentum” — this bit will sting (in a good way).

5. Real CX in the Wild: When Things Go Wrong

The best brand moments don’t happen when everything’s smooth.

We share real examples from:

• Mecca and the Beauty Loop backlash
• ASB delivering calm, human support in a crisis
• Catherine Wilson proving founder-led service still wins
• Mitre 10 turning product advice into brand loyalty

Smart Takes You’ll Steal for Work

• “Customer experience is how organisations build resilience, not just satisfaction.”
• Personas > demographics. Behaviour beats age every time.
• Talking to customers who cancelled will teach you more than 10 NPS surveys.
• If you digitise a broken experience, you don’t fix it — you scale the problem.

Bonus for Marketers

Sarah also shares:

• How to introduce CX into organisations that “aren’t ready”
• How to use moments like CRM re-platforming as leverage
• Why CX and marketing are long-term partners, not project buddies

Plus: a free upcoming webinar on optimising pipelines using customer journey mapping.

Who This Episode Is For

• Senior marketers juggling brand + performance
• B2B marketers dealing with messy funnels and handovers
• Anyone sick of “customer first” being pure theatre
• Leaders who want fewer CX buzzwords and more business impact

To do your own customer journye map - try this free framework here: https://www.reframr.co.nz/90minutemap

Lis

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

It’s 2026, Ben’s back from Rio (minus a phone… plus a backup phone like an absolute psychopath), and Steph’s back from a soggy Coromandel reset. This week, they crack open the crystal ball and give it their best shot at calling the trends for marketers to pay attention to in 2026—brand vs performance, AI slop, agency shake-ups, and why “real” is the new premium.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Brand is back (and B2B finally got the memo): Why over-relying on lead gen is about to hit diminishing returns—and what smarter funnel balance looks like.
• AI adoption + AI backlash: How the rise of AI is also creating demand for human tone, originality, and experiences you can’t copy-paste.
• Specialist agencies will win: Why consolidation opens the door for niche players (and why the big generalists may struggle to justify margins).
• The content explosion is coming: More content than ever… but quality will be the only thing that cuts through.
• Long-form makes a comeback: Podcasts, Substack, and deeper storytelling as a counter-move to short-form overload.
• B2B buyer expectations are evolving: Consumer-level experiences are now the baseline—generic websites and generic messaging won’t survive.
• New role alert: “Vibe Translator”: Why businesses may need a human to translate the subtext between CEO ambition and CFO caution. ;)

Bonus Nuggets

• Ben’s Rio marketing lens: beachfront selling, loudspeakers, national pride, and the kind of “awareness” you can’t block.
• Elf Cosmetics x Liquid Death: a brand collab that’s basically a marketing fever dream (in a good way).
• SXSW Sydney cancelled: what it signals about event viability and where marketers might look instead (Austin, anyone?).
• CES gadgets: fridge cameras, barcode scanning, and a robot vacuum that does stairs (aka: the future is weird).

Why Listen?

Every week Canned breaks down localised marketing trends and hot takes every marketer needs to know . This episode is about 'better'.  Better brand thinking, better creative judgment in an AI-saturated world, and better strategy for where humans add value (hint: not generating 500 “Buy our widgets!” ads). If you’re trying to make smart calls on budget, brand, content, and capability this year—this episode will sharpen your instincts fast.

Chapters (with timestamps)

• 00:00 – Welcome back to 2026: Ben (Human Digital) + Steph (Cue Marketing) set the scene
• 00:34 – Holiday recap: Coromandel calm vs Rio chaos (and the stolen phone story)
• 04:08 – Marketing in Rio: what stood out “in the wild”
• 05:37 – Steph’s marketing news: Elf x Liquid Death + Sydney Sweeney/American Apparel talk
• 08:44 – Ben’s news: Golden Globes adds a podcast category + CES highlights + SXSW Sydney cancelled
• 13:00 – Episode setup: 2026 predictions + disclaimer (no fact-checkers were harmed)
• 14:08 – Prediction 1 (Ben): Brand becomes even more important, especially in B2B
• 16:13 – Prediction 1 (Steph): The “real” renaissance + experiences + anti-AI sameness
• 19:39 – Prediction 2 (Ben): Rise of specialist agencies + in-housing + AI reshaping roles
• 23:15 – Prediction 3 (Steph): Optimism returns (steady growth, not boom) + more fractional/specialist talent use
• 26:29 – Prediction 3 (Ben): Content explosion: quantity rises, quality decides
• 29:39 – Prediction 4 (Steph): Long-form comeback (Substack, blogs, longer storytelling) + more podcasts
• 31:23 – Prediction 5 (Ben): B2B buyer exper

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

It’s the Canned Christmas special — and we’re not handing out participation trophies. Hosts  Steph Quantrill (Cue Marketing) and Ben van Rooy (Human Digital) are joined by brand strategist and cultural commentator Eugene Healey for a sharp, no-holds-barred breakdown of the brands that defined 2025 — for better and for worse. From Cannes side-quests to culture-war campaigns, this episode cuts through the hype to ask one brutal question: did it actually work?

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Cannes feels more like a tech festival than a creative one
  Who really owns the agenda now — and why “creativity” is often just the theme, not the point.
• The danger of confusing discourse with demand
  Why brands can win the internet and still lose the market (hello, American Eagle).
• How New Zealand continues to punch above its weight creatively
  And why small markets can still make globally relevant work.
• What great brand recovery actually looks like
  When leaning into chaos is smarter than running from it.
• Why regulation is not an excuse for boring marketing
  And how the best brands find space to move anyway.
• What separates talkable campaigns from effective ones
  The difference between cultural noise and commercial impact.

Bonus Nuggets

• Why Eugene calls Cannes “a tech conference wearing creativity as a costume”
• The real reason Australian industries feel creatively paralysed
• How IKEA nailed its NZ launch by obsessing over lived experience
• Why Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas ads feel like “elevator music for television”

Naughty & Nice List Highlights

• Naughty: American Eagle – cultural heat, commercial cold
• Nice: Herpes NZ – purpose-led creativity that actually moved behaviour
• Naughty: Optus – when brand teams pay for operational failures
• Nice: IKEA – brand codes, executional detail, zero shortcuts
• Nice: Cadbury Made to Share – product, packaging, and consumption moments aligned
• Meh: Coca-Cola – tradition on autopilot, now with AI
• Nice (and tear-jerking): John Lewis – proof emotion still beats assets

Why Listen?

If you’re sick of marketing commentary that confuses attention with effectiveness, this episode is for you. It’s a smart, funny, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about what actually builds brands in today’s fragmented, hyper-cultural landscape — and why courage, clarity, and taste still matter more than trend-hopping. Perfect listening for marketers who want to sharpen their thinking before 2026.

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

Steph Quantrill (Cue Marketing) and Ben van Rooy (Human Digital) step outside the scroll and into the real world to unpack why Out-of-Home advertising (OOH) still stops people in their tracks. From billboards and bus wraps to special builds and stunts that earn global attention, this episode is a sharp, practical look at how brands can win attention when screens are saturated. If you think OOH is just “big signs,” think againWhat You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why OOH Still Works in 2025 – How physical media cuts through digital fatigue and delivers recall.
• The Full Spectrum of OOH Formats – From classic billboards to digital, retail media, transport, projections, and special builds.
• When to Use OOH (and When Not To) – Clear guidance on awareness vs consideration vs context-led placements.
• Creative Rules (and When to Break Them) – Why simplicity wins, what kills impact, and how some brands successfully bend the rules.
• Special Builds & Earned Media – How one smart execution can outperform dozens of standard placements.
• Measurement Has Caught Up – Location data, attribution, and proving OOH actually drives store visits and behaviour.
• OOH Isn’t Just for B2C – Where B2B brands can play, from airports to elevators and conferences.

 Bonus Nuggets

• Spotify Wrapped as a masterclass in pairing OOH with personal data stories.
• Hell Pizza’s “Doobious Pizza” billboard and why one site can be enough if the idea’s strong.
• Why onions on a billboard might be technically valid… but emotionally unforgivable.
• The rise (and occasional annoyance) of retail media screens everywhere you stand still.
• The KFC “Gravy Train” – peak OOH meets PR genius.

Why Listen?
If your marketing plan still treats Out-of-Home as an optional extra or a legacy channel, this episode will recalibrate your thinking. Steph and Ben cut through the hype and nostalgia to explain where OOH genuinely earns its place in modern media mixes, how budgets have become more accessible through digital formats, and why creativity and context matter more than ever. Packed with real examples, honest opinions, and hard-won lessons, this is essential listening for marketers who want fame, not forgettable impressions.

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

This week, Steph from Cue Marketing and Ben from Human Digital dive head-first into the chaotic, emotional, reputation-threatening world of rebrands - from the corporate phoenix moments (hello, Accenture) to the “no one asked for this” refreshes that get marketers yelled at at BBQs. With real-world stories from Spark, Enviro NZ, Four Square, Griffins, Enron (yes, really), and NZ Post, they unpack what makes a rebrand sing — and what makes customers grab the pitchforks. Grab a chocky biccy and settle in.What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The REAL Difference Between a Rebrand and a Refresh Why marketers constantly mix them up, and why that confusion costs businesses millions.
• When to Rebrand (…and When to Absolutely Don’t) The strategic triggers that justify the cost, pain, and chaos — and the red flags that say “leave it alone.”
• The True Cost of Rebranding From uniforms to wayfinding - make sure you consider ALL the costs 
• How to Take People With You Why internal buy-in is the make or break moment for any major identity change.
• Case Studies Marketers Can Actually Use The inside stories of Spark, Foursquare, Cracker Barrel, Griffins, Arthur Andersen → Accenture, NZ Post, and Vodafone → One NZ.

Why Listen?
Because rebrands are expensive, political, emotionally charged — and often completely misunderstood. This episode cuts through the fluff to give marketers the straight talk: when to refresh, when to rebrand, what it really costs, and how to not accidentally destroy decades of brand equity. If you touch brand in any way, this is essential listening — packed with real examples, candid insights, and the kind of hard truths only Steph and Ben will drop on-mic.
Connect with the Hosts

• Stephanie Quantrill (Cue Marketing) – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniequantrill/

Ben van Rooy (Human Digital) – https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin

B2B finally gets its moment in the spotlight. In this episode, co-hosts Ben van Rooy (Human Digital) and Steph Quantrill (Cue Marketing) dive into the misunderstood, often underestimated world of B2B marketing—where long sales cycles, buying committees, and high-stakes decisions make the work both exhilarating and brutal. From the politics behind procurement to the power of brand trust built years before a shortlist is even written, Steph and Ben unpack what really drives decisions in the boardroom. No jargon, no fluff—just the reality of modern B2B marketing that every marketer needs to understand.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• Why B2B is not “B2C but boring” Longer cycles, higher stakes, more buyers—and why creativity still matters.
• How buying committees actually work The difference between economic, technical, user, IT and procurement buyers—and why one contact is never enough.
• The B2B buyer journey (hint: it’s very non-linear) From problem realisation to risk mitigation—and how to show up early.
• Account-Based Marketing (ABM) explained properly What it is, how it aligns with sales, and why relevance beats reach every time.
• The role of trust in B2B decision-making Why employees feel their career is on the line—and how testimonials, content and brand familiarity reduce perceived risk.

If you loved this episode, share it with a fellow marketer who still thinks B2B is boring. And make sure you're subscribed—next week, we jump into the wild world of brand collaborations and how pairing up can make (or break) a brand.

 

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Marketing Association NZ – Top Talent Program https://marketing.org.nz
• DB Export Ultra Ice Collab Campaign https://www.db.co.nz
• IKEA New Zealand Pop-Ups https://www.ikea.co.nz

Hosts

• Ben van Rooy – Human Digital https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/
• Stephanie Quantrill – Cue Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-quantrill/

Names Mentioned in Episode

• Andrew Hughes – Global Head of SEM, Xero https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-hughes-992ba127/
• Di Liu – Marketing Association Top Talent Intern
• John Miles – Marketing Association https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmilesnz/

EXPLORE MORE FROM CANNED

Canned the Marketing Podcast Website https://www.cannedmarketing.com

www.cannedmarketing.com

Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin

Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin