Digital Superchats - The Podcast

In our latest podcast episode, we catch-up with Deviation’s Co-founder, Ashley Liddell, and discover his career journey from refuse collector to digital leader, his dream client, the industry’s biggest opportunity in 2026, and his love for The Verve’s Urban Hymns.

Timestamps

(0:00) - Welcome

(00:40) - How did you enter a career in digital?

(05:48) - How do you switch-off?

(07:38) - What is your favourite book/podcast?

(15:37) - Who's been your biggest influence/inspiration?

(18:40) - Fun Fact?

(21:31) - Your dream client in 2026?

(24:40) - Favourite music album of all time?

(27:38) - Biggest opportunity for digital marketers in 2026?

(29:23) - What makes a standout agency?

(33:08) - What do you like and dislike about AI?(

40:03_ - Closing

About Ashley Liddell:

Ashley Liddell is a search and organic marketing specialist with a passion for how people actually discover brands today. With a background in SEO, Ashley has spent his career thinking beyond traditional rankings, focusing instead on discoverability across platforms like Google, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and AI-powered search.

Ashley is now a Co-Founder at Deviation | The Search Everywhere® Agency, where he helps brands connect the dots between search, content, and social discovery, through a multi-channel mindset.

📽️NEXT EVENT: DIGITAL SUPERCHATS#18 - PAID MEDIA STRATEGY & PERFORMANCE

https://www.marketing-masterclass-series.com/online-events/digital-superchats-18-paid-media-strategy-performance/

In our latest podcast episode, we catch-up with Bind’s Joint MD & Co-founder, Oli Hopkinson, and discover his career journey into digital marketing, the biggest AI challenge facing the industry, and his love for the Prodigy & Sopranos.

Timestamps/Chapters

(0:00) - Welcome

(01:00) - How did you enter a career in digital?

(05:35) - How do you switch-off?

(10:12) - What is your favourite TV show in 2025?

(12:14) - Becoming an author

(15:34) - What's your favourite album of all time?

(18:10) - What's your dream client for 2026?

(20:53) - Biggest opportunity for digital marketers in 2026?

(22:50) - What excites and scares you MOST about AI?

(29:05) - Who has inspired you the most?

(32:50) - Closing

About Oli Hopkinson:Oli founded media agency Bind with his two brothers, Max & Will. He brings the agency side experience to the partnership having been a director in both a big network and a mid-sized independent.Oliver is also the entrepreneurial brother, starting his first business straight out of university, which he grew and sold 5 years later. He’s also a father, a husband, a charity fundraiser, a mental health advocate, an ultra-runner, and an author.

📽️NEXT EVENT: DIGITAL SUPERCHATS#18 - PAID MEDIA STRATEGY & PERFORMANCE

https://www.marketing-masterclass-series.com/online-events/digital-superchats-18-paid-media-strategy-performance/

👉Buy Oli's Book "Thoughts of a Wild Pig":

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thoughts-Wild-Pig-Oli-Hop/dp/1036929191

In our latest podcast episode (part of the offline with series), I caught-up with Higgs LLP’s Head of Digital Marketing, Michelle Hughes, and find out about her love for sketching, how she ended up in the Northernmost pub in the world, digital’s biggest opportunity in 2026 and much more!

#digitalmarketing | #marketing | #ai

Timestamps/Chapters

(0:00) - Welcome

(0:35) - How did you enter a career in digital?

(05:06) - How do you switch-off?

(08:00) - The most influential person in your career?

(10:21) - Fun fact?(11:46) - Proudest achievement to-date?

(17:20) - Biggest opportunity for digital marketers in 2026?

(19:38) - Closing

About Michelle…Michelle Hughes is fast approaching 50 and has the grey hair to prove it! She has been working in digital marketing since around 1998, back in the pre-Google era when getting into the Yahoo directory was the height of sophistication.She’s worked across a variety of sectors including education, recruitment, and for the last decade, legal services. For almost 3 years, she’s had the privilege of leading marketing at Higgs LLP, launching their rebrand and website in 2024, a project that stands as her proudest professional achievement to date.She needs dogs, tea, exercise and fresh air to stay sane, and when not immersed in digital marketing, she’s usually plotting her next adventure or finding ways to give back.

📽️NEXT EVENT: DIGITAL SUPERCHATS#18 - PAID MEDIA STRATEGY & PERFORMANCEhttps://www.marketing-masterclass-series.com/online-events/digital-superchats-18-paid-media-strategy-performance/

Is Digital PR still worth investing in? Absolutely — if you’re doing it right.

In this talk, Amy Irvine, Digital PR Director at Digitaloft, breaks down the evolving role of digital PR in modern marketing and SEO strategies. Learn why many brands are missing the mark, what real success looks like, and how digital PR can drive measurable organic growth — not just vanity metrics.

📽️This online talk was delivered at Digital Superchats #12 (Digital Strategy & Performance Edition) on Tuesday 30th January 2024.

Key Takeaways:

💡Why Digital PR is essential — and what real success looks like

💡The true value of Digital PR beyond just links

💡Proven, scalable tactics to drive faster organic growth

💡How Digital PR supports E-E-A-T and enhances your SEO strategy

💡Common mistakes to avoid and how to future-proof your approach

📢Don't forget to subscribe for more expert insights on digital marketing.

SEO isn’t just about rankings and backlinks anymore — it’s about brand. In this insightful talk, Thierry Ngutegure, Head of Insight at Journey Further, explores how SEO professionals can evolve their strategy by incorporating brand tracking into the mix.

Creating great content and building links will only take you so far. To unlock sustainable growth, it’s time to ask: What impact is your SEO strategy really having on your brand?

📽️This online talk was delivered at Digital Superchats #9 (Creative SEO Edition) on Tuesday 19th July 2022.

Key Takeaways:

💡Why brand is a crucial — and often overlooked — metric in SEO success

💡The danger of creating campaigns purely for SEO benefit, without considering brand perception

💡Tools and methods to start tracking how your SEO efforts impact brand awareness, sentiment, and trust

👍 Don’t forget to subscribe for more expert insights on the future of SEO and brand tracking.

NP Digital's VP Media Strategy, Luke O’Leary, reveals the exact strategies used to build powerful content engines that drive visibility, engage audiences, and convert traffic into customers.Learn how to build a scalable, AI-ready content strategy that drives traffic, leads & results. We're always told that "content is king"—but what does great content actually look like? And how can you consistently create content that performs?

This is a featured talk from Digital Superchats #9 (SEO Strategy Edition), which took place on Tuesday 14th March 2023.

🔥 Whether you're a marketer, content strategist, SEO professional, or business owner—this is your roadmap to building content that works in the age of AI.

🚀 What You’ll Learn:

✅ How to develop a targeted yet scalable content strategy

✅ Leveraging AI-generated content for long-term impact

✅ How to create systems that support consistent, high-quality output

✅ Proven industry secrets to drive conversions from informational content

✅ Tools and techniques to increase content ROI

🧠 Want more marketing insights? Subscribe for strategies from top industry experts.

User journeys are no longer linear. As digital behaviorbecomes more fragmented, traditional SEO strategies are falling behind.

In this insightful talk, Search Laboratory's Head of SEO, James Bentham, dives into how the evolving role of search demands a new, more adaptive approach from marketers.

Discover how to realign your search strategy with modern consumer behavior and leverage generative AI to unlock newgrowth opportunities.

🚀 What You’ll Learn:

1. How to adapt your SEO strategy to fit today’s complexuser journeys

2. The blueprint for achieving search maturity andcross-team collaboration

3. Immediate tactics to leverage generative AI for organicgrowth

Whether you're a digital marketer, SEO strategist, orbusiness leader, this session is packed with quick wins and future-ready insights to help you stay competitive in the new search landscape.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more content on the future of digital marketing and AI-driven strategies.

📽️This online talk was from Digital Superchats #11 (SEO Strategy & Performance Edition), which took place on Tuesday 24th October 2023.

#SEO #DigitalMarketing #SearchStrategy #GenerativeAI#OrganicSearch

We head back to 2023! In this talk from Digital Superchats #10 (AI & Digital Strategy), ICS-digital's Marketing Director, Martin Calvert, sets out the blueprint for creating a global content strategy in the world of AI.

Key Takeaways:

• Current applications of generative AI to support content-led SEO strategy
• Talking points about the wider context that’s driving Bing and Google in their AI product strategies – and implications for marketers
• Industry-specific case examples, suggested methodologies and AI initiatives to try based on the sectors of attendees

About Martin:

Martin is Marketing Director at ICS-digital – Martin frequently speaks and writes about marketing best practice in highly regulated sectors defined by fierce SEO competition, and spearheads the ICS: Everything Digital podcast on Apple and Spotify.

Focusing on actionable information, Martin draws on experience in professional services organisations, his digital agency background and especially his time at ICS, which covers campaigns in 100+ languages and dozens of countries.

*This talk was delivered at Digital Superchats #10 (AI & Digital Strategy Edition) .The online event took place on Tuesday 4th July 2023. Produced by John McCambley at Marketing Masterclass Series

https://www.marketing-masterclass-series.com/

In this talk from Digital Superchats #17 (Organic Search Strategy & Performance Edition), HUB's Performance Director, Malcolm Slade examines - Marketing During the AI Boom and Beyond.

Key Delegate Takeaways:

1. How to stay on target while avoiding all of the hyperbole and snake oil currently prevalent on LinkedIn and other social platforms.

2. How to start your journey building your brand.

3. What to do to prepare for the next iteration of marketing an AI driven world.

About Malcom:

Combining a degree in Computer Science with a 20-year career in performance marketing, Malcolm is a problem solver having led projects for many household brands such as Disney, Greggs, PrettyLittleThing and Virgin Holidays.

Now, as Performance Director at integrated agency HUB, Malcolm combines online, offline, business and product to deliver winning strategies focused on brand building and genuine business growth. “At HUB I finally have all the levers at my disposal to help clients thrive in this ever changing landscape”.

*This talk was delivered at Digital Superchats #17 (Organic Search Strategy & Performance Edition) .The online event took place on Tuesday 9th September 2025. Produced by John McCambley at Marketing Masterclass Series and hosted by our MC Jamie Pollard from Impression. Get Involved:

https://www.marketing-masterclass-series.com/

We catch-up with Stephen Kenwright, and find out about how accidently stumbled into a career in digital marketing, his non-negotiables for being a dad, and what he believes is the biggest opportunity for digital marketers in 2025/2026. 

Timestamp/Chapters

(0:00) - Welcome

(0:55) - How did you enter a career in digital?

(03:11) - How do you switch-off?

(06:14) - Favourite podcast & book?

(09:39) - Fun fact about Stephen?

(12:59) - Proudest achievement to-date?

(15:50) - Favourite movie of all-time?(18:58) - Advice for younger self?

(22:10) - Biggest opportunity for digital marketers in 2025/26?

(27:24) - Favourite inspirational quote?

(30:42) - Favourite meal to cook at home?

(33:15) - Closing

About Stephen…

Stephen is a non-executive director and consultant for marketing agencies. He founded SEARCH-FIRST creative agency Rise at Seven in 2019 and served as Chief Commercial Officer, growing annual revenues to more than £7m; hiring 110 staff; opening offices in Sheffield, Manchester, London and New York; and winning more than 70 industry awards – about one every two weeks – before exiting after three years.

Stephen held board positions at £15m turnover/200-strong content production agency Ride Shotgun; digital marketing agency Branded3, which he helped to merge into £22m/250-strong data business Edit after its acquisition; and served on the Edit board as Sales and Marketing Director. He was also Head of Digital at £4.7bn turnover automotive retailer Pendragon PLC.

He’s delivered talks on more than 100 stages in 10 countries and founded SearchLeeds, a digital marketing conference that attracted more than 2,000 delegates to the first direct arena in its most recent edition. He’s one of Business Insider’s 42 Under 42 and The Drum once turned him into a Top Trump card. 

This podcast is produced/hosted by John McCambley, Founder & Chief Producer at Marketing Masterclass Series

Related Links/Mentions:

⁠📢Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn⁠  | 

📢⁠Stephen’s Weekly Newsletter⁠

📢 ⁠https://www.mothernutter.co.uk/⁠

📢⁠Digital Superchats #17: Organic Search Strategy & Performance (9/9/25)