BOSH and the podcast is live! Live on stage John Thornton, Chief Copywriter and Office Hottie at Surreal, joins Richard to share the impact of humanistic copy in achieving customer engagement and sales. 

John’s campaigns aren’t your typical run of the mill marketing campaigns. Think CEOs in their pants, sexual innuendos, swearing and arguing over a colour. He believes in attention first, brand second. How does he achieve that? Tap into humanistic emotions, laughter and shock. 

In this episode, John talks through brand collaborations, idea creation and how he managed to secure Barry Scott in Surreal’s latest podcast episode.

Find out how he comes up with his outlandish ideas (typically on the train), uses witty humour to get people excited about cereal and gets sign off from above in this honest conversation. 

Should you be scared of getting negative feedback? No, John thrives from it. Learn how he uses it to fuel his marketing efforts.

It’s time to uncover the genius behind Surreal’s social media strategy. Listen to the full episode now!

Topics Covered: 

00:00 - Adapt strategies; persistence leads to success

06:11 - Adults' parody book on COVID safety misunderstood

07:32 - Boycott led to engagement, and improved sales significantly

11:57 - Strategic sense unnecessary; prioritise performance and ideas

15:26 - Audience questions shortly on campaign ideas' origins

16:49 - Finding unexpected links for creative ideas

20:11 - Parody adverts with jokes featuring Barry Scott.

23:13 - Monthly meetings ensure consistent, on-brand communication strategies

27:33 - Similar content to Instagram; algorithm-friendly platform

30:21 - Mental scorecard used to select brand partnerships

34:24 - Handed out spoons at London Bridge

37:22 - Grateful for community, growth, and shared knowledge