As Creative Marketer Anil Manji joined the show, he reflected on an early-career incident that continues to guide his thinking today. We take you into this segment of episode 40, inside a haircare TV ad that reused legacy footage, layered on a week of pricey CGI to turn shampoo into conditioner, and accidentally created a texture that read like something no brand wants on primetime. The client’s blunt feedback changed everything, and once we heard it, we couldn’t unsee it either.

We break down how efficient asset reuse can backfire when context and semiotics are ignored, why fluid simulations demand more than photorealism, and how a single freeze-frame can become meme fuel. From the first treatment to the final cut, we map the decisions that led us there: close-up hair shots, a convincing squeeze-to-palm animation, and the overlooked risk in colour, opacity, and flow. Then we show the fix that is warmer tones, micro-bubbles, altered angles, and strand separation which pulled the work back into brand-safe territory without losing impact.

This conversation goes beyond one mishap. We talk perception checks, diverse feedback loops, and how to design review gates that ask, “What could this be mistaken for?” We dig into sunk-cost bias during CGI iterations, how to use cold reads at key milestones, and why creative teams should plan for what social media might clip and share. If you work in advertising, brand management, or production, you’ll get practical steps to reduce risk while keeping speed: better briefs for reused footage, early semiotic audits, and a culture where someone can say the awkward truth sooner.

If this story helped sharpen your creative process, follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a quick review telling us your most unforgettable client note.

Click on this link to the full episode 40.

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This week on Embracing Marketing Mistakes, Chris Norton is joined by Chris Attewell, former CEO of Search Laboratory and now board advisor at Realise Advisory, to explore how AI is changing the future of SEO. 

Chris revisits his early years in digital marketing and explains how Search Laboratory moved from PPC into SEO, digital PR and integrated search. He breaks down how Google, Bing and ChatGPT are reshaping user behaviour, why brand authority now matters more than ever, and how AI overviews and multi platform search are shifting the mechanics of visibility. 

Together they unpack the North Star trap, where teams chase a perfect strategy instead of delivering value in stages, and how marketers can link content, PR, social, brand and search without falling into silos. 

Whether you work in digital, PR or brand, this episode gives you clear insight into how AI is transforming search and what it means for your marketing in 2025. 

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When Pinterest Strategist and Niche Marketing Expert Meagan Williamson joined the show for Episode 38, she opened up about a painful and expensive mistake that shaped the way she works today. 

Early in her business, she hired a Facebook ads expert to run paid traffic to a new funnel that had never been tested organically. Over a 90-day period she spent more than twenty-five thousand dollars on ad spend and fees with almost nothing to show for it. The only purchase was a sixty-seven-dollar sale that ended in a refund four days later. The experience was embarrassing for Meagan, but it completely changed the way she evaluates contractors, tests funnels, and teaches clients about paid traffic. 

In this episode she shares the red flags she ignored, the questions she now asks before outsourcing, and the lessons every marketer should take from her story. 

Click on this link to the full episode.

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Marshall Manson is the CEO of Fleishman Hillard and a communications strategist with deep experience in both brand marketing and corporate reputation. In 2006, while working at Edelman, he played a central role in the infamous "Walmarting Across America" campaign, an early and much criticised attempt at influencer marketing that quickly unravelled due to a lack of transparency. Marshall joins us to reflect openly on what went wrong, what he learned, and why the lessons from that experience still matter today. 

The 2006 "Walmarting Across America" PR scandal offers valuable lessons about transparency and ethics that remain relevant in today's influencer marketing landscape. This storytelling deep-dive reveals how a promising campaign featuring anonymous bloggers in Walmart-branded RVs unraveled when they refused to identify themselves to a journalist, leading to front-page coverage in major newspapers.

• Campaign concept: Bloggers would travel in Walmart-branded RVs, staying in store parking lots and documenting their experiences
• Critical mistake: Allowing bloggers to remain anonymous despite red flags
• Campaign built momentum that made it difficult to cancel despite ethical concerns
• Media coverage quickly turned from positive to highly critical
• Leadership response from Richard Edelman emphasized learning from mistakes rather than scapegoating
• Importance of transparency in sponsored content remains a crucial lesson for modern influencer campaigns
• Setting high ethical standards when operating in uncharted territory

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A single soft line on The Body Shop catalogue haunted copywriter Vikki Ross for six months. Years later, another forgettable line slipped through and ended up across London on billboards. In this episode, I talk to Vikki about how those moments changed the way she presents copy and how she helps clients avoid drifting into the dull middle.

We get into why stakeholders so often choose the safest option, how she now protects the creative process, and what it really takes to build a brand voice for Sky, Virgin, Expedia, Jaguar Land Rover and Formula E. Vikki also opens up about imposter syndrome, the reality of AI in copywriting, and the pressure that comes with presenting work to a room full of decision makers.

If you have ever watched your best idea, get watered down in a meeting, this episode is going to hit home.

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Christopher McKay, Head of Brand Engagement at Hillarys shares his career-defining failure when working at Ministry of Sound, revealing how a creative idea bombed due to lack of audience research and testing.

• Started career in journalism before moving to PR at CalPR in Leeds
• Moved to Ministry of Sound in London
• Created "French Lessons with Bob" featuring DJ Bob Sinclair teaching French phrases
• Campaign received only 50 likes compared to the usual 800-1,000 engagement
• After two failed posts, had to cancel the planned 10-part series
• Learned a valuable lesson about using data and insights before creative brainstorming
• Key takeaway: Test before investing significant resources into a campaign

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What if the key to leading brilliant brand teams was already wired into your brain? 

Claire Koryczan, founder of Imagine Beyond, has helped FTSE 100 brands and creative agencies unlock smarter ways to lead, create and think. In this episode, she shares how neuroscience shapes everything from energy in meetings to decision-making under pressure. 

Expect practical tips, brain-friendly habits, and a few stories from the front lines of brand leadership. 

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Marketing mishaps from major brands reveal the critical importance of PR coordination with marketing efforts and careful forward planning to prevent campaign disasters. 

• Zara's campaign featuring mannequins with missing limbs was filmed before the Israel-Palestine conflict but released during war coverage, resulting in widespread criticism
• Negative sentiment towards Zara surged from 13% to 76.4% following the incident
• Nike initially refused to sell Mary Earps' England goalkeeper kit despite her popularity
• After public outcry and a petition with 150,000 signatures, Nike reversed course and the kit sold out immediately
• Bud Light's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney faced transphobic backlash
• The company's vague response failed to support Mulvaney, alienating both conservative customers and the LGBTQ+ community
• Bud Light suffered a 15% drop in revenue and lost its position as America's top-selling beer

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 What happens when you leave a top PR agency to launch your own business, only for the world to shut down weeks later? Darryl Sparey, co-founder of Hard Numbers and former Hotwire leader, shares how he built an agency focused on proving marketing impact through data. In this episode, Darryl explains how marketers can move beyond vanity metrics and start connecting PR and SEO performance to measurable ROI.

You’ll learn why access to GA4, Looker Studio, Search Console and CRM data changes everything, and how brands like Reddit, The FT and the BBC are shaping authority in the age of ChatGPT and Gemini. We also unpack what generative engine optimisation means for the future of earned media and how to future-proof your marketing results in 2026. 

If you care about clear metrics, credible reporting and meaningful outcomes, this conversation is for you. 

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Sam Benton, co-founder of Mad Masters, shares a career-shaping error many ambitious marketers will recognise: believing you know it all and avoiding help until reality proves otherwise. 

He explains why pricing is a feeling, not a number, how KFC’s box-meal flop only succeeded after they doubled the price, and the pitch-room mistake where an Experian logo appeared in an Expedia meeting but still led to a client win. Sam explores herd effects, talk-trigger moments like hotel cookies, and the idea of “reverse benchmarking” to turn competitor weaknesses into creative strengths. 

You’ll learn how to build a culture that encourages risk-taking, use the SCARF model to motivate teams, and reframe pricing without relying on discounts. This episode is a reminder that the smartest marketers fail first, learn fast, and stand out by thinking differently. 

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