Marketing Shed

What do an office lift in the Czech Republic, a lost bag at Heathrow and the Ballon d'Or have in common?

Each one holds a lesson for marketers. Paul Duxbury visits the University of Zlin to speak to international marketing students. He finds they are confident with AI but need help turning marketing principles into practice, and he explains why strong fundamentals matter more than ever.

Warren Fiveash looks at Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or win and what it says about delivery over visibility, the power of story over data, and how an award is positioned.

Paul then recounts being put on standby at Heathrow and having his bag left behind. Warren shares his own airline experience at Gatwick.

You'll learn why technology alone can't deliver customer experience, and why front-line accountability decides whether customers feel valued or leave.

They also look at why face-to-face training is returning, and why a mix of in-person and virtual learning may finally have found its balance.

Listen if you work in marketing or customer experience, or if you're thinking about how future marketers should build their skills.

Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of marketing insights. In this episode, we discuss the importance of understanding consumer needs and the challenges of effective product sampling.

Key takeaways:

* The significance of getting to know your category users and their experiences.
* How to build trust and value alignment in charity marketing.
* The impact of effective sampling strategies on brand perception.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:51 Workshop insights on consumer needs
02:34 Importance of understanding category users
04:19 Challenges in product sampling
10:24 Balancing brand perception and sampling
12:10 The role of trust in charity marketing

What's your biggest challenge with understanding consumer needs? Drop it in the comments!

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#MarketingInsights #ConsumerNeeds #BrandTrust

Warren Fiveash and Paul Duxbury explore what McLaren’s new logo might signal about the brand’s ambitions and why a visual identity change should be judged in the context of business strategy.

They also discuss how daydreaming and unstructured thinking can help marketers process information, spot patterns, and make better decisions in a world full of meetings and distractions. Along the way, they share thoughts on more practical formats for professional events, brand expansion, and the value of making time to think.

In this episode:

• What McLaren’s rebrand could mean for expanding beyond cars and motorsport
• How brand positioning and visual identity need to work together
• Why a problem-solving forum can offer more than another expert panel
• How time away from constant input can support clearer thinking
• The balance between data, experience, and intuition in marketing

AI is moving fast, but the real question is not whether it can do more. It’s whether it is actually making businesses smarter, stronger, and more profitable.

Warren Fiveash and Paul Duxbury unpack the gap between hype and reality, from enterprise-wide AI adoption to the hidden costs, missed opportunities, and human skills that still matter most.

Paul shares a sharp perspective from his work on strategic presence, executive influencing, and storytelling with data, including the mistake people make when they forget the actual decision they are trying to drive.

Warren brings the latest on AI adoption trends, including McKinsey’s finding that 44% of large organizations are now scaling AI across the enterprise, while smaller businesses risk being left behind.

You’ll discover:

• Why AI can feel more productive without always producing better work
• How AI users may feel faster without necessarily producing more effective output
• Why marketers need stronger commercial skills to influence across the business
• Is Denby's downfall due to a lack of focus on consumer needs? And are pubs guilty of the same?
• How data visualization and storytelling turn information into action
• What AI means for the future of human-made creative work

The conversation explores the Denby pottery story in Derbyshire as a cautionary tale about brand survival, consumer needs, and whether better adaptation could have changed the outcome. That leads into a wider discussion about what happens when legacy businesses fail to evolve and why some categories, such as pubs, may need to rethink their model entirely.

This episode is essential listening if you care about marketing strategy, executive influence, brand resilience, or the future of AI in business. For practical insight without the hype, and a clear-eyed look at what is changing and what still is not - this conversation delivers it.

#AI in business #artificial intelligence #marketing strategy #business strategy #executive influence #storytelling with data #data visualization #brand resilience #business transformation #AI adoption #productivity #commercial skills #creative work #legacy businesses #consumer behaviour #brand adaptation #marketing leadership

In this episode, we discus the innovative introduction of pizza crumpets, and the change in size of Mars bars (more shrinkflation!).

Key takeaways:

* The clever marketing strategy behind pizza crumpets.
* The surprising discovery of a 35-year-old Mars bar and its implications on consumer products.
* The legacy of Dolly Parton as a master of personal branding.
* The rise of BBC Radio Three Unwind and its unique approach to audience engagement.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Summer Nostalgia
02:00 Pizza Crumpets Innovation
04:00 Mars Bar Discovery
06:00 Dolly Parton's Branding Genius
09:00 BBC Radio Three Unwind

What's your biggest takeaway from today's discussion? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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#MarketingInsights #PersonalBranding #FoodInnovation

Marketing is failing in the places where trust matters most. In this episode, Warren Fiveash and Paul Duxbury unpack why fake discounts, confusing subscriptions, and awkward cancellation flows are damaging long-term brand value.

They also explore what marketing really is in practice: helping businesses make better, more intentional decisions around pricing, positioning, and customer needs.

From small business examples to ethical marketing and audience profiling, this conversation gets into the real-world impact of trust, transparency, and consistency. Key topics:

• Why misleading discounts backfire
• How subscription tactics damage trust
• What “real” marketing looks like in small businesses
• The role of ethics and transparency
• Turning audience insight into action

If you care about pricing strategy, consumer trust, and building a stronger brand, this one is for you.

#Marketing #BrandTrust #PricingStrategy #ConsumerTrust #EthicalMarketing #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #CustomerExperience #SubscriptionModel #MarketingPodcast

For years, marketing has been built around big nationwide or global events - from live music at the world's biggest stadiums to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

But with mixed reviews of the World Cup and controversy and cynicism around the approach to commercialising it further, are people beginning to lose faith in large events and products?

In this week's show, Warren and Paul discuss why things are beginning to change and whether we reached peak consumerism.

Quick review of the next episode

Paul and Warren discuss the value of developing communication skills in marketing, particularly when getting across the value to Chief Finance Officers, and Chief Executives. Warren describes how you can win at communications and advice and tips on what you need to do.

Paul takes us behind the scenes at the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone. He gives his perspective on the brand associations at the event, and why some brands might surprise you. Who do you think was present at the F1? And what have pigeons got to do with brand and perspective?

#brandstrategy #f1 #silverstone #marketing #marketingshed #sportmarketing #retailmarketing

Warren and Paul break down three marketing stories from the week, starting with FIFA's not-so-subtle "hydration breaks" that are really advertising breaks, and the brilliant way Levi's turned having their stadium logo covered up into a masterclass in distinctive brand assets.

Then Warren's got a bone to pick with Butlin's new "swap boring for fun" campaign — is it smart positioning, or does it insult the very families it's trying to convert? And Warren pitches an invention every sleep-deprived parent would queue up for.

Warren Fiveash:   / warrenfiveash  
Paul Duxbury:   / paulduxbury  

#MarketingPodcast #BrandStrategy #DistinctiveAssets #SportsMarketing #FIFA #Levis #Butlins #MarketingNews