Never Mind The Adverts

Jon and Orlando are back with a festive, fast-paced review of the biggest marketing stories and creative moments of 2025. Expect some interesting tipples, advertising wisdom (even some going back to 1928) and some laughs along the way.

What to expect:

00:00 - Start
00:41 - Starting with some festive cheer
02:04 - The big news stories from 2025
02:20 - The multiplier effect
03:51 - The creative dividend
05:05 - The Cost of Dull Media
07:17 - Les Binet Go Big or Go Home
09:22 - The Wild West of Influencer Measurement
13:00 - How the pause screen has become an advertising channel
14:30 - Sydney Sweeney, American Eagle and Jaguar - The Crisis
16:15 - Mergers and WPP
17:26 - Drinks Trolley Break
19:00 - Jon’s highlight - awards
20:12 - Orlando Wood’s highlight of 2025
21:46 - Rory Sutherland vs Scott Galloway
22:35 - Jon and Alix Earle in Cannes
23:52 - Jon cycles up a mountain with Zwift
25:12 - Becoming trustee for the History of Advertising Trust
26:42 - The History of Christmas Advertising with a special guest
33:10 - Who won Christmas in 2025?
34:27 - Aldi and Kevin the Carrot
35:18 - Waitrose’s strong Christmas showing
36:28 - The most viewed Christmas Ads on YouTube
37:25 - Amazon re-airing their Christmas ad this year
38:20 - The growth of Christmas Ads in 2025
39:47 - The right brained nature of the successful Christmas ads
40:51 - The Coca Cola AI Christmas Ad
43:23 - The Never Mind the Adverts Awards
44:02 - System1 Star of the Year
44:51 - System1 Turkey of the Year
45:32 - Name that ad

This episode Jon and Orlando are delving into "The Multiplier Effect" report from WARC and how McDonald's latest campaign with Stormzy exemplifies the findings from the report. It may also be the only time in history two people have discussed Stormzy, consciousness and Renault Clio's while drinking Cockburn's fortified wine.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:49 - The news - the multiplier effect
• 07:39 - Ad of the week
• 12:41 - Drinks trolley
• 16:06 - Break for the ads
• 23:05 - Name that ad

Jon and Orlando are back for a third "one-off special" in a row, this time talking about their favourite Super Bowl ads. With a dash of personal preference and a dusting of System1 testing scores, the duo pick the standout performers of this year's big game. Soft drinks veteran Jon gives his two cents on Liquid Death has exiting the UK market and is tested hard in the latest round of "Name that ad".

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:49 The news - Liquid Death exits UK market
• 05:25 The news - Nike comeback
• 11:14 Super Bowl ads
• 11:46 Liquid Death ad
• 14:42 Hellman's
• 15:49 WeatherTech
• 18:21 Stella Artois
• 20:32 NFL
• 22:52 Lays
• 25:05 Budweiser
• 26:18 Pfizer
• 30:26 Drinks Trolley
• 33:10 Break from the ads
• 39:16 Name that ad
• 43:00 Outro

The dynamic duo are back to discuss TikTok's recent Supreme Court ruling, analyze Yorkshire Tea's latest advertisement featuring Sarah Lancashire, and share their thoughts on vintage advertising while sampling the Queen's favorite cocktail, Dubonnet. The fan favourite "Name That Ad" segment makes a return, where Jon tries to guess an iconic commercial directed by Ridley Scott. The episode concludes with a discussion about New Year's resolutions and the importance of energy and consistency in creative work. 

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
00:47 - The news
06:05 - Ad of the week: Yorkshire Tea
09:26 - Drinks trolley
16:18 - Break from the ads
23:12 - Name that Ad

Orlando and Jon are back for a one-off episode of Never Mind the Adverts. The duo talk festive ads (including that Coke AI one), Orlando's favourite (advertising themed) stocking fillers and he stumps Jon with a rather challenging "name that ad" segment. Be warned: festive alcoholic drinks were consumed in this episode.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:45 - The news
03:28 - Orlando’s Christmas Stocking Fillers
08:41 - Drinks trolley
12:13 - Review of the 2024 Christmas Ads
16:20 - A break from the ads
20:38 - Name that ad

This week Jon and Orlando look at the IPA's data on marketing spend this year. The good news is, it's increasing, but are we putting spend in the right places? Should we be spending for the short term or investing for the long term?

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:50 News
• 10:59 Ad of the week
• 13:54 Break from the commercials
• 18:18 Name that brand
• 24:41 Outro

Orlando and Jon are back from MAD//Fest, one of the biggest marketing festivals in the UK, where they discuss their key takeaways from industry legends such as Rory Sutherland and Sir John Hegarty.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:24 Madfest roundup
• 10:49 Break from the commercials - 17th Century Career Advice
• 17:05 Ad of the week - Adidas
• 20:06 Drinks Trolley
• 24:39 Name that brand

Jon and Orlando are back from a week at the Cannes Lions festival of creativity, where the advertising industry descend to celebrate the best work from the year. Using data from the System1 Test Your Ad database, they discuss what ads both scored big with the public and were admired by the industry, and why humour is at the core.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:29 Cannes Lions winners vs the data
• 16:25 Break from the commercials
• 20:27 Name that brand

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
09:44 - Ad of the week
12:20 - Name that brand
16:55 - Break from the commercials
20:34 - Merch

In this episode Orlando talks about the launch of his new course, Advertising Principles Explained, and Jon shares his upcoming Cannes Lions talk "The Cost of Dull". Jon also recounts more stories from his time at Mateus Rose and meets his idol in the phone a friend segment.