What do you get when you cross Unicorny bloopers with Dom?... A roasted potato🥔 

Find out why, as Dom and the Unicorny crew celebrate Christmas with a few outtakes (kindly provided by Pete the editor) and a look at some of our favourite moments. 

Join us for a laugh and a touch of brand wank in this festive wrap-up episode. 

Links 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/8MWkWG_2C54

LinkedIn: Dom Hawes | Nichola Fairley | Pete Allen | Laura Taylor

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode: 

95. Impossible to ignore with carmen simon 

96. Rebel writing: how brandwank is killing your comms 

The Unicorny Marketing Show: Maya Price 

What makes marketers and agency professionals natural SaaS founders? In this episode, David Hart, author of Productized and co-founder of ScreenCloud, shares his journey from agency ownership to building a successful SaaS company with over $20M ARR. Learn how to transform creative skills and strategic thinking into a scalable business model. 

What you’ll learn: 

• Turning agency challenges into scalable product opportunities. 
• The importance of understanding customer needs and validation. 
• How content marketing drives growth on a limited budget. 

David’s journey offers valuable lessons for marketers aiming to create lasting impact. Don’t miss this chance to learn practical strategies for building your own success story. 

Want a free signed copy of Productized by David Hart?  

All you have to do is email us at [email protected] and let us know why you should get a copy. 

David is the 'Agency-to-SaaS' guy. Having started his own agency which he sold to focus on his SaaS business, ScreenCloud which today is delivering north of $20m in ARR, he's uniquely qualified to talk about the opportunities and challenges involved.  

David has since stepped away from the day-to-day of his SaaS business and is working with companies who have a product idea that they want to spin out into a standalone business. He is also a NED of several early-stage SaaS business, an investor and the author of the book, 'Productized: Stop Selling Time and Transition to Selling SaaS'. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/dL1q94I0CUw

LinkedIn: David Hart | Dom Hawes 

Website: davidhart.io 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode: 

ScreenCloud 

Greenfield 

37signals 

Basecamp 

Mailchimp 

Studio Graphene 

telsen 

The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick 

Conversational Marketing by David Cancel and Dave Gerhardt 

What if your marketing campaigns could achieve more with less? Dr. Felipe Thomaz, Associate Professor of Marketing at Oxford's Saïd Business School, challenges the widespread belief that maximising reach guarantees success.

Drawing insights from his ground breaking peer-reviewed paper, Felipe reveals why overemphasising reach could be costing brands both money and effectiveness.

What you'll learn:

• Why maximising reach doesn't guarantee brand growth or profitability.
• How different channels uniquely impact consumer behaviour.
• The role of archetypes in creating effective marketing campaigns.
• Common mistakes marketers make in media buying and channel selection.
• Why differentiation drives growth while distinctiveness protects it.

Don't miss this essential conversation redefining modern marketing science!

Felipe Thomaz is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Oxford, where he is also Director of the Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative, and Director of the Diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business. Felipe is a research faculty member, with published peer-reviewed works in Marketing, Mathematics, and Conservation Science. He is also Managing Director of Augmented Intelligence Labs, an Oxford spinout based on his research, specializing in long-range forecasting, trend analysis and anomaly detection algorithms.

His pioneering research on illicit markets has informed countries and international agencies on novel ways to counter everything from cyberweapons to wildlife trafficking. He has authored policy documents on the decarbonization of advertising with international industry bodies, on progressive advertising with the United Nations, and practical ethics in AI with the International Chamber of Commerce.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/0Nc_UPMnilA

LinkedIn: Felipe Thomaz | Dom Hawes

Website: Augmented Intelligence Labs

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

Other items referenced in this episode:

Schweidel, D. A., Bart, Y., Inman, J. J., Stephen, A. T., Libai, B., Andrews, M., Rosario, A. B., Chae, I., Chen, Z., Kupor, D., Longoni, C., & Thomaz, F. (2022). How consumer digital signals are reshaping the customer journey. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative

Kantar

Stochastic frontier analysis

How can marketers add value and lead with confidence? In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Rachel Fairley returns as host and is joined by Leo McCloskey, VP of Marketing at Echodyne.

Together, they discuss the evolving role of marketing in B2B, government sectors, and strategic marketing. With years of experience, Leo shares his approach to building trust, fostering team collaboration, and addressing complex challenges in long sales cycles.

What you’ll learn:

• Why emotional intelligence matters in marketing leadership.
• The unique challenges of marketing in the government sector.
• How consistency builds trust and credibility over time.
• The role of technical expertise in creating effective teams.

Whether you're a marketing leader or just starting out, this episode offers practical takeaways to strengthen your skills and understanding.

Leo is engaged in the design, build, delivery, iterative development, and messaging of technology-related brands, products, and services. His experience stretches across consumer, enterprise, and government sectors for mature companies with dominant positions in established markets and startups with innovative technologies and products entering new markets.

Underling all the movement and effort is an ongoing study of human factors amidst the ambitions of teams, managers, businesses, and brands. Leo’s studies in languages, histories, and cultures complement his experience living, traveling, and working across Asia, USA, and Europe. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, believes everyone needs a Local, and is otherwise consumed by family, friends, and fun.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/FvmvUPGVtfg

LinkedIn: Leo McCloskey | Rachel Fairley

Website: Echodyne

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

Other items referenced in this episode:

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, we welcome back Valentina Kristensen from OakNorth Bank. Since her first appearance, Valentina has taken on a broader role as Corporate Affairs Director and shares how OakNorth continues to disrupt the seemingly commoditised world of SME banking.

From customer-centric strategies to the development of proprietary segmentation models, learn how OakNorth balances sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit.

What you'll learn:

• The concept of the "missing middle" in SME banking.
• How granular market segmentation enables targeted opportunities.
• Ways OakNorth ensures transparency and speed in lending decisions.
• Insights into OakNorth’s sustainability initiatives and climate risk management.

Valentina’s insights will inspire leaders to rethink traditional markets. Tune in and discover what makes OakNorth’s approach a blueprint for future growth.

Valentina is OakNorth’s Director of Growth and Communications. She's a self-professed FinTech nerd and a founding editorial board member of Influence Magazine, the CIPR’s quarterly member magazine.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/axPqx90Suvw

LinkedIn: Valentina Kristensen | Dom Hawes

Website: OakNorth

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

Other items referenced in this episode:

Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

In this special 100th episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Rachel Fairley interviews host, Dom to share key lessons from their podcast journey. This reflective conversation uncovers how the show has influenced marketing strategy and shaped perspectives on brand strategy placement within businesses.

Dom discusses the debate on viewing marketing as a profit centre, challenges the common understanding of ROI, and touches on the digital shifts affecting modern business growth strategies.

What you'll learn:

• The importance of strategic thinking beyond day-to-day tactics.
• Why brand strategy often needs to function independently from marketing.
• How marketing's role must be perceived for sustainable business success.
• Examples of how companies have adopted new approaches based on discussions from the show.

Join us as we celebrate 100 episodes of The Unicorny Marketing Show!

Dom Hawes is the host of The Unicorny Marketing Show, where he shares insights and engages with industry leaders. Dom is the Group CEO of Selbey Anderson Group, helping businesses in complex markets win the future. With over 30 years in marketing, strategy, and M&A, Dom is passionate about creating and marketing new products, services, and events.

Dom is also a blogger, published author, and competitive rower, with interests in RevOps, data, insight, leadership, and management theory.

Dom is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/bF6_G2IWsUo

LinkedIn: Rachel Fairley | Dom Hawes

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

Other items referenced in this episode:

Geoffrey Moore: The Unicorny Marketing Show

The Gorilla Game by Geoffrey Moore

Matt Dixon: The Unicorny Marketing Show

April Dunford: The Unicorny Marketing Show

Ben M. Bensaou: The Unicorny Marketing Show

Nudge

Uncensored CMO

Michael Porter: The Unicorny Marketing Show

Sarah Robb: The Unicorny Marketing Show

Duncan Daines: The Unicorny Marketing Show

97. Marketing a business is everyone's business

41. Must win battles for marketers

Dale Harrison: The Unicorny Marketing Show

80. The Unicorny Marketing Manifesto: What marketing is

81. The Unicorny Manifesto: Why 'phony wars' kill credibility

Graham Wylie: The Unicorny Marketing Show

Dr. Carmen Simon: The Unicorny Marketing Show

In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Dom talks to Tas Tasgal, Keynote speaker, author and trainer about the intricacies of human behaviour in marketing.

Tas challenges common perceptions in marketing, emphasising that decision-making is often unconscious and influenced by emotions rather than rational thought.

Key points:

• Traditional market research often fails to capture true consumer motivations
• The role of emotions in decision-making
• Engaging narratives can significantly enhance brand communication

Listen in to rethink conventional strategies and explore deeper emotional connections with your audience.

For a chance to win a free copy of 'The Consumer Behaviour Book' by Anthony "Tas" Tasgal, simply click here and fill in the form with your answer to the question: 

'I like The Unicorny Marketing Show because…'

🍀Good luck!🍀

Tas is a man of many lanyards: trainer, author, TEDx speaker, brand/comms strategist and lecturer.

He is a Course Director for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Market Research Society, the Institute of Internal Communications, the Civil Service College and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.

He is a global speaker, did his first TEDx talk in Newcastle in November ’23, and regularly reviews the papers live on TalkTV.

He specialises in storytelling, behavioural economics, insightment, and as a lapsed Classicist he also indulges in etymology and Homer (not the yellow one).

He also runs The Guardian masterclass on “Harnessing the power of storytelling” and is a Brand Ambassador for Home Grown Club in London.

He works for clients as varied as the BBC, Nokia, Panasonic, The Royal Albert Hall, EE, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, The Intellectual Property Office (UK Govt), ReLondon and the NHS.

He is the author of 5 books- the award-winning The Storytelling Book, [which has sold nearly 40,000 copies globally] The Inspiratorium , “InCitations” , The Storytelling Workbook and The Insight Book.

His sixth book- The Consumer Behaviour Book- was published in June 2024.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/xdBqXQzEyKk

LinkedIn: Anthony Tasgal | Dom Hawes 

Books by Anthony Tasgal

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode

The Consumer Behaviour Book by Anthony Tasgal

Incognito by David Eagleman

Sum by David Eagleman

Phineas Gage

Passage of an Iron Rod Through the Head. 1848. John M. Harlow, M.D. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 1999

Descartes’ Error by Antonio Damasio

The Big Short by Michael Lewis

Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

Judgment under Uncertainty by Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky and Paul Slovic

Pratfall effect

Misbehaving by Richard Thaler

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Implicit-association test

In this episode, marketing veteran Mark Larwood offers a refreshing perspective on the importance of patience in marketing. Mark discusses how today's fast-paced business environment can push for instant results, but slowing down and allowing strategies to mature can deliver lasting competitive advantages.  

Key points: 

• Patience in marketing can lead to better long-term outcomes. 
• Balancing short-term demands with long-term goals is essential for success. 
• AI can enhance creativity by handling mundane tasks, not just speeding up processes. 
• Effective communication and transparency are crucial during periods of change and acquisition. 
• Building relationships and nurturing brands is as important as immediate results. 

Are you curious to know how ruthless prioritisation and patience might reshape your marketing strategy? Don't miss this episode!

With two decades of B2B tech marketing experience, Mark has worked with both global giants and innovative start-ups, including Atos, O2, Philips, and Telefónica. Currently, Mark serves as Marketing Director for CloudClevr, a next-generation Managed Services Provider formed from the merger of four leading communications and IT businesses. An advocate for Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategies, Mark excels in driving alignment between sales and marketing teams, and ensuring marketing effort leads to sustainable and profitable growth. His expertise lies in his deep understanding of the tech and marketing landscape to craft strategies and drive his team to deliver results. Mark’s leadership is characterised by a commitment to innovation, strategic vision, and a relentless focus on achieving business outcomes.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch online: https://youtu.be/pz-OAgtWXuY

LinkedIn: Mark Larwood | Dom Hawes 

Website: CloudClevr

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode:

Crazy frog

Michael E. Porter

What Is A KPI? Definition & Examples - Forbes

In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Graham Wylie joins Dom to challenge the conventional view of marketing.

Wylie argues that marketing shouldn’t be confined to a single department but should be a company-wide responsibility. He explains the importance of aligning marketing promises with product delivery and encourages organisations to involve every team member in creating a consistent customer experience.

Key points:

• Marketing as a company-wide responsibility rather than a department function.
• The risks of inconsistent brand promises when marketing efforts are siloed.
• Leveraging market disruptions to drive change and opportunity.
• Engaging every stakeholder across the business for a unified marketing approach.

Listen now to learn how to break marketing out of its silo and drive growth across your organisation.

Is Graham the world's foremost authority on marketing in organisations going through change? Possibly ;)

With three decades in B2B marketing, across vastly different geographies and industries; Agency, VC, PE and Corporate environments, and always at an inflection point for the business, there is real depth and breadth to his experience. Combine that with a nerd-level curiosity about how marketing actually works, and why businesses struggle with go-to-market, you get a rare combination of cutting edge theory, innovative practice and real world pragmatism that delivers results.

As we recorded this podcast Graham was wrapping up a large corporate transformation and by the time you listen to it he will have started as Chief Marketing Officer for activpayroll.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/CNdB6sGzYJs

LinkedIn: Graham Wylie | Dom Hawes 

Website: activpayroll

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode: 

The Unicorny Marketing Show: April Dunford 

80. The Unicorny Marketing Manifesto: What marketing is 

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz 

Rory Sutherland 

In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Dom and Peter Whent discuss Peter's straightforward "pool rules" for better marketing messaging. Inspired by clear, no-nonsense swimming pool signs, these rules focus on the power of simple, bold communication.

Peter highlights the need for brands to stop using jargon and start focusing on the real issues their customers face. The conversation covers why businesses should be more direct, and how clear, impactful messaging can help brands stand out.

Key points:

• Peter Whent's "pool rules" for clear, customer-focused messaging.
• Avoiding jargon and using simple, direct communication.
• The importance of addressing customer needs over product features.
• Why bold and clear messaging is essential for differentiation.

Listen in for practical advice that will help you refresh your marketing and make it truly effective. 

Yesterday, Peter Whent built several businesses, making mistakes and learning along the way. Dealing with the establishment—investors, lawyers, the tax authorities, and others—helped him develop a healthy cynicism towards the phrase, "that's how it's always been done."

Today, Peter owns and runs a modestly celebrated creative coalition called BoldAF, where he challenges norms and breaks the rules to help brands uncover the big creative idea that will ignite their identity. Once he's found it, he transforms it into bold messaging that gives the brand personality and draws prospects in like the Pied Piper.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/vlAY0Kc55mE

LinkedIn: Peter Whent | Dom Hawes

Email: [email protected]

Website: Bold AF

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode:

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout

Bold AF: Pool Rules

Bold AF: Brandwank Bingo

Dropbox Original MVP Explainer Video

Berkshire Hathaway INC.

Brand AF: Blog on Virgin Cola vs Fever Tree

Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick

Apple ad ‘Crush!’

Bumble’s apology for celibacy ad