Unicorny

In today's episode, part two of our discussion with Adrian Coxon, we explore how marketing drives product innovation and brand competitiveness in B2B. Adrian provides practical ways of using customer feedback and competitive analysis to improve market presence.

• Learn how marketing teams can better represent customer needs in product development.
• Find ways of improving brand recognition in a competitive market.
• Understand the importance of comprehensive market research.
• Recognise the importance of engaging with local communities to boost brand image and relevance.

Learn how embracing AI and community engagement can enhance your marketing effectiveness and customer satisfaction.

Operating at board level with a successful track record of building global brands and delivering revenue growth for financial services, e-commerce and tech companies. 

Adrian likes to use a customer-centric, data-driven approach that translates into innovative and authentic advertising campaigns, driving value across the entire customer lifecycle.  

Adrian’s real focus is on strong relationships - when you inspire the right people with a clear vision and empower them to deliver change then great things happen. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Adrian Coxon | Dom Hawes  

Website: Exante 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• The role of marketing in organizational value
• The importance of understanding customer needs
• Innovation and AI in marketing
• The impact of community engagement on branding
• Ethical considerations in marketing spend
• Building brand identity through local engagement
• 1The effectiveness of engaging locally versus global campaigns
• Shifts in media consumption and advertising post-COVID
• Long-term customer relationship management
• The strategic advantage of building strong brand equity

In this episode of Unicorny, Dom Hawes and guest Adrian Coxon, CMO of Exante, address the ongoing challenge of marketing being undervalued in businesses. The evidence? Many marketers are paid less than their peers.

So how do you boost the redress the imbalance?

• Understand the implications of short-term focus versus long-term strategy in marketing and how it affects how other internal stakeholders view marketing. 
• Recognise the importance of the CMO’s role in aligning marketing's activity with business success.
• Find ways to demonstrate value beyond immediate ROI to foster long-term brand equity. 
• Learn to manage internal perceptions of marketing to enhance your departmental value and influence. 

Why listen? Like all Unicorny output, you'll gain actionable advice from someone like you who's dealing the same issues as you.

Operating at board level with a successful track record of building global brands and delivering revenue growth for financial services, e-commerce and tech companies. 

Adrian likes to use a customer-centric, data-driven approach that translates into innovative and authentic advertising campaigns, driving value across the entire customer lifecycle.  

Adrian’s real focus is on strong relationships - when you inspire the right people with a clear vision and empower them to deliver change then great things happen. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Adrian Coxon | Dom Hawes  

Website: Exante 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• Introduction to the theme: Is marketing undervalued?
• Adrian Coxon's journey and the financial evaluation of marketing roles.
• Insights on the evolution of marketing and its significance.
• Discussion on switching from agency to client side for better valuation.
• The challenges of digital-focused ROI in marketing.
• Exploring the balance between innovation and efficiency in marketing.
• Strategies to enhance the recognition and remuneration of marketing teams.
• Marketing's role in managing the customer experience lifecycle.
• Long-term strategic planning and overcoming short-term constraints.
• The critical role of the CMO in defining and steering brand objectives.

Join Dom Hawes and Phil Barden as they continue their exploration of decision science in B2B marketing.

• Discover how subtle elements like perception and pricing can significantly influence buyer decisions.
• Learn how distinctive branding and pricing strategies can optimize the decision-making process.
• Learn about aligning explicit and implicit customer goals

The episode details how (B2B) marketers can utilise behavioural insights to modify customer behaviour without changing underlying beliefs and how to use past customer actions to guide future decisions.

Phil has over 25 years client-side brand management experience (Unilever, Diageo and T-Mobile). Whilst responsible for T-Mobile’s brand positioning and development around Europe he became a client of DECODE marketing consultancy and first encountered 'decision science’. DECODE’s work led to the Liverpool St flash mob ˈdanceˈ ad which increased T-Mobile sales by 49% and further work halved customer churn. This epiphanal moment led Phil to set up DECODE in the UK.  

Author of ‘Decoded. The Science Behind Why We Buy’ and a Fellow of The Marketing Society, Phil works with many clients and agencies in the application of decision science to day-to-day brand and shopper marketing activities. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Phil Barden | Dom Hawes  

Website: Decode Marketing  

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• The Decision Interface  
• Influencing Decision Making  
• Changing Behaviour without Changing Minds  
• Leveraging Goals and Motivations  
• Brand Goals and Propositions  
• Persil Brand Proposition  
• Understanding Human Behaviour  
• Implicit Goals in B2B Marketing  
• Customer Understanding and Goal-Driven Marketing

Join Dom Hawes and Phil Barden in this episode of Unicorny as they dive into the power of decision science in B2B marketing.

• Understand decision science's role in marketing
• Explore how scientific principles can be applied to enhance marketing creativity and effectiveness
• Discover how behavioural and decision sciences inform marketing strategies
• Learn how renowned marketers have successfully applied scientific methods to real-world marketing challenges
• Delve into case studies demonstrating the tangible benefits of integrating science into marketing efforts

This episode offers a deep dive into how decision science can fundamentally transform marketing approaches, providing listeners with both theoretical insights and practical applications.

Phil has over 25 years client-side brand management experience (Unilever, Diageo and T-Mobile). Whilst responsible for T-Mobile’s brand positioning and development around Europe he became a client of DECODE marketing consultancy and first encountered 'decision science’. DECODE’s work led to the Liverpool St flash mob ˈdanceˈ ad which increased T-Mobile sales by 49% and further work halved customer churn. This epiphanal moment led Phil to set up DECODE in the UK.  

Author of ‘Decoded. The Science Behind Why We Buy’ and a Fellow of The Marketing Society, Phil works with many clients and agencies in the application of decision science to day-to-day brand and shopper marketing activities. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Phil Barden | Dom Hawes  

Contact Phil Barden: Twitter | Email 

Website: Decode Marketing  

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• Phil Barden's Story and Introduction to Decision Science  
• Marketing as Behaviour Change  
• The Role of Science in Marketing  
• Understanding Decision Making  
• Understanding System 1 and System 2  
• The Influence of Context in Marketing  
• The Neurologic Purchase Decision Equation  
• Leveraging Neuroscience in Marketing  

In this compelling continuation of Unicorny's exploration of AI in marketing, Dom Hawes returns with part two of his discussion with Steven Millman and Jonathan Harris.

Building on the insights from part one, this episode delves into the emerging role of personal AI assistants and their potential to revolutionise consumer interaction by removing traditional interfaces.

The conversation also covers the broader impacts of AI on revenue models and the digital ecosystem, highlighting both the opportunities and ethical challenges that come with such transformative technology.

Don't miss this deep dive into how AI is reshaping not just marketing strategies but also the very fabric of digital engagement.

Jonathan is the founder and CEO of Sub(x), a marketing technology provider that uses AI automation to drive revenue, growth and customer acquisition for digital subscription businesses. 

 A former investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, Jonathan launched and exited three previous businesses, and has 10 years’ experience in the application of data science in the marketing technology sector. 

 Sub(x) is transforming digital marketing using a proprietary self-learning AI autopilot, enabling businesses to optimise their online customer acquisition and revenue without the need for manual testing and experimentation. 

Executive, Award-Winning Researcher/Data Scientist, Innovator, Inventor & Coffee Snob. Throughout Steve's career he's had a focus on quantitative/statistical analysis, survey design, research design, AI/ML, and other applied research techniques. Steven is presently serving as Global Head of Research and Data Science at Dynata, the world's sixth largest market research company where he leads a team of over 100 researchers and data scientists. Steven is a frequent speaker and author, multiple Ogilvy award winner, patent holder, and recipient of the prestigious Chairman's Prize from the Publishing & Data Research Forum. Steven serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Advertising Research Foundation, the ARF.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Jonathan Harris | Steven Millman | Dom Hawes  

Website: Sub(x) | Dynata 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• The Rise of AI Personas  
• Impact of AI on Marketing and Content Creation  
• Unintended Consequences of AI  
• The Illusion of Data Protection  
• The Impact of GDPR  
• The Contradictory Nature of Data Privacy  
• Designing Workflows and Removing Bias 
• Embracing AI and Navigating Ethical Considerations  

Join Dom Hawes as he dives deep into the transformative role of AI in marketing with industry experts Steven Millman and Jonathan Harris. Discover the metaphorical shift from "building faster horses" to "creating cars," illustrating how AI is set to revolutionise business practices beyond mere efficiency improvements.

The trio discusses the potential of AI to replace traditional marketing processes with innovative models that drastically change how businesses interact with consumers.

Tune in to explore how AI is not just accelerating existing processes but creating entirely new pathways for value creation and strategic marketing.

Jonathan is the founder and CEO of Sub(x), a marketing technology provider that uses AI automation to drive revenue, growth and customer acquisition for digital subscription businesses. 

 A former investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, Jonathan launched and exited three previous businesses, and has 10 years’ experience in the application of data science in the marketing technology sector. 

 Sub(x) is transforming digital marketing using a proprietary self-learning AI autopilot, enabling businesses to optimise their online customer acquisition and revenue without the need for manual testing and experimentation. 

Executive, Award-Winning Researcher/Data Scientist, Innovator, Inventor & Coffee Snob. Throughout Steve's career he's had a focus on quantitative/statistical analysis, survey design, research design, AI/ML, and other applied research techniques. Steven is presently serving as Global Head of Research and Data Science at Dynata, the world's sixth largest market research company where he leads a team of over 100 researchers and data scientists. Steven is a frequent speaker and author, multiple Ogilvy award winner, patent holder, and recipient of the prestigious Chairman's Prize from the Publishing & Data Research Forum. Steven serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Advertising Research Foundation, the ARF.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Jonathan Harris | Steven Millman | Dom Hawes  

Website: Sub(x) | Dynata 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• The Role of AI in Marketing   
• Moving from Process-Driven to Outcome-Driven   
• Reimagining the Marketing Process   
• Understanding AI Tools and Processes   
• Identifying Recurrent Problems in AI Implementation   
• Probabilistic Outputs and Input Quality   
• Large Language Models and Data Quality   
• Caution with Synthetic Data
• The Irrelevance of Presentation Layer

When Michelle Booth joined us in the studio to talk about marketing transformation, product incubation and agile and marketing in action, we closed the show with a discussion around a PEST analysis like we sometimes do (Political, Economic, Social and Technological).

Normally we edit the main show down, and we edit these bits down too, to make one crunchy show. But this time around, there was so much good stuff, we decided to roll it in full and turn it into a two part episode with a bonus.

I hope you enjoy Michelle's insight!

A creative business leader with a passion for building exceptional teams with a clear sense of purpose, Michelle Booth currently serves as the Head of Growth and Innovation for Mass Affluent and prior to that in a number of different roles at NatWest, most notably Head of Marketing Strategy and Innovation for NatWest leading the development of the Brand Platform Tomorrow Begins Today, NatWest Thrive with Marcus Rashford and Marketing Director For Bó, NatWest‘s venture to create a neo-bank challenger. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Michelle Booth | Dom Hawes  

Website: Lloyds Banking Group 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• Introduction to the Bonus Episode  
• Impact of Political Events on Marketing  
• Marketing Strategies in Economic Uncertainty  
• Hybrid Post-COVID Working Model  
• The Influence of AI on Marketing  
• Impact of Walled Garden AI's  
• Internationalization and Idioms in AI  
• Language Hops and AI Ethics  
• Bias in AI Training Data 

This is part 2 of a two-part (plus bonus) episode in which we met the amazing Michelle Booth, a champion of marketing transformation who thrives leading teams that are agile and empowered.

We pick up her story, dealing with heartbreak at Bó, but illustrate how positive people often find new futures, even from an initiative that folds. It's a shame that such a successful product was shelved for reasons other than commercial traction.

We also get stuck into re-brands, impactful partnerships and more.

A creative business leader with a passion for building exceptional teams with a clear sense of purpose, Michelle Booth currently serves as the Head of Growth and Innovation for Mass Affluent and prior to that in a number of different roles at NatWest, most notably Head of Marketing Strategy and Innovation for NatWest leading the development of the Brand Platform Tomorrow Begins Today, NatWest Thrive with Marcus Rashford and Marketing Director For Bó, NatWest‘s venture to create a neo-bank challenger. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Michelle Booth | Dom Hawes  

Website: Lloyds Banking Group 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• Introduction to Michelle Booth  
• Transition from Bo to NatWest  
• Momentum and Culture  
• Marketing's Role in Business  
• Impactful Partnerships  
• Valuable Insights and Bonus Episode  
• Michelle's Unique Background  
• Understanding Market Orientation and Differentiation  
• Leadership and Culture Change 

Increasingly, I'm seeing that traditional organisational structures are under scrutiny because they're just too slow. But that's not always the case, and today's guest is going to prove it.

In this episode we dig into the experience of Michelle Booth, [these days] head of growth, activation, and innovation at Lloyds Bank. Michelle has thrived as an entrepreneur in businesses that many would think are rigid and very hierarchical. If that's you, be prepared to change your view.

Drawing from real life experience, including her transformative role at one of the UK's best known high street banks (NatWest), Michelle joins the Unicorny project to talk transformation.

A creative business leader with a passion for building exceptional teams with a clear sense of purpose, Michelle Booth currently serves as the Head of Growth and Innovation for Mass Affluent and prior to that in a number of different roles at NatWest, most notably Head of Marketing Strategy and Innovation for NatWest leading the development of the Brand Platform Tomorrow Begins Today, NatWest Thrive with Marcus Rashford and Marketing Director For Bó, NatWest‘s venture to create a neo-bank challenger. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Michelle Booth | Dom Hawes  

Website: Lloyds Banking Group 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• The Need for Innovation and Adaptation  
• Michelle's Career Journey  
• Overcoming the Innovator's Dilemma  
• The Unsexy Subject of Money  
• Creating Innovative Financial Solutions  
• Product Design and Market Fit  
• Pricing Strategy  
• Incubation Zone and Business Management  
• Leadership and Psychological Safety  
• Agile Execution and Strategy 

Featuring best-selling author, Matt Dixon, this part two of a two-part episode (did you listen to part 1?) that answers the question so many B2B marketers and sales professionals are asking: how come that perfect-fit prospect died?

Matt co-authored a book we've mentioned many times on Unicorny; The Jolt Effect.

Nothing is more important right now than what you'll find in this book. So, whatever you're doing today, cancel it until you've listened to this episode and read the book.

Here's why.

If you're in B2B sales and marketing, you've got a pipeline... right now... today... this minute... that's suffering from the curse of the moment; the no-decision sale outcome. No purchase order, no sale, no win. This was already a thing, pre-pandemic, but now it's worse.

This pod has answers that might save the sale... and save your bacon too.

Matt Dixon is one of the world’s foremost experts in business development and customer experience.  Known for his ground-breaking research, he is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and is the author of some of the most important business books of the past decade.  He is a founding partner of DCM Insights, a boutique consultancy focused on using data and research-backed frameworks to help firms attract, retain and grow client relationships. 

His first book, The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation (Portfolio/Penguin 2011), was a #1 Amazon and Wall Street Journal bestseller and has sold nearly a million copies worldwide and has been translated into a dozen languages. 

The Challenger Sale has won acclaim as “the most important advance in selling for many years” (SPIN Selling author Neil Rackham) and “the beginning of a wave that will take over a lot of selling organizations in the next decade.” (Business Insider). 

He is also the author of The Effortless Experience: Conquering the New Battleground for Customer Loyalty (Portfolio/Penguin 2013), which introduced the concept of customer effort reduction and the Customer Effort Score to companies around the world, as well as The Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results (Portfolio/Penguin  2015), the celebrated sequel to The Challenger Sale.  His newest book, The JOLT Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision, was released by Penguin in September 2022.  His next book, The Activator Way, will be released by Harvard Business Review Press in Spring 2025. 

Matt’s work has been published in the print and online editions of Harvard Business Review on more than twenty occasions.  Among his noteworthy HBR articles are “What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently” (Nov-Dec 2023), “Dismantling the Sales Machine” (November 2013) and “The End of Solution Sales” (July-August 2012), both of which appear in HBR’s 10 Must-Reads on Sales.  He is also the author of some of the most widely cited HBR articles on customer experience and customer service, including “Reinventing Customer Service” (November-December 2018), “Kick-Ass Customer Service” (January-February 2017), and “Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers” (July-August 2010).  His team’s latest research will be published in the forthcoming article “What Today’s Rainmaker’s Do Differently” in the November-December issue of HBR.   

In addition to his research and writing, Matt is a seasoned practitioner having held executive leadership roles in strategy, new product development, product management, research and innovation for companies like Tethr, Korn Ferry Hay Group and CEB (now Gartner). 

He is a sought-after speaker and advisor to management teams around world, having presented his findings at a wide range of industry conferences as well as to hundreds of senior executive teams around the world, including those of many Fortune 500 companies. 

Matt holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh as well as a B.A. in International Studies from Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  He currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and four children. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Matt Dixon | Dom Hawes  

Website: DCM Insights 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

• The Jolt Playbook and Its Application
• The Role of Marketing in Jolt Effect
• Judging Indecision and the Role of Marketing
• The Challenge of Choice Overload and Marketing's Role
• The Delegation Effect
• Limiting Exploration
• Transparency and Honesty
• Structured Learning Journeys
• Taking Risk Off the Table
• Creating a Safety Net for Customers
• Joint Value Approach
• Product Guarantees and Opt-Outs
• Future Plans