Call to Action®

This week, we tracked a trail through deserts, glaciers, coral reefs, paddy fields, palaces, the DMZ between the two Koreas and an Italian hilltop to catch a copywriter with a lifetime of wild experience behind him. Ciao, Andrew Jolliffe. For 25 years he’s written ads, strategies, thought starters, content, manifestos and copy. Some of those have won him prizes in Cannes, Paris and New York, but more importantly, he still adores writing them. In an age where concepts cast shadows over craft, Andrew is a true craftsman. Full of refreshingly smart observations, Andrew talks to us on:  📣 The importance of craft in advertising 📣 Andrew's early career as a pipe organ builder 📣 His unexpected transition to a firework technician 📣 The dramatic accident that led him to leave the fireworks industry 📣 Handwriting 50 letters to break into advertising 📣 The value of real-life experiences in creative work 📣 The role of discovery and serendipity in generating ideas 📣 Educating clients on the importance of well-crafted work 📣 Nods to Steve Harrison, Rory Sutherland, and Patrick Collister 📣 The joy of working with small, obscure brands 📣 Advice for aspiring advertisers: do something else first 📣https://lnkd.in/exsHrXaF Feel better about #marketing with Call to Action® | A ...Gasp! PODCAST hosted by Giles Edwards #CTAPod📣

On the 3rd Working Day of Christmas Cheer, I have chosen the theme: The podcasts I subbed in 2024! (Think that was to the eleven lords are leaping line but really fast...) This year was very much the Year of the Podcast (according to Scott Galloway 👀) and whilst I've always been an avid consumer of pods, this year a few more got added to my rotation. These were the pods I used as part of my creative flow, helping with research, strategic thinking, unlocks. One thing I learnt from the book How To Be Brilliant At A Moment's Notice was to be more intentional about the things I consume as 'leisure' when I'm working on briefs with tight deadlines. So even if I enjoy listening to Giggly Squad, try to find episodes that are talking about a topic that I'm currently researching. Here we go: The Rest Is Entertainment by Richard Osman Marina Hyde Culture Study by Anne Helen Petersen We Need To Talk by Paul Carrick Brunson Giggly Squad by Hannah Berner Paige DeSorbo The Food Chain Uncensored CMO by Jon Evans Begin Again by Davina McCall Call To Action by Giles Edwards Let me know if there are any others I need to get on my radar ✨ #5WorkingDaysOfXmas

I’ll admit it...I’m probably one of those people who switch off when the conversation turns financial… But that was before! In our latest Call to Action® podcast, Moira Creedon, world-class financial strategist, tackles the age-old disconnect between marketing and finance. The goal? Smarter collaboration that drives real results. Here’s what I learned (and how to take action): 1- Learn to speak finance. Marketers, it’s time we see finance as a tool, not a hurdle. By understanding financial metrics, we can craft strategies that prove impact and unlock budgets. Think ROI, not just brand awareness. 2- Get a seat at the decision-making table. Good commercial decisions aren’t just for finance teams. Bring your perspective to discussions on profitability and product innovation. Want influence? Show you understand the business holistically. 3- Navigate your company culture. Low margin industries = finance driven decisions. High margin industries = more marketing freedom. Spot the dynamic where you work and use it to advocate for creativity and resources. This episode is packed with insights to help marketers and finance pros bridge the gap and boost collaboration. Listen-up, 'Les calculs sont tout bons'! 📣 https://lnkd.in/eCkutgMw #Marketing #Finance #Leadership

Bad for humans, good for salmon campaign. Lovely work. 'The reason the salmon is so good in Norway is the fjord water. The freezing cold temperatures make for better salmon. But also, horrifically cold for humans. So, rather than making a run of the mill ‘provenance’ ad, the executional thought was that the cold water in Norway was ‘bad for humans, good for salmon.’ – Jess Wheeler. Credits (2023) Client: Ocean Blue Agency: SICKDOGWOLFMAN Creative Directors: Jess Wheeler, James Orr Design Director: Jake Turnbull Photography: Cory White _ #advertising #marketing #copywriting

Brilliant direct mail campaign for Caledonian Glazing Company, in 1989. Credits Agency: The Leith Agency Creatives: David Reid, Adrian Jeffery _ Follow me if you like, or ...Gasp! where we do this sort of stuff (literally, see our Zen Internet direct mail brick work), or Call to Action® where we talk about this sort of stuff. #advertising #marketing #copywriting

The only thing more terrifying to a marketer than finance is realising you accidentally mixed up your fantasy football spreadsheet with the global marketing plan spreadsheet and now the CMO is wondering why you have so much data on the state of Darwin Nunez’s ankles. And while we can’t rescue you from the fantasy football thing, this week’s Call to Action® guest happens to be Moira Creedon, who happens to be one of the world’s smartest financial strategists, and she has some wise words to make you less terrified of learning the ways of finance. Have a listen. https://lnkd.in/eCkutgMw Feel better about #marketing with Call to Action® | A ...Gasp! PODCAST hosted by Giles Edwards #CTAPod

For a lot of marketers, the idea of finding out more about the financial side of the business is about as appealing as getting a croggy on the back of Gregg Wallace’s Raleigh Lizard. But, according to our guest this week on Call to Action® - Moira Creedon, one of the world’s most respected financial strategists – marketers who learn the language of finance are the ones in a much stronger position to help the direction of the business, and grow their own careers. In a thoroughly illuminating episode that even made Giles 20% smarter than he used to be (he’s now at 35%), Moira tells us about… 📣 Why it’s essential for marketers to speak the language of finance 📣 How financially-savvy marketers are better at articulating the value of what they do 📣 What the C-Suite really thinks of marketing 📣 Why finance is just a tool and not something to be terrified of 📣 The ups and downs of travelling all over the world for work 📣 Moira’s early dabbling with the entrepreneurial life 📣 And (cover your ears) some sensible thoughts on *that* new rebrand that has been bursting blood vessels across LinkedIn. Listen here and try to wash the image of clutching onto Gregg Wallace’s hot pink flanks out of your brain. 📣 https://lnkd.in/eCkutgMw Feel better about #marketing with Call to Action® Action® | A ...Gasp! PODCAST hosted by Giles Edwards #CTAPod

This week we stopped writing 80085 on our pocket calculator and started doing proper sums in order to catch the mathematical eye of one of the world’s leading financial and marketing thinkers, Moira Creedon. Quite possibly the biggest brain we’ve ever had on the pod, Moira is one of the world’s leading financial strategists and teachers – sharing her extraordinary knowledge and experience at pretty much every prestigious teaching institute you can think of. She can also be found opening the eyes of marketers to the value of financial literacy on the Mark Ritson Mini MBAs and is a compelling advocate for getting marketers to stop being so daunted by the financial bit. Multi-brilliant, and multi-nice, Moira is also an impressively multi-lingual teacher, delivering her talks and lectures in English, German, Spanish and French – and because this is a serious business podcast we don’t even ask her all the rude words she knows. In a thoroughly illuminating episode that even made me 20% smarter than I used to be (I'm now at 35%), Moira tells us about… 📣 Why it’s essential for marketers to speak the language of finance 📣 How financially-savvy marketers are better at articulating the value of what they do 📣 What the C-Suite really thinks of marketing 📣 Why finance is just a tool and not something to be terrified of 📣 The ups and downs of travelling all over the world for work 📣 Moira’s early dabbling with the entrepreneurial life 📣 And (cover your ears) some sensible thoughts on *that* new rebrand that has been bursting blood vessels across LinkedIn. Hear here: https://lnkd.in/eA83qvZ2 This episode is proudly dedicated to the late and great Gail Gunderson. _ Feel better about #marketing with Call to Action® | A ...Gasp! PODCAST hosted by me #CTAPod

After doing the Mini MBA in Management last year, where Moira effortlessly teaches the numb£rs modules, I definitely felt better about finance and its application to marketing. Listen along tomorrow and you will too. Guaranteed. Cc: Juliette Lambert Heduy for a fact check on the French translation below 👀

In the world of marketing, some people will think themselves brainy if they can stick an upside-down triangle or two into PowerPoint. But then there’s someone like this week’s Call to Action® guest – Moira Creedon – who, as well as being one of the world’s leading financial strategists, teaching at loads of prestigious institutions, but also has room in her remarkable brain to teach in English, Spanish, French or German. So, as they say in France ‘leesten ‘ere’. New episode lands tomorrow ⚡ Feel better about #marketing with Call to Action® | A ...Gasp! PODCAST hosted by Giles Edwards #CTAPod