Uncensored CMO

Matt Pohlson is the co-founder of Omaze, a platform that’s raised over £300m for charity through once-in-a-lifetime prize draws. Matt shares how a life-changing moment shaped his mission, the business model behind giving away luxury homes and cars, and why storytelling and consistent advertising have fuelled Omaze’s success. Plus, the challenges of the founder journey and his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:32 - Matt’s near death experience
03:08 - How a near death experience has changed Matt
06:56 - Omaze origin story
10:18 - Shifting from US celebrity to UK focused prizes
13:24 - Do Omaze buy the houses, cars and luxury items?
14:22 - The business model of Omaze
18:09 - Why storytelling is so important for Omaze
24:52 - Why Omaze make so many ads
28:16 - Omaze’s advertising success through consistency
31:27 - The most challenging parts of Matt’s founder journey
33:59 - Matt’s advice to aspiring founders

Is Jaguar’s bold rebrand a stroke of genius or marketing madness? We sit down with Rawdon Glover, Managing Director of Jaguar, to unpack the strategy behind one of the most dramatic relaunches in automotive history. From pausing sales to redesigning the brand from the ground up, Rawdon shares how Jaguar is reinventing itself for a younger, electric-first generation and talks about the visceral response from the launch video.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Rawdon’s journey into the automotive industry
02:34 - A challenging time to be at the helm of Jaguar
04:03 - Deciding between evolution and revolution at Jaguar
09:05 - Why new car buyers are getting younger
12:23 - Making the decision to rebrand Jaguar
15:45 - Creating differentiation in the age of electrification
18:46 - Designing the new Jaguar
24:43 - What the Jaguar Owners Club think of the new car
27:27 - The polarising Jaguar launch video
33:14 - Dealing with the visceral reaction to the rebrand
36:22 - How Jaguar will launch the car
39:29 - Choosing to pause selling cars
41:28 - Waymo’s partnership with Jaguar
45:04 - When will the new Jaguar go on sale

In partnership with NBCUniversal, we sit down with Tyler Bahl, CMO of Activision, to explore what it takes to market some of the world’s most successful games, from Call of Duty to Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Tyler shares insights on launching blockbuster titles, the evolving gaming landscape in 2025, and how livestreaming, esports, and AI are transforming the industry. Plus, lessons from 23 editions of Call of Duty, surprising audience insights, and working directly with icons like Tony Hawk.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:54 - Tyler’s time at Quibi
02:33 - State of the gaming industry in 2025
04:14 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater Surprise
05:35 - The demographics of the video game consumer
08:16 - How to launch a video game
10:47 - How live streaming and esports has transformed video gaming
14:10 - Ratio of male vs female video game players
16:28 - Is video game success due to the product or the marketing?
18:00 - The success and longevity of Call of Duty
19:13 - Maintaining marketing success after 23 editions of Call of Duty
20:36 - “The Replacer” campaign execution and success
22:21 - Measuring success
23:28 - How Activision do partnerships for game launches
25:35 - How Activision makes sports games
27:39 - Future sports games from Activision
29:42 - What impact is AI having on gaming?
31:40 - Working with Tony Hawk on the launch of the new game
32:46 - Lesson’s from Tyler’s career

In this episode, produced in partnership with NBCUniversal, we sit down with Todd Kaplan, CMO of Kraft Heinz, to uncover the marketing “secret sauce” behind some of the world’s most iconic brands. Todd shares lessons from driving 21 quarters of growth at Pepsi, why simplicity beats complexity in marketing, and how he’s bringing an entrepreneurial spirit to Kraft Heinz. We also dive into working with agencies, building in-house creative, and what makes a truly great CMO.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Todd’s background
01:41 - How Pepsi achieved 21 consecutive quarters of growth
02:36 - Pepsi’s approach to innovation
04:22 - Battling short term vs long term in innovation
05:20 - From 18 years at Pepsi to joining Kraft Heinz
06:41 - Encouraging an entrepreneurial culture within Kraft Heinz
09:10 - Having an in house agency at Kraft Heinz
12:10 - Todd Kaplan’s tips for working with external agencies
16:28 - Why consistency of the brand is important for Kraft Heinz
18:55 - Creating marketing that actually works
24:39 - The best marketing is simple
27:44 - What makes a great CMO?

In partnership with NBCUniversal, we sit down with Grainne Wafer, Global Category Director (Beer, Vodka, Liqueurs) at Diageo, to explore how one of the world’s biggest drinks companies drives growth and builds iconic brands. Grainne shares the trends shaping the beverage industry, the transformation of Baileys, and how Diageo manages a portfolio of global powerhouses like Guinness. We also discuss the value of sports sponsorships, the rise of Guinness 0%, and why marketing effectiveness is always on tap.

00:00 - Intro
01:19 - What are the trends in the beverage industry?
03:25 - What are the up and coming portfolio brands for Diageo?
05:01 - How does Diageo manage brands internally?
06:30 - Is Diageo going to sell Guinness?
08:42 - What’s behind Diageo’s 17% YoY growth?
12:03 - Guinness sport activation with Rugby and Football
12:36 - How Guinness 0% is so close to the original
14:23 - Guinness’ sponsorship of Football and Rugby
16:26 - How to do measure the value of a sponsorship of the Premier League
17:39 - When the UK ran out of Guinness
18:08 - Sponsoring the Women’s Six Nations
21:44 - How Diageo broadly measures the impact of marketing
23:57 - Baileys celebrates 50 years
25:22 - How Baileys was transformed
27:23 - The Diageo way of brand building
31:38 - Grainne’s advice to CMOs

To celebrate 200 episodes, Tom Goodwin is back on Uncensored CMO. He's got a pretty strong opinion on the state of advertising. It's broken, and we need to fix it. Tom lays out where he thinks it's all gone wrong for the industry and what we can do about it. As uncensored as ever, Tom brings an entertaining and fresh perspective on marketing. Strap in.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:50 - The state of advertising in 2025
02:40 - Why is the advertising industry not moving forward?
06:13 - Brand vs performance marketing
09:20 - What’s broken with marketing in 2025
11:54 - How to actually be customer centric
17:23 - Winning internal battles to allow long term work to thrive
21:18 - Is performance marketing fraud?
26:23 - How to make advertising better
33:02 - Are we valuing creativity enough

In partnership with NBCUniversal, we sit down with Kory Marchisotto, CMO of e.l.f. Beauty, to unpack a 25 quarters of consecutive growth. From their bold “So Many Dicks” campaign to the $1B Rhode deal with Hailey Bieber, Kory shares how e.l.f. built a culture that fuels growth. We also dive into the power of creators and celebrities in beauty, partnerships with sporting icons like Billie Jean King and racing driver Katherine Legge, and the realities of leading as a high-growth, publicly listed CMO.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
00:40 - The last decade of Elf
01:35 - The Titanium and Glass Cannes Lions entry
03:01 - Elf’s “So Many Dicks” campaign
10:01 - The secret to 25 quarters of consecutive growth
13:36 - Building a culture that allows growth
17:03 - $1b Rhode deal
24:26 - How important are creators and celebrities in building beauty brands
26:37 - Collaborating with Billie Jean King
30:49 - Partnering with Katherine Legge, racing driver
34:16 - The realities of being a high growth, publicly listed CMO

Simon Morris is Adobe’s VP of International Marketing, joins us to share how Adobe is empowering creativity at scale. We discuss the impact of AI on marketing, why creativity will always need human skills, and how Adobe partners with brands like Real Madrid to build iconic campaigns. Simon also shares what makes a great marketing leader today, how to launch products successfully, and what’s next for AI and creators.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
00:43 - The size of the Cannes activation for Adobe
01:38 - Simon’s marketing career
04:21 - Adobe’s CEO named creative champion of the year
05:46 - Where has AI had the biggest impact in marketing?
08:14 - Will AI replace creativity?
09:35 - Where will human skills be most required in the age of AI?
14:21 - How Adobe are their own customer
15:10 - What campaigns have been made with Adobe’s own software?
16:19 - How brands can work with creators?
17:59 - Freedom for creators vs sticking to guidelines
19:16 - How to successfully launch a new product
20:59 - Partnering with sports teams to build their brand (Real Madrid)
23:25 - Maintaining trust in Adobe AI products, with potential IP worries
26:16 - Whats the next thing in AI we need to pay attention to?
28:37 - Building a brand for long term when the world is increasingly short term
29:56 - What makes a great marketing leader today?

In collaboration with TikTok, System1 have launched a new research paper called "The Long and the Short Form of It", explaining how brands can navigate and excel in this of this new world of short form content. In this episode I catch up with TikTok's Head of Business Marketing and Partnerships to discuss the research and help brands succeed on the platform.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
02:05 - Sofia’s marketing career
04:04 - Why B2B marketing needs to be more human
05:36 - TikTok’s marketing journey over the past 5 years
06:48 - How brands can use TikTok
10:47 - How brands can work with creators on TikTok
14:20 - How to make a TikTok that captures attention
18:18 - The TikTok economy
21:18 - Why authenticity pays off on TikTok
22:57 - How people can get started creating on TikTok
25:30 - Is TikTok just for teenagers?
26:51 - TikTok as an entertainment platform, not as a social media platform
27:54 - Romancing the creative vs proving the value
32:00 - Sofia’s leadership lessons