On Strategy Showcase - podcast cover

On Strategy Showcase

Fergus O’Carrollwww.onstrategyshowcase.com
Where marketers tell the stories behind the strategies that led to amazing campaigns.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Walmart's Virtual Worlds and Gaming Strategy

Walmart's Head of Emerging Experience, Justin Breton and GEEIQ's CEO Charles Hambro join me to talk about gaming, virtual worlds and Walmart's place in them. This is episode one in a three episode virtual worlds series. Tickets for our June 18th, 2026 Live from Minneapolis show are now on sale.

May 31, 202637 min

Why Uber Eats won tonight's 2026 U.S. Grand Effie

Inside the Effie Judge's room in NYC on May 7th. Twelve judges were there to decide which of the seven Gold Effie-winning cases from earlier judging rounds would be awarded the prestigious Grand Effie for 2026. This is what happened.

May 28, 202621 min

The Power of Humor in Marketing

On this month's episode of On the Pulse, I'm joined by Ipsos' Chief Behavioral Scientist ion the U.S., Jesse Itzkowitz, and SVP, Head of Creative Excellence, Lisa Zielinski, to discuss the opportunity humor provides as a strategic tool. Thanks to Ipsos for supporting this monthly series.

May 25, 202643 min

On the Spot: Subaru and Vaseline

It's planners talking brands they've never worked on. We're joined this month by Landi Day, CSO at BBDO, Chicago and Omar Quinones, CSO at LERMA/, Dallas. We're having some laughs and talking Subaru and Vaseline. You can also watch this episode and see the creative work on our YouTube channel or website. Link below. Thanks to Tracksuit and System1 for making this series possible. www.onstrategyshowcase.com

May 10, 202651 min

Planning for Effective Outcomes #2: How to build upon or challenge client briefs

In Ep#2 of our Effie series, Chief Strategy Officers share how they validate, build upon or challenge briefs from their clients. Will Grundy of adam&eveTBWA, E.T. Franklin of Publicis Media, Elizabeth Paul of Martin and Professor and best-selling Author, Marcus Collins join me. Thanks to Tracksuit (affordable brand tracking) for supporting this Effie series. www.gotracksuit.com

May 03, 20261 hr 13 min

On the Pulse - how to win with sports sponsorships

Our new monthly series with Ipsos kicks off with a discussion on the pulse of brands & sports sponsorships. It's big business with big cross platform opportunities. I'm joined by Aubree Curtis of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and Lisa Zielinski and Jamie Stenziano of Ipsos. You can also watch this episode on our website or YouTube channel.

Apr 26, 202640 min

What happens when the Airbnb team takes on a mortgage brand?

What happens when the team that brought you Airbnb's Belong Anywhere, Coke's Share a Coke and Prudential’s Day 1, come together on a mortgage brand? Rocket's new work is the result of not simply disrupting the mortgage category, but defining a new one. You can watch this episode on our YouTube Channel or our website at www.onstrategyshowcase.com.

Apr 20, 202643 min

On the Spot: Levis and Jeep

It's planners talking brands they've never worked on. I'm joined this month by John Kenny, CSO at Eversana Intouch and Ashley Williams, SVP, Experience Design at Spark Foundry, NYC. We're talking two iconic American brands. You can also watch this episode and see the creative work on our YouTube channel or website. Link below. Thanks to Tracksuit and System1 for making this series possible. www.onstrategyshowcase.com

Apr 12, 202646 min

Planning for Effective Outcomes 2026 #1: CMOs on writing the client brief

Colin Kavanagh, CMO at Pernod Ricard, Adam Craw, Global Head of Prime Marketing at Amazon and George Felix, EVP CMO at Brinker International discuss how they get to defining their objectives, challenges, strategies and audience insights. And who writes the client brief. Thanks to the Effies and to Tracksuit for supporting this 6 part 2026 effectiveness series.

Apr 05, 202643 min

Life in the Valley live from Uber in San Francisco

Global marketing leaders from Uber, Airbnb, Coinbase and WestCap Private Equity join me for a conversation about the culture of marketing in the valley - all four came from an agency background. It's an honest, fascinating conversation. Thanks to Tracksuit, Ipsos and The Effies for supporting our live tour. You can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel or website.

Mar 29, 202649 min

How this Grand Effie winner fought generics and held its price premium

In a category dominated by generics (60%) and fixated on ever-faster pain relief, Nurofen escaped the category's tropes with a message that connected with women in a deeper, more meaningful way. I'm joined by McCann London's CEO, Mel Arrow and Strategy Partner, Jocelyn Major.

Mar 22, 202647 min

On the Spot: Rocket Mortgage and other post Super Bowl rants

It's planners talking brands they've never worked on. I'm joined this month by Emily Garvey, Head of Strategy at Zulu Alpha Kilo, NYC, and Caitlin Cody, EVP, Group Strategy Director at BBDO, Chicago. As always, balancing our opinions with facts are Tracksuit's Matthew Herbert and System1's Vanessa Chin.

Mar 01, 202650 min

The new book that makes the business case for creative effectiveness

The Effies and System1 have released The Creative Dividend. The book introduces tools to help marketers defend investment, improve work, and make advertising a more dependable driver of business growth. I talk with Effie CEO, Traci Alford, Effie CMO, Juliet Haygarth and System1 SVP, Andrew Tindall. Learn how to download the book for free.

Feb 22, 202641 min

Live from Arnold in Boston: Brains, Grit and Brand Building

Boston has been a creative powerhouse for decades. While agencies like Mullen, The Barbarian Group, Modernista, and Hill Holiday have all left their mark, Arnold continues to this day, alongside smaller agencies like Colossus, to make a mark with national work (think Progressive Insurance) that makes most of us jealous. Boston also houses many in-house agencies at companies including The LEGO Group. Shark Ninja, Staples, Liberty Mutual, New Balance, Puma, etc. We talk about all this and more wit...

Feb 10, 20261 hr 5 min

On the Spot: Burberry & Johnnie Walker

It's planners talking brands they've never worked on. I'm joined this month by Kate Rush Sheehy, CSO at GSD&M and Brendon Volpe, CSO at UM NYC. We're talking about the latest work from Burberry and Johnnie Walker. Thanks to Tracksuit and System1 for making this series possible.

Jan 25, 202650 min

How Dr. Dre is putting swagger back in the Goodyear brand

The new executive team discovered that while the 125 year-old brand is recognized, it's not well known. And in a category dominated by me-too products, it was time to reset the Goodyear brand. Built on the platform "tires worth bragging about," the campaign uses Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E." to share the story of the brand's past and its pop culture presence. I'm joined by Taylor Grimes of Goodyear and Lindsey McNabb of BBH, NY.

Jan 12, 202636 min

How Archer uses exaggerated reality to draw attention to genuine ingredients

We're a nation of protein-seeking adults in search of alternatives to yogurt snacks and chicken bites. So why not a healthier, protein-packed beef stick snack? Tons to learn in this episode. "Stick to Real" is the brand's platform. Its executions contrast exaggerated reality with moments of real. I talk with Archer Meat's Andrew Thomas. Thanks to Tracksuit for supporting our show.

Jan 06, 202637 min

Meet the team behind Amazon's ad strategy

We talk about how the world's greatest e-comm site considers category entry points. Also about the story behind this year's holiday ads campaign, including Benedict Cumberbatch's 5-Star Ratings Theatre, and what the now full-funnel marketer is still trying to better understand. I'm joined by Chris Marchegiani, Head of Brand Planning Insights and Creative, and Garett Levy, Sr. Global Brand Planner.

Dec 22, 202539 min

Live from Highdive in Chicago. The Holiday Ads Special

Planning's greatest Holiday Ads Party returned live to the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. A packed house watched and debated some of the best holiday ads from the US and UK. On stage were Nimisha Jain, CSO at Highdive, Pedr Howard, Head of Creative Excellence at Ipsos, Samantha Cescau, CSO at Leo Burnett and Mark Gross, Co-Founder and Co-CCO at Highdive. Love to hear what your favorite Holiday spot was this year. Thanks to Ipsos, The Effies and Tracksuit for supporting our 2025 live tour. Happy Ho...

Dec 17, 20251 hr

Live from Mother in London: Reflections on 2025

We talk with some of London's top strategic and creative talent about the year that was 2025. Martin Beverley of Ace of Hearts, Paula Bloodworth of Alien Baby, Mel Arrow of McCann, Chris Gallery of Mother and Alex Grieve of BBH join me. Next live tour stop is Boston in late January. Thanks to The Effies, Tracksuit and Ipsos for supporting our Live Tour.

Dec 15, 202554 min

The story behind Indeed's Gold Effie-winning entrance into the Indian market

The odds were stacked against Indeed in India. Late to market and up against behemoths whose combined market share crossed 90%, they had a fight on their hands. We hear the backstory of how they build a B2B beachhead as a way into the broader B2C market. Thanks to the Effies for making this international episode possible.

Dec 07, 202534 min

On the Spot: The Ordinary & Claude AI

We're joined by Helene Dick, Head of Strategy at Special LA and Tom Kenny, CSO at Courage in Toronto. We discuss new work from The Ordinary and Mother's campaign for Claude AI. Thanks to Tracksuit and System1 for supporting this series.

Dec 02, 202544 min

Live from the 2025 UK Effie Awards

Our interviews with UK winners as their amazingly effective work gets recognized on Effie night in London. Xbox, Uber, Smarty Mobile, Irish Tourism, Walkers, CALM, and the Grand Prix winning Nurofen from McCann London. What a night for McCann. They also won Agency of the Year and took home a total of seven awards. You can see all of the creative work from these interviews on our website at onstrategyshowcase.com.

Nov 25, 202537 min

Live from Deutsch in LA: Those Moments of Magic

We brought together planners and creatives to talk about epiphany moments - those times when you know you've just unlocked the idea. We talk about what they ultimately led to in the work. Joining me are Ryan Lehr, Co-CCO at Deutsch, John Deschner, Head of Brand at Maximum Effort, Jill Burgeson, CSO at TBWA/Chiat/Day/LA, Amanda Shapiro, EVP Strategy at Deutsch and Jason Karley, ECD at Artist's Equity. Thanks to Tracksuit, The Effies and Ipsos for supporting our live tour.

Nov 16, 20251 hr 32 min

Chris Beresford Hill shares the truth behind Michael Cera for CeraVe

An encore airing of this multiple Gold Effie winner. Chris Beresford-Hill, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer at BBDO shares the real story behind the Michael Cera campaign, one he led while at Ogilvy. Frustrated by how it was being told, he shares the reality.

Nov 10, 202554 min

How Persil followed women into sports

Unilever CMO, Tati Lindenberg and MullenLowe's Rachel Stets join me to share how Unilever's detergent brand in the UK, in an effort to reclaim its product performance strengths, partnered with Arsenal women's soccer for the "Every Stain Should Be Part of the Game" initiative. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution) for supporting this episode.

Nov 02, 202539 min
Hosted on Buzzsprout
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android