In this episode of 'On Brand with ALF and Rory Sutherland,' host Rory Sutherland, Vice-Chairman of Ogilvy UK, sits down with Benjamin Braun, the Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Europe. The discussion covers a range of topics including Samsung's creative use of their Olympic sponsorship, marketing tactics and digital transformation. Braun highlights the success of gifting special edition gold phones to Olympians, which led to a 23% increase in demand for Flip 6 phones. They also explore Samsung's innovative products like foldable phones, AI-enabled ovens and eco-friendly initiatives like so ..read more

Rory says Jordan Brompton is the best advert for not going to university. He reckons she's had a free MBA! Jordan started working life on a market stall and has worked in restaurants and bars but when she had a chat with plumber turned electrician, Lee Sutton, they decided to go for it and set up myenergi. Lee is the technical side of the business but it's quite clear that Jordan is the marketing and sales powerhouse although, as she points out to Rory, she has been known to get to work with the soldering iron.   Innovation and sustainability are the cornerstones of their business and man ..read more

In this episode of 'On Brand', Rory Sutherland welcomes Margaret Jobling, Chief Marketing Officer at NatWest. They discuss the challenges and successes in marketing across various sectors, with a focus on NatWest's transformation in its marketing approach. Margaret delves into the importance of understanding customer needs, leveraging data effectively, and experimenting to build knowledge. The conversation also covers the impact of fintech, the role of technology in banking, and NatWest's strategy around social purpose and sponsorships, particularly the partnership with Team GB for the Paris 2 ..read more

John Roberts started Appliances Online for a £1 bet in the pub on Christmas Eve 1999 with his mate. Today it's known as AO.com and it's a huge success in the provision of white goods and now tv and entertainment, smart tech, computing and more. John tells Rory how the company has focused on superb customer service to differentiate itself from its competitors and he outlines the thinking behind their sponsorships and marketing. Interestingly, having started by mailing brochures and then moving totally online, they are beginning to mail mini-brochures again. AO is now a totally vertically integr ..read more

Rachel Eyre is Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Morrisons, a heritage business in the UK, celebrating 125 years in 2024. Rachel explains how the Market Street proposition in Morrisons with its fresh, British sourced produce, appeals to traditional older Morrisons customers, but is now resonating with younger shoppers. Although big trolley shops are still popular, Rachel outlines how smaller, more frequent basket shops are becoming the norm. Rachel and Rory discuss Morrisons' vertically integrated business model, with it's own manufacturing businesses giving it a point of difference to c ..read more

Christian Thrane is the Managing Director of Marketing at EE and BT's Consumer Division. The merger of the two companies in 2016 has opened many opportunities. Christian, who joined just before lock-down, has been charged with setting out the new offerings for both existing and new customers. Service to the consumer is at the top of his agenda and on his watch this has improved on every level since the merger. Rory quizzes Christian about the focus of EE’s service with four areas addressed, Home, Game, Work and Learn. He also asks why, after a decade, they have stopped using Kevin Bacon in vis ..read more

Having read Economics at Cambridge, ex-Procter & Gamble marketer, Greg Jackson, explains the success behind Octopus, recently certified as a Which? Recommended energy provider for the 7th year in a row. Innovative technology, great marketing and superb customer service are integral to the Octopus success story. Among the many amazing revelations in the chat with Rory, Greg points out that 65% of UK households have a car, an increasing number of which are EVs, and the battery in an EV can power a house for between 3 and 5 days.  You'll hear about the Octopus Power Pack and the F ..read more

Simon Peel has worked for, among others, MediaCom, Mindshare, 20th Century Fox and Adidas. Now he's Vice President of Global Marketing for the healthcare brand Haleon born out of GSK, Novartis and Pfizer. In our Top Two Challenges, Simon describes the challenges facing both Haleon and the sector as a whole as being similar; through advertising, the need to create an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand in order to differentiate from retailers' own brand. As Rory says, price is key and sometimes you don't wake up with a 50p headache it's a £2.80 headache! The guys discuss ma ..read more

Charlotte Lock has had an illustrious career embracing the BBC, Tesco, Co-op, Asda, McCann and now the John Lewis Partnership where her experience in behavioural economics and partnerships is helping to develop the group’s offering. In this episode she joins Rory to discuss data driven customer insight and brand experience, along with segmentation in a variety of areas.   Plus, Charlotte talks us through this year's John Lewis Christmas ad, their first created by Saatchi & Saatchi.    And in the Top Two Challenges, Charlotte reveals what she believes is the biggest chal ..read more

Rory is joined by Milka Privodanova, VP Head of EMEA of Pinterest to talk about the online platform which they describe as 'personal media' rather than social. Milka outlines how the user experience of Pinterest is a positive and natural environment for advertisers and how almost everything you see on Pinterest is available to buy. Food, beauty, fashion and home décor are all hugely popular but the company is also experiencing success in the areas of travel, financial services and entertainment. In the Top Two Challenges, Milka shares what she believes is the biggest challenge for Pinte ..read more