Performance marketing is changing fast. Are you keeping up? Kris Tait, US MD of digital agency Croud, reveals the critical mistake so many marketers make (clue: it’s about brand awareness), how to balance short-term metrics with long-term growth, and why AI will make marketing harder, but not worse. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt

What does your agency offer clients that no one else can? Robin Bonn, founder of business consultancy Co:Definery, reveals how to create your own “market of one”. Plus, the surprising power of saying “no” to clients, how to price your work in the age of AI, and the one thing every agency must understand to reach the top of the tree. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our YouTube video series...

How do you build a transformation culture that truly lasts? Tanya Evans, Group Culture & Leadership Director at Lloyds Banking Group, shares her proven strategies to driving organisational change from within. Tune in to learn why “radical candour” is the key to high performance, what science can teach us about team building, and how the best leaders embody the change they want to see. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most...

Do numbers inform all your strategic decisions? Phil Adams, Brand Strategy Consultant, says ideas, not stats, are the data that drive brands forward. In this episode of Firestarters, he reveals the strategic mistakes brands most often make and how to fix them. Plus: the three golden rules to an effective brief, how to conquer creative block, and why your customers may know more about your brand than you do. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and...

Everybody writes. But do you know what it takes to craft the perfect sentence? Acclaimed brand, tone of voice, and copy consultant Vikki Ross shares her secrets to writing compelling marketing messages that drive results. In this episode of Firestarters, she discusses the art of great copywriting, from how to define your brand’s voice to why it’s crucial to make every word count — and ensuring your copy always passes the “concrete, visual, and falsifiable” test. Think with Google...

New: Firestarters TakeOuts! Our fast-paced, all-you-need-to-know version of the Think with Google Firestarters podcast. In this series, we’ll be sharing highlights of our favourite episodes in 10 minutes or less. We hope you enjoy it. Richard Shotton, best-selling author of The Choice Factory, explains how advertising has “dropped the ball” when it comes to consumer psychology, and what marketers can do to unlock its power.

New: Firestarters TakeOuts! Our fast-paced, all-you-need-to-know version of the Think with Google Firestarters podcast. In this series, we’ll be sharing highlights of our favourite episodes in 10 minutes or less. We hope you enjoy it. From data-driven storytelling to the future of marketing hear Rishad Tobaccowala, award-winning strategist, podcaster and author, discuss why the future of marketing is not just about data, but also about imagination, creativity, and human connection.

Gaming represents a significant and diverse opportunity for marketers, so how can brands engage gamers in an authentic way? As gaming has matured as a medium, what are the techniques for understanding the environment and the audience, and what is the future for marketing to gamers? In this enlightening episode, James Whatley — Senior Strategy Director, Gaming, The LEGO Group — reveals how brands can engage gamers in meaningful ways, how they can be player-centric, tap into the feeling that...

New: Firestarters TakeOuts! Our fast-paced, all-you-need-to-know version of the Think with Google Firestarters podcast. In this series, we’ll be sharing highlights of our favourite episodes in 10 minutes or less. We hope you enjoy it. Want tips about lifelong learning, fundamental skills, optimism, and breakthrough ideas? Kevin Kelly, author, co-founder, and senior maverick at Wired, shares his wisdom.

New: Firestarters TakeOuts! Our fast-paced, all-you-need-to-know version of the Think with Google Firestarters podcast. In this series, we’ll be sharing highlights of our favourite episodes in 10 minutes or less. We hope you enjoy it. From challenging the status quo to getting the most out of yourself and your team, hear Trevor Robinson, founder of Quiet Storm and Create Not Hate, discuss why diversity of thought is the key to creative success. 

In an increasingly fast-moving and unpredictable world, the ability to navigate uncertainty has become a superpower. In this fascinating episode Sam Conniff, author, entrepreneur, and founder of Uncertainty Experts, describes how we can turn uncertainty into a catalyst for innovation, learning, and change. He talks about the importance of humility, why we dislike uncertainty so much, and the need for embodied, as well as cognitive, decision-making. Think with Google Firestarters delves into...

New: Firestarters TakeOuts! Our fast-paced, all-you-need-to-know version of the Think with Google Firestarters podcast. In this series, we’ll be sharing highlights of our favourite episodes in 10 minutes or less. We hope you enjoy it. The range of skills needed to be a media planner has never been wider, says Michael Lee, VCCP Chief Strategy Officer and APG Chair. Listen to find out what marketers can do to keep pace with change.

New: Firestarters TakeOuts! Our fast-paced, all-you-need-to-know version of the Think with Google Firestarters podcast. In this series, we’ll be sharing highlights of our favourite episodes in 10 minutes or less. We hope you enjoy it. Team culture expert Alison Coward shares her tips on building highly motivated teams, leadership lessons, and the power of workshop mentality. 

Is your grammatical perfectionism holding you back? Ann Handley, author of “Everybody Writes”, says great writing is about clear communication — not flawless grammar. Hear Ann share her secrets to writing content that people actually want to read, why perfectionism is a writer’s worst enemy, and how AI should be used as a tool, never a crutch. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our...

Are PR and advertising really so different? Not according to Gen Kobayashi, CSO at Weber Shandwick. Hear him discuss why understanding people is at the heart of effective PR and advertising, the power of an earned-first mindset, and why the best ideas come from operating in the jungle, not the zoo. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt ...

All great advertising is just a matter of taste, says Sophie Lewis, CSO at M&C Saatchi. Hear her discuss why understanding cultural influences is the secret to creating real impact, how advertisers should think outside of their bubble, and why she has 64,000 photos on her phone. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt

How can agencies sell stand out ideas to their clients? What are the secrets of establishing truly beneficial and sustainable client and agency relationships? In this fascinating episode Jason Oke, Global Client President at Dentsu, talks about how to sell great creative thinking to clients, the importance of understanding how ideas move through organisations, and why agencies need to be more confident.  Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising...

Marketing is the mortar that holds any business together, says marketing transformation consultant and former IBM CMO Alison Orsi. Tune in for her insights on mastering the art of customer experience, breaking down the silo mentality and fostering collaboration across teams. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt  

How do you capture someone’s attention in under 3 seconds? Listen to design consultant and former creative director of Rolling Stone, Andy Cowles, on the art of effective visual communication and why the role of design is so often misunderstood. Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt

How do you create a community and maintain a culture in the digital age? Listen to futurist, tech visionary, artist, and activist Adah Parris on why we need a more thoughtful, holistic, and sensory approach to technology.  Think with Google Firestarters delves into the minds of the marketing and advertising industry’s most inspirational leaders. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt  

What are the best techniques for making your content marketing really fly? Matt Locke is the founder of the agency Storythings, and a renowned thinker on gaining attention through content. He joins Neil to talk about the need to understand how your content can fit into the lives of your audience, appreciating the media moments when it's possible to engage, and the formats that will work. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt

Why is optimism and letting go of what we know so important when considering technology futures? How can we challenge unexamined assumptions to come up with new ideas? In this wide-ranging, insights-packed episode, Kevin Kelly talks about the role of imagination in understanding the future, why we should focus on enabling technologies, how to make creativity a habit, and the importance of lifelong learning, curiosity, and making new mistakes.  Check out our YouTube video series...

Don’t leave workshop energy at the door — bring it into your business. Listen to Alison Coward, founder of Bracket and author of “Workshop Culture: A Guide to Building Teams That Thrive”, as she joins Neil to discuss leadership lessons and prompts for creating meaningful conversations and work environments that foster psychological safety, commitment, creativity, empathy, and high-performance amongst teams. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt

Is media planning becoming the impossible job? Michael Lee, Chief Strategy Officer at VCCP and former Chair at the Account Planning Group, joins Neil to talk about the challenges of the ever-changing media landscape, the importance of “T-shaped” knowledge, the skills that can’t be replaced by AI, and why data can’t predict if a radical idea will be successful. Check out our YouTube video series at: https://goo.gle/3t13pWt