Real marketing mistakes, told by the people who made them
Embracing Marketing Mistakes is the UK marketing podcast where founders and marketing leaders share a mistake they have never talked about in public, what it cost them, and what they do differently now.
550,000+ downloads. Top five in the UK Apple Podcasts Marketing chart for 14 months running. Rated 4.7 out of 5 on Apple Podcasts.
Hosted by Chris Norton, founder of Prohibition PR, and Will Ockenden. Recent guests include Tom Roach, Ben Branson of Seedlip, John O’Keeffe (ex-WPP), Roger Hurni of Off Madison Ave, Tom Goodwin, Richard Shotton and Dom Dwight of Yorkshire Tea.
What we mean by a mistake
Three from past episodes:
- Josh Lachkovic, founder of Amphora: his first startup, The Wine List, lost six figures within months when the lockdown boom ended. Hear Josh’s episode
- Rachel Auty, head of marketing at Brew York: a six-beer birthday campaign tied to Eurovision that the team loved and the public ignored, because it tried to say too much at once. Hear Rachel’s episode
- Patrick Collister, creative director: joined a direct marketing agency without checking its finances, was billed out at around £1,000 an hour, became too expensive to take to client meetings and was gone within a year. Hear Patrick’s episode
Got a story like that? We want to hear it.
Latest episodes
Why people listen
Most marketing content shows the wins. This show is about the decisions that went wrong: the campaign that flopped, the hire that backfired, the launch nobody wanted. You hear what happened, what it cost and what the guest does differently now.
Who it’s for
Marketing directors, heads of marketing, founders and agency leaders who would rather learn from someone else’s expensive mistake than make it themselves. New episodes every week, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
1. Tell us the mistake
Use the form below. One line on what went wrong, then the story, what it cost and what you learned.
2. A short call
If it fits the show, we’ll book a quick call to hear the story before we record.
3. Record and share
We film for 45 minutes to an hour, remotely or at our Leeds office. You get the full episode, video clips and social content to share.
Apply to be a guest
Every guest tells us about a mistake they have never talked about in public. A real one, with a cost attached. Not a lesson dressed up as a win, and not a product launch.
If you would rather talk about what went well, this probably isn’t the show for you, and that’s fine. Applications without a specific mistake won’t go forward.
Previous guests on the show
Tom Goodwin
Marketing futurist
Phill Agnew
Host of Nudge podcast
Richard Shotton
Author of The Choice Factory
Andrew Bloch
Founder of Frank PR
Spencer Kelly
BBC Journalist
Dom Dwight
Yorkshire Tea
Enjoy the podcast?
We’re rated 4.7 out of 5 on Apple Podcasts. A rating takes ten seconds and helps more marketers find the show. Leave us a rating here.
Further Resources
- Free Marketing EventsRead more
- Prohibition Edition – NewsletterRead more
- Crisis Management TrainingRead more
- Communications TrainingRead more
- Media TrainingRead more
- Social Media TrainingRead more
Agency profit margins: why most agencies settle for 15% when 40% is on the table
The Psychology of Buying Decisions: What Customers Really Do
Embracing Marketing Mistakes Podcast
Podcast Marketing Services from a Leeds Podcasting Agency
Questions about the podcast
How do I become a guest on Embracing Marketing Mistakes?
Fill in the form on this page. Tell us the mistake in one line, then what happened, what it cost and what you learned. We read every application, and if the story fits the show we’ll book a short call to hear it before we record.
What counts as a mistake?
A real decision that went wrong and cost you money, time, customers or reputation. A campaign that flopped, a hire that backfired, a launch nobody wanted. It isn’t a lesson dressed up as a success, and it isn’t a product pitch.
Do I have to share numbers?
It helps. Listeners learn most when they understand the scale of what went wrong. If you can’t share exact figures, a range or a rough cost works fine. Tell us before we record if anything needs to stay off the record.
Can a PR agency put a client forward?
Yes, as long as the client has a genuine mistake to share and is happy to tell it in their own words. Put the mistake in the form. Applications that only describe a product or a success story won’t go forward.
Is the podcast filmed?
Yes. Every episode is filmed and goes out on YouTube as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and most podcast apps. We record remotely or at our office in Leeds.
How long is an episode?
Most full episodes run between 45 minutes and an hour, so you can get through one on a commute or over lunch. New episodes come out every week.
What do I get as a guest?
You get the full episode, video clips and social content you can share on LinkedIn and your own channels.
Who hosts the show?
Chris Norton, founder of Prohibition PR, and Will Ockenden, Prohibition’s Creative and Strategy Lead. They share their own mistakes on the show too.
Can Prohibition make a podcast for my brand?
Yes. We grew Air’s Master Later Life Lending podcast to 20,000 downloads and kept Huthwaite International’s Mastering Sales and Negotiations in the UK Apple Business top ten for three months. See our podcast marketing services.
