Call To Action – Details, episodes & analysis

This week, we got into a thumb-war-to-the-death with our inner critic in order to lure over legendary copywriter, speaker, coach, author and all-round good Canada goose egg Dan Nelken.

The alphabetical genius behind the bestselling Self Help Guide for Copywriters, and his 5-star online course ‘Writing Under Pressure’, Dan has made it his mission to rescue writers and brands all over the world from the malign influence of the dreaded inner critic – a character that Dan describes, with characteristic politeness, as a ‘ding dong’.

The true Canadian king of creativity (shut your face Reynolds) Dan chats to CTA about the importance of creating stuff that’s just for you, the long-game of any creative career, how to gain and maintain creative confidence, and of course his own grapplings with an inner critic he calls Alan.

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Follow Dan on LinkedIn 
Visit Dan’s site 
Jerry Seinfeld's interview with Tim Ferriss, the interview every creative should watch

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Timestamps
(02:05) - Quick Fire Questions
(04:05) - Dan's Early Jobs
(04:53) - From Forklift Truck Driver to Copywriter
(06:45) - Finding His Path into Copywriting
(08:36) - First Copywriting Gig at Cosset and Breaking through with McDonald's
(12:02) - Value of Getting Lost
(13:21) - The inspiration behind “Writing Under Pressure”
(17:59) - Creating a Course On Writing Headlines
(21:03) - Response to the Book
(22:40) - Maintaining Creative Confidence
(24:09) - Confronting Your Inner Critic
(26:07) - Structure in Creativity
(29:07) - Creativity Closer to Math(s) than Magic
(31:04) - Importance of Structure in Creativity
(32:39) - Most Creatives Hate Brainstorming
(36:57) - Naming Alan, the Inner Critic
(39:21) - The Joy of Creating for Yourself
(42:46) - Impact of Creating on Social Media
(43:40) - Audience Questions
(48:20) - Four Pertinent Posers

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Dan's book recommendations are:  
A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters by Dan Nelken 
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This  by Luke Sullivan
Mind Management, Not Time Management by David Kadavy

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This week, we went fishing in a Levi’s Creek to catch TED speaker, co-author of ‘The Creative Nudge’ and enthusiasm enthusiast, Kevin Chesters.

His Twitter bio says he’s a “tall bald bloke from Penzance”. And whilst that might be true, it does rather undersell the fact that perched atop that tall body, and in that bald bonce, are some serious smarts.

For Kevin is a Chief Strategy Officer, formerly strategy head at Ogilvy, Wieden + Kennedy, Saatchi, Dentsu, with a client-side cameo at BT, a visiting lecturer in creativity at several universities, a TEDx speaker, co-author of ‘The Creative Nudge’ and an absolute advocate for walking in stupid and talking in smarts. 

We discuss his journey from his beginning manning boying a vegetable stall, flirting with journalism, getting past ‘A’ in the careers dictionary, the importance of fostering creativity in all fields (including muddy ones), executional skill, breaking category norms, sifting through the interesting to find useful, enthusiasm, neurodiversity, walking in stupid, finding the world endlessly fascintating, big agencies, little agencies and so much more.

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Kevin’s website 
Follow Kevin on LinkedIn
Here’s his book, co-written with the brilliant Mick Mahoney
His TED Talk
Levi’s – Creek by BBH, 1993

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Timestamps
(03:17) - Kevin's early jobs and first steps in the advertising industry
(07:34) - His initial lack of interest in advertising and his pivot from journalism
(10:04) - The impact of iconic ads like Levi's Creek on Kevin's career
(19:04) - The value of diverse experiences in building a successful career
(23:03) - Defining creativity and its importance in business and life
(27:37) - Breaking category norms
(31:06) - The concept of bravery in marketing
(34:42) - Bringing Fresh Perspectives to Meetings
(36:38) - Practical tips for fostering creativity in the workplace
(45:05) - Listener questions including Mark Earls about the role of enthusiasm
(47:08) - The impact of neurodiversity on Kevin's approach to strategy

Kevin’s book recommendations are: 
The Creative Nudge: Simple Steps to help you think differently by Kevin Chesters and Mick Mahoney
The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage
Legacy by James Kerr
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
The Rebuilders by Sara Tate & Anna Vogt (Sara’s appearance on Call to Action® https://gasp.agency/media/call-to-action/sara-tate)

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It’s been 5 years since Call to Action® captured our first of what’s now over 130 heroes and allies from the industry front lines to have a chin-wag with. To celebrate, we’re rereleasing a choice cut of our favourite episodes as part of a ‘Best Of’ series. 

In February 2022, we stuck a fake shark fin on our back and lurked in the waters off Adelaide to catch the attention of one of the industry’s most respected researchers; Prof. Karen Nelson-Field. 

Hell-bent on fighting the broken media ecosystem as founder and CEO at Amplified Intelligence, Karen is also an author and alumni of the world-renowned Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. When she’s not binge-watching Home & Away (yes, she’s still a fan), Karen’s research into the measurement of attention has made her a global authority on media effectiveness.

Point your ears this way as Karen talks on her 10 years at Ehrenberg-Bass, skateboarding cats, myth-busting Facebook likes, going viral, why attention is an important metric, how to measure it and more. And strap in as Karen finally answers the red-hot question of whether our attention spans really are becoming shorter than a goldfi-

Oh, look, some links… 

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Follow Karen on LinkedIn 
And on Twitter 
Here’s her website
And, Karen kindly dedicates this episode to the bullshit-detecting bulldog himself, Bob Hoffman

Grab yourself her books:
Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing 
The Attention Economy and How Media Works 

Timestamps
(01:50) - Quick fire questions
(03:15) - First jobs and early fascination with advertising 
(08:40) - What she learnt about media from cinema 
(14:00) - Her time at Ehrenberg-Bass 
(15:45) - Myth-busting Facebook likes 
(19:15) - A deep dive into the attention economy 
(25:30) - Are our attention spans really getting shorter? 
(30:00) - Single piece of advice to marketers to better understand attention
(34:30) - Listener questions 
(38:15) - 4 pertinent posers 

Karen’s book recommendations are: 
Play Bigger by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead & Kevin Maney
That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph 

Feel better about marketing with Episode 81 of Call to Action® with Professor Karen Nelson-Field. 

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This week, marking our Half Century 50th episode (not out), we’ve caught and bowled Facebook’s Head of Strategy, and cricketer, Shekhar Deshpande.   One of the world’s great strategists, Shekhar spent nearly two decades at the creative agency J Walter Thompson, across Bangalore and London, prior to joining Facebook. He’s had work awarded at Cannes, performed judging duties for the Effies, and worked with clients including Nike, Unilever, Shell, Diageo and Mondelez.    Shekhar shares stories of his 19 years at JWT, running away from and towards things, how a cricket match in Guildford helped change his life, working at Facebook, the importance of expressing your feelings and the future of strategy.    If that wasn’t enough, in the final over, he knocks us for 6 with career advice from Calvin & Hobbes, delivers a glorious googly on why he detests pitches, and loads more. Howzat?
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Follow Shekhar on LinkedIn  And on Twitter  Watch ‘Being the Best Strategist You Can Be’ on ISOLATED Talks  Here’s his WARC article on the Future of Strategy    Shekhar’s book recommendations are: Roots by Alex Haley  The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan  Illusions by Richard Bach  Born a Crime by Richard Noah (Audiobook)  We Need to Talk About the British Empire by Afua Hirsch (Podcast)  Alchemy by Rory Sutherland (Audiobook) 

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Wielding a witch’s wand, we hot-footed aboard the Hogwarts Express for a magical chat with Founder of Bodacious and strategy’s own Severus Snape, Zoe Scaman, this week.  

Zoe’s love for sci-fi and strategy has sent her searching around the world for the next shiny thing, working for the likes of Droga5, Ridley Scott Creative Group, and Adidas. She’s developed a TV series for a huge fashion label, branded a celebrity or two, and is the go-to-guru for expertise on brand planning and entertainment strategy. 

In this episode, she adds magic and mojo to topics like avoiding university, Sydney’s strategy scene, PPC for porn sites, agencies ‘sausage factory’ problem, world-building and what-if planning, fetishizing frameworks, why the smartest people ask stupid questions, and a treasure trove more. 
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Follow Zoe on Twitter  And check out her Substack  Here’s Bodacious  Her out of this world ISOLATED Talk  And her article on breaking our non-fiction addiction    Zoe’s book recommendations are: Hollowpox Trilogy by Jessica Townsend  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens  Daring Greatly by Brené Brown  Dare to Lead by Brené Brown Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik  Uprooted by Naomi Novik  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig  How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

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This week, we fired up the big screen and laid bait of a reminiscing watch of Wales’ glorious 3 – 1 Euro 2016 victory over Belgium to catch the best thing since sliced Bara-Brith; MediaCom’s Global Digital Director, Andrew Spurrier-Dawes.  

Arguably Wales’ finest export since Huw Edwards, ASD has worked with stellar brands like Mars, Sky, Tesco and eBay. Described by Rory Sutherland as ‘MediaCom’s polymath’, he still finds time to be an IronMan, Campaign 30 Under 30 winner, co-host of two successful podcasts, keen photographer and family man.

He talks to us on missing a McDonald’s armed robbery by 30 seconds, why his first boss called him a c*nt, why ads should be more expensive, advice for onboarding clients, why the internet is f*cked, clicks, China, his struggles with mental health, and loads more. You’d be a fool not to fill your ear canals up. Iechyd da.

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Follow ASD on Twitter Or drop him a line Here are more of his favourite books
And his ISOLATED Talk
He also co-hosts two successful podcasts; Connected, where he talks to the greatest names in marketing, technology and beyond, and Echoes of Glory, a podcast dedicated to Tottenham Hotspur

ASD’s book recommendations are:
48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Hero with A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography by Mike Tyson
Sweat the Technique by Rakim 

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They say you should leave an audience wanting more, but sod that, as this week we are giving you a huge double helping of more, as it is part 2 of our chat with George Tannenbaum.    One of the most highly awarded, revered and talented copywriters and creative directors on the planet, George is a freelancer who was previously Executive Creative Director and Copy Chief at Ogilvy for over 10 years, and has worked with huge brands like IBM, Boeing, PayPal and General Motors.   Allow your ears to be bent by George’s blissful yet biting NY tones, as he talks on subjects such as the state of copywriting, what he would do if he was Joe Biden, rediscovering his love for advertising, what he would banish from the industry, his time at Ogilvy including his last assignment working on the Boeing account, clickbait and how to write a good headline and more. Go tune in, you lucky, lucky people.   Oh. And that’s not to mention a perfectly timed comedic cameo from his wife.

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Follow George and Le Agency Holding Company CEO on LinkedIn George is on Twitter Here is his Ad Aged Blog And his Website Here are the AdHouse Classes 

George’s book recommendations:
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Caste by Isabel Wilkerson 
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We’ve pulled a network agency worm out of the Big Apple and used it as topic-bait to catch one of advertising’s biggest fish this week; the one and only George Tannenbaum. One of the most highly awarded, revered and talented copywriters and creative directors on the planet, George is a freelancer who was previously Executive Creative Director and Copy Chief at Ogilvy for over 10 years.   George has worked with huge brands like IBM, Boeing, PayPal, and General Motors, writes a hugely influential marketing blog called Ad Aged, and has a charming if alarmingly deluded French alter ego called ‘Le Agency Holding Company CEO’ who holds up a satirical mirror to the holding company era.   Listen to George chat and vent eloquent fire on a variety of subjects such as his family’s settlement in the U.S, his early career, working and learning from Ron Rosenfeld and Len Sirowitz, the NY agency scene in the 80s and 90s, what the industry has become, ageism, his time at Ogilvy, why he hates the Yankees, and tonnes more. So much more, that this is the first of a two-parter.   And the whole thing kicks off with an unmissable cameo from Le Agency Holding Company CEO. So what you waiting for? Go listen.

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Follow George and Le Agency Holding Company CEO on LinkedIn George is on Twitter Here is his Ad Aged Blog And his Website   George’s book recommendations:
The Saddest Words by Michael Gorra

And the rest will be in Part 2, so be sure to listen in 😉

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This week we’ve trawled and traversed all 50 US states in a 27-foot-long hot dog to catch former male cheerleader, Assistant Tour Manager to Britney Spears, mentee of Magic Johnson & ad land’s most diverse and disruptive Diversity Officer; Doug Melville.    Another chapter of his remarkable CV tells us that as the first-ever Chief Diversity Officer of TBWA\North America, Doug has driven TBWA’s supplier diversity efforts to over $250 million in spend with female and diversely owned-and-operated businesses in the creative space…and still found time to interview Snoop Dogg.     He talks to us on that giant wiener (!!), studying at the University of Magic Johnson, touring with the Princess of Pop, nailing your diversity strategy, valuing progress over PR, how brands can take a stance on social issues, and loads more.
Anyone who simply wants their company or agency to produce better, more diverse work should bend their ear hither now.

/////   Follow Doug on Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram  Check out his diversity platform One Sandbox  And delve into any of his 3 brilliant TEDx Talks: Improving your diversity IQ  Being A Male Cheerleader Changed My Relationships with Women  Digital Breadcrumbs - 12 steps to online success  And why not? Here’s Britney’s ...Baby One More Time 
Doug’s book recommendation is: Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill    /////

This week, armed with a first-aid kit and copy of Bushcraft 101 we head through the hinterlands of Gloucestershire to catch Sarah Townsend for a chinwag.    As a freelance copywriter, Sarah has over 20 years’ experience traversing the tumultuous territory of self-employment and now she’s written the book on it. Boasting over 100 5-star Amazon reviews, Survival Skills for Freelancers provides practical advice on the nuts and bolts of freelance work.    She chats to us on a load of topics, including the struggles of freelancing before (and after) social media, how to avoid isolation, burnout, the dreaded ‘comparisonitis’, the importance of boundaries, tips for working from home and tonnes more. Plus, there’s talk of copywriters who charge by the word and how a tomato could be your secret productivity weapon.   Pause Man vs Wild, fire up the Trangia and enjoy.

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Follow Sarah on Twitter  And LinkedIn  Here’s her book Survival Skills for Freelancers  Pick up a copy on Amazon  Check out Sarah's copywriting website and sign up for her newsletter     Sarah’s book recommendation is: On Writing by Stephen King 

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