Every brand wants to stand out, but few are willing to break the rules to do it. In this episode, Jack dives into the world of rogue brand building, the unconventional, often scrappy ideas that make brands unforgettable. He explores how some of the world’s most unconventional brand strategies broke through. He covers: • Bumble’s guerrilla campus campaign that turned curiosity into growth • Red Bull’s early illusions of popularity and how they seeded salience • Jeep’s illegal...

Every marketer has lived through a project that started smoothly and ended sideways. In this episode, co-hosts Jack Ferguson and Ben Reeves discuss scope creep. They share war stories, practical scoping habits, and mindsets that keep you sane when a client says, “Can we just add one more thing?” If you deal with unclear briefs, have underquoted projects before, or work with clients who expect magical turnarounds, this one’s for you. On this episode: Jack shares how instant quotes backfire whe...

Most of us remember Play-Doh from childhood, but few of us realise what makes it truly distinctive. In this episode, Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson explores how a product known for its texture built enduring emotional equity through something far less obvious. He explores: How a brand's strongest assets and true distinctiveness can emerge accidentally, and what that means for youThe overlooked power of non-visual assets like smell, touch, and soundHow brands like Play-Doh, AFL, and Coca...

Friends was a hit sitcom released in the 90s, known for its feel-good humour and iconic characters. The show’s success is a sight to behold, maintaining popularity even to this day. Though not only was it loved by millions, but it's also a case study in superb branding. In particular, its theme song is the perfect distinctive brand asset. In this episode we break this down and discuss why. Evidence-based brand strategist Jack Ferguson is your host. He discusses: How...

The Push has hit Episode 50 for Season 3! With 99% of podcasts not making it past Episode 20, we thought this was a great opportunity to stop and reflect. Listen in as your host Jack Ferguson shares 50 lessons from producing 50 episodes! He covers: Our podcast tech stackHow much it costs to produce and promote the podcast every yearWhat the season’s most downloaded episodes areThe number of views Season 3 podcast content has on YouTubeHow the podcast has attracted clientsTactics th...

Marketing careers don’t stall by accident; they stall because the way agencies hire, reward, and manage talent leaves a lot to be desired. This episode is co-hosted by: - Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson and - Fractal Marketing Agency Owner Gerard Doyle Here’s what the episode covers: Gerard shares a story of how a prominent brand fired an agency in the midst of a talent shortage, only for it to backfireGerard explains why the best marketers are often the first to leave when agen...

With 2 million businesses in Australia and most brands blending into a sea of sameness, is uniqueness even achievable, or worth chasing? In this solo episode, Jack Ferguson unpacks what the data says about meaningful differentiation (spoiler: only 5–10% of brands get there), explores why most brands blur together, and introduces the idea of “demand point constellations” as a pathway to true brand growth. If you’re a senior marketer wrestling with strategy, stakeholder persua...

Building a brand is hard enough; but when you’re a marketer, the challenge intensifies. You feel the pressure to be perfect, and every misstep feels like you “should’ve known better.” Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson and Founder of the Marketing Club Chanel Clark co-host this episode. In this episode, Chanel shares how leaning into authenticity and vulnerability, rather than perfection, built her credibility, grew the Marketing Club to 10,000 members, and turned simple diary-style LinkedI...

Every marketer knows the value of objectives, they help you prioritise, decide what to push, and what to park. But here’s the paradox: the very objectives that keep you focused can come back to bite when stakeholders grip too tightly to the promises baked into them. This episode is hosted by Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson. In this solo episode, Jack unpacks a story of working with a professional services client where well-intentioned objectives turned into “but you said we’d have sales ...

Every marketer has faced it, clients convinced marketing should be a quick fix or a single big idea. In this episode, we discuss challenges with non-marketer persuasion, and why alignment and expectation management matter more. This episode was co-hosted by Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson and E-commerce specialist Ben Reeves. They discuss: How Ben’s client claimed his one “big marketing idea” worked, and whether his claim stands up to scrutiny How Ben missed out on hiring a top UX designer ...

For small and medium sized brands, referrals feel like the holy grail of growth; no acquisition cost, easier conversions, and a compounding return on past work. But what if you’ve done everything right and they still aren’t coming in? In this solo episode, Jack shares how a referral drought in his own consultancy forced him to look beyond promotion and into service portfolios. This episode discusses: How to calculate the odds of referrals based on your customer base size and buying cycles ...

When you’re paying your agency big money, how much of that is productive? And how much is pastries, drinks trolleys, and middle-management ticket clipping? In this episode, Gerard Doyle joins Jack to share the hidden economics of Marketing Agencies. We explore: Why glass-walled meeting rooms, front-desk greeters, and “free” pastries aren’t really freeHow bloated hierarchy and made-up titles inflate your bill without improving outcomesThe silo problem: when the SEO and Google Ads special...

Differentiation vs. Distinctiveness. It’s a debate that’s been looping in marketing circles for years; so what’s our take? In this episode Jack discusses the effectiveness of both concepts and shares how he talks about it with non-marketers. In this episode Jack covers: The "Laptop Bag Story" that simply explains category entry points, distinctiveness, and differentiation How Uber could have theoretically used differentiation in the beginning of their growth, before utilising distincti...

In this episode, Jack and Chanel discuss burnout, how marketers are susceptible to it, and how tying your identity in a high-growth brand can be addictive, but unsustainable. We cover: How running 2 sold-out events in 1 day was a burnout breaking pointWhat it’s like to go from high-functioning to non-functioning overnightJack’s experience with burnout after launching 14 restaurants for a brand in a yearHow being “the face” of a breakout FMCG brand can blur every boundaryWhat happens when ambi...

Every marketer knows positioning is crucial, but explaining that to stakeholders is often met with blank stares or polite nods. In this episode, we’ll share an effective analogy that helps stakeholders get it. We’ll cover: Why most brands confuse company, brand, and product positioning, and how to untangle them The ‘Queensland Analogy’ that makes positioning land with non-marketers How to explain positioning as a driver of choice, not just communication How to make stakeholders see p...

In this episode, Ben and Jack talk about the chaos that comes when every campaign, landing page, or price change is a response to right now. If you’ve ever found yourself dropping everything to chase a metric, or wondering why all your “busy” doesn’t feel like progress, this one’s for you. They get into: The invisible cost of constant changeWhy “quick wins” often lead to long-term stagnationWhat happens when leaders optimise daily but plan rarelyThe myth of control in short-term marketi...

What do you do when you're under pressure to deliver B2B sales.....fast? In this solo episode, Jack breaks down the exact moves he makes when he or his clients need to drive short-term revenue. This includes practical plays that have been effective. You’ll hear: Why most of a B2B market isn’t buying, and what to do about itHow to cash in on brand equity without burning bridgesWhere to find the 1% who are ready to buy nowThe three channels Jack uses when time (and cash flow) is tightWhy short-...

In this episode, Jack sits down with Chanel Clark to unpack a rare achievement in modern marketing: proving that brand drives real business outcomes. Listen in and hear how: – Chanel increased brand awareness for a FMCG company by 12% in 9 months – Chanel ran one campaign so effectively, the brand tracking platform thought the data was broken – To use sentiment tracking to identify (and fix) major messaging gaps. – To use a “cinema pre-release” analogy to help non-marketers un...

Every marketer’s had a moment they wish they’d said less. You’re trying to be transparent. Clear. Accountable. But sometimes, transparency backfires; especially when it gives stakeholders the wrong frame to judge your work. In this episode, Jack shares a short story about a well-meaning update that led to weeks of misaligned expectations. And the simple language shift that Jack now uses to avoid the same trap. Jack will discuss: Why quantifying performance can invite binary thinkingHow to ref...

In this episode, Jack Ferguson and Gerard Doyle break down how marketing agency pitches really work, revealing the hidden costs, internal strain, and showmanship that often wins business, regardless of the agency’s ability to deliver. Listen in and hear how: Gerard used cellophane glasses, laser-cut covers, and a 22-year-old grad to win over Coca-Cola executives. An H&M global pitch left an agency office bearing $50,000 in unrecoverable costs.A baby sock accidentally pulled out durin...