Socially Unacceptable

Welcome to Embracing Marketing Mistakes, the essential top-ten pod for senior marketers determined to grow their brands all by learning from real-world screw ups.

Each week, join hosts Chris Norton and Will Ockenden, seasoned PR professionals with over 45 years of combined experience, as they candidly explore the marketing failures most marketers would rather forget. Featuring insightful conversations with industry-leading marketing experts and value-packed solo episodes, the podcast tries to uncover the valuable lessons from genuine marketing disasters and, crucially, the tips and steps you need to take to avoid them.

Chris and Will bring practical experience from founding the award-winning PR agency Prohibition PR, where they have successfully guided top brands to significant growth through PR strategy, social media, media relations, content marketing, and strategic brand-building.

Tune in to to turn f*ck ups into progress, mistakes into lessons, and challenges into real-life competitive advantages. Well we hope so anyway.

Marketing Mishap: Using My Name As My Password Wasn't Great
Jun 12, 2025 – 02:45
FAIL: When your business feels like your baby, you take the losses personally
Jun 5, 2025 – 03:24
FAIL: "I Started an Online Wine Business Right Before Lockdown"
May 29, 2025 – 09:12
Oinking Outside the Box: Marketing Lessons from a Cartoon Pregnancy
May 27, 2025 – 14:25
FAIL: I was almost printed on the front page of a national newspaper
May 22, 2025 – 03:53
Why Lazy Content Will Kill Your Brand
May 20, 2025 – 53:20
FAIL: How I made 120,000 Anglers Angry
May 15, 2025 – 02:46
The Future of Chocolate Is Hidden in Volcanic Soil
May 13, 2025 – 49:59
The Art of Global Content with Shaheen Samavati
May 6, 2025 – 15:29
"Getting Fired Was the Best Career Move I Ever Made"
Apr 29, 2025 – 01:04:08
Severance: The Marketing Masterclass Behind Apple TV's Cult Show - Campaign Crunch
Apr 23, 2025 – 22:12
The Fake Follower Epidemic: Stop Vanity Metrics Killing Your Brand - Marketing Room 101 Special
Apr 15, 2025 – 35:09
AI, Reddit, and Micro-Virality: Our Social Media Trends for 2025
Apr 8, 2025 – 50:17
"I Didn’t Pay Myself for 3 Years" - How Agorapulse Built a Thriving Business
Mar 31, 2025 – 49:11
YouTube Dominance: Why Most Brands Fail at Video Marketing
Mar 25, 2025 – 01:01:30
How to turn passionate fans into your most powerful marketing channel, with Paul Archer
Mar 19, 2025 – 52:49
How a Family Cleaning Brand 'Swept Up' the Competition, with Howard Moss
Mar 11, 2025 – 01:04:00
Crisis Control 2025: What to Do When It All Goes Wrong
Mar 4, 2025 – 01:01:38
Why Comms Teams Are Wasting £10K a Month (And How to Fix It)
Feb 25, 2025 – 54:19
The Powerful Role of Psychology in Business and Marketing with Abby Dixon
Feb 18, 2025 – 53:53
How to Avoid the Dirty Tricks from the Media with Helen Nugent
Feb 11, 2025 – 51:29
Why Your PR ROI is Failing – And How to Fix It
Feb 4, 2025 – 55:53
It’s Better to Belong: The Art of Building Customer Loyalty in Competitive Markets
Jan 28, 2025 – 59:11
The £400 Billboard That Made Headlines: Mark Rofe’s Love-Seeking PR Stunt
Jan 21, 2025 – 48:37
From Zero to 110K Downloads: Master Podcasting in 2025 to Transform Your Brand
Jan 14, 2025 – 01:01:51
How Gap Leveraged TikTok Trends for a Bold Fashion Move
Jan 7, 2025 – 21:21
Failing Forward: Brian Keane’s Road From Broke to Bestseller
Dec 3, 2024 – 54:11
The Report That Scared CMOs: AI, Backlash, and Budget Squeezes
Nov 26, 2024 – 54:06
Unlocking 40% Profit Margins: The Secret to Agency Pricing Success
Nov 19, 2024 – 57:49
Why 80% of New Grocery Products Fail: Lessons from the Food & Beverage Sectors
Nov 12, 2024 – 48:15
450K Emails in One Hour?! How a HubSpot Blunder Turned into a Nightmare
Nov 5, 2024 – 39:32
How to Build a Premium Brand: Insights from Lexus - Mat Thomas
Oct 29, 2024 – 41:43
£15M and 37 Downloads: Inside the Kylie Minogue Campaign That Went Horribly Wrong - Tom Goodwin
Oct 15, 2024 – 34:04
How Can You Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking? Jayne Constantinis
Oct 8, 2024 – 56:54
Why My Generosity Flopped: The Reciprocity Lesson Marketers Need - Phill Agnew Nudge
Oct 1, 2024 – 53:34
Is Guaranteed Coverage Really Just Paid Media in Disguise? Chris Pharo Explains
Sep 24, 2024 – 57:56
How Top Marketers Avoid Vanity Metrics and Focus on Real Growth
Sep 17, 2024 – 56:58
How to Master Strategic Copywriting and Boost Freelance Success with Sarah Townsend
Sep 10, 2024 – 52:26
Falling Over, Failed Funnels, and Facebook Ad Fiascos: 50 Episodes of Mistakes
Sep 3, 2024 – 47:56
How Class Diversity Can Be the Secret to Your Marketing Strategy with Lisa Thompson
Aug 27, 2024 – 57:20
Can a Government Campaign Change the World? Lessons from COVID and COP26 - Anil Manji
Aug 20, 2024 – 46:38
Why Weird Works: The Secret to Guerrilla Marketing Success with Peter Freedman
Aug 13, 2024 – 53:24
How your brand can get the most out of Pinterest - Meagan Williamson
Aug 6, 2024 – 56:47
How the Wrong AI Approach Is Costing Brands Big: Lessons for Smarter Implementation - Andrew Bruce Smith
Jul 30, 2024 – 56:29
Can AR Technology Transform Brand Advertising or Is It Just Hype?
Jul 23, 2024 – 50:36
The Hairy Fail: Gareth Turner’s PR Nightmare with a Human Hair Coat
Jul 16, 2024 – 48:58
How brands can learn from the Saka x Nando's collaboration - Campaign Crunch
Jul 9, 2024 – 13:59
How a Twitter Fail Sparked Stuart Bruce’s AI Journey in PR
Jul 2, 2024 – 55:05
When Marketing Stunts Backfire: Lessons from Paddy Power’s Oscar Pistorius Ad Fail
Jun 25, 2024 – 54:29
What Crisis Management Secrets Can Save Your Brand from Scandal? Ann Wright
Jun 18, 2024 – 49:03