What happens when a radio comedian, a senior drinks marketer, and a 2,000-year-old Roman hydration recipe collide?

In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, co-founders of Posca Hydrate — a sugar-free, hypertonic hydration drink inspired by ancient Roman Posca.

Posca isn’t a nostalgia play. It’s a sugar-free, hypertonic drink inspired by a Roman solution to unsafe water — rebuilt for modern life, modern habits, and modern expectations. That means confronting everything from flavour and formulation to packaging, positioning, and retail resistance.

Along the way, Merrick and Ed unpack a set of ideas that matter far beyond drinks:

Why liquid still matters more than marketing.

Why category creation is harder than brand building.

Why refusing “me-too” formats can slow growth — but protect belief.

And why brands should aim for humour, not jokes.

Merrick explains why jokes age quickly, but a sense of humour travels across audiences, occasions, and time and how that thinking shapes Posca’s tone, creative decisions, and internal culture. It’s not about being funny. It’s about not taking yourself seriously while taking the product seriously.

They also discuss building brand in-house rather than outsourcing belief, measuring brand as a startup using Tracksuit, balancing mental and physical availability, and what it really takes to scale a challenger brand globally without losing the story that made it matter in the first place.

This is a conversation about founders, flavour, brand discipline, and the uncomfortable decisions that come with doing something genuinely different.

3:50 – From radio comedy to drinks founder

5:50 – Why the liquid comes first

7:50 – The Roman origin of Posca

10:50 – Turning history into a brand story

14:50 – Ancient wisdom meets modern science

16:20 – Building brand from the inside out

19:50 – Tone, humour, and taking the product seriously

23:50 – Building a category, not fitting one

29:50 – Brand vs physical availability

32:50 – Measuring

34:50 – Global expansion strategy

38:50 – The hypertonic breakthrough moment

44:50 – Risk and belief

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Kit Kats Global Head of Marketing Shares what it really takes to build and protect an iconic global brand?

In this season opener for Season 5 of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne is joined by Wael Jabi, KitKats Global Head of Marketing at Nestlé, for a deep conversation about brand judgement, consistency, partnerships, and the decisions that quietly shape long-term growth.

Wael’s career spans Leo Burnett, Procter & Gamble, and Nestlé, and the discussion moves well beyond surface-level case studies. Together, they explore what KitKat teaches us about resisting reinvention, diagnosing the right marketing problems under pressure, and how major cultural platforms like Formula 1 can be used to express brand meaning rather than dilute it.

This is a practical, reflective conversation for CMOs, brand leaders, and senior marketers who care about building brands that last not just chasing short-term performance.

Topics covered include:

• Why most brands don’t need reinvention they need restraint
• The marketing failure that taught Wael when price becomes the wrong answer
• What KitKat gets right about consistency and memory structures
• How to think about F1 and major sponsorships without losing brand meaning
• Brand vs performance decisions under pressure
• Why judgement matters more than tactics at senior levels

01:55 – Wael’s career path: agency to P&G

05:50 – Why advertising isn’t the most important thing

09:40 – A pricing decision that went wrong

14:20 – Diagnosing the wrong marketing problem

18:40 – KitKat and brand consistency

23:15 – “Breaks are broken” insight

26:50 – Making iconic work at global scale

30:20 – Formula 1 and partnerships

34:50 – Showing up in your world vs theirs

38:20 – Judgement under pressure

41:00 – What’s next for KitKat

Thanks to Tracksuit for their partnership with this episode, check out https://www.gotracksuit.com to find out more about the always on brand tracking platform

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Don't Look Back In Anger - the episode where we look back at the biggest stories we covered on The Singles and see how those brands have gotten on this year. So What happens after the marketing headlines fade? Let's we revisit some of the biggest brand stories of 2025 — and test them against what actually changed over time. Using always-on brand health data from Tracksuit, Conor Byrne is joined by Dan and Jasper to look back at Tesla, American Eagle, Rhode, and Deliveroo, six to nine months after the noise. Not opinions. Not predictions. Just evidence of where attention turned into demand — and where it didn’t.

Across very different categories, a consistent pattern emerges: “The campaign didn’t hurt sales — but the brand is weaker than it was.”

In this episode, we explore:

• Why Tesla still dominates innovation perception but is leaking trust and preference in both the US and UK
• How American Eagle’s controversial campaign held short-term revenue while brand fundamentals quietly eroded
• What Rhode’s acquisition by e.l.f. gets right — and the brand risks that come with scaling distribution
• Why Deliveroo, post-DoorDash acquisition, faces a preference problem in a category defined by low loyalty and easy switching

This is a conversation is about thinking about long-term demand, pricing power, and resilience not just quarterly performance. If you care about the gap between being noticed and being chosen, this episode is for you.

02:40 – Tesla: innovation without reassurance

11:40 – American Eagle: sales hold, brand weakens

17:45 – Rhode: scaling without dilution

23:05 – Deliveroo: preference in a default-driven category

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Which Christmas ads did Irish viewers love in 2025?

In this special Christmas edition of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne is joined by Ciara Reilly from Red C Research, Linda Bradley (Head of Planning, Diageo Ireland), and Marc Smith (Global Director of Insights & Analytics, Mark Anthony Brands) to reveal the Top 20 Christmas Ads in Ireland, as ranked by real consumers on the Red Star testing platform.

We analyse the biggest festive campaigns of the season, including:

Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl, Spar, Sky Mobile, An Post, Vodafone, Boots, Dunnes Stores, Home Store + More, M&S, Woodie’s, Eason, Aldi, Amazon, and Coca-Cola.

Across the episode we explore:

• Why some Irish Christmas ads performed far better than expected

• The surprising gap between marketer opinion vs consumer reaction

• What emotional storytelling gets right and wrong at Christmas

• How branding, memory structures and fluent devices shaped the rankings

• Why consistency helped brands stand out

• The role of humour, reality, nostalgia and AI in this year’s festive campaigns

Whether you work in marketing, advertising, strategy, media, or creative, this deep dive into the best Christmas ads of the year reveals what truly resonates with audiences and what doesn’t.

🎄 Brands discussed: Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl, Spar, Sky Mobile, An Post, Vodafone, Boots, Dunnes Stores, Woodie’s, Home Store + More, M&S, Eason, Aldi, Amazon, Coca-Cola.

📍 CHAPTERS

03:03 The lowest ranked ads

05:18 John Lewis debate emotional truth vs emotional fit

07:41 Functional ads & the problem of “sameness”

13:28 Sea Swim: why it keeps winning hearts

15:27 Sky Mobile & the Roy Keane effect

17:23 National Lottery: a new less fun direction

21:25 An Post Tin: Man does the story need a new chapter?

23:33 M&S Food: when style overtakes substance

26:20 Home Store + More the surprise hit

27:56 Coca-Cola Holidays Are Coming (AI version)

30:56 Dunnes Stores Shine Bright: the craft that endures

32:50 Aldi & Kevin the Carrot: did they need a 3 parter?

36:00 Eason: an emotional standout

38:56 Amazon: a global festive story returns

41:54 Woodie’s crowned #1 in Ireland https://www.youtube.com/shorts/22prv5XcpSM

44:50 The panel’s all-time favourite Christmas ads

Check out the Red Star Testing Platform https://redcresearch.com/product/red-star/

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The episode begins with the new Netflix × Spotify partnership, where Spotify's video podcasts will sit on Netflix from 2026. Conor, Dan and Jasper discuss what this means for streaming, how it challenges YouTube’s dominance in video podcasts, and why Netflix’s broad familiarity.

Next, the conversation moves to banking in the UK, where legacy brands like Barclays face pressure from digital challengers including Monzo, Revolut and Wise. Tracksuit data shows Barclays’ awareness remains high at 89%, but consideration and investigation are slipping — especially among 18–34s — as Monzo builds strength through simplicity, transparency and real-time product features. The team unpack why refer-a-friend programmes, user experience, and “is for people like me” perceptions are shifting the category.

The third story looks at Movember and Rebel Sport in Australia, exploring how both brands use emotional connection, identity and community to drive engagement. With Rebel’s awareness falling from 79% to 75% and usage also declining, the team discusses why emotional relevance matters, how Rebel’s “Town Without Sport” campaign reframes sport as cultural belonging, and how Movember has evolved into a global identity brand around men’s wellbeing and shared participation through the iconic moustache.

The episode closes with a debate about Coca-Cola’s AI-generated Christmas ad, the role of distinctive brand assets, and whether AI is truly “pushing the boundaries of creativity” or simply versioning existing ideas. Conor challenges Coke’s framing, while Dan and Jasper discuss industry reactions, production choices and early System1 results from this year’s work.

Whether you're a brand leader, strategist, or marketer working across multiple markets, this month’s Singles offers grounded data, clear examples, and practical discussions shaped by Tracksuit’s real-time brand metrics.

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First Aired 23rd Dec 2023, this is the never before told story behind the making of the iconic Guinness Christmas Ad. Tom Kinsella, Damian Devaney, Mark Nutley and Pat Hamill who were part of the team client and agency side that made this ad join That's What I Call Marketing to talk about creating what has become one of the greatest Christmas Ads of all time. We discuss the development process, challenges encountered, and the enduring success of the ad after its release. The conversation highlights the power of creativity, the critical role of collaboration between agencies and clients, and the essential element of investing time and effort into crafting an impactful advertisement. Some key moments include

• 04:21 The Creative Process and Challenges
• 25:57 The Role of Music in the Ad
• 32:22 The Risk of Leaving Out the Pint
• 39:26 The Importance of Distinctive Assets
• 48:01 The Impact of the Ad Over Time
• 56:22 The Power of Creativity and Investment

But there is a tonne more, the power of music, the emergence of the line at the home of the black stuff, sweating the small stuff, investing in brilliance. So enjoy this episode about a story that has never been told. Special mention to the many others involved in the project:

• Mal Stevenson-Creative Director
• John Kelly-Voiceover
• Noel Byrne - Head of production
• Margo Tracey- Producer
• Mark Grehan/ Brendan Coyle – Account Director
• Grainne O’Driscoll-Account Manager
• Paddy Gibbons-Sound Mix
• April Redmond - Diageo
• Ronan Byrne - Diageo
• Niamh Cribbin - Diageo
• Paul Kelly - Diageo
• Mark Ody - Diageo
• Michael Ioakimides - Diageo
• Charles Coase - Diageo

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CMO's Katherine Melchior Ray & Nataly Kelly dive deep into the nuances of global marketing . Both are experienced global CMOs and authors of the book 'Brand Global, Adapt Local.' They share their insights on the complexities and rewards of building a brand that balances global consistency with local relevance. From discussing their extensive backgrounds in various industries to examining successful case studies like Kit Kat and Kerry Gold, Katherine and Natalie offer valuable frameworks and strategies for marketers aiming to expand globally. This episode is brought to you by Tracksuit, the affordable brand tracking dashboard covering over 25 countries. Tune in to learn about the challenges and rewards of global marketing, the importance of cultural intelligence, and the role AI might play in the future of marketing. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your marketing community!

02:35 Katherine's Global Marketing Experience

04:32 Natalys Background and Contribution

05:18 The Power of Global Connections

08:31 Foundations of Marketing and Branding

09:40 Cultural Intelligence and AI Limitations

10:31 Localisation and Cultural Nuances

15:14 Organisational Attitude and Flexibility

16:35 Proximity Bias in Large Economies

17:49 Freedom Within a Frame Framework

19:04 Kit Kat's Global Strategy

20:46 Kerry Gold's Adaptation to US Market

22:05 Global Brand Consistency

26:33 The Impact of AI on Global Branding

28:23 Cultural Nuances in Marketing

29:36 Anecdotes and Lessons Learned

Buy the book https://www.amazon.ie/Brand-Global-Adapt-Local-Cultures/dp/1398619825

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When Imen Zitouni started out, there was no Google. She literally taught Canadian businesses how to use a mouse. Fast forward twenty-five years, and she’s the Chief Marketing Officer at Intact Insurance, leading one of the most ambitious rebrands in the industry from RSA Insurance to Intact and shaping how marketing, data and innovation work together in a company of 30,000 people.

In this conversation, Imen joins Conor at Intact House in Dublin to talk about the twists and leaps that built her career. She tells the story of the seven PowerPoint slides that convinced CEO Charles Brindamour to start The Intact Lab, an experiment that began with seven people and now employs over a thousand specialists in data, AI and customer experience.

She explains what innovation really looks like inside a business built on managing risk. how you protect teams so they can experiment, why “failing fast” only works if you decide fast, and what it takes to turn ideas into impact.

You’ll also hear how she applies the same mindset to marketing and why “Technology gives you speed. Storytelling gives you meaning.” As well as how the global Intact rebrand was “not a marketing project, but a company-wide one.” and why she believes creativity in insurance starts with culture, not slogans.

It’s an honest, practical conversation about leadership, experimentation, and brand building from one of Canada’s most respected marketing executives recorded on the day the Intact name officially launched in Ireland, the UK and Europe

02:30 – Teaching people how to use a mouse (and falling in love with the internet)

04:50 – Lessons from agency life at Cassette

06:20 – The late-night call that brought her into insurance

08:00 – Finding purpose in a data-driven industry

09:45 – “I have an idea”: how The Intact Lab began

10:50 – Protecting teams to innovate

13:40 – The 30-day rule and rapid prototyping

15:10 – “Fail fast” only works with fast decisions

17:30 – Moving from Chief Digital Officer to CMO

20:10 – Mentorship and learning from Anne Fortin

23:00 – “Technology gives you speed. Storytelling gives you meaning.”

24:40 – The founders’ story: building values before brand

26:40 – Naming Intact and the red brackets

27:30 – Rebranding RSA: “not a marketing project — a company-wide one”

30:20 – Global consistency vs local freedom

33:10 – When “witty” means different things in different markets

37:00 – Building a household brand and resilient communities

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