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Call To Action

Call To Action

Written by: Giles Edwards
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Feel better about marketing™ The go-to podcast for anyone trying to make sense of the world of marketing, business and beyond. In an industry that is a minefield of utter bollocks, we aim to capture our heroes and allies from the front line to have a chin-wag with.

It’s like Pokémon Go, with the single but vital exception that it’s not a short-term bandwagon of shite.

UK TOP 2 | US TOP 50 | RELEASED FORTNIGHTLY...Gasp! (Gasp Four Ltd.) Careers Economics Management Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales Personal Success
Episodes
  • 176: They Might Be Right – a law special

    176: They Might Be Right – a law special
    Aug 14 2026
    Welcome to They Might Be Right, the disagreeable cousin to Call To Action. It’s a podcast so unfamiliar with the concept of diplomacy that even a judge couldn’t settle this. This week’s audio squabble is a law-industry themed special.
    Tackling one of the prickliest topics in the modern law business are four of the industry’s most compelling and convincing voices – a group carefully selected for their intellect, eloquence and experience.
    Our collection of courtroom confrontationists are…
    Clare Quinn-Waters, the first ever Chief Growth Officer at Edwin Coe.
    Leor Franks, Chief Commercial Officer at Kingsley Napley.
    Addleshaw Goddard’s Chief Marketing Officer, Laura Ottley
    And Matt Skipper, Head of Business Development at Mills & Reeve
    Desperately trying to keep the haymakers at bay is our host and referee, Giles Edwards, a man so afraid of conflict he has never successfully retrieved his own pound coin from a supermarket trolley.
    The freshly dismembered bone of contention for this debate is: ‘Partners are no longer the primary source of growth.’
    If you're building the case for proper marketing inside your firm, consider this episode exhibit A. Exhibit B is our printed guide to Proper Marketing for Law & Professional Services. Get in touch with elliot(at)gasp.agency for a copy.

    Follow Clare, Leor, Laura, and Matt on LinkedIn

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    Timestamps

    01:21 - Meet the Contenders: Four Perspectives on Growth
    07:04 - The Main Event: What Really Drives Growth?
    10:02 - The Four Rs: Recognition, Reputation, Relationships & Revenue
    12:13 - The Human Element: Why Relationships Still Matter
    14:49 - Commoditized vs. Sophisticated: When Partners Matter Most
    19:20 - The Future of Legal Services: Human Skills vs. AI
    21:27 - Navigating Change: Rethinking How Legal Work Is Delivered
    26:29 - The Bigger Picture: Recognising the Whole Growth Team
    28:10 - Clare's Final Word: Are Partners Really the Primary Drivers?
    28:33 - The Verdict: A Draw

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    30 mins
  • 175: Allyson June Smith on why funny has never mattered more

    175: Allyson June Smith on why funny has never mattered more
    Jul 17 2026

    This week we tried unsuccessfully to put a bucket hat on a moose (three people were killed) all in order to create a Canadian/Manc symbol powerful enough to lure in Commonwealth comic queen, Allyson June Smith.

    Hailing from the land of Mounties and saying ‘eh?’, Allyson now resides in Manchester, a base from which she has built one of the busiest and most eclectic careers in comedy.

    As well as serving up scoopfuls of her nervelessly candid humour through her own stand-up shows, she’s also toured the country as a warm up act (laugh lubricant?) for some of the biggest names in the funny business.

    She’s also all over the media landscape like bear on hiker, appearing regularly on tv, radio and her two own excellent podcasts - Women Talking Bollocks (funny) and Horror Motel (terrifying).

    In a chat where Giles struggles to conceal the fact that the only Canadian he truly trusts is Celine Dion, we skate through everything from the pressures of comedy content creation to the subtleties of winning over different kinds of audience - all before she disappears back on the road for Allyson Wonderland, her current UK tour.

    Follow Allyson on Instagram

    This episode is proudly dedicated to Joan Rivers.

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    Timestamps

    03:35 - From Acting Dreams to Stand-Up Comedy
    06:42 - Glasses On or Off?
    14:02 - The Secret Society of Stand-Up
    20:58 - Cultural Influences: Growing Up Canadian
    24:24 - North vs South: Finding Your Comedy Audience
    26:20 - What Actually Makes Something Funny?
    31:01 - The Power of Humour in Dark Times
    36:06 - Two Very Different Podcasts
    41:07 - Horror Films and Comedy: More in Common Than You Think


    Allyson’s book recommendations are:

    Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

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    52 mins
  • 174: Oli Barrett on making the connections that matter most

    174: Oli Barrett on making the connections that matter most
    Mar 27 2026

    This week we spent all our time pressing the flesh (until finding out we’d misunderstood what that means and getting very firmly asked to leave Subway) all in order to win the approval of this week’s guest, the master networker Oli Barrett MBE.

    Blessed with the ability to bring together the right people with the right ideas at the right time, Oli has built a reputation for being the nation’s ultimate connector. But, being a fine fellow as well as a canny-business operator, he has used his powers for good – forming remarkable social change initiatives like ‘Tenner’, the UK’s largest schools entrepreneurship competition and ‘Turn On The Subtitles’, a global children’s literacy campaign.

    Deftly uniting the worlds of entrepreneurship, innovation, education and social impact, Oli has been rightly lauded and awarded for his considerable efforts – bagging, among other accolades, the title of ‘Most Connected Man in Britain’ from Wired and a place in GQs ‘Top 100 connected figures’. Plus there’s the small matter of being awarded an actual MBE from the actual Queen who, we assume, Oli was able to successfully introduce to an off-the-grid artisan driving-goggle manufacturer based in the Peak District.

    In a chat where Oli reveals the magic behind all his connective conjury, we ponder everything from the value of active learning to the magnetic powers of a well-built network.

    Follow Oli on LinkedIn

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    Timestamps

    02:27 – Quick Fire Questions
    05:18 – The Zigzag Journey: Dropping Out and Moving On
    11:04 – Disney World vs. Lecture Halls: The Awakening
    12:01 – Networking: Chance Encounters vs Intentional Connections
    14:40 – The First Business: Amazing You
    18:05 – The £10 Challenge That Took Off
    24:22 – The Power of Defaults: Small Changes, Big Impact
    26:04 – Permission to Create: The Entrepreneurial Mindset
    30:08 – Connecting the Dots: How to Build Real Networks
    35:45 – The Art of Introduction: What Actually Makes It Work

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    Oli’s book recommendations are:

    How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
    The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
    Reflections on Success by Martyn Lewis
    The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger

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    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
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