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The Push

The Push

Written by: Jack Ferguson
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About this listen

The Push is a podcast for senior marketers eager to hear honest perspectives from peers who tell it like it is. We speak directly to your day-to-day reality and don't bother with superfluous tactics you don't need.


We understand that senior marketing is uniquely frustrating.


  • You have to sell the 'why' more than any other department.
  • You're held accountable for results beyond your control.
  • You're forever dealing with non-marketers who 'know better than you'.
  • Stakeholder politics, opinions, and “gut feelings” constantly get in the way.
  • You're so busy dealing with stakeholders, there's little time left to conceptualise new strategies and hone your craft.


We bring together senior marketers to candidly share stories, analogies, strategies, and mental models they've used.


You can use these conversations to:


  • Explain complex concepts to non-marketers.
  • Get more client buy-in.
  • Explore new strategy ideas.
  • Better articulate your existing knowledge.
  • Explain the 'why' behind your strategy.
  • Keep your own team engaged.
  • Better navigate marketing politics (which are inevitable).
  • Remember that you're not alone in your experiences.


No empty buzzwords. No listicles. No generic advice.


Whether you’re in-house, agency-side, or a consultant, you’ll leave feeling empowered to speak up and lead with confidence.


The Push is hosted by Jack Ferguson, a Brand Strategist with 15 years of marketing and brand experience across 20+ industries.

© 2026 The Push Careers Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales Personal Success
Episodes
  • S3 E64: Using AI to create Audio Brand Assets, Magnum ASMR, and Sonic Spillage

    S3 E64: Using AI to create Audio Brand Assets, Magnum ASMR, and Sonic Spillage
    Feb 10 2026

    In this episode, Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson discusses sonic branding and the new opportunities that are emerging for marketers with AI.

    Jack recently created a song for his own brand using AI which sparked a bigger conversation about sonic branding, accessibility, and audio ownership. Sound is one of the most underused brand assets available today and smaller brands have more access than ever.

    Jack discusses:

    - AI-generated music and the associated considerations for brands

    - How AI can be used to make broader auditory assets

    - Why hearing is one of the most stimulus-efficient channels humans have

    - How audio is becoming more accessible for smaller brands

    - Magnum’s ASMR strategy

    - Why the opportunity is with hearing compared to the other “always-on” senses

    - Many real-world brand examples and case studies

    Jack’s Links:

    - LinkedIn Profile

    - Jack’s Personal Website

    The Push Links:

    - Follow The Push on LinkedIn

    - Find The Push on YouTube

    - Follow The Push on TikTok

    - Follow The Push on Instagram

    - Visit The Push Website

    Resources Mentioned:

    -     Pizza Before The Hut

    - Dominos Phrase

    - Keno Jingle

    - Microsoft Startup Sounds

    - Magnum ASMR

    - Rivers Advertisements

    - Toyota's Sonic Branding Guide

    - AO, Let’s Go Jingle

    - McDonald’s I’m Loving It Jingle

    - Suno
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • S3 E63: How 150 Brands Achieved Disproportionate Growth, Making Bluetooth a Household Name, and The Category Fallacy

    S3 E63: How 150 Brands Achieved Disproportionate Growth, Making Bluetooth a Household Name, and The Category Fallacy
    Jan 27 2026

    In this episode, Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson hosts Strategic Growth Architect Mats Georgson, former Global Brand Director at Sony Ericsson, to discuss how brands achieve large, sustained growth and how most category-based thinking caps it.

    Mats was the first marketer to work on Bluetooth, giving him deep, practical insight into rapid global adoption, and years later completed a research project analysing how 150 brands achieved disproportionate growth. Together, Jack and Mats explore why some brands defy gravity, while others struggle to break free of their category constraints.

    Jack and Mats discuss:

    - How brands grow via Demand Point Constellations

    - How the iPhone leveraged demand points to grow

    - Launching Bluetooth and the story behind its overwhelming success

    - How Mats saw a client quickly jump 20% in revenue without advertising

    - Uber’s Demand Point Constellation

    - How to escape the gravitational pull of a category

    - Why innovation is hard for marketers and what can be done about it

    - Why few brands grow primarily through gaining market share

    - The problem with comms and advertising being asked to do things they can’t do

    - Why marketers need to think like detectives

    Helpful Links:

    Mats’ Demand Point Constellation Thesis

    Links to Jack:

    Jack's LinkedIn Profile

    Jack's Website

    Links to Mats:

    Mats’ LinkedIn Profile

    Mats’ Website

    Links to The Push:

    The Push LinkedIn Page

    The Push on TikTok

    The Push on Instagram

    The Push on YouTube Music

    The Push Website

    Referenced in Episode:

    Blue Ocean Strategy

    Ehrenberg Bass Institute

    Apple losing its App Store trademark case

    Category Entry Point

    Jobs to be Done Framework
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • S3 E62: Play-Doh’s former VP of Marketing, Leigh Anne Capello, on the brand’s distinctive scent, future thinking, and sensory branding

    S3 E62: Play-Doh’s former VP of Marketing, Leigh Anne Capello, on the brand’s distinctive scent, future thinking, and sensory branding
    Jan 13 2026

    In this episode, Jack Ferguson hosts Leigh Anne Cappello, former VP of Marketing for Play-Doh and one of the leaders during its 50th anniversary period, to discuss how scent, memory, and brand DNA combined to create one of the most recognisable brands.

    From the Play-Doh perfume release to prescience calendars to the penetration of the brand's scent, this episode is an exploration of what it takes for a brand to stick.

    In this episode Leigh Anne discusses:

    • Why the Play-Doh perfume product was created
    • The considerations that went into Play-Dohs 50th Anniversary
    • The numbers behind Play Doh’s distinctive smell penetration
    • A product that didn’t have the desired commercial impact because Brand DNA wasn't considered
    • How marketers can use prescience calendars for stronger cultural relevance
    • Moments of failure are often the strongest opportunities to build lasting customer relationships.
    • Design Thinking and its benefits to marketers
    • How Play Doh started off as an accidental innovation
    • How to utilise Brand DNA and Brand Essence to improve commercial outcomes
    • How large organisations can create safe spaces for real innovation (without betting the company)
    • Why prototyping, learning in public, and “getting it wrong” often leads to better brand outcomes
    • Her unique business model and why she operates that way

    Links to Leigh Anne and Jack:

    - Leigh Anne's Blog

    - Leigh Anne's LinkedIn Profile

    - Jack's LinkedIn Profile

    - Jack's Website

    Links to The Push:

    - LinkedIn Page

    - Website

    - YouTube Page

    - Instagram Page

    - TikTok Page

    Referenced in this Episode:

    - Brand Sense by Martin Lindstrom

    - Watts Wacker

    - Georgina Melone

    - Gary Serby
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
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