EP 428 — Simon Leadbetter argues that most UK businesses are running on guesswork instead of evidence.

Marketing, he says, only works when you start by admitting the customer doesn’t care about you. In this fast, sharp conversation, Simon breaks down why instinct-led decisions misfire and why most firms operate without even basic knowledge of their audience.

Andy and Simon cover data, attribution, surveys, brand dilution, influencers, and why most online stats are bots talking to bots. It’s a full tour of how to actually understand a market before spending money on it.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Use research instead of hunches to choose channels

• Avoid cognitive bias when deciding who your customer is

• Apply the five‑stage ISTAR marketing process

• Test ideas cheaply with real UK sampling

• Improve your Net Promoter Score and act on detractors

Perfect for UK business owners who want marketing that works because it’s grounded in evidence, not noise.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

0:00 Customers don’t care about you

02:00 Data vs instinct

05:00 What marketing actually is

09:00 Surveys, sampling and bias

13:00 Property, portals and real behaviour

17:00 The five‑stage ISTAR model

22:00 Channels, talent and capability

27:00 Bots, ad fraud and bad data

32:00 PR, email, social and direct mail

37:00 Brand complexity and consolidation

43:00 Mental availability and sales activation

49:00 Creativity, crazies and guerrilla ideas

55:00 Influencers, niches and trust

1:02:00 The one thing to do this week

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