Uncensored CMO: From Tech Founder to Solving the Social Media Addiction Crisis – Jess Butcher

Podcast Host: Jon Evans
Guest: Jess Butcher (Tech Entrepreneur, Co-founder of Blippar, Founder of Scroll Aware)
Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Jon Evans reconnects with pioneering tech entrepreneur and social campaigner Jess Butcher, nearly six years since her first appearance on Uncensored CMO. The conversation traces Jess’s journey from co-founding the augmented reality company Blippar, through personal and professional lessons in the tech boom and bust, to her latest social enterprise, Scroll Aware—an initiative tackling the social media addiction crisis, especially among young people. The pair delve into the unintended consequences of an attention-driven tech economy, the responsibilities of brands, and opportunities for positive change.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Jess’s Path into Tech and Blippar’s Rise (01:48–10:00)

• Accidental Technologist: Jess describes her entry to tech despite “not being able to read or write a line of code” (01:48), driven by a passion for innovation and communication (“translating nerd”).
• Blippar’s Innovation:
  • Blippar used “image recognition, computer vision tech connected to augmented reality layers over the real world” (03:12).
  • Early applications were “mind blowing” but quickly became “a novelty tech” (04:59).
• Marketing Wisdom:
  • “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” – Jon Evans (05:57)
    Reflecting on tech’s habit of pushing what's possible rather than what’s meaningful.

Lessons from Blippar: Successes and Pitfalls (09:23–17:14)

• Early Adoption Challenges:
  • It was difficult to get big brands to experiment; "upstarts" like Juice Burst embraced new tech more than incumbents (09:23).
  • “We called ourselves the QR code killers. With hindsight, I’m like—the QR code is brilliant because it’s ugly as sin, but it’s so obvious what it is.” – Jess Butcher (14:17)
• Implications of Novelty:
  • The interactive business card example showed how unexpected, engaging uses of tech could cut through (12:02).

Personal Growth and Reflections on Leadership (17:45–21:50)

• Startup to Scale Lessons:
  • Jess admits stepping back as Blippar grew: “There were better people than me… I was a good startup to scale-up CMO, there were better people than me to actually run a scaled up team.” (17:57)
• Delegation and Team-Building:
  • “I learned that I needed to empower in order to scale my area of the business because I had become the break.” – Jess (20:27)
• Self-Awareness:
  • “That self-awareness and that honesty and humility is quite rare.” – Jon Evans (21:05)

Women in Tech and Venture Capital (21:50–25:52)

• Nuanced View on Female Underrepresentation:
  • Jess argues for a more nuanced analysis than just blaming discrimination, discussing risk aversion, business types, and different pathways to success for women (21:50).
  • “Women tend to build slightly different businesses… not typically VC businesses… Women, let’s be honest, more sensible on average.” – Jess (24:08)

What Makes Great Founders? (25:52–27:20)

• “The best entrepreneurs are really, really good people recruiters… have the humility to understand that and pull the right teams together.” – Jess (26:08)
• Ruthless prioritization, moving fast, and learning from failure are highlighted as entrepreneurial must-haves.

Bridging Corporate and Startup Mindsets (27:20–30:05)

• Jon draws out lessons for “pirates inside” big companies: act like an owner, obsess about execution, and make focused choices.
• “You need that entrepreneurialism. They don’t need to be asked twice, can come up with the right answer on their own.” – Jon Evans (29:36)

AI, Resilience, and Skills for the Future (30:05–34:07)

• Changing Job Market:
  • Self-starting, hustle, and adaptability are increasingly critical as AI changes workforce needs—but society is producing less resilient young people.
• Cognitive Effects of Technology:
  • “There’s so much research… young people’s brains now are starting to buffer because they’re not used to having to think on their feet.” – Jess (31:41)
  • Concern over declining critical thinking and creativity due to AI and social platforms.

The Social Media Addiction Crisis and Scroll Aware (34:07–48:00)

Understanding the Problem (34:28–40:12)

• Jess recounts her “growing, gnawing sense” that she didn’t want to be responsible for placing “the phone between us and our real world experiences.”
• Updated research shows the average 18-year-old is on track to spend 25 years of their life on their phone (38:44).
• “It is not an attention economy, it is an addiction economy. And it is designed to be so.” – Jess (39:38)

The Brand Dilemma & Cognitive Dissonance (40:12–43:00)

• Jon notes, “Most people… feel like you… struggling with their kids and what their kids are doing. But… they are signing massive checks to advertise on these platforms.” (41:20)
• The dual role of marketers: worried parents and digital enablers.

The Way Forward – Scroll Aware’s Approach (43:00–48:00)

• Multiple solution vectors: grassroots movements (smartphone-free childhood), regulation (policy bans), and education (school phone bans).
• Scroll Aware aims to be a “collective alliance” for corporations and brands to advocate responsible use, not anti-tech, but pro-human balance.
• “I feel like a priest in a confessional. Every single time I have a meeting… they proceed to tell me all their bad habits, their fears for their children…” – Jess (44:34)
• “Scrollaware is not anti-tech… it’s pro human, it’s pro people, it’s pro intentionality and breaks and boundaries.” – Jess (45:27)
• Brands’ conflict between driving engagement and producing “soulful” real-world experiences—opportunity for market leadership by promoting digital balance.

Brands Responding and Movement-Building (48:32–54:06)

Who’s Leading the Way? (49:08–54:06)

• Responsible Campaigns:
  • EE: Focused on tech as an enabler, promoting “safer SIM” products and educational campaigns.
  • Heineken: “Be More Social” campaign flips social media expectations, reclaiming “social” for real-world connections.
  • Polaroid: Messaging like “No one on their deathbed ever wished they spent more time on their phone” speaks to a yearning for analog, in-person life.
• Generation Z’s Role:
  • “Digital defiance” is rising; a majority support a ban on social media for under-16s, saying tech “stole our childhood.”
• Brands have the opportunity to drive a new kind of CSR—one that’s about “more soul” rather than just less scroll, combating disadvantage and building real community.

Practical Solutions for Digital Balance (54:48–57:34)

Introducing the Phone Sleeping Bag (55:00)

• A Physical Prompt for Boundaries:
  • “It’s literally a sleeping bag for a phone… To put your phone in that is to say to everyone… I’m offline.” – Jess (55:00)
• Part of a surge in unplugged cabins, analog experiences, and digital-balance apps.
• “Who’s the CMO of the best things in life are free?… Ultimately, what make for a happy life: people, place, perspective.” – Jess (56:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early Blippar Days:
  “The Harry Potter-ification of print.” – Jess Butcher (04:39)
• On Tech & Human Experience:
  “I didn’t want to be responsible for putting the phone between us and our real world experiences.” – Jess Butcher (14:53)
• On Underrepresentation in Tech:
  “Women, let’s be honest, more sensible on average on bell curve… They build carefully.” – Jess Butcher (24:08)
• On Corporate Cognitive Dissonance:
  “We all feel it as individuals and it’s deeply worrying. It is not an attention economy, it is an addiction economy. And it is designed to be so.” – Jess Butcher (39:38)
• On Brand Opportunity:
  “Their products are in the real world and they’re losing market share to that four to five hours a day in scroll… If we can rebalance this ratio from what I call scroll to soul, there’s market opportunity in doing that.” – Jess Butcher (47:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jess’s Introduction & Blippar Background – 01:12–05:51
• Innovation, Adoption, and Marketing Lessons – 05:57–10:00
• Personal & Organizational Lessons from Blippar – 17:45–21:05
• Women in Tech: The Nuanced Conversation – 21:50–25:52
• Entrepreneurial Must-Haves & Corporate Lessons – 25:52–30:05
• AI, Society, and Resilience in the Young – 30:05–34:07
• Social Media Crisis & Attention Economy – 34:07–40:12
• Brands’ Dilemma & Industry Responsibility – 41:43–48:32
• Leading Brand Examples & Gen Z’s Attitude – 49:08–54:06
• Tangible Tools for Digital Balance – 55:00–57:34

Closing Thoughts

Jess Butcher offers a rare blend of entrepreneurial insight, personal humility, and social responsibility, challenging brands and individuals to confront the real costs of tech addiction. Scroll Aware’s invitation is clear: don’t demonize tech, but commit to pro-human boundaries so we can all thrive in a digitally dense age. The episode frames a potential future where brands help champion digital wellness—not just because it’s ethical or necessary, but because it aligns perfectly with consumer demand and societal evolution.

Contact Jess Butcher or Find Out More:
Visit Scroll Aware or connect with Jess on LinkedIn.
For business or speaking opportunities, reach out via Scroll Aware’s website.

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