Uncensored CMO: Mark Ritson's Top Marketing Moments of 2025

Host: Jon Evans
Guest: Mark Ritson
Date: December 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this annual tradition, Jon Evans and marketing professor Mark Ritson count down the top 10 marketing stories of 2025. Ritson brings his signature blend of insight, wit, and candor to dissect industry-defining events, uncover essential lessons for marketers, and call out the year’s biggest marketing triumphs—and disasters. The episode is a dynamic mix of theory, practice, and lively commentary, highlighting crises, creative strategy, and shifts in marketing fundamentals.

Key Topics & Segments

[00:06] The Tradition Continues: Why the “Top 10” Matters

• Ritson and Evans reflect on the evolution of the year-end top 10 (now in its sixteenth year).
• Ritson’s list draws on his columns, industry events, and unique observations.

Quote:
"Things that started out as a sort of one-off have become sort of institutional events. Like this is the 16th year of doing this." – Mark Ritson [00:40]

[01:47] Story #10: The Omnicom-IPG Merger & The New Bifurcation of Adland

• Massive industry consolidation: Omnicom and IPG merge, creating two "supergroups" (Omnicom/Publicis), with WPP sidelined.
• Ritson predicts further consolidation and a growth of independent creative shops started by laid-off talent.
• The merger is seen as essential but incomplete; more brand and operational integration is expected.

Insights:

• The centralization model (pioneered by Publicis) is working.
• M&A disrupts operations and talent but creates opportunities for independents.

Quote:
"There’s a lot of brands that don’t want Omnicom. They want something smaller. So I think that's an interesting implication, too." – Mark Ritson [04:13]

[04:34] Story #9: The Tylenol “Crisis” — When Doing Nothing Is Best

• Controversy: US politician RFK Jr. suggests Tylenol (acetaminophen) is linked to autism; Trump amplifies.
• Tylenol’s response: Minimal engagement, brief press release—the "Fabian strategy."
• Ritson contrasts this with Tylenol’s famous proactive 1982 crisis management, noting today’s media environment sometimes demands restraint.
• The outcome: Crisis faded, only slight market share dip, and Tylenol’s owner was still acquired soon after.

Lessons for Marketers:

• Consider inaction as a strategic option.
• Crisis rarely lasts as long as it feels in the moment.

Quotes:
"What it basically says is always consider one of your options to be do nothing… in the world of marketing, where we do everything at lightning speed, it’s a very interesting move." – Mark Ritson [07:03]
"If it's not on your list of options, you've missed one." – Mark Ritson [09:14]

[09:50] Story #8: Tesla’s Budget Model 3—The Fighter Brand Fumble

• Tesla’s Challenge: Plummeting European market share (up to -65% in some countries) amid surging cheaper, higher-quality Chinese EVs (notably BYD).
• Response: Stripped-down, “budget” Model 3—classic “fighter brand” tactic.
• Critique:
  • Profitability and strategic fit are doubtful.
  • This move risks cannibalizing core products and lacks brand alignment.
  • Tesla’s pattern of ignoring established marketing theory is an ongoing vulnerability.

Quotes:
"This is a fighter brand that will, as is usually the case, punch themselves in the face rather than the Chinese." – Mark Ritson [12:32]
"What I've been trying… to politely say to them all these years is, yeah, for a while, maybe, but if they just have read a little bit about fighter brands, they would have seen all of this." – Mark Ritson [13:34]

[15:12] Story #7: American Eagle, Sydney Sweeney & Weathering a “Woke” Outrage

• Campaign: American Eagle hires Sydney Sweeney for a jeans ad. Campaign is average creatively, but controversy erupts over perceived references in the ad.
• Brand Response: CEO refuses to apologize, stands by the campaign, switches off social media, trusts strategy and data—results are record-breaking (1M+ new customers).
• Insight: The real story was the brand’s courage to “hold the line,” marking a wider trend of brands refusing to buckle under performative online outrage.

Quotes:
"That’s a watershed moment… because I think in most crises before, there’d be corporate statements, we’ll pull the ad, we apologize… instead… he stuck with that." – Jon Evans [18:23]
"Brands are getting braver and they're not now being held to ransom so much." – Mark Ritson [19:39]

[22:57] Story #6: Amazon’s Sledging Grannies—The Power of Repetition

• Amazon’s Christmas Ad: Instead of new creative, they re-run previous year’s hit ad (“sledging grannies”).
• Why it's brave: Marketers typically fear “wearout” and want fresh campaigns.
• System 1 Data: Familiarity with campaigns breeds greater emotional response; Amazon’s repeated ad achieves top scores and results.
• Lesson:
  • Brands quit great campaigns too soon.
  • Systematically, long-running, emotionally resonant campaigns outperform “fresh” work.

Quotes:
"Every company, every brand manager is producing too many ads and they're not running them for long enough… They're not even looking at the thing most of the time. So I think Amazon, yeah, this is a very bold move." – Mark Ritson [24:51]
"Familiarity breeds contentment in the survey." – Jon Evans [26:32]

[30:09] [Interlude] Calling Out Buzzwords

Notable Ritson Rants:

• Hyper-personalization: “You can’t do it and there’s no point.”
• Omnichannel: Misunderstood buzzword now misapplied to media rather than retail.
• Growth hacking: Derided as a “weird, childish theory” by people who “haven’t read any marketing.”

Quotes:
"Anyone who presents growth hacking anywhere in their material, you’re like, oh, please come, come over here and have a look at the proper stuff and we'll help you." – Mark Ritson [32:20]

[32:39] Story #5: Cracker Barrel’s Rebrand—A Cautionary Tale

• Cracker Barrel rebrands with new interiors and logo, stripping away its “quirky” heritage assets.
• Massive backlash from all demographics and political stripes—including Trump.
• Aftermath: CEO reverses changes (“rebrand of the rebrand”), but brand is left stranded, with declining sales and lost identity.
• Lesson:
  • Radically revamping a heritage brand is risky.
  • Most rebrands should be gentle revitalizations, building on distinctive assets, not erasing them.

Quote:
"It's a unification that we've never seen before." – Mark Ritson (on bipartisan outrage) [35:40]

[39:17] Story #4: Starbucks—Back to Real Positioning

• New CEO Brian Niccol overhauls Starbucks’ positioning, abandoning vague purpose-driven fluff for simple, relevant claims: “serving the world’s best coffee in a nice place.”
• Praised for:
  • Simplicity
  • Humility
  • Realistic, customer-facing focus

Critique: Still missing: consistent use of distinctive brand assets.

Quotes:
"Their new positioning is basically two things. Serving the world's best coffee in a nice place where you want to be, right? So it's very humble and I like it." – Mark Ritson [41:35]
"Distinctiveness is more important than differentiation." – Mark Ritson [42:07]

[42:11] Story #3: The Era of CEO-Driven Marketing

• Contrasting CEO approaches at Unilever and Nestlé:
  • Unilever’s Fernando Fernandez emphasizes influencer marketing in his debut communications—labeled a sign of misplaced priorities.
  • Nestlé’s Philip Novratil takes a hard-nosed, operational approach: mass layoffs, impending brand portfolio rationalization.

Outlook:

• CEO focus creates radically different futures for these legacy giants.

[43:55] Story #2: Deepfake Martin Lewis—Fraud, Platforms, and Accountability

• Scandal: Fraudulent deepfake ads feature Martin Lewis, UK’s “most trusted man,” promoting crypto.
  • Costs working people millions.
  • Up to 40% of Instagram/Facebook scam ads feature a fake Lewis.
• Revelation:
  • Reuters finds Meta earns ~$16 billion/year from fraudulent ads—over 10% of ad revenue.
  • Meta largely ignores the issue, accepting fines as “cost of doing business.”
• Lesson:
  • Ethical crisis for big tech.
  • Marketers quick to censure minor missteps ignore industry-scale wrongdoing.

Quotes:
"Meta are making Reuters estimated to be about $16 billion a year. 10% of their revenues comes from fraudulent advertising like this." – Mark Ritson [44:47]
"Here's one of the biggest marketing companies in the world making billions of dollars from taking working men and women's money fraudulently. And nobody said diddly shit." – Mark Ritson [46:38]

[48:38] Story #1: “Maximiniflation” — Shrinkflation Meets Price Hikes

• Coined by Mark Ritson: “Maximiniflation” = simultaneous shrinkflation & price increase.
• Example: Milka (Germany) shrinks their chocolate bars, raises prices, tries to hide it. Sales drop 20% after public outrage.
• Trend:
  • Similar tactics observed in UK (Aquafresh, McDonald’s, etc.).
  • For years, CPGs have gotten away with it, but 2025 marks a pushback.
  • McKinsey: Price increases are now consumers’ top concern—above immigration or healthcare.
• Implication:
  • With inflation and cost-cutting maxed out, future brand growth will be much harder—consumer resistance is mounting.

Quote:
"Maximiniflation is what’s happening in Germany, America, here in the UK… you’ve got this maxi effect on price and this mini effect on packaging… we’re seeing this year… consumers are no longer accepting it." – Mark Ritson [48:45, 49:56]

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• The Power of Doing Nothing:
  "The power of sitting on your ass and letting it sit becomes more evident." – Mark Ritson [08:43]

• On Repetition in Advertising:
  "We don't bake our cakes for long enough." – Mark Ritson (on the over-rotation of ad creative) [23:44]

• On Misusing Buzzwords:
  "Omnichannel's been around for 20 odd years since that BCG guy invented it… and a lot of people… are now applying it to communications, thinking the channels in question are, you know, Facebook and Instagram. And it's sort of embarrassing." – Mark Ritson [31:02]

Summary Table: The Top 10 List

| Rank | Story | Theme/Lesson | Timestamp | |------|---------------------|---------------------------------------|------------| | 10 | Omnicom-IPG Merger | Industry consolidation; rise of independents | 01:47 | | 9 | Tylenol “Crisis” | Inaction as strategic option | 04:34 | | 8 | Tesla Budget Model 3| Fighter brands often backfire | 09:50 | | 7 | American Eagle Ad | Brand bravery, handling outrage | 15:12 | | 6 | Amazon Sledging Grannies | Ad repetition’s effectiveness | 22:57 | | 5 | Cracker Barrel | Risks of radical rebrands | 32:39 | | 4 | Starbucks Positioning | Clarity beats puffery; back to basics | 39:17 | | 3 | Big-Brand CEOs | Leadership shapes marketing fate | 42:11 | | 2 | Deepfake Martin Lewis| Platform responsibility, ad fraud | 43:55 | | 1 | Maximiniflation | Consumer revolt against pricing tactics| 48:38 |

Key Takeaways for Marketers

• Leave room for inaction in crisis management.
• Don’t abandon strong creatives or campaigns prematurely—embrace consistency and familiarity.
• Rebrands should be gentle revitalizations, not erasure of core assets.
• Simple, relevant, and distinctive positioning is essential.
• Question marketing fads and buzzwords; stick to fundamentals.
• Bandwagon outrage is often manufactured and can be safely weathered—data, not Twitter, is your friend.
• Platform fraud and deceptive practices are major, under-recognized marketing issues.
• With price hikes and shrinkflation reaching their limits, real growth must come from value and innovation, not financial engineering.