Rob Mayhew on the untapped creator opportunity in B2B, London vs New York and using social media as a brand

Summary

Uncensored CMO: Rob Mayhew on the Untapped Creator Opportunity in B2B, London vs New York, and Using Social Media as a Brand

Podcast Information:

• Title: Uncensored CMO
• Host: Jon Evans
• Guest: Rob Mayhew
• Release Date: March 10, 2025
• Description: The Uncensored CMO explores the multifaceted truths about marketing theory and practice, delving into both the successes and the challenges faced within the industry.

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1. Introduction and Background

The episode kicks off with Jon Evans introducing Rob Mayhew, a celebrated content creator known for his humorous presence on TikTok and LinkedIn. Rob shares his recent transition from London to New York, highlighting the contrast between the two cities and the motivations behind his move.

Notable Quote:

• Rob Mayhew [01:55]: "New York's very different to London. It's exciting. It's the most exciting city I've ever been to and lived in."

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2. Transition from London to New York

Rob delves into his experiences relocating to New York, emphasizing the differences in quality of life and the vibrant opportunities the city offers for content creators. While he enjoys the dynamic environment, he notes challenges such as higher living costs and differences in daily amenities compared to London.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [01:55]: "Unless you're rich, the quality of life isn't as good as London."
• Rob Mayhew [02:32]: "The Bread is horrible. High street bread's got sugar in it."

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3. Embracing Content Creation Full-Time

Rob discusses his shift from working at an agency to becoming a full-time content creator. He highlights the supportive and collaborative culture in New York, which has been instrumental in his decision to focus solely on content creation. He also shares his enthusiasm for expanding his presence on YouTube with a new show, Friday Revival Club.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [02:37]: "Decided to go full time content creator. Which is very exciting for a 45-year-old man to say."
• Rob Mayhew [05:13]: "I'm going to create a show. I am creating a show. I'm filming a pilot this month called Friday Revival Club."

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4. The Power of Social Media Platforms

The conversation shifts to the effectiveness of various social media platforms. Rob extols the virtues of TikTok and LinkedIn, noting LinkedIn as his fastest-growing platform for sketches. He also expresses excitement about YouTube's potential for branded content, drawing parallels to the energetic atmosphere of shows like TFI Friday.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [08:01]: "I've been working with some brands on their TikTok playbooks and helping some with their LinkedIn strategy."
• Rob Mayhew [09:40]: "I see a real opportunity now for branded content on YouTube."

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5. B2B Opportunities with Creators

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the burgeoning opportunities for B2B brands to collaborate with content creators. Rob emphasizes the importance of authentic storytelling and suggests that brands leverage creators to humanize their messages. He cites examples like Tide and highlights the need for B2B companies to invest in longer-form content and creator partnerships.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [26:49]: "Brands need to start getting into the working with creators and investing more than, you know, let's just work with one-offs."
• Rob Mayhew [28:18]: "Business to human, to human. To human."

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6. Trends and Innovations in Marketing

Rob identifies several trends in the American market that could potentially influence the UK, such as the creator economy and brands evolving into their own entities. He observes a greater bravery in brand content creation in the US and anticipates that the UK might follow suit by embracing similar strategies.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [20:32]: "There seems to be more of a bravery around. For instance, you look at brands like Duolingo, the success of them is because they don't have a sign-off process."
• Rob Mayhew [21:34]: "The creator economy and then being brands in their own right. Yeah. Is way ahead over here."

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7. The Future of Social Media Platforms

The conversation touches on the uncertain future of TikTok amidst potential ownership changes. Rob expresses hope that TikTok remains a pivotal platform for content creators and brands, underscoring its unique algorithm and ability to foster creative storytelling.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [11:01]: "I don't think it's going to go away and I hope it doesn't, because everything you see on social media kind of comes from TikTok now."
• Rob Mayhew [11:56]: "People want to be entertained even when they're on LinkedIn looking for a job."

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8. Effective Content Strategies for B2B Brands

Rob offers actionable insights for B2B brands looking to enhance their marketing strategies through content creation. He advises brands to let creators tell their stories authentically, leveraging the creators' influence to build reputation and connect with diverse audiences.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [28:18]: "Use creators and real people to tell their story, the real story of how it has helped them is so much more powerful."
• John Evans [29:47]: "It's much better to let other people tell your story than you tell us."

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9. Dream Partnerships and Future Aspirations

Towards the episode's conclusion, Rob shares his aspirations for future brand partnerships. He expresses a particular interest in working with Salesforce, highlighting his admiration for the company's ability to enhance business processes and his enthusiasm for creating engaging content around it.

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Mayhew [31:16]: "I'd like to work for, like, Salesforce. Oh, you know, you could be the new Matthew McConaughey."
• Rob Mayhew [31:16]: "I'm a big fan of Salesforce. We'll look to camera. Big fan of Salesforce."

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10. Closing Thoughts

The episode wraps up with Jon and Rob reflecting on the benefits of recording the interview in New York and sharing light-hearted remarks about Rob's quest to secure a membership at the exclusive club Zero Bond. They encourage listeners to engage with the podcast through subscriptions and reviews.

Notable Quote:

• Jon Evans [31:46]: "Glad we got to do this in New York in Zero Bond of all places as well."

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Key Takeaways:

• Content Creation as a Career: Rob's transition to full-time content creation underscores the growing viability of this path, especially in dynamic markets like New York.
• Platform Potential: TikTok and LinkedIn are highlighted as powerful platforms for content creators and brands, with YouTube emerging as a significant venue for branded content.
• B2B Marketing Evolution: There is a clear shift towards leveraging authentic storytelling and creator partnerships in B2B marketing, moving away from traditional, rigid strategies.
• Cultural Differences: The move from London to New York illustrates differences in work culture, lifestyle, and the marketing landscape between the two cities.
• Future Insights: The creator economy is evolving, with brands expected to increasingly integrate creators into their core marketing strategies to build authentic connections and enhance brand narratives.

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This episode of Uncensored CMO with Rob Mayhew provides invaluable insights into the intersection of content creation, social media strategy, and B2B marketing. Rob's experiences and forward-thinking perspectives offer a roadmap for brands aspiring to navigate the modern marketing landscape effectively.

Transcript

[Rob Mayhew]

Foreign.

[John Evans]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to a bonus episode of Uncensored cmo. This week, I'm catching up with my good friend and returning guest, Rob Mayhew. If you haven't come across Rob, quite frankly, where have you been? He is one of the funniest people on TikTok and LinkedIn and is an awesome content creator. Now, Rob has just moved his life over to New York, so as I was in town, I thought I'd catch up and find out what New York is like and how the US is treating him, but also what's going on in the world of social media, what makes great content, what's the life of a content creator like? And most importantly, perhaps, how can brands work with content creators to get their message across their audience? Rob, as always, is brilliant and funny. So here it is, my interview with Rob Mayhew.

[Rob Mayhew]

Before we begin, can I just say thank you on behalf of everyone for giving CMOs a platform? Because outside of their salary and their thought leadership, it's nice to see them on video. Yeah, it's nice to. I'm joking. It's great. I love what you do, John, and I'm a regular viewer. Listener.

[John Evans]

Yeah. Talking about viewer listening.

[Rob Mayhew]

Like you.

[John Evans]

You're going YouTube, I think, aren't you?

[Rob Mayhew]

I am going YouTube. So should I give you the story?

[John Evans]

Yeah. Well, should we start with why? Why are we. We're in New York.

[Rob Mayhew]

We're in New York right now in a. In a private club.

[John Evans]

Massively exclusive.

[Rob Mayhew]

Very excited.

[John Evans]

There's only you and I here.

[Rob Mayhew]

I'm gonna give them a shout in case they want to give me a free membership. Zero bond.

[John Evans]

Zero bond.

[Rob Mayhew]

So two memberships. Two memberships. So that'd be great. So we. Yes, we're in New York. I moved to New York from London last year because whenever you're doing really well in a city like London, which I was. Was doing really good, leave that city and come to a city where no one really cares about you, that's always.

[John Evans]

A good career, and where they may.

[Rob Mayhew]

Ban the platform that you really kind of became yourself on. So, yes, I moved to New York and it's been a journey. New York's very different to London. It's exciting. It's the most exciting city I've ever been to and lived in. But I would say this, unless you're rich, the quality of life isn't as good as London, is my opinion. And I'm not rich, but. So it's less. But for instance, the groceries are very poor. The restaurants are fantastic. The Bread is horrible. High street bread. Grocery bread's got sugar in it, John.

[John Evans]

Oh.

[Rob Mayhew]

So that just tastes weird. And I missed the Cadbury's chocolate. Another shout out.

[John Evans]

I know. That is the thing, isn't it?

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah. So I've got so much airport Cadbury's chocolate, I spend hundreds of pounds every time I fly back. So came to New York and I was working at an agency called Movers and Shakers up until a few months ago and then decided to go full time content creator. Whoa. Which is very exciting for a 45 year old man to say. And yeah, it's really good. I mean it just means that like New York is a very exciting city to be a content creator in. I think it's very welcoming and everyone wants to help you and introduce you to people, which. So it's a really fun time for me being in New York. I just love it. It's. It's an exciting city. The comedy here is fantastic. I've been trying to drive, drive, trying to get Nils Leonard to come to the Comedy Cellar with me to watch some comedy, but he's too busy upstate. You know, I've cracked, haven't cracked, but I, I love TikTok. It's been so good to me. I'm going to continue to post every day on TikTok. LinkedIn equally has been fantastic to me. It's my fastest growing platform for my sketches and I've always been interested in YouTube. I consume so much YouTube, I'm like a 17 year old boy at home just consuming YouTube. And what made me think, what can you remember TFI Friday, John? We're of the same, we're a similar genre. TFI Friday, the big breakfast. There was an energy around. It felt like event tv, live TV and outside of podcasts like this, they were just buzzing with energy. I was thinking this, there's. That's kind ofMissing on YouTube. So I'm going to create a show. I am creating a show. I'm filming a pilot this month called Friday Revival Club. And the idea is that Fridays used to be the most fun day at work. You'd be hungover, you'd start drinking in the afternoon. It's not around booze. But you know, it would be the most inspiring day. It would be. You kind of would stop work a bit early, you'd be messing about, music would be on and I feel like we've lost that. People don't go into the office on Fridays anymore. So I'm bringing back Fridays. I'm, you know, making Fridays fun again. And I'm going to be filming every week from a new office, from a company's office. And it'll be an entertainment show with music, comedy, me hosting with someone else. And it will be pre recorded, going out live on Fridays and eventually we'll have it live once. I've got some sponsors, John, you know.

[John Evans]

Yeah. Do you know anyone, anyone listening?

[Rob Mayhew]

Anyone listening wants to sponsor me?

[John Evans]

And you're doing this in your, doing.

[Rob Mayhew]

This in New York? I've got my first company. I'm gonna be Mojo Supermarket are gonna be hosting the first episode and yeah, it's really exciting. I'm looking forward to doing it. It's kind of, it's going to be like late night TV but kind of in an office, as you can imagine. So it should be fun. It's still kind of within my niche but I feel like there's, you know, I want it to be a bit more entertaining.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

But I'll still be continuing to do my, my comedy. Holding a mirror up to the agency world.

[John Evans]

Well, expect nothing less, mate. You write about New York so I get spending lots more time here than I used to.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah.

[John Evans]

And the, the connections and opportunity is just, it's I, I, some energy about like everyone wants to help you, everyone wants you to succeed, everyone will kind of make things happen and talk about what's possible. And you just don't get that same energy in London, do you?

[Rob Mayhew]

Not really, I, I just, it just feels so noticeable here and everyone's so encouraging and you know, you can just meet, you'll have one meeting and they'll introduce you to two more people and that's really exciting. Especially sort of where I'm at now with just becoming a full time creator. I'm, you know, and this is a new city for me so I'm looking to kind of go and you know, I'm literally going door to door of agencies, introducing myself and meeting brands and you know, understanding kind of who I should be sitting down with and that people have been incredibly helpful there and it's been great. I love it. It's just a good city. It's good fun, it's great.

[John Evans]

Does the comedy translate? Is there any differences in the sense of humor?

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah, well, people over here in New York, they take their jobs, I'd say more seriously. I think there's a reason for that. You know, your health care is wrapped up in that you get paid a lot because it's very expensive. It's so expensive here.

[John Evans]

It's crazy, isn't it?

[Rob Mayhew]

So just going, going to a preta monger. Compare it like you go and buy a sandwich and a, and a Diet Coke and a cookie. It's like 24.

[John Evans]

Yeah, it's not, do you want fries with that? It's. You want a mortgage with that?

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah, it's ridiculous. That's a good one. It's just expensive. So, yeah, people take their jobs very seriously and I think that, you know, there's less of a work life balance. I think your career is really important here. I'm not saying it isn't in London, but I feel like, you know, there's a bit more of a pub culture. It's probably more family friendly. You know, it's, it's good. Which is, you know, why I've decided to be a full time creator here. Because I can't keep up with everyone.

[John Evans]

I was wondering why, like Americans are always talking about their successes and what they've achieved and I realize now it's because they're worried about getting fired. Yeah, it's like it's a constant walking cv. Oh my God, I did this, I closed this deal. I know this person.

[Rob Mayhew]

And you get, at least in England you'll get a month, whereas here it's like if you're fired, you're out, that's it, you're gone. And now no healthcare. So good luck, off you go.

[John Evans]

Have you picked up any US clients yet?

[Rob Mayhew]

I have, yeah. I've been working with some brands on their TikTok playbooks and helping some with their LinkedIn strategy. So I'm doing T2 things. So my content creation is like 80% of my time and then 20% I'm calling special projects because it sounds more fun rather than freelancing. And that's. Yeah, I'm sort of helping some brands with like creating a TikTok playbook that's more representative of where they need to be in 2025. Like the days of jumping on trends, the days of just trying to hijack culture on TikTok are kind of gone and people want more original content. You know, like the Nutter Butter is an original idea. Long driven, long term. You know, it's taken a year, two years to kind of get it to sort of be an overnight success. And so it's kind of, I'm helping some brands over here with, with that transition. I think it's really fun. And that's actually one of the reasons why I, with YouTube, for instance, you know, I see a real opportunity now for branded content on YouTube. That to me is a really exciting platform that you're starting to see more of it now, but I feel like you're going to get more brands creating original TV shows or, you know, YouTube shows that they can kind of sponsor, be it, you know, it might be like a, you know, the best properties for sale kind of house show or. Trying to think of an example for you now, John, off the top of my head, if Moonpig were here, which I think they might be now, you know, they could do a, you know, pig at the party, I don't know, you know, a spontaneous party thing on YouTube. So it'd be like a long form comedy because people are watching YouTube on the big screen. That's kind of how they're watching now.

[John Evans]

I'd say Feneri from Google actually on the podcast recently, I heard that one. Yeah. She was telling me about the, the stats and I think it's like 40% of people watch YouTube or 40% of YouTube content is watched on the big screen. And when you combine the ability to target and personalize, you're like, this is literally like the power of TV with the power of the ability to target and you can really target, you know, people's interests quite specifically. It's incredible.

[Rob Mayhew]

It is incredible. And I think that, you know, moving into longer form is where brands are going to, because it doesn't have to be really expensive now. So I think that's where creators can play a part as well as getting some creators to sort of front this, these shows. So that's why I'm doing Friday revival clubs. Hopefully then a brand will come in and offer me a lot of money.

[John Evans]

Blew my mind was, you know, last year Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman did Deadpool versus Wolverine.

[Rob Mayhew]

Right? Yeah.

[John Evans]

And then Sophie showed me the creators they partnered with to launch. Now you'd think they'd be, you know, doing the round on traditional tv. They were like doing Chicken Chop Date, for example, you know, with 7 or 8 million subscribers. And you know, it's more important for them to do that than it is.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah, that and whole wings, you know, that's, that's where the people, that's what people are watching now, what they're consuming and it's just more relevant now. That's how you become part of the conversation. It's just, yeah, it's exciting time. I think it's really exciting time to be a creator. And you know, being in America, I, I really hope TikTok doesn't, you know, it's the end of TikTok.

[John Evans]

What do you think it's going to Happen. Because the band was like the shortest band ever.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah.

[John Evans]

The last 24 hours, I think.

[Rob Mayhew]

24 hours. I think slightly badly managed. But yeah, it's. It's very sad that it could be Trump that saves it. But yeah, I think it's too big to go away. I think that they need to keep it. They need to keep it with the algorithm. You can't just buy TikTok without the algorithm. So, yeah, I don't think it's going to go away and I hope it doesn't, because everything you see on social media kind of comes from TikTok now, you know, that's, you know, Instagram is basically just TikTok repurposed. And so it's, it's just the most exciting platform for brands as well, to be on, where they can experiment, they can have fun, they can sort of tell their brand story. And I don't think there's really other platforms that can do that. Maybe apart from YouTube.

[John Evans]

LinkedIn are even trying to do the. They've got the video stream, haven't they? Now?

[Rob Mayhew]

They have, which is great, you know, and I think that's. That's really good because your content as well, John, is like, it's so much easier to consume if you can actually watch it. And, you know, I think it's very generous with the algorithm on YouTube, on LinkedIn, when you can actually see the videos because, you know, it's just people want to be entertained even when they're on LinkedIn looking for a job or.

[John Evans]

I know, I think it's what everyone gets wrong in B2B. This is why you are the perfect articulation. We all assume we have to be serious.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah.

[John Evans]

Like, why do we have to be serious? Just because we're talking about business to business. Right.

[Rob Mayhew]

No, exactly. And it's about, you know, you're telling a brand story. Whether you're B2B or B2C, you're still telling your story. Just bring some humor or some relatability into that because that's what's going to, you know, drive people's connections with it. So, yeah, it's. I'm seeing that there is a change and I think LinkedIn's on a journey there now. I think they're sort of starting to take video seriously. They're starting to take creators seriously. I was over at their office a few weeks ago. They've got a great office. They wanted to know what it's like being a creator on there. And, you know, I'm just such a big fan of it. It's just been. Been great for me. I'd say most of my brand deals that I do now on LinkedIn.

[John Evans]

I love LinkedIn because it genuinely works. Right. You have to put the effort in. I mean, it's probably like two or three years of groundwork you got to do, but. But, like, the amount of, like, inquiries that I get from LinkedIn, just incredible.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah. And I think what's nice is that people always give LinkedIn a hard time because you always see the thought leadership pieces or the people bragging, all that. But that's not right. You can still curate your own sort of, you know, network on there. And I. There's so many people I follow on there who I just, you know, who I get smarter from every day just following it. And again, I'm there to be entertained. I want to be entertained on there, which is why I watch your clips on there as well.

[John Evans]

Thanks, mate.

[Rob Mayhew]

You're welcome.

[John Evans]

We're talking of funny, though. LinkedIn did this. I don't know if you saw their own ad. So LinkedIn's own ad was quite funny. They had this kind of like, you know, forklift truck driving into a meeting room and lifting the table and pulling.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yes, I have seen that.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah, it's fantastic.

[John Evans]

Yes. Anyway, so it's really funny, so I thought, I'll chuck it into system one and see how it did. And it did pretty well. So I did a little write up about why it was, I think I called it at last a funny B2B ad sort of thing. And LinkedIn approached me and said, oh, could we promote that post? So you've got this weird thing where I'm doing a review of LinkedIn's ad and then they're promoting my post.

[Rob Mayhew]

Isn't that crazy?

[John Evans]

Isn't that like a weird world?

[Rob Mayhew]

Now, when you say chucking it into system one, what is that process? Do you just hit play on it? Yeah, well, we tee it up.

[John Evans]

Yeah. So quite literally just upload it to our system and it takes care of everything automatically. But what it does, it sends it out to 150 people. They watch the ad, they press some buttons to tell us how they feel, like happy, sad, angry, whatever. Sort of bit like the faces, all very simple. And then we just collate all those emotions and then we also get them to watch it and tell us when they felt that emotion. And. And then we put this slight trace of the emotional journey of watching the ad and you kind of see the emotions change second by second.

[Rob Mayhew]

So I want to be one of those People.

[John Evans]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I can send you a link.

[Rob Mayhew]

I'd completely railroad it, to be honest. Yeah, no, it's not funny enough. Not funny.

[John Evans]

Not funny. Not funny.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah, not funny. Exactly.

[John Evans]

Where's this laughing face? I mean, we measure basic emotions, like happy, sad, et cetera.

[Rob Mayhew]

Right.

[John Evans]

But we did this study looking at what makes up happiness, and there's different, like, 15 different types. Like, you feel happy because you. You're proud or you're uplifted or, you know, there's different types. Number one form of happiness in terms of effectiveness with advertising is humor.

[Rob Mayhew]

There we go.

[John Evans]

Yeah. See, so it's like, hence why, like, actually why more B2B ads should be funny. There's like. There's actual science behind it. What's the last funny ad you saw apart from LinkedIn?

[Rob Mayhew]

Oh, God. The last funny ad I saw.

[John Evans]

Did you. Did you see Mountain Dew's ad with the scene? Yeah, that was a bit weird. It was quite funny.

[Rob Mayhew]

Do you know what? They're a lot of absurd at the minute. Yeah. And I think that's interesting. I wonder when we get tired of that, though, we get tired of, like, the absurd. Do we get tired of the celebrities? One thing I've noticed about being in America, and no offense, I'm not having a Go to America. I love it here. Please don't get rid of me during the day. Normal day. The TV ads are healthcare and legal ads. Basically, pretty much 90 of what I watch. That's what it is. And then one day of the year, I'm not gonna say what day it is, the big game day is when they. They bring all the humor into all the ads. Yeah. And I find that it's like, oh, okay, that's interesting.

[John Evans]

Have we lost our sense of humor for the other 364 days?

[Rob Mayhew]

What's going on? I do wonder, like, with celebrities, though, is it gonna get exhausting? Like, does it become numbing seeing all these? Because there's no surprise anymore. You're gonna get Snoop Dogg with someone who you wouldn't normally see him with. Just feels like, oh, yeah, I didn't expect that.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

It's interesting to see where we'll evolve from that. Yeah.

[John Evans]

The other thing I noticed is I went to Miami for the first time last year, and on the drive from the airport to the hotel, I think the first six posters I saw were all for insurance sales people.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah.

[John Evans]

Like, had been in an accident. Phone Bob.

[Rob Mayhew]

That's the reality.

[John Evans]

011-Double-4Th, double:5, hashtag accident. I mean, they must have a Lot of accidents on that road.

[Rob Mayhew]

No, that's, that is a lot of the TV now and it's all medical, it's all. And I did a post about this the other day about that is what the reality is of the kind of TV here, the ad. So, you know, it's just different. It's just different, John.

[John Evans]

Yeah, it's a different story. So talk to your post. What have been the. What has got the biggest reaction on your LinkedIn because every now and then there's one that totally takes off.

[Rob Mayhew]

So for me it has been just the hot topics. I think that I can jump on quite quickly. So, you know, you'll see there'll be rumblings about WPPP in the four day week. So I can jump on that and talk about, you know, come back in because of the culture and you know, and then the culture is, you know, there's no coffee left and there's people in the meeting rooms, you can't get a desk, that sort of thing. So I like to play on those, those ones people just immediately go crazy for because it's just, we're all thinking that whether you agree with being in the office or not, everyone's got a different view on that. But I think we can all relate that a lot of the businesses aren't set up for us being in the office anymore. So I think those ones do really well. I've been leaning into a lot of how things used to be as well compared to now. Say like what Fridays used to be like, you know, going out drinking on a Thursday used to be different and people are just, you know, reminiscent of those days. Like that content does well, but I'm, I'm never going to run out of ideas. John, I've said this to you before, that just every time I think I'm going to. I must be drying up now. It's like, no, there's just so much going on that I can kind of hold a mirror up to. And yeah, it's, it's just hilarious to me.

[John Evans]

Do you have a little process? I mean, or do you just react to what you see or is there like a formula that you apply to?

[Rob Mayhew]

So, so my prep, my, my golden rules are, have I experienced it? Has it happened to me? I wouldn't like for instance, be able to do a lot of stuff from a media agency because I haven't worked in a media agency. And then secondly, is it something that people would talk about now and then is, is it funny? Like is there, is it just relatable or is It Is there a joke there that I can make quite interesting. They're, they're kind of my rules. And then, yeah, my process tends to be I'll write it in my notes in my phone and then when I can grab 5, 10 minutes, film it with my green screen in the bedroom. And then, yeah, it's, you know, if I've got a new jumper to wear.

[John Evans]

Oh, I noticed that.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah. Thank you. Roaring blazer. There we go. Very good, very nice.

[John Evans]

How many are you up to now?

[Rob Mayhew]

It must probably up to about 25 now. Yeah, yeah. It's not healthy, is it Healthy? But like, it's like New York being here has been exciting. It's. I do miss London. I do miss obviously friends and just I'm starting now to get booked for, for doing live performance here as well. Some agencies are booking me to do stuff and I was at Advertising Week. I'm going to be at Brands and Culture next month doing some, some keynote speeches, as you can imagine. So that's fun. And yeah, it's just kind of building what I had in, in the UK up here and just keeping doing what I'm doing basically.

[John Evans]

And what do you see any like trends out here that maybe are ahead of where we are in the uk? Do you get to spot? Because often a lot of people come over to America and see things emerge in culture, don't they, that then end up popping up in the uk? You see anything here that's caught your.

[Rob Mayhew]

Eye from a creative perspective? I think there seems to be more of a bravery around. For instance, you look at brands like Duolingo, they the success of them is because they don't have a sign off process. They've just given the autonomy to the team to create and post. And that model we all talk about but we don't actually do in the uk. So I feel like that could be something that could be applied a lot. Yeah, the shift really on branded content, you know, with YouTube, I think it's going to be happening. Bigger investment on making more creative original content for brands as well. More in not just jumping on culture but actually trying to create something that might be sort of newsworthy in its own right.

[John Evans]

Yeah. I think, you know, creators invented and we say Mr. Beast or something. Right. Inventing something. Right. Or we're in LA a couple of weeks ago talking to rare beauty and what Selena Gomez has created, you know, in terms of her own beauty range, the potential for that.

[Rob Mayhew]

See, there you go. That's a good. That would have been a good answer from me actually. Is the creator economy.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

And then being brands in their own right. Yeah. Is is way ahead over here and you can just see that I can't.

[John Evans]

I can't really think of the UK equivalent of creators turning what they do into brands into a business in the UK in quite the same way.

[Rob Mayhew]

Not really. I'm sure the viewers and listeners will have about a thousand examples, but no, not really. I think over here, being a creator isn't an embarrassing thing. Being an influencer isn't sort of looked down upon. I think that they see there's money there now and where there's money, there's opportunity. So I think that there's a big kind of. There's a huge market for that over here and I, I think that's gonna, they're gonna definitely be something you'll see. So you'll spot over in the, in the uk it'd be interesting to see where like chicken shop, date, what that becomes. And those kind of almost event TV shows are now living on those, you know, on YouTube and stuff. And like, what can she turn that into? Would be really interesting.

[John Evans]

Yeah. I had the founder of Poppy, Allison Ellsworth on the podcast and she, she. That no number one tip was get on tick tock, you know, as early as you can. But she's become a huge TikTok sensation and that probably one of the fundamental reasons that that brand has succeeded is because they built genuinely following on TikTok for their brand.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah.

[John Evans]

In incredible ways. And I mean, depends how you look at the data. But that they would be probably the fastest growing soft drink ever in terms of like getting to where they are turnover wise in such a short, short space of time.

[Rob Mayhew]

I've got a TikTok going live tomorrow, which is my appeal to Poppy to send me a vending machine because they got some backlash over that. And I'd like to say we should.

[John Evans]

Talk about that actually, because that's like. That was.

[Rob Mayhew]

I think that's very much. Yeah, there's. It's very. The thinking there is. People are gonna be having super bowl parties. Let's send them a vending machine. It kind of makes sense to send it to like the Jake Shanes and those people. I really like that as an idea. And everyone's like, well, you should have sent them to dorms. And you know, it's like, well, that's not what they're trying to do. I thought it was a great idea and I would welcome one.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

And I think the backlash, there's always going to be backlash over you know, always. But I think we're always looking for things to be angry about.

[John Evans]

Yeah, but I thought if you. The super bowl is such an extravagant event and so many brands do such extravagant things. On the list of brands doing crazy things. That doesn't even make the list.

[Rob Mayhew]

It doesn't, exactly.

[John Evans]

And they also loan the vending machines for the day. Right. It wasn't like they were giving these things away. They were kind of loaning them just for the Super Bowl.

[Rob Mayhew]

I'd want to be sent one, though.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

My wife would be sent to one.

[John Evans]

You won't have to ask Rob's address.

[Rob Mayhew]

So that's going live tomorrow. My appeal for a vending machine.

[John Evans]

How much do you design your content? Talk about that.

[Rob Mayhew]

That.

[John Evans]

That story is huge here right now. So it's in the New Yorker. I think it's in a whole lot of, you know, major press over here, probably not in the uk. So how much do you make your content now with an American audience in mind?

[Rob Mayhew]

I'm starting to a little bit. I think my YouTube will be with an American audience in mind in that I'm going to be in New York, companies filming it. So I think my content's still very much aimed at my UK audience. But at some point I'm going to have to start thinking about, well, what. How can I play into the fact that I'm here more? But I think a lot of what my content, whatever office you're in, is the same things that are happening. It's very relatable throughout the board. Even people will come up to me. I had it in Brooklyn the other day that a hairdresser came up to me and said that she loves my content and, you know, she's a hairdresser. So it's. It doesn't. It's not just agency people, which is interesting.

[John Evans]

Is that your LinkedIn or your TikTok?

[Rob Mayhew]

TikTok, yeah. Yeah.

[John Evans]

Do you have a different audience, depending on which?

[Rob Mayhew]

I do make some things exclusively for LinkedIn, but I tend to. My audience on LinkedIn is very, very niche business, kind of agency people, brand people. I think my TikTok audience is probably a little bit more varied, I think, and maybe excuse. A little bit younger.

[John Evans]

Yeah. I was chatting to Rory Sutherland the other day about this as well, because he's. He's, like, blown up ridiculously on TikTok.

[Rob Mayhew]

You know, I know I. I said this to him when we met him in Cannes a few years ago. I said, you need to get on it because people are posting your content.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

Because they just look, he's just very charismatic and he says just lovely little ins, like little insights that, you know, can completely change your view on something. So he's, he's made for TikTok. So I think, yeah, he seems to be doing very well on there.

[John Evans]

He's doing amazingly. It was really hilarious how he'll love the fame, he will love the fact.

[Rob Mayhew]

Oh my God.

[John Evans]

But the way, the way you framed it was, was hilarious. You said, yeah, I used to be recognized like once every thousand yards. Now I'm recognized since Tick tock like nine times per thousand yards. He's actually gotten thought about like some way of framing it like that.

[Rob Mayhew]

He's say, Rory, it's great though. And that's what TikTok's great for. It's. It likes people that have a point of view. And Rory is definitely one of those, I'd say. And you know, it's just, it's. I'm glad that people like Rory are discovering TikTok because it, you know, I don't know whether he would have been a bit like, oh, what's that about the dancing app?

[John Evans]

Oh, totally.

[Rob Mayhew]

But it's so much more than that. And I think he sees.

[John Evans]

Oh, he loves it.

[Rob Mayhew]

Loves it now.

[John Evans]

He's a big converse. Yeah, now it might be funny you and I talk about this, but I don't think people have yet understood the power of B2B content creation at all. What do you think brands should be doing in terms of like partnering with kind of creators? Because I just think there's a ridiculous opportunity.

[Rob Mayhew]

It's a huge opportunity and I'm banging this drum a lot with my special project side because the difference between now and a few years ago is there are B2B creators out there and some really good ones. So even on LinkedIn, you know, they have followings like myself, you can build up a really good audience for specific niche if you're giving financial advice or talking to CMOs or just creating agency culture videos like B2B. Brands need to start getting into the. Working with creators and investing more than, you know, let's just work with one offs. It's actually, let's start shaping content for you. Let, let the creators help you drive some of that content and again, you know, start thinking about longer form content like YouTube. What is it? What is it you sell? Is it. If you're a bank, could you be giving advice to people who want to save for a mortgage and taking them on that journey and creating some content around that? So I think they're slow to get into it. There's a lot of regulations as well and just that kind of traditional marketing thinking that isn't right for social. And I think the B2B brands are always a little bit slower in terms of jumping onto that because there haven't been that many good case studies of successes. But now I think you look at trying to think of some, some good examples like Tide do quite well trying to reach, you know, small business owners to open their accounts and they've started to work with creators to get that out there. Small creators and big creators, I think that's really important. I think they need to start really leaning into having their own platforms as well, rather than just relying on creators and creating some organic content and investing more in that. And TikTok as well. Just thinking beyond who your normal audience might be and start thinking about your audience for the future. And someone who is on TikTok will eventually become a decision maker in a business. So they say B2B is business to human, but actually that's an annoying thing to say. So I will say it's actually business to human. To human. To human. So for instance, with my content on LinkedIn, the people that follow me are the receptionist, it's the financial person, it's the cmo, it's all these people that are all part of the decision making process. So brands need to kind of jump on that and think, actually, do you know what with it's not that expensive to work with a creator like myself. So you can get a lot from it. And as it becomes more trackable and you can start to see where your money's going, I think more B2B brands start to invest a lot more in it.

[John Evans]

I think the insight people miss with this stuff is like, it's much better to let other people tell your story than you tell us. All right. Because if you, if you're on LinkedIn talking about the business you represent, of course you're going to say you're the best thing ever.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah.

[John Evans]

Get somebody that's got a big following and influence and respected in the industry to talk about it.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah, Boom.

[John Evans]

Suddenly that's, that's how you build reputation and.

[Rob Mayhew]

Yeah, absolutely. And it's also like, what is it you're trying to fix as a business? Is it cloud storage? Is it easier to get a loan at a bank? Because whatever, whatever. And I think using creators and real people to tell their story, the real story of how it has helped them is so much more powerful. And I don't see a lot of LinkedIn ads. I don't see a lot of LinkedIn sponsored content. So I'm sure it's there and I'm sure they're trying to grow it, but I feel like brands really need to start leaning into it, especially right now because the algorithm is generous over video and things. So, you know, it could really work for a lot of brands, I think.

[John Evans]

So. Last question. Who'd be your dream sponsor or partner to work with? Cause I remember last time you were doing a little plug for Hellman's.

[Rob Mayhew]

Mayonnaise Salad cream Salad cream. Heinz salad cream. Heinz salad cream. My dream client over brand to work with over here. I'd like to work for, like a sales force. Oh, you know, you could be the new Matthew McConaughey. Just a big brand. I just feel like I could go to town with in terms of, like, explaining what they do.

[John Evans]

Yeah.

[Rob Mayhew]

Which everyone struggles with and how it can improve, you know, your life. I've used it over here as well, and it can be great. I. I'm a big fan of Salesforce. We'll look to camera. Big fan of Salesforce. So I think, you know, I could create some amazing content for you again. Let's chat. Slide into John's DMs and he'll send you my way.

[John Evans]

Rob, good to see you, mate.

[Rob Mayhew]

Pleasure.

[John Evans]

Glad we got to do this in New York in Zero Bond of all places as well.

[Rob Mayhew]

I'm looking forward to becoming a member.

[John Evans]

Me too. Let's see if we can make that happen.

[Rob Mayhew]

Perfect. Thank you.

[John Evans]

Thank you very much for listening or watching Uncensored cmo. I hope you enjoyed that. If you did, please do hit the subscribe button wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching, hit subscribe there as well. I'd also love to get a review. Reviews make a big difference on other people discovering the show, so please do leave a review wherever you get your podcast. If you want to contact me, you can do I'm over on XenSoredCMO or on LinkedIn where I'm under my own name, John Evans. Thanks for listening and watching. I'll see you next.