20% - The Marketing Procurement Podcast

In each episode a guest brings their marketing, procurement or agency perspective to bear on how these three parties sell to, buy from and work with each other, with Blair and Leah trying to get an answer to the question: "How do you 'procure' creativity without killing it?"

Season 2 Coming 2Q24 11/29/2023

Season 2 Coming 2Q24 That's a wrap! We'll be back in Q2 of 2024 with a new season. If you have suggestions on a specific topic that you think we should explore or recomendations on guests, let us know: Catch up on our first season at or via your prefered podcast platform. Our music is composed by the talented /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/28848148

This is Unsustainable w/ Caroline Johnson 11/15/2023

This is Unsustainable w/ Caroline Johnson The Business Model Company cofounder Caroline Johnson is 20%’s first return guest and in this episode Caroline, Blair and Leah pick up where they left off in their last conversation on business model innovation among agencies. This time they view it from the client’s perspective, exploring why agency innovation is vital for clients and for the future of marketing services itself. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/28645093

Marketing Is an Investment w/ Brett Colbert 11/01/2023

Marketing Is an Investment w/ Brett Colbert Brett Colbert is known for pulling no punches. In this episode he brings his direct and provocative point of view—from both sides of the procurement table—to bear on the state of marketing procurement today. Nobody in the marketing/procurement/agency triumvirate gets off easy in this episode. Grab some popcorn and settle in. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/28481135

On Creative Effectiveness w/ George Tannenbaum 10/18/2023

On Creative Effectiveness w/ George Tannenbaum In this episode we up the creative content by talking to veteran creative director George Tannenbaum about the changing nature of the advertising industry, the deification of data and why he thinks procurement deserves to win in their negotiating battles with agencies. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/28328609

The Path to Great Work w/ Beverley Hammond and Susan Irving 10/04/2023

The Path to Great Work w/ Beverley Hammond and Susan Irving 20% welcomes its first client/agency team in the form of Kruger Products CMO Susan Irving and Broken Heart Love Affair co-founder Beverley Hammond. Together they discuss the trust and risk required to get to Kruger’s needle-moving and award winning campaign Unapologetically Human. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/28215680

Agency Model Innovation w/ Caroline Johnson 09/20/2023

Agency Model Innovation w/ Caroline Johnson The Business Model Company cofounder Caroline Johnson joins the pod to discuss how agencies are evolving away from legacy business models to a variety of new models that drive better commercial success for the agency and greater value creation for clients. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/28083996

Tuning Up the Client-Agency Relationship w/ David Meikle 09/06/2023

Tuning Up the Client-Agency Relationship w/ David Meikle Consultant David Meikle joins the pod to discuss—and listen to Blair and Leah rave about—his new book Tuning Up: Improving Performance and Reducing Stress in Advertising and Marketing.” /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/27774414

Just Say No w/ Niki McMorrough 08/23/2023

Just Say No w/ Niki McMorrough Niki McMorrough has seen the client-agency relationship from both sides of the table and that perspective has left her convinced that no one wins in a pitch. She joins Blair and Leah to discuss her conversion from pitch advocate to pitch abstinence. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/27824910

2Bobs: The Win Without Pitching Manifesto—A 10 Year Retrospective 08/09/2023

2Bobs: The Win Without Pitching Manifesto—A 10 Year Retrospective Blair and Leah are concluding their brief summer hiatus, back in the studio this week, preparing to bring you a brand new interview in two weeks time. Until then, Blair has shamelessly selected another episode of his other podcast, 2Bobs: Conversations on the Art of Creative Entrepreneurship, which he cohosts with David C. Baker. In this episode from 2021, David interviews Blair about his Amazon #1 best-selling book, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, ten years after its launch. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/27652290

Madison Avenue Makeover w/ Michael Farmer 07/26/2023

Madison Avenue Makeover w/ Michael Farmer Madison Avenue Manslaughter author, agency advisor and former BCG and Bain consultant Michael Farmer joins the pod to discuss his brand new book, Madison Avenue Makeover: The Transformation of HUGE and the Redefinition of the Ad Agency Business. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/27567774

2Bobs: Innoficiency in Your Agency 07/12/2023

2Bobs: Innoficiency in Your Agency While Blair and Leah take a brief summer hiatus, we're delighted to bring you an episode of Blair's other podcast, 2Bobs: Conversations on the Art of Creative Entrepreneurship. In this episode, Blair and his co-host David C. Baker talk about Blair's Innoficiency Principle as it applies to running an agency. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/27438765

The Benchmark Problem w/ Jason Cammorata 06/28/2023

The Benchmark Problem w/ Jason Cammorata Leah has a bee in her bonnet over how agency benchmark data is used by clients and even some agency associations. Jason Cammorata joins the pod to steelman both sides of the argument. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/27306201

The Day Everything Changed in CPG w/ Christy Lebor 06/14/2023

The Day Everything Changed in CPG w/ Christy Lebor Former big brand marketer Christy Lebor joins the pod to describe what she sees as the pivotal moment when CPG companies shifted from innovation-seeking to efficiency-seeking. She also talks about the folly of zero-based budgeting and why agencies will never be strategic partners to their brand manager clients. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/27138357

Aligning the Incentives w/ Stuart Dunk 05/31/2023

Aligning the Incentives w/ Stuart Dunk Consultant and former Nike procurement manager Stuart Dunk joins Blair and Leah to talk about his vision for how the marketing procurement function should evolve, how agencies should push back on onerous demands, the surprise highlight of a marketing procurement professional’s week and much more. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26994402

The Hidden Cost of Transactional Capitalism w/ Rory Sutherland 05/17/2023

The Hidden Cost of Transactional Capitalism w/ Rory Sutherland Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy UK Vice Chair and best-selling author of Alchemy, joins the pod to discuss the costs borne by marketer and agency in the shift away from relational capitalism, toward measurement and efficiency. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26826699

The Marketing Procurement Academy w/ Magid Souhami 05/03/2023

The Marketing Procurement Academy w/ Magid Souhami Marketing procurement podcast streams cross when OG Magid Souhami joins Blair and Leah to discuss all things marketing procurement, including the launch of his new training platform. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26725230

Let's Play Fair w/ J. Francisco Escobar 04/19/2023

Let's Play Fair w/ J. Francisco Escobar Consultant and procurement veteran J. Francisco Escobar joins the pod to discuss revenue neutrality, the deleterious effects of protracted payment terms and his taxonomy of the various types of procurement professionals. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26584524

Better Relationships = Better Outcomes w/ Kim Walker 04/05/2023

Better Relationships = Better Outcomes w/ Kim Walker Aprais founder Kim Walker joins the pod to discuss their new research findings that proves what we all know: better client/agency relationships lead to better work—and results. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26434713

The End of The Billable Hour w/ Tim Williams 03/22/2023

The End of The Billable Hour w/ Tim Williams Agency pricing consultant Tim Williams discusses the trend he sees of agencies moving away from selling inputs (time), toward a greater focus on outputs and outcome-based pricing models. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26300067

Can Agencies Be Consultants? w/ Leo Rayman 03/08/2023

Can Agencies Be Consultants? w/ Leo Rayman Leo Rayman went from CEO of agency Grey in London to the first CEO of Grey Consulting. In this far reaching conversation with Blair and Leah, Leo talks about the differences in impact and pricing power that separates these two business types, while also hitting on the similarities that tend to go unnoticed. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26161440

The Client Bill of Rights w/ Jillian Gibbs 02/22/2023

The Client Bill of Rights w/ Jillian Gibbs As the client, you have the right to receive unbiased recommendations; you have the right to ask questions; you have the right to transparency on fees. Jillian Gibbs of APR joins 20% to lay bare her client bill of rights and much more. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/26006619

Agency Ownership Models Are Everything w/ Tom Lewis 02/08/2023

Agency Ownership Models Are Everything w/ Tom Lewis Tom Lewis joins the podcast to talk about Adland, a sector he sees as existing in a state of managed decline. Tom attributes this decline to a failure in agency ownership models and offers the advice: “get out as quickly as you can.” /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/25863150

The Chaos Culture of Agencies w/ Jack Skeels 01/25/2023

The Chaos Culture of Agencies w/ Jack Skeels Agency Agile founder Jack Skeels drops by the pod to talk about agency culture, agency searches and his time as a consultant working to find procurement efficiencies for the US government. /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/25719351

Be Your Agency's Favorite Client w/ Kathryn Fitzwilliam 01/11/2023

Be Your Agency's Favorite Client w/ Kathryn Fitzwilliam Marketing industry veteran Kathryn Fitzwilliam joins the podcast to advocate for better agency/client relationships, and makes the case for marketers to strive to be their agency’s favorite client. Blair Enns Leah Power Kathryn Fitzwilliam Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/25571274

Pitch-Free for 5 Years w/ Julie Cohen 12/28/2022

Pitch-Free for 5 Years w/ Julie Cohen Julie Cohen, Founder and CEO of Across The Pond, joins Blair and Leah to discuss the negative impacts of pitching. Blair Enns Leah Power Julie Cohen Don’t Pitch Your Mental Health You Don’t Really Partner With Your Clients /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/25445160

Procurement Are People Too w/ Mike Sutton 12/14/2022

Procurement Are People Too w/ Mike Sutton Blair and Leah are joined by Mike Sutton, President of Zulu Alpha Kilo an award-winning independent agency famous for their viral videos mocking spec creative and RFP-driven selection processes. Blair Enns Leah Power Mike Sutton Say No To Spec World’s Worst RFP Left-Handed Mango Chutney Winston’s Instagram /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/25320216

Grownup Conversations w/ Mike Lander 11/30/2022

Grownup Conversations w/ Mike Lander Piscari’s Mike Lander models the conversations agencies and procurement should be having but rarely do. Blair Enns Leah Power Mike Lander Hear more from Mike on his podcast “It’s a Good Start” Project Spring Report The Win Without Pitching Manifesto Are RFPs The Spawn of Satan? /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/25170234

My 1st Negotiation with Procurement w/ Kathie Jones 11/16/2022

My 1st Negotiation with Procurement w/ Kathie Jones Kathie Jones joins the podcast to discuss lessons learned from selling to procurement years ago up to running procurement today. Blair Enns Leah Power Kathie Jones Pricing Creativity /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/25029192

The Truth About RFPs w/ Enrique Cordero 11/02/2022

The Truth About RFPs w/ Enrique Cordero Should you participate in that RFP? Is that RFP really an RFI in disguise? Enrique Cordero joins the podcast to answer those questions and much more. Blair Enns Leah Power Enrique Cordero /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/24876597

The Transformed Procurement Professional w/ Mary Ann Brennan 10/19/2022

The Transformed Procurement Professional w/ Mary Ann Brennan Mary Ann Brennan joins Blair and Leah to discuss the transformed procurement professional and the journey from cost saver to value creator. Blair Enns Leah Power Mary Ann Brennan ProcureCon Marketing /episode/index/show/37c181ce-0dd6-43c1-928e-b1d810a67376/id/24731406

20% - The Marketing Procurement Podcast

TOPICS