Brendan McDowell is the founder of BPerfect Cosmetics and Voduz Hair. He’s built two amazing brands (from a background in sales) by investing in community and social media.

In this episode we discuss:

• Work life balance
• Building a community of fans
• Following social trends and social selling
• Dragons Den and Made Up In Belfast
• Opening on the High Street when everyone said “the High Street is dead”
• Staying close to the customer as your role evolves into CEO
• Launching in Superdrug
• Rethinking sales from a strategic perspective
• What comes next

Brendan McDowell

Founded in Belfast in 2012 by visionary entrepreneur Brendan McDowell, BPerfect Cosmetics set out to revolutionise the beauty industry with products that are easy to use, versatile, and transformative. Brendan’s game-changing approach caught the spotlight in 2017 on Ireland’s Dragons’ Den, where he wowed all five Dragons and secured offers from two, to which he later declined.

Since then, Brendan has been nominated for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year and earned multiple awards for his bold entrepreneurial spirit. Today, BPerfect is a global beauty powerhouse, stocked in over 2,000 locations across Ireland, the UK, and internationally.

Known for its cult-favourite makeup, tanning essentials, and more recently, skincare, BPerfect has also partnered with top makeup artists and influencers to create standout collections like the Stacey Marie Carnival Collection, LMD Collection, and Annalivia Collection.

With record-breaking sales on TikTok and a spot among the top five beauty brands in the UK and Ireland, BPerfect is leading the way with exciting new revenue streams and unstoppable growth.

Find Brendan on TikTok and Instagram

Andi Jarvis

If you have any questions or want to talk about anything that was discussed in the show, the best place to get me is on LinkedIn or Instagram.

If you want the podcast emailed to you sign up for it onthe Eximo Marketing website.

Make sure you subscribe to get the podcast pushed to you and if you enjoyed the show, please give it a 5* rating.

Andi Jarvis, Eximo Marketing.

Phillip Oakley is a brand strategist and marketing consultant with over 20 years of experience helping brands stand out and grow.

In this episode we discuss:

• The power of questions and curiosity
• Talking to your customers and the power of bringing the customer voice into the room
• Overcoming objections for talking to your customers
• What the movie Arthur Christmas can teach us about marketing
• Riches in Niches
• The power of visiting the store where your product is sold

Phillip Oakley

Phillip Oakley is a brand strategist and marketing consultant with over 20 years of experience helping brands grow and stand out across industries like technology, medtech, and consumer goods. In 2012, he founded Common Giant, a boutique consultancy that helps businesses leverage branding as a competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace.

Phillip has also served as VP of Brand Strategy, helping retail brands sell in, stand out, and sell through while consulting on marketing strategy and creative execution for various business models.

An energetic keynote speaker, Phillip shares insights on branding and creativity. He also lectures junior creatives and small businesses on effective marketing and is an eternal student of branding and marketing, having completed the Marketing Week Mini MBA and MAD//Masters.

Find Phillip on LinkedIn.

Recommendations

• Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Strategy Masterclass with Seth Godin

I’m doing a series of strategy masterclasses with Seth Godin in Ireland this spring. If you use code Eximo (capital E) then you’ll be able to grab a ticket for £225 instead of the full rate of £265.

You get to work with Seth, who will be joining remotely from his NYC studio, with me in the room and the team from Horrible Brands to help out with brand strategy. These events have been put together by the Event Queen Treena Clarke. Tickets available from here.

Strategy Sessions Host - Andi Jarvis

If you have any questions or want to talk about anything that was discussed in the show, the best place to get me is on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Make sure you subscribe to get the podcast directly or sign up for it here to have it emailed when it's released.

If you enjoyed the show, please give it a 5* rating.

Transcript

A full transcript is available on the episode page here.

Paul has been deep in brand diagnosis, strategy and realisation for over 25 years. You need to hear how he thinks about brands.

In this episode we discuss:

• Listening as a superpower for strategists
• Why strategy isn’t predicting the future – with a hat tip to JP Castlin
• Mike Tyson on strategy
• Creators building brands
• Defining what a brand isn’t helps defines what a brand is
• The role of insight in strategy
• Staying customer focused in strategy
• Associated memorable moments
• Naming segments- and why we (sort of) disagree!

Paul Bailey

25+ years professional experience in brand diagnosis, strategy, realisation – improving experience, empowering culture, achieving business objectives.
A deep knowledge in brand, strategy, business leadership, marketing and communication. Working with global businesses to fast-scaling startups, across a myriad of industries, with diverse target audiences and business objectives.

Supported by academic expertise including MA Brand, Communication & Culture (Goldsmiths, London), Mini-MBA Marketing (Marketing Week), and extensive writing, speaking, and lecturing on brand, strategy & marketing.

Find Paul on LinkedIn

Recommendations

• The Power of Co-Creation by Ramaswamy and Gouillart
• Brands: Meaning and Value in Media Culture by Adam Arvidsson
• Beyond Culture by Edward T Hall
• How Not To Plan by Les Binet and Sarah Carter

• 
  
• Strategy Masterclass with Seth Godin

• 
  

  I’m doing a series of strategy masterclasses with Seth Godin in Ireland this spring. If you use code Eximo (capital E) then you’ll be able to grab a ticket for £225 instead of the full rate of £265.

  You get to work with Seth, who will be joining remotely from his NYC studio, with me in the room and the team from Horrible Brands to help out with brand strategy. These events have been put together by the Event Queen Treena Clarke. Tickets available from here.

  Strategy Sessions Host - Andi Jarvis

  If you have any questions or want to talk about anything that was discussed in the show, the best place to get me is on LinkedIn or Instagram.

  Make sure you subscribe to get the podcast directly or sign up for it here to have it emailed when it's released.

  If you enjoyed the show, please give it a 5* rating.

  A full episode transcription is available from the show page.

Devora Rogers developed the methodology deployed for Google's groundbreaking ZMOT research. Yes, THAT Zero Moment of Truth research.

In this episode we discuss:

• How everything changes
• One HELL of a medical story
• Zero moment of truth (ZMOT) and convincing people to buy online
• How long people take to decide to buy something
• Using data to tell stories at conferences
• Marketers being bad at research
• Red and green flags for clients
• Why chaotic brands can still grow (with good lighting)

Devora Rogers

Consultative insights and strategy has been Devora's passion for more than a decade.

She has led research teams, developed the methodology deployed for Google's groundbreaking ZMOT research, launched global offices, and worked with dozens of global brands including Google, Gatorade, Nespresso, Snapchat, and Audacy, among others.

She is a regular public speaker at industry events and her TedX on the Future of Shopping and Retail has been viewed over 250,000 times

Find Devora on LinkedIn.

Strategy Masterclass with Seth Godin

I’m doing a series of strategy masterclasses with Seth Godin in Ireland this spring. If you use code Eximo (capital E) then you’ll be able to grab a ticket for £225 instead of the full rate of £265.

You get to work with Seth, who will be joining remotely from his NYC studio, with me in the room and the team from Horrible Brands to help out with brand strategy. These events have been put together by the Event Queen Treena Clarke. Tickets available from here.

Strategy Sessions Host - Andi Jarvis

If you have any questions or want to talk about anything that was discussed in the show, the best place to get me is on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Make sure you subscribe to get the podcast directly or sign up for it here to have it emailed when it's released.

If you enjoyed the show, please give it a 5* rating.

Magda is a research professor at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute in Adelaide. She has been widely published in academic journals and authored two chapters in How Brands Grow 2.

In this episode we discuss:

• The importance of curiosity
• The impact of How Brands Grow
• The Semmelweis effect and The Sharp Effect
• Learn, test and learn
• The high performance culture at the Ehrenberg Bass Institute
• The benefit of being sceptical and open minded as a researcher
• Growing categories v growing brands
• The challenge for small brands and marketers
• The research behind raising prices
• How categories grow in the luxury sector
• Can marketers do pricing?
• Talking to your customers
• Is marketing changing?

The full transcript is available on the episode page.

Magda Nenycz-Thiel

Before her current role as Industry Growth Professor, Magda was Mars Professor of Marketing, a Chair funded by Mars Incorporated. Prior to this she led the Institute’s Mars Marketing Lab, a R&D initiative funded by Mars Incorporated from 2013-2016.

As Industry Growth Professor, Magda, together with a research team at the Institute, pioneers research into category growth and leads the Industry Growth Initiative which focuses on applying discoveries to improve the ways that growth investments are made within organisations.

Magda’s core areas of expertise are category and industry growth, e-commerce and neuromarketing. Her work has been published widely including in the Journal of Advertising Research, European Journal of Marketing and Journal of Business Research. She is also the author of two chapters in How Brands Grow Part 2, “Building Physical Availability” and “Online shopping – is it different?”.

Magda regularly presents at domestic and international conferences to industry and academic audiences, as well as to the Institute’s Sponsors. She publishes regularly in international journals and has also written a number of book chapters.

Strategy Masterclass with Seth Godin

I’m doing a series of strategy masterclasses with Seth Godin in Ireland this spring. If you use code Eximo (capital E) then you’ll be able to grab a ticket for £225 instead of the full rate of £265.

You get to work with Seth, who will be joining remotely from his NYC studio, with me in the room and the team from Horrible Brands to help out with brand strategy.

Tickets available from here.

Strategy Sessions Host - Andi Jarvis

If you have any questions or want to talk about anything that was discussed in the show, the best place to get me is on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Make sure you subscribe to get the podcast directly or sign up for it here to have it emailed when it's released.

If you enjoyed the show, please give it a 5* rating.

Úna is the co-founder of The Indie List, Ireland’s leading platform for connecting businesses with top-tier freelance talent across marketing, creative, and digital disciplines.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why it’s OK not have everything figured out
• Building a community of marketers
• The Indie List
• Why pitching as an independent is tough
• The benefit of using freelancers
• The mindset shift between being a freelancer and running a business
• Surviving the retirement of a business partner Dealing with imposter syndrome

Links

• The Inner Game of Tennis by W Timothy Gallwey
• Alchemy by Rory Sutherland
• Rory Sutherland on the Strategy Sessions – he’s been on twice, so this is episode 1 and this is episode 2.

A full set of show notes, including transcript, can be found on the episode page on the Eximo Marketing website.

James Hurman does a lot. He’s a strategist, a creative, an entrepreneur, an investor, a teacher and a great bloke.

In this episode we discuss:

• The lessons from ancient cultures
• The power of delegation
• Making not drinking cool AF
• Influencer partnerships with the Kardashians
• The story behind Tracksuit, the brand tracking platform
• How James approaches brand names
• Why you can be fun in B2B
• Becoming an investor using a different thesis to most VCs
• The impact of Binet & Field on marketing
• The ‘problems’ with Binet & Field’s work
• Sharing the success of his agency with his team

James Hurman

Over the course of his advertising career, James won more than 50 awards for advertising effectiveness. In 2013, he was named the world’s number-one strategic planning director.

Since then, James has co-founded and scaled multiple global brands, including brand health trackerTracksuit and non-alcoholic canned cocktail producerAF Drinks. He also foundedPreviously Unavailable, a venture studio that helps startups create new products, scale business ventures, and build their brand.

James has published multiple books; the most recent,Future Demand, explores how startups can expand beyond their initial audience of early adopters. He’s also authored multiple marketing effectiveness studies, including “The Effectiveness Code” and “The B2B Effectiveness Code.”

• https://www.jameshurman.com
• Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jennerpromoting Free AF on LinkedIn orInstagram
• The power on emotion in brand buildingJames writing in Marketing Week
• Three books by Jonathan Haidt:The Anxious Generation,The Happiness Hypothesis andThe Righteous Mind

Strategy Masterclass with Seth Godin

I’m doing a series of strategy masterclasses with Seth Godin in 2025. If you use codeEximo (capital E) then you’ll be able to grab a ticket for £225 instead of the full rate of £265.

You get to work with Seth, who will be joining remotely from his NYC studio, with me in the room and the team from Horrible Brands to help out with brand strategy. These events have been put together by the Event Queen Treena Clarke.

Ticketsavailable from here.

Host Andi Jarvis

If you have any questions or want to talk about anything that was discussed in the show, the best place to get me is on LinkedIn orInstagram.

Make sure you subscribe to get the podcast directly orsign up for it here to have it emailed when it's released.

If you enjoyed the show, please give it a 5* rating.

Find the full show page including transcription, here: https://eximomarketingstrategy.com/tracksuit-marketing-with-james-hurman-strategy-sessions-podcast/

Nils Wimby is an experienced leader in marketing with a strategic mindset and a proven track record of generating value.

In this episode we discuss:

Strategy Masterclass with Seth Godin

I’m doing a series of strategy masterclasses with Seth Godin in 2025. If you use code Eximo (capital E) then you’ll be able to grab a ticket for £225 instead of the full rate of £265.

You get to work with Seth, who will be joining remotely from his NYC studio, with me in the room and the team from Horrible Brands to help out with brand strategy. These events have been put together by the Event Queen Treena Clarke. Tickets available from here.

The full show notes, including transcript can be found here.