The Persuasion Game

The Persuasion Game is a podcast about the marketing strategies, consumer insights and big ideas driving today's most interesting brands. Each episode, hosts Laura Halliday and Adam Rowles go behind the scenes with marketers and business leaders to unpack the brand, growth and category strategies shaping how companies connect with consumers and win in the modern age.

The Persuasion Game is a business podcast hosted by Forge, with 42 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Forge hosts The Persuasion Game, a business show with 42 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #41

  Leadership in transformative times, with Eleanor Lloyd Malcolm, Chief Growth Officer, Forge

  Aug 4, 202622 minS4

  “Brilliant leadership is acknowledging that you don't have all the answers, and the answers can come from anywhere and anyone.” In this episode of The Persuasion Game, Adam is once again joined by Elleanor Lloyd Malcolm, Forge’s Chief Growth Officer, to reflect further on the panel she hosted in Cannes about growth in transformative times. This time the focus is on leadership. What does it actually take to lead a brand through transformation, and how are some of the world's most ambitious marketing leaders showing up to do it? We hear from three exceptional leaders: Kathryn Swallow, Head of OTC at Haleon, Nicole German, Global CMO, Corporate & Institutional Banking at HSBC, and friend of the podcast Nathalia Amadeu, Global Brand Director for Vaseline at Unilever. They explore how the CMO role is evolving, how to go about building the marketing function’s credibility inside a business, and how surrendering control, and navigating ambiguity with confidence, can lead to exceptional results. This is part two of The Persuasion Game's Cannes special. If you haven't heard part one yet, you can find it by searching for ‘The Persuasion Game’ wherever you get your podcasts.  Follow us on LinkedIn for updates. Subscribe to The Persuasion Game Newsletter on LinkedIn. Want to know more about us? Visit our website here This is an 18Sixty production for Forge. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (04:51) From CMO to CGO (08:48) Authenticity Builds Trust (15:52) Leading Through Change (19:46) Female Leadership Reflections

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  Episode #40

  Growing brands in transformative times

  Jul 14, 202630 minS1

  “There is a new normal of pace and agility. Businesses are having to shift how they set themselves up to win in this very fast-moving world.” In this episode of The Persuasion Game podcast, Adam is joined by Eleanor Lloyd Malcolm, Forge’s Chief Growth Officer, to reflect on the panel she hosted in Cannes about growth in transformative times. We hear from three exceptional leaders: Kathryn Swallow, Head of OTC at Haleon, Nicole German, Global CMO, Corporate & Institutional Banking at HSBC, and friend of the podcast Nathalia Amadeu, Global Brand Director for Vaseline at Unilever. We tackle four themes under the banner of creating value in transformative times: why the fundamentals matter more than ever, how to create genuine consumer relevance beyond category convention, the shift from brand ownership to stewardship, and why the kind of cultural and consumer intimacy that truly drives competitive advantage is something no AI can replicate. This is part one or our reflections - part two, covering leadership in transformative times, is coming soon. Follow us on LinkedIn for updates. Subscribe to The Persuasion Game Newsletter on LinkedIn. Want to know more about us? Visit our website here This is an 18Sixty production for Forge. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (05:46) Building Resilience (11:07) Creating Consumer Relevance (14:14) Differentiation Beyond Table Stakes (16:17) Stewardship Not Ownership (24:03) Global Ideas Local Heart

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  Episode #39

  Rethinking how you measure demand, with Karl Miley, Co-Founder, Forge

  Jun 2, 202645 minS1

  "Most organisations don't need more data. What they need is a wider, more dynamic view of where demand is forming. And they need to be looking in the right places to find it." In this episode of The Persuasion Game podcast, we're joined by Karl Miley, co-founder of Forge and leader of its Dynamic Demand practice. Karl has spent years helping some of the world's biggest brands understand where consumer demand is heading, and why so many of them are looking in the wrong direction. This episode is about why brand confidence in decision-making has never felt lower, how static demand frameworks are partly to blame, and why a new approach is needed. Karl takes us through four forces reshaping demand: cultural and behavioural shifts, the arrival of new entrants, technology-driven changes in discovery and behaviour, and macro shocks that rewrite consumer priorities overnight. If you work in identifying demand spaces, this episode isn’t to be missed. Follow us on LinkedIn for updates. Subscribe to The Persuasion Game Newsletter on LinkedIn. Want to know more about us? Visit our website here This is an 18Sixty production for Forge. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (03:41) Signals Beyond Trackers (10:06) Stanley And Diet Coke (17:08) Spotting Early Signals (25:53) Olipop (39:50) Best Practice Dynamic System

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  Episode #38

  Why brand transparency isn’t enough anymore, with David Cousino, Insight Expert

  May 5, 202626 minS1

  “Transparency builds credibility. Hyper-transparency builds trust.” As Gen Z continue their inevitable march towards being the dominant economic power, the way brands market themselves is going to have to shift dramatically. As David Cousino puts it, for them “ transparency directly influences where they're going to spend. If companies don't get their head around this cohort, they're going to be in for a really rough couple of decades.” In this episode, David explains what is meant by hyper-transparency, why honesty increasingly beats perfection, and the crucial role insights teams have to play as we move into this new era. David is Global Head of Business Intelligence and Insight at James Hardie, and has previously held senior roles at AB InBev and Unilever. This topic isn’t one that can be kicked into the long grass any longer, it’s forecast Gen Z will surpass millennials in terms of spending power in less than a decade. Follow us on LinkedIn for updates. Subscribe to The Persuasion Game Newsletter on LinkedIn. Want to know more about us? Visit our website here This is an 18Sixty production for The Forge. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (03:23) Tech and Gen Z Shift (06:37) New Front Lines of Trust (13:38) Crisis Transparency Playbook (20:26) Insights Teams as Radar

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  Episode #37

  How creators unlocked growth for Vaseline, with Nathalia Amadeu, Unilever

  Apr 14, 202642 minS1

  “Relevance builds brands. Control just increases the risk of irrelevance.” In this episode of The Persuasion Game, we’re joined by Nathalia Amadeu, Global Brand Director at Vaseline, to explore how the 150-year-old brand is reinventing itself in the social-first era. It centres on the hugely successful Vaseline Verified campaign (winner of nine awards at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, including a Titanium Lion). A campaign which, as Nathalia puts it - “challenged decades of brand control thinking.” With millions of people already sharing their own ways of using the product, instead of leading the conversation, Vaseline chose to listen. The result is a new model of brand building - one that validates, amplifies and co-creates with its community. That shift in approach is not just a campaign idea, it is also reshaping innovation, with new products, co-built with creators, in production. This is an inspiring, must-listen for anyone looking to grow a brand in a completely new way. Follow us on LinkedIn for updates. Subscribe to The Persuasion Game Newsletter on LinkedIn. Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: forgemsq.com This is an 18Sixty production for Forge. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (04:46) Stewardship Over Ownership (08:12) From Campaign To Products (20:19) Faster Feedback Loops (26:27) Eyebrow Hack Becomes Product (37:21) Principles For Participation

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