There is a chasm between market want and corporate can.

In this episode we dissect company core competency and the impact misunderstanding this has on marketers.

If you’ve ever felt there is some invisible architecture that dictates success or failure in your organisation, but can’t quite put your finger on why, it might be due to a deficit in core competence.

Forget chasing trends. We discuss why superficial market appeal is a fool's errand without the intrinsic capability to deliver.

From the nuanced dichotomy of breweries and pubs to the audacious (perhaps reckless) expansion of titans like Netflix, we leave no sacred cow alive…..well, almost none.

We discuss:

• The "Adjacent Market Mirage":
  Listen to the story of an outsourcing company's growth mistake chasing “easy” expansion.
  
  
• The danger for companies lacking self-awareness:
  Listen to us discuss why a brewery can’t be a pub, and why there isn’t a damn thing a marketer can do about that.
  
  
• When Good Intentions Lead to Bad Investments (The Software Service Dilemma):
  Listen to us share a story of how a B2B software company's forays into adjacent services, one a surprising win, the other a costly failure, reveal the often-invisible lines of core competence that must be identified prior to expansion.
  
  
• Why Overestimating Your Capabilities Can Lead to Costly Failures:
  Listen to us talk about a Branding Agency's expansion problems after it mistook its capabilities and tried to enter the wrong market.
  
  
• The power of knowing your lane:
  Listen to us discuss how McDonald's deep understanding of what they do allows them to grow year after year, decade after decade.
  
  
• Fuel Strategic Growth by Discovering Your True Core (A Charity's Smart Pivot):
  Listen to a story how a laundry charity identified their fundamental strength to strategically expand into a different, but related service, substantiating a strong model for growth.

This episode was cohosted by:

Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson

and

Product Marketing Specialist Alex Urquhart.

Find Jack and Alex online at the links below:

Find Jack on LinkedIn here

Find Alex on LinkedIn here

Follow The Push on YouTube here

Follow The Push on LinkedIn here

Follow The Push on TikTok here

Follow The Push on Instagram here

Visit The Push website here

Visit Jack’s personal website here

Visit Alex’s personal website here

In this episode of the podcast we dive into a fascinating concept that could explain why your marketing job feels misaligned or difficult.

We explore the idea of company "orientation," how a company’s focus and cultural direction can shape your experience as a marketer.

From sales-focused companies to product-driven organisations, we'll break down 4 distinct orientations and how they impact everything from internal communications to strategic decisions.

Plus, we’ll discuss how understanding your company's orientation can help you thrive, or decide if it’s time to move on.

We cover:

• The concept of every company having an orientation
• The 4 main orientations
• Why marketers should be aware of their company's orientation to decide if they can work within it or if it's time to move on.
• The orientation Jack believes marketers thrive in and why
• The misuse of AI in products, often leading to complications rather than solutions.
• Why Google Plus as a product was too internally focused and ultimately failed.
• How Zappos was customer-oriented, a marketer’s delight, and focused on customer service rather than the product.

This episode is co-hosted by:

Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson

and

Product Marketing Specialist Alex Urquhart

Find Jack on LinkedIn here

Find Alex on LinkedIn here

Follow The Push on YouTube here

Follow The Push on LinkedIn here

Follow The Push on TikTok here

Follow The Push on Instagram here

Visit The Push website here

Visit Jack’s personal website here

Visit Alex’s personal website here

In this fun and insightful episode, we dive into a "Not-So-Rapid-Fire" Q & A session with senior marketers Alex and Jack.

While the aim was to keep it quick, they got talking….and…well, it didn’t end up being that quick 😂

Alas, there are a lot of laughs as the entertainment factor is high!

Questions include:

- What is the best marketing advice you’ve ever received?

- What is the best sales advice you ever received?

- What’s your biggest frustration as a marketer?

- What is the most important skill a marketer will need in 2025?

- What is your biggest frustration with marketers?

- What career advice would you give your newbie marketing self?

Amongst others.

Interesting quotes from the episode:

"You can’t control your buyers; you can only influence them.”

"You can’t make someone buy, but you can create the perfect environment for them to choose to."

"People don’t like to be sold to, but everyone likes to buy."

"Marketing isn’t about fancy tactics—it’s about cutting through the noise and getting to the truth."

This episode was co-hosted by Jack Ferguson and Alex Urquhart.

Find Jack on LinkedIn here

Find Alex on LinkedIn here

Follow The Push on YouTube here

Follow The Push on LinkedIn here

Follow The Push on TikTok here

Follow The Push on Instagram here

Visit The Push website here

Visit Jack’s personal website here

Visit Alex’s personal website here