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The Push

The Push

By: Jack Ferguson
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About this listen

The Push is a podcast for senior marketers eager to hear honest perspectives from peers who tell it like it is. We speak directly to your day-to-day reality and don't bother with superfluous tactics you don't need.


We understand that senior marketing is uniquely frustrating.


  • You have to sell the 'why' more than any other department.
  • You're held accountable for results beyond your control.
  • You're forever dealing with non-marketers who 'know better than you'.
  • Stakeholder politics, opinions, and “gut feelings” constantly get in the way.
  • You're so busy dealing with stakeholders, there's little time left to conceptualise new strategies and hone your craft.


We bring together senior marketers to candidly share stories, analogies, strategies, and mental models they've used.


You can use these conversations to:


  • Explain complex concepts to non-marketers.
  • Get more client buy-in.
  • Explore new strategy ideas.
  • Better articulate your existing knowledge.
  • Explain the 'why' behind your strategy.
  • Keep your own team engaged.
  • Better navigate marketing politics (which are inevitable).
  • Remember that you're not alone in your experiences.


No empty buzzwords. No listicles. No generic advice.


Whether you’re in-house, agency-side, or a consultant, you’ll leave feeling empowered to speak up and lead with confidence.


The Push is hosted by Jack Ferguson, a Brand Strategist with 15 years of marketing and brand experience across 20+ industries.

© 2025 The Push Career Success Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • S3 E56: How Marketers Are Made: The Origin Story of Two Professionals Who Didn’t Plan This

    S3 E56: How Marketers Are Made: The Origin Story of Two Professionals Who Didn’t Plan This
    Nov 25 2025

    Two marketers who never planned to be marketers break down exactly how they fell into the industry. One came through science. One came through life coaching. Both arrived here by accident.

    Jack Ferguson and Ben Reeves are this episode's co-hosts.

    Listen in to hear:

    • How and why Jack lost money on his very first client

    • How a podcaster launched Ben’s marketing career

    • How different Jack found the automatic respect given to marketer's vs those with a scientific background

    • The story behind Ben’s first client and why that business never scaled

    • The moment Jack realised he was a marketer before he understood what it was

    • How Ben ended up in marketing despite having no career plan to do so

    • The challenges Jack faced shifting from scientific, evidence-based thinking to an opinion driven industry

    • Why Ben walked away from hospitality to try life coaching before becoming a marketer

    • How scientific thinking still shapes Jack’s brand strategy work today

    • How a decade across agencies, tech and brand has shaped Ben’s entire marketing worldview

    This episode pulls back the curtain on how Ben and Jack both got started in marketing.

    About your co-hosts:

    Jack Ferguson is an evidence-based brand strategist

    Ben Reeves is an experienced ecommerce strategist

    Helpful Links:

    Find Jack on LinkedIn here: Jack Ferguson | LinkedIn

    Find Ben on LinkedIn here: Ben Reeves | LinkedIn

    Follow The Push on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thepush

    Follow The Push on TikTok here: thepushmedialab (@thepushmedialab) | TikTok

    Follow The Push on Instagram here: Instagram

    Visit The Push website here: https://bethepush.com/

    Visit Jack’s personal website here: https://jackferguson.co/

    Visit Ben’s website here: https://benreeves.co/
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • S3 E55: Career Doubt in Marketing: Setback Stories, and How to Persevere (with Chanel Clark)

    S3 E55: Career Doubt in Marketing: Setback Stories, and How to Persevere (with Chanel Clark)
    Nov 11 2025

    Every marketer has questioned whether this career’s really for them; especially after getting blamed, burning out, or being abandoned when times get tough.

    Chanel Clark joins Jack Ferguson and shares stories of being pushed out, made redundant on day one of lockdown, and writing $8 ad copy to survive, before turning it all into The Marketing Club, a 12,000+ strong community that’s kept countless marketers in the game.

    In this episode:

    - Jack talks about why marketing becomes the easiest function to blame, and how to stay credible when the business turns on you.

    - Chanel talks about the moment she was told she didn’t belong, and how that early rejection became the fuel for everything that followed.

    - Chanel talks about the humbling months writing $8 ads and risky cold emails that led to her next big break.

    - Chanel talks about rebuilding confidence after getting pushed out of roles despite strong performance.

    - Jack talks about how “it’s marketing’s fault” becomes corporate code for “we don’t understand our business.”

    - Jack and Chanel talk about belonging, rejection, and why the marketers who stay are the ones who’ll reshape the profession.

    If you’ve ever thought “maybe marketing isn’t for me,” this one will hit home.

    Co-Hosted by

    Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson

    And

    Founder of The Marketing Club and Independent Consultant Chanel Clark

    Helpful Links:

    Find Jack on LinkedIn here: Jack Ferguson | LinkedIn

    Find Chanel on LinkedIn here: Chanel Clark | LinkedIn

    Follow The Push on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thepush

    Follow The Push on YouTube here: The Push - YouTube

    Follow The Push on TikTok here: thepushmedialab (@thepushmedialab) | TikTok

    Follow The Push on Instagram here: Instagram

    Visit The Push website here: https://bethepush.com/

    Visit Jack’s personal website here: https://jackferguson.co/

    Visit Chanel’s website here: Chanel Clark - Marketing Consultant

    Visit The Marketing Club’s website here: The Marketing Club

    Follow The Marketing Club on Instagram: Instagram

    Follow The Marketing Club on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-marketing-club-au-nz
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • S3 E52: How Play-Doh’s brand distinctiveness was discovered, not created

    S3 E52: How Play-Doh’s brand distinctiveness was discovered, not created
    Oct 21 2025

    Most of us remember Play-Doh from childhood, but few of us realise what makes it truly distinctive.

    In this episode, Brand Strategist Jack Ferguson explores how a product known for its texture built enduring emotional equity through something far less obvious.

    He explores:

    • How a brand's strongest assets and true distinctiveness can emerge accidentally, and what that means for you
    • The overlooked power of non-visual assets like smell, touch, and sound
    • How brands like Play-Doh, AFL, and Coca-Cola encode sensory memories that last
    • Why marketers should pay attention to how brands are felt, not just seen
    • Why “transcending senses” may be the next frontier for brand distinctiveness

    A thought-provoking episode for senior marketers who want to build brands that stick in memory, sometimes in ways we never planned.

    Helpful Links:

    Find Jack on LinkedIn Here: Jack Ferguson | LinkedIn

    Find Jack's Website Here: Evidence-Based Brand Strategy & Marketing Consulting | Jack Ferguson

    Visit The Push Website Here: For Senior Marketers...By Senior Marketers | The Push

    Find The Push on LinkedIn Here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thepush

    Find The Push on YouTube Here: The Push - YouTube

    Find The Push on TikTok Here: TikTok - Make Your Day

    Find The Push on Instagram Here: https://www.instagram.com/bethepush

    Play-Doh Finally Launches Play-Doh For Adults

    Hasbro Trademarks a Favorite Smell from Childhood: The PLAY-DOH Scent | Hasbro

    Smells like victory: registering scent trade marks in Australia - Trademark - Australia

    Meet the Exclusive Club of Trademarked Scents in the U.S.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
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