The Fast and The Curious with Pete Markey

0:00Pete, welcome to your Fast and the Curious.

0:03Pete Markey:Thank you. Are you ready? I'm ready. What do you love most about marketing? It's creative, energetic, fun, and you get to see great results. What do you hate most about marketing? Oh, I think constant pressure on budgets, having to defend how much money you've got. It's boring, isn't it? Always, yeah. What did you want to be when you grew up? An aircraft pilot at one point, a helicopter pilot. I was a bit hooked on TV shows of the 80s, so that's pretty well what drove it. outside that radio DJ. Was A-Team the A-Team? Yeah, it was. Yeah, it was A-Team or Airwolf. Those things influenced me greatly.

0:35Pete Markey:I also wanted a car that talked, which I sort of got now, but it just doesn't... What was that programme? Knight Rider. Knight Rider. That programme. It was the best, wasn't it? Have you actually been in a helicopter? I have. I did a helicopter flying lesson. It was terrifying. It was the windiest, wettest day. Not since, but I didn't crash, so I'm still here. You're still good. You're still good, yeah. TikTok trend you secretly enjoy? Oh, I think there's something... there's like a lot of comic con on there so sorts of people in cosplay like cosplay top sort of stuff those kind of things are people who amazingly look like stars of film and screen and tv shows i admire them because i look like no one so i'm going to come up with someone you look like exactly what advice would you give to anyone who wants a career in marketing go for it but importantly network network network and be curious and always always keep pushing and you'll get opportunities how important do you think it is to do in-person network versus online networking i think in person is is really important because you get a true sense of people remember people i think online has a role but you you get to see the whole person don't you have proper better longer conversations i think yeah so get out the door get out on the train yeah get to those events yeah what movie made you fall in love with cinema back to the future it's nice same as my husband back to the future yeah my all-time favorite film yeah we've seen the stage show yeah three times Three times?

1:54Pete Markey:Three times. It's incredible. It's good, isn't it? I liked it. I recommend it. It was better than I thought it would be. What's the screensaver image on your mobile? It is very boring. It's just the world because it just makes me realise it's bigger than me. I think that's a really good perspective. What's one thing the marketing industry could change tomorrow to be more inclusive? I think we should do a lot more to, and I'm working on this with Isber and the Advertising Association. I think there are people from different backgrounds who are our customers across the UK. we need to work harder to get into the industry.

2:24Pete Markey:I definitely think there's more to do there and I'll continue to do what I can to make that happen. Lovely. Who would be your dream improv scene partner, living or dead? Ooh, I am, golly, it would be one of my favourite actors. So it would be, someone like Tom Cruise would be great. I'd imagine he'd be like, I've seen him do a form of like lip sync, singing and stuff. So Tom Cruise would be incredible, yeah. What's your favourite Tom Cruise film? Top Gun Maverick. Yeah. The second one, it just was incredible film. What a great story. Heartfelt, full of nostalgia, but a whole new journey as well.

2:56Pete Markey:And yeah, I loved it. I still have a passion for cocktail though. That's still a great film, isn't it? Such a good film. We could geek out on Tom Cruise for ages after this. Cocktail's a great film though. The most powerful thing a brand can do in today's world? Be relevant, be distinctive. There's so much work that's sort of vanilla and blah. So I think be distinct and relevant. Really know your audience and stand for something. Stand out. Yeah. What's one risk you're proud you took? I think probably, oh, golly, Christmas 2021, the Boots campaign. I wasn't really encouraged to have a celebrity in it or to even be on TV.

3:30Pete Markey:And then we had Jenna Coleman and we delivered record sales and it created a template for the next four years. So I'm glad I did it. Congrats. Too long way to get there. Awesome. Roller coasters. Do you sit at the front, middle or back? Depends on the coaster. The back is the fastest, but the front gives you obviously a great view. There's a ride called Oblivion at Alton Tower. where it tips you over the edge and then you dive straight into a sort of deep pit of cold air. I tend not to sit at the front of that one because I'm not too good with heights. So I tend to sit at the back there. But most coasters, I did at Hyperia, they knew it at Thorpe Park, was at the front of that one.

4:03Pete Markey:So yeah. I haven't been on a roller coaster for years. It's so much fun. But it is weird because I'm scared of heights. I'm terrified of heights. But put me on a roller coaster and I'm away. Yeah, I can't make sense of that one. No, I can't either. Well, let me go, but I can't do it right now. what's your secret talent or party trick oh outside of um oh yeah outside of improv i love 80s music so i can tell the song within the first two seconds of the song starting on most 80s songs favorite 80s song everybody wants to rule the world by tears for fears which is just a great that comes on or the power of love by huey lewis and the news which is from back to the future of course so yeah two great two great hits what's a career moment where you truly felt this is why i do what I do.

4:47Pete Markey:So I had a moment earlier on in my career at British Gas where I spotted a problem on a billing system where I generated the wrong numbers for a report that was going to get the regulator and told my boss at the time we stayed late at night, solved the problem and my boss was delighted because it meant he didn't get fined and the business didn't get into difficulty but it taught me you can make a difference if you push yourself a bit and you stand up for something and you bring data to a business and you inform them and stuff you can make a real difference. yeah it's lovely what film or tv star is still on your hit list to beat i would love to meet harrison ford still i grew up on those 80s movies i've stuck the original three star wars films had a big impact on my life and creativity i saw the first star wars film when i was four years old first earliest childhood memory were you allowed to at that age yeah it was yeah and it was my parents took me anyway didn't they but and then i remember watching indiana jones and since then so harrison ford i think as an actor i sort of defined different aspects of my life with the films I've watched and I've met most I've met all of the original Star Wars trilogy cast apart from Harrison Ford and I've met most of the stars of the original Indiana Jones trilogy but not Harrison Ford so if you're out there Harrison give me a call we'll see what we can do to help we'll send this to him yeah yeah yeah get him on the podcast I do think one of the Indiana Jones films Snake Pit though scarred me for life oh yeah Rage of the Lost Ark I don't do snakes not good spiders I'm fine with snakes not so good scarred me for life scarred me for life What's the best piece of feedback you've ever received?

6:17Pete Markey:So when I was at RSA, I was going to the exec, group exec every two months to share what we're doing in marketing. And I thought I was doing okay. And I asked for some feedback from one of those directors. And he basically said to me, Pete, you keep trying to persuade us you're a good marketing director. You need to show us you're a bigger leader. Best bit of advice. So, you know, you get to these exec levels. You do it because you're good at marketing. But what you need to deliver is bigger impact on the business outside of just marketing. One of the best bits of advice I've ever had. That's nice.

6:44But that chimes with stuff I talk to people about. This is collective leadership. You leave your job title at the door and you sit around that table as a whole.

6:51Pete Markey:Well, it's quite a learning. You're not sat in these exact meetings waiting for the marketing slots. Some people do. Well, they do. But you should be interested in HR, culture, IT, everything. And I feel you've got a voice on those things as well. Absolutely. I know. So I've had people say, oh, I can't speak. That's not my department. I'm like, what? Of course you can. No, you're a leader of the business. Often your opinion is the most important one. If you could swap lives with one person for a day, who are you choosing and why? I'd swap lives with David Hasselhoff. because he's an icon of TV.

7:17Pete Markey:So first of all, I'd get a car that has a red light on the front and talks to me. And I'd look great running in swimming trunks, whatever age I am, along a beach. So it would definitely, I'd be David Hasselhoff for the day. And you could sing. So you're musical probs now? Absolutely. I'd also have big hits in Germany, which he's had as well. So I'd be... He's sorted. It's a win-win. There you go. Very good choice. Was one item you always pack when travelling for work? Oh, I always pack a portable charger because I would be lost. It's funny, isn't it? It's like your life support machine. If your battery drains or you lose Wi-Fi, it feels like the world's coming to an end.

7:51Pete Markey:So without my portable charger, particularly if I'm travelling a lot at the minute, I'd be a bit lost. It's not a picture of your family or anything like that. No, no, no. They're great, but portable charger every time. Would you swap your Market of the Year awards to be an extra in a Star Wars film? 100%. I thought you might say that. If you could rename a roller coaster after your career, what would it be called? Call it Marky Magic, I think, as a terrible rollercoaster title, but it'd be Ride the Marky Magic. It'd probably be this lovely little boat with a magician in or something. But it's so, yeah, I'd love to design a rollercoaster.

8:25Pete Markey:I'd love to do that. Why not? Should do it, shouldn't I? Do it, that could be your next vehicle, rollercoaster designer. Okay, I'm going to do it. I'll hold you accountable. Okay, I'll do it. We'll get you back in 12 months and you can show your rollercoaster. I'll do it and we'll have thought of a better name by then as well. Was one trend in marketing you're glad is finally fading? Yeah, there was a bit of an anti sort of print thing for a while and everything had gone digital. And one of the things we found at Boots is print is still really effective. So we did door drops for things like getting people in for prescriptions through certain communities.

8:56Pete Markey:And the business does a loyalty mailing every quarter. It still worked really well. So it's interesting, isn't it? Because I don't know what you find. If I get a letter in the post, that's a special moment. It's like, God, someone has written to me. Yeah, which means handwriting. Oh, yeah. Yeah, so I do think there's something about, so I think there was a trend of sort of, it's all digital, nothing else. And I think for me, it's pulling back a bit to go, actually, some of the core tools are still effective. I think I put radio in that bracket. Power and global has done an amazing job. Radio is amazing.

9:25Pete Markey:It's digital, but it's partly what you used to know. So I think there's sort of these channels that are in resurgence for me are super exciting. When they once had a more negative press, now they're flying. You never know. Dungarees are making a comeback. I think written letters could. I think Rite-A-Less is great. Anything's possible. Anything's possible. It's a lost art, yeah, lost art. What's your favourite TV character? Oh, I think it would be, well, it goes back to the Hasselhoff bit. Michael Knight from Knight Rider, I think it's just that classic sort of, you know, standing for good and justice and, you know, he talks to his car all day.

9:56Pete Markey:So there's a lot to be said. Did you have a poster of him when you were a kid? I definitely read his comic strip when I was younger, but yeah, he's probably who I wanted to be. Influential of you, aren't you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love it. has had a i've met him i've met him a couple of times and he's had a big impact on my life actually there you go i like it yeah okay so last one are you ready okay can you quickly improv and create a fake product and pitch it to me musically in one sentence oh i i'll describe it i'll try and sing it but i would create the hover brush which should be a toothbrush that hovers about here and it just does it all for you and hovers around you and does everything unless you just stand there and take all the hard work out of it and just does everything, reaches all the bits that the dentist tells you to reach you can't reach yourself.

10:39Pete Markey:So yes. Now pitch it to me in a song. I'll say. Why should I use it? Hover brush. The one the dentist loves. That's brilliant. Okay, so hover brush. The one the dentist loves. Available in the stores for Christmas. Yay. I'm going to get one. That was the most courageous thing we've ever done. I've probably just given someone What a brilliant idea, innovation. It'll make someone millions. It won't make me millions. It was great. Well done. That was a lot of fun. That is your fast and the curious. Thank you so much. Thank you too.