Golf has traditionally been known as an elitist sport — reserved for the monied, the retired, and those already “in the club.” But Manors Golf is changing that one campaign at a time. In this episode, Viren is joined by Alex Ames, Marketing Director at Manors Golf, for a deep dive into how the brand has become one of the most exciting challenger brands in sport. Alex unpacks the evolution of Manors from a small rebrand project into a culture-shaping golf label redefining what the sport feels like for a new generation. He explains the brand’s foundational belief, “golf is not a sport to be mastered, but a game to be explored.” This insight informed everything from their positioning to their product philosophy. In the early days of the brand’s launch, the team realised attention was their true currency, and how a lean creative team with a filmmaking background built some of the most talked-about campaigns in golf. Alex breaks down Manors’ content machine, from Monday forensic reviews to Thursday “punch-up” idea battles, and how the brand blends cinematic storytelling with viral-first hooks that stop people mid-scroll. From blowing up a golf cart with Reebok to climbing mountains for the Foul Weather Collection, to building a community that includes everyday golfers and football legends in the same tee time, this episode reveals how Manors is reshaping golf culture through story, craft, authenticity, and creative discipline.

YETI turned a simple cooler into a mainstream cultural icon. What started as a rugged, no-nonsense piece of gear for hunters and anglers has evolved into a global outdoor powerhouse built on one promise: equipment that lasts forever. Their claim to fame isn’t just premium products; it is the communities that swear by them. Bill Neff, Head of Marketing of YETI, joins Eric live from the ANA Global Day of Learning to unpack how YETI became a mainstream brand without a mainstream media budget. Bill breaks down the company’s “breadth & depth” model, why third-party advocacy beats first-party hype for premium positioning, and how structuring marketing around communities (not channels) powers word-of-mouth at scale. This is a masterclass in building lasting brands through intimacy, relevance, and relationships.

Born from a surfer’s epiphany in the cold, gritty waters of Cornwall, Finisterre set out to challenge glossy surf tropes by building an ocean-first outdoor brand rooted in place and purpose. In this episode, Bronwen Foster-Butler, CMO of Finisterre, joins Eric to unpack how a niche, cold-water surf brand, can scale when you “create through community, not for it.” Drawing on her time at Lululemon’s turnaround (“one customer at a time”), Bronwen breaks down the challenger playbook: show up where communities already gather (from Kendal Mountain Festival to film circuits), treat stores and ambassadors as your listening engine, and protect top-of-funnel even when budgets are tight. The result is stronger acquisition and a higher customer lifetime value from purpose-led programming. Bronwen shows how place, purpose, and disciplined community become a profitable growth system, proving you can scale a challenger brand without sanding off what makes it special.

There are 1.6 million cases supported and about 55,000 customer support conversations per week, handled by Salesforce’s AI agents - this sets the stage for this episode with stage for this chat with Ariel Kelman, President & CMO at Salesforce. Ariel walks us through how Salesforce is building the agentic enterprise, where AI agents (Agentforce) work alongside humans across sales, service, and marketing. The real magic, he says, isn’t just the AI, but it’s data readiness with Data Cloud so the agents actually know your customers and context. We get into Salesforce’s Customer Zero mindset (use your own product first) and why modern marketing wins on education over persuasion. The secret plug - Arial shares lessons from dogfooding that enabled 700k+ website conversations and approximately 14k formerly ignored leads followed up every week. With all the buzz around AI, Ariel reckons that the biggest risk is getting left behind as a marketer. As CMOs question how to keep up with the pace of change, especially around AI, Ariel’s answer is to be in the arena: use the tools, test them internally, and find real use cases fast.

For every bottle sold, Ocean Bottle funds the collection of 1,000 plastic bottles in weight, supporting plastic collection projects around the world. In this episode, Will Pearson, Co-Founder of Ocean Bottle, joins Eric to share how the company has grown from a small Kickstarter campaign into a global brand. Ocean Bottle has collected over 20 million kilos of plastic, the equivalent of 2 billion bottles. Will discusses how a lean marketing team can punch far above its weight, and why, in the water category, the hydration experience itself is the ultimate sustainability strategy. From Ed Sheeran’s tour to collaborations with The North Face, he unpacks how B2B partnerships have become a powerful growth engine for purpose-led challenger brands, proving that purpose and performance can flow in the same direction.

Barclays is more than 330 years old, but its US business is adopting a challenger brand mindset. In this episode, Lili Tomovich, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer of Barclays US Consumer Bank, shares how she brought lessons from the hospitality and entertainment industry into financial services. As the former Chief Experience Officer at MGM Resorts, she reveals why every Tuesday her executive team at Barclays listens to real customer calls. She explains how her “make it better” mantra, which focuses on improving customer experience regardless of the department, became an internal rallying cry, and why balancing AI efficiency with human connection is critical for the future of banking. For anyone interested in customer experience, marketing transformation, or leadership in legacy organizations, this is a must-listen.

Restaurant Brands International (RBI) owns four of the world’s most recognizable quick-service labels - Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs, spanning 32,000+ EMEA restaurants. In this episode, Daniel Blumer, CMO for EMEA, reveals how a former ops & franchising leader rewired marketing to treat each store as its own “culture lab”.

This week, it's a Scratch special. Fresh off The Croissette at Cannes 2025, Baby Eric and Baby Jenna join us to share their key takeaways from the most talked-about event in all of marketing and advertising. And yes, we said Baby Eric and Baby Jenna. All courtesy of AI, of course. But do expect serious, insightful, sometimes rogue thoughts and opinions, as usual, from the Rival team, all about what CMOs need to know from Cannes this year.

Peanut is the fast-growing social network guiding women through fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause. In this live Scratch episode, we sit down with Phoebe Corcoran, Brand & Communications Lead at Peanut to discuss how a two-person marketing team turns customer insight into culturally powerful work - from the #ForcedSmiles statue takeover to the viral #InvisibleMothers campaign. Learn how Peanut balances data and creative “gut”, fires on different channels for launch day, and keeps 5 million women engaged while running on start-up budgets.

PetSafe is the biggest pet brand you’ve never heard of—until now. Molly Landman, the company’s first-ever CMO, explains how a 30-year-old business built on invisible-fence tech is re-engineering its brand, roadmap, and P&L to stay #1 on Amazon, Chewy, and in pet-specialty stores. From riding competitors’ ad spend to micro-targeting “posh pet parents,” Molly breaks down how to grow when your category turns negative and budgets tighten. If you market in crowded, copy-heavy spaces, this conversation is your new playbook.

We’re joined by Nicole Parlapiano, CMO of Tubi, who walks us through her private-equity-to-marketing journey and the brand-first strategy behind Tubi’s 250 K-title “rabbit-hole” library. She explains why micro-cultures beat monoculture, how social doubles as a live focus group, and how constraint-led creativity—think the Super Bowl “rogue remote” ad—lets a challenger streamer outshine the giants.

Building a snack brand in a $140 billion chocolate industry sounds impossible - unless you’re Jake Karls, co-founder of Midday Squares. In this episode, Jake reveals how a condo-kitchen startup used a reality-show content strategy, broke Costco’s 10-year sales record, and turned shoppers into superfans. From leveraging LinkedIn for B2B wins to balancing creativity with data, Jake explains why unapologetic authenticity and community-first storytelling are the ultimate challenger advantages. If you’re curious about scaling media-first marketing - or just love a David-vs-Goliath story - press play.

Polestar isn’t just another electric‑car startup—it’s a design‑driven challenger taking on a $785Bn global EV market. In this episode, Åsa Borg, Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer of Polestar, explains how building an in‑house agency, embracing radical transparency, and balancing 60/40 brand‑vs‑performance spend helped the Scandinavian brand grow across 27 markets. From running a “Silence in a Loud World” Super Bowl spot to launching SUV models 3 and 4, Åsa details why focusing on sustainability is table stakes—yet never the only selling point. If you want to learn how to scale a purpose‑led brand without diluting its DNA, this is your playbook.

For 89 years, Consumer Reports has guided Americans on what to buy—and held manufacturers accountable for producing unsafe or unreliable products. But how does a legacy nonprofit thrive in a digital-first, AI-disrupted era? In this episode, Khalid El Khatib (CMO of Consumer Reports) reveals how he’s blending product-led thinking and community-centric marketing to captivate multiple generations of consumers. From building an “Ask CR” chatbot to forging an intergenerational brand story, Khalid shares why trust might just be America’s most vital currency, and how Consumer Reports plans to keep earning it.

Oddbox doesn’t just deliver produce—it rescues it from landfill. In this episode, Gastón Tourn, Chief Growth Officer of Oddbox, explains how their mission to save “imperfect” fruits and vegetables goes far beyond novelty. Gastón shares why true marketing innovation requires blending Hemingway-caliber storytelling with deep customer empathy. He also reveals the practical ways he stays close to Oddbox’s community—through personal outreach, user interviews, and even open invitations to watch how people cook at home. If you think “storytelling” is just jargon, Gastón’s approach will change your mind—and maybe even what’s in your fridge.

In this episode, Fabio Tambosi, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), takes us into the fast-paced world of esports and gaming. With a background in iconic sports brands (Nike, Adidas, Saucony), Fabio shares how 3.2B gamers worldwide are rewriting the rules of modern marketing. From his early days chasing a professional soccer dream to leading the world’s biggest esports platform, Fabio reveals why a “community-first” mindset and unlearning old habits are key to delivering campaigns that really connect. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to harness the power of authentic engagement—whether you’re in esports or any industry ready for change.

For 10 years, Light has been quietly revolutionizing the smartphone market by offering a radically simple alternative: a phone that helps you spend less time on it. In this episode, Kaiwei Tang, CEO & Co-Founder of Light, shares how they built a cult following in a hyper-competitive $500B+ industry—without relying on paid ads or data-driven monetization. By stripping away social media, endless apps, and constant notifications, Light’s devices aim to return users’ time, mental health, and real-life connections. Whether you’re curious about “digital detox” or simply crave a healthier relationship with technology, this conversation shows how a lean, mission-driven brand can stand out and thrive.

Is America finally becoming a “soccer nation”? In this episode, Radhika Duggal, CMO of Major League Soccer (MLS), shares why she believes the answer is a resounding yes. Building off the momentum of household names like Messi and a league that’s grown from 10 teams to 30 clubs, Radhika reveals her playbook for harnessing top-of-funnel awareness and turning casual viewers into passionate, lifelong fans. Listen in as she talks data-driven marketing, the power of community, and how MLS is contributing to the global rise of U.S. soccer.

Standard Bank is 162 years old and Africa’s largest financial institution, but it’s not resting on its laurels. In this episode, Diana Springer, Group Head of Brand & Marketing, shares how her team balances heritage and innovation to keep Standard Bank relevant—and even a bit “challenger”—across 20+ markets. Diana dives into the power of emotive storytelling in a category often dominated by function and explains why “making the familiar strange” might be banking’s best path to creativity. From internal matrix structures to dealing with fintech threats, this conversation reveals what it takes for a legacy brand to remain fresh, trusted, and ready for the future of finance.

It’s not every day you hear about a 50-year-old bank still thinking like a scrappy startup! In this episode, Abey Mokgwatsane, CMO of Investec, reveals how an “out-of-the-ordinary” service ethos and consistent brand storytelling keep them at the forefront of private banking. Abey also shares his principle of “making the complex simple and the simple exciting”—a mindset fueling Investec’s growth and inspiring a fresh perspective in financial services. Whether you’re curious about adopting a challenger strategy or simply interested in how a long-standing institution stays agile, this conversation is a must-listen.