Jon Evans Turns the Mic on Himself in Episode 151 of Uncensored CMO

By Jon Evans

In a memorable turn for a show built on frank conversation, Jon Evans became the subject rather than the host. In Episode 151 of Uncensored CMO, published to the podcast's YouTube channel in…

In a memorable turn for a show built on frank conversation, Jon Evans became the subject rather than the host. In Episode 151 of Uncensored CMO, published to the podcast's YouTube channel in September 2024, Jon handed the interviewer's chair to guest host Antonia Wade, CMO of PwC, and answered the kind of questions he usually puts to others.

The episode traces Jon's path from tax intern to the creator and host of one of marketing's most listened-to podcasts. Along the way, Wade draws out the moments that shaped him, including his time at Lucozade and the lessons he has taken from producing 150 episodes of the show. It is a rare full-length look at the person behind a series that has, since its launch in 2019, published more than 200 episodes and reached listeners in over 150 countries.

Jon has been candid about the setbacks that inform his perspective. He has described having 'known epic failure' and being fired twice in a single year, experiences he draws on openly rather than smoothing over. That willingness to talk plainly about difficult chapters is part of what has given Uncensored CMO its distinctive voice, and Episode 151 puts it on full display as Jon reflects on his own career with the same directness he asks of his guests.

The self-interview also captures the ideas that run through Jon's work. He argues that emotion in advertising is directly correlated with profit, and he encourages brands to bring more feeling into their campaigns. His experience across brands including Britvic, Suntory's Lucozade and later System1 gives that view a practical grounding, and the conversation with Wade connects those ideas back to the milestones that produced them.

Episode 151 stands as both a retrospective and a statement of intent. Jon's stated vision is 'to create the world's most influential marketing media that will inspire a generation of marketers to reach the top.' Sitting on the other side of his own microphone, he offers listeners a clear sense of the person and the purpose driving that ambition.