- 04 / INSIGHTS

Notes from
the studio.

Articles
Cause & Effect

Most brands aren't taking their customers to the altar; they're buying love instead

Our co-founder Elfried Samba on why the marketing funnel only gets you to the altar, where attention is underpriced right now, and how to build brands people stay married to.

9 Aug 2026
Podcasts

Podcast

Sir Richard Harpin with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on how he built a £4.1bn business

Sir Richard Harpin, founder of HomeServe, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on how he built a £4.1bn business and what he now looks for when backing the next generation of founders.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Aug 2026

Podcast

Joe Martin with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba, recorded live at MAD//Fest

Recorded live at MAD//Fest, Joe Martin joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba for an unfiltered conversation on marketing, attention and building brands people actually care about.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Jul 2026

Podcast

Faris Aranki with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on IQ, EQ, FQ and why smart teams still fail

Faris Aranki joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on why intelligence alone does not deliver results, and how emotional and focus quotient decide whether smart teams actually succeed.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Jul 2026

Podcast

Josh Hart with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on AI, people and the future of work

Josh Hart joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explore how AI is reshaping the workplace, what it means for people, and where human judgement still wins.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Jul 2026

Podcast

Mark Tapscott and Daniel Davey with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on Britain's first EV sportscar

Mark Tapscott and Daniel Davey join Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to unpack the making of Britain's first electric sportscar, and what it takes to build a category-defining product at home.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Jun 2026

Podcast

James Watt with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on BrewDog, gut instinct and starting again

James Watt, founder of BrewDog, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on gut instinct, building a movement and finding the courage to start again.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Jun 2026

Podcast

Jamie Bartlett with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on AI, trust and the internet

Jamie Bartlett, author of How to Talk to AI, has spent 15 years investigating the strange corners of the internet. He joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explore how AI is reshaping trust, attention, and the future of influence.

The Bottleneck Podcast · May 2026

Podcast

Robbie Lyle with Elfried Samba on AFTV, Global Fan Network, and building a sports media empire

Robbie Lyle started AFTV with a borrowed camera, a borrowed mic, and a belief that football fans deserved to be heard. He joins Elfried Samba to unpack how he built one of the most influential fan media brands in the world.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Apr 2026

Podcast

Conny Kalcher with Rory Sutherland on customer loyalty, human connection and the LEGO playbook

Conny Kalcher, Chief Marketing Officer at Zurich, joins Rory Sutherland to explore why most companies get customer loyalty wrong, and what LEGO did differently.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Apr 2026

Podcast

Matt Pohlson with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on flatlining, £400M growth and the new charity model

What happens when you literally die and come back with a completely different view on business, risk, and what matters? Matt Pohlson joins the podcast to find out.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Mar 2026

Podcast

June Sarpong with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on culture, connection and creative longevity

What does it take to build a career that lasts three decades and stay curious enough to keep reinventing it? June Sarpong joins Rory and Elfried to explore culture, connection, and the long game.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Mar 2026

Podcast

Ellie Norman with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on finding fans and making them stay

Ellie Norman, Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E and former Chief Communications Officer at Manchester United, joins the podcast to talk about what it really means to build a fanbase.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Feb 2026

Podcast

Eliza Filby with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on the Bank of Mum and Dad and the new generational economy

Dr. Eliza Filby, historian and author, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to examine why inheritance now matters more than ever, and what it means for brands, employers, and society.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Feb 2026

Podcast

Oscar Ryndziewicz with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on DFYNE's record-breaking growth and hiring

Oscar Ryndziewicz, founder of DFYNE, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to unpack the decisions behind one of fitness apparel's fastest-growing brands.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Jan 2026

Podcast

Clarke Ching with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on bottlenecks, leadership and getting unstuck

Clarke Ching, author of The Bottleneck Detective, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to unpack why progress stalls and how the right constraint can unlock everything.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Jan 2026

Podcast

Ama Amo-Agyei with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on founders and the cost of scale

Ama Amo-Agyei scaled Plantmade from £100 to £13m and discovered that success changes the rules faster than you can learn them.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Dec 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Lottie Whyte on founder focus and knowing your customer

Growth stalls when founders lose focus. Lottie Whyte, founder of MyoMaster, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explore what it takes to stay sharp while scaling.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Dec 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Nicholas Gruen on why systems break and how to fix them

This episode discusses the toxic nature of modern politics. Economist Nicholas Gruen joins Rory and Elfried to talk about why systems break and how to fix them.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Nov 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Jess Butcher MBE on the age of distraction

This episode of The Bottleneck Podcast explores how our digital world has turned attention into the ultimate commodity.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Nov 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Ben Francis on building a billion dollar brand

This episode explores what it really takes to build a billion-dollar brand. Ben Francis MBE, founder of Gymshark, joins Rory and Elfried.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Nov 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Max Osborne on marketing's next wave

This episode dives into the uneasy relationship between creativity and data in modern marketing.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Oct 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Timothy Armoo on the future for influencers

This episode explores the future of influence, who really holds it, how it is shifting, and what that means for brands.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Oct 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Jordan Schwarzenberger on Scaling the Sidemen

This episode explores how creators turn audiences into real businesses and why many media companies are struggling to keep up.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Sep 2025

Podcast

Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Krish Ramineni on whether you can trust AI

Elfried and Rory tackle a defining challenge: convincing people that AI meeting software is not a spy in the room.

The Bottleneck Podcast · Sep 2025

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