In this episode of The Data Malarkey Podcast, host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, talks with Darryl Sparey, Managing Director and Co-Founder of UK-based PR agency, Hard Numbers. A seasoned expert in communications and marketing measurement, Darryl breaks down what it really means to use data effectively in PR, how vanity metrics mislead, and why storytelling still reigns supreme.

From launching award-winning campaigns to championing smarter KPIs, Darryl brings sharp insight and plenty of playful Data Malarkey to the mic.

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

🔍 Topics in this episode include:

• The rise of data-led storytelling in earned media communications and PR

• Vanity metrics vs. genuine business impact

• Lessons learned from building Hard Numbers

• What PR measurement too often gets wrong
  
  

🎯 This episode is a must-listen for marketers, comms professionals, and curious media data analysts analysts alike.

In this episode of The Data Malarkey Podcast, host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, is joined by Christine Rosen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the 2025 book, The Extinction of Experience. They dig into what happens when real-world, face-to-face experiences are replaced by screens and algorithms.

Christine shares her unique journey from a bassoon scholarship to intellectual thought leadership, how teaching aikido shapes her thinking, and how she sees technology reshaping human behavior - for better and worse. With insight, wit, and depth, Christine challenges us to reconsider what we lose when digital convenience becomes the norm.

🔍 Topics include:

• Why boredom, handwriting, and walking matter
  
  

• What the "extinction of experience" means
  
  

• AI, screen time, and our increasingly mediated lives
  
  

• Martial arts, musical instruments, and embodied attention
  
  

• The pandemic’s role in accelerating mediation

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

🧠 This one’s for anyone curious about reclaiming a genuinely human presence in an over-mediated world.

In this episode of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter – Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, talks to Chris Summerfield, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. Chris shares insights into what makes human intelligence so remarkable, how AI models are both fundamentally different from AND similar to human brains, and why understanding cognitive science is critical for building better AI. They explore the future of AI-human collaboration, discuss Chris’ long experience at DeepMind, and consider why prediction sits at the core of both artificial and human intelligence.

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

What you'll learn:

• Why AI models both AND aren't like human brains

• How DeepMind trained AlphaGo to beat the Go world champion, Lee Sedol

• What cognitive science can teach AI research

• Why prediction is central to intelligence

• The benefits and limitations of current large language models

Resources mentioned:

• Chris Summerfield’s University of Oxford ‘Human Information Processing’ lab

• These Strange New Minds – Chris’s compelling 2025 book

• Chris’ personal webpage

• DeepMind and the AlphaGo documentary

Want to learn more? Check out the links in the show notes and subscribe for more episodes.

In this compelling episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, welcomes Caitlyn Looby - scientist, journalist, and Great Lakes reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. From conducting soil microbe research in tropical cloud forests to demystifying scientific communication for the public, Caitlyn’s career bridges hard science and human stories. This episode explores her journey, the importance of accessible science, and how local storytelling builds trust.

What you'll learn:

• How Caitlyn transitioned from academia to journalism

• The hidden world of tropical montane cloud forests and their vulnerability to climate change

• Why scientists must learn to ditch the jargon

• The role of storytelling in building public trust in science

• Caitlyn's three golden rules for science communication

Resources mentioned:

• Caitlyn Looby’s article in the Royal Society of Arts Journal: Trust in Science

• Caitlyn’s TEDx talk: Building Public Trust in Science at TEDxOshkosh

Stay tuned for more enlightening episodes of Data Malarkey - the podcast about using data, smarter.

In this lively episode of Data Malarkey, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, is joined by Mark Bonner, Director of Football at Cambridge United. From academy coach to leading the club to shock cup victories, Bonner's football journey is anything but typical. Together, they explore the evolving role of data in football, the emotional highs and lows of managing a club, and what it really means to find balance between intuition and insight. Pep Guardiola's wild celebrations and Carlo Ancelotti's stoic eyebrow also make cameo appearances.

What you'll learn:

• How Mark Bonner's career evolved from grassroots to head coach and back to Director of Football at Cambridge United

• The role of data and analytics in modern football decision-making

• Why balance between emotional intelligence and cold, hard stats is crucial

• Behind-the-scenes realities of coaching, scouting, and club leadership

Resources mentioned:

• Cambridge United FC

• Mark Bonner on X

• Mark Bonner on Instagram

• Mark Bonner on LinkedIn

Want to learn more about Mark Bonner or Cambridge United? Check out the links in the show notes. And remember to subscribe for more episodes of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter; where numbers meet nuance.

Recorded live at the DataComms 2025 conference in London, this very special episode of the Data Malarkey Podcast features Nick Ratcliffe, Customer Experience Director at Volkswagen Group UK. Host and master data storyteller, Sam Knowles, delves into how Nick and his team wield data to enhance customer experience, transform brand desirability, and prepare for the automotive industry’s electric future. With a career spanning leadership roles at BT, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, Nick shares his evidence-based approach to marketing, the importance (and scarcity) of genuine insight, and a few personal stories from his eclectic selection of hobbies.

What You'll Learn:
• How VW Group UK uses data to be ever-more customer-centric
• Why insight is more than just data - it's about action
• The impact of behavioural economics and marketing science
• Nick’s view on the future of automotive CX in the EV era
• How storytelling and science intersect in successful marketing

Resources Mentioned:

• Volkswagen Group UK

• Nick Ratcliffe on LinkedIn

• Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard

Make sure to like and subscribe for more episodes.

We’ve reached 51 episodes and wrapped Season 7 of Data Malarkey! In this greatest hits episode, host Sam Knowles shares the most powerful moments from a season packed with insights—from AI ethics to data puppets, from psychology and kindness to practical business transformation.

Revisit brilliant guests like Sylvie Delacroix, Julie Holmes, Cecilia Dones, Robin Banerjee, Adam Davidson, and Scott Taylor, all of whom shared their real-world, often surprising, insights on how to use data smarter.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to rethink AI through the lens of humility and uncertainty
  
  

• The ethics of online trust and virtual relationships
  
  

• Why businesses need to upgrade soft skills, not just systems
  
  

• The power of kindness in society and psychology
  
  

• How satire and puppets explain data better than PowerPoint ever could
  
  

Special Mentions:

• Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard
  
  

• Guest Application Form
  
  

• Subscribe on YouTube: Data Malarkey
  
  

🧠 "Best of AI & Empathy"
or
📊 "Greatest Hits: Data Gets Human"

In this energising episode of the Data Malarkey Podcast, Master Data Storyteller Sam Knowles speaks with Julie Holmes, entrepreneur, inventor, and AI advisor. Julie shares her insights into how businesses can make AI work with their people – not instead of them. She dives into creative automation, ethical AI, and the dangers of dabbling without direction.

From her practical UPGRADE Framework to her “intern not genius” approach to creating effective prompts for LLMs, Julie delivers a candid, actionable masterclass on the human side of AI.

What You'll Learn:

• Why AI should be seen as an intern – not a threat.

• How to scale creativity and automation.

• What most businesses get wrong about AI readiness.

• The ethical responsibilities we must now embrace.

• How to build smarter prompts that actually deliver results.
  
  

Resources Mentioned:

• Julie Holmes’ website: https://www.julieholmes.com
  
  

• Julie’s AI readiness assessment for businesses: https://julieholmes.com/ai-readiness-assessment-2025/

• The AI prompt library and archive https://julieholmes.com/prompt/

• Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com
  
  

• The Insight Agents’ website – Sam Knowles’ business, including the archive of Data Malarkey podcast episodes: https://insightagents.co.uk

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