"Now, today is a first for data malarkey… This is the very first time that we've had two guests on the same episode. Not only two guests, but also a dynamic feminist wife and husband duo…"

In this episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Karen and Charlie Dobres from Lewes Community Football Club about how Lewes became "the first and still the only club in the world" to equalise men's and women's playing budgets, and what it takes to shift culture, attention, sponsorship and long-term equity in football.

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

External resources

• Karen's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-dobres-07a54b176/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karendobres/?hl=en: "I'm best found on Instagram or LinkedIn."

• Charlie's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliedobres/

• Karen's book - B/Pitch Invasion - https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/karen-dobres/pitch-invasion/9781788405881/

• : "I'm definitely best found on LinkedIn."

• Charlie's "If you look on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, look up "Not Small Mean."podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/4UsJkXfQQz2Og0IXBQAgYn?si=da6dd926f74e48c9

• Own a share in Lewes FC - https://lewesfc.com/become-an-owner/

• Equality FC in practice - https://lewesfc.com/football-for-good/equality-fc/

What if the biggest growth lever for brands in 2026 isn't media spend, targeting tweaks, or yet another funnel experiment … but inclusive marketing?

In this episode of the Data Malarkey Podcast, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, is joined by Ali Hanan, Founder & CEO of Creative Equals, to unpack the data-driven business case for meaningful representation in advertising — what Ali calls the "Return on Inclusion."

This is a conversation about marketing effectiveness, advertising effectiveness, brand growth strategy, representation vs positive portrayal, and how brands can do marketing for good and for growth without falling into performative box-ticking.

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

• What "Return On Inclusion" means, and how to think about it as a measurable commercial strategy

• Why representation alone isn't enough — and how positive portrayal changes outcomes

• How underrepresented audiences translate into real market opportunity (and why brands miss it)

• How to handle the "woke" backlash by reframing inclusion through human rights and equal treatment

• What AI changes in creative development — and how to avoid a "sea of sameness"

• Why marketing effectiveness awards and case studies increasingly link inclusion to profit and growth

00:00 Cold open + the growth provocation
00:39 Intro + Ali Hannon / Creative Equals
05:41 The core data case for inclusion
10:15 "the UK ad sector… holding the growth… back"
14:40 Positive portrayal explained
20:04 The "£800 billion" underrepresented communities point
21:13 Scorecard CTA
29:02 Human rights framing
33:06 AI, bias, and inclusive prompting
41:47 "saving 312 lives" (community impact example)
48:09 Where to find Ali / Creative Equals

Website — https://creativeequals.org
Ali's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-hanan-19b3a2

UN Stereotype Alliance
Effie Awards + Cannes Lions (effectiveness / inclusion lens)
PepsiCo / Walkers case study
Nurofen "gender pain gap" case study
Book: Sex Matters

What happens when the business model of the internet rewards attention at any cost - and AI makes it even easier to centralise power, traffic, and revenue?

In this episode of the Data Malarkey Podcast, host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, is joined by Harriet Kingaby, Co-Chair of the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN). Harriet explores how advertising incentives shape the information ecosystem, why "information integrity" matters for democracy and business, and what conscious advertisers should be asking before they partner with platforms.

This is a conversation about digital trust, algorithmic discrimination, recommendation algorithms, AI search summaries, the "no-click internet", data privacy, and why transparency in advertising is foundational if we want healthier online systems.

Key topics

• Conscious advertising and advertising ethics

• Information integrity and transparent advertising

• AI in advertising and AI-driven search summaries

• Recommendation algorithms and algorithmic discrimination

• Online harms, self-harm content, and monetisation incentives

• The "no-click internet" and the death of the open web

• UN Global Principles on Information Integrity

• Facial recognition and surveillance risks in advertising and the home

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

What you'll learn

• Why Harriet thinks the incentives behind online platforms can produce unhealthy outcomes

• How CAN works as a "broad church" bringing together industry and civil society

• What "information integrity" means in practice - and why advertising transparency is central

• How discrimination can show up through recommendation systems and reach

• Why the "no-click internet" could reshape publishing, revenue, and independent content

• The kinds of questions advertisers should ask when partnering with platforms and AI tools

• A striking example of data misuse: facial recognition embedded in TV sets for ad targeting

External resources

• LinkedIn: Harriet Kingaby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hkingaby/

• Conscious Advertising Network - https://www.consciousadnetwork.com

• CAN's Guiding Principles - https://www.consciousadnetwork.com/the-guidingprincipleslandingpage/

• UN Global Principles on Information Integrity https://www.un.org/en/information-integrity/global-principles

• The EU Digital Services Act - https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act

• The Molly Rose Foundation report - https://mollyrosefoundation.org/

• Cambridge Analytica scandal - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c81zyn0888lt