Kieron Goldsborough - Managing Director, Different Narrative
What first attracted you to a career in marketing and communications?
It probably wasn’t marketing that attracted me in the first place. Growing up, I was equally interested in art and rugby. I loved creating things, but I also enjoyed being part of a team and working towards a common goal. I studied art before starting my career in newspaper production, then moved into agencies.
Newspapers taught me something that’s stayed with me ever since: you can’t stand still. They were brilliant environments to learn in – fast-paced, collaborative and deadline-driven – but they also showed what happens when an industry struggles to adapt. That’s shaped how I’ve tried to build Different Narrative. We never assume the way we’ve always done something is the way it should always be done.
What does your role involve today?
People often think agency life is all about campaigns and creative ideas, but most of my job is asking questions.
One of the first questions I ask any client is, “Why are you doing marketing?” It sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how often businesses jump straight to tactics. “We need to be on TikTok.” “We need to use AI.” My response is always the same: why?
Once you understand what success looks like, the right marketing approach usually becomes much clearer.
What achievement are you most proud of?
The team we’ve built.
Someone once told me, “Don’t hire rockstars,” and it’s probably the best business advice I’ve ever received. Skills can be developed, but attitude, curiosity and generosity are much harder to teach.
We’ve built a culture where people genuinely enjoy solving problems together, challenge each other’s thinking and care about the work they’re producing. Clients don’t just benefit from one person’s ideas – they benefit from the collective thinking of the whole team.
Launching our All In partnership model last year was another milestone. It grew directly from conversations with clients who wanted ongoing strategic support without the stop-start nature of traditional agency relationships. ‘All In’ clients have unlimited access to our team – and typically save up to 20% on their monthly agency costs. It’s a simpler way of working and, importantly, it allows us to spend more time helping clients solve problems rather than writing proposals.
How has the industry changed?
Technology has transformed marketing, but I think we’ve become a little obsessed with activity. There’s more data than ever before, more platforms and now readily accessible AI, but none of those things replace good judgement. In fact, they make it more important.
What are you working on at the moment?
Alongside Different Narrative, we’re developing Marketing Engine, our proprietary marketing attribution platform.
We didn’t build it because we wanted to become a software company. We built it because clients kept asking sensible questions that the industry wasn’t answering particularly well. They had plenty of reports but struggled to understand what was genuinely driving results or where to invest next.
Rather than accept that, we decided to solve the problem ourselves. It’s been an exciting challenge because it combines technology with the strategic thinking that’s always been at the heart of what we do.
We’re testing at the moment but will take to full commercial launch later this year.
What’s next for Different Narrative?
We’ll keep evolving.
That doesn’t necessarily mean becoming bigger. It means becoming better. We’ll continue developing All In, investing in Marketing Engine and finding better ways to support clients as their challenges change.
If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that businesses don’t succeed by repeating what worked yesterday. They succeed by staying curious, being willing to challenge assumptions and never losing sight of why they’re doing something in the first place.
How do you switch off outside work?
Running helps me clear my head, and I enjoy cooking because it’s one of the few things where you’re completely focused on the moment. Most importantly, I love spending time with my family.
Ironically, some of the best ideas arrive when I’m doing those things. Sometimes stepping away from work is the best way to see it more clearly.
differentnarrative.com