Cause-led marketing could backfire on brands but it’s marketers who are responsible for pushing it too far
Helen EdwardsThe political activists targeting Gail’s have taken a leaf out of modern marketing’s book.
System 1 and System 2 aren’t in competition – they are equal partners
Tim HoskinsIn an excerpt from their book, Tim Hoskins and Brett Townsend explore the development of qual research and why it shouldn’t be a choice between System 1 and System 2.
Karl Lagerfeld’s personal legacy isn’t matched by his brand
Mark RitsonKarl Lagerfeld is an oddly low-rent brand that belies the designer’s influence, perhaps because he earned his reputation in service of much bigger brands.
It’s possible to turn restructures from cost-saving crisis to strategic advantage
Secret MarketerRestructuring shouldn’t always be seen as a negative – it can be used as an opportunity to address fundamental issues and reset the position of marketing in the organisation.
Three steps to thinking more like a behavioural scientist
Dan BennettIn the first of a new series, Ogilvy UK’s Dan Bennett shares his first three secrets to thinking like a behavioural scientist, from keeping context top of mind to not always doing what the customer wants.
Ad hoc use of genAI won’t deliver strategic benefits
Ben DavisMarketers and sales execs blithely experimenting with genAI risk repeating CRM mistakes of the past, where companies lost potentially valuable data capture opportunities.
Want a brand fit for the future? Understand its past
Mark RitsonUnderstanding your brand’s history and heritage is essential to successful brand management. Take your cue from your Latin marketing peers and respect the past in order to build for the future.
Challenger brands are beating Olympic sponsors at their own game
Helen JamesWith the right athlete tie-up and creative content strategy, smaller brands are punching above their weight to stand out amongst high profile official sponsors.
B2B marketing’s job is to make it easier for the buying group to agree
David van SchaickB2B purchases are made by groups of ‘target’ and ‘hidden’ buyers. Brands need to be known by all of them, and suited to the context in which they make their decisions.
Often the best ideas come while relaxing on an inflatable watermelon
Johnny CorbettThree things to remember as you go on holiday this year, but most of all, how important it is to take a break from it all now and again.
Why commission new research when you are already sitting on a treasure trove of insights?
Helen EdwardsMarketing’s most overlooked asset is the data already sitting in research studies, so take time to dig them out and review what you already know.
Marketers can unlock budget by being finance friendly
Jonathan KnowlesUnderstanding the six ways in which financial value is created can help marketers unlock bigger budgets.
Nine steps to making your media budget work as hard as it can
Andrew GeogheganHow you spend the biggest part of your marketing budget depends on your brand and audience, but there are a few things all brands should pay attention to.
Liquid Death’s fame shows how badly marketers neglect product
Mark RitsonIt’s typical that marketers fawn over a brand built through promotion and packaging, when they ought to focus on their role in improving the thing they sell.
Brand purpose doesn’t require a commercial excuse
Mark RitsonData shows ads with LGBTQ+ representation perform the same as those without, which means brands can be inclusive just because it’s the right thing to do.
The era of price-led profit growth is coming to an end
Mark RitsonWith inflation falling, brands that have used clever pricing to drive profits will need more restraint to avoid new entrants undercutting them at lower margins.
Great political slogans leave something to the imagination
Helen EdwardsIt’s difficult to boil down broad issues into a few words, but the best slogans offer promise while letting the public form their own interpretation.
Don’t let collaboration turn to confusion
Helen EdwardsWhile many are in favour of collaboration and consensus over command and control when it comes to leadership, there are some serious watch-outs to consider.
It’s time to break down your brand and build it back up
Helen EdwardsFollow British Airways’ example: for every new ad you make, identify at least one customer experience improvement to go with it.
B2B companies finally understand the importance of brand
Peter WeinbergThe moment is approaching when B2B brands realise they need to invest more in brand than performance. Just look at these examples for inspiration.
AI has the power to change B2B market research forever
Peter WeinbergMany are talking of the ways AI will rip up the rulebook on creativity, but for B2B the biggest disruption AI will cause is to diagnosis.
The 99:1 rule: How to invest in a recession
Peter WeinbergFor B2B firms, investing in brand marketing is the best bet in good times, and it’s an even better bet in bad times when the pool of current buyers shrinks from 5% to 1%.
Think of your media mix like ‘Moneyball’ if you want to find success
Grace KiteMarketers who ignore media channels with high ROI but little buzz could be doing themselves – and their function – a disservice.
The great day of third-party cookie anger has come and who can stand upright?
Grace KiteSee the cookie apocalypse as an opportunity to ditch flawed forms of measurement in a quest for greater accuracy.
The idea is the bullet, data is the gun
Grace KiteIdeas generation is a job for people, not data. But when data is paired with good ideas it can be powerful.
Political parties have got to do more to engage female voters
Helen JamesYes, Labour won the election, but there is much more the party could have done to engage and mobilise female voters, something it will need to address in future.
Brands need to wake up to the true value of women’s sport
Helen JamesDespite all the noise brands are making around women’s sport, too few are putting their money where their mouth is and really backing female athletes and teams.
We mustn’t let the seductive siren call of AI lure the industry back in time
Helen JamesWork must be done to clean up the bias in data that is fed into many AI tools or the industry risks going backwards.
The Bear is more than a good TV show – it hides some behavioural science truths too
Richard ShottonResearch into customer service shows that ending on a positive note matters more than the experience overall – and is something marketers should consider when tailoring their customer journey.
Social proof and scarcity helped Monzo soar to success
Richard ShottonFrom the choice of hot coral for its visual identity to the decision to limit access at launch, tapping into behavioural science has helped Monzo attain profitability.
Don’t just target an audience, target their mood
Richard ShottonWhen people feel positive, they are positive about advertising, so brands should be targeting – or, better yet, creating – moments of happiness and relaxation.
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