Don’t just address compliance as part of your marketing strategy – embrace it

Session When it comes to marketing, trust is sometimes considered something of a dirty word. Pre-GDPR, it was almost laughable. Yes, you can trust us not to hawk your data to any Tom, Dick or Harry going. You can also trust us that our product does exactly what we say it does, and that you won't get a few bills down the line because you neglected to read the small print.

The wheels are in motion for those who blatantly transgress, though the cogs can take a while to whirr. For the...

11 September 2020 | Attribution

Why digital accessibility is now essential in the pandemic era

In a matter of weeks, Covid-19 achieved what years of lobbying and education had not - convincing organisations of the importance of making sure digital assets - like websites, emails and mobile apps - are easy to use and simple to navigate.

With the sudden upswing in digital demand and the almost overnight disappearance of physical interactions - it’s become clear how someone who cannot leave their home is forced to rely on digital channels, and how frustrating it is for them...

14 August 2020 | Best Practice

Consumers who rely on social media for news are less informed. Where do we go from here?

Opinion A major new study from Pew Research has found US adults who predominantly get their political news from social media are less likely than other consumers to closely follow major news stories. But what is underpinning this?

The study, which analysed surveys conducted between October 2019 and June 2020, argued that US adults who rely most on social media for news tend to be younger, are less likely to be white, and have lower levels of education than those who use several...

6 August 2020 | Content Marketing

Tech behemoths maintain brand dominance as sustainability is key, says Kantar

Tech companies continue to dominate the biggest global brand lists - as the latest ranking from WPP and Kantar shows the largest brands are in a solid position to recover and thrive post-Covid-19.

The 2020 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking saw Amazon retain top spot and Apple again secure second place, with Microsoft and Google swapping places for third and fourth. The latter was down to a 30% brand value change for Microsoft compared with last year, although this...

30 June 2020 | Branding

How marketing can be a force for good – with Covid-19 helping showcase brand empathy

A few weeks ago, I was all set to appear at Big Data AI World, on a panel about the impact of AI on ethical marketing and advertising. It occurred to me that the subject matter was quite niche when the broader issue – marketing for good – is immense and wide-reaching. I wondered therefore if there was any appetite for readers here to find out more about why and how I believe marketing can be a force for good.

In fact, I didn’t get around to writing until this weekend,...

14 April 2020 | Branding

Gillette, Unilever, TOMS Footwear: Three strong examples of purpose-led marketing

DTC brands are eating CPG companies' proverbial lunch and upending conventional retail models. The secret to success is rooted in their go-to-market strategy, which is based on espousing values shared by their consumer base. These shared values in turn fuel purpose; publicly standing for something emasses legions of fierce brand loyalists who share the same beliefs. These consumers, many of whom are the all-desirable younger generations, act as a catalyst for growth through vigorous...

7 April 2020 | Best Practice

Stop hurting yourself, SEO: Why the industry needs to get its house in order – quickly

Opinion Marketing is coming to terms with a new world order. Until last year, that looked like a gradual but fairly smooth transition. In 2019, two of its industries took a beating.

One was advertising. The other was SEO. While the advertising industry was being attacked, by and large, by aggressors outside its control – an increasingly fragmented media landscape, its own increasing fragmentation, budget and time pressures and a shift in the balance of power between client and...

11 March 2020 | Advertising

CMO evolution: Understanding the need for change but fearing not keeping up

CMOs have a problem. Their role is changing, from exploring customer engagement and adding to the sales pipeline, to one of more consistent growth. Yet a new report warns that a potential recession has led to an overall negative feeling among marketing chiefs.

Chief Outsiders polled more than 50 of its CMO consultants – executives with senior experience at Fortune 500 level now working at mid-sized organisations – last month to give their verdicts.

According to...

9 March 2020 | Advertising

The great data trade-off: Why consumers will still share details – but only for a true value exchange

What do the NHS, Fortnite and US Customs and Border Protection all have in common? The answer may surprise you, but they have all had major data breaches since November 2018.

These sorts of privacy scandals never seem to leave the headlines, and people are right to be concerned about who they share their data with and why. Indeed, data ownership has been a major public concern since the Cambridge Analytica scandal and people are taking steps to control their digital footprints....

21 February 2020 | Best Practice

Facebook explores issues of online content regulation in new whitepaper

Facebook has published a whitepaper which explores the potential need and pitfalls of online content regulation – at the same time CEO Mark Zuckerberg admits his company, and big tech firms in general, need greater scrutiny.

In a paper written by VP content policy Monika Bickert, Facebook notes four primary challenges in regulating internet-based communications: the variance in legal environments and speech norms; the ever-changing development of technology and speech;...

18 February 2020 | Attribution