Mark Ritson: Putting the C in KFC is an advertising error
KFC’s new ad by Mother puts chickens front and centre, but given the realities of how its birds are reared it’s a dangerous route to go down.
Why brands are failing to meet the needs of single parents
Despite there being nearly three million lone-parent families in the UK, many employers and brands are still failing to meet the needs of this group.
Banishing gender stereotyping: Are new ad rules the answer?
The new rules face issues over how to rule on a subjective matter and whether it’s the campaigns themselves, or the teams behind them, that are really in need of a shake-up.
Wellbeing in the workplace – the latest Marketing Week podcast
Microsoft’s Helen Tupper and Direct line’s Mark Evans join Marketing Week’s Russell Parsons for the latest careers podcast.
SoundCloud’s DeJuan Wilson on his journey from admin assistant to global marketer
SoundCloud vice-president of global marketing DeJuan Wilson has had an unusual and eventful career, starting in admin at Coca-Cola, working for hip hop artist P Diddy and now competing with Apple Music at SoundCloud.
Unilever credits in-house content agency U-Studios as marketing cuts ‘bear fruit’
The FMCG giant says its savings have been delivering “faster than expected”, with the brand reducing agency fees by 17% in the first half of 2017.
Marketing in the age of ‘micromoments’
Philips is rethinking how it uses data and has taken a new approach to innovation to meet shifts in customer behaviour, according to senior vice-president and global head of digital marketing and media, Blake Cahill.
Argos to get rid of its most senior marketing role
The retailer’s chief digital and marketing officer Bertrand Bodson is leaving, with no plans for a replacement and his responsibilities to be split across the team.
Chief growth officer is just a symbolic role, says J&J CMO
Johnson & Johnson’s Alison Lewis believes the job of marketing has always been about driving growth.
Russell Parsons: People must be seen as a company’s greatest asset
Workforce wellbeing should be a company-wide concern that is built into the fabric of the business. Simply offering a gym membership won’t cut it anymore.
Brands face crackdown on gender stereotypes in advertising
New rules around gender stereotyping are set to be introduced after a report by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found advertising affects people’s expectations of how others should “look or behave” according to their gender.
Digital ad budgets see biggest rise in almost 10 years
Digital growth means overall marketing budgets are up but the IPA warns in its latest Bellwether report that economic and political headwinds will hit ad spend.
The full Masters of Marketing shortlist revealed
Brands including Maltesers, Sainsbury’s, Just Eat and Channel 4 have made it onto the shortlist for this year’s Masters of Marketing awards, in partnership with YouGov.
Is improving staff wellbeing the secret to brand health?
As the trend for wellbeing in the workplace gains traction, brands are realising the intrinsic link between a happy workforce and a happy customer.
The benefits of integrating workplace wellbeing into performance management
Integrating mental and emotional wellbeing into performance management is helping brands create environments where engaged and resilient teams feel able to thrive
Workplace wellbeing: A startup’s perspective
Propercorn co-founder Cassandra Stavrou tells Marketing Week how important it is for new businesses to instil measures to improve employee wellbeing from the outset.
No quick win: Brands must commit to long-term wellbeing goals to drive change
Improving workplace wellbeing won’t happen overnight so to make a lasting impact brands must see it as part of an ongoing strategy, no mean feat given CMO tenure is falling.
International round-up: Gillette’s targeting errors & Facebook’s subscription news service
Plus ‘unconventional’ agency acquisitions are on the up and fraudulent ad traffic plummets in Australia.
Thomas Barta: A leader’s biggest asset is their ability to inspire
Inspiring customers is high on every marketer’s agenda but to realise great marketing, inspiring your organisation may matter even more.
Marketers’ hiring plans on the up, but for how long?
More companies are planning to hire than cut staff over the next three months, but risks from Brexit could hit future job growth, according to the latest IPA Bellwether.
Vodafone puts focus on AI and voice in renewed customer service push
Vodafone is focusing on AI, voice and its chatbot TOBi as it concentrates on customer service and an internal digital transformation.
SodaStream CEO on why marketing is key as it aims for ‘cult’ brand status
The drinks company spends four times more on advertising than research and development and believes its marketing approach has “hit a nerve” at competitors Coca-Cola and Nestlé.
Marketoonist on brand love
L’Oréal’s Hugh Pile takes sabbatical to help run family business
L’Oréal’s CMO for Western Europe will be replaced but Pile will ‘stay connected’ with the company and return in a new role.
5 killer stats to start your week
We arm you with all the stats you need to prepare for the coming week and help you understand the big industry trends.
Combining online and offline channels is key to mastering attribution
Sponsored content
Brands still take a simplistic approach to attribution and are missing the opportunity to engage customers as individuals, says Jaywing head of digital analysis Mitch Vidler.
Aldi, Channel 4 and Maltesers top Masters of Marketing shortlist
The shortlist for this year’s Masters of Marketing awards has been unveiled and brands including Nissan, Sainsbury’s and Unilever are leading the nominations.
Get organised with this essential guide to key ecommerce dates in 2017
Brought to you by Channel Advisor
Q3 has begun, and it is time to start thinking about the holidays. From Amazon’s Prime Day and Back-to-School sales through the busy holiday rush at the end of the year, use this guide to start planning your promotions.
Provide top customer experiences with agile customer care
Brought to you by Zendesk
In order to engage with your customers in real time, customer care organisation needs agile tools that empower them to deliver the kind of top-notch customer service that builds relationships and positively impacts the business. Learn what it takes to not only survive in this new landscape, but to thrive.
What advertising effectiveness means to marketers in a digital world
Brought to you by Research Now
With channel diversification and media mixes becoming more complex, the number of metrics that can be tracked in an advertising campaign has increased dramatically. Tracking everything is a difficult task, and marketers need to align the metrics they are tracking with the objectives of the strategy or campaign.
How to overcome data deadlock
Brought to you by BlueVenn
How UK and US marketers are using data in 2017, future trends and how that aligns with consumer thinking.
Nine ways to make the most of Facebook advertising
Brought to you by Channel Advisor
Did you know that Facebook now boasts 1.8 billion monthly active users? And with ad revenues in Q3 2016 reaching an incredible $6.8bn, it is no wonder why more and more retailers are finding it difficult to resist the platform’s immense advertising potential.
Mobile marketing cookbook: Whip up the best push notification strategy
Brought to you by Tune
There are millions of apps throughout several app stores. This means that more than ever, it’s vital to have a plan for keeping your app alive and successfully generating revenue. We have whipped up a mobile marketing cookbook; inside you will find steps to perfect your push notification recipe.
Demystifying digital – a guide to better digital marketing
Brought to you by Ebiquity
The pace of change in digital media is dizzying. With constant innovation and increasing complexity, it is not surprising that many marketers feel both out of control and out of their depth. Taking control of and responsibility for digital is the key to becoming a better marketer. This guide covers advertising efficiency, programmatic media buying, […]
The GDPR: Our guide to what’s coming
Brought to you by Communicator
The General Data Protection Regulation is coming in 2018, bringing with it changes to data protection and compliance laws backed by huge fines. This is a big deal for marketers. Communicator’s guide to what is coming is the first in their series, telling you what to expect and giving you a starting point to assess […]
Behaviour change: Disrupt your consumers, not your innovation
Brought to you by Mash
In today’s fast changing world of changing political landscapes, emergent technology, accelerated competition and seismic cultural shifts, growth has never been harder to come by. Deploying behaviour change strategies remains a key tool for global brands to unlock growth without the scale of investment and risks inherent in innovation.
Four simple steps to implementing the ultimate digital retail experience
Brought to you by Mapp
Kick-start your multichannel, one-to-one customer engagement strategy. Download ‘The secret recipe to create the ultimate digital retail experience’ to discover the challenges of providing a personalised shopping experience and how to overcome them, including examples of how retailers are already doing this today. What is the ultimate digital retail experience? Why experience matters in the […]
How to use content to better motivate modern travellers
Brought to you by Olapic
In an increasingly competitive travel marketplace, driving engagement and bookings with important travel audiences is an enormous challenge for brands. To help supplement the need for high-quality, personalised content at scale, many brands have turned to travellers’ own content on networks like Instagram and Facebook. But what motivates travellers to create and share brand content? […]
Brands and retailers: What’s your relationship status?
Brought to you by Channel Advisor
As a branded manufacturer, do you sometimes feel like you’re adrift in the rising tide of ecommerce – unsure of which direction to turn? Retailers have adapted to ecommerce, and most sell their products online. But for brands, it’s different. Each brand has unique needs and circumstances that dictate whether they should sell directly to […]
Waitrose, Audi, Topshop: Everything that matters this morning
Make sure you’re up-to-date with all the latest brand and marketing news with our morning round-up.
Hack your commute: Watch a startup pitch
Marketing Week’s new ‘Hack your commute’ series uncovers inspiring and fulfilling ways to spend your journeys to and from work that will expand your mind and broaden your horizons.
Asos: We don’t know if social media is a threat or an enabler
As sites such as Instagram roll out buy buttons, the online retailer’s CEO admits social could be a “drag” going forward and that their impact isn’t straightforward.
How startup Yourfeed is aiming to become the ‘LinkedIn for millennials’
Founder Jack Parsons says the job market is unfairly balanced in favour of rewarding people with experience.
Hostelworld on digital transformation: ‘Beware of the coffee machine terrorists’
Hostelworld’s CMO Ottokar Rosenberger warns any brand embarking on a digital transformation it must make sure everyone is on the journey with them and beware those that nod along in meetings but moan in private.
Tesco, Pepsi, Ikea: 5 things that mattered this week and why
From the TV ad market going into ‘recession’ to Facebook bringing ads to Messenger, catch up on all the news in the marketing world this week.
Is this the beginning of the end for Fairtrade?
With Sainsbury’s and Cadbury moving away from Fairtrade in favour of their own ethical promises and questions over Tesco’s plans, what must brands do to ensure consumer trust doesn’t disappear too?
BT Sport, The AA, Heineken: The Top 10 YouTube ads in June
From politics to sport and a singing baby, the themes varied for the top UK YouTube ads in June, which were compiled by balancing the total number of views with the percentage of organic and paid views.
International news: McDonald’s shakes up US agency model, KFC launches a phone
Plus French publishers team up to take on the digital duopoly of Facebook and Google, and Amazon plots a move into Indian grocery market.
Marketing and insight are teaming up to drive better business
Marketing and insight are collaborating more closely than ever in a bid to develop rich, relevant and personalised content that drives deep consumer engagement.
Marketing and insight have united to create a customer-centric culture at Forbes
A Marketer’s Best Friend: At Forbes collaboration between marketing and insight is helping bring the publisher closer to its readers through a deeper understanding of engagement.
Ikea: We work as closely with our agencies as we do our furniture designers
As it launches a new campaign celebrating how to relax at home, Ikea shares the secrets behind its long-term partnership with agency Mother London.
Buying into the philosophy of agile marketing
‘Agile’ means different things to different people but at its heart is a responsive approach all businesses can use, as Marketing Week’s roundtable in association with Workfront revealed.
Channel 4 admits TV ad market is in recession as big brands pull back
Broadcaster also admits that while it saw a lift in TV ad spend following the Google brand safety scandal, that increase was ‘short-lived’.
George Osborne warns the ad industry: ‘Make your voice heard over Brexit or your interests will be ignored’
Former Chancellor and now Evening Standard editor says ad industry must speak out about issues over talent, digital standards and data or risk its interests falling down the political agenda.
Mark Ritson: This is not just a decline, this is an M&S decline
As M&S sales fall again, its problems are not brand management but brand equity, and a mid-market positioning that is inevitably fatal in a tough consumer economy.
Facebook takes Messenger ads global
Facebook will start showing users ads on the homepage of its Messenger app as it looks to offer advertisers more ways to reach consumers beyond its core social network.
Pepsi sees ‘infinite possibilities’ in ecommerce
As its second quarter performance beats forecasts, Pepsi says it will prioritise premium products and establishing a greater ecommerce presence.
What happened to Tesco’s big plans for a digital Clubcard?
Just three years ago, Tesco unveiled ambitious plans to digitalise its Clubcard loyalty programme. However, the changes it outlined last week looked very different.
How one brand is reaching the next wave of purpose-driven millionaires
A year ago the wealth management arm of UBS decided to shake up the financial services sector with the launch of content platform Unlimited, making a play for a new generation of purpose-fuelled millionaires.
Pernod Ricard promotes UK marketing boss to global role
Patrick Venning will take on a new role as global marketing director at the company’s Scotch whisky business.
Marketoonist on marketing procurement
Tom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
Burger King: Galvanising the whole business around an idea is the only way to ensure it isn’t vanilla
Burger King might not be the biggest spender on marketing, but its head of brand marketing Fernando Machado says creativity allows it to “speak louder than its size” and get it noticed.