The brand purpose debate: Is the pendulum swinging ‘too hard’?
Michaela JeffersonPeople tend to love or hate brand purpose, but is its real value somewhere in the middle? Top marketers and researchers weigh in.
The key elements of a successful marketing brief
Manny PhamMore than a third of marketing budgets are wasted due to “terrible” briefs, according to a study published this week, but there are steps marketers can take to ensure the brief hits the right note.
Why retailers are switching on to the ‘currency’ of loyalty data
Matthew ValentineAs third-party cookies are phased out and the threat from ecommerce giants intensifies, retailers in search of new revenue streams are realising the potential of the data in their loyatly schemes.
Use the ‘cash flow funnel’ to fight finance with finance
Peter WeinbergB2B brand marketers need to learn to play the game and win over the CFO if they want to grow their brand and budget, which is where the cash flow funnel comes in.
Meet the digital brands staking their claim to the high street
Matthew ValentineOnce accused of killing off traditional stores, online retailers are ramping up their focus on physical retail as the worlds of online and offline merge post-lockdown.
The horror of marketers’ strategic bankruptcy is about to be laid bare
Mark RitsonAs the Better Briefs Project will reveal this week, 90% of marketers fail to brief agencies effectively, and their failures begin with a total lack of strategy.
One B2B brand on shifting marketing from ‘sales service to business driver’
Michaela JeffersonTransforming the perception of marketing in a B2B brand is “not for the faint hearted”, says UBS Asset Management’s Anouschka Elliott, but an unwavering belief in marketing’s value makes a big difference.
‘The working from home debate is complex, so don’t treat employees like children’
JP CastlinThe question of remote working is nuanced, with evidence for and against, and unique reasons why particular companies and individuals could benefit or suffer. We should acknowledge there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
If brand growth matters to you, it’s time to put mobile first
Marketing Week PartnerVideo advertising created for high-quality mobile environments is key to effective marketing as daily mobile use continues to surge.
Nestlé Purina: Culture change is the major challenge in our effectiveness journey
Michaela JeffersonEmbedding a culture of effectiveness within the company has meant breaking false beliefs around the efficacy of different media and re-educating brand managers.
Measuring purpose and repositioning B2B marketing: Your Marketing Week
Russell ParsonsAt the end of every week I look at the key stories, offering my view on what they mean for you and the industry. From measuring the effectiveness of purpose to marketing marketing in B2B, it’s been a busy week. Here is my take.
Marketing Week Top 100 2021: The top marketers in financial services
Marketing Week ReportersMarketing Week reveals the top 10 marketers in financial services, part of our Top 100 Most Effective Marketers, sponsored by Salesforce.
ROI on media spend highest when ’40-50% spent online’
Michaela JeffersonOnline is not “the enemy” of marketing effectiveness, says econometrician Dr Grace Kite, as analysis reveals the optimum budget split for UK brands is 55% offline, 45% online.
How Rightmove’s ‘always on TV’ strategy is driving search volume
Michaela JeffersonThe brand’s search volume index almost always sits between 20 and 30 points above the search volume of the property market as a whole.
Diageo warns ‘quality of reach’ is becoming ‘incredibly challenging’
Manny PhamThe fact consumers are no longer “wrapped around the monoculture of television” presents a real problem for advertisers, according to Diageo’s global marketing effectiveness director Kiel Peterson, who believes personalisation backed by data will be key.
Marketoonist on valuing privacy
Tom FishburneTom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
Share of search represents 83% of a brand’s market share, think tank finds
Lucy TesserasResearch led by James Hankins for the IPA’s share of search think tank also shows the metric is dynamic, so when share of search changes, so too does share of market.
Understanding the ‘art and science’ of share of search
Charlotte RogersA measure of performance and potential leading indicator for future success, share of search is emerging as a new metric to add to the marketer’s armoury with possibilities that stretch far beyond the hype.
Criticism of brand purpose is ‘naïve and unjustified’, claims Peter Field
Michaela JeffersonIn new research by the effectiveness expert, well-executed brand purpose cases are found to drive a higher number of large business and brand effects than cases without purpose.
Diageo warns ‘quality of reach’ is becoming ‘incredibly challenging’
Manny PhamThe fact consumers are no longer “wrapped around the monoculture of television” presents a real problem for advertisers, according to Diageo’s global marketing effectiveness director Kiel Peterson, who believes personalisation backed by data will be key.
How has the pandemic changed brands’ view of ROI?
Charlotte RogersWhile some brands have been forced to ramp up their focus on short-term ROI, others have held their nerve and sustained their commitment to brand building with a view to the world post-pandemic.
Five questions marketers should ask themselves before talking budgets with the C-suite
Secret MarketerTo avoid missing out on opportunities as a result of not getting the required investment, our marketer on the inside recommends stress testing the plan before going into the boardroom with the aid of five key questions.
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Trust in brands is illusory, just look at Facebook’s continued growth
Mark RitsonFacebook repeatedly ranks low in consumer trust surveys, yet user growth continues, revealing the idea of trust in brands as anthropomorphic nonsense.
Seven principles of effective marketing communication
Tom RoachThese fundamentals of marketing communication will always be true because they’re based on how our brains work, not on how specific technology works.
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The key basics that form the foundation for data strategy
The importance of data and its relationship with business success has been a key theme in many a marketing discussion in recent years.
How to integrate social media into your wider customer experience strategy
Social media now forms a vital part of customer experience, customer service and customer research. This guide provides marketers with a framework for how to approach social CX and customer service and how to integrate that into a broader customer experience strategy.
How to be agile and drive innovation through times of disruption
Digital transformation: Agility and innovation best practice guide
As digital technologies drive rapid change in customer behaviour, expectations, and market and competitive dynamics, and with long-term trends dramatically accelerated by Covid-19, businesses need to find ways to be more responsive.
‘It’s time to shout about the brand’: How Purplebricks plans to win over sceptics
Michaela JeffersonNew CMO Ben Carter has launched the online estate agency’s biggest brand campaign in five years, fronted by TV personality and comedian Mo Gilligan.
How rethinking ‘value’ can improve effectiveness
Robin BonnThere’s growing momentum around a refocus on outcomes over agency inputs, but by defining ‘value’ too narrowly, marketers risk missing the opportunity.
Senior buy-in vital to accelerate culture of marketing effectiveness, IPA finds
Michaela JeffersonAs IPA research reveals effectiveness culture scores rise significantly in brands where the value of marketing is understood by senior leadership, creating a roadmap could be the answer to securing C-suite support.
Amazon: Customer anecdotes are as important as data
Marketing Week ReportersReading the ‘tea leaves of culture’ and choosing to prioritise empathy are reasons why the global ecommerce giant continues to grow at pace, according to Amazon Studios CMO Ukonwa Ojo.
Just Eat on how it became part of people’s ‘way of being’
Marketing Week ReportersThe online delivery brand’s marketing boss believes that it has now become an essential part of our everyday lives, rather than an occasional treat.
Motorway’s Lloyd Page on using long-term fame to fuel ‘accelerated growth’
Charlotte RogersPoised to grow by 300% in 2021, used car sales platform Motorway is embarking on a major new campaign to drive brand awareness and achieve future fame.
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If the old logo ain’t broke, fix it anyway: Ritson’s rules for playing with brand codes
Mark RitsonThose questioning the updates to Heinz’s slogan and the British Rail logo miss the salience the brands will gain – but there are rules for playing with brand codes effectively.
Is Pfizer’s ‘Comirnaty’ genius branding or a major misstep?
Michaela JeffersonPfizer’s newly named Covid vaccine has been met with ridicule and scorn, but while some believe it makes “little logical sense” others think it could be part of a bigger play by the pharmaceutical giant.
How Team GB rewrote the rules of Olympics marketing on a shoestring
Matthew ValentineA strategy of hijacking sponsors’ media budgets helped propel the Team GB identity into the national consciousness and unite the UK Olympic team ahead of the Sydney Games in 2000.
Why sport and gaming are a powerful combination for consumers
Steve HemsleySport and video games are closely intertwined in the minds of consumers, and on YouTube these interests create rich territory for brands to reach audiences effectively.
Marketing and Machines: How AI helps brands make their media effective
Marketing Week PartnerWe explore how artificial intelligence can help brands buy digital media more effectively – including the importance of allowing the ‘learning phase’ to be completed.