How Avon is using social listening to streamline innovation
Molly FlemingBy looking at more than one million comments about mascara online, the beauty giant was able to come up with what it believes is the ultimate product.
Inside Ovo’s sustainable marketing strategy
Erin LyonsOvo Energy has outlined a number of new measures to reduce the carbon impact of its marketing, but its director of brand and marketing acknowledges this might be easier said than done.
The right questions are more important than the right answers
Colin LewisWhen it comes to customer insight, all to often marketers go in knowing what they want the answer to be, but becoming a better questioner is a skill that can be learnt.
The evolution of direct-to-consumer brands and their marketing
Nikki GillilandAs the DTC sector matures, direct-to-consumer brands are borrowing strategy ideas from established brands, and vice versa, as they look to build sustainable businesses.
2 Comments
Today’s marketers are missing true customer insight
Cheryl CalverleyCustomer closeness used to enable marketers to conduct the orchestra of the marketing mix but too many now are woefully under-prepared and under-trained to play this vital role.
Would you take privacy advice from Facebook?
Ellen HammettFacebook wants to educate people on privacy, but going to Facebook for a privacy check-up is like asking David Cameron for advice on Brexit.
Three’s CMO on positioning the brand beyond mobile
Ellen HammettA focus on social content and partnerships is allowing Three to engage with customers in new and immersive ways.
Why marketers should think less gendered and more neutral
Ellen HammettAs assumptions around gender are being challenged like never before, brands have an important role to play in shaping a more inclusive world. But they must look beyond a commercial lens if they want to be a force for good.
How one digital specialist climbed the career ladder from Ford to Tesco to Thomas Cook
Charlotte RogersStory of my CV: Having carved out a career that specialises in digital and data across sectors as diverse as retail, automotive and travel, Chris Chalmers is clear about the value of variety on the path to becoming marketing director.
Recommended reading: Learning from failure and the proactivity paradox
Erin LyonsMarketing Week reviews the latest books, blogs and articles for marketers.
Why advertisers are staring down the barrel of big GDPR fines
Prash NaiduThe Information Commissioner’s Office has signalled a crackdown on personalised advertising that lacks explicit consent, and as brands are liable for their supply chain it’s imperative marketers find ways to prove compliance.
John Lewis, Ikea and M&S top UK brand health rankings
Ellen HammettIn spite of a challenged high street, retailers lead YouGov BrandIndex’s brand health rankings, while Netflix takes the top spot for most improved.
How eBay built a ‘human ecosystem’ on customer-centricity
Steve HemsleyOnline auction giant eBay is extending its customer-centric approach to help SMEs in Wolverhampton revive the struggling high street.
Marketoonist on glossing over big business problems
Tom FishburneTom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
Addressable TV, retail sales, data privacy: 5 killer stats to start your week
Erin LyonsWe arm marketers with all the numbers they need to tackle the week ahead.
Marketing Week Premium
Unrivalled coverage, alongside practical advice
Why brands are failing to get the most from customer insight
Charlotte RogersWith investment in customer research on the decline, marketers are not addressing the basics, let alone testing new techniques like behavioural science, which means brands are missing what consumers want.
The direct-to-consumer customer insight advantage
Charlotte RogersHelloFresh believes it is in a strong position when it comes to consumer insight as it has direct relationships with its customers.
1 Comment
True customer-centricity requires proper investment
Russell ParsonsMarketers often talk about their desire to be more customer-centric, but it won’t be achieved by cutting corners. Brands must invest both time and money to get it right.
How brands can be truly customer-centric
Steve HemsleyMost businesses try to put consumers at the heart of what they do, but many fall short because actually being customer-centric often means making business decisions that seem counter-intuitive.
Efficiency will trump effectiveness until success is better measured
JP HansonEffectiveness is a matter of marketing management. A framework is the best way to ensure brands are doing the right thing, not just doing things right.
Have the ASA’s new gender stereotyping rulings gone too far?
Ellen HammettPhiladelphia and Volkswagen became the first brands to have ads banned under the ad regulator’s new gender rules this week but the decisions have raised questions over whether the guidelines go too far.
ASA stereotype rules have kick-started positive change
Andrew GeogheganThe new rules around harmful gender stereotypes have caused brands to rethink how they portray gender in advertising and look more closely at the make-up of their own teams, says Diageo’s Andrew Geoghegan
Reports
From 
The changing face of retail and the real impact of 5G
Digital Shift: The changing martech landscape and horizontal innovation
From the ever-changing martech landscape and the rise of brands looking to innovate horizontally to the changing face of retail and the real impact of 5G, this Digital Shift report from Econsultancy covers all the hottest topics in digital marketing. Click below to listen to the accompanying webinar. Listen to the webinar
Marketers today face a radically different communication and product landscape.
1. Foreword When I ask senior marketers to tell me what marketing framework they are most familiar with, they often suggest the 4Ps (Product, Price, Place and Promotion). This model was first published in 1960 by American marketing professor Edmund Jerome McCarthy in his book Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach. This was in an era of […]
Mobile users expect immediacy and convenience at their fingertips
1. Foreword Before the launch of the iPhone in 2007, and for some years after that, ‘mobile’ was perceived as a standalone channel, deserving a dedicated strategy, budget and team. Now that ‘mobile’ has become infused into every aspect of digital marketing, no longer considered as a distinct channel, do marketers still need a standalone […]
Festival of Marketing
Where ambitious marketers can learn, celebrate and shape the future
10-11 October
Tobacco Dock
Gillette launches premium division with first heated razor
Molly FlemingGillette Labs will focus on attracting smart tech enthusiasts as the brand looks to engage younger consumers through a new purpose and different routes to market.
Open to new ideas: How brands are democratising innovation
Marketing Week ReportersMarketing Week Explores: As brands strive to develop the next big innovation, the best strategy for success could be to collaborate with partners and search for ideas from across the entire organisation.
‘Fast and cheap’: How AB InBev is driving innovation
Lucy TesserasBy uniting marketing and innovation under the remit of global CMO Pedro Earp, AB InBev has cut development timelines from two years to just 36 days.
Disney hires Sky CMO to head up Disney+
Sarah VizardDisney is ramping up focus on its new subscription service Disney+ by hiring Sky’s former CMO to head its direct-to-consumer business in Europe.
3 questions I wish I’d asked as a junior marketer: The Guardian’s Sonia Sudhakar
Erin LyonsSonia Sudhakar still struggles to speak up, but she wants young marketers to understand that showing vulnerability when asking questions is not a weakness, it’s an intellectual strength.
‘Traditional marketing practices are over’: Danone’s CMO on reinventing the function
Molly FlemingDanone’s first global CMO in a decade has overhauled marketing to create a new vision for the company that calls on brands to “be bold or die”.
How digital is shaping customer experiences in the beauty industry
Nikki GillilandThe beauty industry is a saturated market, meaning a stand-out product or interesting story is no longer enough to succeed as consumers become increasingly demanding and more digitally-savvy than ever before.
The fintech revolution and its effect on customer experience
Rebecca SentanceOver the past few years, a digital revolution has been taking place in the financial services industry that has upended consumers’ expectations of customer service and left some incumbents scrambling to catch up.
How digital is changing the automotive customer experience
Nikki GillilandAutomotive brands are innovating the customer experience through digital technology: these are the trends that look set to impact the industry in future.
Why B2B brands should adopt a challenger mindset
Marketing Week PartnerOur new video series on marketing effectiveness in B2B begins with Genpact’s Neil Dowling, explaining why disruption needs to be part of the marketing team’s psyche.
How brands can remove friction from the customer journey
Michael BarnettAt a roundtable hosted by Marketing Week in partnership with Facebook, marketers debated the cost of hindering consumers on the way to making a purchase, and how brands can keep them coming back with smooth, hassle-free experiences.
How financial brands are innovating with data
Michael BarnettThe financial services sector may be big and cumbersome, but brands are using an increasing number of data sources, focusing more on customer experience and engaging more customers in real time than ever before.
Mary Portas: ‘Innovation is the key to rescuing retail’
Michael Barnett‘Queen of shops’ Mary Portas believes retail is entering an exciting period where innovation is key and the future of the high street depends on community, connections and removing ‘friction’.
