Gillette brand takes a hit as ‘#metoo’ ad backfires
The P&G-owned brand has seen consumer perceptions in the UK plummet in the wake of the ad, which has been both criticised and applauded for its attempt to tackle toxic masculinity.
No more ‘holy grails’: Why Coca-Cola is no longer tied to its old brand rules
After 133 years, Coca-Cola is at a critical juncture in its history with its core brand and category in decline, requiring it to take unprecedented risks on innovation, acquisition and experimentation. Marketing Week got a behind-the-scenes look at the efforts under way at its Atlanta HQ.
P&G, Bupa, Shell: 5 things that mattered this week and why
Catch up on all this week’s marketing news including the reaction to Gillette’s ‘#metoo’ ad, Shell and Jamie Oliver’s tie-up and Bupa’s move to focus its marketing on just five postcodes.
Helen Edwards: Creative teams often suffer from the same three blind spots
From identikit ads for small businesses to the same outdated image of the over-60s, creatives need to look beyond the obvious and stop falling into the same old traps.
Solidarity not charity: Why not-for-profits are shifting their marketing focus
A quiet marketing revolution has been happening in the charity sector as organisations look to not just help those in need but empower them.
The Marketing Academy’s 2019 Fellows revealed
The course is designed for CMOs who have the ambition to become CEOs and this year includes marketers from Amazon, Diageo and M&S.
As P&G in-houses more media should other brands follow suit?
P&G looks to be bringing more of its media planning and buying in-house as it looks to bring its marketers closer to the consumers they serve but it should be wary of going too far down this route and losing the expertise an outside voice can offer.
Mark Ritson: Gillette’s new ad will trash its sales and be the year’s worst marketing move
Gillette’s purpose-driven attempt to revitalise its slogan, ‘The best a man can get’, isn’t just a waste of ad budget but an expensive exercise in destroying its dominant market share.
Why Bupa overhauled its marketing to focus on just five postcodes
New insights on customers’ location and behaviour completely changed how Bupa Global thought about its product and market, uncovering its policies’ appeal within the high net worth segment.
Colin Lewis: It’s tempting to be cynical but ‘agile’ is the real deal
Agile might be a much derided buzzword but when marketers take their queues from software developers and begin to work in an ‘agile’ way it can offer big benefits to ways of working.
Why Harrods’ marketing boss doesn’t believe in segmentation
The luxury department store’s first chief marketing and customer officer is instead championing a customer-centric approach based on personal interactions and elevating the in-store experience beyond the high street as it looks to win “the race to the top”.
Learn how to motivate teams and influence people
Doing marketing isn’t the same as leading marketing, so Marketing Week has joined forces with leadership expert Thomas Barta to launch a course to teach marketers how to build influence and make an impact.
Ellen Hammett: Jamie Oliver’s defence of his Shell deal suggests an over-inflated view of the power of his ‘brand’
Jamie Oliver has hit back at accusations of hypocrisy following his new partnership with Shell, but it is going to take much more than 20 years of “earned trust” to make up for this brand blunder.
How to build a digital culture
Given the pace of technological developments, the challenge of embedding a digital culture in order to compete in a fast-paced, digitised and customer-centric world has never been greater for companies. Understanding what the opportunities and indeed challenges are and getting internal buy-in is not straightforward, however. This report draws on a range of survey data, […]
The fundamentals of B2B digital transformation
Digital Transformation is an often misappropriated term but understood correctly it can yield extraordinary results. Including interviews with senior leaders from British Gas, IBM, Fuji Xerox, Ogilvy APAC, Oracle Marketing Cloud and Salesforce and thousands of respondents to a survey, the report looks at the challenges that B2B companies face and how they have responded […]
Marketing measurement and analytics: What you need to know
There has never been as many opportunities to measure the impact of marketing campaigns but there has never been as many chances to get it wrong. Digital channels have led to an explosion in available data, offering the chance for marketers to engage, personalise and attribute the success of campaigns. It does, however mean […]
How marketers learn
Business and society is changing at a frenetic rate and marketers are at the forefront of technological and behavioural shifts. In the face of this, it is difficult but even more important to take time out to learn and develop. Based on interviews and a survey of hundreds of senior marketing leaders this report highlights […]
How to build and execute an ecommerce proposition
As more and more sales gravitate online, the opportunity for businesses to boost revenue and profit grows daily. It is not, however, enough to ‘build it and they will come’. Marketers need to carefully plan and develop their propositions or risk getting lost in a very crowded environment. This report will help you create your […]
Creating and executing a content marketing strategy
Content marketing is considered by many to be the silver bullet solution to engaging with consumers weary of traditional push advertising. But what is it, and how can you build an effective content marketing strategy that helps execute your marketing strategy. Pulling together insight from interviews from senior marketing leaders and content strategists from some […]
How to improve customer experience through internal communication
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Marketers must embrace technology colleagues’ expertise so both work together for the customer rather than independently for themselves, according to senior executives at Marketing Week’s roundtable event.
How Nationwide gave diversity a voice
Nationwide’s ‘Voices’ campaign achieved a double-pronged goal of providing a platform for diverse creative voices across the UK and helping grow the building society’s share of switched accounts to 20%.
Ben Davis: Convenient ecommerce is non-negotiable for retailers
There was a clear divide in the success of retailers this Christmas as those that offer cheap convenience win out over some of the nation’s ‘favourite’ stores.
Six years of marketing budget growth ends as Brexit uncertainty bites
Marketers are growing ever more pessimistic about the economic outlook as companies tighten their belts and take a “wait-and-see” approach to how Brexit will shake out.
Marketers still planning to hire despite economic uncertainty
Hiring intentions among marketers remain robust despite falling optimism around marketing budgets and both their company’s and industry’s financial outlook as technological development, product launches and opportunities for business growth overseas fuel hiring.
TSB ‘sharpens’ its challenger position as it shifts focus to brand recovery
TSB’s Pete Markey had a baptism of fire on his promotion to CMO in 2018, dealing with an IT crisis and putting plans for new media activity on ice. Now he’s back on the job of sharpening the brand’s commercial edge and its points of difference.
Marketing Week’s Career and Salary Survey 2019
Marketoonist on customer experience
Tom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
Agency diversity, online ad fraud and an ad recession: 5 killer stats to start your week
We arm marketers with all the important numbers they need in order to tackle the week ahead.
How ‘Oops’ helped O2 grab a greater share of iPhone customers
O2’s campaign to promote its free screen replacement for the new iPhone helped boost brand metrics, sales and market share at a time when consumers no longer saw the need to upgrade their phone.
Eleven social media metrics you need to master
Brought to you by NetBase
Register for this webinar to find out the key data points marketers should be gathering from social media, in order to get more from their analytics and strengthen engagement with their target consumers.
How to internationalise the social networks of your business
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Why should your business harness the power of social media to reach other new markets?
A guide to the psychology of referral
Brought to you by Mention Me
A look at what motivates consumers to refer a friend to use a brand, and how brands can persuade customers to participate.
Five ways to turn one-time gift shoppers into repeat customers
Brought to you by VE Global
Find out how to make sure seasonal shoppers don’t just come to your website once, but want to shop with you again and again in the new year and beyond.
How to understand the lifecycle of a mobile app user
Brought to you by Adjust
Mobile apps have a charmed life in the hands of smartphone users – they may be opened daily or rarely, kept long-term or quickly uninstalled. These tips will help you improve your chances of acquiring and keeping users.
How can your brand survive Google’s ‘EAT’ algorithm update?
Brought to you by Stickyeyes
Google updated its search algorithms earlier this year, in a change that has had a dramatic impact on some brands’ visibility. Here’s how you can respond.
Real-time analytics: The key to unlocking insight and driving customer experience
Brought to you by SAS
SAS and Harvard Business Review reveal which companies are most successful at creating real-time customer experiences, and why.
‘Influencer Marketing 2020’: How brands, agencies and consumers see influencers
Brought to you by Influencer Intelligence
With brands’ use of influencers growing every year, Influencer Intelligence looks in-depth at attitudes towards the channel across the industry and among the public.
Six last-minute holiday season tips for ecommerce marketers
Brought to you by VE Global
There is still time for marketers to adjust and optimise their tactical plans for making the most of the sales opportunities this Black Friday and Christmas.
How analytics unlocks the power of personalisation
Brought to you by SAS
Personalisation will miss the mark if it is only based on past data – marketers also need predictive analytics to achieve its full potential.
A complete campaign guide to Facebook Dynamic Ads
Brought to you by Products Up
Learn how to maximise the effectiveness of one of the most influential social media ad formats on the market.
Customer-centric trends behind winning companies
Brought to you by Apteco
Find out which companies are excelling at customer-centric communications, and how they are achieving it.
How to convert data into meaningful, business-critical action
Brought to you by MiQ
Businesses’ challenge today is no longer how to collect data on their customers, but which data is most useful and how it can be turned into ‘marketing intelligence’.
Tanya Joseph: In 2019, it’s brands’ job to offer hope
Brands have the opportunity to win consumers hearts and their custom by taking a stand on the issues they care about.
Marketing Week Meets…Burger King CMO Fernando Machado
Burger King’s celebrated CMO tells Marketing Week why the ‘great idea’ is everything in marketing, what the importance of having a challenger mindset is and why data-led companies don’t need marketers.
Co-op, Amazon, Ryanair: Everything that matters this morning
Good morning and welcome to Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world today.
Hack your commute: Go in early – or late
Avoiding rush hour by having flexible start and end times can have huge benefits on both wellbeing and productivity.
Were retailers right to put their marketing focus on product this Christmas?
Many retailers moved away from the big brand campaigns in favour of product-focused ads this Christmas but as retailers reveal their festive performance there are signs this may not always have been the right strategy to take.
How charity Hands On London jolted commuters out of their ‘blindness’ to increase donations by 50%
The charity dressed up some of London’s iconic statues in red parkas as part of its Wrap Up London campaign, in an effort to get Londoners to donate unwanted coats for the homeless and vulnerable.
Salary Survey 2019: Career development, flexible working & qualifications
Marketing Week Explores: From the risks and rewards of working in a small business, to the usefulness of marketing degrees and the rising demand for flexible working, the Marketing Week Career and Salary Survey takes the temperature of the marketing industry in 2019.
HSBC, Pepsi, Mastercard: 5 things that mattered this week and why
From the kickback against HSBC’s latest campaign to Pepsi’s new marketing strapline and Mastercard dropping the name from its logo, here’s all the most important marketing news from this week.
Tesco enlists the help of 60s mods, 70s roller girls and Mr Blobby to celebrate 100 years of ‘great value’
Tesco’s 100th anniversary marketing campaign will aim to celebrate the “very important milestone” by highlighting the supermarket’s history of offering customers great value.
Salary Survey 2019: Flexible working and career breaks
The industry seems to be slowly getting its head around giving marketers more flexibility in the workplace but sabbaticals are still a privilege of the few.
Thomas Barta: What’s the point of the CMO?
Does the role help marketing departments lead successful businesses or is it an overused title that promises more than most of its holders will be able to deliver?
Salary Survey 2019: Brands’ sluggish response to the gender pay gap is failing female marketers
The annual Marketing Week Career and Salary Survey shows that despite brands making some progress the gender pay gap in marketing persists for every sector and level of seniority.
John Lewis boss on why the Christmas ad is still ‘incredibly important’
Both John Lewis and Waitrose increased sales in the run-up to Christmas, however they say it is too early to tell what impact the festive campaigns had on both brands.
Tesco credits strong brand engagement as Christmas campaign helps boost sales
Tesco saw UK sales rise 2.2% in the Christmas period, its best festive results in nearly a decade, as its “more connected” marketing campaigns helped boost quality and value perceptions and its NPS.
M&S claims ‘unashamedly commercial’ Christmas ads paid off despite sales drop
Despite a decline in sales across food and clothing & home, M&S’s decision to ditch the blockbuster and take a more commercial approach to Christmas helped achieve record sales in advertised lines.
Mark Ritson: Mastercard’s wordless logo shows the power of distinctive brand codes
Mastercard dropping its name from its logo demonstrates branding strength most companies lack – and it’s all down to the sustained and consistent use of highly distinctive assets.
The benefits of taking control of the creative process
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The typical marketing agency business model has had to change because the customer journey increasingly starts on mobile and ends up on ecommerce.
Understanding marketing intelligence
Brought to you by MiQ
Marketing intelligence is the information needed to drive business outcomes, elevating insights to fuel brand strategy rather than just using them to optimise tactics.
Watch on-demand: How to reach shoppers at key moments
Brought to you by MiQ
A host of technologies and tactical considerations are on marketers’ radars as they seek to help shoppers choose their brands over the competition, especially during key shopping periods such as Black Friday and Christmas.
How messaging bridges the chasm between brands and customers
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From discovery of new products to customer care, today’s customer journey is more complex than ever. In this competitive landscape, brand success is centred on meaningful, one-to-one interactions.
Should brands have a voice on society’s big issues?
Sponsored by YouGov
New research from YouGov examines whether it’s riskier for brands to speak up on important social and political matters, or to stay silent.
Join our webinar: Is AI the future of customer experience?
Brought to you by SAS
Artificial intelligence may be the next big opportunity, but what does it really mean for customer experience? Where does automation stop and AI begin? And how should you plan for it in your objectives?
‘Together We Thrive’: Has HSBC nailed it or not gone far enough?
The latest iteration of HSBC’s ‘Together We Thrive’ campaign has seen the bank accused of promoting an ‘anti-Brexit’ agenda. But is it actually a strategic success, or does the message not go far enough?
Subway CMO and Coke’s former top marketer Joe Tripodi retires
The former chief marketing and commercial officer at Coca-Cola has retired after three years with Subway and four decades in the marketing industry.
Sainsbury’s CEO says Black Friday has ‘got carried away with itself’ as sales struggle
Like-for-like sales at Sainsbury’s and Argos were down 1.1% in the third quarter as a decision to offer less promotions around Black Friday, as well as “cautious” consumer spending, hit results.
Salary Survey 2019: The majority of marketers don’t have a marketing qualification
People now enter marketing from a range of academic and professional backgrounds, with broad and varied experience often valued more than formal marketing training, according to Marketing Week’s 2019 Career and Salary Survey.
Russell Parsons: The next generation of talent shouldn’t have to stumble into marketing
Marketing Week’s annual Career and Salary Survey, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, this year highlights two major challenges that must be addressed.
Pepsi celebrates ‘pop and fizz’ of cola as it shifts brand positioning
Pepsi is introducing a new global tagline, ‘For The Love Of It’, as it brings the focus of its marketing back to the product and celebrates its music heritage.
Morrisons hopes to be ‘beacon of trust’ for customers following slowdown in Christmas sales
Despite marginally beating analysts’ expectations for the Christmas period, Morrisons will continue to cut prices in 2019 to make sure it can “be there for customers” this year by offering “even greater value for money”.