The fact that Anna-Louise Dearden regards the use of a celebrity as a “necessary evil” (MW Debate, last week) suggests parts of the industry are still embarrassed by use of celebrities in advertising. So they should be if the brand fit isn’t right or celebrities are being used for the sake of it. However, the […]
It was good to read that the talent conversation is taking more of a pivotal stage in the trade press and I wholeheartedly agree with Ruth Mortimer’s comment that it’s “not good enough for just a third of businesses to care about staff defection” (MWlinks.co.uk/TalentConversation). The scheme run by The Marketing Academy is a great […]
The reason that brands remain ignorant of how best to implement the EU cookie directive (MWlinks.co.uk/CookieInfo) stems from poor consumer understanding of the changing privacy laws. While public concern over the use of behavioural data is well-publicised, our research shows that consumers want emails from brands that know them. With the new rules determining that […]
It is essential that flash sale discounts (MWlinks.co.uk/FlashSales) do not become the norm if brands are to continue to engage with consumers on a level that is not purely dominated by price. From a customer engagement and reward perspective, any brand that can tap into the “best value” mindset and offer a rewards scheme that […]
While the over-50s represent 45% of the total population’s spending power (nearly £300bn this year), this is not the only factor to consider when responding to the consumer needs of empty nesters (MWlinks.co.uk/EmptyNesters). The number of people aged 60 or over in the UK is due to increase by more than 50% in the next […]
Christoph Michalski, president of the global hygiene category at SCA, sparked debate when he told Marketing Week that senior marketers risk being bypassed by younger, more digitally savvy colleagues (MWlinks.co.uk/OlderMarketers). Here are comment extracts. I am 52 and way ahead of anyone on my team aged in their 20s when it comes to using blogs, […]
The principle put forward by David Wheldon (MWlinks.co.uk/CEOobsessed) that brand strategy and business strategy are elemental to the decisions, conduct and operation of all parts of an organisation has been around for many years. The understanding that customers own and influence brands through a mountain of real-time touchpoints is surely universal, and the realisation that […]
Unlike many other brands, Asda seems to have fully grasped the need for an app to be more than “just another” mobile platform (MWlinks.co.uk/ AsdaMobile). The new Android app doesn’t just replicate its online offering or even its mobile website. Instead, it makes the user’s shopping experience a great deal easier by offering additional features […]
While I agree with Mark Ritson’s comments regarding over-policing of the use of the Olympics logo (MWlinks.co.uk/ RitsonLocog), it must be remembered that a larger chunk of the cost of setting up and running the Games will be covered by royalties from the sale of official goods. Imagine if the brand police were not prevalent? […]
All retailers can learn a valuable lesson from the news that Marks & Spencer was hit by a stock shortage after failing to order enough women’s knitwear during the cold winter months (MWlinks/MSimprove). The weather seems to have contributed to a surge in demand for such products, which highlights the need for all retailers to […]
Your innovation update about retail (MWlinks.co.uk/ Outdoors) highlights how the consumer buying cycle is changing. The journey a consumer goes on when deciding to make a purchase is no longer linear, and may touch both the on and offline world several times before making a purchase. We see this new breed of consumer as the […]
After reading the coverage on overground trains and the Tube providing Wi-Fi and the impact it will have on freesheets, I feel this debate that Wi-Fi could threaten the free press is a red herring. Peole don’t choose content because of the platform it’s delivered through. It always comes back to the quality of the […]
Facebook is right to highlight the influence that social media is having on marketing strategies (MWlinks.co.uk/FBPage). It is clear that social is quickly emerging as the killer outbound channel for driving customers to other acquisition avenues. Brands that can engage customers in social media by delivering relevant information in real time develop the ability to […]
Your article (‘Tablets taking online activity to a higher level’, MW 22 March) pointed out both the variety of activity and the kind of media that is consumed on tablets. As the research shows, the difference in activity consumers undergo on a tablet is poles apart from that on a smartphone. In addition, one thing […]
The recent introduction of a ‘click and collect’ service by Asos (MWlinks.co.uk/AsosCC) continues to demonstrate online retailers’ efforts in providing more choice and flexibility, and above all, making the virtual shopping experience as convenient as possible for its customers. While this marks a successful expansion of the online retailer’s multichannel strategy, initiatives such as click […]