As I work with clients on the digital transformation of their business, the topic of digital talent comes up regularly. I firmly believe that once a business has integrated digital tools and channels into their organisation, there won’t be a need for separate digital teams. They will always need experts on digital infrastructure such as Content Management Systems, Databases and … Read More
Don’t forget the ‘person’ in personalisation
One thing that I always stress when using digital channels and tools, is that it helps to think about them in an offline context. This is a particularly useful approach when faced with the wealth of opportunities to target, retarget and personalise communications online. As a teenager I used to hate going into the Levis store due to the way … Read More
Few Medals Won by Marketing in the Chocolate World Cup
The best thing that has happened on Twitter this year (yes I know it’s only 4th January but I still think people will be hard pressed to beat it come December) is Richard Osman’s World Cup of Chocolate #WCOC2016! It started on New Year’s Day with the Group Stages which involved 8 Twitter Polls of 4 chocolate bars each. The … Read More
What Football Clubs can learn from the Corporate World
Since the formation of the Premier League, football has become a true business in its own right. It is 1/5 the size of the Agriculture industry in terms of what it brings to the British economy. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing in this evolving world where times & experiences are the new consumer goods. However, as clubs have … Read More
All I Want for Christmas is…a Viral Video
Anyone who works in Digital Marketing probably just cringed when they read this headline. Two words that you never want to hear in a demand from your superiors or client…viral video. I’ve been asked several times in my career to produce a viral video and my response is the same – a viral video is not a type of video … Read More
Disconnected: The Importance of Mobile
I’ve had a traumatic experience today – my iPhone 6 has inexplicably died. But it has been an important lesson. If ever you have any doubts about the importance of mobile when planning communications, brand platforms or marketing, may I suggest trying to get through a few hours without your phone? I was at a client’s office for meetings this … Read More
What makes a great website?
I had a conversation with a client this week about a website they are creating. They were worried that it wasn’t interesting or eye catching enough and they felt that they should be doing more. It reminded me of my time at big brands where the senior brand guardians could sometimes review websites through the same lens. It is obviously … Read More
The New Normal & what it means for your business
In this ‘New World’ of digital, there is obviously a focus on blogging about the latest developments, videos, thought pieces etc. It got me thinking that people who are new to digital or trying to learn more, might miss some of the older stuff that is still just as valuable today. So I am starting an ‘oldies but goodies’ section … Read More
Facebook introduce News Feed Preferences Tool
Facebook have done a few subtle tweaks to their look and feel over the last few days. Firstly there was the ‘blink and you will miss it’ logo change to make the ‘a’ look more ‘friendly’. Then there was the more significant, in terms of statement of equality if not visually, bringing the woman out of the man’s shadow in … Read More
Out of the Ordinary – Utility Brands Entertain Storytelling
There seems to be a trend at the moment for TV adverts which are not instantly recognisable by brand. It reminds me of being a kid when I used to play the game where you shout out the brand before it was mentioned in the ad. Have we come back to this as brands start to consider the impact of … Read More