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Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for May – we’ve chosen six key articles, and one podcast, which we hope helps ‘keeps your finger on the pulse’ of Marketing. All our monthly reviews are available on our website. www.haiconsulting.com

Our May highlights:

1. Our top pick this month has to be the ‘250^th Edition by Rishad Tobaccowala’ of his series “The Future does not fit in the Containers of the past.” This is a must read edition, titled the Future Fits on One Page. This one includes the best 100 pieces of writing which has been going for five years, Ironically, we have also been sending out Our Monthly Review for the last five years, and Rishad has been most in our top picks. I love the line – Your time is rare and therefore your attention is a gift.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/the-future-fits-on-one-page?

2. Secondly, is a piece written by Stephen Lepitak for Creative Salon titled ‘Creative Risk Taking Is On The Wane – That Could Cost Brands Dear.’ The latest State of Creativity report from Cannes Lions raises concerns about the decline of risk taking among marketers. With Cannes just around the corner – what changes will we see.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/features/cannes-lions-state-of-creativity-report-2025-creative-confidence

3. Thirdly, with thanks to the Advertising Association for this one – we pick ‘The Advertising Pays’ series of reports from Credos studies the contribution that the ad industry makes to the UK’s economy and society.

Here is the link: https://adassoc.org.uk/advertising-pays/

4. Fourthly, we pick this piece from Alephic.com. Sent to us by Tom Morton in New York, this is a great read on writing the anatomy of a CEO AI mandate.

Here is the link: https://www.alephic.com/writing/the-anatomy-of-a-ceo-ai-mandate

5. Fifthly, we pick a piece sent to us by Grant Duncan at Korn Ferry on ‘Defining and Developing the AI-Augmented Leader’ – The launch of generative AI in late 2022 supercharged the AI revolution, and the emergence of agentic AI has added even greater urgency. But what does this evolution mean for organizations and their leaders? AI is demanding a new approach to leadership. As AI agents and advanced models gain traction, today’s leaders need to be skilled not just in managing people but also in leveraging machine intelligence. Below, Korn Ferry outlines a framework for identifying and developing a new kind of executive: the AI-Augmented Leader.

Here is the link: https://www.kornferry.com/institute/defining-and-developing-the-ai-augmented-leader

6. Sixthly, we have been following WPPs Satalia and Dr. Daniel Hulne in particular. Here the Satalia team outlines: What is the “AI singularity?” And what should businesses do now to prepare?

Here is the link: https://www.satalia.com/ai-singularity-business/ and Discover how they’re opening up a world of new opportunities for the world’s biggest brands: https://bit.ly/45tX07n

Adforum: With thanks to Carol Mason the latest from the Adforum Summit held in May in New York. https://www.adforum.com/tribune/shaping-the-future-of-brand-growth-highlights-from-the-2025-adforum-consultant-summit

Media: A bit of a focus on the media independents, some great agencies join the Alliance of Media Independents. https://uk.themedialeader.com/alliance-of-media-independents-adds-16-members-and-doubles-billings/

AI: A piece from the WSJ. AI Has Upended the Search Game. Marketers Are Scrambling to Catch Up. Websites will soon serve primarily as data sources for AI platforms, not destinations for humans, Mailchimp predicts.https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-has-upended-the-search-game-marketers-are-scrambling-to-catch-up-84264b34?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Podcast: We’ve gone for Nada Arnot podcast from the Economist this month on scaling marketing. https://changemakers.jcdecaux.co.uk/content/podcasts/nada-arnot

Time for the Work: It’s congrats again to Cadbury and VCCP again this month. 4 D&AD Pencils at this year’s awards for the Cadbury ‘Made to share’ campaign, including the extremely coveted Yellow! There must be calls to build a bigger trophy cabinet in the new VCCP office with this haul. Well done Dave! https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davidboscawen_dad-awards-activity-7333069506287697922-jOZi?

Back to Henley: The booms are back up on the river. Our fortnightly feature in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs. It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Jaspinder Kaur who runs Naad Organics. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/thought-for-the-week/196733/jaspinder-kaur-inventor-of-wellbeing-products.html

If you’d like to discuss how these insights can apply to your organisation, or have any questions, we’d love to connect. Feel free to get in touch.

Kind regards

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for January – we’ve chosen six key articles, a piece on the Holdco merger, AI and a Podcast, which we hope keeps your finger on the pulse of what is going on. TLDR: All our monthly reviews are available on our website. www.haiconsulting.com

Our January highlights:

1. Our top pick this month we pick a great piece from the Harvard Business Review, January/February magazine edition on Leadership. Leaders shouldn’t try to do it all. AG Lafley (former CEO of P&G) and Roger Martin (former dean of Rotman School) argue that many important tasks can be done by other people. Unlike a company, which can expand capacity to meet increasing demand, a leader is constrained by nature: As they say, there are only so many hours in a day. Focus on what you can do a lot better than anyone else.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2025/01/leaders-shouldnt-try-to-do-it-all

2. Secondly, we had to pick the Top 25 Predictions for 2025, that comes from the Digital Native substack written by Rex Woodbury. We start with Part 1 (1-13) and the following week Part 2, he delivers 14-25. How many will come true, he did pretty well in 2024, though some AI apps are still yet to be developed.

Here is the link: https://www.digitalnative.tech/p/25-predictions-for-2025?utm_source=post-email-

3. Thirdly, we’ve picked a piece from the Creative Salon, on Agency trends for 2025. 2024 saw many agencies begin to plan for what is coming, upping their technological capabilities through partnerships and developing inhouse tools. Many changed leadership in both the C-suite and creative departments, hoping that new blood, ideas and connections would be a futureproof measure that would make an impact even in the short term. An array of obstacles lie ahead – some new, some as old as the industry (and indeed business) itself; from budget uncertainty and project delays to tight deadlines and uncompromising clients and the rise of AI – the list of challenges is long.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/features/agency-trends-2025

4. Fourthly, we wanted to highlight this piece on Luxury marketing from Fortune. The luxury goods market has created its own crisis, and it won’t recover until after 2027. Now is the time for brands to strategically reset to restore desirability, creativity and exclusivity — the cornerstones of luxury. In the shift back to instore shopping, retailers need to remind consumers of what they love about the instore experience.

Here is the link: https://fortune.com/europe/2025/01/13/luxury-goods-market-slowdown-state-of-fashion/ and the link to the McKinsey report: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion

5. Fifthly, we have chosen a piece from Marketing Week written by Mark Ritson on Glenmorangie – This year’s ad can be a three-year investment – ask Glenmorangie – Longer-running ads are more effective, research shows, so rather than starting each year with a blank slate, invest more now in creative that can be consistent, and run and run.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/ritson-investment-ad-glenmorangie/

6. Sixthly, with thanks to Tina Fegent who produces an excellent weekly “Tina tells”: on LinkedIn – we have picked a piece written for the LLBOnline by three female London agency CEO’s. It gives a flavour for how each agency is cautiously approaching the challenges of 2025.

Here is the link: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/3-uk-ceos-weigh-in-on-the-state-of-creativity-and-advertising-for-q1-2025/

Omnicom/IPG: It was great to get a view from the top this month with: John Wren and Philippe Krakowsky. Omnicom & Interpublic Group (IPG). My pre-read for this meeting was an excellent piece written by Ivan Fernandes. https://lnkd.in/eN5rKCQb? Our summary: ‘this merger is ambitious and exciting, subject to all the regulatory approvals, this could change the agency landscape for the next 30 years, unleashing the joined up creative & tech potential of both companies.’

AI: A great read from Mckinsey on AI was released last week. Almost all companies invest in AI, but just 1 percent believe they are at maturity. Research finds the biggest barrier to scaling is not employees – who are ready – but leaders, who are not steering fast enough. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/superagency-in-the-workplace-empowering-people-to-unlock-ais-full-potential-at-work

Podcast: Our Podcast pick this month is an interview with M&S boss Stuart Machin. Marks & Spencer is probably the best-known business in Britain. But when Stuart Machin joined in 2018 it had been struggling for years. Since then he has led an extraordinary turnaround of the high street retailer. This is the story of how he did it, in his own words. Listen here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Z5MsfXPYhOTVnOPwUIE1v

Time for the Work: An outstanding winner this month, an easy decision for us, top rated by System One, and the work continues to get better and better. It’s congrats to client Cadbury and the VCCP agency team, for their latest tv spot and a creative partnership that really works. https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/news/cadbury-launches-moving-portrayal-of-dementia-in-new-ad-and-extends-partnership-with-alzheimers-research-uk/

Back to Henley: And the idyllic environment, my side hustle for the last few months has been working & supporting James Cracknell OBE become a County Councillor. With elections scheduled for May he is a very strong candidate. My weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs. It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Alice Strange, an award winning luxury event florist from London who has just moved to Henley. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/let-s-get-down-to-business/194792/lets-get-down-to-business-alice-strange.html

If you are looking to review your agency relationships and resourcing structures in 2025, please do get in touch, so we may help you.

Kind regards

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for February – we’ve chosen just six key articles, a podcast and a book recommendation, if you missed them and have some time they are well worth a catchup. All our monthly reviews are now available on our website http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/ Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine as they face the most dreadful living conditions.

1. Our top pick is an inspiring piece written by Janet Balis on the Five ways Marketing leaders can drive value in 2022. It’s a well written piece by the Leader of the EY Consulting Professionals in the Americas and EY’s CMO Practice. CMO’s need to seize the shift and re-double their commitment to transformation. As the pace of digital transformation continues, marketers are now taking centre stage in their organizations, connecting the dots across customer needs and data, business priorities, and the digital agenda. Well worth the read, or the article can be listened too as well and shows how the HBR is having a re-juvenation.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2022/02/5-ways-marketing-leaders-can-drive-value-in-2022

2. Secondly, we love a trends piece – we came across this website and Trends report that makes good reading. It’s curated by Niko Pajkovic and it’s a really good source.

Here is the link: https://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/february-2022-marketing

3. Thirdly, we had to pick this exceptional piece on Learning to learn, by Rishad Tobaccowala from his substack series: the Future does not fit into the Containers of the Past. Edition 79.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/learning-to-learn?s=r

4. Fourthly, new research by Ipsos reveals that in the last three months 47% of British workers have either looked for another job (29%), thought about quitting their job (26%), applied for another job (13%) or spoken to their employer about resigning (6%). Is the Great Resignation really going to happen?

Here is the link: https://hrnews-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/hrnews.co.uk/the-great-resignation-one-in-two-british-workers-considering-new-role/amp/

5. Fifthly, from the Great Resignation to the Great Migration – to the Great Inflation. It is time to get creative.

Here is the link: https://joshbersin.com/2022/02/from-the-great-resignation-to-the-great-migration-to-the-great-inflation-now-what/

6. Sixthly, we pick our last piece this month from Ben Thompson at Stratechery, on digital advertising – their website is a great fountain of content and one we highly recommend.

Here is the link: https://stratechery.com/2022/digital-advertising-in-2022/

Time for the Work: No surprises this month, we have to pick a Superbowl spot and congratulations to Lucky Generals and Amazon for this brilliant spot. This London agency is setting the standard for the Superbowl with consistently outstanding creative work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0UEAr8I9G8

Media: Tesco warns of the declining reach of TV advertising despite setting up their own In House Media operation. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/tesco-warns-declining-reach-tv-advertising/1748000?utm_content=buffer02d63&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter+main

E-Commerce: The UK is the leading ecommerce market according to Mastercard. https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2022/02/02/uk-is-leading-worldwide-ecommerce-market-penetration-says-mastercard/

Back to Henley: Everything crossed – we have got through to the end of February without any serious snow, with the frosts lifting there have been some crisp mornings besides the river.

Book Recommendation: We’ve been on our holidays this month – we wanted to highlight a really good read for a long flight. Sent to us by an agency during one of our pitch processes – we finally had time to get through it – there are some great learnings.

We are here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance. It will be great to catchup with you.

Kind regards,

Will

(If you would like this sent to your email next month, please update us with your new email address – by emailing will@haiconsulting.com)

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for January – we’ve chosen six key articles, a new media, and a book launch for this month’s review. If you missed any of them – have some time, they are all well worth a catchup.

Here are our January highlights:-

1. Our Top pick this month, we’ve picked a piece from Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient who draws on his concept of SPEED. In this article, Vaz shares insight on why SPEED is important. He indicates that: “SPEED is an acronym that stands for: Strategy: developing and testing your hypothesis on priority value pools, Product: evolving at pace and speed, Experience: how can you enable value for customers, Engineering: delivering on your promise, and Data: validating your hypotheses and uncovering insights for constant iteration.

Here is the link: https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/kimberlywhitler/2022/01/29/ceo-of-publicis-sapient-suggests-the-key-to-business-transformation-success-is-speed/amp/

2. Our Second pick is from Youandmrjones Founder David Jones. David has been a long time supporter of the Adforum Consultants – the Worldwide Summit is due to take place again in New York in May. Always keen to present the phenomenal growth of his new company – this month he rebranded the company as the Brandtech Group – reflecting the future and future needs of brands.

Here is the link: https://youandmrjones.com/founder.html

3. Thirdly, we have picked a Trends piece from Gideon Spanier which first appeared in Campaign magazine in January. His six trends indicate how both risks and opportunities lie ahead.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/six-trends-and-warning-signs-watch-2022/1738424

4. Fourthly, we pick a piece from the AA and WARC on advertising expenditure. Last year, the UK ad market enjoyed its strongest ever year, according to the latest Expenditure Report from the Advertising Association and WARC. It’s estimated that the market grew by 26.4% to reach £29.7 billion, it’s a positive reflection of the market.

Here is the link: https://soamp.li/gQxa

5. Fifthly, we pick a pick from the effervescent Lucy Jameson, founder of Uncommon London who states that the best way to predict the future, is to create it. Well Uncommon London are certainly creating the future, in their very own way.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/the-best-predict-future-create-it/1738070

6. Sixthly, we finish with the highly rated Rishad Tobaccowala – a great piece out this week on Wisdom – his writing pieces continue to inspire everyone from his series - The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past. It’s a great read.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/wisdom?

Time for the Work: Well its about time we picked a Nike ad. British tennis superstar Emma Raducanu fronts Nike’s latest spot in an ad that plays on some of the negative criticism she’s received since her historic win at the 2021 US Open. Anything to take the pressure off this British superstar must be good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS7Gbn5hX10&t=21s

Media: Simon Andrews produces Fix Lite and Merchant weekly and this is his latest creation via Linked In. We highly recommend you sign up to them. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fix-on-linkedin-6888866226769018880

Back to Henley: A frosty, but fairly mild January overall, what a fab place we live. We liked this January picture of the rowers heading into the mist as we start 2022.

New Book Alert: Grant Duncan has a book out this month – How do you plot the best career path? How do you know you’re heading in the right direction professionally? Looking Beyond the Car in Front, guides both senior and mid-career business executives in taking a more assertive and strategic longer-term approach to career choices. When following the car in front may seem the easiest, safest and most rational course of action, it will not necessarily take you in the right direction. The contents is a reflection of 40 years of his life spent in business, working initially in advertising and then as a headhunter, as well as in-depth interviews undertaken with many successful executives including Roger Davis, Chairman of BUPA, Stevie Spring, Chairman of the British Council, Stephen Carter, Informa plc Group Chief Executive, Tim Davie, BBC Director General, and Alan Jope, Unilever plc CEO. This book provides a helpful “front-seat navigator” in steering your next career move, and for those supporting career development, including HR Directors, coaches, and career management consultants. https://lnkd.in/efc7qgTE

We’re here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, evaluations and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance, do contact us for anything we may assist you with.

Kind regards,

Will

For more information visit: http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

(If you’d like this sent to your email next month, please update us with your new email address)

Happy New Year. Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for December – we’ve chosen five key articles and a podcast for this month’s review. If you missed any of them – have some time, they are all well worth a catchup.

Here are the December highlights:-

1. Our Top pick this month, we’ve picked a piece by Mckinsey on Digital marketing.  Many companies fail to take advantage of this granularity, falling back on agencies and aggregators to manage their digital-marketing investments. A more hands-on approach can rapidly drive double-digit revenue growth – without increasing marketing budgets. Our view – you get what you incentivise.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/deactivate-your-digital-marketing-autopilot?

2. Secondly, we like the fuelpodcast.com, particularly when they have the brilliant Helen Calcraft on it (from 10 minutes in) a brilliant leader – a brilliant creative agency, there is a real dynamo working at the heart of Lucky Generals, and she is always on a mission.

Here is the link: https://thefuelpodcast.com/helen-calcraft-lucky-generals-always-on-a-mission/

3. Thirdly, for a long time, the consultancy businesses have tried to promise they’d upstage agencies — it hasn’t really worked like that, this is a great piece by Digiday on what has worked and not worked.

Here is the link: https://digiday.com/marketing/consultancy-businesses-tried-to-promise-theyd-upstage-agencies-it-hasnt-really-worked-like-that/

4. Fourthly, at this time of year many firms offer their crystal ball – or Predictions for 2022. This set has been pulled together from a number of agency leaders by Jeremy Lee at the Creative Salon and offers a broad and well written view.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/features/qotw-biggest-learning-of-2021

5. Fifthly, 8 Predictions from WARC, getting smart with TV buys and beating the agency drum, we include this piece on a further eight predictions for 2022, again by agency leaders.

Here is the link: https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/opinion/eight-predictions-for-2022/5527

6. Sixthly, Rishad Tobaccowala has consistently given us the best thought leadership content in 2021, with his series: the Future does not fit in the containers of the past, so we end 2021 with his latest piece: Six ways to be, and feel better. https://rishad.substack.com/p/six-ways-to-be-and-feel-better?

Time for the Work: So many good Christmas ads to pick from this month, but we just had to pick Amazon for their kindness ad, following the effects of the pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnjeHwUaEyQ Congrats go to Amazon agencies: Lucky Generals and Initiative media for this one.

Media: Are you wasting a ton of money, this one looks at the pros and cons of performance marketing. https://www.thecraftory.io/blog/2020/waste-a-ton-of-money

Letter/Tweet from America: Tom Morton sent us this wonderful A-Z of Ivy League style.  This is a lovely diversion – an A to Z that has taken a full year to get as far as L for Loafers. https://kamakurashirts.com/blogs/vintage-ivy-a-to-z-blog

Back to Henley: A mild December, the New Year looks similar, but it’s all about topline growth. Henley’s retail space is thriving again with the opening of Tigers ‘n’ Tiaras, Pets Corner, soon to come Cote Brasserie, and the Pavilion.

It’s the New Year, we’re here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, evaluations and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance, do contact us for anything we may assist you with.

We wish you and your family a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Kind regards,

Will