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This is our monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for August – we’ve chosen just four key articles, a research series and a book launch, if you missed them and have some time they are well worth a catchup. All our Monthly reviews are available on our website http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/ August was a relatively quiet month, we hope you managed to get a summer break somewhere and didn’t have to rush back to avoid quarantine. It’s Autumnal here – it’s back to school – and back to work.

1. First up, and our top pick this month is an absolute gem from one of the wisest people in the creative and media business. A newsletter piece by Rishad Tobaccowala on the five traits of great leaders. The six keys to a company culture. The importance of libraries. He has just released his second edition of a ‘free newsletter’ I’m subscribing, are you?

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/leadership-culture-and-libraries

2. Secondly, we pick a piece by the Boston Consulting Group on how to lead in the new reality. A really good read on what the future holds.

Here is the link: https://www.bcg.com/featured-insights/leading-in-new-reality/overview?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=covid-nr&utm_description=paid&utm_topic=none&utm_geo=global&utm_content=img_lookalikes

3. Thirdly, you have to admire the energy and the creative oomph of new London agency Uncommon. This agency never seems to stop or sleep, here Natalie Graeme gives her view on the new work normal.

Here is the link: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/people-parties/bazaar-at-work/a33350409/my-new-normal-natalie-graeme/

4. Fourthly, we pick an article in the HBR by Nirmalya Kumar and Koen Pauwels titled ‘Don’t cut your marketing budget in a recession.’ We like those clients like Coca-Cola and Singapore Airlines, and in the UK to a lesser extent Birds Eye who see the need to keep advertising as a responsibility. In today’s environment is the agency world bleeding?

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2020/08/dont-cut-your-marketing-budget-in-a-recession

5. Fifthly, we had a special instalment this month from MDC Partners who have become the benchmark holding company for researching Covid-19 in the US. MDC released their Special report on ‘a look back to see what’s ahead’. It looks at 6 months of weekly tracking research from the Harris Poll, changing American lifestyle and opinions, and how these factors could impact lives in the long term.

Here is the link: https://hub.mdc-partners.com/consumer-research

6. Sixthly, Excerpts from Experts. You have probably gone through a few tones of reading over the Spring/Summer break. If you need a refreshing dip-in and dip-out Marketing read, the best and brightest of the marketing world come together to impart their hard-won wisdom for a great cause. The Foreword is by Mark Ritson, proceeds of this one go to NHS charities working together, some great learnings, so do buy it!

Here is the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Excerpts-Experts-Marketing-brightest-marketing/dp/191353202X

Time for the Work:  Our Top pick this month goes to Adidas and Iris for a lovely spot on the return of sport. Fantastically produced, under the constraints of lockdown, it’s definitely a hat-tip to creativity. https://www.thedrum.com/creative-works/project/adidas-ready-sport-the-anthem

E-Commerce: If you read one article on Direct to Consumer and E-commerce trends read this written by the smart people at Common Thread it’s a must read on what’s next for retailing. https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/ecommerce-trends-future

Back to Henley: And we are blessed to have a new local neighbour. Henley resident and ‘Queen of Cakes’ Mary Berry guest edited a special edition of Countryfile last week featuring, visiting among Bosley Patch market garden as well as locally reared beef from English Farm at Nuffield and cheese and butter from Nettlebed Creamery. Never shy of the camera, she showed us how to produce the best end of summer BBQ. If you missed the programme you can watch it on iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000m82f/countryfile-mary-berry-special

September is here, there is talk of pitches again, both on Zoom – and face to face meetings. While some intermediaries remain quiet, we kicked off a pitch process for a retailer this morning. Sometimes the needs of your organisation requires a new approach, a refresh, a new Christmas campaign, or a transformation. Are you ready to review?  we are here to help you.

Kind regards,

Will

This is our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for July – we’ve chosen six key articles, and one webinar, if you missed them and have some time, they are well worth a catchup. We’ve dedicated a section to our findings from the Adforum Worldwide Summit which took place in the first week of July – holding companies updated us on their performance and summarised ‘what’s new and interesting’ in the industry. As ever we’ve included a few local extras. July has been a difficult month for many, redundancies in the airline, retail and hospitality sector prevail, but some positivity is coming back. If a second Covid-19 wave returns it will be suppressed in a more targeted way.

1. First up: and our top pick is an interview with Dave Trott; “The World According to Dave” for WPCC’s issue on ‘Advertising for the Human Good’ edited by Carl W. Jones. Dave was asked to consider the potential of advertising for the human good, and gave wide-ranging answers when questioned: Should advertising have such a role?; is university education a hinderance to creativity; and whether much of advertising can be considered ‘pollution’. It’s a great read, insightful and Dave at his best.

Here is the link:

https://www.westminsterpapers.org/article/10.16997/wpcc.393/

2. Secondly: A really interesting read on the “Low Touch Economy.” The current crisis has created a global economic storm that none of us have experienced before. In this new era, large and small companies alike have redesigned their business models to ensure new and safer interactions between customers and companies. This has massive implications for brands, as they must accelerate their online customer experience and e-commerce capabilities exponentially. Consumers are relying on online and contactless experiences more than ever, which is creating a surge in digital signals. This article looks at which businesses are configured for winning.

Here is the link:

https://www.boardofinnovation.com/low-touch-economy/winners/

3. Thirdly: What board members say about the CMO – off the record. Think with Google gave Fortune 1000 board members a chance to discuss the marketing role anonymously. The Board members gave over 100,000 words. Google distilled them down using a topic modelling algorithm to read through every interview transcript, unearth trends, and sort them into groups. They then used human evaluation to find the most interesting quotes from board members about these trends. And finally distilled it into one paragraph.

Here is the link:

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/cmo-insights

4. Fourthly: How are you finding remote working? Maybe your company is doing it wrong. This is a good article on how you should structure your days ahead, meetings are now generally shorter than they use to be and most are taking place on Zoom or Teams. We find structure is important and time for exercise a premium.

Here is the link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/upshot/remote-worktips.html#click=https://t.co/NMtwTDEBBK

5. Fifthly: we have been a great fan of the MDC Partners tracking of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US. The Harris poll has delivered 21 weeks of data and it’s interesting how Americans are reacting to homeworking. This week MDC Partners did a Special Edition of their bulletin and additionally looked at trust in US companies and corporate reputation and this is an insightful report. Here is the link to Wave 21 of the study and the following report on Trust and Corporate reputation.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7cc8c2f71691717bfc53ef/t/5f232b3ec50b227143de823c/1596140351795/MDC_Harris+Poll+Research_Wave21_v2_073020.pdf

https://theharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/HP-RQ-2020-v9.pdf

6. Sixthly: Optimists are better at finding new jobs. With so many organisations flexing, pivoting, and restructuring, good people are falling out of companies for little reason. For those looking for new opportunities – now is the time for positivity.

Here is the link:

https://hbr-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/hbr.org/amp/2016/04/optimists-are-better-at-finding-new-jobs

Time for the Work: With few offices reopening, no office norms, the water cooler has been drained – Creativity has to be done in a much more nomadic space. We’ve picked this ad made under lockdown which truly knocks creativity out of the park. It’s for Nike fabulously created by W&K and aired in the US.

Here is the link:

https://musebycl.io/sports/nikes-new-ad-editing-marvel-and-maybe-best-covid-spot-yet

Media: Is Facebook out of control?  If the boycott of Facebook by some of the world’s biggest brands – Unilever, Coca-Cola, Starbucks – succeeds, it will be because it has targeted the only thing that Facebook understands: its bottom line. And if it fails, that will be another sort of landmark. The Facebook juggernaut keeps rolling on.

Here is the link:

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jul/05/facebook-is-out-of-control-if-it-were-a-country-it-would-be-north-korea

Adforum Worldwide Summit: The Adforum Worldwide Summit had a record 105 consultants from 5 continents virtually connected at the beginning of July. It was great to hear from the leaders of each holding company on how they are progressing through Covid-19 (apart from Publicis Groupe) and catch up with colleagues.

Here is our summary from this year’s summit:

• WPP, there will be no more mergers, nor office as usual, but there is a very open culture, open creativity, open data and they remain open for questions, staff will be working a mixture of at home and externally. Most clients have gone from reaction to recovery stage with digital velocity.
• Dentsu, gave us a business update on the networks share performance, they have fared better than most, followed by an in depth study on how it has approached data, culture and diversity. They are impressive, believe the era of big agency networks with multiple clients and brands is over.  The power of the platform – the ability to effect change – Merkle is probably their magic sauce.
• Havas, Global CEO Chris Hirst told us that humanity, ecology, and technology will be the deciding factors for customers in selecting brands, Havas are now centred around ‘Meaningful brands’ their ongoing research shows 77% of brands could disappear and no one would care.
• We had updates from VCCP and IrIs, VCCP has the strongest new business performance year on year. Iris shared an interesting post Covid client business accelerator.
• Omnicom, shared with us ‘Sparks And Honey’ a culture-centric organisation with the ability to transcribe the cultural zeitgeist into hard numbers and trackable metrics – they showed us Q live a system that collects data, algorithms, AI and predictive analytics to see what may happen in the future.
• MDC Partners showed why they are now a ‘modern agency holding network’ and also shared with us some of the Covid 19 tracking studies from the Harris poll.
• Accenture Interactive are already now the same size in revenues as IPG, we had an introduction on Droga 5 and how they will configure to win business in the future.
• IPG, an excellent presentation on the new structures and layered approach within IPG, how Roth, Krakowsky and Bond are driving growth and change from the US. IPG are well structured for the future if they configure themselves for the right opportunities – the jewel in the crown remains R/GA who are just phenomenal.

Back to Henley: The river is busy again with day boats and launches. And riverside business is doing its best to reopen. One of the best idyllic Thameside settings for lunch is the French Horn in nearby Sonning. For the first time in 40 years you can now dine under new Covid distancing rules outside. Naturally, the best way to arrive is by slipper launch and with perfect weather – it’s a great place for a Consultants lunch. People talk about ‘pivoting’ your business, well this is our new service – on offer to all our clients and new clients between now and October. www.thefrenchhorn.co.uk and it’s a pretty good summer menu.

And finally, It can be slightly apprehensive to change your agencies in a pandemic, but sometimes the needs of your organisation require a new approach, a refresh, or a 5 year transformation. New challenges require new needs. When the time is right – we are here to help you.

We are running a webinar for clients in the first week of September, on “How to pitch your business under lockdown” – the do’s and dont’s. So if you would like further details on this, please do get back in touch and drop me a line.

Kind regards,

Will

During lockdown we ran a weekly review of the key articles and webinars defining the future of the industry for Marketeers at work and those furloughed. Given feedback, we were asked to do a monthly Round-up of thought leadership pieces. For June, we’ve chosen four key articles, a webinar and podcast that if you missed them and have some time, are well worth a catchup.

This week is the Adforum Worldwide Virtual Summit, where a covey of 105 pitch consultants are virtually listening to how holding companies are working with humanity and creativity – reacting to society changes, addressing diversity and prioritising ways of working. Our summary for that will be in our July Round-Up. With Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the globe, tragedies in Reading and Glasgow, further micro-lockdowns returning, Hong Kong in political turmoil – June 2020 has been memorable for different reasons.

1. First up, we pick the lead article by Paul Blow that appeared in last week’s Economist. The advertising business is becoming less cyclical—and more concentrated. As ever more marketing drifts online, the digital giants’ conquest of adland looks unstoppable. It’s a well rounded view of the industry and a good balanced read.

Here is the link: https://www.economist.com/business/2020/06/27/the-advertising-business-is-becoming-less-cyclical-and-more-concentrated

2. Secondly, we came across this splendid podcast by the Propeller group, titled the Dog ‘N’ Bone – (a tasty one to chew on) The first episode launched this week with James Murphy and Craig Inglis – it’s a discussion on the relationship they built to create the legendary series of John Lewis ads. Whilst John Lewis was early on fairly anti-marketing, they embarked on a journey in 2008 and in 2010 achieved amazing cut through with the ad ‘Always a woman’ – the rest of the 10 year Christmas story is legendary.

Here is the podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inglis-n-murphy/id1341278665?i=1000479619787

3. Thirdly, there’s a space for Sir Martin Sorrell who tells us to ‘go where the growth is’. In this provocative conversation, SMS outlines the future of marketing and advertising and how the holy trinity of first party data, digital content, and programmatic advertising will supercharge the next wave of growth. Sir Martin discusses the true meaning of faster, better, cheaper and how to deliver on that promise through a new-era, tech-led advertising and marketing services model. He firmly sees post Covid as the time for independent agencies, as the HoldCos’, in his opinion, are no longer fit for purpose.

Here is the link: https://www.persado.com/podcast-series/choice-words/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=influencer-name&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=episode-sir-mairtin-sorrell#episode-4

4. Fourthly, Covid-19 continues to have an impact on businesses. MDC questioned whether social issues would take a back seat to Covid-19.  In an unforeseen twist, Covid-19 has taken the backseat to social issues in America. The weekly MDC webinar series, has 17 weeks of research through the Harris Poll they have now produced Marketing’s Role in Restarting the Economy – fear is trumping desire to return to normal in the US.

Here is the link: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7cc8c2f71691717bfc53ef/t/5efca0305004fe43f91e178f/1593614392171/MDC_Harris+Poll+Research+Waves+1-17+Agency.pdf

5. Fifthly, during lockdown we saw some of the biggest food brands going towards DTC for the first time and as lockdown emerges other brands like airlines will head for a more DTC route to improve margin. The coronavirus pandemic has been a catalyst for some of the world’s biggest brands to open online stores serving products direct to consumers’ homes. Here’s how they have done it. And with the likes of Kraft Heinz dipping in this direction, it’s likely to continue.

Here is the link:https://www.raconteur.net/retail/big-brands-d2c

6. Sixthly, we conclude with a series of short videos created by Les Binet, the effectiveness chief of A&E DDB. He has produced four quite insightful videos for brands through lockdown as well as writing for WARC, and they discuss some key points for the future post lockdown.

Here is the link to the first of the four episodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnG68vHYdxs&feature=youtu.be

Having been on Zoom calls with Pitch consultants and holding company agencies all this week. It’s interesting to see whom have taken the learnings of this webinar on board. Agencies have to become super-smart at pitching virtually and Zoom allows dovetailing and interactive polls. If you are still cooped up in your broom cupboard under the stairs – it’s time to come out and learn from this gem. ‘Perfect the first 7 seconds of your presentation’ - we highly recommend Bill McGowan’s technique of ‘embedded storytelling’. People decide:- your gravitas, credibility, trustworthiness, and whether you’re worth listening to in the first 7 seconds – you need to be clear, concise, persuasive and memorable. https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/25396146-pitch-perfect-how-to-say-it-right-the-first-time-every-time

Time for the Work: Creativity has been relentless through lockdown, though creative production is becoming more interesting and complex. There’s quite a glut of sentimental messages in the market, most brands will have to take a much more practical approach for Christmas. We’ve picked an ‘Ad of the Month’ created for Reckitt Benckiser for Durex, ‘Let’s not go back to normal’ made by Havas London during lockdown. https://www.thedrum.com/creative-works/project/havas-london-durex-lets-not-go-back-normal#:~:text=As%20countries%20outline%20plans%20to,normal%20wasn’t%20good%20enough.

Media: And we pick an article on the furore of Facebook advertising. With so many brands pulling their allegiance what impact will this have on Facebook, and how long is it set to last?  Top advertisers here in the UK only represent 6% of Facebook revenue, advertisers that can’t afford TV will still spend with Facebook. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/companies-boycotting-facebook-ads-why-different-than-other-boycott/#:~:text=Chipotle%2C%20HP%2C%20Pfizer%20and%20Puma,halted%20advertising%20on%20the%20platform.

Back to Henley: Alongside our consulting projects, we have been helping Henley retailers get back on their feet. Assisting with a comprehensive High street recovery program, weekly zoom calls starting with 28 retailers, guiding opening programmes, distancing and communicating to a wider audience. We sadly have no regatta or festivals this year, no client outings, but Henley is open for business.

Customers have gotten used to the quick pace of communication and now demand that brands evolve at the same speed. This has massive implications for brands, as they must accelerate their online customer experience and ecommerce capabilities exponentially. We decided to keep our message above clear and simple. Consumers are relying on online and contactless experiences more than ever, which is creating a surge in digital signals.

And finally: Now that we have some senses of normality returning, we are here to help you with your agency rosters, reviews, benchmarking and marketing performance. It will be great to catch up soon.

Kind regards,

Will

Our final Weekly Round-up (Week 9 of UK lockdown) – we pick the key articles in Marketing this week that help define the future of our industry. We’ve chosen two webinars, a podcast, and a couple of articles. Given feedback we will try and continue to do these monthly, but for now, this is our lockdown finale. Time to get back to projects, fire the engines, and get Britain’s advertising economy moving again.

For senior marketeers in England non-essential shops will open again on the 15th June, a  welcome return of football on 17^th June as well as an easing of the number of people you can meet. For those furloughed – we hope the roundup has been helpful, as more forms of normality are returning. A final clapping night this week for our NHS and key workers.

1. First up this week: The Marketing Society held another webinar this week, titled a Global Conversation, it drew on leaders across the globe, chaired by outgoing CEO Gemma Greaves. It was interesting how Singapore and Hong Kong are nearly over Coronavirus – that India is yet to hit its peak. The standout theme was that from consumers to colleagues, people come first and that post-pandemic, it’s up to marketers to ensure that humanity remains at the centre of our businesses. Whilst connectiveness and streamlining business is happening those businesses that do it right will be rewarded long term.

Here are the seven soundbites: https://www.marketingsociety.com/event-review/seven-soundbites-our-global-conversation

2. Secondly, Kantar produced another good webinar as part of their series how brands can survive the Covid 10 crisis. The latest last week ‘Are we ready to get our heads out of the sand?’ Jane Bloomfield presents the series - the uncertainty brought by COVID-19 has highlighted how important it is to make decisions quickly. The situation is changing people’s lives and its effects on the economy are already being felt across different sectors.

Here is the link to the series: https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/coronavirus/webinar-how-brands-can-survive-the-covid-19-crisis

3. Thirdly, we came across a great interview by former P&G marketing leader Jim Stengel of Wendy Clark, who has recently become Global CEO of Dentsu Aegis (joining September) in the CMO Podcast. She talks at length about her time at Coca-Cola and DDB and her belief that you produce your best work when you ‘be yourself’. Asked what’s keeps her fresh and creative, she talks about always ‘being curious’. A really good listen.

Here is the link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wendy-clark-thick-skin-and-a-global-mindset/id1460604334?i=1000455479963

4. Fourthly, we took a look at the WARC Guide to marketing in the COVID-19 recession, Les Binet, Group Head of Effectiveness at adam&eveDDB, explains why this recession is different and why the normal rules of business may not apply, at least for a while. This is an excerpt from Les Binet’s article ‘Navigating COVID-19: survival, adaptation and recovery.’

Here is the link: https://warc.com/newsandopinion/opinion/marketers-need-to-take-a-more-nuanced-and-thoughtful-approach-to-the-covid-19-crisis/3584

5. Fifthly, a piece on those Zoom calls and this time from the Harvard Business Review to refine how you manage your calls. There is a knack to stop zooming out in meetings.

Here is the link: https://hbr-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/hbr.org/amp/2020/05/stop-zoning-out-in-zoom-meetings

6. Sixthly, Forbes ran a piece this week on Though leadership with a number of contributors on the post pandemic advertising and media landscape. So many businesses will need to change for what has been the biggest disruption in 75 years, those brands that play nicely – will do well.

Here is the link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2020/05/22/thought-leaders-weigh-in-on-the-post-pandemic-advertising-and-media-landscape/amp/

Time for the Work: it’s a shoutout for Mother this week – for their ‘KFC is back’ work.
KFC marks the reopening of its UK stores with a tongue-in-cheek ad spotlighting fans’ homemade attempts at fried chicken. The campaign uses real images of customers’ culinary efforts – some better than others – all done during lockdown. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/kfc-well-here-mother/1683542

Back to Henley: With the loss of the regatta and all the various summer festivals, it’s unprecedented but still optimistic times for Henley this summer. So ‘Henley on Hold’ is better than being ‘Henley on the Brink’, as it was when we had the floods. https://www.facebook.com/hobbsofhenley/photos/a.172804612766488/3424727737574143/?type=3&theater

Wine: We were fortunate to take a holiday at the end of January before lockdown, to Chile and Argentina. Our Malbec’s from Cobos arrived this week, so we had to give a shoutout to two of the best wineries we visited in Argentina. Firstly, Zuccardi https://zuccardiwines.com/en/ and secondly Cobos. http://vinacobos.com/ Look out for them, if you ever get the chance to visit the Mendoza – they are both truly wonderful, and the steaks aren’t bad either.

And finally, Beer: we turn to a local business in Marlow this time and one close to many hearts the Rebellion Brewery – and an inspiring piece on how it has pivoted its business during the crisis. Brian Walmsley writes this blog and it really brings home how well the business has adapted. It’s a great beer and it’s a great business.https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-pivot-your-business-inspired-rebellion-brewery-brian-walmsley/?trackingId=%2FCnOROtDLHspy%2Bx9CZdnnQ%3D%3D

This is our last Weekly Review (during the lockdown) and we hope they have been of interest and helpful for those marketeers making decisions and for those furloughed. We have been asked to keep them coming – but have decided to do a Monthly Roundup from the end of June. If you would like to unsubscribe, please simply drop me an email by reply.

Now that lockdown is easing, we’re looking to help you with your agency reviews, evaluations, and marketing projects. Please do get back in touch, to see if we may assist you at this time.

Kind regards,

Will

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

Week 8 of lockdown, our penultimate Round-up of the relevant points in Marketing. We’ve chosen three webinars, a live event podcast and a number of articles this week. Good reads for the long weekend – that help define the future of our industry.

For senior marketeers, it gives you a round-up, whilst preparing for the easing of lockdown. For those furloughed, we hope it gives you an edge for when you return to work. More and more, a sense of normality is returning – Walkers started seeing agency presentations this week – ending 22 years of cherished work with AMV. Mini has appointed Anomaly. We hope other projects will resume as brands start to re-ignite.

1. First up this week, how UK brands can survive Covid-19 and it’s another important webinar by Kantar – the 15^th May Webinar looked at Reactivating Demand – what are the right signals to send – it’s good content and a well produced series of webinars. Many brands are facing ‘Demand shock’ that is going to go on for some time.

Here is the link: https://www.kantar.com/en/Inspiration/Coronavirus/WEBINAR-How-brands-can-survive-the-COVID-19-crisis

2. Secondly, a live event from R/GA. This one by Barry Wacksman, discusses the DNA of Connected brands and how human centred innovation can not only drive businesses but also move culture in a connected world. Barry this week celebrated 21 years at the same company, we felt that warranted a bit of a celebration. R/GA produce some of the most remarkable work, his podcast looks at the Connected brand and a behind the scenes look at Pepsico next billion dollar sparkling water brand. R/GA launched Bubly in absolute record time, a story really well told, it’s an inspiring listen and great work.

Here is the link: https://www.rga.com/futurevision/pov/rga-live-jess-greenwood-barry-wacksman?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=futurevision

3. Thirdly, it was Havas New Business’ turn for a Webinar on Covid-19 – they presented from two of their global studies; covering 28 countries from Re-act and from Beyond Covid-19 – delivering a new Prosumer report. Marianne Hurstel and Sébastien Houdusse presented this webinar which goes through the proprietary data, how the study reveals the radicalisation of consumer expectations around the world. Their data shows half of the people believe this crisis is linked to the climate crisis. However, some interesting points on trust in government, the impact on economic, democratic and social crisis.

Here is the link: https://havascontenthub.com/webinars

4. Fourthly, we turn to Leo Rayman and Grey Consulting, it has to be said a fairly relaxed series of webinars Distance Resistance but thought provoking. This is a link to all the Distance Resistance events. A couple of weeks back they ran an excellent one on Predicting the future. This one #6 looks at ‘the new normal’ – whilst we may be headed back to as it was before, only 9% want back to back to the normal. Is this an opportunity to build us a ‘better normal’. Leo introduces the 5 R’s:- What are you going to Remember, what will you Retain, what will you Replicate, what will you Remove, and what will you Recruit for the future. Thought provoking and an unusual line up of speakers.

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCscPvszdQs_LaAvnh3itMxQ/featured

5. Fifthly, something a bit different – we turn to the Harvard Business Review, and a great piece by Bain on the Agile C-Suite and agile leadership teams. If a company wants to move fast on its feet and transform customer experiences, out pace competitors, and ramp up agile – then the senior teams needs to follow agile principles too. So to design a better business process, this is worth a read and it comes in Podcast format as well. https://hbr.org/2020/05/the-agile-c-suite

6. Lastly, MDC Partners latest research’s finding shows that 69% of American Consumers say “living in freedom” is the top factor of the American Dream.  There are some conflicted findings – empathy vs. generational divide on C-19 safety precautions, and the want to “reopen” vs. worry that it may be premature for businesses to return.  With each tension comes an insight that provides a line of sight into the evolving mindset of the American consumer. The most recent wave of research The Harris Poll between May 15 – 17 covers 1,961 American consumers.

Here is the link: https://hub.mdc-partners.com.

Agency news: the new agency to be run by James Murphy and David Golding is to be called ‘New Commercial Arts’ – Soho based and defying convention, it’s launching in the midst of a recession. We provided A&E with their first pitch as they became A&E DDB. We’re sure it won’t be long before this agency is purring, this just might be the shake-up the UK new business market needs. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ad-agency-new-commercial-arts-defies-coronavirus-crisis-xfjf9wbbs

Media highlight of the week: An excellent report by Goodstuff communications on the ISBA / PWC Analysis of Programatic – titled the Unknown delta – it really needs to be sorted out together. https://goodstuff.co.uk/the-unknown-delta/

Time for the Work: It’s Chapeau! to Uncommon London, for their work for ITV and Mental health week. Certainly the OTW agency at the moment, and the one that seems to be following an ambitious start up trajectory. https://medium.com/@uncommonLDN/itv-uncommon-remind-the-nation-to-reach-out-to-one-another-this-mental-health-awareness-week-385ef2df77b9

Arise: A knighthood this week for Captain Tom Moore for NHS fundraising.

Back to Henley: Well the river is now open, and sunshine. Ahoy! Shipmates, what a view, no booms this year as there’s no regatta, but come along and enjoy some sun.

And finally: a spotlight on Bray eateries this week. With London being off bounds for most ‘commuters’ for the foreseeable future. What a choice Bray has, (and all reopening from July 4^th) the choice: Heston’s trio – The Fat Duck, the Crown, and the Hinds Head. Alain Roux at the Waterside. And food relief the Hinds Head Bray has opened up an at home service. https://mailchi.mp/hindsheadbray/the-hinds-head-at-home?e=2408c7990c

We’re looking to help you with your agency reviews, evaluations, and marketing projects. Please do get in touch, if we can help you as we look to pivot the business.

Kind regards,

Will

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

We started Week 7 with some hope of lockdown lifting – we review the relevant points in Marketing this week. We’ve chosen four webinars, a podcast and a blog, that help define the future of our industry.

For senior marketeers, it gives you a round-up, as you’re getting all the pieces in place for easing. For those furloughed, we hope it helps you with a clearer sense of purpose and an edge for when you get back to work.

1. First up, and it’s that Mark Ritson again, this was a brilliant webinar will over 4500 attendees from around the world. Mark doesn’t mess with his words, he tells it how it is. In this webinar he talks through an indifferent Government comms strategy, and hopes they get the experts on board to help them – he refers to them as ‘the dirty dozen’ – we think you only actually need three:- a worldclass London planner, a super creative and an efficient account handler. There are some super-smart people below the stairs in No. 10, whilst supportive of the PM, Ritson affirms it’s important because a better Government comms strategy could save more lives.

Here is the link: https://youtu.be/QlnRo5vJniU

2. Second, having worked with Dave Trott, (in fact I shared an office next door to him for nearly two years) Dave has always got something interesting to say. He likes to talk and is a regular blogger. Between pots of tea, he writes an awful lot of stuff. Dave is a complete genius – an eagle eye perspective on the industry and every now and then ‘a brick comes through the window’ with Dave’s name on it. This one is simply Dave at his best, it’s all about the Target of One.

Here is the link: https://davetrott.co.uk/

3. Thirdly, last Monday morning for us was a delight as we listened to this expertly produced Podcast by Tom Morton of RGA\ on Brand Purpose. Tom defines Brand Purpose really succinctly, there’s perhaps a little too much American marketing jargon in this podcast ‘looking through different lenses’ – but it’s a really good listen.

Here is the link: https://www.rga.com/futurevision/pov/brand-purpose-is-not-corporate-responsibility?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=futurevision

4. Fourthly, how to ‘Perfect the first 7 seconds of your presentation’ - we listened to Jim McGowan for the Wednesday Webinar (who quite literally has trained many CEO’s, Jack Welch, politicians and moviestars) it was excellent. An outstanding presentation technique Bill finds the authentic narrative – what he calls embedded storytelling. He believes that people decide:- your gravitas, credibility, trustworthiness, and whether you’re worth listening to – in the first 7 seconds. Ultimately- you want to be clear, concise, persuasive and memorable. Bill talks about bringing your game up a notch, keeping it meaningful, being effective, intentional, resonating, and stickiness. He goes on to advise on how to perfect your Zoom calls, and even how to ‘v-pitch’ – some really good takeouts. Refine your slides, if the word is not in the English Dictionary it’s probably ‘marketing jargon’ and will have a red-line underneath it. He divulges stop being ‘on a journey’ ‘doubling back’, ‘Ideating’ – because if you focus on your presentation delivery you aren’t!

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTX63zAYpio

5. Fifthly, we reviewed the Kite Factory’s webinar on Covid-19 and specifically a Media owners view on how to drive growth. This webinar looks at the short term benefits of advertising now, how to test and learn, what the next step will look like as we plan for this new world. It includes good insights from Channel 4 who have navigated the crisis well with innovation and creativity. Channel 4 outline how it forced them to get creative, given their responsibilities to the public and how they had to lift the mood. Audience numbers are up 124% and Channel 4 News is at an 8 year high. They have made changes in sales, editorial, and marketing. An interesting view on how ‘agility’ has managed to keep Channel 4 on air.

Here is the link: https://youtu.be/X-KEoowWUDI

6. Sixthly, we review the Behaviours Agency in Manchester presentation on Covid-19. We’re a fan of communications life outside the M25, (when it’s not raining) – and a great thought leadership presentation from Steve Brunt. This is a little talented agency gem – Manchester agencies quietly get on with their life, they just roll up sleeves and deliver.

Here is the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/3edbKJz7y3xJXrP97RnZRPEfPYq1T6a82iVIrKYPyhuIF2las_A8jite73QFHlcO  Password: 4j.=.?71

Time for the Work: And we are going to give McCann London a shoutout this week. Newly moved to Bishopsgate offices, the shoutout is for their work for Just Eat and Snoop Dogg – it’s different. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnE_xwW_JmA

A bit of Breaking news: James Murphy and David Golding’s new agency is called New Commercial Arts and its proposition is “uniting brand and customer creativity to make brands more desirable and easier to buy”. Has A&E peaked – is this going to ignite the new business sector? The start-up opens its doors for business on Monday with an eight-strong team of fellow co-founders. As well as Murphy and Golding, Ian Heartfield, former chief creative officer at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, was recruited last autumn as creative partner with an equal stake to Murphy and Golding.

An absolutely inspiring presentation last Tuesday from Mark Ritson – as an Intermediary – leaving no stone unturned – who else is going to email the article to No. 10, and Business Secretary – local MP Alok Sharma. We actually think the Government is doing a pretty fabulous job in these challenging times, but if we can add intermediary & communications support – we’re here to help. https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-ad-industry-rescue-covid-comms-strategy/

Back to Henley, Mayor making was a bit ordinary, it wasn’t incendiary this year, interesting how Zoom is changing the way we work. Do we need to meet – does productivity increase with Zoom, certainly many committees and working groups can now be done on Zoom, and that gives the electorate the benefit of viewing from their armchair. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXGNEuRlaeVNTIiJgjqsAZA?view_as=subscriber

And finally, a special mention for the Procurement conference next week run by Tina Fegent and Dan Jefferies – it’s on the 19^th May.https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tina-fegent-fcips-2103573_marketing-procurement-conference-for-the-activity-6665718808134594560-xM01

There’s no birthday outing to the French Horn for us this year – that will have to wait. Golf is back, some sense of normality and the course is in tiptop condition. There will be another Weekly Review next week – we decided to prepare them for you until the end of the May.

We’re looking to help you with your agency reviews, evaluations, and marketing projects. Please do get in touch if we can help you. And as they say, Stay Alert, Control the virus, Save lives.

Kind regards,

Will

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

As we roundup Week 6 of lockdown, we review the key points of Marketing that have taken place this week. We clearly are at an inflection of unprecedented change, we review several webinars and key articles – for those working in strong businesses there are immense opportunities – for those furloughed the chance to reflect and come back stronger. What we are all experiencing is hard, it’s a struggle, but by communicating we can help each other. The talk of business and pitches is happening again. I hope you enjoy the long VE weekend.

As lockdown goes on there is the deeper fear of recession, Bank of England predictions this week didn’t look good, Sir Martin Sorrell, of S4 Capital predicts that this downturn is a “reverse square root” – a sharp downturn, then a quick partial rebound, before a plateau at a lower level than the pre-COVID period. The picture varies by sector, with fast-moving consumer goods and tech well-positioned, while travel brands will struggle. Sorrell argues that the advice to spend your way through this recession is “patent nonsense” for companies that have seen distribution evaporate.

1. So with this in mind, first off we take a look at the Agency Lessons from Recessions and the Cog Blog produced by BJ and A. This piece discusses what most marketing advice has been peddling that line – to be the smartest – keep spending at this time, when the competition slows or stops thus raising share of voice. The flaw being if everyone follows the same marketing advice then share of voice remains the same, and for many distribution channels have simply disappeared.

Here is the link: http://www.bjanda.com/blog/agency-lessons-from-recessions/

2. Secondly, we review Craig Mawdsley’s article from Campaign magazine. Craig argues there will be a recession, and if your brand is in a category that suffered in 2008 you’re probably at risk of it this time around. A really insightful read, it may well be the wealth of data amassed through having all transactions online through Covid-19 that gives Marketeers this time the alacrity to rebuild.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/learned-crisis/1682135

3. Thirdly, in a change from the norm, an article by Herminia Ibarra – the Harvard Business review is always a good source of thought provoking stimulus. This one looks at Career challenges and reinvention that has been a topic of many recent Lockdown discussions with friends and colleagues.

Here is the link: https://hbr-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/hbr.org/amp/2020/04/reinventing-your-career-in-the-time-of-coronavirus

4. Fourth, we take a look at a Blog piece from the Marketing Centre which compares marketing to the GB Olympic team and the story of marginal gains. The concept of marginal gains is simple: instead of looking for groundbreaking innovations, find and make small improvements wherever possible. By making 1% improvements across a range of areas, your overall performance will be dramatically improved.

Here is the link: https://blog-themarketingcentre-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/blog.themarketingcentre.com/covid-19-perfect-your-marketing?hs_amp=true

5. Fifth, we followed the MDC and Partners webinar with our consultancy colleagues in the US, and the feeling of a return to normality there is less than a flicker. They are about 4 weeks behind us in terms of the pandemic but this research of the MDC panel shows weekly how emotions are changing. Before we fly again industries will significantly change. We attach this excellent executive summary.

Here is the link: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7cc8c2f71691717bfc53ef/t/5eb2ff6f76530b42abb00ec2/1588789106208/MDC_HarrisPoll_Wave9_v1_050620.pdf

6. Sixth, we highlight the new Fix Merchant+ from the US which goes deeper into the core topics of retailing and the usual Friday Fix. Direct to Consumer has seen a big rise on both sides of the Atlantic. At a News Webinar – Steve Chantry CMO of Kraft Heinz spoke of the 10% increase in new customers Kraft are having from a bundled DTC pack for the first time.

Here is the link: https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=80025f160be434835759d292b&id=1c1ad5f634

Time for the Work: and hats off this week goes to VCCP and Cadbury for their lovely new work and indeed packaging, the creative just gets stronger and stronger.https://www.vccp.com/en-gb/work/cadbury/this-doesnt-have-to-end

A big shoutout this week goes to Uncommon London, for sending us a candle introducing ‘the Scents of Normality’ Uncommon have collaborated with expert Candle makers Earl of East to help raise money for an incredible charity. Each candle capturing some of the places we’re all missing during lockdown: The local, The cinema and the Festival. We just can’t wait to know what the sequel scents will be if lockdown continues: https://www.earlofeast.com/collections/scents-of-normality

‘Reciprocity’ -  is a big theme going forward – with consumers wanting to support those brands that have been good to them. Tip of the week: always be kind.

For Media Gurus, there is a report out next week – The Future of Media Trading – Mediatel News Editor – David Pidgeon talks with ISBA Director General and a Partner at PwC – May 14 at 10.30am BST, they will look at some of the stats the report reveals. Ohhh and look to find the missing 15% that cannot be found in the entire supply chain. https://info.mediatel.co.uk/en-gb/mediatel_digital_events

We end the round up – back in Henley for VE weekend. There is no Henley Royal Regatta and no Henley Festival this year, but we came across this lovely old piece of 2 minute film. Boats will soon be back in the water, we look forward to seeing you soon – may these times come back soon. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pCvu_ykXhfk&feature=youtu.be#menu

So there is a possibility of some lifting measures from the Prime Minister on Sunday. Germany is eyeing an accelerated return to normality. UK brands are preparing for a partial lockdown lift – some advocate it’s not the time for pulling back on spend – but the time to be bold. We are looking to help you with your agency reviews and wider marketing projects. Please do get back in touch.

Kind regards,

Will

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

As we roundup Week 5 of lockdown, we review several key articles that have appeared that define the future of marketing after lockdown. The majority think the UK advertising market will contract at 40% in Q2, its quite gloomy, but this week most agencies seem to have turned a corner and have become busy preparing communications for brands in a post-Covid world. For those furloughed at home, we hope the following links are helpful. There is some evidence of brands beginning to evaluate where to review their communications. We review why Zoom calls make you knackered and finally include two ‘appetising links’ for lockdown. Is WFH time coming to an end?

1. The first up is a real gem by Rishad Tobaccowala, quite simply a must read. Rishad highlights the Great Re-invention for the post COVID world. It will not be business as usual, it is absolutely critical that businesses use the next 4-6 weeks to get ready for the re-emergence. As he states the future does not fit into the containers of the past. “You are not falling behind your competitors, you are falling behind your customers.”

Here is the link: https://rishadt.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/the-great-re-invention-resurrect-now/

2. Secondly, a piece published within Digital Intelligence looks at the cuts to all forms of marketing activity in the UK, dropping 6.1% overall, but the IPA Bellweather report asks Marketers to think twice, before pulling spend.

Here is the link: https://digitalstrategyconsulting.com/online-advertising/marketing-budgets-drop-at-fastest-rate-since-last-recession-amid-covid-19-crisis/47423/

3. Thirdly, we review the table released by Warc/Advertising Association. If you work in cinema advertising then Q2 just wasn’t your quarter. This table was also featured in Gideon Spanier’s piece for Campaign from the Advertising Association website.

Here is the link: https://www.adassoc.org.uk/resource/record-2019-uk-adspend-forecast-to-fall-2020/

4. Fourth, Mark Ritson debates ‘marketing is infamously a discipline without discipline.’ Half of all marketers in this country aren’t only bereft of any formal training in the subject, more than half are also comfortable with the idea that marketers don’t need marketing qualifications to be able to do it. The long standing CMO Survey results from Duke University are also explained and it’s a good read.

Here is the link: 5 day free access so don’t delay: https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-marketers-strategic-responsibilities-eroding/

5. Fifth, we give a shoutout to Simon Andrew’s – Addictive, who sends us his newsletter each week called Friday Fix from the US – there’s always something new to learn in ad serving technologies / media consumption and what’s changing over there.

Here is the link: https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=80025f160be434835759d292b&id=992658d83a

6. And lastly, we reviewed just one webinar this week from the Marketing Society, and from it comes a pithy list of tips on what to do with your Linked-In profile in lockdown.

Here is the link: https://marketingsociety.com/event-review/10-ways-rock-your-profile-linkedin

Time for the work: with the UK midway through lockdown there are fewer new campaigns. This one ‘Ode to Shut-down sport’  created by agency Iris for Adidas, points to hope for the future, we think it’s spot on! https://adage.com/creativity/work/adidas-ready-sport/2253016

Why Zoom calls make you knackered? A BBC worklife study found video calls require more focus than a face-to-face chat. Video chats require us to work harder processing non-verbal cues like facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, and body language, paying more attention, and all these consumes more energy. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting?ocid=ww.social.link.linkedin

Back to Henley, how would you launch a new Gin during lockdown. Here is the link to the Hobbs Henley Gin story, it’s strong stuff. http://www.different-perspective.club/an-interview-with-the-founders-of-mr-hobbs-gin/

And finally, we would like to thank Atomic London for sending us this appetising treat. The Quality Chop House is a super – down to earth – traditional restaurant opposite their office and the ‘Mince on Dripping Toast’ there is just amazing! How kind of them to point out the secret recipe was released in this week’s Sunday Times, no better way for getting through lockdown. For the Quality Chop House recipes: chicken pie, mince on dripping toast and more:https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/3ce6fedc-8319-11ea-8a4a-4fb1a38ed7a5?shareToken=76e25bb991ec493db8fe65ac774640c6

So, with brands preparing for the Lockdown-lift we are looking to help you with your agency reviews, evaluations, and marketing projects. Please do get in touch, we will be happy to help you.

Kind regards,

Will

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

Another week in lockdown and our review of the relevant points in Marketing this week. We highlight two WFH webinars, an interesting view from Craig Mawdsley, review the links below – and some that frankly made us smile.

1. The Cog Blog from BJ&A: This one looks at what the agency world will look like after lockdown on return. Whether you follow the Hoffman view, or the Ritson view there will be less money to go around, by far the majority of costs in agencies is staff – agencies will have to cut back. There are already signs of this with the holding companies preparing themselves, the markets, and their staff for redundancies. An unfortunate, but inevitable position.

Here is the link:

http://www.bjanda.com/blog/agencies-post-covid-19/

2. The Marketing Society this week had a Global webinar from 7 markets, chaired by the outgoing CEO Gemma Greaves. This looked at the challenges Marketers face and how they can act smartly. The key points are included below: The pandemic allows the resetting of communication values; the opportunity to leapfrog for direct to consumer businesses; it’s time to stop thinking like marketer and think more like owner; when consumers are going to reward people that speak plainly and share empathy with them. Edward Bell (from Cathay Pacific) drew on the learnings from SARS and that how it was the time for the craziest ideas, now is the time to go for it. For marketers the need to manage your time well between problem solving, forecasting and time spent on Zoom calls. Our view remains marketing is ‘responsible for growth’ as soon as the lockdown is lifted the drive for growth will be absolutely insane.

Here is the link of the summary:

https://marketingsociety.com/event-review/seven-pieces-wisdom-global-conversation

The big news from Procter and Gamble came this week. P&G are ramping up marketing amid coronavirus demand: ‘This is not a time to go off-air’. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, advertisers are all grappling with the same quandary: to spend or not to spend. Procter & Gamble has committed to the former. So with Essity, Kimberly-Clark and P&G upping spend, and with Essity appointing AMV BBDO for paper, the battle for loo roll leadership is set to be supported by new advertising.

We highlight Craig Mawdsley’s view on Think with Google, ‘How to lead brands through the steepest learning curve of our professional lives’. It’s a positive spin and a good condensed read. His tips: ‘Don’t be self serving; don’t be cynical; don’t talk like an organisation. Do the right thing, and keep doing it when this ends.’

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/marketing-resources/content-marketing/how-to-lead-brands-through-the-steepest-learning-curve-of-our-professional-lives/

Time for the work: Congratulations for NHS work this week, the Stay at Home campaign delivered by St Lukes, and Uncommon for producing this creative work for ITV under lockdown. Brilliant!

https://vimeo.com/408177282?ref=fb-share

Our Weekly Applause: goes to R\GA New York, when asked for a photo of the senior management team for the AdAge awards, they responded with an image of everyones first name that works there. Great response, they’re all equally wonderful.

https://adage.com/article/special-report-agency-list/rga-ad-age-2020-list-comeback-agency-year/2249846?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=adage&utm_content=24bd8af5-5b6c-4ef5-80d4-57ddfdd92d8a

The talk of marketing’s terrible buzzwords, whether the excruciating use of  ‘circling back’, ‘diarise’, ‘deepdive’ upsets you – the word ‘Ideate’  (with nearly 4000 votes) is the winner in BBH’s World Cup Series of Marketing’s most terrible buzzwords.

https://twitter.com/BBHLabs/status/1252895260184846339?s=19

And finally, it’s not often you get the HRH to do a comedy sketch with Stephen Fry, BBC’s ‘The Big Night In’ featured this week with Comic relief and Children in Need. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_ifv6ZOuvw

So another week passes, sanity in Henley comes from frequent exercise and walks along the river. We are in lockdown (for another two weeks), but fortunate to live in such a lovely area. We’re here to help you on your marketing /agency review projects from home for now, or over Zoom, so do get back intouch.

Kind regards,

Will

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

This week we review three more webinars, highlight three pieces of creative work – we have had various calls with Agency CEO’s in the UK, we have also caught up with a couple of agencies by Zoom in New York. It’s been a week when many have tried to get on with those always delayed household DIY chores.

1. First up is Mark Ritson’s review of Marketing in Coronavirus and what it means for Marketeers going forward. Mark excellently highlights the serious implications, as well as the important role Marketeers play in term of generating profit and keeping the economy going. Mark lists the different modes that companies are working to, whether a flex, fix, or freeze mode. And goes on to look at the role of changing marketing departments during the crisis. At this point – he sees 2020 as a tactical pinpong match, brands should be taking time out but thinking 2021 as the strategy year when things begin to re-emerge. If you have the time, this is a ‘must watch’ for anyone really.

Here is the Link: https://vimeo.com/405854307/56ea8cdd5d

2. Adweek ran its live webinar on Covid 19 on Tuesday and looked how agencies were coping in the lockdown, there are some interesting comms learnings from the US.

Here is the Link: https://www.linkedin.com/video/live/urn:li:ugcPost:6655856085263536128/

3. One of the more light hearted pieces this week was the Ongoing series ‘marketing in pyjamas’ – watch towards the end, ‘pad of the week’ goes to former Unilever supremo Keith Weed – there is hope for all Marketeers going forward.

Here is the link: https://www.tribegroup.co/marketers-in-pyjamas

There’s space in Our Weekly Review for the Annual Campaign School Report, released today, it’s a ratings we often use when finally shortlisting agencies. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/school-reports-2020-sibling-rivalry-sparks-change-top/1680078 For those on the up, with an 8 or a 9 well done, for those going down in the ratings, it will be buried on a desk with more important news. Congratulations go to A&E/DDB for toppling AMV BBDO from the annual Nielsen billing league and gaining pole position. In particular, congratulations go to Tammy Einav, who way back worked with me trying to get McCann to the number one slot. Back then she was a New Business Account Manager, now CEO of A&E/DDB in London, she is calmly running the Biggest agency in the UK.

Time for the Work: three brands we highlight this week for producing outstanding work during the crisis, the first is slightly biased, but I do get a shiny seat occasionally, thanks to Joanne.

1. First up, British Airways, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=615KyCRUTnU delivered a great ad this week, created by Ogilvy Uk. Whilst the airline has furloughed 36,000 cabin crew, its still made this spot that tugs at the heartstrings of Britain. Featuring the colleagues in the ad, cabin crew, flight deck and CEO Alex Cruz it shows the optimism of the airline and pride to return to fly. Creatively delivered, they’re doing all they can to support the NHS.

2. We loved the new EE spot, Jeremy Lee called this one out, created by Saatchi and Saatchi, a ‘slice of Bacon’, its shows how EE is gifting unlimited data services to NHS workers. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/ee-gifts-unlimited-data-nhs-workers-kevin-bacon-fronted-campaign/1679864

3. And we also highlight the Co-Op local heroes campaign, great work produced under the constraints of the lockdown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIZ7AEi465o this ad was created by Lucky Generals.

And finally, last and definitely least, Council meetings go on in Henley, I don’t always get my way. So if you really have nothing better to watch, here is the link to the first ever Full council under Zoom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs0e4Fpi0wY

This Week’s applause goes to Captain Tom Moore, Captain Tom originally planned to raise £1,000 by completing 100 lengths of his 25 metre garden before his 100th birthday on April 30. But his amazing efforts captured the public imagination and the country has taken him to their hearts, donating in their droves – and the cash is still rolling in, £15 million, quite amazing. Here’s his fundraising link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalkforthenhs

With the UK now set on another three weeks of lockdown, social distancing seems to be working, people are getting use to the new way of working, the economy looks set to take a real hit. We continue to seek projects to keep us busy, of any variety, so if you would like to discuss your agency needs for when the lockdown ends, please do get in touch on 07730 431171, or email me above.

Stay healthy, and stay positive, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Kind regards,

Will