All posts in Views

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for March – we’ve chosen four key articles, an inaugural speech made by the new IPA President, and a weekly blog – if you missed any of them, have some time they are well worth a catchup. All our monthly reviews are available on our website http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/ With lockdown lifting, more widespread vaccinations, groups of six outside, there’s hope that the economy will begin to bounce back as clients reset with their agencies.

1. Our top pick this month is an inspiring piece written by Rishad Tobaccowala on What is Strategy? This is part of his series: The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past, a brilliant series of blogs that are really worth following. It’s edition 31 this month and it’s ‘strategy fantastic.’

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

2. Second, competing in today’s landscape requires connected, seamless commerce experiences across every step of the customer journey. This piece looks at the strategies for the new era of e-commerce – always on, and always present, it uses research from Forrester, this report highlights dentsu, it shows how each provider measures up and helps eBusiness and channel strategy professionals select the right one for their needs.

Here is the link: https://reprints2.forrester.com/#/assets/2/854/RES161672/report?sm=hxckbkpjah

3. Third, we’ve pick the inaugural IPA President’s speech made by Julian Douglas, aka Dougie. Dougie made his speech from Manchester on Accelerating agency opportunity 10x. We’ve always believed there is agency life outside the M25, it was refreshing to see Dougie take this stance to accelerate opportunity and promote the nation’s creativity.

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bck54JM3Gzo

4. Fourth, we picked a piece by Mark Ritson that appeared in Marketing Week last month. Mark outlines the 14 steps to an effective presentation and there are some good learnings.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-marketing-planning-14-steps/

5. Fifth, we picked up a trend piece from Gideon Spanier at Campaign, that we are seeing in other clients. With the ending of lockdown there is a need to shift brand consideration levels, a definite shift away from performance marketing to brand re-consideration. It will fuel a surge in above the line advertising again as brands optimise their media buying.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/airbnb-slashes-spend-permanent-shift-performance-marketing-brand/1708621

6. Sixth, Simon Andrews has been writing a fantastic blog Friday Fix, that we read and always try to share on a Friday morning. He gave us an Easter special for Fix Insider, fix Merchant+ and it’s a deep dive on retail, really worth a read and definitely one to follow.

Here is the link: https://mailchi.mp/addictivelondon.com/fixinsider-merchant-march-31

New Agency Alert: Last month we featured the US agency Proto, their positioning as an innovation agency. This month from London, we’ve picked a ‘very bright new agency’ Craig + Bridget who are seeking ‘your problems’ https://www.craigandbridget.co.uk/ To see their credentials click below. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1z9m2h4o4Zr8ffCPJWqGOCIviNrlXeJYY50rkldu0O0c/edit#slide=id.p

Media: We came across an Ebook produced by DEG Digital on the 12 Digital Marketing Trends of 2021, it introduces the key shift that will impact your marketing strategy and it’s a good all rounder. https://www.degdigital.com/ebooks/2021-digital-marketing-trends/

Time for the Work: We’ve picked the outstanding brand extension work for Marmite – Dynamite this month. We’re a fan of the Chilli launch, great work by Adam and Eve for the Unilever brand, but also a smart bit of thinking by Autoglass. We love a good old fashioned ‘outdoor media build’, and a timely piece of guerrilla marketing. Great work folks.

Office Working: Will the office return, well hot off the press, this piece suggests the office will be more a place for collaboration, hot desks and zoom rooms going forward. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/business/office-return-space.html?smid=li-share

Back to Henley: A bit of a special this month for all watch lovers as British watchmaker Henley based Bremont have opened their new manufacturing and technology centre. They are now offering tours of ‘the Wing.’ We can’t wait to see the new factory, and the new ranges are just superb. There’s a virtual tour, a factory tour, we’re coupling it with a Slipper launch tour – do call us we can arrange it. https://www.bremont.com/products/the-bremont-tour

Have a great long Easter weekend. It will be great to catch up properly again. We are here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance.

Kind regards,

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for February – we’ve chosen just four key articles, a podcast and a book preview, 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/  With lockdown lifting / more widespread vaccinations here in the UK, there’s hope that the economy will begin to bounce back and clients will reset with their agencies.

1. Our top pick is an inspiring piece on Transformation change with Wendy Clark, the newly appointed Global Chairman and CEO of dentsu. Wendy presented her vision to the Adforum consultants in December. Now Gideon Spanier, (and it’s chapeau Gideon this month – award winning writer) has written a very authoritative summary for Campaign. Wendy is hugely ambitious, there’s an absolute whirlwind coming through dentsu at the moment, it will be interesting to see just how the new global team settle and deliver.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/dentsus-wendy-clark-if-i-dont-use-position-change-face-industry-shame-me/1707732

2. Our second pick is Les Binet this month. There’s something for everyone in our monthly review, this one is a short podcast called “The short of it” Les talks about brand optimisation, share of mind, emotional appeal, the difference between short term sales gains vs long term brand building – the need to intertwine both, but also the need to aim for fame.

Here is the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4OSr-Fwp7N8&feature=youtu.be

3, Third, we pick an article from procurement and the WFA. To drive improvement, marketing procurement needs to ensure that everyone is talking the same language. WFA’s Global Sourcing Board has created some common definitions for key terms and it’s an interesting read.

Here is the link: https://wfanet.org/knowledge/item/2021/02/03/Defining-world-class-standards-for-marketing-procurement

4. Fourth, we previewed Lucky Generals founder Andy Nairn’s book in last month’s review. In this exclusive extract from his new book, Go Luck Yourself, Andy explores the role of luck in building a brand and how a mathematician might approach marketing’s four Ps.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/andy-nairn-brands-use-two-four-ps-tilt-odds-in-their-favour/

5. Fifth, we’ve become a great fan of  Rishad Tobaccowala newsletter: ‘The future does not fit in the containers of the past.’ How pertinent that in Edition 29 – Rishad writes in depth about ‘Scale’ and it’s a very good read, in fact we recommend all his newsletters.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/scale?r=8wtij&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy

6. Sixth, our book preview this month is currently the best selling business book in the US (January) and is releasing here in March. Traditional business models no longer work in the new normal. Written against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the further wave of consumer, business and societal change it has unleashed, ‘Digital Business Transformation’ is an important and timely contribution to business thinking and practice. Drawing on decades of experience helping businesses transform, author Nigel Vaz, CEO of digital business transformation company Publicis Sapient, shows established companies how to immediately adopt new ways of working and build new channels to connect with customers.

Here is the link: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Digital_Business_Transformation/NQkLEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

New Agency Alert: The ‘new kids’ on the block need a mention this month though this is no boyband –  but the immensely talented breakaway from R\GA  called Proto. It has begun it’s journey and with these credentials they are transformational, and certainly ones to watch. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14dH6g0wphri5ZQT0ktZPn6KMXHyJO0F5lMwn2kaCRCQ/mobilepresent?slide=id.gbcf4cf07ca_0_45

Media: Facebook had a bit of tiff with Australia, or was it the other way round. London ad legend, and our friend Nicola Mendelsohn gives her side of the story and defends Facebook’s decision. https://about.fb.com/news/2021/02/the-real-story-of-what-happened-with-news-on-facebook-in-australia/

Time for the Work: If you’re looking for an Advertising Roadblock who would you speak to for advice? Congrats this month go to the well devised: Take the vaccine –  Ad road block. Who to call for assistance? Robin Wight – back to his best. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/bame-groups-took-grassroots-takethevaccine-campaign-national-tv-adland-learn/1708378

Back to Henley: This month we have a new opening in Henley – British watchmakers Bremont have moved into a new state of the art factory. When I saw this one coming through the Henley Planning Committee a few years ago, I did feel we had to be brave and this could be iconic. It’s now come to fruition and the brilliant new factory has just opened called ‘the Wing’, designed in the shape of an aircraft wing. https://us.bremont.com/blogs/blogbook/the-home-of-british-watchmaking-an-update-on-our-new-headquarters

We are here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance.

Kind regards,

Will

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

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for January – we’ve chosen just four key articles, a piece of academia, and a book launch, 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/  It’s been a pretty busy start to the year, quite a few media reviews are in progress, as clients look to ramp up activity and build back better.

1. It’s a top pick this month for Rishad Tobaccowala and his piece 8 Management Lessons. One of the smartest writers in the industry at the moment, this is part of his series: The future does not fit in the containers of the past – Edition 22 – It starts with: there is no substitute for hard work!

Here is the link:

https://rishadt.wordpress.com/2021/01/10/8-management-lessons/

2. Second, we pick an interesting piece on how technology has brought changes to marketing, but are these changes here to stay, written by Professor Ian Ryder for the Worshipful company of Marketors, and sent to us by Murray Chick.

Here is the link:

https://www.marketors.org/blog/technology-has-brought-changes-but-are-these-changes-good#.YAcYskY2UTk.linkedin

3. Third, has the pandemic transformed the office forever? This is a really interesting piece written by John Seabrook in the New Yorker, with comments from R/GA’s CEO Sean Lyons – it questions ‘what’s an office for’ and goes on to show team-based, open-plan layouts and satellite office are the future. But with so many now working from home, the hybrid office seems a logical approach. It concludes – without the people the office is merely an empty shell.

Here is the link:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/01/has-the-pandemic-transformed-the-office-forever

4. Fourth, we pick a piece written for the HBR, by Christine Moorman and Torren McCarthy, on why CMO’s must adapt their social media strategy post pandemic. As the Covid-19 pandemic pushes consumers to spend more time online, social media becomes an increasingly important part of the connection between brands and their customers.

Here is the link:

https://hbr.org/2021/01/cmos-adapt-your-social-media-strategy-for-a-post-pandemic-world

5. Fifth, we listened to Sir Martin Sorrell being interviewed by David Wheldon, in the WFA Interview included in last month’s review. Sir Martin mentioned you can get an A+ at the Harvard Business School if you then mentioned the great George C Lodge case history, well we did some digging and found the case study link.

Here is the link:

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=7116

6. And Six, it’s chapeau this month to Lucky Generals founder Andy Nairn, who has just launched a book called Go Luck Yourself, through Harriman House. It’s all about the role of luck in building a brand and is packed with inspiring and practical ways to stack the odds in your brand’s favour. For an extra bit of karma, Andy’s giving all his royalties to a great organisation called Commercial Break, who help working class kids get a lucky break into the creative industries. You can pre-order it now from harriman-house.com/goluckyourself or from Amazon https://bit.ly/GoLuckY

Time for the Work: We’ve picked the hard hitting creative work for the NHS this month. With cross-agency collaboration between MullenLowe, OmniGOV, freuds, MMC and 23red
 it features hospital staff and Covid-19 patients and it reminds the public of the extreme pressures still facing the NHS. https://youtu.be/a0fsW5V3QV0

Ecommerce: A shoutout for Econsultancy’s Ashley Friedlein and Richard Robinson for their webinar this week on Digital and Marketing Trends 2021 and Beyond. A well attended and thought provoking session. https://vimeo.com/505133268/3db3e8f3b8

Back to Henley: Well it’s an absolutely stunning place to live but congrats this month go to all these eateries round Henley that have just been awarded their new Michelin stars and plates status. We can’t wait for them to re-open. https://experiencehenley.co.uk/michelin-stars-plates-are-shining-bright-in-the-area/

And finally: There are massive implications for brands, as they accelerate their online customer experience and ecommerce capabilities exponentially. We have seen three years of the digital transformation journey in six months – consumers are relying on online and contactless experiences more than ever, which is creating a surge in digital signals. For marketeers, it’s a time to review, take back control, be agile and build back better.

We are here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, reviews, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call – it will be great to catch up soon.

Kind regards,

Will

Our monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for December – we’ve chosen three key articles,  a 2020 strategy and creative review and a podcast for this final 2020 review. If you missed any of them and have some time they are well worth a catchup. We finished the year with tier lockdowns, news of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine and a positive Brexit deal. We expect a fast start to the year in terms of agency reviews as brands re-boot. This month we’ve included our Adforum Worldwide Summit highlights, which took place virtually in early December.

1. Firstly, our top pick is from Stratechery, a brilliant review of strategy in 2020 and a fabulous website full of great marketing content. You are what you read, we thank Lucy Jameson from Uncommon London for highlighting Stratechery to us.

Here is the link:

https://stratechery.com/2020/the-2020-stratechery-year-in-review/

2, Secondly, we picked the December Harvard Business Review issue and a piece – Is your marketing organisation ready for what’s next. This gives a framework for aligning growth strategies given the sweeping technology changes.

Here is the link:

https://hbr.org/2020/11/is-your-marketing-organization-ready-for-whats-next

3. Thirdly, the work from anywhere model continues – Will smart companies begin to look at permanent remote working and hire supersmart graduates lowering internal costs, or will the open office make a comeback. This piece looks at how the pandemic may change how we staff and support our businesses.

Here is the link:

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-sunday-telegraph-money-business/20201220/281479279015129

4. Fourthly, we picked a podcast between marketing legend David Wheldon in conversation with Sir Martin Sorrell. It’s part of the WFA series, this one has some key learnings for 2021.

Here is the link:

https://wfanet.org/knowledge/item/2020/12/16/WFA-Better-Marketing-Pod-Ep-3-In-conversation-with-Sir-Martin-Sorrell

5. Fifthly, we picked Rishad Tobaccowala for his substack. This time it’s an insightful piece on growth and change. All his pieces are a must read and they just get better and better.

Here is the link:

https://rishad.substack.com/p/growth-and-change-are-about-people?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=linkedin

6. And sixthly, (well we started with a strategy review) we finish the year with an excellent creative review. Which brands and which agencies stood out from the crowd this year.

Here is the link:

https://creativepool.com/magazine/inspiration/best-advertising-campaigns-of-2020.24275

Time for the Work: We’ve picked work by Coca-Cola this month, crowned the most effective Christmas ad of 2020. Nostalgia, warmth, and love seem to be the magic ingredients, it’s simply very good marketing. Coca-Cola are now reviewing their global roster – is it to satisfy a higher bar or a more demanding client. https://www.marketingweek.com/coca-cola-crowned-most-effective-christmas-ad-2020/

Adforum Worldwide Summit: In December the worldwide intermediaries & consultants (65 on most days) gathered for the 10 day virtual Adforum Worldwide summit. Insightful presentations from 28 leading agencies – each showing how they have helped clients to thrive and not just survive the pandemic. This was the year that the world went digital first. The majority of products and services are now digitised. A year when media billing is more digital than traditional. And people are demanding a greater degree of humanity from the businesses and brands that serve them.

Our five key highlights from the summit:

• The key global challenge CMO’s seek is a better understanding of consumer behaviour, and real time ability to pivot the business. Post covid – what will permanently have changed forever and what may spring back.
• We noted outdated thinking, that 90% of CMO’s are using existing strategies from previous recessions to evaluate & re-monetise their businesses.
• A group of frontier CMO’s roughly 10% are successfully growing brands with confidence, using experimentation, test and learn strategies to harness growth.
• For agencies, virtual meetings/pitches are here to stay, a work from anywhere model, agility, hyper-empathy, configuration, broader consolidation, leadership, in essence fewer partners solving bigger problems.
• 2020 was a monumental year for change – the pandemic has brought forward at least 3 years of technology adoption in 6 months. Clients need to manage this change, but perhaps the biggest change has been the drive for racial equity and social justice.

Back to Henley: Henley is now in Tier 4 of lockdown, everyone tried to have the best Christmas they could. Gabriel Machin, our world-class butcher has had a phenomenal year of growth. Our client Majestic has had a record breaking Christmas. The river maybe swollen at the moment, but as we roll into the new year, is this great sunset a sign of the good times and the year ahead.

Happy New Year to you all. We are here to help you with your 2021 change plans and agency roster alignments. We will happily chat through how we can help and support you.

Kind regards,

Will

Our monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for November – we’ve chosen four key articles, a podcast and a newsletter for this month’s review. If you missed them and have some time they are well worth a catchup.

November was the month we slid back into a Lockdown, pitches have continued virtually. This week we have started the virtual Adforum Worldwide Summit – the executive summary we’ll bring you next month.

Here are the November highlights:-

1. We’ve picked a podcast to kick things off this month, a special one from the latest edition of the Harvard Business Review. Podcasts are proving increasingly popular to have on in the background while you are homeworking, on catchup, or even whilst exercising. Wherever you are, it’s good to feed the marketing mind.

Here is the link:

https://hbr.org/2020/11/is-your-marketing-organization-ready-for-whats-next

2. Secondly, we pick a piece on agency models released by the IPA last week, sent to us by Tina Fegent. Tina actually looked at more than 20 different client agency models in her piece for the Drum last year. In this report the IPA identifies five client agency relationship models that it believes will be most prominent over the coming decade.

Here is the link:

https://ipa.co.uk/news/ipa-report-reveals-future-agency-brand-relationship-models

3. Thirdly, the mindsets and practices of excellent CEO’s. This is a brilliant piece done by none other than Mckinsey, we found it a really quite inspiring read.

Here is the link:

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-mindsets-and-practices-of-excellent-ceos

4. Fourthly, we’ve chosen a really interesting article on how P&G launched a spray detergent Microban 24 in rapid time at the advent of Covid 19 in the US. It’s a great example of agility and responsiveness for the business and how barriers to organisational change are coming down.

Here is the link:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-p-g-cleaned-house-before-covid-19-11605279627

5. Fifthly, we picked another piece by Rishad Tobaccowala. His latest as part of his ‘The future does not fit in the containers of the past’. This one looks at the ‘river of change’ – it’s really worth subscribing to these newsletters as part of a thought leadership content stack – he is undoubtedly one of the smartest writers in the industry.

Here is the link:

https://rishad.substack.com/p/a-river-of-change

6. Sixthly, it’s time for the Friday Fix, a newsletter we receive each Friday and re-distribute to our clients and friends. Created by Simon Andrews, it always contains some great retail thoughts – ad and creative tech insights. Enjoy.

Here is the link:

https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=80025f160be434835759d292b&id=ccaebf27fa

Time for the Work: By tradition it has to be a Christmas ad this month and we do pick Waitrose and John Lewis, created by Adam & Eve DDB, congrats for bringing us some cheer in these difficult times. And for giving a little love too.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juv2c0xgGno

Media: The great acceleration of e-commerce has continued through the lockdown. But here are the top social media trends to drive your marketing strategy into 2021. https://marketingtechnews.net/news/2020/nov/05/top-social-media-trends-to-drive-your-2021-marketing-strategy/

Back to Henley: We were delighted to see our client Majestic Wines finally open their new store in Henley on Thames. It’s their 200^th store and it’s absolutely fantastic. Congratulations also go to the two winning agencies – the Red Brick Road and The Kite Factory, respectively for creative and media. A review we started working on in September. As the first customer through the store it was great to meet up with CEO John Colley and the wider team. A new campaign is rolling out – Discover more – this retailer is certainly one to enjoy.

It’s officially the first day of Winter, snow is forecast in London later this week. How can we help you with your 2021 agency resourcing structures and marketing needs.

Have a wonderful Christmas – our December Review and Adforum Summit Special will be delivered to you in the first week of January.

Kind regards,

Will

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

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for October – we’ve picked an IPA/Effworks presentation, four thought leadership articles and a podcast. If you missed them and have some time they are well worth a catchup. October was a month when we got back to normal, pitches again – so here are the highlights:-

1. First up, we picked a presentation by Les Binet who presented a new Share of Search metric to help track the health and potential wealth of brands. He presented at the IPA/Effworks online. According to Binet, who’s been experimenting with the Share of Search metric over the past six years it’s fast, cheap and predictive, and can measure both short and long term ad effects. Broken down, Binet refers to share of searches as the share of organic Google search queries (not share of paid search advertising) and the metric equates to total searches for a specific brand. It’s a strong argument and well worth a watch.

Here is the link:

https://ipa.co.uk/news/binet-presents-fast-cheap-predictive-share-of-search-metric

2. Secondly, we picked a thought leadership piece developed by the Savannah Group on becoming customer obsessed. In a world where change is the only constant customer have an increasing number of brands to choose from. There are some good key takeaways.

Here is the link:

https://www.savannah-group.com/report-becoming-customer-obsessed/

3. Thirdly, we have chosen a great piece on career development by Rishad Tobaccowala, Rishad’s newsletter ‘The future does not fit in the containers of the past’ (edition 11) includes his 12 career lessons which are an excellent read whatever your age.

Here is the link:

https://rishad.substack.com/p/12-career-lessons?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy

4. Fourthly, the success of digital transformations, we came across this excellent report from McKinsey – the most effective transformations point to five factors for success.

Here is the link:

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/unlocking-success-in-digital-transformations

5. Fifthly, we were sent a piece by the Hustle, to help you avoid burnout, by working less and doing more. Some interesting thoughts from the US, somewhat oddly presented but help you make priorities.

Here is the link:

https://thehustle-co.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/thehustle.co/how-to-avoid-burnout-by-working-less-and-doing-more/amp/

6. Sixthly, we picked an interesting transformation Podcast, again from the US, produced by MDC and Partners that interviews Chairman and CEO Mark Penn, Agency transformation and Microtrends. MDC is redefining itself turning ‘a collection of partner agencies’ into ‘a modern marketing agency of choice.’

Here is the link:

https://www.customerfirstthinking.ca/agency-transformation-an-interview-with-mark-penn-chairman-and-ceo-mdc-partners/

Time for the Work: And this month it’s a chapeau to Droga 5 and its work for Amazon Alexa. Two spots, will let you judge the best: https://www.adweek.com/agencies/alexa-hilariously-disrupts-epic-moments-in-droga5-londons-ads-about-voice-control/

Media: This month we include the very latest AA/WARC forecast – the UK ad market will take longer than expected to recover. The final quarter of this year – traditionally the Golden Quarter for retail and adspend because of the Christmas advertising season – is set to see a 10.5% drop to a total of £6.2 billion, some £724 million lower than the previous year. As a business, we are seeing growth sectors, some brand owners are seeking to maximise return on advertising investment by advertising during the Christmas peak. https://mediatel.co.uk/news/2020/10/29/uk-ad-market-will-take-longer-to-recover-says-aa-warc

Back to Henley: If you haven’t managed to get your Hobbs Gin this month, you will soon be able to get more than Gin at Majestic Wines in Henley, whom we’ve been helping with their new store developments and communication requirements. It’s a new anchor-tenant for Gardiner Place. One we think will do very well, and one we think we will all get to like.

It’s Autumn, time for boat lifting, we are heading for a November lockdown, but for most Marketeers it’s time to look at your 2021 agency needs – can we help you and advise you with your wider marketing requirements.

We look forward to catching up again soon. Stay safe.

Kind regards,

Will

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

Our monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for September – we’ve chosen a digital book launch, a new edition newsletter and four key articles. If you missed them and have some time they are well worth a catchup.

September was a month when we began to get back to more normal, the beginning of pitches again – so here are the highlights:-

First, we start with an exclusive digital book launch featuring insights and advice from 22 of the best minds in marketing. From the fresh and inspiring to the counterintuitive, “Build Brilliant Brands” brings together the latest thinking on what’s changing in marketing, what hasn’t changed, and what needs to change. The advice, insights and opinion shared by Nicola Mendelsohn is timely, she has worked with the Facebook EMEA Client Council to bring the book to life and inspire the next generation to #BuildBrilliantBrands

Here is the link: you can download a copy here:

https://www.facebook.com/business/buildbrilliantbrands

Secondly, we have picked Rishad Tobaccowala’s (great name) new edition newsletter, a regular arrival into our inbox. It’s always a very good read. Here he highlights six thoughts for the next six months. Edition 6 and Edition 7 are out now. He has also done a piece on the six re-occuring client needs.

Here is the link:

https://rishad.substack.com/p/six-thoughts-for-the-next-six-months?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy

Thirdly, we’re a great fan of R\GA – in particular our Brit-strategist and now turned New Yorker Tom Morton. He knows a thing or two about strategy. No doubt he will soon be donning his lumberjacket to fetch his NYC Christmas tree, calling the Presidential election as a non voting referee. But here he shares his strategy diet and it’s a good one.

Here is the link:

https://www.contagious.com/news-and-views/tom-mortons-strategy-diet

Fourthly, we selected another good piece from this month’s Harvard Business Review on Strategies for better group Decision Making This article outline seven strategies, the better the quality of the decision-making process and the interaction between the group members, the greater your chances of reaching a successful outcome.

Here is the link:

https://hbr.org/2020/09/7-strategies-for-better-group-decision-making

Fifthly, we liked a paper sent to us by London Media agency – the Kite Factory. When to spend on your brand, and when not to spend -  It’s a well written paper and informed view, a hidden gem within a complex media landscape.

Here is the link:

https://thekitefactorymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-Kite-Factory_Should-I-spend-this-Autumn.pdf?mc_cid=5f5f8380e6&mc_eid=[UNIQID]

Sixthly we picked an interesting piece from this month’ s BCG update as digital marketeers race to meet the needs of the new era. Most brands have not reached full digital marketing maturity.

Here is the link:

https://www.bcg.com/en-gb/publications/2020/digital-marketers-race-to-meet-the-needs-of-growing-online-agendas

Time for the Work: We’ve picked Adam and Eve’s latest commercial for Lloyds Banking Group. A well shot commercial made this summer, using the ongoing black horse theme. We’ll leave you to judge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH-KLuxi2c8&feature=share

Media: This month saw the launch campaign of the Land of the Independents, a new grouping promoting their media creative wares with a simple proposition – brand owners need media partners that are entrepreneurial, agile, inventive and build genuine client-first, service cultures. It’s good to see agencies talking shop using their medium. https://landofindependents.com/about/

Back to Henley: It’s not often you have a new gin in town. Award winning Hobbs 150 was launched this month and it’s an excellent ‘clean and crisp’ gin. Described by the IWSC as having “An intriguing nose opens up to luscious fruitiness and creamy spice – as well as being Appealingly decadent”  We just like it as our local Henley go-to-gin. https://www.mrhobbsgin.co.uk/mr-hobbs-150/

October is here, and the rain has arrived, sometimes the needs of your organisation requires a new approach, a refresh, a new Christmas campaign, or a brand transformation. Is it time to take advantage of the Christmas peak, time to refresh your marcomms for 2021.

We’re looking forward to getting back to the norm and catching up again.

Kind regards,

Will

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