All posts in Views

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

Here are the November highlights:-

1. Our top pick, we’ve gone with Rishad Tobaccowala for his continuing series – this article is the Age of Creativity! – part of the Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past. Edition No. 69. This piece looks at how to prepare for the next creative age or as he puts it for the Age of Makers – it’s a good read.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/the-age-of-creativity?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy

2. Second, we came across this piece written by Thomas Brown, that includes insights from an old agency colleague CEO Matt Atkinson, it includes his tips on how to get C-suite backing for an innovation agenda.

Here is the link: https://sifted.eu/articles/culture-change-leadership-innovation/

3. Third, we pick a piece from the Harvard Business Review, which is beginning to reclaim its thought leadership place. This piece looks at the 10 truths of Marketing post pandemic and it’s insightful.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2021/03/10-truths-about-marketing-after-the-pandemic

4. Fourth, there’s been a lot of talk about ‘the great resignation’, particularly for those that are worked for a length of time in more traditional companies and the retention of creative talent. Drew Pearce writes this piece with the insight of Jay Haines of Grace Blue, who gives his view from the heart of New York.

Here is the link: https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/work-culture/how-the-great-resignation-is-opening-new-doors-for-creatives?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

5. Fifth, we’ve picked a piece from Forbes magazine on Ollie Phillips and his company the Optimist Performance, in it ollie answers quickfire questions.

Here is the link: https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/personal-finance/2021/11/05/quickfire-questions-ollie-phillips-founder-optimist-performance/?_thumbnail_id=55889

6. Sixth, with Christmas ads a plenty – we liked this piece written on the makings of the Aldi Christmas ad featuring Ebanana Scrooge, Marcus Radishford, and Kevin the Carrot. Christmas ads have high conversational currency, but which is the most efficient and effective, this piece shows the behind the scenes makings.

Here is the link: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/behind-aldis-a-christmas-carrot-featuring-ebanana-scrooge-and-kevin-the-carrot?

Time for the Work: Well it’s ‘domino oh oh oh’ and that time of year, but we had to pick the new John Lewis Christmas ad this month. Congrats go to Martin George, the Marketing team at JLP and to agency Adam and Eve/DDB for another Ad-fantastic that really puts London creativity at the forefront of the industry. The ‘John Lewis Day’ is now a regular in the London Ad calendar though launch day in early November moves earlier each year, it’s all about getting efficiency – share of voice and share of search – with all your fantastic creativity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTttgc0DPA4

Media: The best social media campaigns from November 2021, E-consultancy provides a good roundup. https://econsultancy.com/the-best-social-media-campaigns-from-november-2021/

E-Commerce: Simon Andrews produces an excellent Fix lite every Monday morning, here he gives you an insight into one of his deeper-dives Merchant, there is so much going on in retail at the moment. https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=80025f160be434835759d292b&id=6a893a9aa3

Back to Henley: This past week was the 20^th anniversary of the passing of Beatle George Harrison, who lived at Friar Park in Henley for some time. By tradition, the gates at Friar Park are decorated for his birthday, but how fitting that the family had fireworks and decorations this week to mark the anniversary.

We’re here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, evaluations and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance, so do contact us for anything we can help you with. Have a wonderful Christmas – our December Round-up will be with you in the first week of January.

Take care of yourself and stay healthy. I wish you a happy Advent season.

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 chosen six key articles – 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/

As we move into Autumn – we had the Adforum Summit in London this week – the start of COP26 in Glasgow – new business reviews are at last picking up. Congrats go to Uncommon Creative Studio who picked up the IAG – British Airways account. We look forward to picking back up with you, and helping with your reviews.

1. Our Top pick this month – we had to start with ‘the Metaverse’, bear in mind the worldwide web was invented by Sir Timothy Berners-Lee in 1989 – Neal Stephenson first wrote about ‘the Metaverse’ in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. We include an excellent write up by Matthew Ball – a VC- who back in June did a nine part primer on the Metaverse – aka beyond-universe. Our view on whether the next generation will buy and sell digital homes depends largely on infrastructure, there will be some overlap with the virtual world but wifi connectivity and accessibility remain key.

Here is the link: https://www.matthewball.vc/the-metaverse-primer

2. Second, we pick a piece by Zoe Scaman who is writing some really interesting stuff on the Future of Fandoms – they will be a dominant force – culturally and commercially for the next decade, and we thank Lucy Jameson of Uncommon Creative Studio for this tipoff.

Here is the link: https://zoescaman.substack.com/p/the-future-of-fandoms

3. Third, we return to the world of procurement, an excellent report from the WFA which includes: Scope & categorisation of marketing by procurement, Ways of working & governance in marketing procurement, The career path of marketing procurement (diversity & inclusion, talent acquisition, training programs, talent retention) Tina Fegent takes a look at the future of procurement.

Here is the link: – https://wfanet.org/knowledge/guides/global-marketing-procurement-2020-and-beyond/about

4. Fourth, we pick a piece we read from McKinsey, we hear that so many are finding difficulties attracting talent, it’s a good read. ‘Great Attrition’ or ‘Great Attraction’? The choice is yours:

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/great-attrition-or-great-attraction-the-choice-is-yours?cid=eml-web

5. Fifth, with COP26 in full swing, and the 1.5 degree increase limit reachable, we came across this piece from the BCG in the FT, we simply must do more to save the planet.

Here is the link: https://www.ft.com/partnercontent/boston-consulting-group/how-countries-can-become-leaders-in-net-zero-technologies.html?utm_source=FT&utm_medium=Premium_Native_Amplification

6. Sixth, we hear of Zoom fatigue, we came across this piece by KornFerry and the real culprit behind Zoom fatigue.

Here is the link: https://www.kornferry.com/insights/this-week-in-leadership/the-real-culprit-behind-zoom-fatigue?utm_campaign=11-04-21-twil&utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email

Time for the Work: We thought we’d pick this piece of work this month from the US for the NBA Lane – it just grows on you. https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1446145737579024386?t=G06mkgshDn0HYCWljDndTw&s=19 No guesses as to what will be our pick next month, there is a new John Lewis ad due.

Media: A shoutout for Simon Andrew’s and Fix/Lite, we have this in our mailbox every Monday morning and it’s a good snapshot. https://mailchi.mp/addictivemobile/fixlite-monday-october-25?e=fcb1e7fb84

Back to Henley: This month we had the most amazing tour of the new Bremont facility in Henley. A fantastic ‘state of the art’ manufacturing and technology centre based in ‘the Wing’. If you are looking for the perfect Christmas present then the new Longitude limited ranges are the most desirable and make the perfect gift. This is the first time Bremont has actually made the movement here in Henley, and a first in British Watchmaking for many years.

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

Kind regards,

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for September – a shorter review this month.  Just six key pieces – 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/

As we move into October, it’s back to business as usual. It’s Bond launch week here in the UK – we’re on hand to help you, shaking marketing performance & stirring your agency resourcing structures.

1. Our top pick this month comes from Rishad Tobaccowala, this really is a must read. His series ‘the Future does not fit into the containers of the past has been gaining traction over several months. And this piece is excellent edition 58 below, as is the following piece edition 59.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/how-to-thrive-in-the-modern-workspace

2. Second, we pick a piece by Nidhi Dave from singlegrain.com on the 42 Digital Marketing trends you cannot ignore in 2021. It’s a great digital trend summary.

Here is the link: https://www.singlegrain.com/digital-marketing/digital-marketing-trends-2021/

3. Third, It’s food, glorious food: Tom Kerridge is on a roll at the moment from Party in the Park to his latest opening Kerridge’s at the Corinthian Hotel in London. Good food comes with a premium. As Ritson explains the prices aren’t a rip off if that’s what the market will pay.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/tom-kerridge-price-premium/?cmpid=em~newsletter~breaking_news~n~n&utm_medium=em&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=breaking_news&eid=22899180&sid=MW0001&adg=FB9C7836-4BD5-4CD2-8851-76A3FC8A5592

4. Fourth, we pick a piece from Adweek by Andrew Bailey for The & Partnership on how they are using the office for competitive advantage.

Here is the link: https://www.adweek.com/agencies/how-thepartnership-uses-the-office-to-create-a-competitive-advantage/

5. Fifth, we highlight this month Stratechery.com. Ben Thompson is a great writer and there is always some interesting articles on here, a must for your back to work techdata reading stack.

Here is the link: https://stratechery.com/category/articles/

6. Sixth, we pick an excellent podcast from the McCann Worldgroup “Spontaneously Candid”with Kathleen Hall, Chief Brand Officer of Microsoft. Kathleen has a tremendous track record as the global brand steward for Microsoft – she talks openly how she is still fighting for emotional connection relationship with consumers, and she still balances quarterly ROI pressures.

Here is the link: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xODI2NjI1LnJzcw

Time for the Work: It’s a Pick of this month for Google and Uncommon London. Great to see this work breaking on the big screen, in the cinema on the opening night of James Bond’s – No time to die. https://www.creativeboom.com/news/uncommons-latest-campaign-for-google-celebrates-the-power-of-questions-around-uk-culture-and-identity/

Back to Henley: The much delayed Henley Music Festival was back in town this month and what a great do it was too. Running over five evenings – great music and comedy acts and great riverside entertainment, headed by Madness, each year it brings record crowds to the town, and a great party even for our returning Olympic Heroes.

We’re here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, evaluations and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance, so do get in touch if there is anything we can help you with.

Kind regards,

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for August – we’ve chosen an excellent Marketing Webinar and five key articles this month – 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/

As we move into September, it is still WFH for most of the larger organisations. It’s time to be looking at your agency resourcing and brand plans for 2022. We’re on hand to help and advise you – optimising the performance of your agency structures.

1. Our top pick this month comes from Marketing Mini MBA guru Mark Ritson. Mark delivered this Webinar in July ‘His 10 Biggest Marketing Heroes’ as a prequal to his Mini Marketing MBA series starting in September, it turns out Wharton is highly connected – it’s a good webinar. (1.38)

Here is the link: https://player.vimeo.com/video/585363713?h=d25c5eadb6

2. Second, we pick another piece by Rishad Tobaccowala. This one conflicts with Mark Ritson above – who sticks more to the tried and tested 1950’s Neil Borden’s Four P’s / Marketing Mix – the updated or rehashed 5P’s or 5C’s are never as good as the original in it’s tin.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/success-5ps?

3. Third, it’s always good to see Marketing spend heading upwards, we came across this piece on P&G sales and it’s super positive.

Here is the link: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/365568/pg-sales-soar-as-retiring-ceo-extols-marketing-sp.html

4. Fourth, Here and Now – originally published in Campaign – Charles Vallance, founder of VCCP gives his view on Immediacy and it’s a very good read.

Here is the link: https://www.vccp.com/news/2021/aug/here-and-now

5. Fifth, we all love a good beer ad, and who better to write this review than Jeremy Lee of the Creative Salon.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/best-beer-ads

6. Sixth, London startup Craig+Bridget are off and running – this is their latest punchy blog.

Here is the Link: https://www.craigandbridget.co.uk/blog/advertising-doesnt-work-please-buy-my-advertising

Time for the Work: It’s a Pick this month for Avanti West Coast and their feel good work by Adam & Eve London, inspiring and challenging creative work in a difficult category of travel. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/avanti-west-coast-feel-good-travel-adam-eve-ddb/1725271

Media: Anthony Swede has written this reflective piece on the media industry and what it has taught him. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-things-working-media-agencies-has-taught-me-anthony-swede/?trackingId=9IzBnb%2BkFCVzAEJCQIa3GQ%3D%3D

Ageism in Advertising: is it the Kingdom of failure, an interesting blog on ageism in advertising and we thought it’s worth including, given so many agencies are ‘letting go’  creative wisdom. https://www.kingdomoffailure.com/post/get-off-my-lawn-ageism-in-advertising-a-giant-pain-in-my-ass

Back to Henley: It’s great to have the festival season back in Henley, we had a belated 5 day royal regatta in the second week of August, the TRAD boat Festival in the last weekend of August and the Music festival is yet to come. We loved this Henley picture which will be in the press next week – no Pitch consultant/Intermediary does a better boat trip.

Book Alert: Will Greenwood and Ben Fennell launch their book this week. World Class, how to lead learn and grow like a champion. A gifted athlete will identify space and opportunity faster than anyone else, a visionary leader will do exactly the same. In a team packed with difference, generosity is often the most precious commodity. Difference needs to be celebrated and embraced, it’s a two way street. Launching on September 2nd, you can pre-order a copy here at https://lnkd.in/dRm4-zdZ

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

Kind regards,

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for July – we’ve chosen five key articles and a really good podcast – 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/

As we move out of lockdown – we look forward to picking back up with you.

1. Our top pick this month comes from Marketing Mini MBA guru Mark Ritson. Mark details the seven things Marketeers need to know before they answer the question, always outspoken and challenging the norm. It’s a very good read.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-answer-question-marketers/

2. Second, we’ve picked an excellent piece from Rishad Tobaccowala, this one is hot off the block – from yesterday. It’s the very latest (Edition 51) in his series ‘The future does not fit in the containers of the past’. He outlines the four questions – how to lead today.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/the-four-questions-how-to-lead-today?

3. Third, we’ve picked an interesting piece on the Tiffany brand and the wider fashion sector in general. Does keeping the brand up to date mean alienating loyal customers. Having done a stint at Asprey in New York myself in my early days of marketing, I so remember the top ten customers attributed to well over two thirds of the revenue. My best customer – none other than Yoko Ono.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/tiffanys-brand-needs-an-update-in-fashion-that-means-alienating-loyal-customers/

4. Fourth, we’ve picked the podcast of the month, an excellent rendition from D&AD Chairman Tim Lindsay. I worked with Tim at Publicis London, he had a restless desire to always keep raising the creative bar. In this piece, he reveals his own all-time top 3 advertising campaigns and his hopes for the advertising industry’s role in the new economy.

Here is the link: https://thefuelpodcast.com/tim-lindsay-dad-creative-greatness-new-blood/

5. Fifth, what’s next on new office openings, and hybrid offices – this piece from the HBR is excellent. Will the office of the future be merely a ‘town hall’ style meeting place, from a personal standpoint, we rarely head up to London these days unless we have to.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2021/07/to-make-hybrid-work-solicit-employees-input

6. Sixth, we‘ve picked a piece by Korn Ferry on the Six Signs it’s time to Quit. With the job market so strong, experts say it’s tempting to leave if these conditions apply.

Here is the link:https://www.kornferry.com/insights/this-week-in-leadership/six-signs-its-time-to-quit

Time for the Work: It’s ITV this month, and “chapeau” Uncommon London for producing some great work for ITV through the year. A powerful message during the Euros – to stand together against racism, followed this week by ITV Studios the Trap – Drama v Reality https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1120942575103451

Media: Channel 4 and the implications, Ian Whittaker outlines what’s likely to happen. https://mcusercontent.com/0ea5309c987f33259cb269581/files/51284fc8-b72d-9763-08dd-49a843637edd/2021_07_05_Channel_4_and_the_implications.pdf

E-Commerce: Simon Andrews at Addictive writes an excellent blog Fix Lite. This the lite free version that comes out on a Monday, but even more compelling is the Tech and deep dives he does into New Tv and Merchant as part of his Friday Fix. https://mailchi.mp/addictivemobile/fixlite-monday-august-2?e=fcb1e7fb84

Back to Henley: We loved this Henley picture which appeared in the Mail Online during the heatwave, a super polished boat, shame about the fenders. A shoutout this month to Rebecca Poole – aka Purdy – with the river fairly quiet we helped her out filming for her latest single. https://youtu.be/4-3z_Tn34pM

Good news there is a 2021 Henley Royal Regatta from Wednesday 11^th to Sunday 15th August, do get in touch if you’re coming down, no other intermediary does a better boat trip!

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

Kind regards,

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for June – we’ve chosen four key articles and two podcasts – 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/

We can’t wait for a return to more normal and offices reopening. With most post-lockdown brand plans in place, now is the time to be looking at your agency resourcing structures, evaluations and benchmarking performance. We look forward to picking back up with you.

1. Our top pick this month comes from McKinsey, an inspiring article on growth and the triple play of creativity, analytics and purpose, it’s a really well written and presented article.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-growth-triple-play-creativity-analytics-and-purpose?cid=eml-web

2. Second, we pick a splendid pod-partnership – we introduced Ben Fennell, CEO of the Growth House  to Ollie Phillips back in January. Boom – a fruitful pod-partnership. Ollie had a brilliant story to tell and The Growth House podcast is simply inspiring.  Ollie’s insights around the impact of positivity on sporting and business performance are as refreshing as they are engaging. Knowing both so well, I found it brought many truths home – a great life journey – so well told.

Here is the link: The Growth House Podcast: https://lnkd.in/dPB9Q34  (37 minutes)

3. Third, with the UEFA Euros in full swing there has to be a football theme and a good write up of the Coca-Cola – Ronaldo & Paul Pogba – Heineken moment, Mark Ritson is on the money with this piece and what it means for other brands.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-ronaldo-damage-coke-brand/

4. Fourth, we pick a couple of shorter Podcast (10 minutes) put together by the Marketing Society in their Starter for ten series. We have included two links: the first by Andy Nairn of Lucky Generals and the second by Melissa Robertson, CEO of Dark Horses. Andy talks on how to luck yourself, Melissa on the role of sports sponsorship and how smaller brands can unlock sports sponsorship potential.

Here are the links: https://podcasts.marketingsociety.com/episode/starterforten-andynairn https://podcasts.marketingsociety.com/episode/starterforten-melissarobertson

5. Fifth we pick a piece by Bayer CMO Patricia Corsi on the importance of feeling uncomfortable. She answers ten questions on inspiration, challenges and more.

Here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bayer-chief-marketing-officer-patricia-corsi-feeling-schweitzer/?trackingId=sY47qPVztxXchDuJblNczA%3D%3D

6. Sixth, We all love a new car and their adverts but this piece that Robin Wight highlighted for us really does show the best 20 car ads of all time. Even if they did spell his name incorrectly, ‘It’s all in the detail Robin.’

Here is the link: https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/lists/the-20-best-car-adverts-of-all-time/

Time for the Work: Five years ago we managed the global review for SCA, which was rebranded to Essity, back then they appointed two of the bigger networks. Our pick this month goes to one of them AMV BBDO for outstanding work and Wombstories, it has just won the Grand Prix and Titanium award at Cannes. Great work for a great client and agency. https://www.adweek.com/creativity/behind-the-scenes-of-cannes-winner-womb-stories-and-its-masterful-framing-of-womanhood/amp/

Media: Grabbing your attention. A great piece on how much attention there is in the world. https://www.lumen-research.com/blog/how-much-attention-is-there-in-the-world

E-Commerce: We conclude with a logos chart, most agencies love a logos chart early in the deck. This one is a little different, an infographic that captures a start up map of companies with a Billions dollars valuation and all 21^st century brands. How many do you recognise? https://www.cbinsights.com/research/unicorn-startup-market-map/

Back to Henley: Got to love Oxfordshire and the attached writeup, but we are truly blessed to have nights like these on the river.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/face-oxfordshire-still-poshest-county/

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

Kind regards,

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for May – we’ve chosen four key articles, and two podcasts – 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/

The pandemic has taught clients what they need:- fast, agile, and efficient working agencies.

We’ve included a bit of special in this Month’s Review, eight highlights from the Adforum Summit, held virtually. It’s where the agencies meet with 80 of the top consultants/intermediaries from around the world to update us on their leadership teams and latest developments.

1. Our top pick comes from McKinsey this month, on building new workforce skills at scale in order to thrive post the pandemic, and it’s a very interesting read.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/building-workforce-skills-at-scale-to-thrive-during-and-after-the-covid-19-crisis?cid=app

2. Second, we pick Ian Whittaker’s piece titled ‘The Return of Agencies’, Ian goes into some detail analysing the Agency Q1 results. Tankers v Speedboats, he has recently become a City AM regular contributor.

Here is the link: https://ianwhittakermedia.com/2021/05/11/monthly-in-depth-insight-may-2021/

3. Third, we pick a piece that first appeared in Campaign Asia, and being a fan of Byron Sharp, his name pops up in so many pitch briefs, we felt it was time to give you the Byron Sharp update.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignasia.com/article/byron-sharp-on-why-the-best-response-to-covid-19-was-to-stop-advertising/463898

4. Fourth, we pick a podcast from Founder and CEO David Jones and partner Emma Cookson of Brad tech firm, You and Mr Jones, one we always follow. David and Emma join Campaign Chemistry US to talk about the brand tech model of the future.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignlive.com/article/campaign-chemistry-mr-jones/1717932

5. Fifth, we pick a second podcast from the US with Paul Cowan. We featured his new book last month – Connecting with Clients. Paul talks about the power of self-awareness being the cornerstone of good client relationships, and the paucity of companies investing in training. It’s 18 minutes of listening – he also has a blog which he hopes will become a learning community.

Here is the link: https://deliberatedirections.com/paul-cowan/

6. Sixth, we conclude this month’s pick by including this fabulous piece by Rishad Tobaccowala on leadership this month. All part of his series ‘The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past’ edition 42, and once again an absolutely must read.

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

Time for the Work: We’ve picked the work for Google this month, brilliantly created by Uncommon London. Coinciding with the lifting of lockdown and the promise of school holidays, Google has partnered News UK and Channel 4 to help the British public get the most out of the summer. Brilliant! https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/google-what-searching-summer-uncommon-creative-studio/1717889

Media: We think it’s time you put Statechery in your media reading stack, there are so many good articles on here, it’s often difficult to choose one. https://stratechery.com/

Adforum Summit: For the last eight years, we have attended the Adforum Summit, this one was virtually delivered once again. We met with: WPP’s Mark Read, Ogilvy, MSQ Partners, The Richards Group, Giant Spoon, Accenture Interactive, McCann Worldgroup, Adstream, DDB Worldwide, and finally the new team from dentsu international – led by Global CEO Wendy Clark.

Eight Highlights from the Adforum Summit:

• Market Positivity – With agency Q1 results fairly positive across the board, market positivity is returning, clients are looking to return to pre-pandemic spend levels, configuration is key, though topline agency growth remains sporadic. The pace of change has permanently changed markets, growth now comes through experience and new relevance.

• What the Pandemic has taught clients – To seek what they need:- fast, agile, and efficient working agencies. Wendy Clark summed it up saying “It’s about giving clients what they need – not what we’ve got.” dentsu’s presentation was a strong message of connected and singular vision, taking complexities out of the agency’s structure.

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – We saw many agencies present their diversity, equity and inclusion goals, we saw some fantastic presenters from diverse cultures. We also saw some great new work, particularly strong was the  Mastercard ‘True name’ work through McCann which just goes from strength to strength.

• Creativity is the most powerful force in business – This was Bill Bernback’s view, but Marty O’Halloran and his DDB leadership team showed us how they were re-imaging the future – what that means today and how they will grow tomorrow. It’s built around work that you never thought you would see, it’s about unlocking growth – Unexpected Works.

• Experience – Companies are looking to pivot from recovery back to growth. For the first time the majority of consumers are choosing product & services on experience in a new value set ahead of price and quality. All are buying on values and are willing to pay more.

• Blending Creativity with Technology and Purpose – We are seeing a number of agencies pursue the blending to degrees of creativity with technology and purpose. Accenture Interactive showed us a game-changer in their pursuit of Jaguar Land Rover, an impressive top team they shared their new work showing a personalised customer experience with creativity and technology at its core.

• Gaming – 87% of internet users are playing online games in some shape or form, which offers huge opportunity for brands to reach this massive audience and we saw how several agencies are investing in new talent in this area. We saw an excellent case history from Chennai – India for food delivery service, Swiggy.

• Purpose – Clients are re-assessing the role of marketing, shapeshifting the organisation. There is a new customer obsession which is much more strategic and a re-assessment of touchpoints. Agencies are being pursued to provide ‘a click up’ for new growth, and new purpose.

Back to Henley: The Regatta Summer Fireworks have been the signature firework display in Henley for many years, but with the ever-changing Covid conditions we have decided to put them on hold this year. Our thanks go to Fantastic Fireworks, a great company who have safely supported us for many years.

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

It would be great to catch up on anything we can help you with.

Kind regards,

Will

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for April – we’ve chosen three key articles, an outstanding presentation, a podcast and a book preview – 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/

We can’t wait for the 17^th May and a return to more normality, pubs and restaurants reopening – even a pint of beer inside, as clients look to reset their agencies and brand objectives.

1. Our top pick this month comes from the WFA Conference, and a inspiring concluding session by Mark Ritson titled ‘Growth and Peril in Purpose’. Mark has been a Marketing Week columnist for the last ten years and runs the Marketing Mini MBA programme. He has an outspoken way of challenging the marketing & advertising norm – in what he provocatively refers to as a industry run by arse-hats.

Here is the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=193&v=0WJtoW71DPA&feature=youtu.be

2. Second, we pick Julian Douglas’s latest podcast as the new IPA President. At university Dougie ran a graduate printing press, before he got an opening into advertising landing at WCRS, and then sought to work at BBH on Audi, dismissing a career in derivatives. He’s always had a side hussle running a karaoke company, Lucky Voice – what he calls a distraction, but it taught him how to pitch and run a business. It’s an interesting podcast hearing about his singalong, an Oasis in the making.

Here is the link: https://soundcloud.com/the-ipa-podcast/ipa-president-julian-douglas

3. Third, we pick a piece from last month’s Harvard Business Review. The Covid-19 pandemic upended a marketer’s playbook, challenging the existing rules about customer relationships and building brands. One year in, there’s no going back to the old normal. Here are 10 new marketing truths and some key learnings.

Here is the link:https://hbr.org/2021/03/10-truths-about-marketing-after-the-pandemic

4. Fourth, we have for a long time been a fan of Simon Andrews of Addictive and his Friday fix. This is Fix lite which is the free version, but there are some good links here and the deep dives have powerful content, so why not subscribe to his service which is just £2 a week.

Here is the link: https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=80025f160be434835759d292b&id=9408043797

5. Fifth, we pick a piece by Andy Nairn titled, ‘Data is your rocket fuel’ whilst some Marketeers have said data is the new oil Andy believes this expression has been similarly used as pre-noucements for integration, personalisation and experience. It’s a good preview and he has a book out in June.

Here is the link: https://mumbrella.com.au/data-is-your-rocket-fuel-666755

6. Sixth, our book preview this month is from someone we’ve known for some time through different agencies and consulting projects. Paul Cowan’s new book is titled  ‘Connecting with clients for stronger, more rewarding and longer lasting client relationships’. The book contains new ideas derived from the world’s leading relationship experts. Insights from over 500,000 pieces of client feedback worldwide. With tips and guidance from an adman, organisational change agent, couples’ counsellor and co-founder of The Client Relationship Consultancy. Dip into short chapters and discover a valuable insight on every page. A must read for all agency folks out there.

Here is the link:

https://paulcowan.com/

Media: How Media consumption has changed over the last ten years, how many minutes do you spend on media, this is a good media read https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-media-consumption-has-changed-in-2021/

Time for the Work: We’ve picked the new spot for British Airways in light of the fact we would all like to be flying again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQIbrvWTPus But, we have also picked a super special ad that probably changed the world of advertising it was RIP for Nick Kamen this month and in the words of Sir John Hegarty this ad changed Nick’s life. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bbh-london_levis-laundrette-ugcPost-6795748828201922560-tSYX

Back to Henley: Well it is at last beginning to brighten up here in Henley and a chance to be outside. No regatta booms to be seen, that’s delayed until w/c 9th August but we’ve picked this fabulous picture for you, taken of the river at dawn by local photographer Russell Cleaver.

We are here to help you with your agency resourcing structures, agency reviews, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance, so do give us a call with anything we can help you with.

Kind regards,

Will

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