Monthly Review – January

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for January – we’ve chosen five key articles and a podcast this month. As we start the year we focus on growth and relevance. Curated specifically for your sector, all our monthly reviews are now available on our website. http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

Our January highlights:

1. Our Top pick this month is a piece from McKinsey, 2024 and beyond: Will it be economic stagnation or the advent of productivity-driven abundance. Hoping for a soft landing in 2024 won’t mitigate current risks or raise business performance and living standards longer term. If companies pursue the three-sided productivity opportunity, they can do both.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/2024-and-beyond-will-it-be-economic-stagnation-or-the-advent-of-productivity-driven-abundance

2. Secondly, we had to pick the latest from Julian Douglas – the ‘British make the Best Advertising in the World’, is a piece he did for the Creative Salon. In his new role as the UK Advertising Export Group chair, Douglas wants British advertising to embrace its excellence with lashings of creative swagger.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/features/julian-douglas-vccp-uk-advertising-exports

3. Thirdly, we pick a piece by retail guru Tim Mason, he additionally has a new blog called the Golden Rule this month. Retail marketing centres on devising innovative strategies to engage customers and enhance offerings and interactions to shape desired behaviours and outcomes. With the rapid rise of AI and machine learning, retailers can do what was previously impossible – achieve true one-to-one personalisation and do it cost-effectively and at scale.

Here is the link  https://retailtimes.co.uk/eagle-eye-three-technology-trends-shaping-retail-marketing-in-2024/?

4. Fourthly, we pick Rishad Tobaccowala, Edition 179 – Strategy is “Future Competitive Advantage”. This definition works both at the level of the firm and at the level of the individual. What will the future look like? How will the marketplace change with evolving customer needs and expectations? Who will the competition be not just now but in the future? Relative to these future needs and competitors what advantage will we or our firms provide? It is simple way to understand and apply strategy. Here is the process laid out on one page on how every firm and individual can apply strategy including some key questions and approaches.

Here is the link:  https://open.substack.com/pub/rishad/p/strategic-myopia?

5. Fifthly, are we witnessing the end of the CMO? No, and stop asking. Mark Ritson gives us his view – Marketers should cease pontificating about the validity of CMOs and their time in post, and start focusing on how to do the job better. It’s a good read.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/ritson-end-cmo-no/

6. Sixthly, we’ve picked a superb podcast done by The Growth House. A series that explores leadership, teamship, and growth. Ben Fennell – founder and CEO – interviews Richard Phillips this month, one of the world’s leading coaches in personal communication, presentation and media skills. Authenticity – understanding yourself – growing on your terms, there are some great learnings here.

Here is the link: https://shows.acast.com/thegrowthhouse/episodes/communication-and-impact

Media: “The Future 100: 2024” an indispensable VML guide to the coming year. It’s a bumper edition includes bespoke research, expert predictions, and a new “Innovation” section that looks to an exciting new future beyond 2024. It can be downloaded here https://bit.ly/48WEt2a

Time for the Work: Well it’s congratulations this month to Cadbury and VCCP and a shoutout specifically for Dave Boscawen and the Cadbury’s marketing team, who have consistently driven this creative work forward. https://www.marketingweek.com/cadbury-200-years-consistent/ And here is the System One report. https://testyourad.system1group.com/report/23262200-51c1-49a0-9f2c-2a2b97be9e96?categoryIds=394

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Back to Henley: The flood waters have been – and gone. The countdown is on! With less than 150 days to go, the 2024 Henley Royal Regatta is gearing up to bring the spectacle and spirit of world-class rowing right back to the River Thames. Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs.  It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Alan Wilson who is the Co-founder and Director of the Henley Distillery – the makers of Henley Gin. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/186190/lgdtb7124.html

We are here to help you with your agency ecosystem, resourcing structures, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance – do give us a call with any questions we may help you with.

Kind regards,

Will

Monthly Review – December

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for December – we’ve chosen six key articles this month. As we reach the year end, we have included the McKinsey – Review of 2023. Curated specifically for your sector, all our monthly reviews are now available on our website. http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

Our December highlights:

1. Our Top pick this month is the review of 2023 by McKinsey which is so well constructed. Leaders had a lot to ponder – and act on – in 2023. Meanwhile, generative AI’s impact on business and society dominated the global conversation. To support sustainable, inclusive growth, organizations needed to rewire for the digital era and refine their approach to talent and inclusivity. In some cases, entire businesses needed to be transformed – particularly as the energy transition becomes more urgent. Leadership and resilience are more crucial than ever. McKinsey details 12 crucial themes that are fueling impact every day, in every corner of the globe.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/2023-year-in-review

2. Secondly, we had to pick this piece from the Harvard Business Review, written by Sylvia Ann Hewlett – ‘The New Rules of Executive Presence’. Executive Presence (EP) is typically perceived as consisting of three elements in descending order of importance: gravitas, skillful communication, and the “right” appearance. The author’s new research shows that while confidence and decisiveness are still paramount for gravitas, pedigree has become less central, and new weight is given to inclusiveness and respect for others. On the communication front, superior speaking skills and the ability to command a room still lead the list of desirable attributes, but comfort on Zoom, a “listen to learn” orientation, and authenticity are on the rise

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2024/01/the-new-rules-of-executive-presence

3. Thirdly, we’ve picked a piece from ISBA and their Partner Predictions for 2024. It brings together the key trends for 2024 from a number of different partners. A really concise read.

Here is the link: https://www.isba.org.uk/system/files/media/documents/2023-12/2024%20Partner%20Predictions_1.pdf

4. Fourthly, we like the Uncensored CMO, we’ve become a bit of a fan of Jon Evan’s – Uncensored CMO – His goal has always been to meet the World’s most successful CMO’s and hear their experience and learn from them. Here are five CMO’s that stand out.

Here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/uncensoredcmo_the-top-5-uncensored-cmos-from-2023-my-activity-7143513424319193089-rtlY/

5. Fifthly, we’ve picked the Top 10 Campaigns of 2023 written up by Creative Salon. They reflect on the most widely-read campaigns featured on the Creative Salon site throughout 2023, and it’s a great read.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/top-10-campaigns-of-2023

6. Sixthly, we pick an excellent piece written by Sarah Furness – a former combat helicopter pilot and Squadron Leader who literally helps leaders to perform and thrive “under fire.” This piece is written on ‘How to set your company vision and values for 2024’. Sarah is also writing a sequel to her book ‘Flying High’ and is a fantastic keynote speaker. She lives here in Henley. If you would like her to come and speak to your leadership team, do get in touch.

Here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-set-company-vision-values-2024-sarah-furness-n76fe/?trk=public_post

Media: ‘2023 was more of a slog than expected’, Gideon Spanier gives his view on how inflation and job cuts have dogged the sector. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/2023-slog-adland-expected/1851363

Honours: Congrats go to @WPP chief @readmark on his Royal recognition with a CBE from the King in the New Year’s #honourslist which he dedicated to those working within the UK’s creative industries. “It’s wonderful to see that contribution recognised,” he said.

Time for the Work: Well with all the Christmas ads to choose from – it’s congrats this month to Aldi and McCann Manchester for ‘Kevin the carrot’. Clearly many people shop there – the campaign is winning with power and dominance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCoPv4aedfU

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Back to Henley: Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs.  It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Paul Lindley, who founded Ella’s Kitchen, which is now the UK’s largest baby food brand. In 2018 he stepped back from the business and was appointed chairman of the Mayor of London’s child obesity taskforce. Last year, he was appointed chancellor of the University of Reading. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/185681/lgdtb101223.html

With the New Year, it’s time for a renewed focus on growth & relevance. We are here to help you with your agency ecosystem, resourcing structures, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance – do give us a call with any questions we can help you with.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Kind regards,

Will

Monthly Review – November

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for November – we’ve chosen five key articles and a podcast this month. We have also included ‘a special’ – the Eight Takeaways from the Adforum Worldwide Summit held in London, and a Priority list. Curated specifically for your sector, all our monthly reviews are now available on our website. http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

Our November highlights:

1. Our Top pick this month is a link to the IPA Effworks. EffWorks Global provides opportunities for brands and agencies to arm themselves with the knowledge needed to navigate Marketing Effectiveness, and improve business performance. Over the last year, with the help of the IPA Effectiveness Leadership group of member agency advisers, industry experts and partners, the IPA have brought together the best effectiveness learning and practice in the three areas of Managing Marketing, Measuring Marketing and Marketing Marketing, and it’s available in one PDF.

Here is the link: https://ipa.co.uk/effworks/guide-to-ipa-effworks-global-2023/

2. Secondly, we’ve picked a piece from the HBR (November and December edition) on Generative AI and Machine learning. Business leaders are struggling to understand how seriously they should take generative AI. It has already displayed breathtaking powers to create new content and is used to do things such as write software, transcribe physicians’ interactions with their patients, and let people converse with a CRM system. But it is far from perfect: It can produce distorted or entirely fabricated output and can be oblivious to privacy and copyright concerns.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2023/11/how-to-capitalize-on-generative-ai

3. Thirdly, we had to pick this piece from Rishad Tobbacowala’s series – the future does not fit in the containers of the past. It’s edition 173 and its on strategy.  Strategy is Future Competitive Advantage. What will the future look like? What will people need and expect? How will demographics, technology and other global shifts create new competitors or recharge current competitors and how will categories blur, blend and maybe even disappear? It’s a good read and he is great to follow.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/four-strategic-mistakes

4. Fourthly, what next for M&S? We’ve picked a piece from the Moving Tribes substack, an excellent retail read, written by Ian Shepherd, its great to see the turnaround at M&S and what the future holds for the UK high street.

Here is the link: https://movingtribes.substack.com/p/positively-dissatisfied?

5. Fifthly, we pick an excellent piece from a substack we follow called – Off to Lunch. It’s written by Graham Ruddick, and this week’s edition looks at Bitcoin and the wider financial services markets.

Here is the link: https://offtolunch.substack.com/p/bitcoin-and-uk-plc?

6. Sixthly, we’ve gone for a podcast, produced by the MCA, with Andrew Robertson – President & CEO of BBDO Worldwide where he’s worked with some of the world’s biggest brands including Meta, AT&T, FedEx, GE, Mars Inc., PepsiCo, SAP and Wells Fargo. Titled – ‘Understanding the balance between what’s important and what’s interesting’. Andrew has always given us sound feedback & ratings from New York on our Monthly Reviews, so it was time we included him, so he can rate his own. Season 2 Episode 9, a good podcast and there is also a written transcript.

Here is the link: https://theprodcast.com/andrew-robertson/

Media: We’ve become a bit of a fan of the System One Group, Andrew Tindall recently released the John Lewis verdict and Jon Evans has written this blog on covering the top 12 most effective ads this Christmas. https://system1group.com/blog/top-12-uk-christmas-ads-of-2023 It’s congrats to McCann Manchester and Aldi. Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot returned to the top of the list in the most fiercely fought Christmas ad season we’ve seen, with more ads than ever achieving the highest possible test score.

Time for the Work: Well with all these Christmas ads to choose from. We just had to pick the Christmas underdog this month. It’s for Charlies Bar and congrats go to them for this low budget heart-rencher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUnEMzDNowA

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Back to Henley: The Christmas lights are shinning brightly in Henley. Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs.  It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Justin Simpson of Phyllis Court Club fitness centre. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/185345/lgdtb231123.html

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Adforum Special: The AdForum Summit took place in London in November, bringing together search consultants and agency leadership. Four days, twenty one super agencies, thirty one of the leading consultants from around the world. Along with the global holding companies and networks, the consultants saw exciting creative shops including: Not Perfect, Kairos, Accomplice, Amplify and Fold7.

Our Eight Takeaways from Adforum London 2023:

  • Impact of AI & how it is affecting marketing : Every agency is exploring AI and how it can improve communication efficiency and performance – there will be a shift away from the traditional hours/timesheets, as agencies look to deliver smarter for clients.
  • Need for ROI & Media Performance : We saw fluidity across the marketing ecosystem, a real need for ROI with media performance, and everything streamlining across the marketing ecosystem.
  • Balance between building brand and performance measures : The impactful long and short of advertising, brand building versus promotion was very evident.
  • Convergence of tech & creativity : There is a proliferation of agencies at the intersect of tech and creativity, delivering strong ad serving technologies.
  • Rise of sustainability in campaigns : We at last saw campaigns with longevity that are heading in the direction of net zero and sustainability.
  • Ability to connect with Gen Z’ers : Encouraging younger audiences into brands- we saw some fantastic agencies in this space, that are super ambitious, savvy and fearless.
  • Growth of agency new business opportunities : How agencies are innovating and flexing to win them,  we saw examples of how agencies were acquiring new clients through innovative acquisitions of agencies, being far more creative and commercially led.
  • Emergence of young marketing agency talents : It really was a case of London at it’s very best, encouraging, nurturing, positivity, creativity, fantastic presenters, a showcase for young entrepreneurs, and lots of AI too.

What ChatGPT said:

With thirty one consultants, all giving their individual feedback, Adforum prompted ChatGPT to provide the Priority list – i.e, the 5 most important/frequent key points quoted by the consultants.

  • Restructuring Holding Companies:

-        Participants emphasized that traditional holding company structures are outdated and require streamlining and improvement.

-        Increased consolidation of agencies in creative and media spaces was noted, highlighting the need for adaptation to new technologies.

  • Serious Consideration of AI:

-          AI is recognized as a significant and enduring trend in the industry, with agencies investing at all levels.

-          The practical and useful applications of AI, particularly in saving time on mundane tasks, were highlighted.

  •  Technology, Data, and Processes Attract Clients:

-          Clients are increasingly attracted to agencies that showcase expertise in technology, data analytics, and efficient processes.

-          The value of AI in production efficiencies, delivering work at scale while saving costs and full-time equivalents (FTEs), was highlighted.

  •  Importance of Differentiation:

-          Agencies face challenges in standing out due to increasing similarities and the expansion of services, making differentiation more crucial than ever.

-          The focus on being part of culture and media agnosticism was identified as a key narrative, emphasizing the difficulty of achieving standout status.

  • Shift in Holding Companies vs. New networks Dynamics:

-          Holding companies are consolidating and facing financial challenges, while new networks are growing rapidly with private equity investment.

-          New networks are learning from the mistakes of legacy holding companies, making strategic acquisitions to avoid overlaps in offerings.

These key points provide insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by advertising agencies, ranging from structural changes to the integration of AI and the ongoing importance of differentiation in a competitive landscape.

Driving growth today requires a renewed focus on relevance. We are here to help you with your agency ecosystem, resourcing structures, and benchmarking to improve your marketing performance, do give us a call with any questions we can help you with.

Wishing you, and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Kind regards,

Will

 

Monthly Review – October

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for October – we’ve chosen five key articles and a podcast this month. Curated with your sector in mind, If you missed them & have some time they are all worth a catchup. All our monthly reviews are available on our website. http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

Our October highlights:

1. Our Top pick this month is a piece from McKinsey & Company on Courageous Growth. Six strategies for continuous growth outperformance. Fewer than one in four companies outpace their industry peers on revenue and profit growth. New McKinsey research reveals the six mindsets and strategies that set these growth outperformers apart, and it’s a great read.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/courageous-growth-six-strategies-for-continuous-growth-outperformance?

2. Secondly, we’ve picked the Digital Native stack  -10 charts that capture how the world is changing. Rex Woodbury curates this substack and there is always interesting marketing content to be consumed.

Here is the link: https://www.digitalnative.tech/p/10-charts-that-capture-how-the-world-05a?

3. Thirdly, we’ve picked an IPA report, introduced by Les Binet, that covers econometrics in the C-Suite. Econometrics has new relevance right now for those wanting to make marketing more accountable, more effective and more profitable. This is according to industry experts who have set out a strong case for the statistical method in a new IPA publication, Econometrics and the C-suite – evidence-based decision-making for business, unveiled at the IPA’s flagship EffWorks Global 2023 Conference.

Here is the link: https://ipa.co.uk/news/econometrics-and-the-c-suite/?

4. Fourthly, we’ve gone with Rishad Tobaccowala’s article on Time. It’s part of his series ‘The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past’ and its Edition 168. Time dissolves more problems than man solves. This article gives you five ways to make the most of your time.

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

5. Fifthly, we’ve gone for an unusual piece on ‘Turning low value meetings into high impact Workshops’, from a former colleague Mette Davis and it’s a really interesting read.

Here is the link: https://www.withmette.com/news/ok7mrb7mkgkz7qv926txpqydbyu1hr

Sixthly, we pick an excellent podcast from the Marketing Society. The Buy Side is an Unofficial Partner series of conversations about sport and sponsorship with brand marketers. The guest is Kevin McNair, Marketing Director of KP Snacks, whose career includes previous senior marketing roles at Unilever and PepsiCo. This podcast discusses the high profile sponsorship of The Hundred, the ECB’s controversial short format cricket competition and discuss the work of Professor Byron Sharp and Ehrenberg Bass Institute for Marketing Science, which shapes the decision making of KP Snacks and other major marketing led companies.

Here is the link: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/3cf4f8a4-ac46-4ea2-ba86-4f0f878187b2

Media: Andrew Tindall of System One has recently released a book on Audio. It’s full of groundbreaking research on audio ad creativity. The summary of the research is in this 15-minute video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BUP6qeBwDw 

Time for the Work: We had to pick the new ‘Bravo Brian’ campaign from one of our clients Rana this month. It shows what an ambitious brand, with a modest budget, entering the TV media world can deliver. So it’s congrats to Rana, BMB and Bountiful Cow this month for delivering Italy’s best kept secret. https://creative.salon/articles/work/bmb-la-famiglia-rana-italy-s-best-kept-secret

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AI: Another big month for AI – the AI Summit was held at Bletchley Park. PM Rishi Sunak interviewed Elon Musk and ‘we were told that AI will mean that people will no longer need to work.’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/11/02/rishi-sunak-latest-news-ai-summit-elon-musk-donelan-live/ The AI book to read is by Mustafa Suleyman. It’s a stark and urgent warning on the unprecedented risks that a wave of fast-developing technologies poses to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance – from a co-founder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind.

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Back to Henley: It’s a little colder here in Henley and the river is now in spate. Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs.  It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview the fabulous Rebecca Poole, Aka Purdy, of @PurdyMusictv. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/184653/lgdtb231023.html

It’s the Adforum Worldwide Summit, here in London next week, so we will include the key highlights from those sessions in our November Monthly Review.

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

Kind regards,

Will

Monthly Review – September

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for September – we’ve chosen six 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/ if your clientside and would like this sent to your Inbox every month, please email ingrid@haiconsulting.com

Our September highlights:

1. Our Top pick, this month is a piece from Mckinsey. As customers increasingly expect seamless, engaging digital experiences, consumer-facing organizations can follow six principles to perform like the most successful tech companies. A really good view on the future of ‘tech enabled commerce.’

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/turning-consumer-and-retail-companies-into-software-driven-innovators

2. Secondly, we’ve picked a Harvard Business Review article – What makes a great leader? Tomorrow’s leaders master three key roles — architect, bridger, and catalyst, or ABCs — to access the talent and tools they need to drive innovation and impact. As architects, they build the culture and capabilities for co-creation. As bridgers, they curate and enable networks of talent inside and outside their organizations to co-create. And as catalysts, they lead beyond their organizational boundaries to energize and activate co-creation across entire ecosystems.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2022/09/what-makes-a-great-leader

3. Thirdly, we’ve picked a really good article sent to us by a new and super smart sustainability agency called !mpatience. Written by Jacquie Chick it covers the desire for brand growth – versus the planet, and how marketing can ensure that brands deliver on both.

Here is the link: https://impatience.agency/index.php/2023/10/02/growth-versus-the-planet-how-marketing-can-ensure-their-brands-deliver-on-both/

4. Fourthly, we’ve chosen an article from Rishad Tobaccowala’s series – The future does not fit in the containers of the past. This one is titled ‘Chances’ but it includes the link to a very popular and brilliantly written piece called ‘12 Career lessons’ It really is worthy of a review.

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

5. Fifthly, we’ve gone for a WARC report on the future of strategy. Strategy needs more revolution, a wide ranging survey of strategists for WARC’s Future of Strategy report finds; but clients appear to be drawing back on brave ideas, creating a strategy gap – here’s what you need to know. The Future of Strategy 2023 report, which includes quantitative and qualitative data analysis, expert commentary and advice from leading strategists, is available to WARC subscribers.

Here is the link: https://www.warc.com/content/feed/future-of-strategy-2023-bravery-in-a-risk-averse-world/en-GB/8704

6. Sixthly, we pick a piece on Generative AI: 75% of marketers are already using it or actively considering it. The Econsultancy’s Future of Marketing survey found that 32% of marketers say their organisation is already using generative AI tools and 43% are actively considering doing so.

Here is the link: https://econsultancy.com/generative-ai-adoption-marketing

Media:  Ian Whittaker – produces an interesting weekly email on media, martech and tech news. In this week’s version he also takes a deeper look at the Telegraph specifically. https://ianwhittakermedia.com/2023/09/29/revisiting-where-we-are-with-telegraph-media-group/

Time for the Work: We’ve picked the new campaign from Hiscox this month – created by Uncommon London with media from Total. Congrats to all a great campaign idea innovatively delivered. https://www.lbbonline.com/news/specialist-insurer-hiscox-and-uncommon-launch-the-most-disastrous-campaign-ever
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Book Alert: Tim Mason has a second edition of his book Omnichannel Retail out this month. How to build winning stores in a digital world. The retail industry is under significant pressure. Not only are retailers grappling with rising costs, but they are trying to keep up with rapidly changing consumer behaviours, technological advancements and ever-increasing competition. I’m halfway through it and it’s a good read. https://www.koganpage.com/marketing-communications/omnichannel-retail-9781398612723

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Back to Henley: It’s Autumn, despite a Summer weather renaissance. Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs – it’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Simon Shepherdson, the resident lock-keeper at Hambleden who has this wonderful view.  https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/183561/lgdtb18923.html

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

Kind regards,

Will

 

Monthly Review – August

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

Our August highlights:
1. Our Top pick, this month is a piece from the Harvard Business Review August. Written by Rebecca Zucker ‘Managers are Burned out, here’s how to help recharge them.’ Rebecca offers six strategies to help recharge the burned-out managers on your team: 1) Recognize and acknowledge their burnout; 2) Create opportunities for personal connection both in person and virtually; 3) Re-assess, re-prioritize, and re-distribute their work; 4) Revise team agreements about how you all work together; 5) Touch base one-on-one with your leaders on a regular basis; and 6) Set the expectation with team members that they use all of their holiday time — it can be easy to put off or skip vacation when there’s so much to do.
Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2023/08/managers-are-burned-out-heres-how-to-help-them-recharge

2. Secondly, we are a great fan of the podcast Off to Lunch. This episode looks at the economy and in Business Studies a piece on Why a business fails and what can we learned from it. Wilko is the latest retail example of a business going into administration. Why does a business that was previously thriving end up failing? What tips a struggling business into insolvency? Graham Ruddick interviews Retail Veteran Ian Shepherd and discusses what it was like being chief executive of a ailing company. A summary of the bankruptcy discussion: “Gradually, then suddenly.” Ian now writes the superb Moving Tribes newsletter on business strategy. Here is the link: https://offtolunch.substack.com/p/off-to-lunch-is-back-04c?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

3. Thirdly, it’s a piece from Mckinsey on the future of work in America. Which jobs will be in demand? Which ones are shrinking? And which ones could be hardest to fill?
Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/generative-ai-and-the-future-of-work-in-america

4. Fourthly, it’s a piece from Mckinsey on the future of the CEO. Every chapter of the CEO journey comes with a unique set of challenges—and opportunities. Whether you’re a senior executive who aspires to the top job or you’re a celebrated CEO who’s preparing to pass the baton to a successor, check out this series from the McKinsey Quarterly articles.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-guide-to-excelling-as-a-ceo/how-to-be-a-high-performing-ceo-at-any-stage-of-the-ceo-life-cycle

5. Fifthly, it’s the year of Generative AI and we had to include another article on this hot topic by Mckinsey. As organizations rapidly deploy generative AI tools, survey respondents expect significant effects on their industries and workforces. Which jobs will be in demand? Which ones are shrinking? And which ones could be hardest to fill?

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2023-generative-ais-breakout-year

6. Sixthly, we pick a piece from the Digitalnative substack and a really interesting study by the Bank of America on what consumer categories are growing and where are consumers spending money.

Here is the link: https://digitalnative.substack.com/p/follow-the-money-categories-of-consumer

Media: Fake ads? Omar Oakes, gives his view on the GymBox debacle. https://the-media-leader.com/why-gymboxs-fake-ad-crossed-a-line/

Time for the Work: We’ve gone for Mondelez and the new Ritz work by VCCP this month. So it’s congrats to them for an ad that simply made me smile. https://www.vccp.com/work/ritz/ritz-ready-when-you-arent

New Books: McKinsey special, back from Summer, Top 10 business books, there is plenty to read here. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/summer-reading-2023

 

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Back to Henley: Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs – it’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Joe Thomas of local digital production studio Wondervision. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/henley-on-thames/182287/lgdtbjthomas.html

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

Kind regards,
Will

Monthly Review – July

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for July – we’ve chosen five key articles, and a podcast this month – if you missed any of them, have some time they are well worth a catchup. It’s been a hectic month in Henley, I hope you’ve managed to have some holidays and look forward to catching up. All our monthly reviews are available on our website. http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

Our July highlights:

1. Our top pick, every Sunday for the last three years, Rishad Tobaccowala has published a post on a different topic in his thought letter ‘The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of The Past’ which is read by over 25,000 people and is available free. In this seminal edition, he highlights the popular pieces curated, and they are categorised.

Here is the link: https://rishad.substack.com/p/three-years-later?

2. Secondly, this month is a piece on ‘Scaling the company’ from Mckinsey. Chief revenue officers are boosting revenue at not only start-ups but also established companies. Scaling a company—large or small—is no easy feat. For start-ups, 80 percent never reach critical scale. At bigger companies, the challenge is even greater. Only 10 percent of S&P 500 companies have achieved growth surpassing the GDP for a continuous period of 30 years or more.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/a-bigger-bolder-vision-how-cros-are-propelling-growth-from-the-c-suite

3. Thirdly, what will happen to Uncommon London? Five years in – strong founders, fantastic creatives, brilliant work, a super runway, a reference point already. This was the big agency news in July with Havas taking a majority share, a partnership, or at least making an investment in the business. We came across this interview of Nils Leonard by John Evans on Uncensored CMO, and it’s a great podcast. Exciting times lie ahead for Uncommon – especially with their entry into the US.

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEsQ2NCYEe4

4. Fourthly, we pick a piece from the HBR July-August edition, on how AI can augment human creativity. There is tremendous apprehension about the potential of generative AI—technologies that can create new content such as text, images, and video—to replace people in many jobs. But one of the biggest opportunities generative AI offers is to augment human creativity and overcome the challenges of democratizing innovation.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2023/07/how-generative-ai-can-augment-human-creativity

5. Fifthly, we liked this piece. When companies are creating profiles of possible target customers, there is a dimension they often overlook: the urgency of the need for the offering. This article provides a process for segmenting prospective customers in this fashion and creating a sales strategy.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2023/07/let-the-urgency-of-your-customers-needs-guide-your-sales-strategy

6. Sixthly, Campaign always has a close eye on the UK creative scene, school reports, and league tables, Gideon Spanier gives his view on a new era of mega-mergers.

Here is the link: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/will-stars-align-agency-mega-merger-10-years-publicis-omnicom-failed/1831878

Media: We’re a fan of the Digital Native substack by Rex Woodbury. Well this month, interestingly he has come up with 10 charts that capture how the world is changing. https://digitalnative.substack.com/p/10-charts-that-capture-how-the-world-12e

Time for the Work: We’ve gone for the AA this month, so it’s congrats to MSQ’s -The Gate, and Media agency Goodstuff for this fabulous campaign. https://marcommnews.com/the-aa-launches-its-ok-im-with-the-aa-campaign/

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Back to Henley: We’ve had Regatta and Henley festival this last month. Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs – it’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview advertising legend & local gem – Micky Denehy. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/let-s-get-down-to-business/182168/lets-get-down-to-business-micky-denehy.html

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

Kind regards,

Will

YU1

Monthly Review – June

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for June – we’ve chosen three key articles, a guide and two extended podcasts this month – if you missed any of them, have some time they are well worth a catchup. It’s been a hectic month with the Cannes Lions and other festivals. All our monthly reviews are available on our website. http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

Our June highlights

1. Our top pick this month is a piece from the IPA Effworks – it’s the IPA piece presented in Cannes. This podcast outlines the big shifts in advertising effectiveness in the digital era, and explores the opportunity for creativity in digital, green shoots, recovery, an upward turn in the hype cycle – it includes downloadable slides. During the session, you hear from Karen Martin (CEO at BBH London and IPA Effectiveness Leadership Group Chair), Les Binet (Group Head of Effectiveness, adam&eveDDB), Dr Grace Kite (Founder and Economist, Magic Numbers) and Tom Roach (VP, Brand Strategy, Jellyfish).

Here is the link: https://ipa.co.uk/knowledge/videos-podcasts/the-3rd-age-of-effectiveness/

2. Secondly, we have picked a piece from the Times by Gideon Spanier on how the advertising industry was singing again in a very warm Cannes. As ever a good read.

Here is the link: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/advertising-industry-is-singing-again-as-the-sun-shines-down-on-cannes-k29zq6ldm

3. Thirdly, it’s a Mckinsey article and a well written piece on the economic potential of Generative AI. Generative AI is poised to unleash the next wave of productivity. This report takes a first look at where business value could accrue and the potential impacts on the workforce.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier

4. Fourthly, by contrast, we pick a podcast on the dangers of AI – from Ex-googler Stephen Bartlett. It’s a good perspective, and with guardrails needed it is worth the listen.

Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xVz9V5DksIPqrdArBPDcb?si=fwIE0ccrQ62mqyZhvvThqg

5. Fifthly, we’ve gone for the excellent Digital Native substack by Rex Woodbery – How Roblox Grows: From Virtual Playground to Global Empire. It includes lessons on steadfast vision, platform building, vertically-integrated ecosystems, community as the product, and a peak into what a virtual country looks like.

Here is the link: https://digitalnative.substack.com/p/how-roblox-grows-from-virtual-playground

6. Sixthly, Mark Ritson produces some great content, and in this link you can download the Holy Trinity to Marketing. In this guide, Ritson’s gives his unmatched knowledge in one handy Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning focused place.

Here is the link: https://mba.marketingweek.com/master-the-holy-trinity-of-marketing/?cmpid=232_em_le__tx_stppdg

Media: Global advertising spend is forecast to speed up after a slower start to 2023, according to the WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-advertising-forecast-to-speed-up-after-a-slower-start-in-2023-45b8953c

Time for the Work: Well this month we had to pick all the Winners from the Cannes Lions, an impressive list of winners in so many categories – congrats to all. https://www.lovethework.com/en-GB/cannes-lions

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Cannes: We managed to fit just two days in Cannes this year – catching up with clients and agencies. We saw positivity, a return to the focus on creativity, incredible inspiration with some real winners.  Whilst there were many forums on Generative AI – there was a bigger sense of the vital role agencies play for brands – how creativity can harness brands going forward. Stars were born – winners are heralded – the success of the new networks, powered by strong Independent agencies was very evident.

Breaking News: Havas buys 51% stake in Uncommon London in $120 million cash deal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/havas-takes-majority-stake-in-creative-agency-uncommon-b301aca1

 

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Back to Henley: We’ve had Ascot, Cannes and Regatta, and this week it’s Wimbledon and the Henley Festival. Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs – it’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview one of our clients, John Colley – CEO of Majestic Wines https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/180709/let-s-get-down-to-business.html

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

Kind regards,

Will

HY4

Monthly Review – May

Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for May – we’ve chosen four key articles and two podcasts this month – if you missed any of them, have some time they are well worth a catchup. Thank you for those that gave us feedback last month, the Adforum highlights certainly sparked some debate. All our monthly reviews are available on our website. http://haiconsulting.com/category/views/

Our May highlights:

1. Our top pick this month is a piece from this month’s Harvard Business Review on how ‘Building Brand Building and Performance Marketing can work together’. With the right metrics, you can increase the return on both, written by Jim Stengel et al. Marketers often worry that performance marketing and its focus on short-term sales is crowding out brand-building activities aimed at enhancing customer perceptions of their brand—and is sometimes working against brand strategy.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-brand-building-and-performance-marketing-can-work-together

2. Secondly, we have picked a piece from McKinsey on Ecosystem Strategies and building resilience with diversification into new value pools. Effective ecosystem strategies can deliver valuable near-term benefits as well as generate long-term growth and resilience. Leaders are finding significant benefits already.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/growth-and-resilience-through-ecosystem-building.

3. Thirdly, we’ve picked a piece from Stratechery.com – a blog that we have been following for some time. Apple Vision is one of the best product names in Apple history and whilst the headset won’t be ready until next year – this blog is a must read this month.

Here is the link: https://stratechery.com/2023/apple-vision/

4. Fourthly, we pick a piece on how consistency in brand message is underrated. Speaking at Marketing Week’s Leadership Summit, Natwest’s CMO – Margaret Jobling details how she overhauled NatWest’s marketing function and her personal growth lessons.

Here is the link: https://www.marketingweek.com/natwest-cmo-margaret-jobling-consistency-underrated/

5. Fifthly, this deserves a shoutout, and its thanks to Isabel Perry and our good friends at DEPT, they have produced the Machine Learning Guide. It’s brilliant, and super informative – we call it “the Couch to 10K” guide to AI, it’s accessible via Spotify. The fundamentals are just as important as ever, even though there are new methods.

Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/show/5M9yZpSyF1jc7uFp2MlhP9?si=c6c94dfaea524d84

6. Sixthly, there has been an awful lot of conversation about AI taking over Marketing and Advertising and deskilling jobs. There are also fears that the guardrails are not in place which this week has been the topic of concern for World Leaders. Ian Hogarth has invested in more than 50 artificial intelligence companies and is co-author of the annual State of AI report. He’s worried, not only about the disruptive consequences of machine learning for human employment, but about the potential rise of an ‘AGI’: artificial general intelligence. A great podcast.

Here is the link: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/novara-media/id1001507547?i=1000613992655

Media: Simon Andrews produces an excellent ‘Fix Lite’ Content Blog on a Monday, and here is his latest edition. He calls himself a veteran of advertising and digital, we just think he’s just super smart. https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=80025f160be434835759d292b&id=35147b44d8

Time for the Work: A hard choice this month – but we have gone for the new Cadbury work and ‘Speakerphone’ – Congrats go to VCCP this month. This campaign just goes from strength to strength, the glass and a half in everyone campaign is a big brand idea that serves as a platform for powerful stories. ‘Speakerphone’ brings a fresh perspective, coupled with Fathers day this weekend – it explores the bond between father and son. https://www.moreaboutadvertising.com/2023/06/vccp-turns-the-tables-on-fathers-day-in-new-cadbury-work/

Cannes: Anyone heading to Cannes? – the hotels certainly seem pretty booked. We are planning to be on La Croisette on the Monday & Tuesday, before heading home to Royal Ascot for Wednesday & Thursday. It will be a busy week, but it will be great to catch-up.

Back to Henley: The booms are going up, it’s almost time for Regatta. Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs – it’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this week to interview Edward Hopkins of Dark Green PR. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/180434/letsgetdowntobusinesshopkins.html

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

Kind regards,

Will

HY4

 

HY3

Monthly Review – April

Our Monthly Round-up of the key articles in Marketing for April – we’ve chosen six key articles. This month we also include our Ten Take-aways from the Adforum Worldwide Summit which we attended in New York. If you missed any of them – have some time, they are all worth a catchup.

We look forward to catching up with you to see how we may assist you and your teams to help design and grow your marketing ecosystem.

Our April Highlights:

1. Our top pick this month, is this outstanding article from Mckinsey on growth – and the six capabilities for multidisciplinary teams. The business-as-usual approach to marketing is no longer sufficient. To succeed in modern marketing, professionals must develop broad skillsets and prioritize collaboration. At its heart, the modern marketing opportunity is a skills and talent challenge. Although most individuals in a marketing organization will continue to have expertise in one specific domain, people can no longer be good at just one thing. The new marketing superpower is multidisciplinary competency across six core capabilities: customer centricity, full-funnel marketing, agile operating model, multichannel excellence, measurement, and customer data and marketing technology.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/modern-marketing-six-capabilities-for-multidisciplinary-teams?

2. Secondly, ‘Why marketers are returning to Traditional advertising’ from the Harvard Business Review. Pundits have long predicted the demise of traditional advertising. However, it is alive and well and headed for growth for the first time in a decade. The authors explain seven factors driving this trend, including the ability of traditional ads to break through digital clutter, the decline in third-party cookies, and more.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2022/04/why-marketers-are-returning-to-traditional-advertising

3. Thirdly, we came across this piece by Les Binet on ‘How to adapt your Marketing Strategy in Tough Times.’ The world has been turned upside down in recent years. Pandemic, war, energy crises, labor markets in chaos, rising intertest rates, and the biggest rise in inflation for decades. It’s a cocktail of economic instability and uncertainty. Here adam&eve/DDB’s Head of Effectiveness offers some guidance for advertising in tough times, starting with the need to recognise advertising as an investment.

Here is the link: https://bit.ly/3AUMdm5

4. Fourthly, “The ethos throughout 2023 is spend smarter, not harder”: Fifteen marketers on the AA/WARC adspend growth predictions. What should marketers be doing to reinforce value? What are the opportunities ahead? This expert panel dissect the latest AA/WARC results and the implications for performance marketers in 2023 and 2024.

Here is the link: https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1821190/%E2%80%9Cthe-ethos-throughout-2023-spend-smarter-not-harder%E2%80%9D-15-marketers-aa-warc-adspend-growth-predictions

5. Fifthly, another piece from last month’s Harvard Business Review is a piece on Generative AI. Why are some firms better and faster than others at adapting their use of customer data to respond to changing or uncertain marketing conditions? A common thread across faster-acting firms is the use of AI models to predict outcomes at various stages of the customer journey. It’s a hot topic that was also covered at the Adforum Summit in New York.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2023/04/using-ai-to-adjust-your-marketing-and-sales-in-a-volatile-world

6. Sixthly, something totally different, we’ve picked this piece in Forbes on Apple’s new saving account. It has phenomenal growth, and great interest. Who would have thought this company would look to shake up financial services.

Here is the link: https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/emilymason/2023/05/01/apples-new-savings-account-draws-nearly-1-billion-in-deposits-in-the-first-four-days/amp/

Time for the Work: It’s congrats to AMV BBDO and Guinness this month. I fully admit to being a bit of a fan/nerd of all the Guinness advertising – a fantastic piece of art direction that so catches the moment.

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Media: It’s always good to see the latest figures on growth from the Advertising Association. UK Advertising grew 8.8% in 2022. https://adassoc.org.uk/our-work/uk-ad-spend-grew-8-8-in-2022-to-reach-34-8bn-inflationary-pressures-persist-with-minimal-growth-forecast-for-2023/

Back to Henley: The Coronation has been keeping us all very busy.Our weekly column in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs – it’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Ben & Priya Watson who run the Golden Ball in Lower Assendon, a food-led pub which uses the best produce from the area. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/business/179900/let-s-get-down-to-business.html

Ten Take-aways from the Adforum Worldwide Summit in New York: In April, we attended the Adforum Worldwide Summit in New York. Twenty five consultants, from eight countries, saw eighteen agency/company presentations in five days. This year’s summit included meetings with:- McCann Worldgroup, Havas, Orchard, DDB Worldwide, Deutsch, Stein IAS, Argonaut, Zulu Alpha Kilo, Stagwell, Accenture, Grey, Pereira O’Dell & Serviceplan, Critical Mass, Uncommon London, DEPT, System One and Web3 Pro.

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  1. Brand inflection points are opportunities – technology is driving creativity – we saw the convergence of technology, creativity, strategy and commerce – leading to the emergence of the Tech-Marketing company.
  2. Brands are asking agencies to solve business issues, as well as brand issues – customer centric marketing – for big consultancies (like Accenture & the McCann Worldgroup) this means building the runway and infrastructure for the entire marketing ecosystem.
  3. Nimble Independent agencies (like Uncommon & Argonaut) and Micro networks (like Stagwell and DEPT) are gaining strength – the new holding companies are flexing through acquisition.
  4. We saw how Generative AI will be used to build brands, and what guardrails are needed.
  5. The Metaverse was a fad, because no one really worked out how to make any money from it – Web 3 is interesting for Gen Z and some luxury brands.
  6. The B2B specialism is buoyant – seeking a premium as they focus on data to drive the B2B process and outstanding results. Media is getting closer to Creativity again.
  7. Agencies are shifting from three days to five days in the office, the return to work is driven by better results being back together in the office.
  8. We saw the resurgence of the deep desire for Creativity in many presentations.
  9. So many leadership changes in agencies which are hampering performance, very few seem to have succession plans in place.
  10. Agencies are not building disposable products, but building things that last – sustainability though is a topic that is still too low on the client agenda.

We’re here to help you review your marketing ecosystem and improve marketing performance, so do call us, or email us with any questions you may have.

Kind regards, Will

HY4