Our Monthly Round-up of the key pieces in Marketing for July – we’ve chosen six key articles, which we hope helps ‘keep your finger on the pulse’ of Marketing.  Trends, insights, learnings – served fresh -  they are all here in one place. www.haiconsulting.com

Our July highlights:

1. Our top pick this month is a piece from Mckinsey on the CEO’s role as the Chief Storyteller.  To ensure that their companies engage effectively with stakeholders, CEOs must set communication standards, embody the organization’s culture and purpose, and speak up in moments that matter most. McKinsey’s findings showed a 20% decrease in the number of CEOs who believe marketing’s role is clearly defined and understood. This suggests a growing perception that marketing is not fully integrated into strategic decision-making.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-ceos-role-as-chief-storyteller

2. Secondly, we pick a piece from the Harvard Business Review July/August edition. ‘Attracting new kinds of customers without alienating your old ones’. In the pursuit of growth, companies often strive to attract new kinds of customers. But if those new segments have needs, values, and preferences that differ from current buyers’, that approach can backfire spectacularly, driving away a firm’s loyal base and shrinking revenues.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2025/07/attract-new-customers-without-alienating-your-old-ones

3. Thirdly, we pick a piece from Brandtech boss David Jones from the Drum: titled: Ad agencies are ‘missing in action’ on generative AI. “The new language of creativity is artificial intelligence,” he says. “It’s not a question of whether artificial intelligence is more creative than humans – it’s when.”

Here is the link: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2025/07/30/brandtech-boss-david-jones-ad-agencies-missing-action-generative-ai

4. Fourthly, we pick a piece from the Creative salon: Ian Millner, Iris chair and co-founder who shares his belief that the agency sector has lost its way and needs to up its game to be fit to meet client needs.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/features/ian-millner-iris

5. Fifthly, we’ve picked a similar piece, this time from Michael Farmer who now has his own substack. Titled the  Destructive Effect of AI on Agency Fees if Man-Hour Billing Continues: A Case for Changing Agency Remuneration.

Here is the link: https://michaelfarmer.substack.com/p/the-destructive-effect-of-ai-on-agency?

6. Sixthly, we had to pick this piece as soon as we read it. Gutsy, driven, loyal, and funny, Dame Annette King has helped shape a generation of industry success. Here she shares her story.

Here is the link: https://creative.salon/articles/annette-king-s-leadership-legacy

AI: Daniel Hulme has been a visionary on AI for 20 years and is now at WPP, here at Nudgestock he gives his view. Is AI truly poised to replace knowledge workers, or are we missing a crucial piece of the puzzle? Daniel Hulme deconstructs the hype around AI, challenges our assumptions about its capabilities, and explores the very nature of consciousness. Revealing how understanding the power of human intelligence is the key to harnessing AI’s potential – and preventing it from controlling us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSGsWTUy5nU

Media: ‘Is Social media worth it’ If you read or listen to the news, you have probably heard about financial troubles at major social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) and X (formerly Twitter). How should you allocate your digital marketing budget? While companies may be downsizing, consumer’s social media addiction isn’t going away. A good review on how effective social media marketing is today. https://www.business.com/articles/is-social-media-marketing-still-worth-it/

Podcast: How Guinness became No.1, the power of sporting partnerships & the “Diageo way” to build brands – Grainne Wafer on the Uncensored CMO.https://uncensoredcmo.com/201

Time for the Work: Well it has to be a wry smile and congrats to T&P and Jeremy Clarkson for Hawkstone this month. Andrew Tindall is a fan too. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew-tindall_advertising-marketing-activity-7351128471978369024-61yB?

Back to Henley: Our fortnightly feature in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs. It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted to interview James Townsend, assistant winemaker at Harrow & Hope, Marlow, who has recently set up Leornian Wines. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/henley-on-thames/197715/still-wine-maker-who-works-in-small-batches.html It’s been the Traditional Boat Rally this month and a busy time on the river. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14GjXfeoZU6/

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

Kind regards

Will