Making a brand meaningful

According to the 2015 Meaningful Brands research by Havas, most people would not care if 74% of all brands disappeared for good. This should be a wake-up call for the majority of brands. The marketing landscape is continuously changing and digital technology is developing faster than ever. It will come as no surprise, that some businesses fail to keep up with these trends.

Most of the problems that brands face nowadays result from problems in marketing communication. Many marketers have not updated their strategies to today's consumers who are more demanding in terms of customers service, less loyal to favorite brands and more resistant to traditional marketing messages.

December is usually the time when most companies sum up the whole year and prepare for the upcoming months.

1. Ad blocking will continue to grow

Users that use ad blockers…

Integrating your email and social media marketing opens the door to exploiting a wealth of data.

Integrating your email marketing audience with your social media audience should already be a game-plan-in-action within your marketing strategy. Using the rich data that comes from crossing these marketing channels however is often the post game oversight. Email and social media are touch points your audience interacts with daily - channels you yourself have spent time on today. Social Media Examiner wrote what’s turned out to be an evergreen piece of content titled 9 Ways to Integrate Email and Social Media Marketing. This content lives on today because the fundamental relationship between emails and social media for the user remains the same, as do the benefits for marketing teams. Consider the amplification of your email message that social can provide, consider the data you can collect using email service provider platforms (ESPs) and how…

Only 7% of businesses have an optimised effect

We know social media is here to stay,   despite any backlash, but so too is traditional marketing. Omnichannel marketing is driving the need for Marketers to integrate digital marketing strategies rather than creating separate plans for different channels, and departments working in silos. Our research with the TFM&A suggests progress as Marketers are move towards strategic integrated digital planning 'though only 1/4 of companies were satisfied with their level of integration across digital and traditional communications and 7% are full integrated and optimised.' The chart certainly shows there is challenge which many businesses are trying to meet. The most detrimental factor to 'integrated planning' is the lack of planning, as many companies have separate traditional marketing and digital marketing teams whom work independently when it…

Retail examples showing how to bring the on and offline worlds together through social and mobile channels.

I have been following the retail industry as businesses plunge or dip their toes into the omnichannel waters. Some are certainly doing some revolutionary, original campaigns using technology which I'll look at here - do share others you like! This blog posts sums up my favourite case studies from retailers with some thoughts on how this will impact the modern marketing department’s strategies, as technology drives change.

How are retailers tackling the on and offline world?

Consumers are using multiple devices, screens, and channels to make purchases, but you know this already. Retailers still get a huge chunk of sales in their bricks and mortar outlets, for example clothing and footwear brands in the UK 44% of purchases are done in store*. In store doesn’t provide the same level of data as their website or digital marketing activities. They will only…

Integrating different inbound channels as part of a content-led digital strategy

Here's the only way to approach your marketing: What content will your customers thank you for? Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs @MarketingProfs In the ever-evolving sphere of digital marketing, creating compelling content just isn't enough. Instead, what you need to do is develop a strategic plan that is both consistent and integrated and will help drive traffic, generate leads and increase your conversions. While content creation still plays a pivotal role in an effective marketing strategy, smart brands are taking a more holistic approach - and that means focusing on how content marketing, SEO, social media, blogging and email marketing all work in sync.    Along with our own tips and tricks of the trade, in this article AWeber has enlisted a few industry leaders to share their insights…

Incorporating the 4Cs of integrating digital marketing into marketing campaigns

Do you know the “4Cs” of integrated campaigns? When thinking about how to create a successful integrated marketing campaign, Pickton and Broderick’s 4 Cs explained in their book Integrated Marketing Communications can be a handy test. They outline the four key concerns that need to be addressed in order to give your campaign a chance of reaching its goals. The 4Cs are: Coherence – different communications are logically connected? Consistency – multiple messages support and reinforce, and are not contradictory? Continuity – communications are connected and consistent through time? Complementary – synergistic, or the sum of the parts is greater than the whole? In this post we take a look at three high-profile campaigns, and offer an insight into their results related to the 4Cs .

02: Be More Dog

O2’s foray into 4G advertising asked us "to be more dog". The overall message of the campaign is that life in the digital…

3 key barriers that need to be overcome to help towards better integration of digital media

“Truly Integrated Marketing is the holy grail for the marketeer. ”

Colin Green, Marketing Director, Land Rover UK

Yesterday I saw a PPC advert for a pair of shoes that I’d wanted for a while. I clicked through to find that the product was actually out of stock. The next day I was retargeted by the same retailer advertising the same shoes and but at a different price, I clicked through again, and again found that the price was as it was yesterday and there was still no stock. It’s not the first time I have seen this and imagine you may have too. The experience got me thinking about the dangers of running digital marketing in silos leading to a lack of integration with businesses a long-way from the holy grail of integrated marketing communications.…

A checklist of the 13 most common touchpoint leaks

Over nearly two decades in marketing, and across well over 200 businesses – from as large as Microsoft and as micro as the back bedroom – I have yet to find a single one that isn’t leaking potential profit somewhere in their marketing operation. And, even those that have it pretty tight can usually notch it up with a few judicious tweaks.

Categorising marketing profit leaks

In pulling all this together, I found that profit leaks fall into two clear categories. The first, and most obvious, are those that relate to how you interact with the outside world. That is, the touchpoints with customers, potential customers, or anyone else who might encounter your business. Of these, I have defined thirteen typical ways that most businesses lose money in their marketing. The second category is what I call the Foundation Leaks, and they are far more…

Practical tips based on how 1500 small business owners manage their marketing

Aweber.com surveyed over 1500 of their customers, to find out the views of SMEs on online marketing, of which 96% had 5 or fewer employees and felt like 'an army of one'. Is it true that they feel overwhelmed or are embracing it? The infographic below shares the findings, including insight into how many hours are allocated to social media, which channels they are sticking too and where they will increase their marketing efforts. …

A case study of a campaign to create a a sustainable online presence for a seasonal brand: Christmas Tree World

When Christmas Tree World initially approached us with grand schemes to conquer the artificial Christmas tree market throughout the year, we knew this project was set to be a campaign our entire digital team could sink their teeth into. Christmas Tree World came to us looking for a responsive, animated website re-design and a social media and content plan that would generate B2B interest 52 weeks of the year. As a result, Christmas Tree World proved to be a unique challenge for our digital marketing team, who were duly tasked with generating a campaign that would attract B2B and B2C interest for a late summer re-launch. Aside from building brand awareness and increasing conversions for Christmas 2013, we also had to establish a strategy to ensure Christmas Tree World was well…