Kevin Freedman

Thank you Andrew Birmingham for your great article on the intersection between sales and marketing, and for sharing the Arktic Fox Sales in Focus '24 report insights further and wider. I personally look forward to your next piece on the wild world (some may refer it to a messy jungle) of sales tech. #sales #salestransformation #b2b #salestech #b2b

7

2 Comments

Marketers have an important role to play in building a new world of sustainable businesses that break the link between consumption and environmental and social destruction. A great piece in WARC from my brilliant strategy colleagues Georgina Murray-Burton and Frank Lawley on how brands can reduce the green gap - customers who want to buy sustainably but are currently excluded by the price premiums sustainable products often demand. #marketing #marketingstrategy #ethicalmarketing House 337 https://lnkd.in/dbSBRZ8j

18

Intrigued by what makes marketers tick? The latest issue of Catalyst from CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing explores this topic, featuring an interview with Henkel's Nikki Vadera and her refreshing perspective. *Editor's Letter: Finding Joy at Work. Morag Cuddeford-Jones, Editor of Catalyst, reflects on the importance of finding fulfillment in your career. She highlights the Easter break as a time to reflect on what brings you professional happiness, and uses herself as an example of someone who genuinely enjoys going to work. *Does Sex Still Sell? Catalyst questions the effectiveness of using sexuality in marketing campaigns. The article explores whether this tactic is still relevant in today's marketing landscape and examines alternative approaches. *Data Mavens and the Unsung Heroes of Marketing. The profile of Nikki Vadera sheds light on the lesser-known yet crucial role of data analysis in marketing success. Vadera discusses her passion for data and how it fuels her marketing strategies. Catalyst Magazine: A Rich Source of Marketing Insights. This issue promises a variety of thought-provoking articles beyond those highlighted here. The magazine encourages readers to share their thoughts and engage in discussions;   Comment below marketers what motivates you in your role!

14

1 Comment

I just read about this fantastic new guide for CMOs by two marketing experts, Neil Barrie and Jonathan Mildenhall. And one of my favourite parts is how the guide urges CMOs to rewrite their own narrative. For too long, marketing has been viewed as a support function, an arts and crafts department responsible for making a product or service more appealing. But we must rewrite that outdated narrative and shine a light on the immense value marketing brings to business success. 📍We are strategic visionaries, identifying white space opportunities and conceiving innovative growth ideas. 📍We are data-driven analysts, investing in research to ensure decisions are grounded in facts more than gut instincts. 📍We are organisational bridges, collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to align on one roadmap to success. At our core, we are master storytellers and growth architects. And we can write compelling narratives that resonate with future customers for many decades. ❤️ #marketing #strategy #CMO

11

4 Comments

There is so much conversation at the moment in marketing around AI and how brands are adopting it, but it's equally as important and gaining a lot of traction in the sales space. Our recent Sales in Focus '24 study showed that AI is a big trend yet there is still quite a bit of resistance and hesitancy by Sales leaders with many reporting they are not sure of its application. Our upcoming mini conference (fully virtual) will showcase how AI is being used by brands and how sales professionals are thinking about it featuring some great speakers. 🎟️FIND OUT MORE / REGISTER -> https://lnkd.in/gi49D9s9 🗎 DOWNLOAD THE FULL FREE SALES IN FOCUS REPORT -> https://lnkd.in/e3y7ka2g #sales #ai #genai #b2b #digital #marketing #webinar #liveevent #advisory #learningevent Arktic Fox Teresa Sperti (GAICD)

8

According to the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)'s Bellwether, UK event marketing spend has risen for a ninth successive quarter. Only this time, it's the strongest rise recorded by the influential survey since data collection for event marketing spend began 11 years ago..... ....and it shows no sign of stopping as a majority of marketers predict continued rises in event marketing for this new financial year..... https://lnkd.in/eez_Ta_Z #eventprofs #eventmarketing #powerofevents #eventprofsUK

4

Technology must enable sales and marketing teams not burden them. While it’s a wild world out there with choices, it’s clear that Sales Leaders are laser focussed on driving growth through efficient processes, content / sales enablement and data and insights, and are continuing to invest in these areas despite the maturity of the business. With the need to provide more value to customers across multiple touchpints it’s not surprising that teams are becoming more pointed and smarter in how they engage with customers. We are certainly seeing that a lot with some of the clients we are working with at Arktic Fox but still a way to go. To download our FREE report ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e3y7ka2g To learn more about the findings from our Sales in Focus study come along to our virtual event ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ejMQTwDy #sales #marketing #salestech #martech #b2b #transformation Arktic Fox Teresa Sperti (GAICD)

4

This is an intriguing feature by Sophie Ozoux for Fast Company examining the Chief Marketing Officer role and how the position is undergoing significant changes across the landscape of business, with tenures becoming shorter and some companies questioning the necessity of the position altogether. Many of us have read news over the years of major brands like Starbucks, Johnson & Johnson, and AB InBev rethinking their approach to the CMO role. While consumers might not immediately see the importance of CMOs, their role in driving a company's social impact is crucial. These leaders are often pivotal in implementing sustainability, diversity, and equity initiatives, which in turn reflect a company’s relationship with society. The article provides great examples: Marc S. Pritchard at Procter & Gamble, Jackie Jantos and Josh Penny at Hinge, and Chris Brandt at Chipotle Mexican Grill have all spearheaded campaigns to demonstrate a commitment to making the world a better place. Younger generations have demonstrated that they prefer brands that mirror these values. When businesses undermine the role of the CMO, they lose a crucial voice in effectively communicating these values to their customers. Historically, CMOs have been extremely important in long-term growth and cultural impact initiatives, and the article highlights Google’s Travel Impact Model and Uber’s efforts to aid victims of the crisis in Ukraine. Campaigns by Unilever and Intuit Mailchimp have also shown how marketing can drive social change. The Brownestone Group discusses the power of marketing daily in conversations with our network—and how important the function is for brand building, innovation, and customer service. The insights Chief Marketing Officers can provide on customer data and trends are vital for driving business success. We’re happy to share this thought piece from Fast Company reinforcing how this role remains critical for ensuring long-term, purpose-driven progress within companies. #brandbuilding #business #chiefmarketingofficer #marketing #leadership #socialimpact

27

12 Comments

This research from Unstereotype Alliance is critical right now! A few short years ago, it was the norm for brands to publicly show their support for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month. Seemingly overnight, it became a ‘brand risk.’ In 2024, we have seen brands that for years run Pride campaigns, choose silence. What happened? We saw the rise of a vocal minority spreading hate toward our community - amplified and enabled by certain media and, of course, certain social media platforms. These people picked battles with drag queens, LGBTQ+ education in schools, gender-neutral bathrooms, the use of pronouns and the ability for trans individuals to compete in sports. None of these topics should be battlegrounds, and certainly, none should be political wedge issues. For brands, however, the biggest change may have been in 2023, when we saw overblown coverage of ‘failed campaigns’ and a perceived negative impact on companies. But as we went into Pride 2024, I suggested that those companies didn’t suffer a negative impact because of the campaigns they ran, but because of how they reacted to those campaigns that demonstrated a lack of authentic support for the LGBTQ+ community. And now, this research supports that. 📈 Progressive advertising drives significant sale impacts: +3.46% in direct sales uplift and +16.26% in longer-term sales uplift. 📈 Brand Equity is improved by progressive advertising: Brands that score highly on progressive advertising indicators are 9.8% more ‘meaningful’ and 11.8% more ‘different.’ So, lets put those failed 2023 campaigns behind us and focus on the campaigns that succeed, drive sales and drive long-term loyalty! #LGBTQ #InclusiveAdvertising

13

'Proprietary Media' (or 'Principal) is a hot potato in our industry right now. A new report from the Association of National Advertisers is a great, in-depth guide to the pros and cons, with very good recommendations for advertisers. Here I go into the cons and cons and argue that it is bad for everyone and ultimately the Media Agencies themselves. I call it 'unprincipled' media. As the WFA meets in Toronto for Global Marketer Week the health of the advertising industry should be on the agenda. Advertisers may not be able to solve issues such as climate change, but they can take actions with a more immediate impact on the well-being of the people who service their needs through how they spend their money. The news piece contains the ANA report can be found here https://lnkd.in/geKeFjBX All comments welcome, as ever.

49

12 Comments

The China digital landscape is changing all the time. Channels that now dominate the consumer scene didn't exist a few years ago! I am delighted to speak at the China-Britain Business Council Consumer workshop on 24th April in London. If you are a UK brand looking to launch into China or looking to improve your sales results through marketing to Chinese consumers, I will outline lots of examples of best practices. See you there! #chinesestrade #chineseconsumers #chinesesocialmedia #chinesemarketing #chineseconsumerbehaviour Emerging Comms

10

Organizational transformation is broken, with any model only delivering the goods less than 1/3 of the time. It's time for a pragmatic approach to Culture Innovation that addresses real challenges in virtual real time from the bottom up and peer to peer. > Excited to be discussing the power of Culture Innovation with Brandpie at CHARGE - Powering Energy Brands in Houston on May 16-17. > Equally excited to be discussing Culture Innovation at The Conference Board - Brand Strategy & Management Council in New York on June 3. Learn more > https://lnkd.in/gS-PKngD #culturechange #brandculture

13

1 Comment

Demand generation in #B2Bmarketing is about sparking curiosity and fuelling interest with a dynamic strategy that resonates with precision and purpose. In this short clip, BDB Consultant Francesca MacKenzie gives her top tips for a successful #demandgeneration strategy.

6

Despite great in-house analytics capabilities and the will to bring insight to marketing planning, channel optimisation and reporting, even designer retail brands like Michael Kors have struggled to get past outdated last-touch attribution modelling and manual #marketing mix modelling. Which is why VP of global analytics, Manuel Neto was keen to be one of five brands trialling the Adobe Mix Modeller platform. I got to catch up with Manuel to talk about the use cases as well as Adobe's product lead, Lily Chiu-Watson about where the vendor is taking its marketing mix modelling solution: https://lnkd.in/gEaGJves #digitalmarketing #marketingintelligence #MROI #datadrivenmarketing

7

2 Comments

Big announcement from Open AI today - their new GPT-4o (the o stands for omni) blends text, audio and images in near real time, meaning when you speak to it, the reply will be as fast and nuanced as a human. The demos are insane, and brings us closer to the ‘always available’ assistant. 🙌🏽 https://lnkd.in/ekBjtU3D

19

Greatly looking forward to speaking at the China-Britain Business Council consumer masterclass next week. 💡 I will discuss how UK brands can plan and deliver Chinese digital marketing that engages and inspires today's Chinese consumers and increases sales. 🤔 If you are a UK brand that is looking to enter China or is looking to increase sales from your Chinese consumers, this event is for you! To secure a space, click the link below ⬇ Emerging Comms #chineseconsumers #chinamarketing #B2C #chinesesocialmedia

27

1 Comment

Understanding the multifaceted shopper journey is key to optimizing conversion rates.

2

In the latest episode of the IAB UK podcast, Dave S. sits down with Sophia Haynes and James Chandler to talk about the IAB's newly launched Environmental Sustainability FAQs, it's rationale, and how we at GroupM UK are using them day-to-day. Listen here 🎧 https://lnkd.in/eTDyKXGD #GroupMUK #Sustainability

2

An interesting article via The Drum about how smaller, sustainably driven brands have to battle the often unsubstantiated claims of big brands about the genuine environmental benefits of their respective products. It also includes a few handy tips on how to stand up to greenwashers... https://lnkd.in/e-HrfJWx #greenwashing #sustainability

4