Simon Sharland

Integrating multi-channel marketing within your strategy broadens your reach and strengthens your brand's presence. Employing various platforms allows for diverse customer interaction, enabling your message to resonate on a more personal level. Optimise content to suit each channel’s strengths and analyse data to tailor future campaigns efficiently. Efficiency and adaptability are key to connecting with your audience where they most prefer. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3zDq2yY #MultiChannelMarketing #DigitalStrategy #BrandPresence #CustomerEngagement

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I was intrigued by this article from the Australian Loyalty Association by Karl Deitz that made me re-think the age-old question on Contact Policy - " What should be a good contact interval / frequency for Customer Marketing Communication" that it seen not too creepy and will warrants an Opt Out. What do you think is the ideal number of marketing contacts before it leads to customer fatigue even if it is relevant? #marketingtechnology #martech #insights #leadership #contactpolicy

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Sharing this Gartner guide to cross-functional collaboration for all marketers who struggle internally to get buy-in or work with their internal colleagues. This is always a 🌶 hot topic at the NZ Tech Marketers Emerging Leader Programme and one that I see play out in the organisations I work with, for a myriad of reasons. Fundamentally it is about shared objectives and understanding other's perspectives....but that can be easier said than done, especially for those who don't always have the experience. I'd love to know how you navigate this in your team - what works well or badly (you can PM me for that if you'd prefer 😜 ) https://lnkd.in/gGwwB9J6

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"If more businesses knew their numbers, the world would be a better place" Now there's a truth bomb for you. As Pete Andrew from Bendigo Fresh Wholesalers so wonderfully lays out, if you leave it up to the accountant to tell you whether you've done well or not, then you're flying blind. As business leaders, we need to be experts in our numbers. 🤓📊 I've been on my own journey with this and I'll go out on a limb and say it's probably a common experience with business owners who have grown a business that was originally based on their skill set. I used to be the one that said, "I don't do numbers" but it wasn't until I leant into developing that skill set that things started to work and I was able to make more strategic decisions. Check out Pete's full journey in business via the podcast links below 👀 YouTube Podcasts - https://lnkd.in/g2P6t3PN 🎧 Apple Podcasts - https://lnkd.in/gMmyibi6 🎧 Spotify - https://lnkd.in/gUMdTeYc #remarkableregionalbusiness #podcast #localstories

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The latest piece in my 'Cheat Codes for Challenger Brands' series with Mumbrella is all about the power of overcommitment. While market leaders optimise their businesses around 'just enough', Challenger Brands win by being unreasonably durable, insanely spicy or built around unprecedented levels of customer service. Check it here 👇👇👇

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Another report to help the industry is live 🛎 Today we launched our 4th edition of the Digital, Marketing & eComm in Focus study. Together with our partners at Six Degrees Executive this 40-page study is full of local market insights from over 200 CMOs, CDOs, EGMs of Marketing and more - what is challenging brands, our preparedness for privacy changes, adoption of genAI, eCommerce maturity, marTech utilisation and more. If you want to get your hands on a copy you can do so below 👇 #Australianstudy #ecomm #data #digital #skills

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So far this year, according to the Ad Standards Case Reports, 6 advertisers have been the subject of complaints about breaches of the AANA - Australian Association of National Advertisers Code of Ethics when it comes to distinguishable advertising, with one complaint involving 8 different posts. With 3 of those complaints upheld, 2 remain listed as not modified or discontinued on the Ad Standards website. Last month, the ACCC released its 2024–25 Compliance and Enforcement Policy and Priorities, noting that consumer and fair-trading issues in the digital economy, particularly misleading or deceptive advertising within influencer marketing, online reviews, in-app purchases, and price comparison websites, remain a top priority for the regulator. The ACCC also noted in their findings of their internet sweep of testimonials and endorsements by influencers, released in December 2023, that the ACCC will monitor adverse findings made by Ad Standards to assess whether they involve ACL concerns, and take enforcement action where appropriate. With 17 case reports listed on the Ad Standards website with "Upheld - Not Modified or Discontinued" as their determination in relation to the distinguishable advertising obligations under the AANA Code of Ethics, watch this space to see what action, if any, the ACCC takes in the coming period in relation to these ads, determined by the Ad Standards Community Panel to be non-compliant with the relevant self-regulatory code in Australia. The products advertised in these ads span clothing, food and beverage, health products, retail and information technology. Whilst the ACCC of course cannot pursue all matters that come to their attention, and some advertising of certain products may fall into the jurisdiction of other regulators, the ACCC does have a range of compliance and enforcement tools at their disposal to encourage compliance with the law, and focus on circumstances likely to impact consumers experiencing vulnerability, harm the competitive process or result in widespread consumer or small business detriment. What do you think? Putting aside the fact that proper ad disclosure builds confidence and trust in influencer marketing, and is therefore important for the industry, in your view, is hidden advertising in influencer posts advertising the abovementioned types of products likely to impact consumers experiencing vulnerability, harm the competitive process or result in widespread consumer or small business detriment, and therefore worthy of an allocation of regulatory resources to stamp out? #influencermarketing #accc #adstandards #aana #influencers #digitalmarketing #policy #priorities #opinion

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Further to this post, I expect that we will see the ACCC take action in relation to influencer posts in the coming period. Here's why:   1) We still see influencers failing to comply with Ad Standards Community Panel findings despite the potential for damage to a brand’s, agency’s or influencer’s reputation following negative publicity about these adverse findings. 2) Non-compliance with self-regulatory codes doesn't attract any financial penalty to significantly deter non-compliance, and therefore whilst most brands will take steps to ensure compliance, others will continue to fail to do so.  3) Influencer content can often reach a large audience, and significant sales can flow to the brand (and their agency) from increased publicity from influencer campaigns. 4) It's often evidenced in follower comments on influencer posts and in the conversion rates using influencer codes that followers are influenced to make purchasing decisions based on content uploaded by influencers they admire and trust. 5) The ACCC had concerns about posts uploaded by 81% of the influencers they monitored.  Risk is increased in my view where influencers have not been appropriately briefed about the products or services they are advertising, where no formal influencer agreement exists, and where influencer content is not vetted by the brand or their agency for false or misleading statements about the products or services and to ensure that appropriate ad disclosure is evident. What do you think? Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. #influencermarketing #influencers #adstandards #aana #accc #adlaw

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Some great marketers with some great thoughts on staying relevant in a changing industry thanks Paul McIntyre for supporting marketers staying relevant and growing their brands and careers Andrew Thornton Simon Cheng Chelsea Wymer CPM Anthony Voyage Australian Marketing Institute #marketingcareers #marketing

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In this two-part opinion piece for Mumbrella, TrinityP3’s Stephen Wright argues that CMOs must wrestle back control of key aspects of their media spend and that doing so will produce better outcomes for all parts of the media ecosystem - advertisers, agencies and the media owners. https://bit.ly/3yZTdAJ #mediatransparency #mediavalue #mediaperformance

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The CX around purchasing and maintaining cars is horribly sub-optimal but no one, brand or customer, seems to be pushing for change. After taking my car (A product of Australia's most popular car brand) to the place I bought it from for its quarterly service, I soon received that cheery phone call, listing a whole bunch of things to the tune of $1,500 and whether I was happy to go ahead. I cannot think of another consumer transaction where you receive a ransom-esque phone call and are asked to purchase something that most people have no real deep knowledge of, with no paperwork or visual aids to assist in your decision making. It is really quite baffling. I declined the things and said I would get a second opinion as I didn't trust them. The shoulder shrug from the brand was deafening but my experience probably won't be heard by the people who might be receptive. An existing customer (not a loyalist but certainly an advocate) telling a brand that they do not trust them is about as low as it can get. Brands - take your eye away from the race for new customer acquisition for just a minute and improve the experience for existing customers. The bar is low and they will reward you. Consumers - be savvy and selective with your purchases. Ask the tough questions and never be intimidated by the status quo of any category. Brew Consulting Any other sub-optimal customer experiences that need improving?

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The Westpac Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment index dropped by 2.4% last month, marking the second consecutive month of decline, with Aussie households feeling the pinch from ongoing inflation and elevated interest rates. In a time of uncertainty, consumers are looking for brands they can trust (especially in light of the ACCC supermarket inquiry) so here are three actions you can take to show your business means what it says: MORE SOCIAL PROOF Social proof can take the form of written reviews, video testimonials, photos of people using your product or service. Social proof, simply put, is evidence that others like and trust your product. Seeing this causes your potential customers to think “maybe I should like and trust this brand too, since so many other people do”. It utilises the power of normative social influence, if you want to get all psychological about it. BRAND MARKETING Customers need to know they can trust you before they hand over their money. Almost anyone can open an e-commerce store. But when they see your brand at a bus stop, hear you on the radio and also see you on Instagram and Facebook, they begin to feel you are legitimate and therefore can be trusted to do what you say you’re going to do. While many marketing activities look to drive a direct sale, a strategic multichannel approach includes brand-building exercises for a long-term play. This may include billboards, TVCs, brand ads, and event marketing. PROOF POINTS Prove the legitimacy of your claims by using statistics, facts and case studies to establish credibility. Reference experts or better yet, have them publicly endorse you. Highlighting your service guarantees and industry awards can further eliminate risk for your customer, making them more likely to shop with you.  How do you improve brand trust and credibility? #marketingtips #aussieretail #aussiebusiness

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Survey questions like these are utterly non-sensical. [edited - this was originally posed as question, but after looking at it for a little over four seconds I was certain] Important for what? What are you optimising for? Revenue, profit, retention? What is the context? Am I running a startup or a multi-national, or a non-profit? How is "performance" being defined in this instance? Beyond this, is it event appropriate to rank order these things? The danger with surveys such as these is that at times, big decisions rest on their results. Hiring, firing, marketing choices.

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✨ An exciting TMM chapter announcement! ✨ I was listening to Growth Colony's Australia’s B2B Growth Podcast this morning and they were interviewing Guy Kawasaki who said: “AI is the biggest deal that I have seen in my career… AI is bigger than personal computers, it’s bigger than social media, it’s bigger than the internet.” No shying away for this little marketer. I’m taking it on. For my clients, for my team, and for the (hopeful) future and ongoing success of The Measured Marketer. I’ve created a role that will build out a consulting offering for clients in how to best utilise AI in their marketing and integrate it into their existing #techstack. Because there’s never enough resources. There’s never enough time. And there’s never enough budget. Join us. I’m not expecting to find an expert in all the AI marketing platforms in the whole wide world. I mean, it’s kinda still new and evolving every day, so nobody’s an expert, right? But what I do want is to work with a good human who is passionate about B2B marketing, passionate about tech, passionate about building a service offering from scratch, and passionate about good quality work for our clients. Reach out via Ellen Bennett at NewyTechPeople. The job ad is here: https://lnkd.in/gs7JR5kV This post was written all by me... 😜 but I'm certainly not saying I haven't dabbled with the "rewrite with AI" feature before. #B2BMarketing #EmbracingTheFuture #WorkWithUs

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Do you know what your competitors are up to? The tough economy is driving price sensitivity and behaviour change across many categories, making it really important to monitor competitors' actions. This article provides tips on how to conduct quick and cost-effective research to monitor your category's dynamics.

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Excited to share an exclusive ANA webinar on the Future of Marketing Effectiveness, powered by AI. Join Gain Theory's NA CEO Shawn O'Neal as we delve into how AI is reshaping marketing measurement. Discover how GenAI can drive deeper insights, optimise campaigns in real-time, and unlock better business results. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead in the evolving marketing effectiveness landscape: https://lnkd.in/e3GZB2YN #AI #MarketingEffectiveness #FutureInsights

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Distrust replaces trust for Coles and Woolworths – and it’s just the beginning for their brands. Coles is among Australia's most distrusted brands, while rival Woolworths has taken a major slide down the rankings of the country's most trusted brands, according to new survey data collected by Roy Morgan. It's not just a little slide in brand trust. It's a disaster. Coles has plummeted 221 places from its December 2023 ranking as Australia’s 5th most trusted brand to become Australia’s 9th most distrusted brand (12-month rolling average to March 2024), according to Roy Morgan. "The news for Woolworths, while less dramatic, is still significant. It has dropped 32 places from its December 2023 ranking as Australia’s 2nd most trusted brand to become the nation’s 34th most trusted brand in March." Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said: "We have been tracking trust and distrust of brands in Australia for more than seven years, but we have never seen a reputational crash as dramatic as Coles and Woolworths – not even Qantas." Worse that Qantas? That's saying something. "A failure to sympathise with the public concern over the rising cost of living, coupled with the unveiling of large revenue and profit announcements in February, saw public trust in the major supermarkets' brands tank worse than Qantas, Optus or Medibank," said Levine. Survey respondents also mentioned “price gouging / tricky pricing” and a “focus on profits ahead of customers" by Coles and Woolworths. And let's not forget the recent Senate inquiry into supermarket pricing and the less-than-empathetic interviews by supermarket CEOs on ABC Four Corners (who can forget the trainwreck interview walk-out by Woolworths CEO Brad Branducci?). The research found Australians' overall distrust in companies grew in the past year for several reasons, including "corporate greed, poor customer service, unaffordable prices, dishonesty, unethical practices, and poor privacy practices". https://lnkd.in/efBh8dH7

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Data in #Marketing - can I make a quip about the agony and the ecstasy? In Karen Ganschow (KG) MBA GAICD's case, getting on top of data that can actually produce actionable insights to bring to life, then solve, customer problems, has been a thread throughout her career. And it led her most recently into what at first glance seemed a curious job remit for a marketer - head of data sciences at Aware Super in late 2019. Yet she was doing it to tackle the task all strategic marketers – and growing numbers of chief #customer officers – have been striving to realise for years with mixed success (and input): A 360-degree view of customers to drive personalisation, better engagement, growth, and retention. As she hangs up her full-time hat, I got to chat with Karen about career highlights, how she's seen tech enable insights to become more accessible to brands, and her ongoing fears and hopes for modern #marketers: https://lnkd.in/gGmnNAwp

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