Alex Luff

Impact is our output. We talk about modern marketing being able to deliver two types of impact - cultural and commercial. How do we move beyond the brand purpose debate and into a more grown up and nuanced conversation about the different types of impact we all create as marketers every day? Come and join us to find out.

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We've been creating again. Here's our latest mini-guide to crafting a meaningful PR strategy in a changing environment. What are your key PR concerns today?

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Deconstructing the anatomy of content strategy with Clearleft Co founder Richard Rutter and Head of Experience Design Chris How. We are increasingly finding that without a robust and clearly understood content strategy, clients are struggling to deliver optimal outcomes for their users. This seems especially pertinent for the b2b manufacturing, biopharma and education sectors. Is this your experience? Keen to find out if content strategy ( and use of emerging tools) is becoming more of a priority in other sectors?

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As ever an insightful article in The Media Leader regarding the GB News and Ofcom situation from Ray Snoddy There is a possibility that GB News are actively undermining the right wing vote by adding to the split between the Conservatives and Reform, thus helping Labour. The presence on GB News of Nigel Farage, a vocal critic of the Conservatives, will reinforce this rift. If so, the losses that Ray refers to in the article will have been even less well-spent.

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"About two-thirds of the agencies taking part in this year’s PRWeek UK Top 150 Consultancies project continue to have all-white boards." PRWeek UK Does this come as a shock? No, Not really for people working to build a more inclusive industry. These numbers were to be expected. I feel some anger and more despair..............It is not just me but research shows that most DEI efforts since BLM and COVID were performative and opportunistic, so they were doomed to fail. Within our industry there has been a disproportionate focus on diverse hires, numbers and representations - but at lower levels. Here we are talking about some of the most powerful agencies in the world and the UK. They advise clients on reputation, DEI, sustainability and are asking their clients to change to be relevant in the future! Ironical considering they are not willing to or see the need to change. Change does not happen when you maintain status quo. Change does not happen when you don't invest time and money into enabling that change. Change also does not happen without a vision. And change will definitely will not happen without the buy in from industry leaders and board members. Incremental change is good, but increasing representation at leadership levels and in the C-suite requires transformational thinking, a willingness to adapt, to recognise that this is an imperative, allocate resources and hold themselves accountable. To see any real change in my working life we need to recognise that ethnic minorities with leadership aspirations face (and will face) the broken rung, the glass ceiling, glass cliff and a system stacked against them, that encourages homophily. Small comfort that the number of black and ethnic minorities in the industry has increased from last year, but we know leadership aspirants will drop out when they cannot see role models or people like themselves leading. Industry leaders know that DEI can no longer just be a talking point or tick box, it is a fundamental building block of social justice and a human rights concern. We will be held to account! So, let's see leaders step up, and be accountable not just for profits but for building a fairer industry. Well done PRWeek UK on the insights👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 #buildbackbetter #inclusionandbelonging #rolemodels #ethnicminorityleaders

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This is an excellent visualisation from the DMA (Data & Marketing Association) UK of how integral maturing your approach to measurement is to delivering successful business outcomes. If you're not already planning for it, you should be. It will be one of the most significant drivers of future effectiveness for you.

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Today's Q1 2024 @IPA Bellwether report showcases a resilient UK marketing landscape, with events and experiences remaining the standout performers with a record expansion. This resilience demonstrates businesses' strong desire to connect with customers, recognising the power of experiences to enable them to achieve this, as well as being a powerful tool to drive their bottom line. Long-term brand building should remain at the forefront amid rising promotional spending. Aligning brand experiences across the different touchpoints with core values and harnessing authentic content created from experiences fosters trust and engagement, and is crucial for navigating the dynamic marketing environment. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eGTDPyN4 #ImaginationGLBL #IPABellwether #UKmarketing #brandexperience #experientialagency #creativeagency

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Paid online advertising has evolved into a vital element of a successful marketing strategy for businesses big and small. We can help you navigate the intricacies of the paid advertising landscape, offering you essential insights on how to maximise your return on investment: Find out more about our services here: https://ow.ly/xJAq50RBcJ6 #marketing #PPC #paidadvertising

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JUST HOW DO YOU MITIGATE RISK IN DESIGN? In this ADWEEK article, Simon Preece and I explore the power of neurodesign in business. Helping brands to reduce the risk in their design choices by understanding how the brain works on autopilot mode. Just why are eyes (and animals important) useful assets, what are cusps & curves and how do you use them, why is error so powerful in stopping us in our tracks? Let me know if you are interested in learning more, we've been running Learning & Development programmes for some of the world's leading brands: rtaylor@brandon-consultants.com ADWEEK, as ever, thank you for the support in spreading the word. #brand #marketing #design #neurodesign #neuroscience

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The Paradox of Value in Business. For business owners, understanding the paradox of value is key to understanding the significant difference between how valuable something seems to customers (its perceived value) and how useful it is in practical terms. We explore this in our latest blog here: https://ow.ly/VhWm50RqZle #business #businessadvice #blog #businesstips

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In the world of #B2Bmarketing, attention is harder to earn and maintain, especially when dealing with highly technical topics. Using visual analogies to communicate complex ideas enhances your content's appeal, boosting engagement and understanding. #B2Binsights

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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

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Need a creative director to mentor your team but can’t afford a full time role? How would a mentoring programme delivered by a Creative Director and founder with over 24 years experience and a desire to help others grow impact your team? If you would like to support your blossoming talent and offer space for supportive open conversation, creative critique and guidance in how to elevate their creative potential then this is for you. You will improve your creative output, delight your clients, demonstrate your dedication to helping your people grow and create loyalty and trust. Feel free to ask me more about this great service to elevate your creative team. This is the value add service you might have been waiting for. #creativementor #mentoring #creativetalent #fractional

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Advertising's greatest contribution to profit isn't being measured. That according to Les Binet in today's episode. In this second episode of our 2024 effectiveness series, Les explains his new thinking. He's joined by sarah carter to talk about where we stand today and what's next in effectiveness. Thanks to GALE (the business growth agency) for sponsoring our 2024 Effectiveness Series. Listen to a clip below or to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. adam&eveDDB, Peter Field, Adam Morgan, Brad Simms, Sorin Patilinet, David Tiltman, Mark Ritson, James Hurman, Byron Sharp, Keith Browning, Jameson Fleming, Jon Evans, Pedr Howard, Andrew Tindall, Prof. dr. Koen Pauwels, Stefano Puntoni, Jorge Ruiz, #marketingeffectiveness, #advertisingeffectiveness

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Incorporating recognised behaviour change solutions – or “interventions” – into your research agency’s offer is a great way to differentiate and add value… …but aside from identifying interventions we think will “work”, what are the other things to consider when making recommendations to clients? The APEASE framework is a useful tool for this – interventions should be: 1. Acceptable 2. Practicable 3. Effective 4. Affordable 5. Safe 6. Equitable More details here: https://lnkd.in/eFW4Y9XC #behaviourchange #marketresearch 

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Flying visit* to my wonderful home town of Manchester today, to talk about the art of reframing with Havas Lynx and their highly innovative ViiV Healthcare clients Reframing is defining the problem from a different angle to get to a different solution. The most often quoted example is the Annoying Hotel Elevator: ➡ guests at a new hotel were complaining it ran too slowly. They were paying to stay, not wait. ➡ the obvious answer for management was to speed up the mechanism. Huge engineering challenge. ➡ Instead, reframing the problem from “it’s taking too long” to  “its a waste of my time” resulted in the hotel installing mirrors in the lift lobby; so people could make use of their valuable time with a spot of preening. Complaints over. Reframing is a method. Its equally an attitude; the lemons/make lemonade thing. (Hence the lemony elevator image. Thanks Josh Toogood x Adobe Firefly) Speaking of attitude, I was once again reminded today how Manchester is a city in a state of perpetual reframing; a hot bed of creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and ingenuity. With a side order of half rice, half chips. Love it. *by train

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Delighted to publish our very first episode of MCM Sessions with the brilliant Liz Whittingham. 🎙️ On this brand new podcast series I welcome many event experts discussing some invaluable insights. 💡 Let me know what you think!

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