Ellie England (O'Sullivan)

Grace Andrews giving us the Hannah Montana references we want and deserve at #eTailLondon 👏👏 I loved her point on the difference between an audience and a community (paraphrased and speedtyped): A lot of people think they’ve got a community, but they actually have an audience. To convert an audience into a community, you need three things: - There must be a value exchange - There must be a two way stream of communication (take it onto a platform that allows feedback) - You must give your community a place to belong #personalbrand #communityengagement #AI The Diary Of A CEO

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Having worked for global organisations for the majority of my career I've faced some challenges when its comes to scaling marketing and comms programmes. You can't ignore local nuances and create something totally vanilla that doesn't resonate, but hyper-localization is no way to meet your goals and ultimately delight customers either. This article from Forbes shares some of the best advice I've seen on a Global/Local approach to scaling marketing. With some great insight from our very own Reyne Quackenbush.

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Football and periods – culturally they’ve been worlds apart, but not anymore. Today, football is proving to be a key driver in closing the data gender gap thanks to a research study by the University of Bath, UCL and St Mary’s which tracked a club in the Women’s Super League for three years. Their discovery? Players are six times more likely to pick up a muscle injury in the days leading up to their period. Now, this won’t come as much of a surprise to people who menstruate, we’re used to feeling a bit sketchy at this time during our cycle. But there’s been such an absence of research and hard data on the topic that it hasn’t been recognised as something to be concerned about. Caroline Criado Perez talks about society ‘seeing men as the human default’ so ‘we don’t tend to involve female humans or animals or cells in medical trials.’ And if we’re not involving people who menstruate in trials, then we haven’t been researching menstruation. Fortunately, it’s not just the wellbeing of footballers that’s elevating the conversation into the mainstream. Right now, millions of people who menstruate are doing it for themselves, by logging their symptoms into female health tech apps like Flo Health Inc., ŌURA and Clue. Flo’s brand purpose is to build a better future for female health because they believe that it has been underfunded and undervalued for too long. (I know because I worked on this strategy). By sharing anonymised data with organisations that are committed to act, we can build an inclusive society that bends and adapts with the ebbs and flows of people’s menstrual cycles. After all this is something that affects over 50% of the population for a large proportion of their lifetime. Coming soon (surely): actionable data about the menopause.

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If you've been enjoying our recent webinars, you'll love this one! Kasper Spiro and Nelson Sivalingam discussing how we become skills-driven businesses in practice 🙌 I always learn lots of useful stuff when Kasper and Nelson speak, so sign up and I'm sure you will too: https://lnkd.in/eUThFiXa HowNow Easygenerator

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🐾 Black Friday Chaos? Not at www.petshop.co.uk 🐾 Here are more customer stories that went to different levels at Wayflyer we rise by lifting others. Thanks to our partners at Wayflyer, we’ve mastered the art of cash flow wizardry! 🧙‍♂️💰 This Black Friday, we're ready to fetch every opportunity without a hitch. #Challenge: Cash flow crunch during peak sales 🐶😬 #Solution: Wayflyer’s cash flow magic 🪄 #Result: Pawsome deals and smooth sailing! 🐾🚀 https://lnkd.in/eBfC9QAW Here’s to a tail-waggingly successful Black Friday! #BlackFriday #Petshop #Wayflyer #CashFlowMagic #BusinessGrowth #Partnership

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📣 "I think all content isn't created equal; I think ads are becoming personalized experiences. The way that it's optimized can change and I'm excited about our Active Attention variable that helps advertisers and publishers get more attention from video content." Hear KERV CRO, Jay Wolff, talk about personalized advertising and our innovative Active Attention Index that's transforming how advertisers and publishers optimize video content in his interview with TVREV.

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The legacy of the Google Universal Analytics to GA4 changeover is that now an eye-watering number of SMEs across a variety of sectors are under-served in terms of data collection, measurement and insights... Businesses have been turning their analytics off completely and 5 years ago I couldn't have imagined anything worse but with the way Google has gone about this...who can blame them? #marketing #data #strategy #analytics #insights

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Delighted to say that we've got a new season of the Bear Business podcast coming, and it's not just a podcast this time around, we're flexing our production muscles with a VODcast. My first guest is an absolute analytics aficionado and you'll not want to miss out on his new software that makes measuring and improving your marketing performance an absolute breeze. Who could I possibly be talking about as 'taking a shot' at vanity metrics? 😋 I try to make the case that in a post-cookie marketing world where there is less marketing data, or to be more precise, less accurate data, things like impressions metrics and follower numbers become more interesting again. How many Ferrari's did you buy on a million impressions? 🤣

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🌐LASTING PERMANENCE OF DIGITAL COMMUNITIES✍️ A thought I had the other day whilst reflecting on my time at DriveTribe, launching a viral blog with over a million views & fostering a tight-knit online community under my brand “AutoTrending”: “How do I still feel so connected to a platform that’s been dissolved for nearly 4 years?” It’s obviously not the platform itself that I remain in touch with - but rather the community. Although I did not make the mass exodus as many automotive journalists did to platforms like Shifting Lanes, Jalopnik, and Redline Reviews, I do occasionally find time to share my never-ending thoughts on automotive industry, culture & technology. From time to time, I’ll make a post on my Instagram story, post on X, and most often, leave comments myself in spaces frequented by the same folks I’ve known digitally since my days as a true creator. ➡️ Follow me @claytonwholmes on all platforms It’s a testament to how strong & resilient the community is to have lost such a centralized social hub yet remain connected through personal networks. I have plenty of friends who were former followers, contributors, and auto enthusiasts on my DriveTribe blog. Although it’s not the same, I still appreciate the community as it will forever be cemented in my digital footprint - after all I owe them to my success as a writer. Without them, there would have been no blog, no book, and the passion for cars may not have been the same. DriveTribe may be dead, but it’s community is alive and well🤞🤝 What communities are you thankful for? Have any transformed your life in a similar or different way? P.S. if you still want to read my content, it’s all available for free download, archived on my website. My book is also still listed for sale, links all over my profile📚

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We’re used to looking at our own lives in stages – but stepping back to look at where our workplaces are at in their growth journey might be less common. Recognising where your agency is at in its process & tech maturity can help by providing a benchmark to work towards in your next phase of growth. That’s where business maturity models can come in to give you a quick steer. Here’s a look at 5 different stages and what you might find in each: 1) Developing – The early days where your focus is on winning business, rather than establishing consistency. A bit of anything goes. Lots of spreadsheets. There’s a lack of visibility on performance from individual projects, all the way up to the business overall. 2) Implementing – Some attempts made at standardising systems and processes, but still a lot of reactivity. Poor documentation and consistency. Better tools may be coming into play, but likely requiring lots of manual replication of data (i.e. quoting, tracking time, tracking budgets in different systems). People learn mostly from who they’re sitting next to (and hope for the best)! Performance measurement needs work. 3) Sustaining – Best practice has been documented, leading to consistent ways of working and better employee training. More mature tools brought into play which consolidate data, and integrate better with other platforms. Increased accuracy and accountability. Performance is measured and reported, but could be better leveraged. 4) Advancing – Well defined and mature practices. The organisation is proactive. Performance is consistently measured and reported. Continuous improvement initiatives are in place to advance the organisation. Increased use of tech for more consistent results. 5) Innovating – Excellent processes, measurement and continued improvement initiatives in place. Innovation taking place to improve customer experience, value and loyalty. Do you recognise your agency – or places you've worked – in any of these stages? What processes and tools are changing as your business matures?

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This week I attended Meta's first Creator Summit, bringing together brands and agencies to discuss the ever growing and powerful world of content creators that cannot be ignored. A few stats the really stood out: 🔸 71% of Meta users make a purchase within a few days of viewing creator content 🔸 64% of users consider switching brands after exposure to a creators content 🔸 2 billion reels are shared across Meta platforms daily, with 50% of Instagram usage dedicated to viewing reels 🔸 80% of Gen Z have made purchases after viewing a reel Brands are playing the attention game, and creator partnerships are a key way to cut through that noise and help drive authenticity, creativity and connection through community. 📢 I would love to hear how other brands are using content creators effectively (particularly those outside of traditional consumer products in this space like beauty, food/drink, apparel/accessories etc).

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This morning, I was speaking with a Marketing Director who asked how our subscription plans could be used to support their strategy going forward. Here's an insight into how they can help you: Fuel Plan (Unlimited Design): Social Media Graphics: Across all channels, we design assets to keep every touch point consistent, increase your brand awareness, and grow engagement. Motion Graphics: Showcase how your brand moves and feels with animation that will engage your audience and drive better business. Web Design: Creating new pages and refreshing existing ones, drive a better user experience across your website and watch your conversion grow. Email Design: Scroll stopping emails to increase orders and new enquiries. Ad Creatives: Upgrade your paid social channels with unlimited creative. Presentations: Showcase your brand in Internal meetings, networking events, onboarding new hires, or training staff. Signage Design: From internal wall graphics to event stands, we make your first impression count. Print Design: Branded merchandise, packaging, uniform - be seen everywhere. Podcast/YouTube Thumbnails: Grow your company channel further and engage your audience. Power Plan (Unlimited Design + Development): WordPress, Webflow, Shopify: Ongoing development, upgrades, and support for your website. Front End Development: We enhance functionality to create a better user experience. Mobile Optimisation: Across all devices, deliver a seamless journey from A to B. UX/UI Design: Provide the best experience on your website for better business. Monthly Strategy Call: New ideas we implement for your marketing to drive the brand forward and grow your community. Enterprise Plan (Made For Marketing Teams) 2 Active Tasks In Progress - Means double the output Brand Development: Gradual evolution of your current assets across every touch point. Campaign Concepts: We suggest and put forward concepts for upcoming campaigns and create the assets ready for launch. Slack Communication: Your private channel for direct communication with us. Performance Manager: Your own dedicated performance manager, bringing your vision for the brand to life. Made it this far? Upgrade your marketing here: https://lnkd.in/e92dxCxy

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One for my Marketing connections. 👀👀 Marketers in the UK and Ireland (UKI) are prioritising building and retaining trust with customers and improving their use of AI tools and technologies, according to new Salesforce research in the ninth State of Marketing report.

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Congrats to Raine Maida and Fandrop on the recognition in Rolling Stone. In the marketing battle for a cookie-less world, brands need their own first-party data again. Raine Maida and the Fandrop team have built a platform to help touring musicians to easily regain control of their data and direct access to fans. But we're also seeing the platform gain traction with other sectors and brands who have live events, sponsorships, etc and want to rebuild their first-party data. If you're a brand trying to evaluate the effectiveness of your sponsorships and experiential activations, you can read more about FanDrop here. The artist model works for brands, too. https://lnkd.in/eK6dXAhu #sponsorship #brandactivations #experientialmarketing

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Headlines like this from Digiday really annoy me... Full article - https://lnkd.in/ewKTCmgb Not to say there isn't truth in the need to balance 'brand' and 'performance' aka the Promotional 'P' of marketing. But lines like "The moment of reckoning for performance marketers seems to have finally arrived." To paraphrase a line from Tom Roach...all marketing must perform. Different messages, creative formats and media are suited to different tasks, but all must, in some way, contribute to the bottom line of businesses. 🤔 I read a recent post from Stephen Kenwright - a write up on his talk at the Digital PR Summit https://lnkd.in/e7i-RQ5f And was reminded of some of the work of my old pal 💎 Malcolm Slade from back in 2017 https://lnkd.in/ezHPUS5d Both examples lean in to the cooperative relationship between brand building and organic media but lines can be clearly drawn across the board to advertising and to marcomms more broadly. 🙌 The best 'performance marketers' I know are not biased, self-serving nor deluded. Even when digital media platforms were starting to make their major land grabs for investment in the late 2000s, there was a recognition that the likes of search, social, display, affiliates etc., could help to create value...but absolutely shouldn't nor couldn't be relied upon to do everything. They can play text book bingo with the EBI, Binet and Field and Kahneman if you want and can quote Nelson-Field, Kite or Sutherland. They were using Share of Search as a proxy long before it was 'discovered' and encouraged businesses to invest in their product, their brand and in their distribution because they recognised the limiting factors of individual channels (and marcomms as a whole). But most of all - they were focused on how to make profit for businesses. The list of possible levers we can pull as marketers these days has never been longer and certainly on the agency side - understanding where we need to build and continue to build capabilities and experience to leverage them is as important as it ever has been. 😤 But let me be clear when I say....we get it, we got it a long time ago...and those that don't we can hold up to be scoffed at by commentators in wallowing retrospective, in the same way that purpose driven marketing and brand love have been more recently (only to emerge again later, as something that there was probably some value to be derived from, but that we just shouldn't go all in on, in quite the same way we did before). Polarising opinions create column inches. Our jobs are to make money for businesses. The rest is a series of choices. #advertising #digitalmarketing #performancemarketing

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When I was gifted with the greatest job of my lifetime - becoming a mother, I quickly realized the world I live in is not one that sets up working mothers for success. In the newborn days, I'd be either considered a bad mother for not breastfeeding (and we were all told breastfeeding >> formula) or would be on the "motherhood track" aka stagnate in my career. As the higher earner in my family, the latter would've affected our financial situation significantly. Thankfully, I had an amazing manager who gave me the flexibility to work from home most days, and this was before COVID. In other words, I was blessed to not have to choose between work and family. He also had a brilliant plan that allowed me to transition back to work on a smaller but still highly visible project and slowly added items to my plate over time. Because of this setup, I kept up breastfeeding for a year, and within that year, I not only uncovered ~$11M additional revenue for the business but also started building the strategy and infrastructure for an entirely new product category. I share this less to make it about me, but more to demonstrate the potential positive outcomes for BOTH work and home when working mothers are supported appropriately. That's not to say that even I, with a better setup than most, didn't have challenges as well. However, I think about all those who didn't have the supportive manager that I did - I'm not surprised at all that almost half of "highly qualified women with children leave their jobs voluntarily." If I'm honest, I've contemplated leaving the workforce several times myself. If you know me, you'd know how out of character this is for me. How might we be the change we wish to see? 💡 If you are a manager and have direct reports who are parents, talk to them about how to best support them. If you do this well, it will pay you back in dividends in terms of their loyalty and performance. 💡 If you have folks on your team about to take parental leave, build a plan before they go out on leave about their transition back to work. Don't make assumptions about whether they'd want to take on more or less work after leave. Every person is different. Build the plan together and check in on it. 💡 If someone is just coming back from parental leave, check your biases. Are you somehow lauding a father because he's more involved at home and questioning if a mother will be "dedicated to her job"? This unconscious bias could come out in performance reviews and catching it early can help close the pay gap. Women without children are paid at levels much closer to that of men. Pay gap for mothers and men increase with every additional child - really upsetting but true. 💡 If you are in positions where you directly influence HR policies, advocate for parental leave for BOTH parents to equalize the playing field. What else would you add to the list? #genderequity #workingmoms

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Who here loves and underdog and loves supporting them to rise against the odds? Boy will you love the fuzzy feeling of this opportunity - being part of my journey to building a globally recognized and respected brand. Some of you may know that I founded a business and brand called Hackerlily last year. It's a parenting brand I founded with the flagship product being the HipSurfer Hipseat Baby Carrier & Bum Bag (In one!). I created the HipSurfer to help alleviate the challenges I was experience with my rheumatoid arthritis, carpal tunnel and other health conditions. It's now changing the lives and supporting the backs (shoulders, neck, arms, wrists and sanity) of mums, dads and grandparents across the country! I'm excited to share that Hackerlily has been nominated for Best Baby Carrier in the Mum Central Awards and I would love your help with voting for Hackerlily. I'll be honest - this is my first voting mechanic Awards entry. It feels so uncomfortable asking for support and your vote as previously we have won awards based on real judges touching and feeling the prouduct, appreciating the quality, craftsmanship and daily challenges that the product solves. But everyone loves an underdog and I would genuinely love your help with making it possible for Hackerlily to place against big global brands. It would really help my brand visibility more than you could ever imagine and would mean the world to me STEPS TO VOTE (TAKES JUST 2 MINUTES) 1️⃣ Click the image here or this link: https://lnkd.in/ga7SDjiT 2️⃣ When you find the 'ON THE GO' Section - Vote for Hackerlily as BEST BABY CARRIER (it should only be 1 small scroll down, after the 'Best Car Seat') 3️⃣ You then need to scroll right to the bottom to enter your details so it is a real and registered vote Thank you so much - please do feel free to share with your communities and network 🙏 And in case you are wondering why this little brand deserves to win..... 1. We have a 4.95/5 Stars Review Rating - and when you read the reviews it can give you goosebumps as to the positive impact it is making on the day to day lives of parents across the country 2. Doctor Approved - by chiropractors, osteos, paediatric and women’s health specialists and physios - you know you are in safe hands with a high quality product 3. We are an Aussie, family owned business who has designed the HipSurfer and Washable Covers with the active Australian family in mind. 4. Great value for money with 3 years of use (not just 3-12 months) The HipSurfer has the longest lifespan of use with families as it evolves with the growing needs of newborns, babies and toddlers. 5. Gender neutral - loved by Dads and adored by grandparents Thank you so much for your support, it really means the world xxx https://lnkd.in/gj5xB6MZ

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"30% of people in the UK say they have not heard of any of the most prominent products, including ChatGPT." (BBC) Lucky them? Unlucky them? I've heard lots of anecdotes about AI fatigue recently. Has the hype cycle already turned towards the trough of disillusionment as the reality of hasty investments, regulatory oversight, and poorly prepared people starts to sink in? #AIHype #GenerativeAI #ArtificialIntelligence #DataEthics #DataLiteracy

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So proud of the team at KultraLab who have been tirelessly working on our latest report 'The Secret DNA of High-Performing Teams' over the last few months. Revealed earlier today at the World Retail Congress, the study uncovers the 'Magic Six' behaviours behind the world’s highest performing front-line teams across the retail and consumer sector. It also provides retailers with a High-Performance Framework to benchmark their front-line managers and teams against the best in the world. 📣 Download your copy of the report here: https://lnkd.in/eMPPiqzZ 📣 Special thanks to all our partners involved in the study. #HighPerformanceInsights #FrontlineSuccess #HighPerformanceBenchmarking #secretdnaofhighperformingteams

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