Leigh Thomas

Looking forward to exploring the future of magazines in today's ever-evolving media landscape at the PPA 2024 Festival with industry leaders Katie Vanneck from #Hearst and Phillip Swinden from #Haymarket. 📚✨ Key issues we will look at include: 🔹 Consumer brands have some of the deepest connections to their readers around. How do you sustain this amidst the rise of creators and influencers? 🤝 🔹 The challenges and realities of consumer media venturing into B2B verticals. Is this shift as seamless as it appears? 🔄 Let me know what your key questions are. #MediaInnovation #PPAFestival2024 #PublishingFuture #DigitalTransformation

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MOF Strategy Director James Lees talking collaboration, buy-in and believable strategies on What The Luxe with CEO and host Anant Sharma. Listen to the full episode now via the link in comments 🎧 #MatterOfForm #WhatTheLuxe #Podcast #Luxury #Strategy #BrandStrategy #Branding #CreativeStrategy #LuxuryBrands 

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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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Really grateful to two market-leading Editors of subscription-led businesses and terrific ex-colleagues of mine, Catrin Griffiths and Alastair McLellan, for spending time with me last week on B2B content strategy. If you want to watch on-demand there is a link below. Highlights for me included: Impact on content strategy of the move to a paid subscription business model 17min46 Building a high value B2B content proposition 14min02, 23min05, & 31min29 How to motivate editors & editorial teams 29min42 & 50min47 Removing Print as a platform 45min02: https://lnkd.in/gbwftfwR

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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!

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Integrating with trends is becoming the fastest way for brands to engage culture... Globally, the BDB team has seen a sharp increase in projects centred around trend marketing. Until the last 18 months or so, I've always advised brands to be cautious around trends (too long timelines, red tape, overproducing 🙅🏼‍♀️) , but the game really has changed... and when done right, the results can be staggering. 📱 One in five brand social media posts are already dedicated to trend-based content 📈 Nine in ten creators report trend-based social media content outperforms non-trend-based content, including a third (36%) who say it drives more conversions. Trend marketing is a new way to work. It requires speed, trust, and a specific set of skills... when you don't get it right, you miss the wave, and end up too late to the party. So to help unlock this increasingly critical way to work on social, the team commissioned proprietary research to understand the true impact of this form of marketing... and I'm really excited to share that BDB and TikTok have teamed up to write the rulebook on trend-centric marketing! With data, insights, frameworks, and real-world examples, our goal is to help you tap into TikTok trends, grow your community, and boost results. Download link in comments. Thank you Alexis Biegeleisen, Alexis Harris, and Rachel Ryan for your amazing partnership in this work!

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Focusing on creating inclusive working cultures will allow for a reframing of the conversation around diversity, which unfortunately has been brandished of late. You can watch my talk on how News UK work to reduce bias in media and the workplace through a framework called THINK TWICE, available in full on Creative Equals Youtube now, link in the comments ⬇ #thinktwice #unconciousbias #inclusivecultures

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Read my thoughts on the digital election campaign so far, alongside deep dives on how to understand the polls and what the election means for business, media and the markets from my fantastic colleagues Elisabeth Cowell, Simon Neville, Naomi Kerbel, Leyla Hart-Svensson & Imogen Shaw. #generalelection #roadtono10 #financialcomms #media #leadershipcomms #digital #research

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Something you might not know about Mischief: we have access to all of MHP Group's behavioural science insight and expertise. Our work may be a little bit naughty, but at least its backed by science 😈 #strategy #prstrategy #behaviouralscience

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Want to upskill your marketing career? We asked leading CMO, Sarah Geary, about the best decisions she's made in her career 🚀 For more advice about becoming a CMO, read our full blog 👉 https://lnkd.in/e8BCeFFT #3SearchEvents #cmo #marketing

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After a week at the #CannesLions2024 discussing GenAI and how it Empowers Humans to Unleash Creativity. It’s with great excitement that I share the results from #Reckitt’s #GenAI pilots across Creativity, Automation, Insights & Innovation. I’ve learnt so much from the personal experience of training and testing the model, & I continue to learn everyday (just like the model!). 3 learnings about the key differentiators: 1. The human in the loop is absolutely critical. To infuse the model with tacit knowledge of experience & bring the final creative magic to the outputs. 2. Large proprietary datasets bring an advantage, enabling the GenAI to harness the power of connecting the dots. 3. Success should be measured by both increased Efficiency AND Effectiveness. Our results show that the AI-enabled Marketer is able to be more effective in creating winning consumer-centric ideas, in 60% less time. 👊🏼 My personal wish is to see GenAI empower our marketers to unleash their creativity and innovative thinking. So that every decision taken by #Reckitt always has the consumer at the heart. Big thanks to the team who made this happen, Chris Lindsley Yulica DeCoene (she / her) Andrea Schalka Cem Oguzcan 💧 Stuart Campbell Amit Dewan Katie Angier Niels Degrande Alexander Duerloo Finia Jestaedt Gonzalo Balcazar #GenAI #Marketing #Leadership #Insights #Foresights #Innovation

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🤔 How can agencies adapt to serve the changing role of CMO? Our Senior Provocation Partner Wander Bruijel joined the debate on The Drum to share his views on the matter. He argues that, whilst CMO’s are being propelled to the centre of organisations (or even out of them), there is a danger this will shift their focus to the short-term. Although agencies need to support CMO's in delivering the short-term, he thinks agencies should aim to challenge them to keep their heads out of the weeds. Read more through the link below. ⬇ #bornugly #thedrum #cmo

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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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Don't know where to start or what are the benefits of 'CTV' ... your not alone! Our latest report helps demystify and offers practical guidance. Please drop me or the team a line if you want to chat but definitely download the report! 👇

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Executive Director Nick Blythe features in PRWeek to discuss the key areas of investment for PR companies as part of the annual PR Week Top 150 consultancies report, which BLUE has featured in for the past eight years.     Nick comments on the need for organisation to effectively position themselves on the right side of the sustainability debate, particularly in markets that are experiencing such dynamic change.    Nick said: "The specialist marine and renewable energy sectors are being driven by the drive for decarbonisation and sustainability…more and more organisations are now recognising the importance of investing in their brands to stand out, influence, protect reputation and effectively manage this change.  That’s why we’re investing in a properly integrated approach to ensure that we have as much control as possible over our clients’ brands and that they are effectively represented at every touchpoint.”    https://lnkd.in/ezPuD5TJ   #MaritimePR #RenewableEnergyPR #PRWeek #Top150 

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Acceleration SSA’s Richard Clogg joined IAB South Africa's Brand Council Roundtable last week for a valuable discussion on the power and importance of 1PD in the future of marketing. The conversation was packed with important insights for how marketers can position their businesses for long-term growth and transformation in a privacy-first world. In case you missed it, here’s a quick rundown of top takeaways and event themes:  ✔ 1PD is Key to Success: A 1PD strategy is non-negotiable and critical to marketing success in a privacy-driven world.  ✔ Double Down on Privacy: Prioritize collection of consented data and ensure you’re upholding customer trust, always. ✔ Lean into AI: Utilize AI across targeting and measurement to unlock new opportunities. It's not just a buzzword; it's a game-changer in today's marketing landscape.

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AI, AI, AI (and other major trends that are transforming the marketing function). Great insight from World 50 Group members coming out of #CannesLions2024!

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I finally had the opportunity to watch the full video Headline Media posted of a panel we hosted in London with LocalGlobe a few weeks back featuring insights from some of the best marketers we have worked with over the years such as Lauren Berkemeyer from YuLife, Yael Wissner-Levy from Lemonade, and Matthew Jones from Cowbell. It’s a true masterclass. Will try to share these great insights as they pop up.   Below is Yael Wissner Levy discussing how storytelling was a key element in Lemonade's GTM strategy from the ground up long before product hit market.    I get asked what the 40 or so unicorns we have been lucky enough to play with have in common. First, they are overwhelmingly second timer founders. As second timers, they know where to put their investment of time and resources right out of the gate for the best long-term outcome.  Almost all of them put storytelling at the top of the agenda early in the lifecycle of the startup. I promise you, these are hard-core tech guys so they don’t instinctively gravitate towards, or even like storytelling or marketing. BUT they do know that making “Phuking A” hires to run marketing or brand as early as possible and well before the product is ready increases the chance of adoption, and a massive ROI on their investment down the road.      Faye Co-Founder Daniel G. shared a similar experience with me at the event described, but gave credit to Viola Ventures Omry Ben David for encouraging them to grab the incredible Lauren Gumport during early days.  Needless to say, it is clearly paying off (Lauren and the Faye team are crushing it...).   Point is…dealing with storytelling and marketing is indeed a nightmare before product is ready, but the people with the most experience and success know that it is twice as hard to play catchup down the road with your positioning. Without building a significant brand narrative out of the gate, you will end up leaving money on the table. Enjoy.

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Great to hear Yael Wissner-Levy reflect on the US launch of Lemonade. Good marketers figure out how to launch an exciting new product, great marketers figure out how to launch the demand for that product before it is even available. Have listen to this compelling story from one of fintech's absolute top communications executives. Lemonade Shai Wininger #marketing #customerexperience

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