Think twice before embracing confusion in your advertising
Helen EdwardsThe trend of confusing consumers might earn attention but perhaps not the kind you want, and ultimately not the outcomes you get from a clear message.
‘Avoid reinventing the wheel’: How marketers are approaching AI search
Grace GollaschAmid a flurry of recent AI updates to search, marketers are being urged to “double down” on brand fundamentals, while still adapting to the changes.
‘Priority one, two and three’: B2B marketers on the rise of lead gen
Charlotte RogersAs lengthy sales cycles become more complex and the pressure to deliver hots up, exclusive data reveals lead generation is growing in importance for B2B brands.
Morrisons sticks with ‘iconic’ singing oven gloves for festive campaign
Amrit VirdiAiming to help festive hosts across the country, Morrisons has stuck with its tried and tested oven gloves for Christmas 2024.
‘It’s about owning equity’: Asda’s marketing leads on swapping celebs for gnomes this Christmas
Josh StephensonAsda’s new Christmas campaign champions its ceramic gnomes as it looks to build equity in its own characters rather than continue working with celebrities.
‘Moving on without moving off’: Dawn French returns to celebrate Christmas with M&S Food
Amrit VirdiConsistency, product, and a broad media mix all play a key role in M&S Food’s festive ad this year.
Aldi brings back Kevin the Carrot for ninth festive outing
Amrit VirdiKevin the Carrot, who is returning in a Mission Impossible-style ad, has been starring in Aldi’s ads since 2016 and has previously scored impressively in the fiercely contested Christmas effectiveness rankings.
Amazon looks to capture ‘spirit of workplace camaraderie’: The Marketing Week Christmas Blog 2024
Marketing Week ReportersWelcome to the Marketing Week Christmas blog where you’ll find all the latest festive advertising news in one place.
Festival of Marketing 2024: Insights from our partners
Marketing Week ReportersSelected takeaways from the content presented at this year’s Festival by our commercial partners.
Starbucks needs to cut the crap from its brand positioning
Mark RitsonThe coffee chain is a serial offender at producing esoteric mission statements, so can new CEO Brian Niccol finally uncover the brand’s appeal to customers?
‘Here to drive demand’: Hovis on its mission to ‘protect and grow’ the bread category
Niamh CarrollThe bread category may be undergoing an “evolution” away from the traditional sliced loaf, but Hovis is confident it can continue making its product relevant.
Waitrose aims to keep ‘conversation going’ with two-part Christmas ad
Hannah RashbassWaitrose is doubling down on its commitment to be bolder in its advertising, with an interactive whodunnit style campaign.
Marketoonist on customer data silos
Tom FishburneTom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
Lidl emphasises power of sharing in 2024 Christmas ad
Niamh CarrollLidl has opted for an emotional ad that emphasises the true festive spirit of sharing, as it decides against bringing back its brand character from last year’s successful ad.
Funny brands and growing beyond TikTok: Your Marketing Week
Russell ParsonsAt the end of every week, we look at the key stories, offering our view on what they mean for you and the industry. From exploring how brands that found fame on TikTok are looking to sustain growth to the value of emotion in advertising, it’s been a busy week. Here is my take.
‘We’re the voice of Santa Claus for a whole generation’: Elf on the Shelf on scaling a seasonal business
Hannah RashbassDespite being a seasonal product, Elf on the Shelf has managed to grow its business by focusing on its universal message and experiential marketing.
Sainsbury’s taps into ‘nostalgia and magic’ in Christmas campaign featuring the BFG
Grace GollaschSainsbury’s has opted for “magic, warmth, and joy” this Christmas rather than “laugh-out-loud humour”.
‘Apply your own oxygen mask first’: Why marketing bosses should address their skills gaps
Michaela JeffersonRather than only prioritising training for their teams, marketing leaders should carve out time for learning and rethink what ‘upskilling’ really means.
Data, financial literacy, AI: The skills that matter to B2B marketers in 2024
Michaela JeffersonData and analytics skills gaps might be worrying B2B marketers, but are they underestimating the importance of critical thinking, financial fluency and empathy?
‘On the backburner’: Marketing leaders on tackling the upskilling imperative
Josh StephensonNearly half of marketers haven’t been offered the opportunity to upskill, compounding an existing skills problem and piling increasing pressure on teams.
Gaining customer insight ‘most critical’ skill for B2B marketers
Charlotte RogersMarketing Week’s new and exclusive State of B2B Marketing research reveals customer insight is the most critical quality B2B marketers can possess, with empathy languishing at the bottom.
‘Priming, altruism and unintended consequences’: Another three ways to think like a behavioural scientist
Dan BennettOgilvy UK’s Dan Bennett shares his next three secrets to help you think more like a behavioural scientist and get results from the customer.
Ditching in-person focus groups is a mistake that will lead to weaker insights
Joe SmithDespite the convenience and reach of online research, don’t underestimate the enduring power of face-to-face focus groups to deliver insight and spontaneity.
Everyone needs licence to be creative and challenge boundaries
Kathryn JacobLeadership that enables creativity throughout an organisation is essential to breaking free of self-limiting beliefs.
The summer of sport - Euros 2024
Creative campaigns and exclusive insights from across the agency landscape.
‘We’ll never think we know everything’: Mars on building its effectiveness culture
Niamh CarrollMars introduced a tool that uses “behavioural philosophy” to predict the impact of creative in driving sales in 2020, part of its eternally evolving effectiveness effort.
Only people can give the gift of effectiveness
Grace KiteHaving the right people at the heart of effectiveness programmes is the difference between succeeding and failing.
Why it’s time to move beyond lead generation as a measure of effectiveness in B2B marketing
Niamh CarrollB2B marketers have long leaned on lead generation as a way to quantify their contribution to revenue, however, with many recognising it can be a blunt measure, is there a better way for marketing to showcase its contributions?
What can be done to solve marketing’s problem with work overload?
Josh StephensonSolving the increasing burden of responsibilities on marketers doesn’t come with any easy answers. But from increasing the profession’s presence in the boardroom to changing the culture of overwork, there are things that can be done.
Are we witnessing the end of the CMO? No, and stop asking
Mark RitsonMarketers should cease pontificating about the validity of CMOs and their time in post, and start focusing on how to do the job better.
‘Credibility in the boardroom is critical’: CMOs on the future of marketing leadership
Molly InnesFive top marketers from a range of businesses share their outlook for the future of marketing leadership, from struggles with role fragmentation to the need to be deep collaborators.
How can brands drive growth in 2024?
Niamh CarrollHigh levels of inflation have forced many brands to lean on increased prices as a lever of sales growth. This year, growth will have to come from elsewhere, presenting marketers with a huge challenge.
McDonald’s: Loyalty scheme will enable ‘even smarter’ pricing
Niamh CarrollMaintaining a balance between price and footfall growth is a “North Star” for the McDonald’s business, which hopes its growing loyalty scheme will help it further step up its pricing strategy.
Welcome to IMGFUCK: Seven steps to kicking your price-promotion addiction
Mark RitsonEscaping dependence on price promotions is a tough challenge, but it’s achievable with Mark Ritson’s systematic approach.
Why brands must move fast to keep pace with consumer AI adoption
Niel BornmanAI is making strides in retail personalisation and marketing content creation, and will continue to be a game-changer alongside expert human judgement.
The red-flag signs it’s time to rethink your marketing technology
Marketing Week PartnerIf engagement is falling, your technology isn’t serving your objectives or campaign stagnation is creeping in, it may be time to switch or upgrade your marketing platform. Here’s what you should know.
How virtual production is changing the way ads are made
Marketing Week PartnerVirtual production helps brands to cut the costs and environmental harms of video shoots, without compromising on the creative possibilities.