In the connection economy, having an audience that values your voice; your content; and your opinion is crucial to achieving relevance. Progressive brands recognise that owning the dialogue with their customers is far more powerful than paying to be a bystander to someone else’s conversation. Brands...
The marketing industry has finally accepted that what we have been experiencing as customers all our lives, is now one of this year’s ‘things’ to talk about. The expectation gap refers to the moment when you realise that what you were promised in advertising, isn't...
There is a dark side to cults. One that might involve standing buck naked deep in a forest around a raging fire at midnight, eyes closed, chanting, whilst sacrificing a chicken. But there is much that can be learnt from them too. The characteristics of...
The ultimate determinant of engagement is the creative execution. Media of course plays a role, but in a world where people are actively rejecting paid media advertising, true engagement in paid media is becoming elusive. The problem is not with the intent of creating engagement. The problem...
The concept of ‘positioning’ a brand for an external market seems so alien in today’s world of brand transparency. It smacks of the days when advertisers would hoodwink people into believing their product or service was something they couldn’t live without. Not a world where...
This article first appeared in Marketing Magazine on 21 January 2016. The recently released Economist Intelligence Report surveyed 62 Australian CMO’s and had two predictions for the marketing function of the future: It will assume complete responsibility for end-to-end customer experiences, and Marketing’s role as a revenue driver...
Marketers everywhere, come in close and listen very carefully, there’s a little secret we want to tell you. We know. We know what you really stand for We know where you sit in our world We know when you really understand us We know when you try and trick us We...
Marketing guru Seth Godin advocates building your product offer around your customers' needs rather than finding customers for your product. UK supermarket TESCO embraced this thinking recently when they listened to customers asking for more fashion options in-store. TESCO are now trialing giving up some retail space...
First published in AdNews on November 16th 2015 The pendulum has swung too far when it comes to brands devoting too much marketing budget towards paid media, according to founding partner of Sonder Communications, Jonathan Hopkins. Hopkins, who worked at UM for eight years, creating and managing...
First published in the Australian Financial Review on November 16th 2015 There is a significant opportunity for brands to use their assets and shift their focus to customer experience, diverting less of their budgets to paid media, Sonder Communications founder Jonathan Hopkins says. Depending on the size...