Category : Social Media

Insight is king, even in social media

[Originally written for and published on The Headstream Blog]
Here’s a question: is there any other channel where a sound working knowledge of the tools involved can compensate for a poor understanding of the audience?
I’m not entirely sure what it takes to be labeled a social media ‘guru’, ‘expert’, or ‘ninja’ these days; but I’m willing [...]

Ford pioneer the ‘social reveal’

This time last week I would have confidently asserted that although some have dipped their toes in the water, no other car manufacturer is more deeply embedded in social media than Ford. On Wednesday, (July 28th), however, Ford well and truly became the mayors of their market. They are now the first car manufacturer to [...]

Swan dives & diamonds: My take on the Old Spice campaign

(Originally written for and published on the Headstream Blog…)
Yes, it’s a great concept, yes, the simplicity is genius, and yes, it demonstrates sound channel selection and a smart approach to engaging with celebrities, influencers and the likes of you and me in equal measures. Loads of ticks in loads of boxes, but if I had [...]

Cultural branding & social media: say some stuff about some stuff that means stuff.

People look to brands as identity resources – as bits and pieces that all contribute to building a sense of themselves and how they wish to be seen by others. People also tend to align themselves with brands that stand for similar values as them, or, of course, values that they aspire to stand for. [...]

[Disclaimer] If a brand is sh*t offline, it will probably be sh*t online.

Reading back over my last couple of posts with a mixture of pride and recoil, I realised that my perspective so far on the relationship between brands and digital media has been a little bit rosy. Inspired in part by a brilliant post from @Tom_Messett, I concluded that if I’m going to be blogging about the [...]

Is the future of online, offline?

Many aim for true integration when it comes to advertising campaigns. Some might argue that this is becoming harder with the increasing number of effective and measureable online channels available; others maintain that the best online campaigns will include an element of offline activity. Here’s my two cents…
Consider senses: Online only calls upon two senses [...]

Why brands should actively encourage negative feedback through Twitter

I’ve read many times that the foundation of brand is trust, and that consumers trust and loyalty increases when their experiences consistently meet or beat their expectations. Simple, really. Yet I consistently see brands concentrating so very hard on the first half; improving their customer experience (packaging, point of sale, etc, etc), and in doing [...]

Planning For The Likelihood of Uncertainty

A thought provoking debate sparked by a keynote talk at the TFM&A in February keeps rearing its head in discussions with clients and colleagues alike – should marketers and business owners should embrace uncertainty, rather than embark on the long and arduous pursuit of predictability? I’m unsure whether I agree with Craig Mawdsley; Head of [...]

What’s it all about? [Intro Post]

So who am I and how does this pertain to what I’ll be writing/blogging/waffling about? It’s good to be concise, so if I can answer this in less than 100 words then I’ll consider this my first blogging success! Here goes…
I’m an account handling, business developing, project managing, plannery type working in a strategic brand [...]