Most of us, at most points in our careers, have a boss to turn to for advice. Whether we’re faced with a tricky client, or a challenging colleague, or…
Who does the boss turn to for advice when they run out of bosses?
A few thoughts on B2B marketing
Why gated B2B white papers can lead to fewer sales, not more
Imagine you need to buy some double glazing. Apologies if the thought brings you out in hives, but I’m guessing that the anxiety you’re feeling right now has far…
When the secret of successful brand research really is simplicity
There’s an awful lot of brand BS spoken by “practitioners” who deliberately muddy the waters with endless funnels, spidergrams, flowcharts and the like. It’s almost as if they thrive…
Why most brand promises are purest waffle
Our car insurance renewal arrived last week from Aviva. Like many people’s, it was slightly higher than last year’s quote - despite the fact that we’d made no changes to…
Sometimes less is more
I missed a message from a client a few days back.Thankfully it wasn’t urgent, but it led me to question whether we are benefiting or being besieged by the multiplicity…
B2B marketing is a fiendishly complex puzzle: here’s how to solve it
It’s been said that if consumer marketing is a game of draughts, then by comparison B2B marketing is 3D chess. That’s because B2B marketers have to overcome a myriad of…
How creating an emotional reason to purchase can trump a rational one
Insurance is dull, no matter how marketers try to dress it up. Renewing your annual insurance policy is a grind akin to queuing at the bank, or filling the car…
How to get better, faster, cheaper work from your creative agency
Imagine a client that wants to launch a new product that helps cats sit on mats. The Marcomms Manager at the client briefs their agency. After two weeks of locking…
Why you should always make the logo smaller
Many years ago I used to run graduate recruitment for an ad agency. As a warm up exercise on recruitment day, I asked each of the participants to write on…
How to crystallise your proposition
Your proposition is the single-sentence answer to the question: “Give me one good reason why I should buy your product”. Remember, you’re only allowed ONE reason. It’s the elevator speech…