Pre-testing ads is not divisive, it’s a no-brainer
Mark RitsonAgencies will complain pre-testing snuffs out the creative spark, but in reality it helps brands identify the best-performing ads and make them even better.
‘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.
Advertising’s longer term ROI more than double short term, study finds
Grace GollaschAnalysing £1.8bn of media investments across the UK, a post-Covid/Brexit advertising effectiveness study found profitability varies greatly by media, with TV the greatest driver of overall profit volume.
McDonald’s on why the ‘stillness’ of its marketing strategy sets it apart
Niamh CarrollWhile its tactics will evolve, the fast food giant believes the consistency of its overarching marketing strategy is what grounds the brand.
‘We have to be patient’: One brand on making a name for itself during a category decline
Josh StephensonOddlygood is launching the UK on the back of a seven-figure investment at a tough time for the plant-based category. But it hopes that by doing the hard work now, it can reap the rewards in the future.
Elon Musk labels Tesla’s advertising ‘generic’ as it lays off entire marketing team
Josh StephensonThe car manufacturer built its marketing team just four months ago but has already abandoned the endeavour.
Primark bolsters brand investment as it looks to ‘go beyond’ price, product and stores
Niamh CarrollThe retailer, which has traditionally focused on in-store shopping only, also plans to roll out its click-and-collect initiative to all stores in Great Britain.
Five common traits that make a marketing leader
Joe GloverFrom positivity and clarity to the need for humility, speaking to a number of top marketing leaders has revealed five common traits that all possess.
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.
3 questions I wish I’d asked as a junior marketer: Booking.com’s Natalie Wills
Josh StephensonAlongside making time to meet interesting people and learning to ask for help, the Booking.com brand boss believes embracing difficult conversations is key to a happy working life.
Misinformation, media budgets, soft skills: 5 interesting stats to start your week
Marketing Week ReportersWe arm you with all the numbers you need to tackle the week ahead.
P&G directs marketing spend towards ‘expandable categories’ in pursuit of volume growth
Niamh CarrollP&G is seeking to grow the categories it operates in as it pursues volume growth, utilising its increased marketing spend to do so.
Asda hails price focus and loyalty scheme for delivering growth
Niamh CarrollThe supermarket says its loyalty scheme, Asda Rewards, is acting as a “key revenue driver” for the business.
Is your marketing plan a rabbit or a duck?
Secret MarketerMarketers should borrow from the ‘duck-rabbit illusion’ when thinking about what their marketing plan is trying to achieve to ensure direct marketing activity isn’t compromised by an injection of emotion and brand-building campaigns aren’t undermined by focusing on product.
Is marketing facing a soft skills crisis?
Megan TatumIn an environment dominated by deadlines and delivery, are marketers letting their soft skills suffer?
Efficient marketing and CMO tenure: Your Marketing Week
Lucy TesserasAt the end of every week, we look at the key stories, offering our view on what they mean for you and the industry. From the impact of marketing budgets being cut to the value of longevity, it’s been a busy week. Here is my take.
‘We’re at a systemic disadvantage’: Female marketers on working harder for less pay
Josh StephensonNot only having to deal with a gender pay gap, women in marketing are more likely to take on additional responsibility without an uplift in pay. It’s a problem with no easy solutions but bubbling frustrations.
Marketing’s gender pay gap narrows, but remains double the national average
Molly InnesExclusive data from Marketing Week’s 2024 Career & Salary Survey reveals the gender pay gap for full-time workers has improved, but only by a minimal 0.5 percentage points.
One marketer on the importance of having strong female role models
Molly InnesWith stints at LVMH, Estée Lauder and Makeup by Mario under her belt, Estrid’s first chief brand officer Nico Morga Alden’s “risk prone” approach to her career has served her well.
It’s not women that need fixing, it’s how the workplace treats parents
Grace KiteWomen’s career progress and salaries take a dive when they become mums, not because they become less good at their job but because policies around parental leave and childcare continue to be biased.
Brands have a vital role to play in shaping the conversation around women’s health
Helen JamesWomen’s health is a $1trn per year opportunity yet brands are still failing to represent and communicate to women in a meaningful way.
The great day of third-party cookie anger has come and who can stand upright?
Grace KiteSee the cookie apocalypse as an opportunity to ditch flawed forms of measurement in a quest for greater accuracy.
Brands are multipliers, not assets in themselves
Jonathan KnowlesBrands act to accelerate the value of a business model rather than being assets in themselves. Framing brands as standalone assets will simply serve to alienate finance.
Campaigns for great causes in April
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.
How to harness audiences’ attention in a fragmented media landscape
Marketing Week PartnerToday’s consumers are inundated with media vying for their attention, as delegates heard at this year’s Festival of Marketing. So how can cultivating ‘fandom’ help brands cut through?
Why ‘emotional loyalty’ is the new opportunity for brands
Marketing Week PartnerTrue emotional connections between brands and customers boost revenue as well as retention, but marketers need an accurate understanding of the key trigger moments.
How eBay’s Love Island sponsorship changed the face of pre-loved fashion
Marketing Week PartnerConsumer interest in eBay’s fashion offerings skyrocketed this year, thanks to a campaign from agency DEPT that bridged TikTok, TV and everything in between.