Category Archives: Marketing

AI, Digital Skills, Marketing, News

Quality and authenticity not AI fakes will win brands’ hearts, influencer marketing chief warns

Creativity to replace charisma as AI impacts the influencer world, forecasts boss of Disrupt

The role of artificial intelligence and deep fake influencers is taking its toll on the influencer marketing landscape, but creativity will replace charisma in winning over brands in future, according to the boss of influencer marketing agency Disrupt.

Former reality TV star Stevie Johnson tells Web Summit 2023 in Lisbon today, that the new era of influencer marketing will see authenticity and creativity rewarded in the creator economy where AI generation tools are already being utilised.

 

Stevie Johnson, managing director of Disrupt, said: “Today more than ever, more people are capitalising on the creator economy, making a living off of it, and both brands and platforms are investing in it, giving creators more ways to create, optimise, and monetise their content.

“These changes have professionalised and grown the industry, but we’re about to see massive changes to it because of the rise of artificial intelligence, in terms of reduced barriers to entry and further growth, plus business model evolution.”

 

According to a recent survey by YouGov, three out of four (74%) creators are concerned about the use of AI for creating deep fakes, while 92% of current creators and 66% of aspiring creators are familiar with AI. More than 60% are already using it in their current content creation.

Johnson warns that there needs to be an open discussion about the regulatory frameworks required to address the potential risk associated with the use of AI, particularly where deepfake influencers are concerned.

 

He adds: “While AI has its benefits, the deepfake threat opens up a whole world of deep trouble for influencers and content creators.

“Deepfakes pose a massive risk to our industry and to content creators themselves because the technology will undermine two crucial pillars – trust and authenticity.”

 

AI-generated manipulations of individual identities have already been used to violate privacy and infringe copyright & intellectual property.

 

Earlier this year, celebrity podcaster, Joe Rogan, found himself at the centre of a deepfake scam. In a fabricated 28-second video clip of the popular JRE podcast, which largely has a younger male audience, Rogan and guest, Andrew D. Huberman, appeared to actively promote a male libido booster.

 

In a speech at Web Summit today (November 14th), entitled Creativity over Charisma: AI’s Blueprint for Next-Gen Influencers, Johnson suggests that:

 

  • AI tools will disrupt the creator economy and transform the way content is created and consumed,
  • Human creators will not be displaced but will be empowered to scale their production, and
  • Reliance on AI will lead to an over-abundance of content making it difficult for creators to stand out.

 

The Disrupt chief forecasts that creators who prioritise quality will win, authenticity will be more important than ever, and platforms and brands will reward conscientious creators of the future.

Awards, Creative & Marketing, Marketing, PR and SEO, Travel

A-List Status for Meet & Potato’s Senior Event Producer

Sophie Greatbanks has been awarded A-List status in the creative event industry by Conference and Incentive Travel Insight (C&IT) Magazine.

Picking up the award at a glitzy ceremony on Wednesday (8th November),  run in partnership with sponsor Oman Convention Bureau, Sophie was recognised for her talent and dedication to the industry, with a particular focus on creative retail events and conferences across the UK.

Working on a range of events from business seminars for 100 people, to international conferences for 1500 delegates, Sophie supports the team for all production needs. Winners were recognised by a diverse panel of industry experts based purely on their outstanding achievements.

Speaking about the accolade, Sophie, said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised by C&IT and be awarded amongst other hugely respected figures in the industry. At Meet and Potato we live and breath by producing the very best creative and immersive events for our clients so this has put a real spring in my step as we enter a hugely busy period.”

Having worked at his agency for over two years, CEO of Meet and Potato, Jon Kelly, added: “We know Sophie is fabulous at what she does and so do our clients, but for her to get national recognition from the industry is a real coup and truly deserved. I look forward to watching her grow from strength to strength with the business and watch her continue to excel.”

When asked which event she had been most proud of, Sophie replied: “ I produced a big conference for Dunelm at the start of last year (2022). It was a post-pandemic celebration and represented a complete transformation in the way that the business communicated to their people. It was a true collaboration with the client, and they were absolutely delighted with the results. It doesn’t hurt that it was also nominated for a C&IT award for best celebratory event too!”

 

For more information about Meet and Potato, its work or its accolades, visit mandp.agency

Marketing, News, PR and SEO

Flow Creative rebrand Money Wellness to enable thousands of people find financial security

Today Flow Creative announced they are the team behind the rebrand of Money Wellness, who provide free debt advice and financial support to customers all over the UK. The new brand reflects the organisation’s core mission to help customers ‘live more and stress less’ by providing accessible, friendly, and judgemental-free money advice.

The Money Wellness rebrand was prompted by the organisation’s commission from the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to deliver free debt advice and debt relief orders in the UK. The brief was to help the organisation deliver a clear and accessible brand that people will trust.

The new brand features a contemporary and warm colour palette, a friendly and accessible tone, informed by the illustration-led design. As well as the main brand identity Flow created a comprehensive illustration system that helps to convey Money Wellness’s brand values and feels accessible to the people who access the organisation’s services customers, whatever their financial situation. The illustrations are inclusive and welcoming, and help to make customers feel comfortable and communicate the non-judgemental ethos of Money Wellness.

Flow, Creative Director, Karl Doran says: “Money Wellness is here to help people reclaim control of their finances and improve their financial wellbeing. The new brand had to feel accessible and friendly, helping customers to feel relaxed in what can be very stressful circumstances. The brand is packed with character, but the illustration system and the warm colour palette makes it calm, human and approachable. We look forward to seeing Money Wellness go from strength to strength and helping many more people find financial stability.”

Andrew Lee, Senior Designer at Money Wellness, adds: “We’re really pleased to launch our new brand as it reflects who we are as an organisation and our commitment to making money advice and support accessible to everyone. Flow Creative has been an excellent creative partner, helping us convey our message in a way that resonates with our diverse audience. We blieve this new brand helps us normalise needing to seek free debt support, while also communicating our personality and professionalism.”

About Flow Creative

Flow Creative is a purpose-led creative agency that specialises in branding, motion design and animated storytelling based in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The agency enables brands to connect with their audience by crafting character led brands and stories with feeling.

Flow Creative was founded by Karl Doran in 2016 as a creative agency delivering high quality campaigns without the bureaucracy of a network agency. Working as a creative partner with organisations who want to change the world for the better, Flow Creative has created award winning campaigns to enable them to achieve their goals.

With a team of talented motion graphic designers, graphic designers and illustrators Flow Creative work with Greenpeace, World Wildlife Foundation, BBC, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and many more game changing organisations.

AI, Marketing, News, Technology

Mapp Launches New AI Assistant

AI-powered assistant enhances marketing insights and campaign orchestration

Mapp, the leading international provider of insight-led customer experience solutions, has today announced the latest addition to the Mapp Cloud – Mapp AI Assistant, designed to enhance and automate marketers’ cross-channel campaigns.

Mapp has always been committed to simplifying the marketing landscape by helping marketers in identifying opportunities, analysing data, and extracting valuable insights. The 2020 launch of Mapp’s Insight-led Customer Experience was a breakthrough, unifying data extraction and campaign orchestration in a way that led to 540% ROI over three years for Mapp’s customers*. 

Steve Warren, CEO of Mapp says, “We’re committed to enhancing and simplifying the marketer’s experience. With Mapp AI Assistant, we’re introducing our customers to AI tools that support more informed decisions and contribute to the success of their marketing efforts. This represents a step forward in our journey towards an AI-empowered future in marketing.” 

In the latest enhancement to Mapp Cloud, Mapp AI Assistant offers marketers AI-driven support with opportunity and anomaly identification, content and segmentation creation, and even predictive analysis for optimising campaign delivery.

Key Features Include:

  •   Automated Marketing Insights: Mapp AI Assistant provides automatic alerts for trends or anomalies, enriches customer data by predicting behaviour like conversion or churn, and offers a 30-day metric forecast.
  •   Order Value Monitoring: Automated notifications and integrated root cause analysis are provided if there’s a change in revenue metrics.
  •   Custom Process Monitoring: Whether it’s a checkout process or a different process, Mapp’s AI Assistant can detect anomalies, offering hourly or daily checks, and even allows customisation for industry-specific requirements.
  •   AI-Driven Segment Detection: Enhance retargeting strategies with Mapp AI Assistant’s ability to identify and evaluate new customer segments.
  •   AI-Supported Content Generation: Integrating with ChatGPT, Mapp Engage now provides suggestions, improvements, and translations for email subject lines and content, adaptable to various brand tones and target audiences.
  •   Best Channel and Best Send out Time: Mapp AI Assistant enables predictive campaign delivery, suggesting the best channel and time to reach individual customers, whether it’s through email, mobile push, SMS, or in-app messaging.
  •   Smart Predictions: Predict future behaviour of customers, from conversion probabilities to lifetime value, with the ability to instantly act on these insights.

Eric Lubow, CPTO of Mapp adds: “The Mapp AI Assistant marks a new milestone in the evolution of AI integration within our platform, reflecting our vision for more intelligent and streamlined marketing. Our technology is designed to bring improvements that matter, helping marketers navigate the evolving landscape with more effective tools.”

Mapp AI Assistant stands as a testament to Mapp’s commitment to innovation and enhancement. With its robust AI capabilities, Mapp is set to redefine the future of marketing, supporting businesses in delivering unique customer experiences.

To discover more about how Mapp AI Assistant can transform your marketing, and to find out about more updates and improvements from Mapp visit [https://mapp.com/mapp-ai-assistant/]

*based on a composite organisation in third party research conducted by Forrester

Marketing, News, PR and SEO, Social Media

Activist Jamie Klingler tells ‘Status Update’ podcast that reclaiming her life freed her creative processes

The co-founder of the ‘Reclaim These Streets campaign, Jamie Klingler, has revealed that her decision to invest in herself, after years of heavy drinking and partying, is the most valuable step she’s taken, despite it making her poorer.

Klingler is a guest on ‘Status Update’ the new podcast from influencer marketing agency Disrupt and features some of the world’s best-known creatives.

The activist, writer, and Tedx speaker says the Covid pandemic “gave me the opportunity to change everything” and she credits that action with enabling her creativity.

The podcast, hosted by former Made in Chelsea star Stevie Johnson and co-host ‘voice of Gen Z’ Jake Crabb, was launched on October 27th and is available on Apple and Spotify. It has been designed for listeners with an interest in the future of social and digital content.

 

On the third episode of the podcast, Klingler describes how in London, in March 2021, the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving policeman Wayne Cousins prompted her to use social media to organise a vigil, along with two local councillors.

When the police banned the vigil and threatened individuals with heavy personal fines, Klingler used Twitter, now renamed X, to raise £600,000 to take the Met to the High Court for infringing their human right to freedom of speech and assembly, and won.

 

She told the podcast: “For me, coming off a long history of (my) drinking way too much and partying way too much and getting home unscathed, Sarah had done everything right… Had the police let us hold the vigil legally we’d have gone back to our lives on the Sunday.”

 

Describing herself as an ‘accidental activist’, Klingler’s background in creating social content and events management meant she was able to utilise those skills to co-found the ‘Reclaim These Streets’ campaign. She says she feels “a huge responsibility to speak for women who can’t fight back.”

The campaigner tells the podcast that what she has learned from the wider issue of police reform has ‘radicalised’ her and given her focus.

 

“Waking up with purpose, I don’t have a hangover, and caring about everything…Having a moral code is a lot more complicated and now I don’t wake up with any shame…So having good habits, liking myself more, has made the creative process a lot easier,” she says.

 

Klingler tells ‘Status Update’ that she’s lived her life very publicly on social media for 17 years. She says in creative terms: “We all need the freedom to make mistakes and to screw up. We all need to fail.”

Her background in creating social content gave her the space to do that: “All kinds of kids flourish by causing a little mayhem.”

 

She argues that creatives need to “lean into their weird” to develop their ideas and says inspiration and collaboration are an important part of that journey. She advises creatives: “Know your strengths. Find those partnerships that you spark off and use them.”

 

Stevie Johnson, Status Update co-host and managing director of Disrupt says: “Jamie Klingler is a force for inspiration. We’re delighted that she’s joined us to share her experience.

“Status Update is the podcast that shows how powerful social media and digital creatives can be. Jamie demonstrates that and is passionate in her encouragement of others to develop their own creative digital content.

“In the series, we hear from all sorts of inspirational social creators, activists, authors, poets and comedians. Come and join us on Status Update because, as you’ll hear each week, the future is undeniably creator-led.”

 

The first episode features Rob Mayhew, Creative Director at digital innovations agency Gravity Road,who is often described as the ‘King of Agency Comedy’.

In the second episode award-winning and world-renowned photographer Misan Harriman speaks about his ongoing battle with self-doubt.

 

Co-host Jake Crabb, Disrupt’s marketing manager says: “Status Update is about inspiring creators with the phenomenal stories of inspiring creators. By joining us on the journey, we hope to create a whole new generation of social media and digital creators.”

 

The latest episode of ‘Status Update’ will be released on Wednesday November 8th. You can listen back to previous editions: Episode 1 with Rob Mayhew and Episode 2 with Misan Harriman on Apple or Spotify.

 

Data & Analytics, Marketing, Marketing & PR, News, PR and SEO

Amperity Delivers Over 11 Billion Profiles to Ad Ecosystem Daily

Forrester Consulting Uncovers 505% Return on Investment with Amperity through Recent Total Economic Impact Study

Amperity, the leading AI-powered enterprise customer data platform (CDP) for consumer brands, today announced more than 50% of its customer base has adopted Amperity for Paid Media. The rapid adoption of this new application of Amperity demonstrates the important role first-party data will play in informing paid media strategies.

Since its launch in May 2023, Amperity for Paid Media has used industry-leading ad connectors and first-party data to deliver more than 11 billion unified customer profiles each day. These are delivered to the ad platforms of Amperity customers, across a range of industries, including retail, quick-serve restaurants (QSR), consumer packaged goods (CPG), travel and hospitality, sports teams and leagues, and financial services.

 

Marketers and digital agencies continue to struggle to find a way to measure digital and in-store transactions to deliver highly personalized campaigns and optimize their budget spend – which is where Amperity excels. Brands using Amperity for paid media are experiencing the following results: 

 

  • 3X conversion rate using unified customer profile lookalike audiences over third party audiences
  • 85%+ match rate across major ad platforms
  • 30% onboarding savings
  • 5x increase in ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
  • 94% savings in data management and stitch processing
  • 70%+ reduction in marketing timelines

 

The elimination of third-party cookies and the ever-changing data privacy laws have ushered in a new era of challenges and opportunities. The days of relying solely on legacy methods to identify, retain, and acquire customers are gone. To stay ahead of the game and ensure brands are getting the most out of their largest spend channels, it’s critical that brands tap into their own first-party customer data to maximize every campaign dollar, especially in this macro economic climate.

 

“Today, we find ourselves at the epicenter of a marketing revolution. The tides have shifted and the old ways of acquiring and retaining customers are giving way to a new era of data privacy and consumer-centricity,” said Barry Padgett, CEO at Amperity. “In Q1 of next year, Google is going to disable 1% of third party cookies and fully remove them by Q3.  This poses a massive challenge for brands across the board. But within this challenge lies immense opportunity. At Amperity, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to lead the charge and help brands and agencies navigate this shift.”

 

To quantify the impact Amperity is having on paid media, the company commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study and examine the potential ROI enterprises may realize by deploying its CDP. To construct the TEI study, Forrester interviewed five Amperity customers, identifying the benefits, risks, and outcomes experienced while using the company’s customer data  platform for paid media and combined the results to form a single composite organization. According to the study, the composite organization not only experienced a 505% ROI, but also experienced the following benefits over three years:

 

  • $3.4 million incremental increase in net operating revenue from effective messaging
  • $3.8 million incremental increase in net operating revenue due to targeted paid media spend
  • 25% increase in productivity impact of more efficient campaign preparation and execution resulting in a $1.3 million savings
  • $4.5 million savings in paid media spend from deduplicating customer records

 

Amperity has become the customer data platform of choice for leading brands across numerous industries, most recently selected by First Hawaiian Bank, Forever 21, Palace Resorts, Shiseido America, and Virgin Atlantic. These brands join longtime users of Amperity including Alaska Airlines, Brooks, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Reckitt, Seattle Sounders, SPARC Group, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

 

To learn more about the ROI of Amperity for paid media, download the latest TEI study here.

 

About Amperity

Amperity delivers the data confidence brands need to unlock growth by truly knowing their customers. With Amperity, brands can build a unified customer profile foundation powered by first-party data to fuel customer acquisition and retention, personalize experiences that build loyalty, and manage privacy compliance. Using patented AI and machine learning methods, Amperity stitches together all customer interactions to build a unified view that seamlessly connects to marketing and technology tools. More than 400 brands worldwide rely on Amperity to turn data into business value, including Alaska Airlines, Brooks Running, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Endeavour Drinks, Planet Fitness, Seattle Sounders FC, Under Armour and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. For more information, visit amperity.com or follow us on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Law, Marketing, PR and SEO

Direct Marketing: ICO issues over half a million pounds in new fines to fight illegal marketing tactics

Introduction

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued fines totalling £590,000 to five companies for collectively making 1.9 million unwanted direct marketing calls which targeted the elderly and people with vulnerabilities, thereby infringing the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR).

This latest action is part of a wider crackdown from the ICO to tackle rogue companies using pressurised sales techniques to sell insurance for white goods, such as washing machines, fridges, and other household appliances, including TVs. A staggering £1.45 million in fines have now been issued by the ICO since October 2021 to 16 companies for making illegal direct marketing calls, many to people who had taken steps to block such nuisance calls. The fines resulted from detailed investigations by the ICO, assisted by intelligence from the National Trading Standards.

Whilst it is crucial for businesses to explore all possible avenues with regards to marketing their good or services, it is vital for businesses to avoid breaching the relevant rules and regulations when carrying out direct marketing activities, as the financial penalties and reputational harm can be substantial.

Myerson’s Commercial team provide top tips on how to ensure your marketing tactics align with the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

Top Tips

The table below sets out some helpful guidance and potential actions to take, depending on the method of marketing being used.

1. Live calls

Points to note

Generally, prior consent is no required, but you must:

  • ensure the individual or business has not objected to receiving live marketing calls; and
  • check that the number is not listed on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) when calling consumers or the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) when calling businesses.

Warning! If you record live calls, you must obtain specific consent to this from the individual or business.

Potential action

Maintain registers of individuals or businesses who have specifically objected against receiving live marketing calls.

Check the phone numbers against the TPS and/or CTPS prior to making such calls.

Obtain specific consent prior to recording any live call and document such consent.

2. Email and Texts

Points to note

Generally – you can only send marketing texts or emails to individuals if that person has specifically consented to receiving them from you.

Exemption: ‘Soft Opt-in’. This means organisations can send marketing texts or emails if:

  • they have obtained the contact details in the course of a sale of a product or service to that person.

 

  • they are only marketing their own similar products or services; and

 

  • they gave the person a simple opportunity to refuse or opt out of the marketing, both when first collecting the details and in every message after that.

Such rules are only applicable to individuals and therefore organisations can send electronic marketing mail to corporate subscribers without needing to comply with the above requirements.

But note that such marketing emails and texts may result in the processing of an individual’s personal data, which in certain circumstances (including direct marketing), individuals have an absolute right to object to under data protection legislation. It is therefore imperative that you ensure you comply with data protection legislation when sending such marketing communications, to avoid breaching the legislation and facing a potentially hefty fine from the ICO.

Potential action

Ensure that specific consent is obtained from the individuals who the marketing mail is being sent to and document evidence of such consent.

Only rely on the ‘soft opt-in’ exception where all the relevant requirements have been satisfied.

3. Post

Points to note

PECR does not cover marketing by mail, however, organisations sending marketing mail to named individuals must comply with the data protection legislation. The Data protection Act requires that an individual is aware that an organisation has their contact details and intends to use them for marketing purposes.

Individuals can register their address with the Mail Preference Service (MPS), which works in a similar way to the TPS.

Potential action

Provide individuals with clear guidance and a simple way of opting-out of receiving marketing my post.

Check the addresses of individuals against the MPS, prior to sending such marketing material by post.

Conclusion

It is important to note, however, that there are a number of nuances and additional considerations to bear in mind with direct marketing and that the application of the rules often depends on the specific circumstances such as the nature of the marketing campaign, and the type of customers your business deals with.

 

Marketing

Freebies’ magnetism for customers – Can this sales strategy be used without hurting the business’s budget?

The power of free goods is unparalleled, yet many businesses underestimate the effectiveness of this sales strategy and are off-put by the upfront costs involved. While the truth is that such a marketing endeavour doesn’t come for free, there are inestimably many reasons why so many businesses increasingly adhere to this audience-boosting trick. 

Businesses grow more and more aware of the potential of offering free gifts to targeted or untargeted audiences, so let’s see why this strategy may work despite the inevitable expenditures and what businesses get wrong about this undertaking.

The psychology behind free products

Hardly can you come across an individual who faced with a gift, whether personalised pens or notebooks, succeeds in not giving in to the temptation to accept it. These instruments usually boost brand awareness and give the respective business an aura of altruism and care towards bringing customers closer. Other times, they act as scrumptious bait-cheese that lures targets into taking a product, testing it, learning valuable info about it, and boosting their chances of becoming loyal clients.

Free products is one of the most straightforward and effective ways to increase an audience and have more individuals talk about your products or help the word-of-mouth marketing strategy. However, this can often be regarded as a double-edged sword. Companies usually deliver higher-quality products in small-sized packages compared to the formulation that’s found in bottles or containers coming in larger sizes on the market’s shelves, which is a practice that, once detected, can do no good to the company’s reputation and deter those consumers from further investing in these offerings. However, such a practice is hardly detectable, with few repercussions for the testing gift receiver, so there’s no reason to wrap your head around these aspects too much. 

Despite upfront costs, freebies can improve the BTL

Free offerings are one of the most effective ways to enter a market and gain brand awareness, so they’re frequently called “a foot in the door” for companies seeking exposure. But why is this expression associated with freebies? Well, let’s take the example of an eatery. Suppose nothing attracts you about a restaurant regardless of its history in your town. Would there be any reason to enter that establishment’s door and order a meal when travelling solo, considering how numerous the alternatives are for you to make the best pick? The answer can hardly be “Yes”, so it’s clear to see why the only way you could change your mind and visit that establishment that you once showed reluctance to is to gain a free sample of their offerings. 

Freebies work because they can give individuals a taste of a company’s products and services. Inevitably, when individuals are offered free items repeatedly, they can’t help but develop a fondness toward that thing that keeps coming to them without them having to move a finger. Psychologically, this persuasive technique triggers recipients to build familiarity and a sense of appreciation toward the supplying party. 

Freebies are a thrifty way to elicit otherwise costly feedback 

One of the most penny-wise means of securing feedback is through offering gifts. One valuable gain from this sales strategy is gathering feedback and ratings that can further contribute to extensive research on operations strategies, from developing the product to customising it to distribution across chains. Numerous methods exist to carry out such research and enter customers’ minds to discover areas of improvement, as well as the strong and weak points, such as mobile-based online surveys. On the other hand, companies can offer consistent packages of samples and testers following a targeted individual’s completion of a questionary or survey. 

There are many tactics businesses can employ to get under consumers’ skin, find out what would turn them into loyal customers, and carry out the necessary adjustments to cater to an increased audience’s requirements. One of the most effective ones, whose potential is unquestionable, is giving away lighters since their functionality expands beyond having a source of fire to always being prepared when someone needs this portable instrument. Businesses choosing to customise lighters BIC have endless possibilities in colour and design and make recipients feel cared for as they unavoidably need such a device at some point in their lives. They’re universal, and gender or demographics are off the table when discussing such a sales strategy. 

Businesses delivering on their promises offset the initial expenditures  

Businesses must exercise caution when targeting customers to give them a taste of their products. Say a company gives away perfume testers, but they fall behind in terms of projection and consistency. Then, regardless of how qualitative the purchasable product is, the chances are that the recipient won’t fall prey to investing in a product that fell short of expectations. Once customers create a wrong impression, they will lose their appetite for that service or product. 

Therefore, the quality of the freebie needs to meet customers’ demands and mirror the attributions of the chargeable product. Otherwise, customers will avoid giving a second chance to that product as nobody can create a second impression once they’ve failed to master this task. 

Freebies aren’t free for companies, so monitoring is a must 

Needless to say, every step of the freebie offering process, from the plan’s development to the distribution of items, can cost the company a substantial amount of money. Similar undertakings are not to be mindlessly or lightly taken. Instead, experts recommend businesses create gifts that represent five per cent of the sales, while for customers, the value should revolve around twenty per cent. 

This way, businesses keep their expenditures under control and ensure their efforts are not costing more than can be afforded.

At the end of the journey, the expenses pay off

Often, the advantages of giving freebies are underestimated. But most of the time, there are numerous gains you can expect from such an endeavour, such as a triggered feeling of reciprocity, developed trust and familiarity, boosted likeability quotient, and a boost in sales. 

 

Marketing, News, PR and SEO

Disrupt’s ‘Status Update’ podcast launches with bonus live episode at Influencer Marketing Show

Former Made in Chelsea Star Stevie Johnson unveils new content creator series by focusing on Gen Z live on stage at this week’s IMS in London

Former award-winning Made in Chelsea star, Stevie Johnson, is to launch his new content creator podcast series with an initial live episode on stage at this week’s Influencer Marketing Show in London.

The new podcast from influencer marketing agency, Disrupt, delves into the careers of inspirational digital creators to discover how they forged their unique career paths and what advice they have for others on a similar journey.

 

‘Status Update Live’ features co-hosts Stevie Johnson, managing director of Disrupt, along with the agency’s ‘voice of Gen Z’ Jake Crabb talking to Jay Richards, co-founder of Gen Z insights agency, Imagen Insights.

 

Stevie Johnson, managing director of Disrupt, said: “We’re thrilled to be launching Status Update Live at this week’s unrivalled Influencer Marketing Show. It’s the place to be, to be seen, to network and to find out what’s happening in the content creator world.

“Launching with a live broadcast will be exciting, and nerve wracking, but at Disrupt we like to do things differently. Who better to do that with than our first live guest Jay Richards who prides himself on giving brutally honest feedback to some of the world’s biggest brands.

“One thing is for sure, you don’t want to miss this live Gen Z episode, or the rest of our ground-breaking series on Status Update, the social media and creator podcast for those of us who find good content inspirational and who want to hear from the people behind it.”

The live launch takes place on Thursday October 26th at the Influencer Marketing Show being held at Old Billingsgate where more than 1500 attendees are expected, including some of the world’s biggest brands, agencies, creators and tech companies.

Status Update hosts Jake Crabb(left) and Stevie Johnson(right)

‘Status Update’ has been designed for listeners with an interest in the future of social and digital content and focuses on Disrupt’s view that the ‘Future is Creator’. The podcast teases out some moving, amusing, highly personal and motivating stories from each guest about their own inspiring digital and social media content.

Initial episodes include discussions with stand-up comedian and TikTok phenomenon Rob Mayhew; author, entrepreneur and creative sociologist Amy Kean; photographer and activist Misan Harriman; speaker, writer and activist Jamie Klingler; and entrepreneur, mental health advocate and co-founder of Social Chain Dom McGregor.

 

Status Update will be available on Apple and Spotify.

The first recorded episode, which will be available to listeners on October 25th, features stand-up comedian Rob Mayhew, Creative Director at digital innovations agency, Gravity Road, who is often aptly described as ‘The King of Agency Comedy’ and who has attracted more than 5.3 million likes and 150,000 followers on Tik Tok.

He tells ‘Status Update’ that he is still “bursting with ideas” and that his sketches are “a love letter to the industry” which have “changed my life.”

Another episode features Misan Harriman, who was the first black person in the 104-year history of British Vogue to shoot the cover of an issue.

He tells Status Update: “Finding the space where you can thrive without fear of judgement is the difference between the thousands, if not millions of people on this planet, doing things they are not supposed to do. What if the next Beyonce, or Jay-Z, or LeBron James, or Messi, didn’t have that place where they felt safe to chase their dreams.”

 

Co-host Jake Crabb, Disrupt’s marketing manager, says: “These stories sum up neatly exactly why we’re launching Status Update. It’s about inspiring creators with the phenomenal stories of inspiring creators. By joining us on the journey, we hope to create a whole new generation of social media and digital creators.”

Appointments, Marketing, News, PR and SEO, Tradesmen

Plumbing firm appoints managing director to set the seal on three years of growth

BATH plumbing and heating services firm GreenSmart Services has appointed joint founder Damian Bush as managing director as its seeks to continue its rapid growth.

After just three years in business it already has a team of nine and a turnover of almost £700,000. The company has its sights on breaking the £1 million turnover barrier and Mr Bush says its continued focus on customer service is the key to achieving it.

He and colleague Luke Fisher founded the firm during the pandemic, with the aid of financial investors and from the outset aimed to differentiate GreenSmart from the rest of its sector.

“We set out to really focus on customer service,” said Mr Bush. “We knew we had a high standard of work but to get recognised and be respected it is all about perception and looking the part.

“We teamed up with creative agency Milk & Tweed to develop a really good website, we had sign written vans and uniforms and we put a lot of energy into getting great Google reviews.”

They also invested in an online customer management system and app that brings together clients’ details, quotes, appointments, invoices and orders, as well as diaries and employee certification.

“We wanted to offer a really smooth, transparent customer journey, so when an appointment is made the customer gets an email confirmation, then a reminder two days before and on the day a text to say the engineer is on the way,” said the MD. “This kind of thing is far from commonplace in our industry.”

This novel approach has paid dividends in the form of five star Google reviews. “We think we are exceeding customers’ expectations,” said Mr Bush. “Some people can have a poor perception of the industry so they are quite often genuinely surprised that we turn up when we say we will.”

He said having spent the years since launching the company getting its process and structure right, it is now ready to scale up. “We had always planned for things to unfold in this way,” he said. “We’d like to have ten or more engineers but recruiting is a challenge.

“We put a lot of effort into recruitment because we are looking at potential engineers as a person as well as at their technical ability, maybe even more so. We are in peoples’ homes and its quite an intrusive exercise so we want to make sure the right people are representing us. We’ve probably interviewed 25 people to get three engineers so far.”

His new role will complement Mr Fisher’s focus on quality control. Mr Bush will be managing engineers’ and pursuing new business to add to the 1,300 customers on the company’s database. He said: “Around 75 per cent of our customers are private domestic and we service multiple letting agents so we have the balance right at the moment. But we do want to pursue more contracted work in the future.

“It’s an exciting time for us because we set out to create something that puts the customers at the centre of what we do and it is satisfying to see that the plan is working.”

Original investor Steve Healy, an entrepreneur who has been successful with start-up and high growth companies and taking business to exit, will remain involved with the company.

Find out more about the company’s services at greensmartservices.co.uk.

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Pictured: GreenSmart Services managing director Damian Bush says excellent customer service is the key to the success of his rapidly growing business