Category Archives: PR and SEO

Marketing, Midlands, News, PR and SEO

Hat Trick Of Success For Champions (UK) PLC

LEADING brand agency Champions (UK) Plc is celebrating a hat trick of success – by landing THREE top awards for its work.

The East-Midlands-based agency has won the Real Entrepreneur Award 2024, a MarCom Web Content Award and also scooped the CEO / Director of the Year at the 2023 Leicestershire Business Awards.

Commenting, Champions’ Managing Director Matthew Hayes, said: “Winning these awards just goes to show how hard-working the team are here at Champions and is something I am really proud of.

“The MarCom Web Content Award underlines how much effort and time our content team spend on projects, and I am delighted they have been recognised for their work.

“Being recognised for the Real Entrepreneur Award 2024 and being recognised for the 2023 Leicestershire Business Award are both great achievements. Massive credit must go to my team for the way they deal with the barriers and challenges which must be overcome to deliver fantastic results for our brilliant clients who have also been a pleasure to work with.”

The Real Entrepreneur Award 2024 celebrates business owners who set up breakthrough businesses, saw dramatic growth, or even pivoted their businesses to adapt to the ever-changing face of our economy.

Champions have gone on to win 11 awards this year whilst Matthew has been nominated for the Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year which recognises scale-up businesses that have room to grow but are still taking on new strategies for further expansion as well as The Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards which has been described as ‘The Grammys of Entrepreneurship’, receiving 5,000 applications annually.
The MarCom Web Content Award honours excellence in marketing and communication while recognising the creativity, hard work, and generosity of industry professionals. Previous MarCom award winners range from international creative agencies to Fortune 500 companies.

And, the 2023 Leicestershire Business Award for CEO/ Director of the Year highlights the diversity of UK businesses by making awards accessible to all and levelling the playing field. Their awards programme is designed to allow even the smallest businesses to compete with multinational enterprises.

Champions (UK) Plc, based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, also work alongside Rainbows Children’s charity which cares for families up and down the country who have a baby or child suffering from a serious or terminal illness.

The brand agency has raised over £2.5M since 2007 for the Leicester-based charity as well as hosted various charity dinners and celebrity balls including the likes of Sam Bailey, William Roache MBE and Tony Jacklin CBE.

Already shortlisted for The 2023 East Midlands Business Masters award in creativity & media, Champions (UK) Plc are specialist in digital marketing and business growth, helping small-mid businesses grow and reach their highest goals.

Having worked with the likes of Disney, Farmfoods, Google and Lloyds Banking, the family business offers 20 years of industry experience with recognition from the London Stock Exchange 1000 Companies to inspire Britain, as well as numerous other accolades such as Accelerate 250, Santander Breakthrough 50 and Insider Growth 100.  We have also placed 57th in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 directory.

To find out more about the award-winning brand agency, visit www.championsukplc.com

Marketing, News, PR and SEO, Research

Get your act together brands say Midlife Women who feel ‘invisible’ and misrepresented

The majority of consumers that Forbes calls ‘super consumers’ feel invisible to brands, says a new report that has been released on the back of exclusive research.

The insight-packed report by The Behaviours Agency also shows that only 7% of Midlife Women aged 45-60 think they’re very well represented in advertising and 62% think that advertising targeted at them rarely shows someone they can relate to.

 

Citing findings from the research, Sue Benson, Managing Director of The Behaviours Agency highlights:

“Our research has shown just some of the ways that brands and retailers can improve their communication with this cohort of women that Forbes dubs ‘super consumers’, due to their spending capability and the huge changes that are going on in their lives – resulting in them seeking out new products that are relevant for them.

“A key finding was that midlife brings about an awakening for women, due to ubiquitous ‘change’ where personal needs take precedence, alongside a greater understanding of the value of the present and the importance of fulfilment. And this is a huge opportunity for brands to get it right.

“For example, 35% said they’d changed skincare, cosmetics and haircare products because their skin/hair has changed; 42% have changed their diet and buy more nutritional foods and 35% were exercising more.

“Yet these women don’t feel represented in brand advertising, or even trust the claims being made.

“Overall, women expressed a strong desire for more diverse and realistic representation that mirrors their own lives and challenges.

 

“Giving their view on advertising, only 7% said they felt very well represented in advertising. 24% said “well” but a third (32%) believe “not well”, with 7% not at all and 25% not very well (37% weren’t sure).

“One of the main concerns expressed by midlife women is the lack of relatable role models and representation in advertisements. They argue that the absence of women in their age group in advertising reinforces harmful stereotypes and unrealistic beauty standards. This perceived invisibility only serves to compound the pressure many midlife women feel to conform to societal ideals.

“Many women feel that brands predominantly focus on younger generations, perpetuating stereotypes that don’t reflect their interests, values, or aspirations. As a result, they feel marginalized and underappreciated by the marketing industry.

“72% are sceptical about the claims made in advertisements. 75% thinks ads focus too much on appearance rather than overall wellbeing and 72% feel ads often set unrealistic standards of beauty.

62% feel advertising targeted at them rarely shows someone they can relate to.”

 

Summing up feelings of this audience, Louise Baker, a 50-year-old professional from Manchester, commented on the issue, stating, “We’re not invisible; we’re just ignored. It’s frustrating when the marketing world seems to think that the only things midlife women are interested in are anti-aging creams and laundry detergent. We have diverse interests, and we want to see ourselves reflected in the advertisements we encounter daily.”

 

They also feel that increased dialogue around menopause is confusing and fast becoming ‘noise’

“Naturally the menopause was a significant factor in these women’s lives – but they were quick to point that they don’t want it to define them, something which many brands are guilty of. To be successful at reaching and resonating with this key demographic we need to look beyond ‘the menopause. Menopause is just ONE of the reasons this cohort feels invisible.

“41% said there’s not enough help and information around menopause, 34% said the amount of help is about right and 17% said it’s hard to work out what information is helpful or useful. 8% simply feel overwhelmed now about the information that’s out there – so much so it’s become noise.

“The women we spoke to told us that they wanted menopause-related products and communications to be addressed more subtly, focusing on solutions rather than labelling everything as “for menopause.” It can come across as pigeonholing, alienating, or feeling like a brand is jumping on the bandwagon.”

 

The research also found that while they’re increasingly being stereotyped as ‘struggling’ with menopausal issues, in fact, change beyond menopause is the dominating and uniting narrative in midlife women’s lives.

 

“While the Midlife Women cohort is extremely diverse, change is a universal theme that comes out throughout our study – from change in personal circumstances (divorce, career changes, children leaving home, and caring for elderly relatives etc) and physical and hormonal changes (due to the menopause), to attitudinal changes to life in general.

“Alongside these changes comes a natural shift in shopping behaviours as consumers seek out new products, solutions and habits to suit a new outlook or physical appearance.

“We discovered that 42 per cent of midlife women have changed their diets or are buying more nutritional food; more than a third (36 per cent) have changed their skin and haircare products; 35 per cent are now exercising more and a further 35 per cent have bought new clothing to suit their changing body shape.

“There is massive potential for brands to tap into this spending power and aptitude to find new solutions – if targeted correctly.”

 

They’re NOT taking a woe-is-me attitude to menopausal change and aliments.  

Both the quantitative and qualitative elements of The Behaviour Agency’s study pointed to some surprising findings regarding self-care and happiness among midlife women. The very varied ways people cope with change was most clearly demonstrated when looking at how active women are at managing their own health.

There is a distinct YOLO spirit among many. Almost half (43%) feel the necessary changes associated with midlife have improved their lives.

 

“I’m just not sure ‘society’ and decision makers in companies who are trying to appeal to midlife women are really keeping up with what women’s attitudes to midlife really are”, says Sue.

“Of course the increase in information about menopause is positive, no one can fault the efforts being made to recognise how symptoms can affect women experiencing its various stages, but a key out-take from our research was that there are huge differences in how people respond to the hand they have been dealt and the changes they see.

“When we started this project we really thought that menopause would be ‘the’ big topic on every woman’s lips. But it really wasn’t, the spectrum of change is so vast that it just becomes one of the narratives not the only narrative.”

 

To download the report https://thebehavioursagency.com/midlife-women/

Books, Events, Marketing, News, PR and SEO

Teetotaller and co-founder of Social Chain, Dom McGregor puts pen to paper about booze in new book

Leading content creator also tells Status Update podcast that influencers need to forge deeper relationships with fewer brands

Entrepreneur, content creator, co-founder of Social Chain and mental health campaigner Dom McGregor is adding another title to his CV – that of writer.

McGregor – who has given up alcohol – is currently working on a book, to be published in 2024, on how to manage our relationship with booze:

“Everyone has a relationship with alcohol, whether you don’t drink or you do…I want to put alcohol higher up in people’s minds,” he says.

 

McGregor is a guest on Episode 4 of Status Update, the new podcast from influencer marketing agency Disrupt, which features some of the world’s best-known creatives.

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

 

McGregor talks candidly about his professional journey, from a drunken student tweet about toilet paper to the future of social media and his latest challenge of writing.

 

He tells the podcast that the rapid growth of social media marketing agency Social Chain, a start-up he co-founded with Dragons’ Den’s Steven Bartlett in 2014, meant he had responsibilities and accountabilities from a young age for the people working for the business.

“We were growing ourselves, the market was growing and (we were) trying to work out what the clients needed.”

 

He found himself increasingly using alcohol to mask his stress, anxiety and unhappiness.

When he realised his actions were hurting other people, and that he was blaming everything and everyone else, he took the decision to “move alcohol out the way.” That, he says, gave him the headspace and clarity to address his problems.

 

In his upcoming book, the now 30-year-old deals with the wider issue of what he brands the glamorisation and promotion of today’s alcohol lifestyle. He says the culture of drink is now “deeply-rooted” in society:

“Going to a friend’s 30th and thinking about a present…what do you give them? Alcohol!…A bottle of champagne. Imagine (now) buying someone a packet of fags? They probably did that back in the 1950s and 60s,” he adds.

 

McGregor describes himself as “that kid who was always updating his status on Facebook.”

While at university, he discovered Twitter, now renamed X, and began creating his own content with the hashtag #studentproblems. It was, he says, relatable to a wider audience because he was experiencing the same as every other student.

Partnering with Steven Bartlett in Social Chain, McGregor tells the podcast their follower counts grew exponentially as the pair found themselves at the forefront of a marketing revolution; “There are not many people who could walk into a room at twenty-one and be an expert.

“Brands knew nothing about social media and marketing had, up to that point, been based on a ‘broadcast’ approach (putting money into TV campaigns), not building (digital) communities from the bottom up.”

 

McGregor says his and Bartlett’s skill sets were “complimentary” but his own background was in creating content. He enjoyed being “faceless”, but many people in his position assume the next step is to become CEO of their own company.

These days his own passion is working with founders and seeing the impact he can have on their businesses, helping entrepreneurs see new opportunities and developing those relationships.

 

Looking to the future of social media, McGregor says he’s personally keen to develop long-form content and sees more value for influencers in developing deeper, more meaningful relationships and collaborations with no more than five brands at any time, for more purpose.

 

Stevie Johnson, co-host and managing director of Disrupt says: “On Status Update we shine a light on the most inventive social and digital content and the creators behind it. When we were putting together ideas for this podcast, Dom McGregor was the first name on my list.

“Dom is a phenomenon. His professional journey has been the stuff of dreams and what he learned along the way will be immensely insightful to fellow creatives.”

 

Previous episodes feature Rob Mayhew, Creative Director at digital innovations agency Gravity Road, often called the King of Agency Comedy.

World-renowned photographer Misan Harriman appears on Episode 2, and activist, campaigner and creative Jamie Klingler features in Episode 3.

The next episode of Status Update will be released on Wednesday November 15th. You can listen back to previous episodes on Apple or Spotify.

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.

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, 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