Davenport Marketing & Advisory

04/02/2025

Lonely Planet’s list of the best things to do in



www.journeytoBhutan.com.au

Valley deep and mountain high.

08/04/2024

Every trip to Bhutan I do is a lesson in . We are 100% focused on it across the entire , not just the 'boots on the ground' part of the trip.

So like this is gold. Thank you Giulietta Williams for your review of your recent trip to with www.AustralianJourneytoBhutan.com.au

"𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘩𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 & 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘺𝘻𝘢, 𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘈𝘑𝘛𝘉, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳. 𝘈 𝘴𝘶𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘩𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘯, 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 - 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘕𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘉𝘩𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘯, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘑𝘛𝘉 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥"

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g321541-d13803418-Reviews-Australian_Journey_to_Bhutan-Paro_Paro_District.html

BOOK NOW for 2024 Autumn tours or the 2025 Paro Festival Tour - https://www.journeytobhutan.com.au/small_group_tours.php

Bhutan tours: Small group & private cultural, spiritual, adventure and historical tours with experienced guide. Unique opportunities for intimate and immersive experiences with locals. Includes trekking and cultural highlights.

15/01/2024

As we all head back to work, I’m just thinking about what’s coming up for this year. Over and above the complexity we have all come to expect as normal (economic challenges, geopolitical tension, cybersecurity threats, the challenge and energy transition to name but a few), there are some other less obvious challenges afoot:
· RESILIANCE - Things are going to stay messy. It’s going to take real to keep addressing the strategic implications of continued political, social, global, economic/inflationary and regulatory volatility. Directors will need to be stay close to the data and even closer to management. That said, it’s a fine line between being engaged and micromanaging. Clarity about lines of decision-making remain crucial. Noses in; fingers out.
· SUCCESSION & SKILLS - While it’s becoming increasingly obvious there’s real urgency for board oversight of AI (how to develop and utilize AI ethically?), this demands so there's more digital/IT know-how around the table. I’m doing some work at the moment, and how to tap into ‘new’ core competencies to address future challenges is top of mind. The need for accessing specialized skills in the rapidly changing landscape seems a no brainer if boards are to adapt, innovate and thrive, and I’m convinced we need individuals around the table with and, particularly, backgrounds to urge a more forward-thinking board.
· ETHICS & ACCOUNTABILITY - With the plummeting reputations experienced by Qantas, Optus and others last year, there’s a growing fatigue and intolerance by stakeholders of any lack of by CEOs and boards. Notwithstanding the complexity of ethical issues impacting a boards decision making, the responsibility for oversight of ethical behavior across the organisation falls squarely on the board. And as the ultimate guardians of financial, human and reputational capital, boards need to consciously check for any reactive or defensive approaches to . Then set the bar higher and replace with managing competing values, compromises/ trade-offs, information gaps and grey areas with more probing and mindful reinforcement of ethical conduct as a core value and part of culture.

I look forward to engaging with my board colleagues around these and other issues, and to bumping into many of you out there.

19/12/2023

Another year has come and gone and we’re about to enjoy some well deserved time off. As I reflect on the year that was, rather than the post Covid relief we all hoped for, it seems to me that 2023 bought many difficult challenges for boards and leaders. Huge issues like domestic violence, homelessness, climate action, the rising cost of living, inflation and war loom large.

For leaders, while remaining measured and composed in the face of all that and a world in conflict is important, as we close out the year it seems to me that showing our humanity and leading with is more critical than ever. It’s such a powerful tool for building trust, contributing to a positive culture and setting the foundation for a 2024 marked by shared purpose and growth.

Finally, to all the incredibly motivated and dedicated people I’ve worked with this year, I’d like to express thanks and appreciation and wish you a safe and happy celebration with your loved ones over the break. I hope 2024 holds good things for your businesses and that we can all continue to work collectively to create a vibrant and equitable Australia. Improve. Listen. Look ahead. And keep your community close.

Now. Time to chill 👇

08/09/2023

What a big week for directors. Over 1200 have been working hard to explain to their professional and private networks what the referendum is all about, and trying to process the lessons from the Qantas fall from grace. While there’s still much to learn from all this, as I eat my lunch at the end of this turbulent week, I’ve been thinking:
* the debate to date has proven once again how clarity of message with a powerful and unifying theme is SO critical to understanding and bringing about successful . We all have more work to do on this - and fast - if the Voice is going to have wings.
* And on Qantas:
- as a NED, we need the conviction to say things that need saying, ask questions that need asking and always be alert to hubris. Dean Paatsch, co-founder of Ownership Matters, usefully defines hubris as “when management believes their own bu****it and the board cheers them on”. I’m reminded we must never shy away from challenging management constructively and asking difficult questions.
- and as if we needed reminding, the bottom line clearly isn’t the only metric that matters. Forgetting our customers almost always leads to an inevitable decline in customer satisfaction and the value of the brand. It’s not easy to get that back. I’d love to see more marketing and comms people with deep customer experience bringing the voice of the customer into board discussions.

07/03/2023

This IWD, I’m giving a shout out to all the women living with abusive partners, feeling like they are trapped and copping abuse on a daily basis.

I know that we’re supposed to be talking about how innovation and tech have the power to change lives, but the fact that so many women in Australia aren’t even safe in their homes from abuse by an intimate partner seems to me to be the bigger issue.

If Maslow was around, he’d be similarly puzzled. Pretty sure he would argue that women need a foundation layer of support and a sense of safety before they can tackle much else.

So, worthy as this years IWD theme is (closing the gap being an economic and moral imperative), can we please focus on getting more action on reducing the risk Australian women face every day of being seriously harmed or murdered.

24/01/2023

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯: 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲

The current challenging macroeconomic conditions (𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨..) coupled with fast changing (𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨), all mean that is going to remain marketers superpower of 2023.

Given that uncertainty is here to stay and micro-planning doesn’t seem a terrific use of time, being flexible and prepared for potential budget cuts (or living with more budget being kept in reserve for tactical, quick response activity) seems sensible.

None of this is new to . They are a resilient cohort and understand well the line between the strategic alignment of marketing activities to business goals. And possibly more than ever before, aligning marketing budget to the products or services closest to client needs is critical - in short, matching budget to opportunity.

In these times more than ever, building and authority with your market and focusing on nurturing authentic connections is critical. For this you need to make it personal. You need and conversational marketing tools. Maintaining visibility and presence in your communities and staying top-of-mind with decision makers matters.

To all marketers, good luck out there. And to strategic planners and boards, orient your strategy to the things that matter most to customers. And remember what Gary Pisano wrote almost a decade ago, an strategy is not just optional.

11/01/2023

MARKETING IN 2023

The current challenging macroeconomic conditions (interest rates remaining high, talk of a recession not going away, Covid lingering..) and fast changing (like growing concerns over , increasing desire for products and services and for greater control over spending, the rise and rise of and so on) mean that is going to remain superpower of 2023.

Given that volatility is here to stay and micro-planning doesn’t seem a good use of time, being flexible and prepared for potential budget cuts (or living with more budget being kept in reserve for tactical, quick response activity) seems sensible.

None of this is new to . We are a resilient lot, and if we’re facing budget cuts we do understand the line between the strategic alignment of our marketing activities to business goals. And possibly more than ever before, aligning marketing budget to the products or services closest to client needs is critical- in short, matching budget to opportunity.

So work on building and authority with your market. Focus on nurturing more authentic connections to target audience. Maintain visibility and presence in your communities and stay top-of-mind with people who matter.

For all this you need to make it personal and need customer insights and conversational marketing tools like Chatbots, visual engagement tools, voice messaging and texts. And remember it’s not all about efficient . People have complex needs and AI can only handle a very narrow set of questions. Being stuck on a Chatbox wheel of death isn’t a pleasant experience. If you do it right, I read recently that good conversational marketing increases conversion by up to 10X, so it’s worth it.

Good luck out there and give me a shout out if you need some help.

11/01/2023

Give me a shout out if you need help with:
• Marketing or business planning for 2023
• Increasing brand awareness
• Reaching your target audience
• Driving conversions
• Generating leads
• Setting a new trend
• Connecting to a wider market
• Delivering content for social media, reports, white papers etc

02/11/2022

So a meeting yesterday turned into a session. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy mentoring. A wonderful exchange of ideas and insights. Towards the end, my mentee said, ‘This was so energising, and it happened at exactly the right time. I hadn’t realised how powerful talking though this stuff with someone was’.

Pretty thrilled by that.

15/02/2022

So many people are thinking about changing jobs out there!

𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗩 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐨t 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝? 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

I can:
· Update what you already have with compelling content - $220
· Style what you already have into something that gets you noticed - $150
· Tailor your existing CV and draft a covering letter for that perfect role - $320
· Craft a CV from scratch including styling the content - $380

𝖶𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝖨 𝖼𝖺𝗇’𝗍 𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗅𝗅 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗃𝗈𝖻, 𝖨 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗂𝖼𝖾𝖽. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗎𝗉 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 😊

𝐃𝐌 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚@𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦.𝐚𝐮