BON BON SING

14/05/2025

📊 Marketers are more than a line item on a spreadsheet.

https://www.marketingweek.com/marketing-roi-imposter-syndrome/

Marketers constantly face pressure to prove their worth through ROI — but real impact isn’t always measurable in a single number.

🗣️ One senior marketer put it perfectly:
"We try to prove the value of what we’re doing, but even then, the CFO says, ‘I don’t believe that number.’"

The truth? ROI alone doesn’t capture the creativity, strategy, and brand-building power marketers bring to the table.

💡 It’s time to reframe the conversation:
From justifying existence to demonstrating influence.

✨ We’re not just spending — we’re building growth.

At times it can feel like proving ROI stretches beyond metrics to a question of professional credibility. Marketers have the power to reframe the conversation.

21/03/2025

📉 Marketers Say Data Analysis Is the #1 Skills Gap – Again - By Josh Stephenson 4 Mar 2024

https://www.marketingweek.com/marketers-data-analysis-skills-gap/

For the second year in a row, marketers have identified data and analytics as the biggest missing skill in their teams, according to Marketing Week’s Career & Salary Survey 2024.

📊 Top 5 reported skills gaps:
1️⃣ Data & analytics – 36.9%
2️⃣ Performance marketing – 19.6%
3️⃣ Content & copywriting – 18.1%
4️⃣ Social media – 14.8%
5️⃣ Ecommerce – 12.1%

🚨 Despite growing demand for data-driven decision making, upskilling remains slow and recruitment struggles to catch up. The gap is widening, not closing.

💡 What this means for marketing leaders:

Upskilling in data fluency must become a priority
Hiring strategies need to focus on analytical talent
Ignoring this gap puts brand growth at risk in a data-first world
The future of marketing belongs to those who understand the numbers behind the strategy.

08/01/2025

2024 Year in Review: It’s Been a Bad Year For… 😬📉 - By Marketing Week Reporters 5 Dec 2024

https://www.marketingweek.com/2024-year-in-review-bad-year/

Transparent Pricing 💸
This year, dynamic pricing became a hot topic, bringing consumer frustrations to the forefront. The much-hyped Oasis reunion concert with Ticketmaster showcased the darker side of the practice, as fans faced steep price hikes—up to £200 more than advertised—when trying to secure tickets 🎟️.

Dynamic pricing, while common in the travel sector ✈️, where peak-season demand justifies higher prices, has faced backlash when applied elsewhere. Hospitality venues 🍺 and theme parks 🎢 drew criticism for price surges during peak times. The problem? Consumers feel these adjustments are unfair and manipulative. As awareness grows, many say they’ll take their business elsewhere.

Pret A Manger ☕ also fell from grace after revamping its subscription offer. By reducing benefits like the much-loved “free coffee” perk, Pret not only alienated loyal customers but also offended them with messaging implying previous deals were “too good to be true.”

Lesson: Pricing is a powerful tool, but when perceived as exploitative, it damages trust and loyalty. Brands risk losing customers if they fail to balance fairness and profitability.

23/11/2024

🌟 How B2B Brands Are Using Emotion to Cut Through the Noise 💼 - By Hannah Rashbass 19 Nov 2024

https://www.marketingweek.com/finding-emotion-in-b2b-campaign/

Emotional advertising isn't just for B2C brands anymore! ❤️ Studies show that emotion boosts advertising effectiveness, with emotional ads increasing pricing power by 40% 💰 and improving ad recall 📊. But B2B brands have been slow to tap into this powerful tool—until now!

B2B campaigns are often seen as too dry to stir emotions like joy 😊 or surprise 😲, especially for products like workplace software 💻 or auditing services 📑. However, Mark Ritson, Marketing Week columnist, says that emotion can be anything from startlement 😱 to joy 😄 to sadness 😢. For an ad to stand out, emotion needs to be genuine.

While it’s easier to trigger emotion in B2C, B2B faces a unique challenge: appealing to the diverse emotions of multiple stakeholders 👥 in a complex buying group. But many B2B brands are realizing that connecting on an emotional level is key to differentiating themselves in the market 🔑.

💡🚀

Study after study shows emotion makes advertising more effective and memorable. B2B brands have been slow to join the party but many are now waking up to the benefits of using emotion to stand out.

08/10/2024

📈 B2B Marketers Shifting Focus to Long-Term Strategy - By Hannah Rashbass 30 Sep 2024

https://www.marketingweek.com/b2b-marketing-strategic-traditional-playbook-fades/

According to new research from Marketing Week, B2B marketers are taking on more strategic roles as the traditional playbook fades. Historically, B2B marketing focused on short-term tactics and performance, but over half (62%) now see their role as increasingly strategic.

Kelly Singsank, Marketing Director at fintech start-up M3ter, emphasizes that the old B2B strategies no longer work for growth. Today’s playbook demands more strategy, creativity, and internal alignment to drive lasting business impact and growth.

According to Marketing Week’s exclusive new research, many B2B marketers are taking on an increasingly strategic role. But for those who are still fighting for recognition and investment, internal marketing and collaboration are key.

10/09/2024

📈 Bridging the Gap: Marketing vs. Advertising Effectiveness - By Molly Innes 16 Sep 2022

https://www.marketingweek.com/divide-marketing-advertising-effectiveness/

Should marketers take more responsibility in clarifying the difference between marketing and advertising effectiveness? While some see a clear distinction—advertising effectiveness focuses on the 'promotion' aspect of the 4Ps, while marketing effectiveness encompasses the entire marketing plan—others find the line more blurred.

Alex Murphy, former Head of Marketing at Admiral, believes that if marketing is done right, this debate shouldn’t even exist. As the conversation around effectiveness grows, it's crucial for marketers to communicate these nuances clearly within their businesses.

Should marketers take greater accountability when it comes to clearly conveying the difference between marketing and advertising effectiveness to the wider business?

05/08/2024

Financial ads still failing to show ’empowered representation’ of women
https://www.marketingweek.com/financial-ads-representation-women/

Men featured as central characters in 84% of ads, while only 15% of female characters are portrayed as having financial expertise, new study finds.

Women are still far less likely to feature as the central figure in ads for financial services, leading to lower levels of financial confidence and reduced participation by women in areas such as investment, a new study suggests.

By Matthew Valentine 25 Jul 2024

Ads for products in the financial services sector have a reputation for featuring a poor representation of women, according to research from the Mannheim Business School, which has quantified the extent of the issue by studying print ads from 1949 to the present day.

The research analysed male and female participants, categorising them according to their gender, ethnicity and role, as well as perceptions of their authority and expertise. Women featured far less often as central figures or experts, while men were frequently portrayed in this way.

Men featured as central characters in 84% of ads, while only 15% of female characters are portrayed as having financial expertise, new study finds.

02/07/2024

One marketer on going from career ladder to ‘jumping higher’

https://www.marketingweek.com/marketer-lateral-mover-career/

A former marketer at Unilever, Reckitt and Dyson, Rachel Exton embraced the possibilities of a sideways career step to supercharge her marketing mission.

Rachel Exton remembers falling in love with marketing as a teenager studying for a GCSE in Business Studies.

Feeling an affinity for every aspect of the course, from operations to HR and particularly marketing, studying business at university felt like a “slam dunk”. Exton purposely chose a university with a placement year, which in 1996 felt like a different route to take from standard academia.

“I just loved getting real life experience. I loved the fact some of my marks were on my presentation skills. In business, why do you want somebody who can write an essay? You write business cases,” says Exton. “You have to stand up and sell your ideas.”

27/06/2024

The Top 100 will be a celebration of resilience, impact and leadership.
Russell Parsons, Marketing Week
https://www.marketingweek.com/2024-top-100-most-effective-marketers/

Our esteemed judging panel includes Helen Edwards, partner at Passionbrand and Marketing Week columnist; Kathryn Jacob, chief executive of Pearl & Dean; Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association and Jen Berry, CEO of Digitas UK, with more to be revealed soon.

Russell Parsons, editor-in-chief of Marketing Week, says: “It’s been a tough 12 months. The mettle of marketers has been tested. The Top 100 will be a celebration of resilience, impact and leadership – leading for company, colleagues and customers. I can’t wait to unveil them as examples that demonstrate the extraordinary talent in marketing.”

As this year’s headline sponsor of the Marketing Week Top 100, Digitas CEO Berry, adds: “In our fast-changing world, blending creativity with innovation is more important than ever. Last year, AI was the hot topic, and now we’re seeing it come to life.

“Marketers who embrace new technologies and nurture young talent can drive real growth for businesses and help the UK reclaim its creative edge. We’re excited to unveil those marketers making meaningful connections and positive impacts, both commercially and culturally. This year, we’re eager to see fresh ideas and celebrate the remarkable achievements within our industry."

Marketing Week is again seeking to celebrate marketers who have connected with colleagues and customers to deliver impact for their brand, through our sixth annual Top 100 list, sponsored by Digitas.

18/06/2024

What Are the Four Eras in the History of Marketing?
https://www.reference.com/business-finance/four-eras-history-marketing

The notion of different eras of marketing was first introduced by Robert Keith in his article “The Marketing Revolution” published in the Journal of Marketing in 1960. He examined the marketing practices of the Pillsbury Corporation between 1869 and 1960. The four different eras correspond to the evolution of the marketplace.

The production era, up to the 1930s, is characterized by an abundance of raw materials and new mechanical processes that fueled an investment into mass production. Many companies concentrated on producing one single item. Marketing efforts generally consisted of informational brochures and catalogs.

In the sales era, which ran from the 1930s to the 1950s, companies began to get more aggressive in their search for a competitive edge. Sales campaigns were devised to persuade customers or the advantages of the specific product over others. The customer’s wants and needs became important and distribution networks were developed.

Brand marketing emerged during the marketing era, which was the 1950s to the 1960s. In marketing departments, the brand manager emerged as the individual responsible for all marketing activities associated with a brand, and competition increased.

The period from 1960 until the present has involved an increased focus on the customer, such as identifying needs, wants and buying behaviors. In the 1980s, what is known as “relationship marketing” became common marketing practice.

The four eras in the history of marketing are known as the production era, sales era, marketing era and marketing control, or relationship, era. Some analyses only include the first three of these.