For decades, the marketing funnel has been a reassuringly linear concept. A potential customer could be warmed up from awareness and interest to desire and ultimately, action.
Brands built entire strategies around this methodical customer journey. They strategised, they planned, and they executed with a certain level of predictable control. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but that level of control is now an illusion. It’s the wild wild west out there now, so grab your best Stetson hat, ask Alexa to play Cowboy Carter on Spotify and saddle up.
In its place is the chaotic and lightning-fast world of TikTok, a platform that has not just reshaped the marketing funnel but blasted it so far into space it may as well be a pop star hoping to cling on to their relevancy. For Gen Z, the path to purchase is no longer a straight line; it’s a constant feedback loop of discovery, desire, and social proof all powered by 15-second videos and trending audio. For hospitality, understanding this new ecosystem isn’t just an option, it’s imperative for survival.
The Collapse of the Linear Journey
The fundamental flaw in applying the traditional funnel to this new landscape is its assumption of a passive audience waiting to be told where to go. I hate to say anything negative about Millenials (no I don’t, your generation is responsible for some of the worst crimes against culture; geek chic, side partings and the use of the word ‘adulting’ – these are just a few, my list is comprehensive and can be published upon request) but with the digital landscape booming at key moments in your adolescence, brands acted as cultural lighthouses telling you what to wear and where to go. Gen Z, however, are not passive consumers; they are active and curate their own digital and real-world experiences. I know how w*nky that sounds but hear me out for a sec; we aren’t looking for glossy ads and food styling, we want authenticity and we’ll search high and low to find it.
A slick, heavily produced, promotional video may garner polite interest but, a raw, unpolished clip of a guest capturing the specific ‘vibe’ of a hotel (the way the morning light hits the balcony, the aesthetic coffee art, the soundtrack of the lobby) can generate an intense, immediate desire that bypasses the entire consideration phase. Why? It’s authentic – and authenticity is your new currency. When done correctly it becomes a powerful blend of virality and velocity that the old model simply cannot account for.
Actionable Strategies.
Navigating this requires a radical shift in mindset, moving from broadcasting a controlled message to facilitating moments of discovery.
1. Embrace the creator economy as your new creative department
The power has shifted from brands to individuals. The pull of a partnership with a huge travel influencer is hard to resist but I would strongly encourage you to start looking at micro-influencers. With a following typically between 10,000 and 100,000, the power of these creators comes from their highly-engaged audiences, often built around a specific niche or aesthetic. Their audiences would view their endorsement as more of a genuine recommendation from a trusted friend, than a paid ad. The key to this partnership is to hand creative freedom over to them to capture – they know their audience, you want their audience so let them be your wingman.
2. Engineer spontaneity
When a user sees a TikTok and thinks, ‘I have to go there now’ the window of opportunity is minuscule. Any friction in the booking process will shatter the impulse. Is your booking engine mobile-first and seamless? Can a user click from a creator’s ‘link in bio’ and book a stay in under two minutes? Consider creating specific, time-sensitive offers for TikTok users to capitalise on viral moments. The goal is to make acting on an impulse as effortless as the scroll that sparked it.
3. Join the conversation authentically
The most successful brands on TikTok ditch the strict brand guidelines and let loose, becoming more like active participants in the culture. This means staying up to date with trending sounds, video formats and challenges but finding clever, on-brand ways to join in. It’s not about a forced dance challenge; it’s about using a trending audio clip to showcase your bartender mixing a signature cocktail or using a popular format to give a mini-tour of your most unique suite. It signals that you are not just aware of the culture; you are a part of it.
The enduring promise of an offline experience
Ultimately, the goal is not just to get the booking; it is to deliver on the promise that the TikTok clip made. As we’ve explored before, offline is the new luxury. The digitally-driven desire that you’ve created must culminate in a tangible, unforgettable real-world experience.
TikTok may be the new storefront, travel agent and word-of-mouth, all rolled into one but the magic it sells must be waiting for the guest when they put down their phone and walk through your door. The brands that will thrive in this new era are those that understand how to master this paradox: using the most fleeting of digital moments to sell the most enduring of real-world memories.
Features that enhance user experience and website functionality. Features that are accessible, easy to use and make managing a site less of a hassle.
And right now, artificial intelligence is undoubtedly the game-changing technology shaking up the digital world.
So how is Drupal keeping pace with the rise of AI?
Drupal was introduced to the world as an open-source content management system (CMS) in 2009 but has now evolved into the central component of a digital experience platform (DXP). A DXP is a software platform that includes a range of tools to support the management, delivery and optimisation of digital experiences.
While a traditional CMS platform focuses on managing content, primarily for websites, a DXP goes beyond website content and is capable of much more, such as data management, customer journey and digital touchpoint tracking, and personalisation and automation.
Drupal consists of a core website hosting platform, with multiple modules that can be added as an extension to its functionality. Modules that are increasingly appealing and relevant to digital designers, including the team at Proctors, are AI modules that can be installed and configured to add value to a site straight away. As AI has transformed the digital space, these are tools that offer many advantages for website hosting and marketing automation.
So, let’s take a look at some of the potential use cases for Drupal’s AI integrations.
Drupal’s AI capabilities include the integration of Large Language Modules (LLMs) which can be used to analyse data, generate content and even assist with image creation. An LLM is a type of artificial intelligence that uses deep data processing to understand and generate human language. These AI modules can be accessed via Drupal’s user interfaces or integrated into the code of the site, meaning content editors and developers alike can use them.
Below are some examples of Artificial Intelligence modules that can be added to your Drupal core platform and utilised as extensions to your team:
1) AI Assistants API + Chatbot modules provide a way for all users, including the creators, of the site to interact with a chatbot. This functionality can either be specific modules or integrations with third-party tools such as OpenAI or ChatGPT. The AI API module allows developers and content creators to generate content quickly, translate content into multiple languages and change existing content to match desired tones. On the other hand, chatbot integrations can be used as a 24/7 virtual assistant, allowing users to receive personalised and accurate responses to queries. Chatbots have proven to be a highly valuable tool for improving user experience, with around 55% of companies who use chatbots for marketing experiencing a rise in high quality leads.
2) AI Search module enables content of a Drupal website to be indexed and allows for more relevant and accurate search functionality. Search can be combined with the chatbot functionality, allowing users to search the site via a chat interaction. The search module is highly beneficial for large enterprises, such as banks, consulting firms and software companies, who have large amounts of internal documentation and resources that need to be easily searchable. This tool can also offer search insights that track what users are looking for to improve content strategy and UX.
3) AI CKeditor module is a specific text editing module that can fix your spelling, summarise your content and adjust your tone of voice. This function involves simply adding a button to any What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) text field to create content via an LLM and change the tone. It’s a great tool for non-technical users or editors as it gives the flexibility to rapidly adjust and manage content as and when it’s needed.
4) With AI Translate, pages can be translated with one click, cutting down the time and expense it takes to hire someone to manually translate content on a site with a lot of pages. This tool is particularly useful for organisations who are running websites in multiple languages – reducing translation costs and maintaining consistency across tone and terminology.
As the use of AI is becoming the norm online, it’s clear that Drupal has embraced artificial intelligence through its latest modules, showcasing the platform’s commitment to integrating AI capabilities and leveraging its functionality. These advancements demonstrate the powerful possibilities AI brings to web development.
For our clients, this means faster project turnaround, more personalised experiences and smarter automation.
At Proctors, we’re continuing to develop our skills and expertise across AI technologies including across Drupal modules. By leveraging AI, your existing Drupal site can deliver more relevant content, tailored tone and language, and an improved search experience – all with minimal effort.
If you’d like to explore how our team of Drupal experts can help you leverage Drupal’s platform and powerful functionalities, get in touch with us at marketing@proctorsgroup.com.
Top tips for influencer marketing in hospitality, from an agency that’s been doing it for 11 years…
I want to begin this blog post by saying I don’t consider myself a philosopher, to any standard. The other day I came across a TikTok video where a woman referred to a Diet Coke as a ‘refrigerated cigarette’ – that’s philosophy.
I do, however, consider myself to be a ponderer, and today I’m pondering a topic so complex I feel I’m going to need a refrigerated cigarette to get through it; if a customer has a great experience at your venue, but no content is created, did it even happen?
For the modern restaurant, bar, and cafe owner or manager, the answer is a resounding (and perhaps unsettling), ‘no’. An experience that is not documented, shared, and amplified online holds just a fraction of its potential value. This is the reality of the creator landscape, a picturesque and somewhat confusing labyrinth where social influence has superseded traditional advertising – and where your next customer’s decision on where to eat or drink is being shaped. Not by a magazine review alone, but by a 15-second video they saw from a digital creator they trust.
Influencer marketing has come a long way on its journey, from a tiny, weird-looking caterpillar being rejected by corporate marketing departments and traditional press into a, well, still weird-looking yet more accepted butterfly that should be a central pillar of any serious marketing strategy. As the field has emerged from its cocoon, its complexities have deepened. Navigating it successfully requires more than a complimentary meal; it demands strategy, respect, and a nuanced understanding of a new set of rules. Here are some do’s and don’ts for hospitality influencer marketing in 2025.
Do: Prioritise long-term partnerships over one-off posts. The most impactful collaborations are born from genuine advocacy. A single, transactional post may generate a temporary spike in visibility, perhaps some new followers, but it does little to build enduring brand trust. In 2025, your focus must be on identifying creators who genuinely align with your brand’s ethos and cultivating relationships with them with the view of positioning them as long-term ambassadors. An ongoing partnership allows for a deeper, more authentic narrative to unfold, transforming a creator from a hired megaphone into a trusted voice for your brand.
Do: Champion creative freedom. You are not commissioning a food photographer, you are collaborating with a storyteller. The primary value of an influencer lies in the unique perspective and authentic connection they have with their audience. Handing over a rigid, overly prescriptive brief is the fastest way to strip the content of the authenticity that all invested parties want. Instead, provide a clear outline of the focal point, perhaps a new menu item or a weekend event, and arm them with all the knowledge they may need but trust the creator to translate them into their native language.
Do: Look beyond the follower count. Follower counts may just be the fool’s gold of influencer marketing. A seven-figure follower count means little if the audience is unengaged or entirely misaligned with your target demographic. Instead, look at the metrics that matter. Focus your magnifying glass on engagement rates, audience demographics and the quality of the conversation happening in the comments. A local micro-influencer with 5,000 highly-engaged foodies in Bristol is infinitely more valuable than a macro-influencer with a few hundred-thousand passive observers globally.
The Don’ts: Avoiding common pitfalls…
Don’t: Mistake a creator for a production house. While many creators are multi-talented, their core skill is building and engaging a unique community, not necessarily producing campaign-level creative assets. If your goal is to acquire high-resolution images of your dishes for your own menu or website, I would suggest looking into food photographers.
Don’t: Offer ‘exposure’ as sole compensation. Would you allow a customer to pay for a meal with the promise of telling everyone in the office how good it was? No? So you agree exposure isn’t a viable form of payment. Content creation is a skilled labour that involves significant time, effort and investment in equipment and software. While a complimentary experience is a valuable part of the package, professional creators rightly expect to be compensated for their work. Offering fair payment shows respect for their craft and positions your brand as a serious, professional partner.
Don’t: Let the performance data disappear. A campaign does not end when the content goes live. To understand the true return on investment, you must track performance with rigour. Go beyond likes and comments. Use unique promotional codes for a discount, trackable links to your reservations platform and ask customers how they heard about you. Analyse the long-tail impact on brand awareness and footfall over the following weeks and months.
In 2025, influencer marketing is no longer a simple transaction; it is a collaboration between two storytellers. Success requires a strategic shift away from venues having complete creative control and towards partnership, transparency and mutual respect. Because in the end, content is not just the proof that an experience happened, it is an integral part of the experience itself, the digital memory that sparks desire and inspires the next customer to walk through your door.
saintnicks has been shortlisted for four awards at the UK Social Media Awards 2025, recognising the agency’s standout work in user-generated content, integrated campaigns, long-term strategy and team excellence.
Best Use of UGC – POSCA
Best Integrated Social Campaign – Ascot Racecourse
Best Long-Term Strategic Use of Social Media – Ascot Racecourse
Best In-Agency Team – saintnicks
The UK Social Media Awards celebrate the very best in creativity, innovation and impact across social platforms. From the vibrant, creator-fuelled world of POSCA to diversification of Royal Ascot’s audience and fan engagement, saintnicks’ work continues to blend bold thinking with measurable success.
Callum Joynes, Head of Content at saintnicks, said:
“Social media is one of the most powerful ways to build meaningful brand experiences, and these nominations are a fantastic recognition of the agency’s creativity, commitment, and real-world strategic capability. We’re incredibly proud to be shortlisted across such a broad mix of categories.”
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saintnicks is a leading independent brand agency. We partner with ambitious brands to drive commercial growth, through standout strategy, campaigns, digital experiences, and social media. An agile, highly experienced team of specialists, combining top-tier strategic and creative talent from global agencies and client-side brands. We take brands further.
Do you create TV programmes? Or TV adverts?
We are creating the interactive TV set. Personalising the content inside the TV set while it is being watched.
Imagine – your dog in the dog food advert?
Swiping though paint colours and interior trim options while watching a car advert?
See how many Ketchup bottles you can stack during a 10 second advert !!!
The world of TV is changing again. We are the people changing it, creating the tech for interactive TV. We are looking for partners in advertising and content creation to help us define the product.
info@redsquid.tv
From January 2026, new UK advertising restrictions will land with a heavy thud on anyone promoting foods high in fat, salt or sugar – aka, HFSS products. If you’re in grocery or hospitality, you’ve probably seen the headlines and felt that familiar flash of worry: is this going to ruin our marketing strategy?
So let’s break it all down. Yes, the rules are changing. But no, it doesn’t mean the end of your creativity (or your sales). In fact, it’s a chance to sharpen your brand, strengthen your storytelling, and rethink how you connect with guests both online and off.
The government is rolling out a new set of advertising rules that aim to reduce children’s exposure to high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods. It’s part of a wider public health push and it’s been on the cards for a while.
From January 2026, you won’t be able to run paid online ads for HFSS products (on Meta, TikTok, Google etc.).
You also won’t be able to advertise HFSS products on TV before 9pm.
This includes sponsored content, influencer posts, search ads and display banners.
Small and medium businesses (fewer than 250 employees) are exempt from the online ban but still affected by the TV restrictions.
The rules apply to foods in 13 specific categories – think burgers, pizzas, fried chicken, crisps, cakes and sugary drinks. If it’s indulgent then it’s probably on the list.
If you’re a restaurant group, bar brand, food truck or fast-casual operator, these changes matter. Especially if your menu leans toward the comfort-food end of the spectrum.
Here’s what to consider:
Bristol-made podcast, High Notes, returns on Monday 30th June, as it continues conversations around the art and business of voice, featuring the voice actors, directors and creatives who make it all happen.
Host Melissa Thom brings insightful conversations, illuminating perspectives and plenty of behind the scenes moments from the worlds of gaming and animation.
With six new episodes dropping every week, each lasting around thirty minutes, the podcast shines a light on the world of voice acting, for anyone who is already working in, hoping to break into, or simply fascinated by the business. The new series features professionals working in high level casting, voice acting and directing across AAA games.
Melissa Thom is an acclaimed voice actor with decades of experience voicing projects including Grand Theft Auto V for Rockstar Games, Elder Scrolls for Zenimax, LL COOL J, Google, Amazon, Nike and many more.
Melissa is also the Founder and CEO of BRAVA, and has trained thousands of people in voice from the UK and beyond – from rappers and reverends to ad creatives and countesses.
The first episode of the new season kicks off with a conversation with Kate Hansen-Birnbaum, Casting Director at Pixar, whose credits include animated films including Inside Out 2, Soul, Elemental and Luca.
Kate shares her unconventional path into casting, which began at a San Francisco talent agency under the mentorship of seasoned actors. She offers a rare look inside Pixar’s intricate casting process, highlighting the value placed on authenticity, natural vocal tone and the ability to truly inspire the animation team. The conversation touches on Pixar’s commitment to diverse and inclusive casting, including their practice of anonymised auditions to help reduce unconscious bias.
The full line up of episodes and release dates are as follows:
30/06/2025 – The Magic of Pixar: Voice Casting with Kate Hansen-Birnbaum
Kate brings memorable stories from her career – particularly the joy of working on Elemental – and shares thoughtful advice for aspiring voice actors.
07/07/2025 – Vocal Shapeshifting: Acting for Video Games with Andrew Whieldon Dennis
Andrew reflects on his expansive career as a voice actor in the videogame industry, from indie projects to AAA blockbusters.
14/07/2025 – Inside Aardman: Bringing Clay to Life – Characters, Voice & Performance with Merlin Crossingham, Creative Director for Wallace and Gromit at Aardman Animations
Merlin shares some surprising stories from his childhood that led him onto a very specific career path in animation, as well as thoughts on the timeless appeal of Wallace and Gromit.
21/07/2025 – Casting for Mocap, Games & Animation with Jessica Jefferies
Melissa sits down with Jessica Jefferies, a casting director who specialises in motion and performance capture for video games.
28/07/2025 – Directing Performance for Epic Games with Tom Keegan
Melissa talks to Tom Keegan, an acclaimed performance director behind major AAA titles such as Jedi: Fallen Order, Wolfenstein, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and more.
04/08/2025 – Bob Bergen: The voice behind Star Wars, Spirited Away and Looney Tunes
Melissa is joined by five-time Emmy-nominated voice actor Bob Bergen, best known as the voice of Porky Pig – a role he’s brought to life for over 30 years.
Melissa Thom, High Notes’ host, said: “This season we’ll be lifting the curtain to reveal the reality of working within gaming and animation. Some key players in the business have shared their perspectives and experience to help the next generation of voice acting talent to break through. The voice acting world can seem like a mysterious closed shop, but the aim of High Notes is to demystify and remove barriers for those who would love to know more about this fascinating business.”
High Notes can be found at www.brava.uk.com/podcast and on all major podcast platforms.
Season 3 will be released later in 2025 and will focus on BRAVA Business and its corporate offering – how professionals can use their voice for impactful communication in the workplace and beyond.
We had digital TV in the 2000s, Smart-TV in the 2010s. For 2030 we will have AI-TV.
RedSquid team members drove the worlds Smart-TV evolution. Now the same people are leading AI TV revolution!
We are engineers. We understand TV electronics, Silicon Chips and software.
We are looking for partners who understand and create content and advertising. Especially companies who do product placement promotion inside movies.
If this sounds like your company then please email us on info@redsquid.tv
Walking through the halls of SXSW London this year, I couldn’t help but reflect on how dramatically the conversation has shifted since my last visit to the festival’s original Austin home in 2019. Back then, I was there with Funnel Music, the company I co-founded, and the industry was consumed with one word: copyright. Panel after panel dissected rights management, streaming royalties, and the complex web of music ownership in the digital age.
But here’s what struck me most about 2019 – while the conference rooms buzzed with legal debates, the real magic was happening in the venues. Acts like Fontaines D.C., Black Midi, and Squid were tearing up stages, creating sounds that felt genuinely revolutionary. These artists weren’t just following algorithms or trends; they were forging entirely new paths through raw creativity and human intuition.
Fast forward to SXSW London 2024, and the pendulum has swung dramatically. The dominant theme wasn’t copyright – it was AI. Every other session seemed to explore how artificial intelligence would reshape content creation, marketing strategies, and audience engagement. The enthusiasm was palpable, and admittedly, some of the possibilities are genuinely exciting.
Yet something felt missing. Where 2019 had those breakthrough musical moments that made you stop in your tracks, this year’s festival felt notably light on those serendipitous discoveries. Perhaps it’s coincidence, or perhaps there’s something deeper at play about how we’re approaching creativity in the age of AI.
The Homogenisation Risk
This shift from copyright concerns to AI fascination has me thinking deeply about our industry. As Director of Growth at Mostly Media – a top 50 independent media planning and buying company – I spend my days hearing our team’s strategies that cut through the noise to reach the right audiences with the right message at the right moment.
The promise of AI in media planning is undeniable. It can process vast datasets, identify patterns human analysts might miss, and optimise campaigns with impressive precision. But here’s the critical question we need to ask: if everyone has access to the same AI tools, analysing the same data pools, and following the same algorithmic recommendations, where does differentiation come from?
We’re at risk of creating an echo chamber of strategy. When every media planner is using similar AI models trained on similar datasets, we inevitably converge toward similar solutions. The nuanced understanding of brand voice, the intuitive grasp of cultural moments, the ability to spot emerging trends before they’re reflected in the data – these uniquely human capabilities become our competitive advantage.
The Human Edge in Media Planning
The best media planning has always been part science, part art. Yes, we need the data, the analytics, the performance metrics. But we also need the human insight that recognises when a TikTok trend is about to break mainstream or understands that a particular audience segment responds to authenticity over polish – or spots the cultural moment that makes a brand message resonate.
At Mostly Media, we’re embracing AI as a powerful tool, not a replacement for strategic thinking. We use it to surface insights, automate routine tasks, and optimise performance. But our value lies in the interpretation, the creative application, and the strategic direction that only comes from human experience and intuition.
Learning from the Music Industry
The contrast between those 2019 SXSW breakthrough acts and this year’s more muted musical landscape offers a valuable lesson. Fontaines D.C., Black Midi, and Squid didn’t emerge from algorithmic recommendations – they came from scenes, from human connections, from the kind of organic cultural movements that happen when creative people push boundaries without knowing exactly where they’re going.
Similarly, the most effective media strategies often come from understanding the human stories behind the data. It’s about recognising that behind every click, view, and engagement is a person with complex motivations, cultural context, and emotional needs that can’t be fully captured in a dataset.
Moving Forward
As we navigate this AI-powered future, the key is balance. We should absolutely leverage these powerful tools to enhance our capabilities and deliver better results for our clients – and in truth, we’re on an AI train which is not for turning. But we must resist the temptation to let AI think for us entirely.
The future belongs to those who can combine AI’s analytical power with human creativity, cultural insight, and strategic intuition. Those who can use technology to amplify their uniquely human abilities rather than replace them.
Just as those breakthrough artists at SXSW 2019 didn’t follow formulas but created something genuinely new, the most successful media strategies will come from planners who use AI as a springboard for innovation, not a crutch for conformity.
The question isn’t whether AI will transform our industry – it already is. The question is whether we’ll use it to become more human in our approach, or less.
But this isn’t a cautionary tale about machines taking over. It’s about what happens when human expertise and intuition meet cutting-edge technology. It’s about unlocking new possibilities. It’s about creating deeper, more meaningful connections between brands and the people they exist for.
At Proctor + Stevenson, we believe great marketing has always been human at heart. Emotional. Empathetic. Powered by creativity, insight and experience. And with AI, we now have tools that can make those human qualities even more powerful – helping us understand audiences more deeply, respond more personally and connect more meaningfully, at scale.
We see AI not as a replacement, but as a willing partner. When used intelligently, it enables us to do what we do best – and hopefully better.
Audiences today expect relevance. They want to be seen, understood and spoken to like individuals. In B2B as much as B2C, they crave experiences that feel personal, rather than generic. But here’s the challenge: how do you do that at scale?
This is where AI really shines.
We’re using smart platforms and tools that help us go beyond broad segmentation to deliver hyper-personalised experiences in real time. Crucially, they give us more time to focus on what really matters: crafting the campaigns, content and experiences that make those connections memorable.
Here are just a few of the ways we’re exploring a combination of AI and imagination:
These tools don’t just streamline workflows: they unlock creative opportunities. They help brands be more responsive, more relevant and more remarkable.
AI doesn’t just help us understand what’s happened. It can also predict what’s coming next.
Thanks to predictive analytics, we can now anticipate the needs of your customers – sometimes before they even know them themselves. It means better lead prioritisation. Smarter targeting. And more timely, relevant campaigns that reach people when they’re most ready to act.
Here’s how we can do just that:
At Proctors, we’re constantly experimenting with these tools, combining them in ways that bring out the best in your brand and deliver real business impact.
Let’s be clear – AI is amazing. But it’s not the headline act. You are. Your brand. Your story. Your voice. AI is just here to help amplify it, to help you move faster, personalise more deeply and connect more powerfully.
When human insight meets machine intelligence, the results can be extraordinary.
More creativity, not less. More connection, not distance. More time to focus on the things machines can’t do – like telling compelling stories, understanding complex emotions and building lasting trust.
We’re not just using AI to save time. We’re using it to make space for better ideas.
If you’re curious about how AI can help your brand be more personal, more agile and more effective – without ever losing its human heart – we’d love to talk.
At Proctor + Stevenson, we believe the future of marketing is collaborative, creative and joyfully human. With the right tools, it’s a future we can build together.
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