From Midjourney to ChatGPT, AI tools are flooding the internet with exciting possibilities, imaginative new imagery and many a meme – from the inspiring and amusing to the downright gruesome.
Possibly the most accessible and widely tested AI tool yet, ChatGPT has got many marketers thinking about the power of this emerging technology. But AI advancement doesn’t come without its critics and controversies – often generating more questions than answers.
So how can marketers make the most of this powerful technology? And should we approach with caution? UX and UI designer Dan Marek explores.
View image in blog here.
Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT feels like absolute wizardry to use.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm recently, with one of the leading players being the natural language processing (NLP) model known as ChatGPT. In just two months, it set a new record for the fastest-growing user base ever to reach 100 million users.
Tools like ChatGPT have already begun transforming our lives. You can’t go more than five minutes without seeing a news article about it, or stumbling upon AI-generated imagery (albeit mostly more disturbing and amusing than beautiful). But make no mistake, this is the very beginning of a fast-moving revolution. So how can businesses make the most of this opportunity?
This article examines how businesses may leverage AI to solve problems more efficiently and gain a profitable advantage. We’ll also look at some of the limitations of AI tools like ChatGPT, so you can avoid making costly mistakes and stay ahead of the competition.
The AI opportunity for businesses
Imagine generating top-notch product descriptions, social media posts, and even entire search-optimised articles in a matter of minutes. How about 3000% returns on ad spend, automatic meeting notes and summaries, or asking AI to generate spreadsheet formulas? It may not all be possible yet – and it certainly won’t replace your copywriting and UX experts in the near future. But there’s certainly a big opportunity here.
“…It may not all be possible yet – and it certainly won’t replace your copywriting and UX experts in the near future. But there’s certainly a big opportunity here…”
With ChatGPT, businesses can streamline their processes, freeing up time and resources to focus on other areas of operations. It might sound cliché, but the opportunities for companies to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT in 2023 are endless.
Top 10 business use cases for AI tools in 2023
The limitations ofAI
Hold on a minute – does this mean we’re ready to replace humans with AI? Not yet. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT are not a quid pro quo for genuine creativity and expertise. For now, it’s far more likely that you’ll be replaced by a human using AI rather than the tools themselves.
Think of ChatGPT as the Iron Man suit to your marketing team’s Tony Stark. Iron Man enhances Tony’s abilities, and ChatGPT can enhance your team’s capabilities. But just as Tony still relies on his human expertise and creativity to save the world, your marketing team should continue to rely on their own skills to resonate with the right audiences and create truly effective campaigns.
Garbage in = garbage out
The capabilities of these tools are quite difficult to comprehend as they are only really limited by our potential to ask the right questions.
“…the emergence of “prompt engineers” indicates the importance of creating the right prompts to unlock the full potential of AI tools…”
Just like calculators, they can only provide the correct answer with the right input, called prompts. The emergence of “prompt engineers” indicates the importance of creating the right prompts to unlock the full potential of AI tools.
Bias
AI tools present real risks of biases, such as generating discriminatory content and spreading misinformation. As responsible users of these tools, we must be aware of this and be sure to evaluate any responses provided. The CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, recently acknowledged inherent bias in the tool and assured users that they’re working to improve the default settings to be more neutral.
Plagiarism, relevancy, and factual inaccuracy
AI tools pose a risk of plagiarism and factual inaccuracy. An astronomer recently called out Google’s AI chatbot Bard for making a factual error in its demo. But everyday users may not realise that the output generated by the tool is not original, leading to unintentional plagiarism. You can take measures to avoid this, for example, by including a request for sources of any facts and figures as part of your prompt.
“…everyday users may not realise that the output generated by the tool is not original, leading to unintentional plagiarism…”
The relevancy of information can also be brought into question. While writing this, ChatGPT has only been trained on data from September 2021.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) impact
Google’s guidelines favour genuine, relevant, and reliable content. AI-generated content may struggle to meet these guidelines. This means that sole reliance on AI-generated content might negatively impact your website’s ranking on Google.
Ethical considerations
Using AI tools raises ethical concerns around data privacy, bias, and deception. These tools collect vast data through web scraping – sometimes without explicit consent. So regulations and policies must be implemented to ensure AI tools are used ethically and responsibly.
The future of AI tools
It’s worth remembering that AI tools are an emerging technology, so there are plenty of limitations to consider. But by using them as a starting point to generate ideas and assist workflows, businesses can largely mitigate these drawbacks.
AI is not the enemy. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. As AI technology continues to advance, it’s becoming increasingly clear that tools like ChatGPT will play a crucial role in the future of business, with those early movers able to leverage an unfair advantage over their competitors.
Oh, and if you’re curious whether I used ChatGPT to help me write this…
View image in blog here.
Video and animation will always be at the heart of Proctors Motion Department. And that’s why we’ve been hard at work continually refining our general expertise. But, over the past year we’ve also expanded our offering, to deliver interactive 3D experiences too.
watch the interactive model video here.
Overview
Panasonic challenged us to visualise how their extensive portfolio of hardware and software could be combined to create highly-specialised, complete, and integrated solutions.
So we proposed an interactive piece (making use of Babylon.js) that allowed users to explore sectors and areas for themselves – rather than a typical static image that acts as a clickable menu.
This all sat in an angular app, offering up relevant information in the form of whitepapers, product links, tech specs, video and imagery.
We developed a solid workflow that allowed us to: quickly design scenes for sign off; optimise geometry by hand and using AI tools (so the 3D rooms downloaded quickly without putting pressure on end users’ devices); create libraries of Babyblon.js code that could efficiently be repurposed for building out interactivity and the look; deliver a front end where content could be loaded in a simple JSON file, rather than buried away in complex code.
View gif in blog here.
Three dioramas for two sectors – manufacturing and education
Explore Panasonic Connect’s solutions in the Manufacturing sector.
Explore Panasonic Connect’s solutions in the Education sector.
With an average dwell time of 5 minutes for education and nearly 3.30 for manufacturing, our interactive models have proven to be a great way of grabbing (and keeping!) potential customers’ attention.
Watch the TOUGHBOOK 40 here.
Delivering a high-octane, high-end product shoot… without the high costs
Panasonic and Proctors go back a very long way, so when the time came to launch their latest flagship device, the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK 40, they knew who to call.
We crafted a concept based around a fast-paced edit of the conditions a truly rugged laptop needs to stand up to. The final film was a mix of 3D, shot footage and visual effects (VFX), recreating the demanding environments where TOUGHBOOK is most at home.
The project could easily have become a very costly multi-location shoot. But we made use of minimal locations, lots of 3D expertise and some heavy post-production work to deliver even more, for a fraction of the time, cost… and carbon.
We demonstrated the TOUGHBOOK 40’s unique features – what sets it apart from the competition – wrapped up in a tight action-packed film.
View the gif in the blog here.
One launch film
Four teasers
All part of a suite of marketing materials.
Watch the TOUGHBOOK 40 video here.
Having worked on the numerous Panasonic product launches, Proctors has become the go-to-agency for new TOUGHBOOK launch films and collateral.
Watch the CSR journey video here.
Fun animation and stop-motion…for good
2022 saw the launch of the first series in ‘P+S Unlocked’ – a new major initiative, designed to help audiences to tap into their full marketing potential with our latest insights, strategies and thought leadership content.
Series 1 took on Corporate Social Responsibility, specifically, how to communicate your progress and demonstrate your accountability.
We riffed on a Terry Gilliam style of animation, using a stop-motion collage approach to demystify explainers, illustrate some easy to implement CSR tips and generally add some humour and fun.
The P+S Motion Department went on a whistle-stop tour of Bristol to see our friends at Calibro and Burges Salmon to find out what CSR meant to them and document their progress in becoming the best citizens they can be.
Read about how businesses can make sure their CSR claims are honest and authentic.
Three videos
A host of ads, gifs and lotties (think responsive vector images that move)
An interactive online model of our offices, highlighting some of our own CSR initiatives.
Watch the sustainability marketing video here.
Lots of shares, new business enquiries and email signups. Now, time to start preparing Series 2 – Branding marketing.
Watch the Thrio brand video here.
Creating a toolkit that allows the client to produce their own slick videos
Meet Thrio. From voice to chat to email, bots and beyond, Thrio’s cloud-based, AI-powered tech helps take the customer experience to a whole new level.
This film was the brand’s first foray into the world of motion design, and we wanted to showcase it simply but powerfully – conveying how Thrio’s offering enables seamless interaction using a calm and collected visual style, communicating clarity in a noisy market.
We developed a graceful motion language to complement their new brand. We conveyed a sense of measured confidence, showing how Thrio’s all-under-one-roof solution simplifies the complex by avoiding the use of multiple vendors. This was elevated with delicate sound design, adding timbre to Thrio’s message in a confident but considered voice.
But this wasn’t their only step into the world of motion. Using the style of the brand film as a guide, we’ve since worked on multiple video projects with Thrio, including a video toolkit – a cost-effective tool that allows the client to produce their own slick branded and social media videos.
Brand film
Video toolkit
LinkedIn adverts
Website
ABM campaigns
Watch the Thrio LinkedIn ads video here.
The full campaign received:
5+ million impressions
300+ thousand clicks
85% website acquisition from paid media
196+ thousand new users on the website
231+ thousand website sessions
Watch the Trelleborg Capital Markets Day video here.
Illustrating highly technical processes… without overcomplicating them
Trelleborg is an engineering company specialising in polymer solutions that seal, damp and protect. From smart anti-slip mattress covers to trenchless pipe lining, it was our job to create several animations, displaying how various Trelleborg engineering solutions work – all in time for their annual Capital Markets Day.
Trelleborg’s products are often hidden within industrial equipment and machinery, so we needed to deconstruct them to showcase each in action.
Because these animations were to be presented at an event, it was vital to ensure the design and animation was effective and easy to follow. It was a great opportunity to explain and illustrate highly technical processes without overcomplicating them, with clear supporting copy.
Five technical animations
The project began with two animations to cover a couple of products, Trelleborg were so happy with the results that the final project was extended to five.
…And that’s just the beginning.
Our team of videographers, animators, motion designers and scriptwriters have been making award-winning, show-stopping video for decades.
We believe each of our clients has something really important to say – from tech behemoths and multi-national market leaders, right down to local, grassroots charities. Whatever story you want to tell, we’ll help you share it with the world. Talk to Proctors today.
At the end of last year, Open AI released ChatGPT, a first-of-its-kind machine learning chatbot. The revolutionary chatbot experienced explosive growth, reaching 1 million users in just 5 days.
In January we posted our blog “How ChatGPT will impact search marketing”, here we explored some possible use cases for ChatGPT across the four core teams at Varn. We also wrote about some of the potential limitations of the technology. Over a month on, we have now had some time to experience using ChatGPT to aid in our SEO work.
As a team at Varn, we have identified three key use cases where we have seen the most value in using ChatGPT.
No matter if you love Regular Expressions or are terrified of them, this tip will help all of you!
Regular Expressions (Regex) can expand the possibilities of important SEO tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog and more. For example, we recently wanted to filter out all the URLs in Screaming Frog so that only those containing a query string would display. This is exactly where we would want to reach for a regular expression.
However, with all the rules and complexities, writing Regex is very difficult. Even using documentation, writing a simple regex string can be incredibly time-consuming. This is where AI tools like chat GPT can come in extremely handy. Because AI has an understanding of what a user is asking, and can use this to write the Regex for us.
Here is an example chat log with chat GPT:
As you can see, we simply asked the chatbot (in plain English) how we would like to sort our URLs. Within seconds it gave us the working regex code, along with a handy description of how it works. By copying and pasting this regex into the Screaming Frog filter, we were able to sort URLs so that only those containing query strings were showing.
The true power of this feature comes from its flexibility. As SEO professionals, we could easily be presented with any number of pages or queries that we may need to filter down. But with the analytical abilities of AI, we can convert any written command into a working regular expression in seconds.
This use case has improved the way we use Regex at Varn, but it does come with limitations. ChatGPT will always try to do the best job with the prompt you have provided, but it will rarely ask for more information if it feels your query is inadequate. This means that when writing your prompts for ChatGPT you should always be as specific as possible, leaving no room for a different interpretation.
Additionally, you should be very careful to not just copy and paste this code if it’s being used for something important, like a client-facing Looker Studio filter. Instead, you should use a tool like regex101.com to test the regular expression against any unusual edge cases it may encounter.
One of the most challenging parts of writing SEO-friendly blogs is coming up with an engaging idea. But Chat GPT can help!
Chat GPT is extremely versatile, and it is also able to assist with more creative processes, as well as technical tasks such as writing Regex.
Blogs can be a great way to improve the Search Engine ranking of a site. They also provide value to visitors which helps to keep them engaged. However, we will often find ourselves racking our brains for a blog idea that is both engaging to a user and will also tick all the boxes for SEO.
Here is an example of where we have used Chat GPT to assist in the ideation of new blogs on the Varn website.
Here you can see that as a result of our request, we have been provided with a bulleted list of ideas for potential blogs on the Varn site. It is important to remember to give a very descriptive prompt for chat GPT – In this example, we found that we needed to specifically state that we wanted the answers in a bulleted list. Otherwise, we were presented with completed blogs, rather than blog ideas. We also provided a list of keywords that we could potentially use, but needed to make it clear that using these keywords was optional. Otherwise, GPT would just cram as many keywords as possible into each bullet point. This extreme level of specificity is vital if you want to unlock the true power of chat GPT.
There are a range of ideas in this list of potential blog posts (some of which are better than others), but overall this list could be a valuable resource when coming up with new blog topics. For example, the 8th blog in the list brings up an interesting idea about deciding when to reach for PPC or SEO for your web promotion. There are some ideas in this list that are too broad, or which lack a certain context, but overall there are many good prompts that you could use when creating a future post; They may just need some work to progress them into a workable blog title.
Writing Metadata and headings with SEO in mind can be time-consuming, but Chat GPT can help streamline this process.
In the previous section, we showed how we have been using chat GPT to assist in generating blog ideas. However, we can also use Chat GPT to create content for these blogs.
Here is an example of how you can generate metadata and headings using Chat GPT.
Once again within this section, we found it was very important to be hyper-specific with our prompts to Chat GPT, even going so far as to state the desired length of the metadata we wanted. The results are very interesting, the meta and headings are all well related to the blog topic we gave, and they do a good job of including keywords we might want to optimise for. In addition to this, the content reads well and tells a good story of what kind of content the rest of the blog might include.
Despite the fantastic quality of this AI-generated content, there are some problems. Firstly, the metadata actually exceeded the character limit we provided, this is because GPT cannot directly count the number of characters it is generating. For this reason, the character counts are often not what we asked for, even if it’s usually not off by much.
The biggest limitation preventing us from using Chat GPT to generate content like this is the risk of search engines picking up on our use of AI-generated content. Historically, Google has explicitly given guidance to avoid the use of “automatically generated content”, and this is what makes us so cautious about using AI-generated content on websites.
However, over the past year, Google has been slowly changing their guidance on AI content to appear more in favour of its use. Last month, the company properly clarified their stance on AI-generated content, essentially saying that it doesn’t matter how the content is produced, it will be judged based on the content’s quality. This suggests that AI content could be usable in SEO, provided it is user-friendly and meets the E-E-A-T guidelines set out by Google. Despite this statement by Google, we still tend to air on the side of caution and remember that AI-generated content is not perfect. It is also important to remember that as SEO experts, we have a fully formed understanding of the specifics and will be able to produce higher-quality content than a chat bot. For this reason, we tend to use AI generation as a tool to help inform our own content and will never copy and paste anything directly from Chat GPT.
So far chat GPT has had an extremely positive impact on our SEO work at Varn. It has allowed us to speed up some tedious technical tasks and allows us to put more time into other areas of our work. Even now, we still believe we could find other uses of the technology to better improve our workflow, and we are excited to explore these possibilities.
However, we also believe that it is best to think of Chat GPT as an (albeit very powerful) tool in our toolbox, not a superpower that will do all of our work for us. This means it is still important to have a good understanding of the task you are trying to accomplish, so that you can review the quality of the response and provide Chat GPT with accurate information and context.
‘Momento mori’ – Latin – a symbolic trope which acts as a reminder of the inevitability of death.
Death. Just thinking about it is uncomfortable, let alone using the word. Most of us actively avoid dwelling on it. But as marketers, we can’t shy away from difficult topics.
At Flourish, death is never far from our thoughts – and we’re okay with that. Comfortable, even. Because when we make people aware of their own mortality, we can spur them to do great things. To take actions that truly reflect who they are. Like updating their Will to include a gift to a charity.
The brilliant thing about legacy giving – meaning gifts in Wills – is it enables people to align themselves with your cause without spending anything right now. For many people, including a gift in their Will to a charity is a way of ensuring their beliefs are honoured when they’re no longer here. Whilst some people will donate a proportion of their estate, others will pledge a set amount. Others may never get round to updating their Will to reflect their wishes, which is why ‘always on’ legacy campaigns are so important.
For many of the larger charities, legacy gifts make up 1/3 of their total income. So whilst legacy gifts may not come to fruition as quickly as individual giving, they are still an extremely valuable source of income. Guaranteed income, nonetheless, which is essential for future proofing.
With an effective legacy programme, charities can capture the attention of supporters who recognise a gift in their Will as an extension of their values. Whilst we believe legacy programmes should be embedded in every charity fundraising strategy, there’s never been a better time to start prioritising gifts in Wills than right now.
In today’s financial climate, charity fundraising is becoming more difficult. The cost-of-living crisis has left household budgets stretched, and subsequently, individual giving has plummeted. But people’s values remain the same, and the desire to support causes close to their heart is still very much alive for supporters.
So knowing how to talk about legacies – and when – is crucial. It can be hard to talk about death in the first place, and even harder to talk about legacy giving without immediately mentioning gifts in Wills. Servicing enquirers with a useful information booklet and a user-friendly website are good places to start, but there’s much more to successful legacy fundraising than simply passing on information and hoping for the best. That’s where we come in.
Flourish have a long history of successful legacy marketing campaigns for charities. Over the years we’ve inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of people to support a cause they care about with a gift in their Will. How? By working with charities to develop messaging that resonates with their supporters. Producing assets, acquisition campaigns and supporter nurturing programmes. Ensuring charities maintain highly engaged relationships with prospective pledgers. All of this begins and ends with being mindful of death.
If you’re ready to futureproof your fundraising, get in touch with Business Development Manager Aimee Blakemore today at [email protected]. We understand that budgets are tight for charities at the moment, so we’re offering a free legacy comms review worth over £1000.
Do you know what “user experience” means? It’s a term that’s frequently used in the context of web design, and for many good reasons. A user’s first impression of your company can make or break their perception after they visit your website. The navigation of the website is another crucial component of the user experience. Learn more about the significance of navigation in web design and what to look for in a web design firm that prioritises strong navigation by reading on.
The term “navigation” describes how a user navigates a website. It has buttons, menus, and links that users may utilise to access the site’s various pages and functions. The navigation of a website functions essentially as a map for users.
As you will see in the reasons listed below, navigation should be given priority in web design:
The user experience is important when it comes to web design, as was already established. A professional web development company is aware that effective navigation enables people to quickly access the information they are looking for on a website. If a user is unable to find what they need on your website quickly and easily, they are likely to leave the site and never return to it. On the other hand, users are more likely to interact with the website and perhaps even make a purchase when they encounter smart, user-friendly navigation.
While selecting a web development agency in the UK, search engine optimisation (SEO), which is the process of optimising a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), should always be given top consideration. Since search engines utilise it to scan and index the site’s pages, effective navigation is essential for SEO. The navigation of a website can make it difficult for search engines to comprehend the site’s structure when it is disorganised or unclear. The ranking of the website may suffer as a result.
Accessibility should be taken into account while creating websites. When a website provides clear navigation, people with disabilities—like those who use screen readers to navigate the site—will find it easier to use. Always work with a web design company that is aware of how well-organised and labelled websites are simpler for screen readers to traverse.
The amount of visitors to your website that leave without interacting with it is referred to as the “bounce rate.” A high bounce rate frequently indicates that users are having problems accessing the website. Users can locate what they’re looking for more easily when the navigation is improved, which also boosts engagement and lowers the bounce rate.
The basic objective of a website is to turn visitors into paying clients. By making it simpler for visitors to carry out desired actions, such filling out a contact form or finishing the checkout process, effective navigation can play a significant role in this.
A successful website must have effective navigation since it affects a number of variables, including user experience, accessibility, and SEO. It’s crucial to pick a web design company that prioritises and sets a high value on effective navigation.
Learn more about WeAgile, the leading UK app development agency.
Without an excellent website, your business simply cannot develop in the current digital era. It would be simple if all you required was a website, but what you actually need is a strong and effective online presence. Nonetheless, many business owners are still ignorant of this fact today. Some people still give little thought to whether a website’s claims about its goals, its vision, and the services it provides are accurate.
Fortunately, you are not one of them, and you have come looking for information and solutions. You are probably wondering why working with a skilled web development company is the best method to achieve the desired outcome, which is an excellent website.
We are available to you to discuss the advantages of working with a web design and development company like WeAgile when creating a new website or redesigning an existing one.
Let’s start by responding to some often asked queries:
A web development business with expertise may build a website from the ground up. Professional programmers and web designers at WeAgile have a wealth of experience creating digital goods (such as websites, applications, e-commerce sites, and software) for a variety of sectors. In order to find the best solution for you, web designers and web developers work together. They construct frameworks and databases, come up with innovative concepts, and decide on a language for both front-end and back-end development. The task of a web designer is to create the user interface or user experience. The team at WeAgile is skilled in many areas, including testing, deploying, and maintaining digital products.
First off, WeAgile has a team of web developers, web designers, SEO specialists, project managers, testers, and more. As a single freelancer just cannot have all of this knowledge, you will undoubtedly receive a product that is subpar. Not because they are not professionals, but simply because it is difficult for one person to be an authority in so many different fields.
Second, even after the website is launched, the WeAgile team will be able to give you ongoing assistance and maintenance (indefinitely). Many people are unaware that even after the website is launched, it will need to be updated frequently for a variety of reasons. For example, if your website is built in WordPress, there are frequent updates to the platform and plugins; if you want your website to rank well on Google, Google regularly updates its algorithm; etc. You need to stay on top of all of this, and more often than not, a freelancer won’t be able to support you long-term due to other commitments.
Thirdly, clients will obtain the best level of service possible because a web development agency sets a great value on both its reputation and its long-term goals. Because you won’t be able to post a Google review or a Trustpilot rating for an independent freelancer, work is frequently finished a little sloppier and, most likely, no one will ever find out if your website is not functioning as intended. It is not even an exaggeration to say that we work with the best freelancers in the world. They are each true experts in their respective fields, but when it comes to web design and development, it takes a team (designers, developers, project managers, SEO experts, testers) to produce a top-notch outcome.
Fourth, your website will be delivered quickly and efficiently, and it will be a well-rounded final product because many professionals will have had input in the end product, often coming up with innovative ideas that will greatly benefit your company’s digital presence. This assumes nothing completely unforeseeable happens (like a significant change in the scope of work). For instance, if a freelancer you are working with experiences a personal setback (such as illness or a holiday), your project will be completely abandoned.
Let’s add another “layer of safety” for choosing a web design agency over a freelancer if the list above hasn’t already persuaded you. An agency is always a legitimate firm with owners, directors, insurance, etc. They won’t suddenly vanish one day or stop returning calls while the project is still in process.
Certainly, there are platforms like Squarespace or Wix where you can try your best to build a straightforward and appealing website. No matter how much you know about designing and constructing websites, you will never be able to match the experience of a web development business.
Working with a web development company like WeAgile has a lot of benefits. Here is a succinct list of them:
We trust that we have clarified some of your concerns and dispelled any uncertainty you may have had over hiring a web design and development company. However, if you still have any questions about WeAgile, the leading UK Web Design and Development Company, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we’ll get back to you right away.
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, has successfully won a contract with foodora, who are part of Delivery Hero, the world’s leading local delivery platform.
The project is focused on the foodora brand, promoting their culture, history and future through the stories of over a dozen long standing employees.
Filming is taking place across eight European countries including Finland, Norway, Slovakia and Austria.
“International travel was off the cards for so long and it’s fantastic to be given the opportunity to get back in the air again with a new client, exposing our productions and our team to other cultures” said Adam Millbank, Director at JonesMillbank.
“The project is benefiting from us doing what we do best; telling the individual stories of people from different walks of life, heritages and backgrounds with authenticity.”
Russell Jones, Director at JonesMillbank added: “We’re conscious of the environmental impact of all our productions, let alone ones that require multiple flights and cross-border trains. The nature of this project needed a travelling crew and we’ll be offsetting our impact via our friends at Ecologi.”
Delivery Hero operates its service in over 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
The company started as a food delivery service in 2011 and today runs its own delivery platform on four continents. Additionally, Delivery Hero is pioneering quick commerce, the next generation of e-commerce, aiming to bring groceries and household goods to customers in under one hour and often in 20 to 30 minutes.
Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Delivery Hero has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2017 and is now part of the MDAX stock market index.
For more information, please visit www.deliveryhero.com.
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JonesMillbank are a full-service video production company.
They work in-house with a talented team of multi-disciplined creatives, telling authentic stories for a range of clients such as University of Bristol, IDLES, NHS England, The Royal Mint and Battersea.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, has successfully won a contract with University of Southampton to produce their flagship undergraduate campaign video.
The multi-channel campaign will launch ahead of the University’s 2024 recruitment campaign, bolstering and highlighting their existing reputation and global rankings.
JonesMillbank were invited to a competitive pitch for the opportunity, reflecting their growing experience, insight and reputation in the higher education sector. They join existing clients including the University’s of Bristol, Exeter, Winchester and Central Lancashire.
“We’ve worked in the education sector since day one and we absolutely love working with universities; the challenge of engaging and communicating with an ever-changing, dynamic audience is one our strategists and creatives relish” said Russell Jones, Director at JonesMillbank.
“University of Southampton chose us for our bold, creative and impactful concept, and we’re incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to bring it to life.”
University of Southampton is one of the world’s leading universities, placed in the top 100 universities globally in QS World rankings. They are also a founding member of the Russell Group, an organisation of 24 top UK universities committed to maintaining the highest research and teaching standards.
***
JonesMillbank are a full-service video production company.
They work in-house with a talented team of multi-disciplined creatives, telling authentic stories for a range of clients such as University of Bristol, IDLES, NHS England, The Royal Mint and Battersea.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]
Bristol-based creative business collective Istoria Group has launched a competition to find a regional, women-owned Micro Business to support as part of its Incubator Hub programme, whereby Istoria Group houses and helps guide fledgling businesses during their initial period of development. The winner will be selected from applications received online, with the launch of the initiative timed to coincide with International Women’s Day 2023.
The lucky winning business will receive rent-free office space for up to four people for a 6-month period at Istoria Group’s Bristol Paintworks HQ, starting 1 June 2023, as well as a free website design and build, a brand critique/refresh and mentorship from the Group’s Chairwoman and Heads of Finance, Marketing and PR.
Lindie Kramers, Chief Marketing Officer for Istoria Group, commented: ‘As a women-owned SME, we’re actively seeking to support another female-founded business in our region. We want to be as inclusive as possible in our search for the right Micro Business and would particularly welcome applications from traditionally under-represented communities in business, whether by age, class or ethnicity, to help promote social mobility and counter current imbalances in opportunity and representation.’
To help target its search, Istoria Group is working with the support two established local organisations – Black South West Network (BSWN) and Babbasa – to help spread the word and make sure new of the competition offer reaches as diverse and inclusive an audience as possible in the region.
Sibusiso Tshabalala, Business Support Coordinator, Black South West Network, commented ‘If the Creative Industries were as socio-economically diverse as the wider economy, the sector could provide employment opportunities to an additional 263,200 working-class individuals. However, the lack of diversity in the industry remains a challenge. Fortunately, creative agencies like Istoria Group are working selflessly and consciously to diversify the industry. Initiatives like theirs are particularly crucial in areas like the South West, which lack representation in the creative sector. By supporting minority-led agencies, we can foster the growth of diverse creative content that is relevant and engaging to both the local community and beyond.’
Matt Rogers, Head of Development at Babbasa, added: ‘Many of the young people Babbasa supports are interested in entrepreneurship, and starting their own business is a key way for many young people to access an income that enables them to thrive. We’re pleased to support this fantastic opportunity.’
The winning applicant / business will be selected by a team of five judges:
Sam Rowe, CEO, Istoria Group
Lindie Kramers, CMO, Istoria Group
Sibusiso Tshabalala, Business Support Coordinator, BSWN
Matt Rogers, Head of Development, Babbasa
Cecilia Thirlway, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship,
Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Bristol
About The Incubator Hub:
The Incubator Hub idea arises out of Istoria Group’s dedication to start-up entrepreneurialism and business mentorship. The Incubator Hub was set up to house and help guide small businesses until they mature and, to date, Istoria Group has successfully helped to grow and ‘hatch’ two Incubator Hub companies: children’s book publishers i am a bookworm – https://www.iamabookworm.co.uk/ and innovation platform Solverboard, which was purchased in Summer 22 by AIM-listed technology and innovation experts Sopheon (and now rebranded as ‘Acclaim Ideas’) – https://www.sopheon.com/products/acclaimideas
The focus on micro-businesses this time around was inspired by an article on the International Women’s Day’s 2022 website, which noted how often women have a particular gift for spotting opportunity-based gaps in the market for products and services, but how, through lack of capital – which is often generationally-available, gender-biased and slow to adapt to contemporary needs – women often start small, which makes micro-businesses a great area to focus on to aid and encourage new business growth.
Details of Offer:
Istoria Group is offering the competition-winning business free and self-contained office space on the mezzanine level of its Bristol Paintworks HQ for 1-4 people, with dedicated toilets and access to all shared office facilities, from a kitchen to bookable meeting rooms, as well as free electricity and WiFi, for a six-month period from 1 June – 30 November 2023.
Istoria Group is additionally offering mentorship and in-house creative services as follows:
How to Apply:
Applicants can be a business in any market and at any stage of early growth, as long as female-founded and based in Bristol or the South-West region.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Wednesday 19 April 2023 and the simple application form can be found at: www.istoriagroup.com/micro-business-competition-2023
Istoria Group, which last year became a B Corp, says applicants should ideally share at least some of its corporate values, which include the EPIC values (entrepreneurial, personable, intelligent and collaborative), as well as standing for the inclusive and ethical treatment of staff; innovation in business; a strong commitment to sustainability and creative re-use and a commitment to the local Bristol region and economy.
What is a Micro Business?
In the UK, a micro business is defined by Companies House as a business of 1-9 employees, with turnover of less than £632,000 and £316,000 or less on its balance sheet.
Having just wrapped up my exit from the agency I founded 12 years ago and moved into the consulting world, I’ve had a little time for reflection recently. As I was recalling some of the clients I’ve worked with over the 25 odd years since I set up my first agency, and how marketing has changed so dramatically in so many ways, and yet in others, nothing’s really changed at all.
Firstly, for younger readers (let’s face it, that’s virtually everyone) lets just set the scene. Yes, we did have colour televisions back then. And no, trains weren’t all steam powered. But, here’s a shocker for you – we used to design on a computer which had an 800MB (that’s MB not GB) hard drive and 16MB of RAM. Then we’d save our work onto a 1.44MB floppy disk and send it via courier to a reprographic studio where they would produce a set of negatives. They would be sent back to us so we could clip the four colour separations to a light box and check the alignment was correct. Then another courier would arrive to deliver them to the printer (or newspaper/magazine in the case of an advert).
There was no such thing as digital marketing – no SEO, PPC, social media etc. – so you could be forgiven for thinking that everything is now totally and utterly different. And in some ways, of course, you’d be right. The Internet, social media and a million different marketing technology solutions have revolutionised the way we do things.
Our ability to track what we do, and use data to measure results and optimise performance, is probably the biggest shift from when I started.
But in other ways – i.e. the fundamental principles of marketing – things really never change. And I think that, as marketers in a digital age, we sometimes need reminding of the basics. We’re very quick to jump on new and shiny things but, occasionally, we’re just as quick to forget the fundamentals.
Ignoring my pet subject of ‘content marketing’ and when it was invented – I’m pretty sure people have been doing it for a very long time before digital came along – here are a few quick examples to get you thinking…
It’s not rocket science… break down your audience into segments or personas and understand what makes them tick. Identify the right messages for each target group, and present it to that audience via a channel they actually use at the best time.
Back in the days before digital, how did we put together a marketing strategy? Well here’s what we didn’t do… start with a list of popular magazines, newspapers, radio and TV stations, throw in some outdoor advertising close to busy roads, and scatter the budget evenly between them (please tell me that’s not how you did it!).
But essentially that’s exactly what some companies do with the digital channels that are available today. Just because we have more ‘cool stuff’ available to us, doesn’t mean we have to use it all!
I visited a potential new client a while back, and the MD asked me, “You’ve had a look at our social media – can you tell us why our Facebook page isn’t performing well?” To which I replied, “Only if you can tell me why you have a Facebook page in the first place!”
The advancement of technology is relentless. But, again, just because they’ve built it, doesn’t mean you have to find a way to use it! Over the years I’ve witnessed a repeating theme of companies embracing new technology because they saw something cool, got over excited and didn’t properly evaluate their actual requirements, and what benefit they would derive from the tech.
In other words, they didn’t have a requirement and then go out and find the technology that would help them achieve their goals. Instead they reverse engineered ways they could use the technology they’d been blinded by. In many instances this resulted in them tying up time and money delivering ‘nice to have’ functions at the expense of ‘must have’ functions.
Back in the day, I had clients wanting a website at a time when literally none of their target audience would have had access to the Internet, but they didn’t have the budget to advertise in a newspaper supplement that would be read by several hundred thousand of their exact targets.
I’ve met several companies recently who have signed up to one of the all-singing, all-dancing inbound marketing software solutions or social media planning/scheduling tools at substantial cost to their business, only to realise that the platform relies on content to feed the entire process – something they’d overlooked completely – so they find themselves grinding to a halt.
One of my first clients owned a massive multi-storey department store in a pretty dodgy part of town which sold everything under the sun, from furniture to clothes and any other random job lots he’d picked up from the back of a lorry, I suspect.
Yet he was determined that his advertising presented a different image . His ads set an expectation of something closer to Harrods than Poundland. His definition of marketing was basically a technique he could use to con people into visiting his store who would never, ever normally shop there.
Because of this he was attracting customers, but totally the wrong type. Footfall wasn’t converting into sales – possibly because they were too busy trying to keep one eye on their cars to make sure they were still parked outside and had all four wheels intact.
Today is no different. Marketers have never been under so much pressure to deliver numbers: traffic to the website, more likes or followers on social media, and so on. There are so many tricks and techniques for getting those numbers, but traffic for traffic’s sake can actually do more harm than good.
At a time when authenticity (especially in the context of social and influencer marketing) is on everyone’s lips, it’s never been more important to understand your brand, and what it actually is, rather than what you’d like it to be, and carefully match your communications to your audience. You’ve worked so hard to get them to interact in some way with you – don’t let them down.
Recommendations and reviews weren’t invented for the Internet. Testimonials have always been powerful in marketing. Before the Internet, if you needed a plumber, or the roof fixing, what did you do? You may have used a directory like Yellow Pages, but you’d probably also ask around. Has a neighbour, friend or family member used someone that they can recommend? Building in testimonials and proactively driving recommendations and referrals has always been one of the first things I’ve tried to introduce into my clients’ marketing material.
Back in 1994 we engaged a well-known cricketer to be a brand ambassador for a client. He turned up at events, and we produced a range of marketing material which featured him and the client’s product in ways that felt less like an advert and more educational. We leveraged his large fan base and trusted position to introduce our client’s product to a wider audience and make it instantly credible by association. Sound familiar?
Another buzzword hijacked by digital/content marketing in recent years is ‘storytelling’. I read an article last week in a reputable marketing publication, which started with this sentence: ‘Brand storytelling is gaining momentum in the marketing world, and with good reason.’
The same article then went on to define brand storytelling as: “Using a narrative to connect your brand to customers, with a focus on linking what you stand for to the values you share with your customers.”
Um… correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that marketing principle isn’t just starting to ‘gain momentum’ in 2018!
So, a quarter of a century on, has marketing itself actually changed, or do we just have new and evolving tools available to us?
And do they always help us to do our jobs better, or are they sometimes a distraction that stop us doing the simple things well?
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