Against a backdrop of new working dynamics and AI advances, a new McCann Synergy study explores the ‘Truth About Work,’ and how organisations can use their own brand platforms to give staff a greater sense of purpose.
A new global study from employee engagement agency McCann Synergy, in partnership with McCann Worldgroup, has revealed that 61% of workers think that if their job disappeared no one would notice.
Previewing the findings at an event in partnership with LinkedIn in London last month, the ‘Truth About Work’ study drew on a survey of over 19,000 people across 18 markets, to reveal a range of insights including an imperative for work that is not just functional but personal, intentional, and deeply aligned with the values and dedication organisations extend to their customers.
The world of work has undergone a radical transformation in recent years from hybrid working to the influx of ChatGPT, but with 61% of young people planning to change jobs in the next two years, retention is the new truth to tackle. Creating employer brand experiences that engage employees – mirroring the quality and delivery of EX and CX – will help brands unlock growth and retain employees.
Nicky Clark, Client Director at McCann Synergy, said: “Our study reinforces the critical need for organisations to realign their brand purpose with the everyday lives of their workforce. When employees understand the connection between their role and a company’s mission, the impact is transformative. As an employee engagement consultancy, we find that working with leaders that recognise the value of a strong workplace culture is a real game changer – when brands get this right, employees flourish, innovation grows and organisations are more successful.”
Fernando Fascioli, President, McCann Worldgroup Europe & UK, added: “Organisations thrive when they put their customers and employees at the heart of all they do. As a creative network, McCann Worldgroup’s mission is to help clients unleash their brand purpose to earn a meaningful role in people’s lives. To remain competitive brands must extend this ethos to their employees and create brand experiences that can engage, delight, and drive a sense of shared purpose.”
Connecting to brand purpose has always been an external customer driver and the need for purpose is widely seen as business critical across the advertising industry. Between 2012 and 2022 the importance of brand purpose in Cannes Grand Prix wins increased by 71%. However, brand purpose has become decoupled from the lives of the people who build the brands from the inside, and 1 in 2 employees globally believe their job feels pointless.
McCann Worldgroup partnered with LinkedIn, the world’s premier professional network, who have been at the forefront of the future of work and employer branding to launch their Truth About Work study. At the event in London, they were joined by panelists Joe Ryle, Director of the 4-Day Week Campaign and Media & Comms Lead at Autonomy; Stephen Adeoye “Corporate Steve” TikToker and Founder & CEO of Beyond Education; Kate Waterfall Hill, Leadership Coach and Tiktok Creator; and LinkedIn’s James Gill, to explore how brands can use their brand platforms to amplify and energize their employee experience and engagement strategies.
James Gill, Senior Director – Head of Agency Development & Marketer Education at LinkedIn EMEA & LATAM commented: “In a world that is constantly evolving, it’s crucial for us to embrace change, adapt to new realities, and envision the possibilities ahead. Our approach to life, work, and growth have fundamentally shifted in the wake of the pandemic.
“At LinkedIn, we recognise the profound impact of these changes and we’re delighted to collaborate with McCann Worldgroup to explore the future of meaningful and impactful work, and shine a spotlight on the importance of adaptability, reskilling, and life-work balance in the future of work.
Although working culture and talent retention might feel like buzz words, employees who said they understood how their role fitted into their company’s mission were most likely to rate themselves as 1.7x happier. They also self-rated themselves as 1.6x more productive, showing that engaging employees can have a big impact on company profitability. In a time of constant change, employers who harness their brand platforms internally will create a culture of purpose and productivity that will support their employees and customers alike.
For full details, click here: www.mccannworldgroup.com/about/truth. For more information on McCann Synergy, visit: www.mccannsynergy.com
Follow the link to watch our Christmas advert: https://youtu.be/e7OHFtfZjgQ
Why create a viral Christmas advert?
We LOVE big-budget TV ads like the John Lewis Christmas advert. They’ve really found the winning formula to maximise engagement and go viral.
In fact, we love it so much that we decided to give it a go ourselves. But instead of helping a big department store or supermarket grow its profits, we decided to help a charity grow its reach.
Our friends at Love Squared do amazing work that’s well worth shouting about.
Who is Love Squared?
Love Squared is a Bristol-based charity who support young people and families with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs.
They noticed a huge lack in services for young people and children who had aspirations but were missing out on reaching their potential because of SEMH needs, so they work to change this and provide the resources and support to those who need it.
With such a great cause, we knew we wanted to support them this year by donating our resources to create them a Christmas advert they can use to raise awareness and donations.
So how do you go about creating a viral Christmas video?
Inspired by the John Lewis Christmas Advert 2022?
So were we. Here’s your guide to making a viral Christmas ad to rival the very best – whether you’re a charity, non-profit or B2B business.
Every year, audiences eagerly await high-production TV Christmas ads from John Lewis, M&S, Sainsbury’s, and a plethora of other consumer businesses. But this year, we’re seeing more and more clients take an interest in Christmas content and other seasonal campaigns – and for good reason.
As we all eagerly await this year’s marketing showdown, many businesses are thinking about their own festive advertising and how they can get a slice of the action.
Emotive and uplifting storytelling
The most popular Christmas ads really tug at the heartstrings. It’s the time of the year when people value togetherness, generosity and kindness the most, but it can also be a tough time for many. So, it’s important to capture the emotions of the festive seasons and make your audience feel seen and understood. Having said that, it should be hopeful and optimistic – after all, it is the most wonderful time of the year.
Our copy team put together a script that captured the emotion behind Love Squared’s amazing cause.
Focusing on issues of loneliness and mental health, we created a story that would speak to the challenges young people face, while reflecting the power of imagination – one of Love Squared’s primary values. We even got our best (only) David Attenborough impersonator in to do the voice-over.
Adorable heroes and creature companions
From John Lewis to Sainsbury’s, all the best viral Christmas adverts embrace the cute-factor. And whether they take the form of animals, humans, dragons or monsters, the bigger the eyes, the more we seem to love them.
Our designers and animators created relatable characters with big eyes and even bigger dreams.
We wanted to introduce an imaginary friend that brings joy to a child’s life, presenting creativity, resilience and fun as an antidote to loneliness and boredom – and so, best friends Rita and Howie were born.
A powerful song choice
Emotive covers of popular songs are a staple of the annual Christmas-ad-off. Possibly the most successful among these are the John Lewis Christmas adverts that feature big stars covering even bigger ballads – from Lily Allen’s rendition of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know to Gabrielle Aplin’s cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood classic The Power of Love.
Our Love Squared Christmas ad features an acoustic track with an emotional hook: “when we’re together again” – which pairs perfectly with the beautifully animated scenes about loneliness and newfound friendship. Oosh! Right in the feels.
Video and animation magic
The trick to a truly amazing Christmas ad is to fully immerse your audience, perhaps even leaving them thinking: “How did they do it?” Whether that’s through impeccable animation or beautiful videography, or a mix of the two.
There really are no limits to what you can do with video and animation (other than budget, of course).
Our Video and Motion Graphics team did an amazing job of directing, producing and animating an impactful campaign video to support Love Squared.
What’s more, they sprinkled humour in throughout.
Shout out to our A-list actors (A for ‘A member of our studio, marketing, HR and finance teams’) for some pretty impressive skills and even more expressive faces.
A good cause
At P+S, we’re passionate about supporting amazing initiatives and organisations that offer support in our local community. Partnering with Love Squared for this video was a no-brainer.
How do Christmas ads work for B2B brands?
Many B2B marketers mistakenly pour all their energy into lead generation, believing that B2B decision making is a head-over-heart endeavour, where common sense prevails. In reality, buying committees are equally as emotion-led as consumers, but with one key addition – risk.
It’s far more risky to introduce a lesser-known supplier/ partner to your business than it is to buy from an established one, so recognition and reputation are just as important for B2B brands – whose sales representatives are no longer in the room when these buying decision are made.
So, while we may not pour the same level of budget into TV and traditional media advertising, it’s still worth considering how B2B Christmas advertising can set you apart from the competition and make a memorable impression on prospective customers. Ultimately, you want them to remember your brand when they’re in market (just 5% of the time you spend plugging away at lead generation).
(For context: what are you talking about?)
I’m not worried about AI stealing my job as a content writer. I’m excited about how it will evolve.
AI tools have sky-rocketed my productivity, re-ignited my excitement for work and made me a better writer. Turns out, my pain points were never about a lack of inspiration or creativity. It was the lack of efficiency.
My boss always says, “Just break the white page, get something down and you’ve done the hardest part.”
Also known in the industry as the ‘SFD’ – shitty first draft.
Now, and preferably, forever, AI does the hardest part for me.
Mr Bucket’s original job screwing caps onto toothpaste tubes is content writing before AI.
I think this quote from the film sums up what that was like quite nicely…
“The hours were long, the pay was terrible, and occasionally, there were unexpected surprises.”
In the end, Mr Bucket gets a more interesting, better-paid role at the factory. Fixing and maintaining the robot that took his job.
I much prefer my new job of fixing and maintaining the metaphorical AI toothpaste robot.
Research is easier and more thorough. Article outlines are done for me, giving me an SEO-optimised structure which hits (and improves) my client’s briefs. I have an editor, PA, proofreader, sense-checker, and idea-suggestor, for free, whenever I need them. And we make a damn good team.
AI-written text can be good, but it’s not great. We all know its technical limitations, but its biggest flaw, through no fault of its own, is that it doesn’t care.
It doesn’t build relationships, collaborate with others, or get excited about what you’re trying to achieve. There’s no ‘above and beyond’ with AI.
It’s an out-of-the-box solution for a skill that’s anything but.
Maybe one day it will take my job. But I think the day humans stop writing is the day humans stop reading. In which case we’re all screwed anyway.
AI Oath
I solemnly swear I did not open a single AI tool while writing this article.
But I probably should have. It might have told me it’s not as funny as I think it is. And I wouldn’t have spent half an hour deep-diving the Willy Wonka fandom.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie’s dad (William Bucket) lost his job because a new robot did his job more efficiently – and for less money.
We conceptualise, create & manage scroll-stopping advertising campaigns across social media channels & Google that achieve stats like:
You don’t need a mega budget for mega results.
From the big idea, graphics & wow-factor video to optimisation & reporting, we take care of it all. Whether you’re selling tickets, products or services, or generating leads.
Give me a shout at georgia@fableandverse.co.uk to see what our advertising services can do for your business, especially at this time of year. We’ve got space for one or two more.
By the way – agency skills, not agency prices.
Hey, I’m Mitch, Senior Designer, Creative and Artworker. I go under the alias of SmallStudio, because I’m exactly that. A one-man studio offering graphic design and creative support as a freelancer. SmallStudio, big thinking.
I’ve got some availability coming up in mid-November and December. If you, your agency, business or big idea need any creative support, drop me an email at hello@mitchhall.co.uk. It would be great to talk.
First published on Carnsight.com
“We just want to be in the Economist”. This was a response from a potential client when I asked about target media. They were new to PR, hadn’t ever really raised their profile before and were still working through their proposition. So, appearing in the Economist was definitely a case of aiming high! But, we always like something to work towards.
Whilst clients will often give us one or two key focus publications, we usually have a range of media in our sights. We’ll share a list when we first start working with clients, and we’ll keep growing and developing this list over time.
And often, we’ll share opportunities in new publications or media with clients – sometimes ones that they haven’t heard of before. Having worked with over 100 clients since starting Carnsight Communications, we always find those that are open to a range of publications get the most out. There are a number of reasons why it pays to be open to new media:
For more on this, we’ve also written about the importance of reading your target publications.
[This article originally appeared on LinkedIn here].
9 years ago this week I accepted a role to join Dan Fallon and team at a small independent PPC Agency in Bath called SearchStar. The best career decision I’ve made (so far!).
4 and ½ years later we signed the paperwork to sell the Agency to a much larger corporate.
At the time of writing, that was 4 and ½ years ago (quick maths).
Recently, noticing this symmetry and feeling a little nostalgic, I’ve been telling stories about our time there to anyone who’ll listen. Especially the things I think made SearchStar a success*. I thought I’d write them all down (so I don’t forget) and share them (just in case they’re of use to someone else).
To keep the symmetry, there are 9 lessons learned.
See if you can spot the theme that connects them all.
It’s important to stress here, these are the things I think made SearchStar a success. Others may think differently, however, still being good friends with the old leadership team, I’ve shared this with them and they all broadly agree.
It’s also important to stress that the Agency was already doing well and had an excellent reputation when I joined. This is my take on what we put in place to build on those foundations.
I think these lessons largely apply to anyone running a small to mid-sized service or consultancy organisation.
SearchStar team, do you agree? Agency owners, does this resonate? Clients, is this what you’d expect in your Agency?
1) Build a senior team to challenge you: Founders can’t do it on their own. You need to be confident investing in capable senior people who will challenge your thinking. Dan very smartly put together a Leadership team comprised of talented people like Donna Moore, stephanie iles, Edward Arnall-Culliford and Emma Chun, who I was very lucky to work alongside. We not only had different skills, but we had different characters, views and experience. Luckily we all got on well too. Ultimately Dan had the final say but he allowed the team to challenge his thinking; I was a part of many discussions which resulted in more balanced decisions as a collective.
2) Promote from within: If you’re growing a business you need great people in that business to do a great job. Once you’ve found that talent you need to hold onto it. We’d occasionally recruit externally (the rate of growth demanded it) but, whenever we could, we’d find ways to promote people internally. Hesitate at this and the talent will leave. Do it quickly and the talent will repay the investment. Loyal stars like Laura Pinney, Jo Phillips, Hannah Miller, Jack Sladek, Vicky Cridland and Ian Batten are testament to that.
3) Share responsibility: Once you’ve got talented, capable people working for you, leave them to get on with their jobs. Don’t micromanage them. Don’t force them to follow rigorous processes. Don’t treat them like robots. But do provide them with an idea of how you think “great work” is achieved and let them find their own way of delivering to the same standard. That way, every single member of the team can find a way of adding value, in a way that works for them.
4) Share the reward: If you’re sharing the responsibility, you should share the reward. Not just by paying a salary, but by rewarding the success of being a profitable, growing business. Dan made the more senior people in the business shareholders, a few others had share “options” and everyone shared the profit (either through dividends or a 6-monthly performance related bonus). The impact of this on-going collective reward was a huge factor in us achieving our goals.
5) Have a clear business development system: We had great Sales & Marketing people (I’m looking at you Donna, Staph and Nick Livermore) and they put some great tactics in place (anyone old prospects remember Steph randomly dropping in to see them to deliver mince pies?!). But more importantly we had a great pipeline strategy. I won’t detail it here (ask me in person) but it was essentially:
Content > Target Prospects > Quality Events > Free Health Check > New client
6) Offer high quality “supplementary” services: You need to be clear on your core service offering – in our case it was performance media – and you shouldn’t dilute this (personally I’m not a fan of “full service agencies”). However, that doesn’t mean you can’t offer supplementary services that
For us those services were Conversion Optimisation, Analytics and Programmatic Display delivered by incredible specialists like Jarrah Hemmant, Jamie Willmott, Jon Boon and Rob Langan.
7) Demonstrate value to clients: Don’t get sucked into charging for time, or outputs, or dashboards, or, worse still, performance related fees. Instead, focus on understanding what challenges your client has and demonstrate that you’re finding solutions and providing insights. Clients’ businesses will be more successful if you’re providing them with this sort of value. And if it’s impactful enough, they won’t care how long it took you or how well it was presented in the report. (This is even more critical now, as Automation and AI increase the need for the “person” to add meaningful value).
8) Keep communication balanced: It’s important to be open with what’s happening in the business and what’s steering decisions. But that doesn’t mean you have to share everything. We’d share everything amongst the Senior Leadership Team, share most things with the Managers and Team Heads and regularly give business status updates to the entire team provided there was something interesting or relevant to share. I’m not sure it’s possible to get this exactly right, but I’m pretty confident that sharing everything with everyone is unnecessary and hiding important things breaks trust.
9) Don’t dictate the Culture and Values: If you asked 10 employees what the SearchStar culture was, I think you’d get 10 slightly different answers. If you asked them what the SearchStar values were I think they’d probably struggle to give an answer at all! However, I think the vast majority of people who worked at SearchStar would say that it was a fun place to work where people supported each other and built genuine friendships (in fact, 4 different SearchStar couples are now married!).
Ultimately I think we fostered an environment where people truly cared.
The sense of shared responsibility and reward meant we let people be grown-ups, so the culture developed organically. The annual Christmas trip abroad was the closest thing to tangibly represent our “culture” (memorable times in Berlin, Reykjavik and Dublin!).
We were pretty relaxed about the leaving it to develop naturally then, but I think it’s probably much more important now – with a significant share of people working remotely – for the leadership team to steer the culture and be very clear on values, in order to achieve collective goals.
That sums up what I think were the key ingredients.
Did you spot the theme?
There isn’t a specific decision or strategy that was responsible for our growth, but I think there’s a clear link between the things I’ve outlined above:
The People.
There are lots of other things I could mention and I’ve probably forgotten some others, but these are the elements that I feel played the most significant part in our success. We had some support from amazing clients and suppliers too, but I’ve focused on the internal aspects for which we had most control.
It’s testament to what a great bunch of people we had at SearchStar that alumni include the likes of:
Elliot Sheen, David Mooney, Fergal Crotty, Bethan Hughes and 
Michael Acland King who’ve all set up agencies.
Mike Sharp and Blaize Bolton who are essentially running their agencies 
I’m delighted and proud to watch them flourish knowing that the successful time we had together provided them with a brilliant launchpad to what they’re doing now.
If I haven’t mentioned you in this post, sorry. It’s not because I don’t think you played your part, it’s just that I can’t mention everyone!
*What do I mean by “success”? SearchStar was founded in 2005 in Bath (UK) by Dan Fallon as a pure play PPC Agency. It grew to become a 60 person Digital Agency specialising in Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic, Conversion Optimisation and Analytics. Through the 5 year period mentioned above: Revenue grew 25-35% YoY, we smashed through the much sought after “£1mn” profit mark, the team grew from 18 to 60, we won & retained multiple DRUM awards, worked for organisations like Danone, Mars, National Trust and Intrepid Travel and sold for a healthy valuation that many would be envious of. In my opinion, this qualifies as “success”. 
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, has won a competitive pitch to work with I heart Wines on their 2024 TV ad campaign.
The wine with a big heart has chosen the production company that connects brands to people to reach and resonate with their loyal customers and new converts alike.
The campaign will align with a brand refresh that comes 13 years after launch.
“The win is a fantastic opportunity to work with an exciting brand that’s bubbling with personality, sass, confidence and authenticity.”
“When we were invited to pitch we knew we had to go for it. We’re incredibly proud that the pitch was led by our 26-year-old in-house creative and director Abbie Howes. She completely embodied the brief and their audience.”
“Our concepts hit all the right notes and we’re delighted to have been chosen to work directly with Freixenet Copestick”.
Emma Fogerty, Senior Brand Manager at Freixenet Copestick said “we are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have chosen JonesMilbank to be our creative partner in producing our new TV ad. We’re excited to embark on this journey together to bring our ideas to life and see the creative vision take shape.”
***
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 Delivery Hero, IDLES, SOHO Coffee Co and University of Bristol.
jonesmillbank.com | 01173706372 | hello@jonesmillbank.com
In the dynamic world of marketing, influence reigns supreme. And if you’ve not already dipped a toe in the influencer marketing pool, you could be missing out on a transformative strategy that has taken the industry by storm.
Brands are increasingly recognising the potency of personalities who can sway the opinions and behaviours of their engaged followers. But what’s even more intriguing is the ascent of local influencers, individuals who resonate deeply with their communities.
In this article, we share the ins and outs of influencer marketing, focusing specifically on the power of local influencers and how these community champions can offer unique advantages, fostering authenticity and loyalty in brand campaigns.
Local influencers wield a remarkable power in the world of brand marketing. By definition, they are individuals who have garnered a substantial following within a specific geographical area, making them influential voices within their local communities.
One of the defining characteristics of local influencers is their unparalleled authenticity. They intimately understand the culture, values, and trends of their region, fostering a deep connection with their followers. This connection translates into trust, a cornerstone of effective influencer marketing. These influencers have the unique ability to drive foot traffic, increase sales, and elevate brand awareness at a local level. Whether it’s promoting a restaurant’s special dish or championing a community event, their endorsements resonate on a personal level.
Statistics underscore their effectiveness. Research has shown that campaigns featuring local influencers often enjoy higher engagement and conversion rates than those with macro-influencers or celebrities. This localised approach not only reaches the target audience effectively but also strengthens the brand’s bond with its local customer base.
There are a number of benefits exclusive to working with local influencers:
Local influencers exude authenticity and relatability. Their ties to the community and genuine enthusiasm for local products and services make their endorsements more trustworthy. Audiences connect with them because they see these influencers as neighbours or friends rather than distant celebrities. This authenticity lends a human touch to brand promotions, fostering genuine connections and building trust.
Local influencers are great at reaching niche markets within their geographic region. Whether it’s a specific neighbourhood, demographic, or interest group, their local influence enables precise audience targeting. Brands can tap into these influencers’ expertise to engage with and cater to highly specific consumer segments, so they can guarantee that their marketing efforts resonate with the right people.
Compared to macro-influencers or celebrities, local influencers often come at a lower cost. This cost-effectiveness is particularly advantageous for small businesses and startups with limited budgets. Brands can achieve impactful results without breaking the bank, making local influencer collaborations an attractive option for businesses of all sizes.
Trust is the bedrock of influencer marketing, and local influencers have it in abundance. Their credibility within the community instils confidence in their recommendations. Audiences believe that these influencers genuinely endorse products and services because they align with local values and preferences, making their endorsements highly influential.
Local influencers are community magnets. They engage with their followers on a personal level, fostering a sense of belonging and loyalty. When they vouch for a brand, their followers feel like they’re supporting a trusted community member, which often leads to long-lasting customer relationships and repeat business.
Choosing the right local influencers for your brand requires a strategic approach. By taking these steps, you can pinpoint local influencers who not only reach your target audience but also authentically represent your brand, resulting in effective and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Running a successful local influencer campaign involves strategic planning and execution. Brands can maximise the effectiveness of their local influencer campaign so they reach their target audience and achieve their marketing objectives, by following these steps.
In conclusion, local influencers offer authenticity, targeted reach, and community engagement that can elevate brand marketing. The future of influencer marketing holds even greater potential as authenticity continues to be paramount in consumer relationships. Their impact is undeniable, which is why we encourage brands to explore the local influencer avenue for powerful connections.
Need a hand picking your perfect partnership? Get in touch with OggaDoon today, and our team of experts could help align you with your ideal local influencer. We’ve worked with a wealth of local influencers in Bristol and beyond, and understand the impact of a well-matched collaboration.
Let’s demystify the world of brand marketing in a simple, clear, and actionable way. Discover the importance of branding, how to get started on your own, and when it’s time to seek expert help. Let’s embark on this journey to unlock the power of branding together.
Have you ever wondered what brand marketing is all about? You’re not alone. It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot, but let’s break it down into simple, actionable insights. After all, understanding brand marketing can be a game-changer for your business, whether you’re in the entertainment industry or any other field.
What is Brand Marketing?
At its core, brand marketing is all about crafting and nurturing your business’s identity. It’s the embodiment of your business’s face, personality, and values that your audience will fondly associate with your products or services. Consider it the heart and soul of your venture. Just like you have a unique personality, your brand deserves a distinctive one, too.
Why is Brand Marketing Critical?
How Can You Get Started with Brand Marketing?
When to Seek Expert Help
While you can certainly embark on your brand marketing journey solo, there may come a time when the expertise of professionals can catapult you to the next level. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or when a touch of finesse is required, consider teaming up with brand marketing maestros who can offer strategic guidance, creative brilliance, and unparalleled expertise.
In Conclusion, brand marketing is the linchpin of your business’s triumph. It’s about crafting a memorable, unwavering, and emotionally resonant identity that sets you head and shoulders above the competition. Embark on your journey by defining your brand, investing in professional graphic design, maintaining a consistent message, creating enchanting content, and forging profound connections with your audience.
And remember, I’m here as your friendly, accessible expert, ready to accompany you on this exhilarating adventure through the captivating world of brand marketing. Together, let’s make your brand shine brilliantly!
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