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Blogs - In the news
Good Product Descriptions Lead To Better Sales
Consumer polls reveal that one of the most important features of brand pages on social media or of a company website is product description, along with user reviews and images. A great product description not only leads to better sales but also guarantees good Google rankings, if it is done pro...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ May 15 2013
Crown Estate Moves To Integrated Reporting
The Crown Estate has announced plans to move towards integrated reporting and to reveal the full environmental and social impact of its property portfolio. Its first “total contribution” report was released at the start of May, Business Green reports. In an effort to find out more a...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ May 10 2013
#ShareACoke - social media and storytelling
Creating a personalised experience for consumers is a key strategy for many brands these days. In its new marketing campaign, Coca-Cola is taking personalisation to a whole new level by printing 150 of the most popular names in Britain instead of its symbolic branding. There has been....
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ May 8 2013
Investing in the future of the UK workforce
Not long ago, our Client Director Harriette was invited to Hendon School for an evening of ‘Investing in our Future’. ‘Our’ in this case refers to the school’s students, who’d created the event in partnership with North London Citizens as a way to...
Posted By: Kady Potter @ May 8 2013
Brands Answer More Questions On Facebook
Social media provides a great opportunity for reaching audiences and creating engagement, and many brands are apparently becoming aware of the importance of dialogue on social sites. This is what a new study from social media analyst SocialBakers suggests. According to new data from Soc...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ May 7 2013
Brands should adopt fresh approach to tone of voice
We all know about the power of non-verbal communication and the idea that what you say is less important than how you say it. Is spite of this, tone of voice is often overlooked by brands and by marketers, the Campaign blog says. The majority of brands prefer to stay on the safe side an...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ May 1 2013
Social accounts for a quarter of UK users´ time online
UK Internet users spend almost a quarter of their time online on social platforms, or 13 minutes in every hour, according to new data from Experian Hitwise. Other activities that occupy their time include entertainment sites (nine minutes per hour), shopping (six minutes) and business and emai...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 29 2013
96% Of E-Mails Sent Before Working Hours Remain Unread
The question of what is the best time to send e-mails to customers has been a hot topic for a long time. A new study from e-mail and SMS specialists Pure360 quite convincingly points out when not to send messages: before working hours. New data from the firm shows that a staggering 96% ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 26 2013
Marketers rank producing enough content as top challenge
B2B companies feel increasingly comfortable with producing engaging content, but coming up with enough content is becoming more challenging for them, a new study from the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) reveals. The research found that almost two in three marketers said that producing...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 22 2013
Brands Should Watch Out For Offensive Product Names In Different Languages
Naming a product is a serious business for a brand. One thing a company would not like to see is international customers trying to suppress a chuckle when hearing it. Swedish furniture maker Ikea has experienced this on a number of occasions. Part of the problem l...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 19 2013
Google clarifies why new page rankings may slip over time
In a bid to shed light on Google´s search algorithm and how it affects rankings, the search engine´s head of spam, Matt Cutts, has spoken about the dynamics of search result rankings and why they change over time in a video published on YouTube. Cutt´s explanations she...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 15 2013
Online and social media most effective for brand communication
For an increasing number of brands, communication with consumers mostly takes place on social media, as many marketers believe that social platforms are the most effective channel for building relationships and engaging consumers. This is one of the key findings from a new survey, carri...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 12 2013
The communications round-up - 5th - 11th April 2013
In a new series of blog posts, we’ll be bringing you short summaries of the latest communications news each week.
Posted By: Kady Potter @ April 12 2013
Why does Integrated Reporting matter?
As business models evolve and advance, companies are expected to engage in more effective communication with stakeholders and present information about much more than just their financial results. The need for integrated reporting is becoming more pressing and businesses should act quickly ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 8 2013
Five common copywriting mistakes to avoid
Effective web copywriting can make your business take off but doing it in the wrong way can put off potential customers. Here are a few of the most common mistakes that web copywriters make and some ideas on how to steer clear of them. 1. Watch out for too much hype. This is the equivalent...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 5 2013
Two in three small businesses lack sustainability strategy
Sustainability strategies are quickly becoming a core concept for business development but according to a new survey sponsored by UPS, 64% of small businesses in the UK still have no written set of sustainability policies, Fresh Business Thinking reported this week. The poll, which inte...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 4 2013
Three quarters of Facebook engagement happens in the first three hours
A new study from Optimal Social, a company that won a Facebook competition for developing a measuring and optimisation tool for social marketing, has revealed that the first three hours after a brand posts on Facebook are crucial for engagement. Researchers looked at data from hundreds ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ April 3 2013
Behind Cadbury´s Facebook marketing success
There are brands that are so popular and well-loved that they hardly need any advertising at all. However, this does not mean that they can get complacent and just sit around waiting for their business to grow. Actually, if they do that, they risk losing their market share to competitors. ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 26 2013
GRI presents post-summit report
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has issued a new report that aims to summarise the outcome of the Sustainable Events Summit held in London earlier this year and to provide information regarding sustainability reporting. The GRI is an organisation that works towards increasing the ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 22 2013
Content Marketing On Facebook - Are You Doing It Right?
If you are working in the field of digital marketing, you are certainly aware of the content marketing trend and its influence on business. Recent analysis shows that consumers prefer to become familiar with a brand through articles rather than ads, and since social media is the most popular so...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 20 2013
Crackdown on newspapers could affect bloggers
Freedom of speech was deemed to be under threat following a deal ‘hashed together’ by the ‘three main political parties’ over pizza and Kit Kats. The story made the front page in this morning’s Metro with the headline...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 19 2013
Top Tips For Establishing A Content Marketing Strategy
While many marketers are confident that content marketing will play an increasingly important role for businesses in 2013, especially in light of the mighty Google Author Rank, many small businesses are wary of it and feel uncomfortable with the thought of becoming publishers. In an eff...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 18 2013
Are UK businesses ready for mandatory carbon reporting?
This year is set to see a major change in the way businesses are run, as well as a shift in the way companies see corporate responsibility. For the first time ever, UK listed companies will not only have to reveal their greenhouse gas emissions in their annual reports but they will also have to...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 15 2013
Channel 4 launches ‘Tribes Live’ online community
Channel 4 has launched an online community called ‘Tribes Live’ for 16-24 year old viewers, hopping on the content marketing wagon. The scheme is part of Channel 4’s UK Tribes project, which was established in collaboration...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 15 2013
Timing is crucial for email marketing
While content and frequency are two of the most important aspects of effective email marketing, the notion of timing should not be overlooked either. This is what Tristan Garrick, head of public relations for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), has claimed, suggesting that marketers should...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 13 2013
Spelling mistakes costing British businesses millions
British businesses and banks are losing out on potential sales and customers due to simple spelling mistakes in web copy. According to an article published in BankingTimes online, research carried out by internet entrepreneur Charles Duncombe found that millions are being...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 13 2013
Content Credibility Essential For Healthcare Providers
Keeping up-to-date with modern digital technology can be a challenge for healthcare brands, but as patients and caregivers increasingly turn to the internet for information, an incredibly active online community has emerged. According to Econsultancy, health-related internet use is now...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 12 2013
Brands should embrace sense of purpose to engage consumers
Having a social purpose is one of the most important steps for brands in their quest for success, according to the majority of marketers who took part in a recent survey carried out by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and Edelman, quoted by Marketing Week. The poll found that 8...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 8 2013
Discover the perfect tweet
At a time when the majority of brands have established a presence on Twitter, it can be hard to tweet content that stands out. However, the perfect tweet does exist, according to the Marketing Think blog, which reveals the secret in an article and infographic. The perfect tweet is based...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 6 2013
Consumers More Willing To Share Data With Brands
Brands are increasingly winning consumer trust, as the number of people who are willing to share data with them has risen by a significant 45% over the past 18 months, a new survey from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has found. The 4th DMA/fast.MAP Data Tracking Report show...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 4 2013
UK Businesses Invited To Submit Sustainability Reports
All businesses based in the UK and Ireland are invited to submit their sustainability reports for 2012 to the Governance & Accountability (G & A) Institute by 15 March at the latest, if they want to see their reports included in the official GRI Global Reporting database for last year, the G & ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ March 1 2013
Think outside the box when blogging
Most businesses will be familiar with the benefits of maintaining a blog and the key aspects of successful blogging, such as providing fresh, unique content and giving an insight into the work they do. Previously this has been enough for the majority of brands to bui...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 27 2013
Is Your LinkedIn Profile Complete?
Having a presence on LinkedIn is key for any social strategy. Being the biggest professional network, LinkedIn can play a crucial role in building your personal reputation, and yet according to LinkedIn only about half of all users have a completed profile, while the rest omit essential informa...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 25 2013
The Power Of Twitter To Increase Stock Prices
Marketers are well aware of the influence that social media can have on business but a new study from BazaarVoice suggests that tweets which mention brands can affect a brand´s stock price. The study looked at a sample of 26 million tweets in which a group of 13 brands were mentio...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 22 2013
Utilising E-mail Marketing For Strong E-Commerce Results
Empty shopping carts, passive customers and declining conversion rates are the things that concern website owners the most, but often the fault lies with brands themselves and results from failure to provide personalised and engaging e-mail campaigns. E-mail marketing has proved successful in c...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 18 2013
How To Be Successful In Sustainability Reporting
Nigel Topping, chief innovation officer of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), believes that one of the main traits sustainability reporting needs to have in order to be successful is convergence, both in terms of standards and approaches, he says in an interview published by the Sustainable B...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 15 2013
Brand Marketing More Vital Than Digital Skills For Industry Employees
Recruitment firm Michael Page recently approached 500 marketing employers across the UK to explore which are the most valued skills in the industry. It found that almost a third of them consider brand marketing the key expertise a team should have in order to contribute to the prosperity of the...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 13 2013
UK Companies See Email Marketing As Key To Business
According to a new survey from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), which polled 250 senior B2B and B2C brand marketers, more than one in three businesses are unable to calculate their return on investment (ROI) from email marketing. In contrast, some 60% firmly believed they were a...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 11 2013
What To Consider When Posting Content On Social Media
Content marketing is steadily growing in popularity with marketers and they all know that once content is created, it must be shared with the public. One of the possible arenas for delivering content is social media, but are all marketers aware of the steps they should follow for their efforts ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 6 2013
Super Bowl 2013: Making the most of the blackout
Snaring in excess of 100 million viewers each year, the Super Bowl is the seminal event for big brands that want to show off televised commercials to a global audience. At the 2013 Super Bowl each 30-second commercial slot cost around $3.7 million, but thanks to a lengthy blackout and the social media response that followed, the effect of Twitter as a free marketing device was the event’s standout marketing success story.
Posted By: Greg Hoare @ February 6 2013
Making The Most Of Social Marketing
According to statistics from Creativo.com, 40% of people now communicate more online than they do face-to-face. The world is obsessed with social media to such an extent that, every minute of every day, there are 100,000 tweets posted, 684,778 items of content shared on Facebook and 48 hours of...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 4 2013
Blogging - From Geeks To Serious Business
Just a few years ago, the popular perception of blogging involved a geek sitting at home, pouring his thoughts out online. However, with recent developments in digital marketing and social media, the image of bloggers has changed dramatically. According to Sally Whittle, who runs the MA...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ February 1 2013
Brands Need To Take Social Media Seriously, Report Says
Brands need to be more serious about their social media marketing and invest more in planning and measuring their campaigns, according to a new report from marketing information company Warc, called “Seriously Social - a casebook of effectiveness trends in social media campaigns.” T...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 30 2013
Three Content Marketing Trends To Consider In 2013
While the topic of content marketing has been discussed at length, there are a few trends that marketers may still not be familiar with, or at least this is what ClickZ website claims. Let´s take a look at what these are. First of all, content marketing will become a joint effort ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 28 2013
Dealing With Key Challenges In Sustainability Reporting
Although many companies understand the importance of sustainability reporting and the impact it can have on their business, actually doing it remains a challenge for a large number of them. According to Janet Ranganathan, vice-president of science and research at the World Resources Ins...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 25 2013
79% Of Smartphone Users Read EMails On Mobile
Email marketing is developing and trends for 2013 indicate that the field will maintain a strong position, but the way consumers access their messages is changing. Email marketers should take into consideration the findings from the latest Adobe Systems 2013 Digital Publishing Report, ...
Posted By: @ January 23 2013
Women Recommend Brands They Trust
According to a new study from marketing agency Haygarth, word of mouth among female consumers plays a crucial role for businesses in terms of brand reputation and sales, as research points to the fact that four in every five pounds are spent following a woman´s purchase decision. ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 21 2013
Content Marketing Top Priority For Marketers
According to a recent survey carried out by Econsultancy, content marketing will be one of the top priorities for many marketers in 2013, as more and more businesses become aware of its increasing prominence for consumer engagement on the one hand and search engine ranking on the other.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 18 2013
Managing Online Reputation Key To Business, Social Media Expert Says
In this day and age, when we are spending a large proportion of our time online and surrounded by various electronic media, it is important for businesses to remember that their online reputation is the most accurate reflection of their actual reputation among consumers and competitors.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 16 2013
Report Presents Digital Marketing Trends For 2013
According to new research from Experian Hitwise, the essence of marketing in 2013 will cover four aspects of the digital: search, social, mobile and e-mail, all of them united by the dominance of personalised content. These are trends that are going to affect digital marketing as a whol...
Posted By: @ January 14 2013
Tips For A Successful Email Campaign
Evidence suggests that email marketing should retain its central role in marketing strategies in 2013 because it offers one of the highest returns on investment, compared to other marketing channels. According to estimates from the Direct Marketing Association, each pound invested in email ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 9 2013
How To Use Twitter To Boost Your Business
As the number of Twitter users continues to rise, more businesses can benefit from using the microblogging network for marketing. However, many small firms are still uncertain about what exactly they should do on social media to achieve a positive effect on their businesses. Here are a few sugg...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 7 2013
Corporate Responsibility Reporting Embraced By World´s Leading Companies
Sustainability and corporate responsibility reporting are set to become the norm for businesses over the next few years, as many companies globally will follow the lead of European businesses and place more importance on green issues, according to the new KPMG International Survey of Corporate ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 4 2013
Brand building through experience
Last year was marked by major brand sponsorships during the Olympics and Euro 2012 and now more brands are looking for ways to make an impression on consumers, beyond the standard direct advertising. However, while trying to engage consumers with compelling content, brands risk overdoing things...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ January 2 2013
Tips for boosting traffic
Time to make your New Year's resolutions in marketing? Here are a few basic tips on how to attract visitors to your website in 2013. Good content is always a major traffic driver. Whether on social sites, on your company blog or on your website, if you manage to create great conte...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 31 2012
How to avoid B2B content marketing mistakes
Content marketing is obviously here to stay in 2013, so it is essential for businesses to get it done right. B2B marketers have been especially challenged by the concept of content marketing, but over time they are starting to feel more and more comfortable with it. However, there are still a n...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 27 2012
Plain content isn´t enough, users want news
The internet is bustling with content and consumers are no longer satisfied with the sheer presence of content. What users are looking for is newsworthy and unique content and this presents a new challenge to marketers. Search Engine Watch has examined several ways to facilitate the creation of...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 24 2012
One in four Britons read emails on mobile
Consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to read their emails and this trend can be seen worldwide, in a number of different markets, a new survey from email intelligence firm Return Path has found. Figures reveal that email open rates on mobile have grown by 30...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 21 2012
How to use Facebook and blogging to boost engagement
Many businesses use social media or company blogs as a means to engage both new and existing customers. What some of them do not realise is that both channels should complement each other rather than exist in isolation, claims Linda Dessau, a blogging coach and content marketing spe...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 19 2012
Businesses fail to engage LinkedIn users
While the vast majority of big businesses have established a presence on LinkedIn, many of them are failing to use it to their best advantage, thus missing out on a number of opportunities, a new survey from Sociagility suggests. The study found that just one in five companies in the FT...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 17 2012
UK firms better placed to deal with sustainability issues
UK businesses are more focused on sustainability than companies in other countries and this gives them a valuable advantage as responsibility and sustainability become focal points in business development, according to new research from the Carbon Trust. A survey of 475 senior executive...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 14 2012
Desktop search still preferred over mobile
According to new research from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), users opt for search engine apps on their mobile devices rather than branded apps when they want to find out more about a product or a service. In fact, more than two in three consumers go for search engine apps, whereas 37%...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 12 2012
Study reveals social media sharing peak times
According to new research from online advertising company RadiumOne, posts published on social platforms between 10am and 12pm, and later between 8pm and 10pm, are more likely to be shared than posts published at other times. Interestingly, in the UK sharing is common at about 6pm as well, as c...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 10 2012
Blogging? Yes, but make it fun
Businesses need to be able to thrive in an extremely competitive environment and to attract customers that are already bombarded with marketing messages on every communication channel they access. That is why being different and standing out from the crowd is essential for brands, especially fo...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 7 2012
Has interest in sustainability weakened?
Although an increasing number of brands are now focusing on sustainability issues and are trying to send out green messages to consumers, a recent survey by Ogilvy Earth has revealed that the level of consumer engagement with sustainability is decreasing. The results from the survey, pr...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 5 2012
Content marketing should tell consumers a story
Over a relatively short period of time, content marketing has evolved from a marginal marketing activity to a major weapon for consumer engagement, already recognised as a powerful marketing tool by the majority of businesses. Moreover, its power is not likely to decline, at least not in the ne...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ December 3 2012
Marks & Spencer announced best UK brand in carbon reporting
High-street retailer Marks & Spencer is the best UK FTSE 100 brand when it comes to carbon measurement and reporting, according to a recent analysis from carbon management solutions provider Carbon Clear. The research found that M&S has managed to overtake the other brands on the list...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 30 2012
Brands should adapt their emails for mobile
According to research from “The Mobile Movement”, quoted by email marketing platform Adestra, more than half of UK consumers aged under 35 read emails from brands on their mobile devices. In addition, more than four in five smartphone owners read and send emails via their devices. These ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 28 2012
SodaStream focuses on industry sustainability in new campaign
SodaStream, a producer of home carbonation products, is starting an £11 million global marketing campaign that focuses on the brand´s sustainability approach and criticises major soft drinks businesses for being environmentally unfriendly, Marketing Week reports. The new marketin...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 26 2012
How to use blogs for boosting brand reputation
Marketers need to focus on content marketing for better brand reputation and using a company blog can be a powerful tool for this, marketing expert Nathan Yerian claims in an article for Business 2 Community. In fact, a blog can bring up to 70% of the total traffic to a company website ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 23 2012
Blogging, social media considered key to business
As blogging, social media and content marketing continue to gather speed and turn into central factors for effective brand promotion, the importance of written communication is increasing. In fact, a recent poll from marketing software provider HubSpot shows that more than half of UK brands hav...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 21 2012
Tips for brand promotion
Brand promotion is a tricky business. On the one hand, the development of new technology has provided businesses with a range of possibilities to reach consumers, but on the other, it also makes it difficult to make brands noticeable and memorable. What most marketers would agree on is ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 19 2012
Secrets of successful email marketing
Recent research shows that email marketing is stronger than ever and consumers are generally receptive of brand messages in their inboxes. However, the question still remains on how to write an email that stands out. The Econsultancy blog gives a few valuable tips on wha...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 16 2012
Sustainability should be made simple for SMEs
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 99% of businesses in the UK and employ 13.8 million people, or more than half of those working in the private sector. Their contribution to the British economy amounts to some £1.5 trillion, which is half of the combined annual turnover of ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 14 2012
Time for brands to work on Christmas content marketing strategies
Creating powerful and engaging content in the run-up to Christmas might prove the strongest tool for retailers this season. Most marketers have already focused their efforts on developing a working content marketing strategy in a bid to engage consumers and boost sales. According to Cli...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 9 2012
Unilever takes on new sustainability approach
As consumers and businesses become increasingly conscious of ethics and social responsibility, addressing sustainability issues is emerging as a major challenge for UK brands. However, a few brands are determined to lead the trend, including Unilever, which is taking on its new Sustain Ability ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 7 2012
Email marketing can boost brand engagement
Although email marketing is traditionally seen as belonging mostly to the realm of direct marketing, innovative businesses have been using it for an entirely different purpose - brand building. According to the latest report from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), consumers´...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 5 2012
Financial Firms Slow To Adopt Sustainable Business Strategies
According to a new report from corporate branding firm Living Group, financial services businesses are increasingly focusing on corporate social responsibility, but have yet to implement a working sustainable business strategy. The report looked at the sustainability reporting of 49 indi...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ November 2 2012
Brands Should Be Ready For Pros And Cons Of Social Media Publicity
Being in the public eye is a mixed blessing for brands, given the unprecedented access the internet offers to people all around the world. Social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn also contribute to the flow of intriguing images and facts about companies, no matter how big they...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 31 2012
Focus on uniqueness for better brand image
Success in business does not always come with having extensive marketing campaigns all over the world and trying to sell as many products as possible by all means. Instead, brands can be successful by finding their exact place in the market, defining what makes them unique and sticking to it, m...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 29 2012
Three tips for effective email marketing
Email marketing is widely considered to be cost-effective and to create a lasting impact and that is why it lies at the heart of many marketing campaigns. Because it is so popular, marketers have a range of different approaches to it and various tactics for engaging customers. Here are a few p...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 26 2012
Stop press! Is print really losing to digital content?
Print is dead! Wait, print is dead? We’ve been hearing this phrase a lot lately, as more and more publications decide to move online and release new content digitally. Readership and circulation of physical....
Posted By: Kady Potter @ October 26 2012
Companies to include number of female staff in Annual Reports
New legislation on annual reporting might see UK companies stating the number of females employed in total, as well as the number of females appointed to senior posts, the government has announced. The new rules are a response to recommendations made by Lord Davies and are expected to come...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 24 2012
How to make your PPC ads work
Creating an online advertisement that works is not an easy task, as marketers know all too well. A series of components have to be carefully stitched together to ensure that consumers see the ad, read it, click on it and decide they want the product that's being advertised. Here are a few tips on how t...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 22 2012
What affects email click-through rates?
Most marketers know that there are different factors that determine how successful an impact their emails will have, but so far not much emphasis has been placed on the gender of the sender. According to a new study from marketing automation consult...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 19 2012
UK´s top 350 listed firms ready to comply with sustainability reporting rules
The latest report by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), prepared in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers, shows that the 350 biggest UK listed companies feel comfortable with the inclusion of sustainability in their annual reporting. This is due to become obligatory starting from April 2...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 17 2012
Knowing Your Audience Is Vital For Content Marketing, Expert Says
Brands should try to get to know and understand their target audience so that they can create relevant content for their consumers, says Julia Hutchison, chief operating officer at the Content Marketing Association (CMA). Hutchison explains that relevant content that is specifically cre...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 15 2012
P&G Revamps Ariel Marketing Campaign
Brands are increasingly acknowledging the importance of placing consumers at the centre of their marketing strategies and trying to reach them through a more personalised and emotional approach.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 12 2012
Businesses Should Consider Sustainability Reporting
Many businesses feel uncertain about the role of sustainability in their annual reporting. While the biggest UK listed companies will soon have to include aspects of sustainability in their reports, smaller ones will still have the choice whether to include such information. However, pressure i...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 10 2012
Coca Cola Named Best Global Brand
Coca Cola has once again been proclaimed the best brand in the world, after it managed to keep the top spot in the annual InterBrand top 100. This is despite the overwhelming dominance of technology brands, which occupy four of the top five positions, Marketing Week reports. Apple has a...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 8 2012
Content marketing seen as key feature for business
Content marketing is gathering pace in the UK, as more than three quarters of brand managers, agencies and media companies consider it a matter of importance for business, according to the findings from a new survey conducted by Econsultancy and online services provider Outbrain. Althou...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 5 2012
80% of UK internet users visit social media sites
British consumers are among the most avid users of the internet globally, and the vast majority of them devote a significant portion of their time online to various social sites. In fact, as many as eight in ten UK internet users have a profile on at least one social media website, according to...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 3 2012
Content matters for brand perception and SEO
Having access to interesting content is among the top three reasons why consumers choose to follow brands on social networking sites, according to a new survey quoted by the Daily Telegraph. The findings suggest that relevant content is a key factor for improving both search engine opti...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ October 1 2012
Email marketing still going strong
The constant development of technology and the growing popularity of social platforms and mobile devices have led many people to believe that email marketing might lose ground. However, new data from iContact reveals that email marketing is still strong and is set to endure. In fact, ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 28 2012
Are Facebook pages more important than brands´ websites?
The way brands interact with consumers is a key factor for creating engagement and loyalty, marketers believe. It is no longer enough to provide consumers with an informative and well-designed website, they should be reached over different channels and by various tools, experts say. Hav...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 26 2012
Unilever joins Integrated Reporting pilot programme
Global consumer goods giant Unilever has become the latest addition to the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) pilot programme, the IIRC has announced. The total number of businesses participating in the pilot programme is currently over 75. Together with 25 international ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 24 2012
Brands should focus on existing customers for better ROI
Online retail brands need to focus on existing customers for better ROI, and not just look for expansion of their customer base, a new study from Adobe, quoted by Fourth Source, suggests. In fact, the study finds that customers who have already made a purchase from a brand yield revenue...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 21 2012
Stratton Craig is 25 years old… and so am I
A full 25 years ago (or should that be one score and five?), it was 1987 - the year that the first Street Fighter game was released, The Simpsons made their debut on the Tracy Ullman Show, and Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the DLR. It’s also the year that Stratton Craig was founded, and the year that I was brought into the world and given an unusual name.
Posted By: Kady Potter @ September 21 2012
Tablet use soars as consumers engage in digital multi-tasking
Delivering quality content on mobile devices is vital for brands and this is hardly news these days. While most people are aware of the growing prominence of smartphones, the fact that the number of British consumers using tablets has increased by almost four times over the course of 2012 may c...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 19 2012
British Land awarded gold for sustainability reporting
UK property development and investment company British Land has won gold in the Sustainability Awards 2012 of the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA), it has been announced. The company, which is based in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange, was awarded gold in ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 17 2012
Delivering consistent messages across channels is a key issue for brand communications
UK brands need to be constantly alert when it comes to communication with consumers and B2B partners in order to keep up with shifting trends. According to a new study from PRweek, building trust, delivering consistent messages and dealing with the various media platforms are the most challengi...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 12 2012
B2B content marketing should be compelling and consistent
Creating content that is both unique and engaging is key to successful marketing, not only when customers are targeted but also in B2B communications. However, as more marketers become aware of the importance of content marketing, it is becoming increasingly difficult to create competitive cont...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 10 2012
Three Marketing Trends To Consider For 2013
The world of marketing is constantly changing and evolving, keeping marketers on their toes, trying to keep track of all the innovations and developments. Here is a short overview of the top three trends for next year, as presented by the Business 2 Community website.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 7 2012
Facebook is five times more likely to drive sales than Pinterest
The wide range of social networking sites available can cause confusion among communications as to which is the best vehicle for communicating with their audience. Social sites vary in terms of purpose and average user profile, so the choice of platform depends on what a co...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 5 2012
Two in Three Consumers Choose Email To Share Personal Data
Email is the top choice for consumers when it comes to channels for sharing personal data with brands, and young Britons feel more comfortable with providing personal details than their more mature counterparts, a new survey from Experian Marketing Services reveals.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 3 2012
Kimberly-Clark Awarded A+ Rating In Sustainability
Sustainability reporting is an issue that many businesses have had to consider lately, following a number of important developments regarding the matter - from the recommendations made by world leaders at Rio 20+ to the UK´s government intention to require all London-listed companies to r...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ August 29 2012
Social Word Of Mouth: Win-Win For Brands And Consumers
Word of mouth has always been crucial for brands, as consumers are typically heavily influenced by the opinion of others they trust. With the development of social commerce, businesses have found new ways to harness the power of consumer recommendations by making various offers and discounts, M...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ August 24 2012
Lack Of Major Events In 2013 May Damage Consumer Engagement
UK marketers are well aware of the importance of keeping consumers engaged and their main concerns for 2013 reflect this. According to a new survey from empty13 Group, marketers are worried that the lack of events to grab the public attention will be among the main challenges they will have to ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ August 22 2012
Social Media Has Positive Marketing Effect For One In Five Young Brits
A survey conducted by Burst Media has revealed that 20% of young people in Britain are positively influenced by social media engagement, while 24% are put off by ads received via text messages. The research looked into the online interests of more than 744 Brits in the 18-34 age group, ...
Posted By: Caroline Holmes @ August 20 2012
86% Of B2B Marketers Use Content
According to the sixth wave of the B2B Barometer survey, 86% of B2B marketers in the UK use content in at least some of their marketing activity. A total of 128 B2B marketers...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ August 17 2012
Mobile Users Go For Local Ads
Local relevance is a key factor influencing the purchase behaviour of mobile users, data provided by xAd and Telmetrics, based on research by Nielsen, shows. According to the study, local relevance and local offers and promotions are the leading reasons for ad engagement with mobile dev...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ August 15 2012
Brands Ignore Consumer Advice On Social Media
Consumers are increasingly seeing social media as a means to connect with brands, and the way businesses interact with them on social platforms can play a crucial role in managing brand reputation. However, new research from YouGov shows that the majority of brands are in fact missing out on oppor...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ August 6 2012
Marketers Reveal Best UK Brands
Consumer perception of brands is extremely important for business, and finding out what they think and how they see the company is not that hard in the age of information and communication. However, this is not the case with professionals in the marketing industry, as they are not typically ver...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ August 3 2012
Survey finds that women value peer reviews while men look for factual information online
Providing the right content to the right consumers is key to marketing in the social media age. A new survey from market research company Usurv provides some insight into demographics and how different groups approach various digital platforms. Women are twice as likely as men to be inf...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ August 1 2012
Defra Opens Consultations On Sustainability Reporting
The government is to open two consultations on how businesses can be helped to measure and report their carbon footprint, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced. The consultations relate to guidance for corporate sustainability reporting and mandatory emissi...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 30 2012
Brands Should Act Like Humans On Social Media
Engaging with consumers on social media may be important but it is no longer enough. Instead, in order to make the most of social media for their business, brands should enchant consumers, according to Dave Coplin, UK director of search at Microsoft. Coplin, who spoke at the annual Grea...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 27 2012
British Airways - don't fly this summer (but if you do, fly BA)
If you work in London, the last thing you want to hear about is the Olympics (sorry, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games). Based in Southwark, we’re already planning our escape routes to avoid the Jubilee line and we’ve no doubt Barclays will be pleased.....
Posted By: Harriette Hobbs @ July 27 2012
Content Matters For SEO
Content has always been a central factor in search engine optimisation (SEO), it is only its type and the way it influences search engine performance that changes over time. The Search Engine Watch website provides a few valuable tips on what content should be included on a website.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 23 2012
Written Communications Key For UK Consumers
At the start of the big technology boom that brought about the Internet, instant messaging programmes, mobile phones and social media, many people predicted that written communication was set to lose its prominence and would gradually sink into obscurity. However, it appears that things h...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 20 2012
Businesses Can Benefit From Sustainability Reporting
Sustainability is a factor that businesses will inevitably have to consider in the years to come. Predictions are that sooner or later sustainability reporting will become mandatory and the British government has already made the first step in that direction by announcing that businesses listed...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 18 2012
Britons Spend One Hour Per Day Without Technology
People all over the world these days are keen on using new technology and thrive on all the opportunities it gives them to chat, research, work or have a laugh. Britons, in particular, are known for their affection for various gadgets, with a number of studies pointing out the fact that we chec...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 16 2012
Nike To Appeal Sponsored Tweets Ban
Sportswear manufacturer Nike has been in a bit of trouble lately, after its sponsored tweets were banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for tweets posted by brand ambassadors Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere. The ASA ruled that the brand did not specifically make it clear ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 13 2012
The Importance Of Written Communication
The quality of written communication is essential for a brand and this holds true for all the different ways of establishing a connection with customers - documents, contracts, e-mails, presentations, offers - you name it. In fact, all written communication speaks of the company itself, of its ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 11 2012
Content Marketing Predicted To Rise In Volume, Importance
According to recent data from the Content Marketing Association (CMA) budgets for content marketing are set to rise over the course of this year, as more and more marketers realise the potential of this relatively new industry. The growth of content marketing has been driven by the...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 6 2012
Original Content Key To Improving Google Ranking
Even people who are not professionally involved in SEO marketing are aware of the impact Google rankings have on business and on traffic to a brand´s website. That is why creating an effective SEO strategy should be a central part of a company´s marketing efforts.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 4 2012
Tactics For Boosting Engagement Rates On Twitter
A new study from social network software provider Buddy Media reveals that large brands may expect better consumer engagement rates if they post tweets at the weekend, instead of during weekdays, Search Engine Watch website reports. The study also finds that engagement rate peaks vary s...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ July 2 2012
Brands Can Benefit From Multi-Screening, Report Claims
Reaching consumers across different platforms is a key concern for marketers, since users of various devices are known to respond differently to content. However, the relatively new trend of multi-screening, which is gathering pace in the UK and across other markets, is likely to merge various ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ June 29 2012
Digital More Important Than Traditional Channels, Nike VP Says
Brands need to focus their attention on interacting with consumers via digital channels, as they can boost business far more than any of the traditional tools for advertising can, says Stefan Olander, Nike´s vice president of digital sport. Olander, who spoke to Marketing Week at ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ June 26 2012
London-Listed Companies To Report Greenhouse Gas Emissions From 2013
Businesses listed on the London Stock Exchange will be required to report the levels of greenhouse gases they emit, starting from the beginning of the next financial year, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced in the Guardian. The new rules, expected to be extended later to include...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ June 23 2012
Brands Should Pay Close Attention To E-mail Marketing, Expert Claims
E-mail marketing should be given the same attention that companies would apply to any of their other means of communication, claims marketing specialist Dawn Strange, writing for the Peterborough Telegraph. E-mail marketing is just as important as any other tool in a company´s mar...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ June 21 2012
Complaints Over Ads Reach Record Levels, ASA Says
According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) annual report, 2011 saw a record number of complaints, mostly due to the fact that last year the watchdog started to review online copywriting claims.
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ June 19 2012
Brands On Social Media Should Stress Fun
While establishing a presence on social media is considered an essential factor for successful business these days, it is not just a matter of simply setting up a brand page on Facebook or posting sponsored tweets on Twitter. Marketers should carefully plan their strategies to meet customer exp...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ June 16 2012
How To Create Successful PPC Ads
Attracting consumers´ attention and making them interested enough to click on an ad is no mean feat in today´s extremely competitive environment. That is why marketers sometimes find it hard to come up with innovative and effective pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Search Engine Watch websit...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ June 15 2012
Who's winning the digital communications race?
Last month, Communicate Magazine (@communicatemag) highlighted the 2012 Financial Times Bowen Craggs Index research. The research assessed nearly 81 of the largest companies in the Financial Times Global 500, and found that digital communication is a troublesome area for many of them.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 11 2012
Consumers struggle to keep the faith
In July last year we discussed falling levels of consumer confidence in multinational corporations, and recent surveys reveal that the outlook is still quite grim in the UK.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 30 2012
dot Brand
Back in July last year we wrote about the approval of a proposal to create new website domain suffixes, including brand names. You’ll soon be seeing brand names on the right hand side of the ‘dot’ – drink.pepsi instead of pepsi.com/drink, for example.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 23 2012
DBA Design Effectiveness Awards
Last week we enjoyed an evening celebrating some of the UK’s most effective designs from the past year.
Posted By: Nina Whitaker @ February 24 2012
Pennon Group Wins Most Improved Annual Report at IR Society Best Practice Awards 2011
Last night, the Investor Relations Society Best Practice Awards and Annual Dinner were held. Our Client Director Harriette attended the event with London-based creative communications agency, Luminous.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ November 23 2011
In the news - Investor Relations Society Best Practice Awards 2011
We were delighted to see that a number of past and present clients have made it into the 2011 Investor Relations Society Best Practice Awards shortlist.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ November 1 2011
That’s one small step for man... one giant leap for mankind.
Fascinating to read last week that as of October this year, the US will be enforcing a Plain Writing Act on all documents for public consumption. Although the federal government will still be able to ‘write nonsensically to itself' (thanks to this article for that fantastic phrasing), any...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 27 2011
The Copywriter – March 2010
Firm Friends A year after an uncertain time for employees, how are the Big Four firms now attracting new blood? This time last year, Ernst & Young revealed that around 1% of its workforce were on notice of redundancy following job cuts at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Deloitte. At KPMG, 85%...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 12 2010
The Copywriter January 2010
Word Clouds Wishing you a very happy new year! Just before the end of 2009, we were asked by Communicate magazine to look at the language used in the annual reports of the four nominated companies for Best Overall Annual Report in the FTSE 100 category at the IRS Best Practice Awards. Below is the...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ January 15 2010
The Copywriter December 2009
Lately, we’ve been inspired by the use of ‘word clouds’. As you can see in the clouds above some words are larger than others, indicating that they have been used more frequently in the piece of text. Not only does this provide an interesting image, but word clouds provide a great platform for analysing...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ December 11 2009
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