Camilla Cooke

The only 3 minutes you need to watch to understand why you can't do your own #marketresearch or #brandstrategy. You can't get out of the way of your own biases. https://lnkd.in/ew9WJsFx

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📰 Read an interesting Mi3Australia article this morning: "Why aren’t more women in adland lining up for the top jobs?". It got me thinking, especially since I believe it missed a crucial point about the reality of women in leadership. Why aren't there more women in top leadership roles? It's not just the journey there - it's the battle once you've arrived. For women at the top, proving their worth is a relentless test, far more demanding than for their male counterparts. It's downright exhausting! 😓 Here’s a startling stat: Globally, women make up nearly half the workforce yet hold only 19% of top executive positions (Grant Thornton LLP (US) 2024). Why such a gap? In an industry riddled with egos and outdated hierarchies, simply surviving at the top is as tough as climbing there. 🏔️ This relentless grind might be why many talented women hesitate at the base of the ladder, questioning if the climb is worth the sacrifice. 🧗‍♀️ We need more than a numbers game! How can we reshape the path to leadership to be less daunting and more nurturing for women? I think that's the question we need to address. Have a read here and let me know what you think: https://lnkd.in/gsVrw2_7 #Leadership #GenderEquality #FemaleLeadership #WorkplaceCulture

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The latest piece in my 'Cheat Codes for Challenger Brands' series with Mumbrella is all about the power of overcommitment. While market leaders optimise their businesses around 'just enough', Challenger Brands win by being unreasonably durable, insanely spicy or built around unprecedented levels of customer service. Check it here 👇👇👇

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Thanks to the team at Econsulting for yesterday’s great Marketing Leaders Capability Forum, focussed on AI - and to 🚀Damian McAlonan for a warm welcome. One of the reasons that I have spent so much of my career in marketing is the pace of change - as consumer behaviours and media habits change, so marketing changes. Marketing is often the early adopter in a corporate environment: from building web surfaces, to adapting to mobile, and from leveraging big data to identifying the opportunities in AI, it is marketing teams that are there first* - pushing to go further, finding new, smarter ways to engage audiences and deliver business outcomes. So, it was brilliant to listen to leading marketers sharing how they are bringing AI into their businesses. Not only to hear about the opportunities for increased efficiency and effectiveness - language marketers are very comfortable with - but also to discuss the challenges around legality, IP, data privacy, open vs closed systems and many more emerging issues. The panel of fantastic marketers presented ways in which they have adopted AI - from insights and data mining, to content reviews and image creation. They also discussed the importance of building an AI-literate marketing org, the imperative to manage change well, and the cross-functional collaboration that’s essential to to mitigate risk. Marketers are change agents. Harbingers of opportunity. Evangelists for innovation. They are also creative, critical thinkers, communicators, collaborators (hat tip Stefan Tornquist for the alliteration!). AI is a powerful new tool in their armoury, but everything else remains the same. As leaders, our role is to:  👩‍🎓 Build a culture that prioritises growth and learning 🤓 Create frameworks for the adoption of new technology, ensuring that innovation is supported by good governance. 🪴 Support our teams and businesses through change. Set clear learning agendas, and scale insights across the organisation.  🔭 Bring humility and curiosity when discovering new skills beyond our own capabilities. 🪛 Define strategy and empower creative, innovative delivery - the tools are an enabler of strategy, not a substitute for it.  📈 Remain true to the essence of marketing; in the words of Philip Kotler: “The art and science of choosing target markets and getting, keeping and growing customers through creating, delivering, and communicating superior customer value.” * Okay, maybe the engineering teams got there before us with AI! Paul Davies, Kate Narbrough, Kay Etherington, Russell Parsons, Sophia Angelis #EconCapabilityForum #AI #MarketingLeadership

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So I suppose any prediction is a good prediction in todays fast paced environment of tech advances BUT what will remain for the short term at least, even with tech artificially aligning artificial segments with artificial MMM projections is the strategy behind the content with the strategy of how many ads in what 'environment' that best engages. Sure you can do AI models to develop strategy where it would be placed but it will need human oversite. Lets face it tech advances are there to assist with humans making better, faster and smarter strategic decisions..... #CMO #Digitalmedia #AI #Strategy #Media #Futureproof #MarketMixModelling

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Big news for AFFINITY Group— Carmen Campbell has joined us as our new Strategy Lead!  Carmen is a genuine triple threat. A gun strategist with more than 20 years’ experience, she’s worked at the highest levels in both media and creative to deliver growth for clients. Plus as a seasoned researcher, Carmen’s commitment to understanding consumer behaviour using a broad skill set of data analysis as well as more traditional research methods is icing on the cake. We’re lucky to have such talented and lovely human by our side. Welcome!   DM me or get in touch with Carmen directly if you’d like to talk about having such a wealth of talent focused on accelerating your business growth.    Find out more in the comments below.    #PotentialRealised #StrategicLeadership #TeamAffinity

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💬 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀! The secret to dominating the pie market isn’t just in the crust, it’s in the message. Brands that align with consumer expectations are seeing greater success. But who’s doing it right? Our study uncovers how the right messaging strategy can make all the difference. Get the full story below: https://lnkd.in/d32RxHYA

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Just listened to a great podcast discussion between experienced independent consultant Caroline Chappell and Danielle Rios (or DR to her friends!), which despite the inevitable pitch at the end, was informative, relevant and interesting. In essence the chat focused on the challenges and potential benefits of the TM Forum Open Digital Architecture (ODA) and open APIs initiatives, the importance of the data layer in enabling interoperability and AI applications, the reluctance of legacy vendors to fully embrace these changes, and the disruptive impact of combining open APIs and AI-powered solutions to drive innovation in the telecom industry. Coming from another DR... DigitalRoute, it was interesting to listen to the discussion around the data layer, which although it sketched quickly over the topic of data quality, made the following points:- - The data layer is even more critical than standardized APIs for enabling true interoperability and supporting the future of telecom operations. - Operators often have numerous data silos embedded in different vendor products, with no overall data modernization strategy. This makes it difficult to apply AI and leverage data effectively. - Extracting operational data from source applications and holding it centrally in a common data platform is essential for operators to become data and AI-driven. <True for AI-based operations but not for real-time monetization of services> - Data modernization is a long and challenging journey, but it's a necessary step for operators to take advantage of cloud-based technologies and AI. - The "garbage in, garbage out" principle is highlighted, emphasizing that if the data is not in the right shape, the results from AI applications will be poor. <Providing quality, corrected data into AI engines will evidently result in better results - DigitalRoute> - The data layer is a more fundamental challenge than the open APIs, as vendors need to open up their data models and architectures to enable true interoperability. So in essence, the conversation underscored the critical importance of the data layer in supporting the goals of the ODA and open APIs, and the significant challenges operators face in modernizing their data infrastructure. You can listen to the full 20 minute podcast here: http://spoti.fi/3J2UHuU #ODA #API #Telco #TMFORUM

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YouTube: Where Reach, Engagement, and ROI Align 🚀 Today's media landscape is fragmented, but one platform consistently attracts audiences: YouTube. 📈 It reaches 97% of online Australian adults and 90% of Kiwi adults, driving 2.2x higher long-term brand impact than other platforms. From building brand awareness to driving sales, YouTube offers effective engagement and proven ROI, allowing you to effectively reach your audience across various screens and formats. Ready to leverage the power of YouTube for your business? Learn more about how you can maximise your impact. ➡️ https://goo.gle/3N0nTW4 #ThinkWithGoogle

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Most people know us for our PR and Strategic Comms work, but let me tell you, our creative team is next level. The feedback we hear time and time again is that our creative clients value how deeply we understand their story and how seamlessly we amplify it visually. It’s not just about creating a brand; it’s about crafting a cohesive, integrated narrative that drives clarity and impact. The brands we develop go far beyond a logo and a strategy that someone else tries to decode six months later. We build with purpose, ensuring that every piece - internal comms, media relations, experiential, influencers, digital, social, and advertising - follows a golden thread of consistency and vision. I’m constantly impressed by the work of our Brand and Creative team, delivering campaigns and continuous visual narratives for some of the Middle East’s most impactful brands. They’re shaping not just how brands look, but how they resonate. Rose Carbonell Jason Gallucci Paul P. Ruby Korver Suha Hamid Emma Wintermans Brooke Timmins-Taulelei #CreativeExcellence #BrandStrategy #VisualStorytelling #MiddleEastBrands #IntegratedThinking #AcornStrategy https://lnkd.in/dfJ6RqDt

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If you use market research you've probably heard of synthetic data, generated by AI language models, which could in theory be used in place of consumer responses. Our latest article considers how realistic that is, and the cases in which it fails. Find our article here: https://lnkd.in/eYuiM5qK #SyntheticData #MarketResearch #AI

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I had a great conversation with my mate Amy Sutton at the amazing Australia-based B Corp agency weareanthologie.com about why there is so much skepticism around AI offerings like gotomarketmaven.com It's a mix of many things: hype. fear. resentment. denial. disbelief. not-invented-here. "I could do that myself." It's true that generative AI is an Ouroboros. It just regurgitates existing know-how rather than innovate. I don't care. It doesn't matter — at least in terms of the Go-to-Market Maven use cases. I can tap the AI assistants that leverage 30 years and literally 00s of brand, marketing, campaign, go-to-market and sales enablement projects. Because the background work for a good campaign / sales / marketing playbook isn't where the innovation happens. It's a cold, data-driven, pragmatic, analytical job and AI can do it faster and better than you or I can. Period. Market assessment, competitive positioning, segmentation and personas, messaging isn't a "creative" exercise. The playbook feeds the creative and makes it precise, focused, consistent, rooted in a core positioning idea for distinctiveness and differentiation. Sorry, not sorry: "AI with human-in-the-loop" beats "human at a desk", in this instance, every time. You either ride it or get trampled.

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Brand Marketers, not that I want to freak you out but.......it is time to start thinking about FY26 Brand Planning 😱   It seems surreal, but if you run to a UK or Aussie Financial Year calendar, next year's Brand Planning process should be appearing on your radar this month! You want to get your plans written before budgets are set, so here are some timeline guidelines for you. 💠 Budgeting usually happens between February and April 💠 A best practice brand plan process should take about 8 weeks 💠 We have the holiday season in the middle of this 💠 You want the right people involved and diaries are a nightmare with workload and annual leave at this time of year.   Therefore: 📅 October: Design and confirm your approach and timeline. Lock key briefing dates and workshops in peoples diaries 📅 November: Brief the team to Define the Brand Challenge and set the scope for the Situation Assessment. 📅 December: Situation Assessment 📅 January: Where to Play and How to Win workshops then plan development 📅 February: Present your plans for approval so they can inform the budgeting process + Comms Briefs for the best media buys   If your agenda is already heaving, I can help you   I can design a process that best suits your needs and then facilitate that process for you. So you are free to focus on strategic thinking and choice-making. You’ll have access to my full suite of tools and frameworks to take the team on a disciplined and logical journey and create direction for FY26. Plus a set of fresh but experienced eyes to push your thinking into new growth areas. So get in touch if you want to get moving #brandplanning #marketing #brand

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When times are tough, it's easy for CMOs to feel the pressures of your CFO, investors and shareholders and make cuts to your brand-marketing spend. Instead of cutting, begin with 'Re-thinking' 🧠 1. INVEST IN YOUR BRAND 📈 Cutting spend in a downturn causes long-term damage to your brand in many ways. Regaining lost market share requires a future investment of £1.85 for every £1.00 saved from near-term reductions in brand spending. 2. SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY 👀 In a tough patch, 60% of marketers are looking to maintain or increase spend. If you're the other 40%, the cost to your brand's health to get it back to a competitive level will be more than triple the sacrifice of shoring things up in the short term. 3. BE MORE TARGETED 🎯 Figure out which customers you need to maintain to keep your core growth. Keep them sweet, and when things begin to pick up, invest in acquiring new customers. It costs more to gain than to maintain. 4. PLAY THE LONG GAME 🕑 If you don't have a set of long-term KIPs/targets in your strategic plan, you will find it harder to hold your nerve against market forces. The fastest brands to recover in a slump have a things mapped out and more ambitious long-term goals which helps them be more innovative and entrepreneurial with their thinking. 5. BE BRAVER WITH YOUR CREATIVE 💪 You don't have to spend a fortune to get a brilliant idea out there that gets your brand recognised. Customers still need to buy things in a downturn, they're just more hesitant and considered. So give them something to remember, talk about, and share that'll keep your brand front of mind. Braver creative ideas are built on trust with your agency partner, so give them permission to push and it'll pay back. Know a brand that's eccelled in a downturn, pop it in the comments below... 👇 #strategiccreative #businesssense #marketingstrategy

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"Nice" is the kiss of death when describing something or someone, so is "beige". Nothing memorable, nothing meaty. Being honest, telling the truth, that's when the magic happens. In this article, Simon Wassef talks about how being too nice doesn't deliver. Clemenger #clems #reframe #creativity

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🎯 Looking for a marketing partner who gets it? The Alexander Company has spent 20+ years helping businesses in NZ, Australia, America and Singapore nail their marketing game – without the fluff and fuss. We love nothing more than seeing our clients succeed, whether that's launching a product that flies off the shelves, watching their team crush their sales targets, or helping their brand become a household name. Want to know what makes us different? We actually listen. Then we roll up our sleeves and make things happen. No cookie-cutter strategies here – just real solutions that work for your business. Keen to chat about your next big move? Let's talk! www.sjmarketer.com #NZBusiness #Marketing #KiwiSuccess #BusinessGrowth #RetailSuccess

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What’s more important, inputs or outcomes? Over the last 5 years, I’ve worked on being more outcome focussed vs. input obsessed. The results to this approach spoke for themselves (when I did it well), both in terms of client performance and personal benefit. The more time I spent focussing on achieving outcomes, the more results I saw. Client campaigns started to improve significantly, and their spend increased as a result. Then career opportunities opened. More and more I was able to deliver outcomes, which increased my own market value. Strategic briefs are a tried and tested mechanism for finding the valuable outcomes we want to focus on. Yawn. Boring. Right? Yeah. Plus it’s hard. I love and hate them. Distilling complex, and often, emotionally driven problems into a few sentences is an extremely difficult exercise. It requires focus, hard work, creativity and practice. But it’s worth it. It’s time very well spent. To be effective in adding value to a client, I need to understand what they want, why they want it and what their timelines are - at all times. They also need to understand this themselves. They need to be very clear on why we are working together, and what it is we are trying to achieve. This goes a long way in giving us both the information needed to plan the inputs required to get the outcomes we've aligned on. It means we can work together to find out what they need, not just what they want. The two are often not the same. I’ve been developing some of the strategic briefing documentation for BASE to use. Below is a screenshot of the title page which summarises the completed brief with the what, why, when and needs. Comment “I want a copy” below, and I will message you a Google doc link you can copy, take away, customise and use for whatever purpose. Define a want you have, like an upcoming campaign, fill out as much as you can, then go back and fill out the “What do you need?” question after. See if your needs and wants match. See if you've been able to define the outcome you are after, and are therefore a little clearer on the inputs you'll need to get there. A strategic brief is more valuable when it's collaboratively aligned between the relevant stakeholders. So, if you do have a go, I encourage you to get collaborative. Lastly, if you do use it, I want your feedback. In fact, I need your feedback. There are some very smart people in my network who will have great ideas and experience which I'd love to benefit from!

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