Simon Lucey

Should be another good one! Join me and my fellow guests from Sky Media UK and Zipcar plus our experts from Tug as we delve into the advancements in Targeting and Measurement that make up Brandformance #brandmeasurement #digitalmarketing

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I’m looking to speak to the leading Creative Technologists in the market… Over the past few months, I’ve spent time speaking to Agency & Brand Leaders… A few takeaways, that suggests the skills of a Creative Technologists will be needed within their teams more than ever; ·      Help devise a roadmap around AI Tool selection / customisation and implementation. This stretches across; Content (Image / Video), Insights & Strategy, CX, Project Management and other functions. ·      Pitching (Agencies) – A Creative Technologist is an invaluable asset to the pitch process. Help deliver a pitch quicker with AI ideation that stands up to scrutiny. You can create “WOW” factor by delivering An AI MVP (simplified version of an AI product) that inspires a potential client. Move over PowerPoint and bring a winning pitch to life in the room. ·      R&D (Enterprise Brands) – There’s a growing need for a Fractional Creative Technologist to pivot between CMO and CTO. These big brands need guidance with a view on what’s possible in the future. How can their Brand move at the same lightening pace as the developing Tech? What have I missed? Reach out to me if you’re a Creative Technologist who can bring these skills (and more) to a growing number of Agencies /Brands that are ready to benefit from your expertise. If you are a Brand or Agency leader and want to learn more – contact me on [email protected] #creativetechnology #GenAI #AI #Freelance #Fractional #technologist

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Unlocking the secrets to targeting affluent audiences in the UK! As marketers, we often find ourselves asking: How do we connect with those high-net-worth individuals who seem to have it all? 🤔 Here are some key insights to help you tailor your approach and effectively reach this lucrative market: Understand Their Values Affluent audiences are often driven by quality, exclusivity, and sustainability. Craft messages that resonate with these values to establish a genuine connection. Leverage Data Utalise data analytics to identify trends, preferences, and behaviors specific to affluent consumers. This will enable you to create targeted campaigns that truly speak to their interests. Personalised Experiences High-net-worth individuals appreciate bespoke experiences. Consider offering personalised services or exclusive events that cater specifically to their needs and desires. Focus on luxury platforms such as Zest Media Group’s portfolio and advertise through our high-end publications and platforms where affluent individuals spend their time. This ensures your message reaches the right ears. Remember, targeting affluent audiences isn't just about what you sell—it's about how you make them feel. Create a narrative that speaks to their aspirations and lifestyle, and watch your engagement soar! If you looking for assistance in reaching this audience effectivly, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me. Have you successfully targeted affluent audiences? Share your insights in the comments! 👇 #MarketingStrategy #AffluentAudience #LuxuryMarketing #Networking #UKMarket

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Great article from Martyn Bentley on the importance of measuring and maximising the reach of your marketing investments. #audienceproject #measurement #ROI #reach

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What’s the market like at the moment? Specifically within the Advertising, Brand, Marketing, Social & Digital space? Here are some of my observations heading into the new financial year… 👉Pitches are happening in agency world, meaning new accounts are being won and agencies will look hire new talent 👉 Budgets are being planned, so this time of the year we see a lull and then a sudden increase in hiring in the new financial year 👉 There has been a big rise in project based accounts, meaning the demand for freelance and fixed term contract hires have increased 👉It’s been a little quiet on the senior end of the market, however agencies are craving great leadership and people management 👉 In-house roles are very competitive as we see a shift in agency talent looking to move brand side 👉 As always, candidates are prioritising culture, great leadership and trust for their next role 👉 Companies are looking for loyalty, cultural fit and a hunger to learn in their next hire If you’ve been actively on the job hunt and are struggling to gain traction, know that you’re not alone! Things are bubbling away though, so now is the time to be having conversations, whether you’re looking for a new role or looking to make a new hire in the new financial year 💫

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Diverse Platforms for Varied Audiences Non-Negotiable Platforms: Your Business's Digital Cornerstones www.adlinx.co.uk Facebook : With its vast user base, Facebook remains a cornerstone of social media marketing. We create engaging content, targeted ads, and facilitate community building to connect your brand with a broad audience. Twitter: Short and snappy, Twitter is perfect for real time engagement. AdLinx can help you craft compelling tweets, run ad campaigns, and enhance customer interactions. Instagram: Visual storytelling thrives on Instagram. We’ll design stunning visual content and leverage Instagram’s shopping features for businesses with products to showcase. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the professional network. AdLinx can enhance your brand’s presence by optimising your company page, publishing insightful content, and connecting with industry peers. www.adlinx.co.uk #socials #socialmedia #adlinx #howcanwehelp #smallbusinesses #development #facebook #twitter #insta #instagram #linkdin

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Top 100 UK's Best Workplaces in Advertising, Media & Marketing (all sizes)🎉 Great Place To Work® describe the sector award winners as the following: "Advertising, media and marketing cover a dynamic sector heavily influenced by rapidly changing consumer behaviours and emerging tech. Employees in these fields must constantly keep up to speed with the latest trends and push new, innovative and creative ideas to keep ahead of their competitors. From mental health and psychological safety to job design and fulfilment at work – the UK's Best Workplaces in Advertising, Media & Marketing have implemented effective, holistic strategies able to target all dimensions of employees’ wellbeing, leading to a healthier, more engaged workforce." We can add this accolade to the Top 100 placing in the; Best Workplaces (Small)™, Best Workplaces for Women™ and Best Workplaces for Development™ 👏 We've always strived to create a remarkable, inspirational workplace where our team can grow, learn and develop at Genie Goals And we only became the business we are today with the personal impact of all Genies, past and present, in achieving this - so a big thank you and congratulations 🎉🎉🎉

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Some ramblings on the Independent agency Sector from me this this morning... 1. There are too many creative marketing / technical service agencies in the UK compared to current demand. There needs to be more consolidation and mergers. Agencies with excess working capital or access to investment should seriously consider growth through acquisitions rather than relying solely on organic means. While the rate of agency closures this year has now slowed down, I personally know of over 50 agencies that have shut down or liquidated, and 75 in the past 18 months alone—levels I haven’t seen in 25 years, perhaps since the DotCom crash. Even 2009 wasn’t this bad for agencies! 2. Many former web development and technical services businesses that now focus on products and service design should have pivoted faster in the areas of new demand for technical services. And created more awareness of that demand and organic investment needed by clients - imho - Data, automation, IP protection and creation and enhancing businesses and services through Gen AI & Agents. 3. In my opinion, most agencies are carrying far too much headcount. Wage cost to GP ratios for 2025 must be below 63%, unless the business is growing by more than 30% annually. I admire owners desire to hang onto team members - but so many did this to the detriment of their whole business this year. UK agencies failed to increase their pricing, sell their value effectively in many cases, despite hyperinflation. I hear so many stories now of US agencies outsourcing into the UK because we're the new Eastern Europe. 🤷‍♂️ Agencies - fix your pricing or fix your headcount! 4. This year, we’ve worked with some exceptionally high-performing agencies. Almost all were highly established businesses—best in class in their service and sector—with solid client bases. Their ability to blend strong brand heritage with a willingness to evolve their services in line with demand has kept them at the forefront of their respective areas. 5. There have also been some smaller, new entrants to the agency market serving emerging demand areas. Their agility and nimbleness have enabled them to perform well. 6. Agencies will need to “fish where the fish are” in 2025. Confidence is everything in the service sector. There’s no question that European growth will remain relatively slow, while US growth will be much stronger. For most of us, next year will be far easier than the past 24 months. huge amount of relentless positivity will be needed as well as some realism around our growth Targets. We’re looking forward to supporting more agencies in growing sustainably through scaling up, acquisition, or merging in 2025. P.S. I asked Perplexity to analyse my post. The results are in the link in the comments. #agency3 #agencygrowth #2025 #agencyowner

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Very exciting for us here at Immediate as we launch our new 1st party data proposition today. You can find out more in this piece on the The Media Leader UK Our industry faces profound uncertainty at present and those who are shrewd will be prioritising strategies centred on the 1st party data that they have. But we believe that merely having 1st party data won't be enough for publishers to win in this increasingly disrupted space. Our definition of 1st party data needs to change and this is precisely what Prism is. It leverages all of our 1st party data capabilities from audience and contextual to research and insight, bringing them into one central solution for our advertisers. All built on our highly trusted, deeply engaged, brand safe environments. For years our treasure trove of data has been used internally to help us understand our audience and shape our content. Why shouldn't we offer the same to advertisers too? Huge shout out to everyone involved getting this under way and im excited for all the things we still have planned 👀

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Privacy regulation. Cookie deprecation. ID signal loss. It's a complicated time to be working in programmatic with a seriously shifting landscape. Clear Channel UK spoke to 10 industry figures at the coalface of programmatic DOOH about the benefits marketers are seeing in their approach for adding the channel to their digital strategies. From Cookies to Cohorts in Context, a free new report with expert analysis is out now 👇 https://okt.to/MRFT2t

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What's on your mind? Getting the best from your marketing? Can AI help me with marketing? What even is AI? 🤔 Understand more from Reach Solutions next week!! 😀 #digitalmarketing #marketingsolutions #reachsolutions

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Omar Oakes in The Media Leader UK touching on one of the biggest issues of our age. Network Media Agencies are having to turn to 'products' (many non-transparent) to find additional margin as pressure mounts on them to replace lost margins in creative, production and other disciplines within the Holding Companies. Selling products for a mark-up shouldn't be a core feature of a service industry. Adding value through strategic insights, sophisticated media planning and effective (not just efficient) execution should be the way that agencies demonstrate value and drive margin. Charging properly for this has to be the solution rather than today's race for the bottom of faster, better, cheaper. Hopefully this will be discussed at the Future of Media conference happening today and tomorrow from Adwanted UK events.

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Impact is our output. We talk about modern marketing being able to deliver two types of impact - cultural and commercial. How do we move beyond the brand purpose debate and into a more grown up and nuanced conversation about the different types of impact we all create as marketers every day? Come and join us to find out.

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Today's all-new Cog Blog is unusual. First it comes from two of us, myself and Nick Manning (ex Manning Gottlieb, OMD and Ebiquity). Second it's got a point to it. We are seriously worried about the threat from various quarters to the craft of advertising (creative and media) and the failure of our industry's biggest players to face up to the challenges we all face. Indeed, we suggest many are part of the problem. We've decided to do something about it and we would like as many who share our concern to join us. At the moment we are at a planning stage (as we explain in the post); how far we take this does depend on the level of support our ideas generate. We urge you to read the post; and if what we're suggesting resonates with you then let us know. Talk about it, comment, share as widely as you can. We hope this will be the start of something.

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Brian Jacobs and I tend to write and talk about the same themes, so we thought it might be good to convene like-minded people to share ideas about how we Make Advertising Great Again (without the red baseball caps). We all know what the issues are so we don't need to elaborate, but we would like to discuss practical solutions. Read Brian's blog and if you're interested in being part of the discussion, our contact details are therein.

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Max not performing as well as you'd like? Unsure how to challenge your agency or your team? Want some tips and advice direct from some pro's? Why not join our webinar on Performance Max with our PPC guru Hugh-Peter Ward and Sam Craggs from Google. We'll be covering: - How Performance Max can boost your digital growth - Why creative continues to be key for campaign success - The challenges and opportunities using AI and automation within Google's ecosystem Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eMiR77rR

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🚨 There are some huge changes to Meta advertising coming into force next year that will see restrictions on optimisations, audience targeting and reporting accuracy for many charities. These imminent changes are likely to significantly impact charities that rely on Meta as a primary channel for fundraising and engagement. These updates have been released very quietly by Meta, just before the Christmas break. We're working closely with charities to understand the impact and explore solutions together. I've pulled everything we know so far into a blog, including which categories could be affected, and what steps you should take next. We're also gathering feedback to submit a collective response to Meta - the link is in the blog: https://lnkd.in/ebYNbvHM

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