Sophie Bunce

Barbie x Krispy Kreme!?!? Since starting my journey in marketing (Rainbow Communications), I’ve found myself paying much more attention to the campaigns and collaborations brands are rolling out. Yesterday, while shopping at Asda, I spotted a Barbie x Krispy Kreme collaboration! I did a bit of research and learned it was to celebrate Barbie's 65th anniversary. Barbie and Krispy Kreme are two brands that INSTANTY bring a sense of joy and nostalgia to people. It’s a great example of how nostalgia can be such a powerful tool in marketing. 💡 The success of the Barbie movie last year really highlighted how effective nostalgia can be in connecting with audiences on an emotional level. What do you think about all the recent Barbie marketing campaigns? Overhyped or no? #MarketingCampaigns #NostalgiaMarketing #KrispyKreme #BarbieXKrispyKreme #MarketingTrends #BrandStrategy #Marketing

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🌟 The North: A Hub of Creativity and Opportunity 🌟 When PRmoment asked which is the best city to work in PR, it was a tough call between two magnificent cities across north! But, Manchester just about took the win. So, why is it good for us PR huns? 🗞️ Media Scene Brilliance: Manchester’s media landscape shines brightly. With a robust regional media network and the influential Media City, it’s no surprise that major national broadcast outlets like the BBC and ITV find their foothold here. 🚀 Business Diversity: From dynamic start-ups to global giants, Manchester houses a diverse business community. This melting pot of enterprises offers great opportunities to PR's to learn how to flex communications across different sectors. Whether you’re navigating the tech sector or diving into healthcare communications, there's lots to get stuck into! ✨Creative Currents: Beyond the obvious, there’s an undercurrent of creativity that defines Manchester. It’s not just about press releases and media relations; it’s about ideation, design, and advertising. The city pulses with a talent pool of imaginative minds, ready to learn from and be inspired by. So, if you’re seeking a PR playground that combines professional growth with artistic flair, the north's your gal! 🎙️📊🌆 Read further debates on which city is the best to work in for PR, from the PR's themselves below 👇🏻 #ManchesterPR #MediaMagic #CreativeCity

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Some pro tips from our resident media guru Andrei Philip Iacob 🤓 💸 I assume you have just allocated that (sizeable) portion of your budget to key 2025 events in your industry, so make it count! Don’t get lost in the noise. 💡Read our latest Red Lorry Yellow Lorry blog to find out some top tips on how you can make your event calendar go further with the help of your PR team…

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Why is PRWeek UK amplifying this patronising letter like it's some groundbreaking piece of wisdom that has never before crossed the mind of a PR practitioner? I'm sure I've sent poorly targeted pitches in my time, but this is practically impossible to avoid when a large number of publications and journalists provide zero guidance for PRs regarding how to pitch them or what pitches they do or don't want to receive (shout-out to the helpful minority who do 👋 ). I wholeheartedly agree that there are fundamental problems with the prevailing model of earned PR outreach, but these problems are complex - the product of shrinking editorial teams, disappearing ad revenue, the inappropriate use of AI (I could go on....). The vast majority of PRs know exactly how to research and target their pitches appropriately - and put in a huge amount of legwork to do this. It's reductive to imply that if we only resist sending that follow up then the model would start working properly again. I understand that the Synapse - The Stories Marketplace team (who publicised this article in the first instance) want an excuse to talk about their platform as an 'alternative' to the traditional email outreach model, but I think they are at risk of alienating their target audience with this. https://lnkd.in/epqSGJwY

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Although 60% is a great achievement, it's a shame Channel 4 wasn't able to meet it's target to get 100% of ads subtitled during their #paralympics coverage. 💬 C4's Head of Sales Victoria Appleby (nee Sangster) 'urged advertisers to “fully embrace accessibility” and said there was a “misconception” about how much it costs to subtitle. Brands can work with organisations including Clearcast to produce cost-effective subtitling.' Read more: https://lnkd.in/e247NtYp. 👍 Engage more viewers with Clearcast #Subtitles - a simple, cost-effective solution. Drop an email to [email protected] for more info, or head to https://lnkd.in/e5UcMqJd. Marketing Beat / Channel 4 Sales

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PR Role Opportunities!! We are currently hiring for PR's at all levels thanks to some amazing client wins! Currently live on our careers page: ⭐️ Digital PR Executive - Rise Live (Reactive) ⭐️ Digital PR Strategist (manager-level role) We also have some more roles coming soon so I'm interested in chatting to PR's at all levels about upcoming opportunities. Link to apply in the comments! #PRjobs #reactivePR #digitalPR #digitalPRjobs #PRroles #digitalPRroles

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So what does a General Election mean for your PR team? 💁‍♀️ 📰 ✨ If, like me, you're working on a variety of activities over the next month, you'll be considering how things will look in the run-up to the 4th July in the UK. You'll be asking: should I press pause or pivot my PR plans or should I just crack on? Here's my tuppence: 👉 There will -obviously- be an increased media focus on politics. The general election is almost certainly going to lead the news for the next few weeks - from debates, updates, and coverage of election-related events. This can make it challenging for non-political stories to land (or land well). 👉 Your audiences' attention will also be heavily focused on the election, which might reduce the impact of your PR efforts as people may be more engaged with political news and less with other areas of the media (ie. lifestyle, consumer finance, technology). 👉 Editors and journalists will likely prioritise political stories over other content, leading to less coverage and lower chances of your work getting featured prominently. Similarly, journalists who cover non-political beats might get roped into the GE coverage, so don't assume anyone is working BAU. So what can you do about it? Most of us won't want to turn the taps off entirely and if you're gearing up for something big, you might worry about missing your moment (and trust me, I know that sucks because I was meant to launch a campaign 9th September 2022). Consider your options. 1️⃣ Reschedule your PR diary - If possible, it might be time to pivot your activity so that anything major kicks off after mid-July (assuming it's a clean election and there's not another hung parliament / coalition situation). This will help you avoid the peak election coverage period, particularly if you're launching a bigger project or campaign. 2️⃣ Embrace newsjacking - You can't be afraid to lean into politics with a small-p for this one, but if rescheduling is simply not an option, consider tying your PR campaign to the election in a relevant and newsworthy way. 3️⃣ Go niche - Now might not be the time to hit up your pals at the nationals. Think about the smaller publications that have a different remit. Be creative if you're on the consumer side. If you have a B2B arm, hone in on it. Focus on niche publications and online platforms that might still have space for your story, even during the election period. 4️⃣ Break away from the usual earned media channels - Think about your owned options. Social media, email marketing, and other direct channels can help you reach your audience when the media agenda is too crowded. Using these channels also means you can be more reactive, entertaining, and consistent in your comms despite the saturation of election news. There you go. My starter for ten. What would you add? Or if you have a question about what you should do, drop a comment or give me a bell. 🔔

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Check out my latest blog ⬇ #Blog #EarlyCareers #GradLife

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So… things are changing again as they do, and the adventure continues. Currently studying for my MA in Marketing & Digital Communications, which I embarked on in January this year with Falmouth University I am a freelance marketer working on exciting projects, and I support my family as a mother, grandmother, friend, and business coach. Some exciting plans for this year and in month 6 I can clarify that a lot has changed and a lot has happened since 2023! Watch this space for updates #marketing #globalmarketing #masterdegree

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An email asking if we'd be happy for people to wear pants on their heads with our logo on as a charity fundraiser. Just another average day in the office for a brand manager...and I'm not sure I'd want it any other way. 💚 😂 #BrandManagement #Fundraising #CharityComms #BrandStrategy

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I've been wanting to write a post on here for a while about misinformation. I've worked in social media for over 9 years, and I have never been more worried about the amount of mis and disinformation I saw being spread in 2024, on a professional and personal level. And the thing that worries me, is it's not being spread in an obvious way a lot of the time, i.e. via content. It's often in the comments sections of brands - sometimes brilliant, wholesome, genuine brands with excellent values who would no doubt be mortified when their comments section gets invaded. So why is this happening? The simple answer is, because they haven't invested properly, or at all, in moderation or community management. Which, to anyone who doesn't know what this is, or how important it is, is the equivalent to leaving the gates to your business unlocked at night and allowing people to graffiti all over the building. A lick of paint might get rid of it eventually, but what about the footfall in between? As M**k and Zuck (Zuck's on the brink of getting his name asterisked too, believe you me) show what irresponsible leadership of global platforms looks like with each passing day, I am begging you as a Social Media Manager, if you have any kind of social media account attached to your business, have someone checking the comments, minimum once a day - you don't even have to reply to people if you don't have the resources, but please hide anything with numbers or facts and advice you can't be sure is true. I could get into the darker side of what not moderating your comments sections looks like (riots of last summer, elections, the rise of the right wing), but here's something a bit lighter that won't make you want to turn away in horror. This ad summarises the chaos of comments sections - it will make your head spin, but it'll probably make you smile. Nice work Australian Lamb 👏

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Blurred's Hayley Ticehurst featured in today's Behind the Campaign interview for PR Week talking about the recent Oatly campaign with Giggs aiming to raise awareness of lactose intolerance - which disproportionately affects Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities – as well as the need for greater accessibility of dairy-free products. Hayley discusses how this campaign really opened doors with new types of media for Oatly. "Two thirds of articles were in titles Oatly had never featured in before which was a real win for us, entering new spaces that allow us to spread Oatly’s message and its mission even further." And not forgetting the importance of strong client/agency partnerships which are the basis of any successful campaign. Thanks to PRWeek UK and John Harrington for the feature. Link in comments below 👇

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An interesting read this morning with Regan Hancock from Hatched! BAD BRIEFS ARE WASTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS PER YEAR!! He emphasises the critical need for both agencies and marketers to improve the briefing process to avoid wasting significant portions of marketing budgets. A study revealed that 90% of marketers struggle with writing effective briefs, highlighting a pervasive issue. Despite the passage of time, little has changed, and agencies remain frustrated with ineffective briefs. The solution proposed isn't merely blaming marketers but fostering a collaborative approach between agencies and clients. Briefing should be seen as a dynamic process, requiring clear objectives, defined target audiences, and strategic thinking rather than just listing tasks and channels. Ultimately, need to be encouraged to lead this transformation by advocating for better briefs and fostering a collaborative environment that ensures clarity and alignment with business goals. AdNews Australia

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https://lnkd.in/ere2vk6m Back in January, my bright colleague Jamie Howett and I (along with several other bright Tesco Media and Insight Platform colleagues) authored our annual predictions: Shape What Britain Buys 2024. In keeping with the spirit of self-reflection (mastered by 'Prof G' Scott Galloway) we've checked in on what we said to see how close or far from the mark we are... 🏪 The connected store: More sophisticated omnichannel store experiences are proving effective (Mondelēz International's best ever Easter campaign is at the forefront). The prospect of measuring in-store attention (and how it relates to Tesco.com and offsite targeting) is a burgeoning territory for investment. 🔁 Continuous commerce: We're observing growing evidence of brands missing opportunity to build salience throughout the year and in between their promotional or activation windows. 'Burst and review' is still commonplace and should be paired with more consistent investment in high potential first-time or frequency customers. 🛒 Blended shopping: Customers that "Research Online, Purchase In-store" represent our most engaged cohort. A review of over a thousand campaigns shows that layering Tesco.com / app activity on in-store drives over 40% sales lift versus in-store only activity. 🙌 Results beyond ROAS: 'Incrementality' means different things to different brands in their quest to prove retail media's impact beyond short-term value (most commonly revenue). We're working closely with brands of all sizes to understand the long-term value creation from media £s targeting different customer lifetime value segments vs. metrics beyond revenue (units per visit, AOV, annual customer value to name a few) to prove contribution. 🤝 Retail media teams: over the past 18-24 months we've seen 'Retail Media' feature prominently in marketing operating models, as a centre of excellence for brand, performance, shopper and trade teams working more cohesively in the day to day with retail businesses and partner agencies. We're witnessing an exciting era for 'messy' trial based collaboration and we're here for it. TL;DR: retail media is the most intriguing slice of today's marketing landscape as customers, creativity, commerce and collaboration collide, built upon proven '2 speeds of growth' marketing practice, infused with novel tactical avenues to delivering strategies that serve customers, build brands and measure effectiveness.

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‘I designed that… and it’s one of my proudest achievements’ mark whelan said to me as I walked out of the Havas London HQ. There are two things I love about out this… 1. An accomplished (British) leader being ok with saying ‘that’s one of my proudest achievements’. That just doesn’t happen. 2. The proudest achievement being something physical. That you can walk on. Look at. Touch. I wrote a thing about Spatial design making a resurgence recently. And I think a return to ‘physical’ isn’t just a counter movement to all the chat about AI and screens. I think it’s primal. I think humans want to feel things again. I think it’s why Cannes was flooded with humans. And I think it’s why Brands are investing in retail, experiential, events. Either way, if you didn’t know, now you know that Mark designed those cool stairs at Havas… and it’s actually a map of Kings Cross made from used metal from Kings Cross station. Luzz it. Thanks, Mark.

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending The Marketing Society's Digital Day alongside my brilliant colleagues Chloe Partikas and Emer Whelan. With a jam-packed agenda there was lots to inspire us but a few things have stayed with me in particular today: 🎲 Check out Michael Sani and the brilliant team at Play Verto - a refreshing new take on how to have fun with research (and drive deeper insights while you're at it). 🔍 Search is a behaviour, not a channel. But it's one too often overlooked in integrated comms and marketing plans with not enough attention paid to audience trends, different decision-making points, and how to use different search platforms to support each other. 🧐 Have the discipline to say no, more than you say yes. With more channels to engage on, and new formats, launching regularly, having the discipline to know what works for your brand is more important than ever. 💡 Experiment with AI and machine learning. (Shock! I know). There are already brilliant opportunities for brands and agencies alike to build AI solutions into the way we work and deliver communications - and even more work to be done to ensure it's used ethically and responsibly. This work can't be done without fully understanding the functionality so get experimenting. 🎓 And last, but by no means least, I was reminded of the value of making time to keep learning. To not only help us be better leaders, better doers and better listeners, but there's no doubt it's also the key to staying energised and inspired in what we do. Huge thanks to Sophie Devonshire⚡️and the team at Marketing Society for putting on such a brilliant day and to Snap Inc. for hosting us. Here's a token picture of us making the most of the snapchat filters as evidence of a hard day's work... #inspiration #communications #digitalmarketing

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Dear people of LinkedIn. I'm currently putting together a mentoring/ coaching/ training programme for senior professionals (and comms directors who have a CEO who's poor at this!) to help them make the most of social and digital media. ✅ What it is: a 6-7 week programme focused on boosting an individual's digital presence from a business perspective. It helps to identify proper business goals and put steps in place to achieve those. It most probably will involve LinkedIn, but could incorporate a website presence or a podcast or anything else. ❌ What it isn't: a personal branding exercise that encourages people to post content they're not comfortable with in order to build followers. I've never advocated for video if you hate video or large follower numbers and I'm not about to start now. 👉 If you think this is something you might benefit from, or you're a comms director who really needs someone in your organisation to level up and needs help with that, either drop a comment below or DM me. Although every individual programme will be bespoke as it needs to be, I'm currently formatting the structure of the programme, so if you might be interested it's a chance to input into that.

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🤐 🍫 When silence speaks louder: the campaign that made us pause Marketing isn’t always just about selling – sometimes, it’s about using your platform to make a difference. Cadbury’s Donate Your Words campaign did exactly that, by taking an unexpected approach: they removed all the words from their iconic Dairy Milk packaging. The reason? To highlight a serious issue: over 1.4 million older people in the UK experience chronic loneliness, going days or even weeks without meaningful conversation. This campaign didn’t just stop at silent packaging. Cadbury shared moving stories of elderly individuals inviting us to “Ask Me Anything,” reminding us of the powerful impact of human connection. This raises a critical question for businesses today: do brands have a responsibility to address social issues? When companies step up and align their platforms with purpose, the ripple effect can be profound – for both their reputation and the causes they support. Should more brands take a stand on societal challenges like loneliness? Does it change the way you see them or influence your decisions as a consumer? #MarketingWithPurpose #DonateYourWords #Cadbury #AgeUK #SocialImpact #CorporateResponsibility #AlphaMarketingInsights

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