Maria Koutsoudakis

What does impact mean to you and for your brand? That was the question we tackled at a very inspiring round table discussion hosted by dentsu and Campaign UK Thanks for having me Jean Lin Anna Campbell #canneslions #b2bmarketing

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It has been a long time since I attended a top-notch marketing conference and MAD//Fest London did not disappoint. It was a seriously impressive event packed full of fantastic and thought provoking content, at a super-cool venue with fantastic food and great cocktails 🍹 3 things that struck me the most: 1. AI, AI, AI: all marketers need to understand and know how to use it; it’s not going to replace us; instead it can be an awesome co-pilot and will be especially useful for small businesses without big budgets. 2. The importance of marketing fundamentals: strong strategic direction, brand positioning and differentiation, balancing the long with the short term and seeing marketing as an investment in value and not a cost - ignore these at your peril. 3. It pays to support mental heath in the work place. For every £1 invested in supporting mental health at work, employers get an average of £5 back. Thanks Ian Maskell and @Luke Wilcox for the ticket and great company. #madfest24

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Brand tracking data is soooooooo boring!! A fortune for nothing but flat lines! But not all brand tracking is the same. BrandDynamics is the holy grail: sensitive data with statistical confidence. Daily data that's decision ready. It's not magic, it's True Signal! Here's my esteemed colleague Helen Rowe with yet another example - clear evidence of Nationwide's latest ad campaign making waves. Wish your lines were wavier?! Want to tap into True Signal for your brand? Get in touch - brand tracking is changing. And not a moment too soon.

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Wondering what consumers actually want when they talk about sustainability in the grocery sector? Our latest Grocery Eye report has some of the answers. But not all of them, I won't lie, it is complete topic! #Savanta #GroceryEye #Sustainability #MakeBetterDecisions #Supermarket #fmcg

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"Brands can play an important role in changing people’s lives for the better". I am pleased to share my article on the role of brands in consumers’ wellbeing in FMCG CEO Magazine which has been published today!

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If your taste – and bank account - runs to luxury wine, our latest blog reveals how the sector has the luxury brand playbook totally covered. From Mother earth sourcing, its sensory experience, cultural significance and history, it’s a masterclass from which we can all learn. Cheers. #wine #winebranding #luxurybrands #brandnaming https://lnkd.in/egW3hN7h

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Consumer sentiment is choppy globally, with central banks delaying interest rate cuts and recent inflation and GDP readings surprising in the wrong way (US, Australia). The UK is far from immune to what's happening across the world, and I've said before that the path to recovery has some significant barriers to overcome. UK consumer confidence has improved a little again, and consumers seem to think there is light at the end of the tunnel. It will be interesting to see if confidence in future finances translates to a positive impact on retail sales, and to what extent that may hold back any further declines in UK inflation... and central bank cuts. It feels like everyone has forgotten that the low interest rate environment post GFC was meant to be short term before getting back to historic averages. Now that we are back to the historic average, everyone is clamouring for cuts "back to the norm". Memories are short. We might find 4-5% is the norm for a while yet!

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Download this plain speaking brief, written for MDs, Directors and Owners of mid-cap SMEs who don't have a Marketing Director but need marketing to drive growth in new markets or sectors. It'll help you consider the state of your marketing now, where you need to take it, and evaluate anyone you hire to help you. To download, click the full-screen square at the bottom of the preview, then click the download arrow at the top-right of the screen.

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Not everyone likes to hear this I know but standardisation and getting the fundamentals right are key to the success of retail media. Let’s work together as an industry to make this happen

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So after hinting a couple of months ago that confidence was fragile because positive momentum was so tentative (and there remained real day to day challenges even with inflation decelerating), September brought a significant -7 drop. Are we talking ourselves into recession just as we come into retails "Golden Quarter"? Is the negative narrative from Labour to blame for these drops in consumer perception? Is September's result simply a reflection of a growing awareness that the budget may try to squeeze more tax out to rebalance public finances? Or are the there other factors at play as well? Neil Bellamy in our consumer confidence podcast unpacks last months result, mixing in some key insights from GfK and NIQ's panel data to show who is feeling the squeeze, and what it might mean for retailers and the economy as a whole. #CcbUK #Ccbpodcast #ConsumerConfidence

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It’s ok to feel like this at the moment. It’s not age, the industry demands you are across the newest and most effective way to connect with people effectively. Marketing, comms, creative and media is in a bit of an identity crisis. And when that happens, you put on different things to see what works. INSERT - AI is the future, influencers should capture 8% of total ad spend, sponsorship isn’t right (Toyota stopping Olympics post Paris), use EX as your next campaign, and advantage+ everything. Australia’s ad spend is recovering slower compared to the US and Europe. It’s a good thing. This is the time to question everything we are doing. Ask these sorts of questions. “Will this actually work” “Could this money be better spent in the business” “If I don’t spend this money, what will happen”

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With the recent headline inflation numbers looking solid, and retail sales returning to growth in May after the April slump, you have to wonder whether the positive streak for confidence will continue next month, even with the Tory narrative of "see, you can trust us with the economy" feeling more than just a little out of touch (and unlikely to be enough to get them back in power). Consumers do like certainty, and this week's BoE hold reinforces that, with fears of worse mortgage pain to come undoubtedly quelled. But brands and retailers should be careful not to equate this result with people feeling positive overall - it is more like they are less negative. There remains a long way to go I suspect before consumers will be happy to spend more freely again, with the major purchase index barely changed from 12 months ago at minus 23. High interest rates makes savings an appealing place to put any spare money, so as long as interest rates remain high, consumers with debt and consumers without will respectively have barriers and motivating drivers to keep hold of their money.

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This is a truly powerful example of a Semiotic Square, a core piece of output of many #semiotics projects Note how William Landell Mills picked positive binaries and labelled the quadrants to reveal frictions along the diagonal axes A Semiotic Square can indeed be a very effective springboard for culture-driven strategic thinking Chapeau William! Rob Drent SemioCentral #marketresearch #marktonderzoek #insight #culture #marketing #branding #marketingintelligence

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🏆 Vodafone's Glastonbury activation is a case study in positively shaping expectations with smart experiential marketing. They didn't just slap their logo on something – they integrated their brand into the fabric of the experience, addressing a key need (reliable connectivity) and demonstrating their commitment to their customers' passions. #BrandExperience #CustomerExperience #EventMarketing #BrandBuilding

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“The IPA Effectiveness Awards winner is a case study in the marketing fundamentals that most brands ignore or forget – and it’s brilliant because of it” Mark Ritson Fundamentals are fundamentals for a reason. Don’t let new brand messages delivery toys forget it. Over two decades, McCain Foods has talked about the number one message to tap into safety, connection and belonging needs: FAMILIY. We are tribal animals. From music, to flags, to sports teams, to IG challenges, to languages… you name it! … it’s all about belonging to a tribe, in my opinion. Have you found your tribe? #marketing #ipaawards https://lnkd.in/gP96ZTsJ

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Customer service has changed hugely. But what hasn't changed is how it can make or break a brand. It was great hearing from the incredible Claire Wilson at the CEW UK Beauty Tech Summit. Claire is an absolute trailblazer and a hugely experienced Digital guru for the likes of Laura Mercier Cosmetics, ThisWorks, Waitrose & Partners, Barclaycard and Clinique. Her story about writing Clinique's first customer service response email around 20 years ago really shows how far customer service has come. But it also shows how brands have had to adapt to the increasing demands of the highly-knowledgable, 24-7 consumer. Some brands aren't getting this right. Either through the tech they're using (or not using) and, more tellingly, as Claire alludes to, because they're using really junior team members in what is now a highly-pressured role. How have you seen customer service demands change and what have you done to stay ahead of the curve? Let me know in the comments! #customerservice #brands #femalefounders #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife

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A great session yesterday run by Gary Seaman on the latest grocery shopper insights from the UK. Of particular interest to me was the level of loyalty and satisfaction shoppers have with discounters in the UK, established brands are no longer the default option and consumers are ever-more prioritising what they put into their bodies with a growing interest in eating more foods that improve gut health and a renewed focus on reducing Ultra Processed Foods. If you would like to know more, please reach out to Gary Seaman or contact us via https://lnkd.in/gEDN9MR8 #fmcg #shopperinsights #democratisingdata

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