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At Neon River, the CMO search is one we are often asked to undertake, and most often for internet or mobile companies. The role is so crucial because alongside product management and engineering, it forms the backbone of every consumer oriented technology business.

Marketing drives differentiation in consumer markets where products may be similar. If you think about markets like online retail or travel – two companies might sell an identical flight or product. Even more than that...

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As Team GB celebrate their record haul at the Rio Olympics, the 2016 ‘Summer of Sport’ that has seen global crowds gather for the Euros and Wimbledon approaches its final, Paralympic stage.

As spectators, it’s been a roller coaster of early knockouts and ‘Super Saturdays’, but as marketers, what can we learn from sport and its international audience?

When it comes to tournaments such as these, brands are presented with a unique opportunity to flex...

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Plan, execute, analyse and adjust.

For marketers these were the four distinct steps of their campaigns. Nowadays though, the market and customers are far more fickle and if you don’t move quickly it’s too late. There’s always a newer, cooler and more agile business that is ready to take your customers.

In response to this, marketers are looking to change their approach through digital transformation; taking a more evidence and data-driven approach to marketing...

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The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched a new Responsible Marketing Committee this week, dedicated to promoting a sustainable future for the industry.

The committee has was appointed to set out the association’s policies on the responsibilities of marketers and define what constitutes responsible behaviour. There are already a number of...

Digital transformation has had a profound impact on how brands approach marketing, granting them and their customers countless practical benefits in the process.

Despite the immensely beneficial outcomes of their work, few digital teams could honestly say they don’t have to deal with reluctant colleagues with each new project.

These colleagues often view digitalisation as something that is done to the business – involving projects that leave a mark on the company budget in return for delivering...

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A distinct digital divide has been established within the nation. The day to day way in that people are using data and technology is changing, thanks to analysis revealed by Experian’s Digital Mosaic.

The reality is that 7.5 million of us are being left behind in the data revolution – a surprising statistic given we assume we’re all as switched on as one another – and something that won’t sit well with marketers.  

The growing digital dawdlers...

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A visit to this year’s Cannes Lions festival gave me a close up view of the amazing, creative advertising that brands are creating to inspire their audiences.

The annual festival sees hundreds of brands and thousands of creatives coming together to celebrate and discuss the current state of the advertising, marketing and media industry.

During my time at the...

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Unless you’ve been living under in a cave, you’ll know that the UK voted to leave the EU in June - and the fallout looks set to continue for quite some time.

As the uncertainty continues, there are growing concerns from staff within the marketing industry as to what...

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Starting with a very small team 12 years ago was a challenge, but looking at how our team has grown not just in size, but in talent, skill and success, I couldn’t be more proud.

My business partner Rhian East and I are looked up to as leaders since the inception of WATERS in 2004. It’s a role we don’t take lightly. We believe in leading by example and are confident this approach has enabled us to build a determined and driven team. As leaders, we are constantly...

In today’s online world, it’s no longer enough for an ambitious brand to just have an attractive shopfront on the high street and a recognisable logo.

While they are important, the growth of the internet means that the whole world is now your potential customer base, so it’s important to give extra thought to how you market your business online.

However, with the internet being such a crowded space, there are a number of things you need to consider to minimise the chance of your...

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Reviews, evidence, references. People increasingly expect to do business based on trustworthy proof of prior success.

So why do so many professional services organisations and marketers struggle to produce compelling, timely case studies?

It doesn’t matter whether you call them case studies, client stories or credentials, it all looks easy on paper.

In an ideal scenario, you deliver some great work. You write up the challenge, how you solved it and the positive impact that you...

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Pokémon fever is rife across the globe thanks to a new augmented-reality version of the 90’s franchise, which sees players hunt through real-world locations for digital Pokémon powered by Google Maps.

Produced by Nintendo and Niantic, it was officially launched on iPhone and Android last week in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. The widespread adoption has led to Nintendo adding $7bn to it’s value and shares increasing by more than...

The EUROs was a tournament dominated by the unexpected. Few could have predicted Portugal’s final 1-0 win, or Wales reaching their first semi-final since 1958.

Fans flocked to Twitter to register their joy, and surprise – with over 10.7 million tweets posted by Brits during the live broadcasts of the 49 matches alone, driving more than 2.8 billion impressions – making social media the key battleground for real-time engagement.

Our data reveals three universal fan behaviours that brands can...

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Brands have been chasing the coveted millennial market for years. As true digital natives, millennials’ comfort and fluency in the online world has set them apart.

With an insatiable appetite for digital media, they are the force behind the content revolution taking place in the digital sphere.

Brands have reacted by throwing themselves into digital content production, working to craft content that resonates with millennials.

As a result, 2015 was a record year for content...

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A lot of ink (or pixels, really) is dedicated to the ways in which marketing organisations are evolving. We’re told that the CMO now has a seat at the CEO’s table, and marketing tentacles now reach into every nook and cranny of the enterprise.

Marketing organisations are no longer made up exclusively of creative types; they’re staffed with just as many data geeks and junkies.

What’s driving this evolution? Can the digital revolution take credit for all of...

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The benefits of strengthening a story with statistics, or some other form of quantitative data, are widely acknowledged by marketing professionals from all industries.

Working to provide quantifiable insights to clients across various sectors, I have recently seen an increasing interest in using data to reinforce theories about a consumer-base. But most companies have not considered all the options for commissioning research that are now available.  

In becoming...

For many brands, ‘digital’ is still viewed as a channel in marketing. This completely misses the point that digital technology has changed the lives of customers and brought about the evolution of industries.

To appreciate this, just take a look at Uber, or Airbnb. Over-used examples perhaps, but Uber and Airbnb have become the poster children of modern business because their business models are built around digital.

They didn’t develop market concepts and then consider how to promote them...

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Showcasing your skills on LinkedIn isn’t always straightforward. Endorsements are given by random connections on skills you never even knew you had, and a good recommendation is sometimes rare.

This is true for all job roles, but also in the case of marketing professionals. The level of marketing tech skill varies from person to person, but may not always be immediately obvious from a generic ‘marketing exec’ job role.

With

A digital marketer is spoiled for choice if they’re in the market for tools - and let’s be honest, who isn’t?

It’s fair to say that we’re almost driven to distraction in the search world for the right tool for the right job. Every paradigm shift needs a new tool, every new platform opens up a fresh opportunity and there are additional workflows which can be shortened or optimised.

Spending on marketing technologies within in-house marketing teams or...

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Retail  brands must focus on four key areas in 2016 that include continued integration of instore and online customer experiences, according to the latest Future of Retail study from Walker Sands.

The study, which showed a general plateauing of retail activity this year, surveyed 1,400 consumers in the US and found that seven in ten of them were willing to opt into instore tracking and mobile push notifications if retailers properly incentivised them to do so. Only 6% of consumers had...