Rewarding loyalty? Most schemes are running on empty
Hardly a week seems to go by these days without a new loyalty scheme launching or an established one having…
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Bellwether gloom: Reasons to be cheerful parts 1 to 6
With the latest IPA Bellwether Report showing direct marketing budgets being revised down by the lowest level (-9%) for more…
How to unlock the power of first-party customer data
It is widely recognised that the ever-increasing digitisation of media is generating a wealth of data, which, if harnessed correctly,…
How local data-driven activity can save the high street
There has been a grim inevitability to the recent closure of physical stores from long-standing retail brands. To many, it…
Why diversity is the secret ingredient in effective AI
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are often touted as the way to automate a wide range of tasks, from predicting…
How brands and retailers can tie the knot with data
Brands versus retailers – it’s a battle that has rumbled on throughout the ages. The contest is more magnified now…
Don’t be blinkered to the data issues of ‘see, snap, buy’
It has long been recognised that a picture is worth a thousand words – a view reinforced by MIT research…
Spooner on…the harrowing demise of direct marketing
“Bangtails! BANGTAILS! The Johnson Box! THE JOHNSON BOX!!! Self-mailers! Call-to-action! CTA! CTA! Coupon! Coupon! Coupon! It’s the ******* cash-register! Make…
Outer space: how to give your mailings plenty of welly
Believe everything you read and you might be forgiven for thinking that print marketing is suffering a long and painful…
Isn’t it time to make precision marketing great again?
The term precision marketing has become something of a catch-all. It’s been dragged through the mud, misused and misunderstood so…
Digital experience platforms: the CMS to rule them all
As the digitisation of the world continues apace there’s an increasing number of digital channels for marketers to manage, from…
Data-driven decisions are better than a hunch, right?
On Saturday evening, with two other statisticians and my wife, I played a great new board game. Don’t worry, there…
Forget digital transformation, data transformation is key
Digital transformation has commanded thousands of column inches over the past few years and millions of hours of time, meetings…
Spooner on…how to bring back trust in advertising
“Hither cur!” The familiar words bring me instantly to heel, quivering with anticipation, at the side of Lord Charlie McKelvey,…
Customer data value: five questions investors must ask
Customer understanding is critical to ensuring a business remains profitable. While new customer acquisition also plays an important part in…
How you can protect your brand from influencer fraud
With Kylie Jenner named as the youngest billionaire in the world by Forbes, the millennial dream of becoming a full-time…
How to choose the right partner for second-party data
Companies struggle to know their customers. This is the harsh reality for all marketers. Achieving a full view of their…
Why consumer advocacy is marketing’s sharpest tool
Brand managers and their bosses have often been accused of obsessing about trivia at the expense of effectiveness. Hardly surprising…
Three steps to boosting customer experiences with AI
Today’s consumers want value both from what they buy, and from the purchasing process, regardless of whether they’re purchasing a…
Have companies done enough to comply with GDPR?
You visit a newspaper website. A window pops-up. You agree to share your data with every adtech partner present on…
Digital ad duopoly has stifled the industry for too long
So, at last the UK Government is going to investigate the digital advertising sector, with Chancellor Philip Hammond announcing this…
Why brands are streaming to advanced TV advertising
The rise of on-demand streaming services has completely disrupted the television industry and the way in which content is consumed….
Has the traditional marketing model had its day?
Transparency, greater control over creative, and a better return on investment, are just some of the reasons why brands are…
How brands can make the subscriptions model work
The subscription economy is booming. Netflix recently added 7 million new subscribers globally in just three months (Forbes) and Spotify…
Why workforce analytics can boost staff engagement
Employee engagement is an item high on every business leader’s agenda, with most companies currently trying to do everything they…
Why artificial intelligence will not be taking your job
Artificial intelligence. Automation. Machine learning. Despite their origin in the discipline of pattern recognition, these technologies are redefining not just…
Proof that direct mail and email work better together
In today’s digital age, email is the channel of choice for many marketers because it is more cost- and time-efficient…
The top five issues that marketers must challenge today
The pace of change has never been quicker. Accelerating technological developments mean it’s expected that in in five years our…
Year Ahead: Why the data industry has world at its feet
Despite the hysteria and confusion, I am pleased to say that the threatened “GDPR data apocalypse” has not materialised and,…
Spooner on…what’s in store for us in the year ahead?
Scurvy. That’s what 2019 probably has in store for us. SCURVY. Given that most of the UK’s fresh fruit and…
Why brands must get to grips with identity resolution
Marketing in all its forms must work wherever consumers are – and that is everywhere. Identity resolution is at the…
Is the Internet really killing off the British high street?
Many commentators have been quick to blame this year’s poor Christmas high street sales on a shift to online shopping,…
Year Ahead: Time to tackle influencer marketing fraud
Influencer marketing is still in its infancy in comparison to other digital marketing tactics. However, despite this, it is predicted…
Year Ahead: Time to embrace real-time data platforms
Knowledge of the customer continues to be a priority for most businesses. In fact Gartner’s latest CMO study reveals that…
Year Ahead: Get set for the rise of nano-segmentation
Segmenting people into groups based on something they have in common has been around since the 16th Century – Yeomans,…
Year Ahead: Can blockchain fix loyalty scheme woes?
The general consensus is that loyalty is broken. Recently we’ve seen Avios close its doors, Waitrose dramatically alter its offering,…
AI won’t save ad industry but it can redefine marketing
If you believe the headlines, AI may just be the answer to improving most sectors. From an artificial intelligence tool…
Spooner on…this year’s Klorinated Kristmas Krackers
Ah! Xmas! The filthy, numbed, cracked and swollen fingers from harvesting hundreds of thousands of sprouts in the frosty fields…
Marketers must ditch ego to connect with customers
Today’s consumer is both hyper-connected and increasingly wary of sharing their data with brands. Indeed, a recent YouGov survey found that most UK…
Black Friday frenzy puts customer loyalty in jeopardy
That’s right, it’s Black Friday once again, meaning retailers up and down the country are attempting to serve the mobs…
Why the John Lewis campaign marks a turning point
Advertising, like everything else in popular culture, works in cycles, and we’re witnessing a very interesting shift in tone and…
How brands can achieve a 720° view of their customers
How times have changed for marketing. Marketing to groups of similar people – the technique of yesteryear – has now…
How direct mail can cut through the digital deluge
When email first became a widespread communication tool, its immediacy and targetability convinced many industry experts that it would become…
How building a tech stack turns advertising into CRM
Today, no brand is immune from being disrupted by digital start-ups. Some question this logic, but when you consider the…
Why confidence scores are essential for modelled data
How confident are you really about your modelled data? If you asked yourself honestly, the answer to this question is…
Why brands must tackle the ‘infobesity’ challenge
While most businesses now understand how data can deliver a better, more personalised, customer experience, many also express angst about…
Time for the DM industry to address the plastics issue
In January, Theresa May’s government declared a war on plastic as part of a 25-year plan intended to eliminate all…
Why finance firms must fall back in love with direct mail
For financial services companies, cold direct mail has always been a major source for finding new customers, yet in my…
Why is big data never there when you actually need it?
Earlier this summer I cycled from London to Paris to raise money for charity. Sadly, one of my dearest friends…
Are you lagging behind with legitimate interests?
If you are old enough to remember the UK’s only 100-metre Olympic gold medallist, Linford Christie, his mantra was to…