Unilever must learn you can’t outsource trust to influencers
Helen EdwardsThe FMCG giant’s influencer-led strategy risks depleting trust in its brands, under the wrongheaded assumption that brand communications are “suspicious”.
Helen Edwards
Think your category is a special case? Think again
Helen EdwardsThe key pillars of brand building aren’t different for B2B, luxury and startups. The blueprints are the same, even if the results look very different.
Clear briefs help marketers confront the chaos of advertising
Helen EdwardsCreating a great campaign is by nature a ‘poorly defined problem’, so brands must bring clarity to the agency relationship, not just wait for magic to happen.
Helen Edwards: And the marketing winners of 2024 are…
Helen EdwardsOur columnist names her picks for the best and worst of marketing in the past 12 months.
Farmers could learn a lot from marketers – and vice versa
Helen EdwardsThe farming lobby needs to change its privileged image, while food brands’ focus should be the opposite – putting product substance before branding style.
Think twice before embracing confusion in your advertising
Helen EdwardsThe trend of confusing consumers might earn attention but perhaps not the kind you want, and ultimately not the outcomes you get from a clear message.
Clarity is the key to getting your brand positioning realised
Helen EdwardsMake your brand model clear and keep repeating its key principle, if you want to ensure it survives the endless reinterpretations of your brief.
Cause-led marketing could backfire on brands but it’s marketers who are responsible for pushing it too far
Helen EdwardsThe political activists targeting Gail’s have taken a leaf out of modern marketing’s book.
Why commission new research when you are already sitting on a treasure trove of insights?
Helen EdwardsMarketing’s most overlooked asset is the data already sitting in research studies, so take time to dig them out and review what you already know.
Great political slogans leave something to the imagination
Helen EdwardsIt’s difficult to boil down broad issues into a few words, but the best slogans offer promise while letting the public form their own interpretation.
Don’t let collaboration turn to confusion
Helen EdwardsWhile many are in favour of collaboration and consensus over command and control when it comes to leadership, there are some serious watch-outs to consider.
It’s time to break down your brand and build it back up
Helen EdwardsFollow British Airways’ example: for every new ad you make, identify at least one customer experience improvement to go with it.
The C-suite is missing the chief creative officer
Helen EdwardsCompanies only truly value creativity when it’s their product, but most would benefit from a chief creative officer’s honesty and defiance of convention.
Big is beautiful: Think like a mass marketer, not a startup
Helen EdwardsStartups may be nimble and free to take risks, but that’s because they have to be. There are far more benefits to having the resources of a big brand.
Make this the year you innovate
Helen EdwardsCompeting priorities will hold you back in this time of budget pressure and economic stagnation, so focus only on creating an offer that meets customer needs.
The big winners of 2023… according to Helen Edwards
Helen EdwardsAs the year comes to a close, our columnist announces her ‘award’ winners for 2023.
It’s time The Body Shop became exciting as well as ethical
Helen EdwardsThe Body Shop pioneered ethical beauty, but that positioning is no longer unique and its owners need to inject life into the brand to arrest its decline.
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