Amber Mac

This is such an abstract metaphor but your podcast is kinda like the Chinese bamboo tree. At point in its growth it's the fastest growing tree in the world. More than two inches per day. But it can take a LONG TIME to get there and if you give up on it before the growth spurt... you'll never know what it could have been https://lnkd.in/gyhjh3kK #podcasting #podfade

8

Whatever other information you're hearing about podcasting there's one statistic at the top of the heap... podcast listening continues to increase. One in three people now have a podcast habit. And according to the Digital News Report 2024 “Podcasts continue to attract younger, richer, and better educated audiences." #podcasting #podcastproduction

3

LOVE the State of Podcast Agencies 2024 Report by Quill Inc. This is an industry still in its infancy. Downloads remain the dominant metric (sadly) but there are some terrific options available to help us make those metrics more sophisticated. Trackable ROI is one of the biggest challenges but that reinforces the need for Agencies to work with clients from the beginning to establish KPIs for their podcast. Download the report here https://lnkd.in/geS8VbRt Fatima Zaidi #podcasting #podcastagencies

9

1 Comment

The single-most powerful differentiator for digital agencies today: “Love your craft.” I heard this from Lindsay Smith, CEO of Massive Media, at the Vancouver Agency Leaders Summit this week, and it stuck with me. The event brought together founders of digital product and marketing/PR agencies to talk about the state of the industry, building strong teams, and keeping (the right) clients happy. At a time when there’s no shortage of technical bells and whistles for agency owners — from AI copilots to an ever-expanding marketing stack — it was refreshing to hear the word “craft” brought up. Doing great work — work you put your heart into — still matters, even if that’s not easy to quantify and lost on certain clients. A thank you to Mark Fromson for putting on such a candid, well-executed, no-fuss event here in Vancouver (with such abundant pizza). Also great to hear from the other panelists: - 🛸JP Holecka🛸 … on why a “generation-less” team is the best kind - Darian Kovacs ♾️ … on why dahlia tubers are the new Pokemon - Jose Hernandez Castilla … on the real vs. imagined efficiency gains of AI - Pete Smyth … on keeping (and letting go of) great team members - Nick Wilkinson … on the power of firing nightmare clients Looking forward to the next summit! cc: Aristotel Dascal

23

2 Comments

Could this be the solution to the impact of Bill C-18 for publications? Since Meta's news ban in Canada, publishers have had to shift their strategy on garnering traffic for online articles and perhaps this is a greater solution for local publications. Although U.S. publications haven't seen a ban of news content, Meta and Google have significantly pulled back on news content so global and U.S. based publications (along with some content creators) are turning to Whatsapp Broadcast Channels to share news. Some are seeing even greater success than on X/Twitter. Another opportunity here is the ability to reach a diverse audience. Whatsapp is a great channel to reach multicultural audiences, and publications are seeing similar results in the U.S., specifically with Hispanic users. As of now, I can only find one Canadian publication using the space but if more publications follow suit, it is definitely a space that I would turn to for the latest local news and breaking updates.

4

The Unseen Perils of Wingin' It: Why You NEED a Marketing Playbook ASAP!

1

Your business, your career, parenting, relationships, all the things of life will present challenges. They are right in front of you. You think you actually see them. I mean, you do see the obvious thing. The business isn’t bringing in enough money, your client won't pay you, your boss doesn’t see you, your kid doesn’t listen to you. We’re all wired to just react to those things. But what if you intentionally changed your perspective? Turn the problem upside down. Get closer to it or further away. Go somewhere you haven’t been.  Move your feet. Pick up your head. Look within instead of ahead. For whatever challenge is in front of you: Challenge yourself to do something with it that you haven’t done before. How else might you solve it? How can it be an opportunity, or even a gift, instead of a problem? Here’s a quick, 3-step framework...and a vacation recommendation. https://lnkd.in/geAFJA-c #motivationmonday #blog #mindsetcoach #transformation #change

19

4 Comments

Navigating the Fine Line: Sustainability in Business   In the corporate world, transparency in sustainability practices isn't just encouraged; it's expected. Recently, Lululemon has come under scrutiny by Canada's Competition Bureau for potentially making misleading environmental claims. This situation underscores the fine balance companies must strike between marketing and genuine environmental stewardship. As we await the outcomes, it's a crucial reminder for all brands to focus on demonstrable progress rather than perfect representations.   Our benchmarking study reveals Tencent is an example of a company that commits to transparency by openly reporting both their successes and areas needing improvement. This approach fosters authentic engagement with stakeholders, who value a clear understanding of the real challenges faced on sustainability journeys.    Learn more about how Tencent and other global leaders are redefining sustainability in commerce in our latest blog article below. This analysis provides insights into integrating sustainability with business strategies to enhance stakeholder engagement. #sustainability #sustainabilitymarketing The Next Practice https://lnkd.in/eYExmKJh

24

1 Comment

Positive or negative multiplier effect? Two ad campaigns are getting attention in Quebec's press recently, though not entirely for the reasons intended. The first is from Sazerac Company, a privately held alcoholic beverage group headquartered in Louisiana, owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. Their poster campaign, themed "a proudly Québécois summer," displays five products bottled in Quebec, along with an emblem. For context, Quebec has three designations for local products: 1. "Origine Québec" for products entirely made in the province 2. "Préparé au Québec" for products made in Quebec but with ingredients that can be sourced outside Quebec 3. "Embouteillé au Québec" for products made elsewhere but bottled locally Local wine and spirit producers are expressing discontent with the implication that brands like Southern Comfort are local, particularly given the SAQ's plans to reduce the number of locally-made spirits it carries. The second campaign is for Koodo, a subsidiary of TELUS. A multicoloured house has apparently violated local regulations, and the city intends to fine Telus according to reporting by La Presse, despite claims from Camp Jefferson that they obtained the necessary permits. This won't cause major reputational damage. In fact, one could argue that these controversies serve as amplification for two campaigns that might otherwise have received limited attention. As Oscar Wilde famously quipped: "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." Marcus Daum Ashley Babcock

9

2 Comments

I will launch a new venture at the CMO Forum on October 1, 2024. I am hosting this conference, and I encourage you to attend. You will hear from marketers, futurists, anthropologists, and thought leaders as they share insights on what to expect next and how to navigate the pressing issues of changing behaviours, attitudes, and choices. Tickets: https://lnkd.in/gcqAFNRM Our new venture. We spent the summer beta-testing various AI tools and working with clients across multiple sectors. Our focus is helping our clients battle the relentless headwinds brought on by the age of noise, complexity, negativity, and creativity to enable them to engage and persuade the audiences that matter most—customers and employees. We can tell you that we have pushed AI and have yet to have any pushback. As a human being, I’ll be honest: I wish AI had never been invented. No one truly knows the long-term impact on jobs or, worse, human psychology as we try to keep up with something that is getting smarter, better and cheaper every second of every day. AI has no empathy or sympathy, only a ruthless drive for efficiency. We don't want AI to replace jobs; we want to future-proof them and, in doing so, give our clients a competitive advantage. We apply AI to uncover deeper insights, develop strategies, drive product and service innovation, and write precise briefs for their agency partners. We help them guide their agencies rather than become their agency. Why am I doing this? I am an entrepreneur who was blessed to ride so many waves. I built three agencies and started with slides and projectors as my medium of choice. With my first agency, Communique, we saw the dawn of computer graphics, video, and stage accoutrements like lasers. We had exclusives with Second City. We devised an idea to repurpose creative to offer clients an exceptional product at a fraction of the cost and exported our work worldwide. Then, with my second agency, Capital C, we won Agency of the Year. We were there for shopper marketing, email, the internet, social media, viral media, and branded content. With Fresh Intelligence, an agency I co-founded, we realized that marketing was moving from mass to my and from carefully crafted campaigns to content at the speed of life. In the past three years, I have had the opportunity to harness technology to create Chatter that Matters, an omnichannel platform anchored to my weekly podcast. Thursday will be my 250 episode. I’m grateful to have the capacity, capability, and capital to ride the biggest wave of them all, AI, with partners I trust and clients I adore. My only advice to everyone, whether you are starting your career on the final stretch, whether you are an artist, architect, accountant, marketer, physician or any point in between, is that history won’t be kind to those who choose to watch things happen or even wait for things to happen. AI - Make it Happen. #chatterthatmatters #CMOSummit Jennifer Horn

23

6 Comments

For the "go woke, go broke" crowd that permeates through many brands across North America and beyond... ...I'm happy to say that you're wrong. A whopping *75%* of consumers globally say that "diversity and inclusion – or a lack thereof – influence their purchase decisions." This comes from Kantar’s 2024 Brand Inclusion Index - a survey of more than 23,000 people in 18 countries. Valeria Piaggio, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Kantar, expands on this: "It’s a myth that inclusion marketing is about marketing to minorities. Inclusion marketing is expansive marketing. One of the fundamental ways to grow your brand is to predispose more people to it. Yet when brands exclude consumers – whether that’s because people don’t feel welcomed when shopping in store or their advertising doesn’t reflect diverse communities – it’s an easy miss. Millennials and Gen Z prioritise diversity and inclusion even more than other groups, and as these populations grow in size and buying power these issues will carry more weight. Brands will be rewarded if they stand by their values – especially in the face of vocal communities which stoke the culture wars by pitting minority groups against one another.” So in the wake of so many brands cutting back on their #DEI staff and spend, treating inclusion like a checkbox that can be layered in whenever convenient, or just deprioritizing #DEI to pre-2020-like conditions, this is your wake-up call. It's time to get back on track. Your customers want it. Many are even demanding it. What are you waiting for? #JEDI #EDI #DEI #DEIA #InclusiveMarketing #InclusiveCommunications #InclusiveBranding #InclusiveAdvertising #InclusiveResearch #InclusionMatters #InclusiveWorkplace #InclusiveCulture

6

Thank you to Deb Meyer for allowing us to share our experience of creating work-life balance. Instead of focusing on one area of life more than the other, we've been intentional about investing into our entire life and business simultaneously. Like financial investing, it's not about the amount of money you invest at the moment. Continuously investing any amount of money over the long term will allow compound interest to work and build wealth. In our relationships and business, slow and steady wins the race. It's not about how much in the moment but continuously investing quality time into both will lead to a Thriving Marriage and Prosperous Business. Click the link https://lnkd.in/gmEW3mhi to listen to the entire interview. #worklifebalance #investinyourfuture #entrepreneurship

4

1 Comment

I was an award-winning journalist in Australia who took a career break to work in a flower shop in Canada… but I never returned to the newsroom. Instead, I spent 7+ years immersed in the world of service-based creative entrepreneurship. Here’s just some of the titles I held during that time: ◼️ Wedding & Event Director + Social Media Manager for a floral studio ◼️ Planner & Stylist for an events company ◼️ Creative Director for a Greece-based photography workshop ◼️ Feature Writer for lifestyle magazines ◼️ Content Strategist for an international wedding blog  ◼️ Content Strategist, Course Creator & Marketer for an online learning company For the first few years, I think I *thought* I’d eventually return to journalism, but the more time I spent surrounded by small business owners, the more I realised that *THEIRS* were the stories I wanted to help tell. Through The Strategy Studio, I get to do that every day as a Marketing Coach, Messaging Expert and Copywriter. Would my eclectic experiences have made sense on a CV? Questionable, if I was going down the traditional job-hunting line. But the thing about starting your own business is that your point of difference is actually your greatest asset. Don’t try to fit yourself inside a box. That unconventional thing about you? I guarantee it’s what people will be most drawn to. What's your "unconventional" feature worth celebrating?

33

8 Comments

A lot goes into #PR in terms of client strategy, newsjacking, pitching, responding to journalists in a flash, etc. But what kind of actual results should you expect? How much news coverage? In our experience, a lot. Check out our #PRagency's results.

6

With less 24 hours before we hit the polls, the recent launch of Iceland’s manifesto, "Frozen Out," speaks volumes about our collective mistrust of traditional institutions and political systems. Businesses have lobbied Parliament for years, and the past decade has seen brands across all sectors take up the mantle of 'purpose' as consumers become more socially and environmentally conscious. But this feels different. "Frozen Out" aims to share monthly insights from its shoppers, covering more than their concerns about food prices and inflation. The manifesto will address a wide range of issues, from health and social concerns to education and the environment. Iceland championing the concerns of its shoppers in this formalised way signifies a significant shift in how brands are influencing culture. This change isn't just a marketing strategy but a response to a genuine societal need. Is a business like Iceland the right channel for people to finally have their concerns heard by whoever takes power this election week? I would love to know others’ thoughts. #marketing #culture #trust

4

Here’s a B2B content strategy framework for 2025: Your video podcast should be the strategic communication platform for the business. For this comms platform to be effective, nail down these 6 things: Audience - who SPECIFICALLY are you trying to communicate to. The more specific, the better. POVs - if you don’t have 3-5 differentiated points of view documented…STOP here and get those locked in. On-air talent - who are the subject matter experts at your company that your buyers would actually relate to? Find 2-5 of them, and make them the co-hosts for this communication platform. Make sure they know the POVs like the back of their hand. Show segments - this is the structure for each episode. Build a bank of different segment ideas that you can mix and match episode to episode. Think of segments that support your POVs and allow you to: answer questions your sales team is getting, talk about the future of your industry, cover social content that’s popped off from industry experts — ChatGPT is FANTASTIC at brainstorming segment ideas with you. I’d shoot for 4-6 segments in each episode. Topics - Topic selection (inside of each segment) is where you tee up your co-hosts up to riff on your POVs in a variety of ways. Topic selection is so much easier when you have great segments as a starting point. Distribution - Don’t just rely on organic distribution here. Build a database of the personal email addresses of 10,000 of your ideal buyers (we use Clay for this) — then use paid media dollars to promote the highest performing organic clips from your show using exact match targeting via LinkedIn & Meta ads. This guarantees that your content will get in front of the exact people that need to see it. —— If you need a partner that can knock this outta the park with you — hit me up. Our team at Sweet Fish lives and breathes this stuff.

37

11 Comments

I love this viral trend of #MicroFeminism that's been happening in the past few months. It sure beats the consistent micro (and macro) misogyny that one encounters on a daily basis. Though this doesn't directly support trans and nonbinary people, I believe in progress over perfection. So, here's two of mine: ➡️ My daughter now knows after years of consistent reinforcement and affirmations that she is "big and strong", as well as "smart" and "funny" and being "beautiful" is more about the inside than the outside. ➡️ I often correct people that assume my wife and I's gender-based roles: a) No, I don't do all the driving. In fact, my wife drives us 90% of the time - I'm usually the one in the back with our toddler daughter b) No, my wife doesn't handle all the daycare/school registration, classes searching/registration, babysitter interviews, bday party planning, trip planning etc. I do it, so you don't only have to talk to me about sports and business. c) No, my wife didn't force me to go to counselling. We both agreed we wanted to see our respective therapists more frequently after our daughter was born. d) No, my wife does not handle the family calendar. I do, so you can go ahead and send the kid's birthday party invites to me. e) No, she is not the pushover parent, I am. She is strong with her boundaries with our daughter and frequently has to remind me to not be so permissive. What are some of your acts of #MicroFeminism? Video source: https://lnkd.in/gtmC6hWz #JEDI #EDI #DEI #DEIA #InclusiveMarketing #InclusiveCommunications #InclusiveBranding #InclusiveAdvertising #InclusiveResearch #InclusionMatters #Feminism #CounterStereotypical #ProgressOverPerfection

87

18 Comments