Cate Murden

The Gallup State of the Workplace Report for 2024 has just dropped (literally 10 mins ago). And it's still sombre reading... The engagement headline is slightly better than 2023 - but still hugely costly to organisations, and the wider social & societal impacts. We've much more to do. #Gallup #StateOfTheWorkplace #EmployeeEngagement #Culture

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💡 Did you download our latest 2024 Most Attractive Employers student survey in the UK report?? The survey provides insights into student preferences across various industries, highlighting the importance of employer branding and communication when attracting top talent. We also reveal emerging trends and the companies considered most attractive by future talent, offering valuable data for refining employer branding strategies. 📊 Not on the rankings list? Don't worry! With data from over 32,000 UK respondents, we can offer tailored industry and audience trends to refine your employer branding strategy. Gain invaluable insights into your target audience's preferences and stay ahead with key competitive analysis. You can download the report for free here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e9Tb-h2r #EmployerRankings #TalentInsights #FutureOfWork Universum

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It’s that time of year…. C word comes out and we see the adverts that stimulate us, we comment, like and as I am doing share? Exposure through being inspired- yet is it? Inspirationa(c)tion is our word @and. We use it to not only focus on how over used inspiration is It’s also to connect inspiration is useless without action ? What do you do when you say - so inspiring? Nothing? Share? Comment? Like? All are actions yet inspiration needs us to move and take action to come to life or it’s just something we like and hasn’t actually inspired us. This amazing advert is one that will be shared many times yet how many of us will take action that creates inspiration? I am sat here pondering and my inspira(c)tion was to do 1. Donate to shelter 2. Not send cards and send donations of the money I would spent on them to the charity 3. Find a local homeless charity I can gift 🎁 things to for a child at Christmas 4. Emailed to find out what I can actually physically offer to do and help This doesn’t make me special This is my choice to take inspira(c)tion for this the other C word adverts haven’t inspired me, raised a smile, made me feel festive and that’s it. What do you do when you say I’m inspired? Do you take inspira(c)tion?

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Some (non political) thoughts following the UK election results last week... For those of you interested in #marketing there's a lesson to learn from the Lib Dem party in targeting your campaigning activity in places where you have identified likely clients. They have learnt over the years to focus on seats where there's a likely demographic to support them and hardly a wasted vote. Compare this with the (relatively new) Reform party who have received a large number of votes but hardly any seats, much more scattergun as an approach. Message for us Consultants - focus your marketing, don't be afraid to niche, don't try to appeal to everyone For those of you interested in #data this graphs shows an interesting comparison of share of the overall votes vs share of the overall seats. And I do love a nice graph!! If this was in the HR space comparing, say, demographics of candidates at application vs appointment, I would want to interrogate further - why are some demographics seemingly more successful through the process than others? Is there an issue with the process or systems? Or this there a bias at play? Message for us HR professionals - data is great but you also need to interpret it in relation to the business Want to chat more on either subject, DM me or comment below, I'm always happy to collaborate. Keith Rozelle, Sales Marvel Lara Holding-Jones (Kenny) Emma Smith Jenny Procter #alwayslearning #collaboration #HRwishlist

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Good marketing really does boil down to three things M.T.P..... Messaging, targeting and positioning. Check out the latest episode of my podcast to find out more on how focusing on MTP is helping me to transform people's businesses. Listen here https://lnkd.in/eWNvJfAE and in all the usual podcast places (Spotify, Apple etc) #Marketing #AEC #Architects #Construction #BuiltEnvironment

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I posted a couple of weeks ago about my opinion on content and that with Creative Compass UK, I aimed to produce value-driven content, avoiding the buzzwords and jargon I was fed up with reading on my feed. Well, I wrote a blog about it! Have a read; I touch on why it's important, why we should focus on valuable content, and how to implement it! 🚀 https://bit.ly/4eCUQUy Let me know your thoughts if you have any 😊 👇 #ContentMarketing #ValueDrivenContent #CreativeCompassUK #ContentStrategy #DigitalMarketing #Freelance #Smallbusiness

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‘You can’t really measure the impact of PR’. I hear that said so often that sometimes even those of us working in the sector can be at risk of internalising that belief. Which is why it’s so uplifting when a client takes the time to write in on a Friday afternoon to say ‘the result of the press coverage [that Rostrum generated] is a 25% increase in website traffic and a 50% increase in form completions’. That’s a measurable return on investment from your PR programme.

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Time is running out and I need your help! If you are an agency leader, I'd be hugely grateful if you could give your insight from the agency perspective for the Brilliant Client vs Agency Benchmark Report! Fill in the online form here: https://lnkd.in/efadReAJ. I'm hoping to close the research phase by mid September. So far there has been some really interesting insight into topics such as: *Why clients are being slow to buy this year... *How you can help clients be better clients! *What agency owners think clients complain about the most *What the most likely ROI could be with a new product... If you are intrigued please fill in the form to give your view for this benchmark report - due out this year! In a nutshell we are looking at how clients perceive their agencies and what they really want compared to what agency owners think they want. Obviously, I'll share the report with those who contribute first... And a BIG thank you to all the brilliant people who have taken part so far! #agencylife #brilliantagencyreport #happyclients

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Today see's the launch of the Clear Channel UK Insight Store 💡 We've put all our brilliant research and insight into one place to make it super easy to access, whenever you need it. So, whether your looking for the latest consumer behavior, category case studies, or effectiveness studies, you'll find them all there on the Clear Channel website. Link in the comments below 👇 #outofhome #marketing #ooh

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Last week I had the pleasure of attending Grayling Media's launch in London. Grayling Media is a media relations and intelligence unit within Grayling and has just released a new report 'The New Media Age 2024' which I have linked to in the comments below. It's well worth a read. The launch event featured a power panel of media and PR experts, including Sky News’ Sophy Ridge, new media expert Jordan Schwarzenberger, Bauer Media's lucie cave and PR pro and Love is Blind's Tom Stroud, all expertly moderated by Grayling's Heather Blundell. The conversation focused on the evolving media landscape, especially how traditional journalism is converging with the digital world. Some stats that stood out to me included : Journalist trust remains strong: 64% of the UK public trust journalists, with higher trust among the 18-35 age group. Rise of media influencers: One in five consumers follow specific journalists, with 40% of 18-34-year-olds actively seeking their content. Generational shift: Younger audiences are connecting deeply with individual journalists, valuing their voices more than the platforms they work for. Social media struggles with impartiality: Only 40% of respondents view social media as impartial, compared to 63% for TV. A few standout themes then: The rise of individual journalists as influencers - with younger audiences often following the views of individuals over media outlets. As PR professionals, building relationships with individual journalists remains as important as ever. The blurring lines between traditional and new media—content creators and social media platforms are now integral to news consumption, especially for Gen Z. AI and disinformation—there’s both excitement and caution around AI's growing role in content creation. Trust and authenticity remain critical as we navigate this new era. I dind't count, but had I of done, that word 'trust' was almost certainly the most cited word in the day. It’s clear that the future of media is multi-platform, with a very strong focus on personalities and engaging content rather than media brands alone and it all needs to resonate with diverse audiences. A fascinating session and plenty of takeaways for PR and media professionals, thank you for a great afternoon. And a big shout out to David Gallagher and Leah Selouk too, great to natter afterwards. Don't forget to download the report - linked below. #PR #Media #SocialMedia #AI #Communications #Content #futureofmedia

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Only one more sleep until the PRmoment Agency Growth Forum which features a stellar cast of presenters including yours truly! To all those attending, I look forward to catching up with old friends and to meeting new ones. My 20 minutes will cover: ➡ Positioning - why it's so important to know who you are targeting ➡ Planning - five steps to building a strong pipeline stream ➡ Performance - an explanation of why pipeline management is a numbers game ➡ Practicalities - six actionable tips to help with you pipeline thinking Plus - the added bonus of introducing six great thought leaders who contribute to this space (names BTW - not on stage 😁 ) Sound good? I believe you could still sneak in with an online ticket which could be bought by visiting: https://lnkd.in/ehsXgxJz. But if you can't attend and would still like to find out more about how to build your pipeline, I will happily hop on a call and use my deck as the basis for an informal chat with you. Just DM me and let's go from there. #PRAgency #PR #Agency #Growth

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📣 Call for Panellists! 📣 The inaugural 'Pop Culture Marketing Trends Summit' will take place at MCM London Comic Con on the morning of Friday 24th May.  It’s a free event aimed at pop culture marketers and comms professionals and those that have an interest in staying abreast of current marketing trends in the context of the rapid and somewhat challenging changes we are all experiencing. We're presenting x5 panels in a whirlwind morning schedule, all of them will be made up of experienced professionals in the following areas: - Industry: Published Media (Books, Comics) - Industry: Games - Channel: Events - Industry: On Screen Entertainment (Film, TV & VOD) - Channel: Creator Each panel will be having a discussion based on three core questions: What changes and developments are you seeing in your consumers or audiences? How do you think your sector is responding and adapting to those challenges? What do you identify as the key marketing trends as a result? So, are you, or do you know a potential panellist? A professional working in the pop culture marketing and comms sector who: - is an avid follower of pop culture marketing and comms trends with an eye on the game and finger on the pulse. - walks the walk as well as talks the talk - enjoys voicing thoughts and opinions and likes talking about them nicely with others - whose employer says it’s ok or even encourages going out and about to talk about things that have been learnt ‘in the day job’ - wants to come and hang out at MCM London Comic Con for the Friday before a bank holiday weekend If that sounds like you or someone you know drop me a line (or get them to) on here or via email ([email protected]).  We’re aiming to curate the most interesting and diverse panels we can to gain as full an insight as possible for the attendees. We will respond to everyone who gets in contact but you may not finally be successful as a pannellist. If you want to get involved apart from being a panellist please feel free to give me a shout and let's have a chat.     IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND THIS EVENT (and why wouldn't you it's a legitimate business case to pop to MCM London Comic Con @ Excel to do some learning and also see fandom consumers free-range in their natural habitat!) More about how to get your mits on tickets next week.

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Simple way to boost sales in May… Build campaigns and creatives around these 5 dates 👇🏻 - 6th May: Early May Bank Holiday (UK) → Downtime with friends and family → Celebrating the start of Spring → Newfound optimism - 12th May: Mother’s Day (USA) → Tread carefully (empathy + inclusivity) → Push products that make for great gifts → Add gift wrap and messaging options - 13th May: World Cocktail Day → Promote products that add fun into users’ lives → Create marketing material that showcases a good time → Push products that add to parties (for ex: glasses, games, etc) - 13th to 19th May: Mental Health Awareness Week → Show your audience you care → Showcase emotional stories of customers → Offer discounts on products around health - 27th May: Spring Bank Holiday (UK) → Offer bundles on items that help people relax → Highlight how your products fit into users’ time off → Highlight the weather changing (finally some sun) Any dates you want to add? If you want June’s marketing calendar too… Follow Joe Marston to ensure you don’t miss out

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Finally. The siren song on a limiting era in marketing is playing out…👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Some (non-scientific) thoughts on the story below that - shocker - a new study may show that Byron Sharp’s ‘How Brands Grow’ has some great learnings (and at The Brill Building we use them when appropriate) but isn’t a one size fits all approach to marketing and advertising ✅1. I really have always thought of “How Brands Grow” as quite literally ‘The Bible’ of marketing strategy but not for the reason you might think. Rather I believe - like the Bible or any other supposedly ‘sacred text’ the validity of its teachings are relative to the intelligence or intentions of the person preaching them ✅✅2. If the learnings in HBG were as simple to apply and universally understood as they are proposed to be why does Byron Sharp himself spend his days on LinkedIn correcting people’s misinterpretations in the comments? ✅✅✅3. Many people and big commercial forces will always want easy solutions and formulas to replicate art at scale and to proven reliable profit (see Hollywood studio superhero movies and much of what is commercial pop) And it will often work. But true creativity is wholly original and will end up setting the ‘next’ wave of what we are encouraged to see as the ‘proven formula’ ✅✅✅✅4. Lots of not very experienced individuals are able to portray themselves as ‘experts’ or ‘gurus’ because they have learnt off and are able to parrot the ‘facts’ ‘proven statistics’ and ‘learnings’ of HBG, Ehrenberg-Bass, System 1 etc etc etc without having the ability to apply context, reasoning, instinct or any of the other flexible mindsets that allow applying them appropriately. ✅✅✅✅✅5. Marketing as a discipline is often set up to embrace each generation’s “doctrine” blindly (e.g It was Kotler but now it’s Sharp) in a way that discourages critical thinking and debate and encourages the widespread misinterpretation of select data as bad science. Bad. Science. ✅✅✅✅✅✅6. Please let this be the beginning of the end of all that black and white thinking. Marketing and advertising - like all creative disciplines in a commercial space - need originality and good judgement. That will always be the preserve of those with the talent and experience to steer the ship and we should be encouraged to sit with the discomfort of that. Not everyone who does an aero-nautical engineering degree has what it takes to be a pilot. And don’t get us started on the lads with lots of hours in the flight simulator. ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅7. Here’s what’s exciting, a new era is coming and none of us knows exactly what it will be. Uncertainty. The need to be open-minded. Not rigid and embracing good judgement. So. Ready. For. It…..

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“Zero-Based Budgeting is a bit like National Service, it’s loved the most by the people least likely to end up having to do it.” I had a lovely old natter with Matthew Valentine on the topic for Marketing Week TL:DR I actually don’t hate it, well not completely, but it’s frequently badly implemented resulting in a lot of organisational trauma for little upside. 😈 If implemented well it can make a lot of sense. But too often, as ever, the theory of zero-based budgeting is tainted by the reality of internal politics. 🤪 But if you end up with the fate of your business relying on people with no subject matter experience, ruling on the fate of recommendations from your company’s experts in business critical fields, it isn’t likely to end well….particularly if you divert those experts from business critical tasks, for weeks on end, to create ZBB submissions for activities that are no brainers. 📊 Zero-based budgeting suits some organisations better than others. E.g: Established consumer goods companies with marketing units, technology companies in fast moving categories and smaller high growth companies. ☯️ Generally it works best when a hybrid version is used, which focuses time decision making on the projects most likely to have a big impact on strategy, resource utilisation and results. Thanks to Sophie Devonshire⚡️ for the introduction.

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‘I designed that… and it’s one of my proudest achievements’ mark whelan said to me as I walked out of the Havas London HQ. There are two things I love about out this… 1. An accomplished (British) leader being ok with saying ‘that’s one of my proudest achievements’. That just doesn’t happen. 2. The proudest achievement being something physical. That you can walk on. Look at. Touch. I wrote a thing about Spatial design making a resurgence recently. And I think a return to ‘physical’ isn’t just a counter movement to all the chat about AI and screens. I think it’s primal. I think humans want to feel things again. I think it’s why Cannes was flooded with humans. And I think it’s why Brands are investing in retail, experiential, events. Either way, if you didn’t know, now you know that Mark designed those cool stairs at Havas… and it’s actually a map of Kings Cross made from used metal from Kings Cross station. Luzz it. Thanks, Mark.

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My friend Shazia Ginai made a great post last week about the power of being a generalist. To quote "The version of truth we have been told encourages us to conform and fit a box. In the insight sector people tend to be quant or qual specialists but when you're in leadership you probably should have actual experience working across a range of methodologies as well as disciplines like sales, marketing and finance right?" I couldn't agree more. As someone who has pivoted from one specialization to the next in the data, insights and analytics career, my various roles (researcher, tech entrepreneur, investment banker) may look odd to some, but to me, they form the perfect Venn diagram. The traditional notion of a linear career path is increasingly outdated in this day where employers are increasingly fickle and employees have learned that, often, the fastest path to a promotion or salary increase is to jump ship for a competitor. As such, the concept of a "portfolio career" has been gaining traction, offering an alternative to the conventional notion of picking an industry or sector and then working over many years to perfect a narrow skill set (like accounting or plumbing) over the length of your career. Wondering what the heck a "portfolio career" is and how best to embrace this new way of thinking about work (and ensure you're not a "one hit wonder")? I've got you covered in this month's edition of Scaled (and I've tagged some of my favorite "portfolio career" folks, below). https://lnkd.in/gssCfqcd #mrx #marketing #portfoliocareer #careergrowth #marketresearch ScaleHouse Eileen Campbell eric salama Jamin Brazil Leigh-Brindeland (Brin) Moore Emily Della Maggiora George P. Slefo Owen Hanks Emma Cooper Alex Gelman Stephanie Sandler Marie Audier D'Alessandris Jason Thome Bree R. McKeen Tim Lawton Bruce Friend Crispin Beale Tiama Hanson-Drury Eric Meerkamper Jen Barth Gareth Schweitzer Melinda Moore Denis Cranstoun

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Welcome, new followers (...said the pied piper of PR - I wish!) I've actually acquired a fair few new connections recently so I thought it timely to remind you all what we do here at Skout. WHO ARE WE? ❓A 100% employee-owned comms and PR agency ❓B2B specialists ❓15 years in the making WHAT DO WE DO FOR CLIENTS? 🎯Build trusted, long-term relationships between brands and buyers 🎯Campaigns to generate demand for B2B products and services 🎯Improve competitive position through increased share of voice WHAT AREAS DO WE SPECIALISE IN? 🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑People - HR tech, benefits, mobility, employee engagement... 💵Money - Fintech, tax, procurement, financial wellbeing... 👩🏽‍💻Technology - Business applications, cloud, connectivity... WHO DO WE WORK FOR? 🌍Global B2B brands - leaders and challengers 💎Quality brands with B2B divisions needing dedicated support 💹Ambitious, scaling businesses grabbing market share WHAT MATTERS TO US? 🧑🏾‍❤️‍💋‍🧑🏼True partnership with clients - your success depends on it! 🪴Business growth - our own ambitions match those of our clients 🦣Acting big - we don't believe in boundaries Give me a shout if you'd like to chat. www.skoutpr.com #b2bpr #b2bpragency #b2bagency #techpr #fintech #hrtech

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Nice piece in Marketing Beat about our campaign to encourage people to take action to help remove the barriers society places in the way of blind and partially sighted people living life. The campaign - created with GOOD Agency, and driving people to download our Be Helpful Guide - is running across social media, out of home and radio, so have a look out for it appearing on a billboard near you. 👀 If you haven’t yet downloaded the guide, please do - it includes lots of tips for sighted people on making getting around easier for people with sight loss, from leaving wheelie bins in the right place to knowing how to guide people appropriately; it was created with blind and partially sighted people. The link is in the comments so no excuses! We want as many people as possible to download the guide - and turn themselves into allies for changing society for people with sight loss through simple steps. #socialchange #marketing #campaign #sightloss #behaviourchange

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