Lucy Ballance

One step forward two steps Black? We want to hear your experiences of what it’s like to be Black in PR and comms today. Together with PRWeek UK and Opinium, we are opening our One Step Forward Two Steps Black survey to uncover inequity where it exists, recognise successes in creating a diverse pipeline and retaining talent, and crucially - to provide a benchmark for the industry to make change. The inaugural One Step Forward Two Steps Black survey in 2020 found that almost half of Black communication professionals had never received an internal promotion, with talent having to move to a different agency or company to rise up the ranks.  Has progress been made? Are you having a more equitable experience? Are you being hired, recognised and rewarded for your contributions? We need to know so we can shape recommendations to drive change. The anonymous survey takes just 6 minutes to complete. Complete the survey here: https://lnkd.in/eM--X-Fs Kamiqua Lake (nèe Pearce) Founder of UK Black Comms Network says "As the old adage goes: what gets measured gets improved. The industry's focus continues to be on attracting Black talent into entry level roles. We want to understand what progress our industry is making on this and how organisations are rewarding Black talent within their companies."   You can read more in PR Week here: https://lnkd.in/ewPJbcE4 Special thanks to Eliza Wiredu Rhoneece Patterson Priya Minhas

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⏳ Just 4 days left to make your voice heard! We're calling on all Black PR and comms professionals to share your experiences. Together with PRWeek UK and Opinium, our One Step Forward Two Steps Black survey aims to uncover the truth about inequities, celebrate successes and set a new standard for our industry. Back in 2020, nearly half of Black communication pros told us they’d never received an internal promotion. We want to know if things have changed. Are you being hired, recognized, and rewarded fairly? Your input is crucial to shaping meaningful recommendations for change. The survey is anonymous and takes just 6 minutes to complete. 🔗 Hit the link below to participate and help us pave the way for a more equitable future in PR and comms. 📅 Remember, the survey closes this Friday, 28th June 2024. Let's make a difference together! ✊🏾 https://lnkd.in/eM--X-Fs

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Back in 2020, nearly half of Black communication professionals reported never having received an internal promotion. That's shockingly dismaying! As a 100% BME-staffed agency, we encourage every Black PR professional to join the survey. Let's see what progress (hopefully) has been made, and most importantly, affect change!

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“… 80% of creatives are spending time on tasks that are not creative…” It’s a damning stat, but such is the direction of travel. The demand for content is only growing. The good news is, there’s a solution: automation. As proven by Emily Latham and the team at Channel 4, who used automation to relieve their creatives of repetitive and boring tasks - freeing them up to do what they do best: create. Read the five big takeaways from our recent conversation: https://lnkd.in/eWebsuG8 Watch Emily's episode of Automation Innovators: https://lnkd.in/e_Yx9MNR #Martech #SaaS #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #CreativeAutomation #ContentStrategy

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🗞️What does media look like in 2024 and beyond?   Our new Grayling Media trends report reveals a number of key trends and predictions, including a clear shift towards personal connections with trusted voices over mass media content.   Read Grayling’s UK CEO, Heather Blundell op-ed in City AM in the link below 👇, to discover what this means for you and your business.   🔗: https://lnkd.in/epHyRHKv   #GraylingMedia #NewMediaAge

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Here's a peek into our Inside Insight launch event last week in London👀 If you are interested in reading the full report, please click below to download your copy 👇 https://lnkd.in/ePjB5BSY #InsideInsight #LaunchEvent #InternalComms #Communications #IC #Recruitment #ICRecruitment #InternalCommunications #Event

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Remember the panic around GDPR? Accessibility guidelines are changing - brands need to take action now to ensure they’re ready. Read more from our Head of UX, Steph Marques, who shares her thoughts with LBBonline - Little Black Book and provides guidance for brands ahead of the changes effective June 2025. https://lnkd.in/eu-QRasC #design #accessibility #inclusivedesign

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📈 Our Quarterly Media Insights Are Here! Each quarter we partner with ISBA to provide an independent look at the UK media landscape's current state and future #challenges.   🔍 Explore the latest market developments, immediate challenges, and future trends in #media. This report helps #advertisers make informed decisions about their media investments. Click below to learn more! Nick Pugh Michelle Morgado Peter Hanford Bouke de Vries Shane O`Neill Debbie Morrison Mark Gay

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How do we deliver great work for our clients? We start by supporting our amazing team of ecosystem strategists, creatives and marketeers. 🌱 We've been working with MOAI for some time now to gather mental health insights to ensure we continue to be a psychologically safe place to work. Why is this so important? A 2018 study found that people working in the creative industries are three times more likely to suffer from mental ill health than the general population. You can read more about our work with MOAI and how we support our team here: https://lnkd.in/eQBtzinA

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🌟 The Big Picture on Mental Health in 2024 🌟 At ImNotOK, we’re here to support the wellbeing of individuals in the advertising industry and beyond. But the challenges we’re all facing are bigger than ever, as highlighted in Mind's latest Big Mental Health Report 2024: 💭 1 in 4 of us in England will experience a mental health problem each year. 💔 7.8% of adults in the UK report feeling lonely ‘always or often’ in 2024. ⏳ Over 2 million people are on NHS mental health waiting lists in England. 📉 Both adults and young people are saying their wellbeing is getting worse. 💸 60% of people say the cost-of-living crisis is harming their mental health. These statistics are a wake-up call. Whether it’s loneliness, stress, or waiting for the support we need, so many of us are struggling in silence. But you’re not alone. At ImNotOK, we provide peer-to-peer support in the form of a Companionship, matching individuals in advertising with someone who understands their challenges and can offer empathy and encouragement. It’s a safe space to be heard and supported by someone who truly gets it. Together, we can help each other navigate these tough times and work toward brighter days. 🌈 #MentalHealth #BigMentalHealthReport #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #ImNotOK #PeerSupport #Companionship

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📣 DOOH Campaign Performance Continues to Exceed Expectations Our latest UK DOOH State of Play report reveals that the average DOOH campaign performance continues to outperform, despite a slight decrease YOY. 🚀 📊 Download the full report for more insights into the DOOH landscape here: https://lnkd.in/e75sv8CQ #DOOH #OOH #OutOfHome #DigitalOutOfHome #StateOfPlay #UniLIVE

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📢 We're looking for three Black women to join us in conversation at Advertising Week Europe on Wednesday 15 May at 2.30pm where we discuss The Shake Up. You'll join one of our JOT founders for a 10 minute conversation on one of these themes: The power of insight The power of change from within The power of mentorship/sponsorship sharing your experience as a Black women working in advertising, media, marketing or communications driving necessary change in the industry through one of the above. How to apply: send a short video, no more than 2 minutes long showcasing your key talking points in relation to the relevant topic. Please include your name and chosen area of expertise in the video. Send or share a link with access to [email protected] subject line: The Shake Up by Tuesday 30 April. More details about the event are available here: https://lnkd.in/gCsucv87

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Whether you're interested in using Performance Max to fuel your paid campaigns or have yet to use it to its full potential, our next webinar will be for you. Join Hugh-Peter Ward on Wednesday 19th June for a 1-hour session to learn: 🚀 How to leverage Performance Max to boost revenue 🚀 The key to fuelling AI-driven campaigns 🚀 From real-world experiences to level-up your campaigns #PerformanceMarketing #PerformanceMax #PaidMedia Google

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When working with influencers, we take a considered approach. While follower count and engagement rates are crucial metrics we monitor, we also recognise the importance of other valuable insights such as audience demographics, content relevance, and aligned values, ensuring the audience is relevant and we're creating authentic connections. For Chinatown London, we have collaborated with Shu-Shi L. on numerous occasions, where she has created useful, inspirational and educational videos for our audiences, including a "Dos and Don'ts" series on Chinese dinner table etiquette, and an educational series at Lunar New Year, helping our audience to understand traditions, as well as how the festival is celebrated across East and Southeast Asia. The "Dos and Don'ts" series achieved 605 Saves, indicating that it was useful to our audience, with the content reaching over 114K viewers. Additionally, we observed a highly positive sentiment, with viewers expressing how they found the series incredibly useful, while others asked questions to find out more. Creating these long-term relationships with key influencers allows us to connect and engage with their audience and our own in a really meaningful way. Whilst short-term and one-time collaborations have their benefits too, these more in-depth collaborations have a real impact. Have a watch of one of our Dos and Don'ts videos here - https://lnkd.in/e_7uj5wP

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New ventures can be both thrilling and daunting, especially when commercial factors come into play. For brands aiming to breakthrough to TV, we’ve teamed up with ITV to help you navigate the risks and confidently scale your business. Join our webinar on September 20th to discover best practices in creative development, media planning, and measurement, featuring insights from both new and returning TV advertisers. Ready to make the leap onto TV? Register now through the link: https://bit.ly/3MuxXq6 #BreakThrough #TVAdvertising #Advertising #ScaleUp

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Morning folks 🌞 The Paralympics 2024 have started and to celebrate, the Neurodiversity & Disability Network at IPG Mediabrands UK were delighted to invite in Wendy Smith PLY, former GB Paralympian for a fireside chat. 🙌 So what did I takeaway? ◾ Firstly, Wendy Smith PLY you are absolutely amazing! (Fan girl moment) ◾ A reminder to live life intentionally rather than on auto-pilot. Do you remember which shoe you put on first this morning? (I had no idea yesterday, but today I did in fact go for the left shoe first 👟) ◾ Understanding that we are both the problem and the solution in our own lives. ◾ The power of positivity: our human system will respond well to a positive mindset. ◾ We're built up of learned experiences, don't be afraid to ask questions. Lastly, a huge shoutout to my fab colleague Anshul Karia for hosting the conversation, you smashed it! 👏

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🌎 Take climate action now and don't wait for regulation is Tim Pritchard's advice on Green About Media – both for the planet and for your career! Pritchard is Head of Content and Responsible Media at MG OMD. Check out his latest interview with host Phil McDowell about future-proofing the planet and your career in one swing. You'll hear about: 🌱 Carbon calculation 🌱 Training programs 🌱 The attitude you should bring to sustainability Listen here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eUTEZnHJ #podcast #sustainability #sustainableadvertising #TheDigitalDistillery

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If you’re unsure whether launching on TV for the first time is the right move for you, then look no further! Our latest research with ITV Media ‘Break Through’ uncovers some of the key strategies and considerations when launching on TV - don’t miss our latest blog below 🔗 Chiara Manco Kate Waters James Boodt Allison O'Toole Devi Upadhyaya #TVadvertising #advertising #BreakThrough

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