Ian Colley

Great CMO read. cc: Club CMO If you had the change to do your career over, what would you do differently? I would be looking for the exact opposite of what I thought my brief was eight or 10 years ago, [which was] how much can I hoard about all the people [I’m focused on]? How do I get more? How do I know more? Now, I would think about the reverse of it. What is the least that I need to collect, so that I can make an impact positively in someone’s life? … Sometimes, in the hunt for granularity, we tend to forget the outcome. The outcome is to drive the brand sales forward … without pissing people off in the process.

8

Discover the buyer's perspective on SPO, from improved brand safety to reduced carbon emissions! Learn more about our research in Performance Marketing World.

7

The October monthly episode of our For Immediate Release podcast explores critical communication trends. Shel Holtz, SCMP, and I discuss six compelling topics, including Reddit's potential for crisis comms, the state of blogging in 2024, ethical concerns in celebrity news coverage, workplace connection challenges, and AI's impact across industries. In a blog post, I've set out some key takeaways that present opportunities for communicators, including leveraging Reddit for stakeholder engagement and preparing to guide organisations through AI adoption. Read more and listen now for valuable perspectives and insights on navigating today's complex communication landscape. https://lnkd.in/e5_CcMR2

5

As election season peaks, it’s fair to ask whether or not CEOs and other C-Suite executives should share their thoughts and ideas on candidates or their platforms on social media. Well, as always it depends on many factors. But what I can say for sure is that doing so requires great care and a clear understanding of the terrain that lies ahead before pressing “Post”. In this year's "Social In The C-Suite" report, data showed that most leaders are opting for a "wait-and-see" approach, as social media posts on elections ranked in just the 20th percentile of content related to critical issues. It was outpaced by other topics like international conflicts, artificial intelligence and DEI/racial justice. So, if a CEO does post about the election, what can they expect? ⚠ Likes, shares, and criticisms: Our research showed that negative comments outshined positive comments on a 25:1 basis. CEO social posts on the election generated the second-highest negative sentiment rate, ranked behind comments made about the war in Palestine and Ukraine. ⬆ A Bigger Social Spotlight Elections are timely and relevant, making them lightning rods for visibility. Any online mention of a candidate or their policies is likely going to put a spotlight on leaders, so expect a lift in impressions. A simple social media post can (and will) make its way into traditional media coverage, multiplying the social post impact. Our research showed that 66% of visibility on CEO statements critical issues came from online posts. 👀 Friends, Foes and Followers: Swaying into public policy topics will put leaders in conversations possibly unrelated to their business, thus inspiring a group of new stakeholders to keep a watchful eye on public content from the CEO. Before posting on the election, leaders should ask themselves if the people having similar conversations online are also stakeholders that can boost or deflate a leader's reputation, and if so, is that leader prepared to speak to that audience beyond this one moment? Lots more to be considered, but feel free to download our #SocialInTheCSuite report for more insights on how CEOs are using social media to address the election. https://lnkd.in/gpA6PgAx

15

In today's data-rich environment, PR practitioners who embrace data-driven decision-making are gaining a significant edge in developing more effective, targeted and measurable campaigns -- H Patel, FINN Partners https://odwpr.us/3zBzyYe

2

Our 2nd annual Evolving Role of Comms report is out! My 3 standout findings this year: 1) The clear shift in reporting structure. It's no longer a split between the CEO and marketing -- there's a clear winner. 2) Comms teams are not prioritizing changing perceptions. Instead, they are sticking to key messages. (A lesson learned in this year's Crisis Index too!) 3) Agencies are focused on contextualizing successes over just securing hits.

13

As our world gets more fraught and complex, audiences are increasingly choosing news sources which are more visual, reports are more watched, less read, with YouTube continuing its rise. The implications of this trend for deep understanding of difficult issues is worth pondering. More people are concerned about how to grapple with the rising torrent of fake news, and many having doubts about how AI might be deployed by newsrooms. Edelman has partnered with the Reuters Institute for this annual report as we are all in the business of communicating and good, credible and trusted information is critical to everyone in that process

42

Interesting findings from recent reports from Integral Ad Science on how attention drives better outcomes - and what advertisers think about about the attention landscape in 2024: https://lnkd.in/eCbUr3eX

2

Is it retail media or commerce media? The distinction goes beyond semantics. As my Skai colleague Nich Weinheimer explains in his article for Total Retail, the classification determines "how advertisers will manage, staff, budget and strategize their programs. This distinction impacts everything from operational execution to strategic planning and will shape the next era of advertising." Read the whole thing: https://lnkd.in/ezKFcTV2

6

Recent industry research shared by Eleanor Hawkins at Axios shows that 66% of Fortune 500 Chief Communications Officers are women, a demographic variance not yet seen in other C-suite roles. Diverse perspectives are essential to effectively lead, listen to and engage the many different groups and audiences that can dictate a company’s success and I look forward to similar progress in inclusion across other leadership roles and industries.  https://lnkd.in/e7c-5fS7

47

While client stories are the PR gold standard, it always seems to be the very last thing they will do in our marketing promotion options. So, it's always a pleasure to share them when we have them, and this one's a gem: in this story in MarTech, Verizon's Tommi Marsans goes deep on how their B2B division deploys the AI-powered Pega Customer Decision Hub to, as she put it, "be best-in-class at interacting with our customers." It's nice to read about their history with Pega, how it's evolved, and some hints into what's to come (hello Blueprint). https://pe.ga/4bfY2mU

7

Read below for great insights from D'Arcy Lynch Toffolo on marketing automation.

3

Join our experts as they dive into PR Newswire's groundbreaking AI innovations. We'll explore: ✨ How AI is revolutionizing #PR & comms ✨ Our unique solution that leverages historical data to offer press release insights ✨ Findings from our State of the Press Release Report on how PR pros are embracing #AI Save your spot now and join us as we drive the AI conversation forward!

2

Read more about the marketing use cases for research, brainstorming, audience targeting, and content reuse that I’ve seen success with in using AI tools.

8

2 Comments

Are we talking about this enough? We have not seen an anti-trust ruling like this in decades, perhaps you recall the case against Microsoft in the 90s? It had a huge impact on Microsoft. What impact do we think this will have on Google? For Microsoft, it inspired/forced product innovation. https://lnkd.in/e9BCnQ2a #letstalkaboutgoogle #adtech #google #digital

10