Tents and marketing - a link?
Every Summer we move into a tent for a week or two, and to me the world of camping is a great template for thinking about marketing.
Cambridge, the climate and technology
COP26 has left us with some pretty stark headlines – all preceded by the damning IPCC climate change report.
Starting strong
Sarah Reakes, Managing Director at KISS, writes: Like most of you no doubt, I had plenty of time over the holiday period to reflect on how confronting 2020 was.
The psychology of uncertainty – and how to use it
We are uncertain of almost everything these days, but why do some businesses seem to handle it better than others, even to thrive?
Food for the soul: our award-winning pro bono partnership
Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination (CCI) is an arts and well-being organisation that KISS has worked with on a pro bono basis since 2013. The team says: "We’re thrilled to say that together we won the National Arts Fundraising School #emcees award for the Best Corporate Partnership 2020."
Science Comms – a how-to guide for times like these
One odd silver lining these days is that the amorphous topic of ‘science’ and its value in our lives is much more discussed!
Opportunities for Science comms
The science communication landscape is one of many things that have been fundamentally upended by today’s pandemic. The role of that amorphous thing called ‘science’ in our lives has never been more public, more discussed or more appreciated. This is an opportunity for those marketing complex products but it’s also exposing the enduring tensions in science-based communications.
Influencing the education sector
The impact of Covid-19 has meant it is crucial for brands to understand consumer behaviour quickly in order to maintain their reputation.
Navigating - and surviving - a recession
If you’re a marketer old enough to have worked through the recession of 2007-8, you might think you know how the next two years will pan out. I don’t agree. In my view we need to look back almost a century, but we can actually survive, adapt and thrive.
Tertiary education: time to start thinking like a company
Covid is proving to be both a major threat and a major opportunity in tertiary education, but it seems to me no one is seizing it with real urgency.
Messaging, and how to get it wrong
I think we can all agree (politics aside) that navigating the messaging around Covid-19 was never going to be easy. Yes, the overarching messages were easy to deliver and understand…but when it boiled down to the nitty gritty, I think it’s fair to say the last six months has been pretty confusing for us all.
Memories of Kiwi farmers trading their way out of trouble
The UK has always had a successful agri sector – but the challenges right now are without precedent, from pandemic issues to Brexit. Could we be inspired by New Zealand’s history?
Making the unconscious conscious
The role of advertising and public relations and how they contribute to what we define as society’s ‘norms and values’...
Education brands – how to survive harsh times
Today’s education providers have a real opportunity to stand out by swiftly reconsidering their customer experience.
Marketers need a 5-year plan
As KISS has said recently, a lot of well-qualified economists and commentators suggest we’re quite likely facing a ‘W’ shaped recovery. This seems realistic – so the agency is recommending that marketers should anticipate this – and to cope with it, table a strong and realistic five-year plan.
Marketing in 2020: how to survive, adapt and thrive
As a marketer preparing for the next 12 months it would be easy to feel overwhelmed or uncertain, even fearful. Here are some key actions marketing agency KISS recommends to help you survive, adapt and thrive over the coming months.
Influence with influencers
Olly Cooper, Account Manager at KISS, writes: "With the explosion in influencer marketing - the industry was worth $2bn in 2017 and is set to reach $15bn by 2022 - I often describe social media as a bit like Times Square: you’ve got thousands of people all in one place and all these brands fighting for your attention."
How ‘movements’ create an environment of change
It starts with an injustice, which manifests into anger and frustration. It then turns into a movement, which is vocalised through protests. It moves into a political debate, and then eventually a change of the mind helps create an environment of harmony and understanding – well that’s the hope anyway!
100% virtual should be the new normal
The pandemic is rewriting the rules of customer experience. But what do Covid’s sudden seismic shifts mean for marketers long term?
Recovery marketing – the big W
Of all the predictions for the shape of the economy as we recover, most analysts say a ‘W’ is the most likely and the best way to plan marketing.
Pivot – the most overused word of the past 13 weeks?
Jane Kroese, Senior Account Director at KISS, writes: "I’ve lost count of the amount of times the word ‘pivot’ has been used in Zoom and Teams meetings over the past 13 weeks! It’s very clear from what we’ve all recently experienced that many businesses and organisations across the globe have had to swiftly change their plans and ‘pivot’."
Getting to know the human behind the client
Olly Cooper, Account Manager as KISS writes: "I led my first ‘lockdown’ pitch over Microsoft Teams last month for a global tech company and I had huge reservations about the whole pitch process. Would the Wi-Fi hold out? Would the client be able to hear me? Would someone walk in and start hoovering the carpet at any moment?"