Catherine Royden-Turner’s Post

Your marketing campaign isn’t boring, it’s just lacking a bit of ‘Gorilla’. The ad made a complete 360-change to Cadburys as a brand: -250,000 views on YouTube in the first couple of hours, and remember this is 2007!! -10% increase in sales - marketing that genuinely affected the sales pipeline. -76% of people remembered the ad a decade later - brand awareness through the absolute roof. But, this ad was very nearly not released. Why? It was too brave. Phil Rumbol, ex-Marketing Director at Cadburys, said “The brief was to get the love back to that lost generation and reconnect with the brand emotionally.” For most of us, the immediate response to this wouldn’t be a drum-playing Gorilla. That’s exactly why it works - it’s unusual and it’s bold…but it was extremely high-risk. For a chocolate brand to release a 90-second advert with no chocolate in at all, very little branding and no dialogue takes a great deal of bravery. On a scale of 1-brave, the Cadbury’s Gorilla gets a 9.

How much marketing is too much?   To launch Wicked, Universal partnered with 400 brands - from Starbucks to Lego to H&M and Beis - topping Mattel, Inc. Barbie’s 100+ collabs.   Universal marketing chief Michael Moses says the campaign's goal was to be "just short of obnoxious" and talks about the death of "monoculture" as the reason for Wicked’s unprecedented marketing juggernaut.   "We live in an environment where monoculture doesn’t happen as it used to. So, you have to be everywhere. If you’re chronically online, you probably saw everything. But there are so many people who aren’t, and we needed to be wherever they were in their consumer journeys."   And, I get it. The cultural landscape has literally been turned on its head.   But my question is: at what point does this become nothing short of a cash grab and feel somewhat tone-deaf at a time when people are struggling to buy essentials?   Maybe I'm alone in this assessment because the monolithic campaign didn't hurt the movie's bottom line: According to Variety Wicked opened to $162 million globally.   But I can't help feeling exhausted by it all. Or maybe I'm just too "chronically online."   What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Move over Mark & Spencer....there are some new kids on the block! On the back end of Marks & Spencer's recent collaboration with Mark Wright and Spencer Matthews, in swoop Matalan with their own hilarious twist - introducing Mat and Alan. Some reasons why I think this is such a great strategic marketing move 👇 📣 Instant Buzz: Matalan jumped on this trend super quick! By reacting in real-time, they grabbed our attention and got everyone talking. 🤳 Showcasing Personality: Who doesn't love a bit of humor?! Matalan's playful side has really shone through with this campaign - It’s not just a retailer anymore, it’s a brand with a sense of humor. 🙋♀️ Standing Out: In the crowded retail space, this clever twist helps Matalan stand out. They took a competitor's spotlight and made it their own. 🤝 Connecting with Us: We all love brands that get us. By staying up-to-date with trends and having fun, Matalan feels more like a friend than a store. Hats off to Matalan for this marketing win! It's a reminder to all of us: stay alert, stay creative, and most importantly, have fun with it. Reactive marketing isn’t just a strategy – it’s a chance to show the world who you really are.

An absolute gold mine of insight into the inner workings of the McDonald's marketing machine has just dropped on X thanks to a burst of fan engagement by Senior Marketing Director Guillaume Huin. Some of my faves: - On working with agencies: "They are a literal extension of our work. Of our brand, even. It's almost like we co-own it...Agencies are here to help us define ideas, platforms and campaigns that will achieve the different goals we have set. – On paying for the rights in brand collabs: "Sometimes, we pay. Sometimes they pay. Sometimes, no one pays. Spoiler alert, the best partnerships are the ones where no one pays usually. Not a perfect rule, but in my opinion this is when the magic happens." – On the split between performance vs brand marketing: "It has shifted drastically since 2020 toward brand marketing. With recent pressure on affordability, that may change a bit, but even in that space we can find ways to make a functional message feel pretty cool." – On continuing to advertise even though everyone already knows of them: "I guess for the same reason you keep saying I love you to someone even though they know you love them. Sounds silly, but think about it for a minute." – And: "We are lucky enough to be a business with an insanely high baseline, but that is not enough to future proof your business." Check out the wisdom here: https://lnkd.in/eGxD9D7Z

One of the best pieces of "breakthrough" brand marketing I saw this past month wasn't an ad campaign—it was a sticker on an orange. 🍊 Specifically, it was a sticker on a Halos mandarin, which my kid—who will opine at length on the difference between mandarins, nectarines, and clementines—peeled off and stuck on my sweater during a particularly stressful holiday season moment. It said, "Sweetest Mom." Reader, I cried. The holiday and new year marketing season is so frantic, and there's so much pressure on brands to acquire-acquire-acquire and sell-sell-sell. But the real "breakthrough" opportunities are often in the playful, inventive, and thoughtful ways you build a more intimate relationship with your customer—especially when said customer is also navigating a frantic season. (Listen to me, I sound like a corny commercial!) My point is that your brand strategy doesn't end with your acquisition campaign—especially if you want to build a brand that inspires real customer devotion, and not just one-and-done sales. Think about your "orange sticker" opportunities right alongside your other marketing efforts. 🍊

A key component of marketing is consistency. Look at Heinz. How many people can name other ketchup brands? What does the bottle look like? Look at McDonald’s. The arches. The colors. The fries. Amazon putting branding into their packaging. Google becoming synonymous with search. Consistently being the brand and improving what works is what gets you good results. Yes, sometimes you miss the mark. Ford making the decision to no longer offer cars. But when you get it right, magic can happen. I consistently pose like a flamingo 🦩, drink bourbon 🥃 or prosecco 🍾, and travel. The drinks make it easy to navigate at a happy hour networking event. Because if someone is grabbing rounds there’s no guesswork. Travel is an easy small talk. When was your last trip and when is your next trip? And the flamingo pose is knowing what angle I like to see me from. And helps to show off my shoes. What do you do consistently, and how does it fit into your brand?

Consistency is nothing but everything in Marketing. Marketing is not super magic but it works over time.

Reactive marketing > Traditional marketing. Don't you hate when the ice cream machine is down at mcdonalds? Wendy’s is taking this McDonald’s face-off and leveraging that decades-long friendly banter into straight-up brand dominance. They know their competitors’ pain points, and they’re not just talking about it, they’re making it one of their products. Don’t just watch, learn. This is how you flex in a noisy market! 🔥🚀

The difference between advertising and branding. Advertising: Someone is driving down the highway and sees a McDonald's billboard for coffee. They get off the interstate, go to McDonald's, and buy a coffee. Branding: Someone is driving down the highway and sees a McDonald's billboard for coffee. They get off the interstate, go to Starbucks, and buy a coffee. Own your niche. 😎

4 Marketing Strategies of Iconic Brands Ever wonder how some brands become legends? They didn’t get there by accident you know. These iconic brands use smart marketing strategies that keep them relevant and loved by customers. Let’s peek behind the curtain and see what makes them tick, here are 4 Marketing Strategies of Iconic Brands. https://lnkd.in/dvdrwcHx