Monday 25^th November 2024

BSc Marketing students visited the Museum of Brands as part of their course. It was a great success and our third trip to the museum in London.

Students and staff took part in the Gender in Advertising workshop to understand how gender roles have changed over the years in communications. We also viewed the AdWomen exhibition and the Time Tunnel.

Student’s reviews of the day

Natalie Scott L5 Marketing student

The trip to the Museum of Brands provided insight into how advertising and packaging has developed over the years. It was really interesting to notice the subtle differences brands make to their packaging that brings such a huge impact to their reach and targeting. We also took part in a workshop where we identified the roles of gender in advertising. This helped to outline how companies may try to target the genders differently or more importantly, try to bring them together. Overall I learned a lot about marketing strategies on this trip and had a good time :)

Mo Ullah L5 Marketing student

The Museum of Brands workshop showed me how far we have come with equality. With events transpiring in the world, it is important to reflect back on how brands evolved with the right to express yourself without judgement. In my view, brands may have been one of the main drivers of societal acceptance of gender empowerment and individualism. For example, the rebellious theme of the 70's with David Bowie embracing make-up, and women replacing long dresses with leather jackets. Subsequently, brands in the 70's provided a strong foundation for the age of woke. "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde

Joe Barnett L5 Marketing student

The Museum of Brands workshop taught me how women were often portrayed in old ads, especially from the 1950s. Many ads showed women as "housewives" and with "perfect model-like bodies", which wasn't realistic. This has helped me understand that ads of women in the 1950s portrayed unrealistic and idealised images that didn't reflect women fairly.

Chris Ludovice, L6 Marketing with AAM student

Visiting the Brand Museum was a truly fascinating experience.  A vast collection of iconic and well-known items throughout centuries, showcasing the evolution of brands over time. It's a must-see for anyone interested in how brands have transformed through the ages.

11am-12pm Monday 11^th November 24

It was excellent having expert speaker and Media Strategist, Daisey Cooke, speaking with our marketing students; the tips on using social media and digital for business really inspired all, it's great to be informed by a busy practitioner. And you can watch the session on MS Stream (UoB login required)

Download the session slides [PDF]

Thursday 17 Oct 17:00-17:45pm

Join Sulaman Sunny, University of Bedfordshire Career Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing and Course Leader, Giles Robertson for a discussion on career advice, followed by a Q&A touching on subjects such as:

• Approach to your chosen sector
• Your CV and approach
• Being know for the right things
• Use of LinkedIn and social media
• Role of AI

Download the session slides [PDF]

Contact: giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk

Monday 7^th October 1-2pm (online)

Hassan Haroon, Talent Marketing Specialist joined us to brief UoB students on the Enterprise Car Challenge Club competition from 1-2pm. A great opportunity to take part in this excellent competition and ask any questions you may have had.

Download the Enterprise Car Club Challenge competition brief [PDF]

Contact: giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk

Wednesday 9th October 2pm - 2:30pm

We officially launched DMA Talent’s Marketing Challenge 2025 [PDF] on Wednesday 9^th October, with a live online webinar, where our partners, Costa Coffee, talked you through the brief.

The Marketing Challenge is a national competition for digital marketing students to work in teams to produce a marketing campaign for a well-known brand. This year the brief is provided by Costa Coffee who are tasking students with creating a campaign plan to increase use of their in-store self-ordering kiosks.

Many of our accredited universities use the Challenge brief as a term’s assignment so this is the perfect opportunity for you and your students to get the inside scoop from Costa on how to get to grips with this brief, and be in with a chance of winning the competition.

We were joined by Ed Child, Global Head Consumer Data & Digital Analytics and Tori Stark, Manager - Global Consumer Insight, from Costa Coffee who was available for a QA after they’d talked through the brief.

The webinar happened 2pm until 2:30pm on Wednesday 9^th October, online via Zoom.

Agenda

2:00pm - Welcome and intro – Kate Burnett, DMA Talent

2:05pm - Introduction to Costa and overview – Ed Child, Costa

2:10pm - The brief in detail – Tori Stark, Costa Coffee

2:20pm - Q&A – students’ and lecturers’ chance to ask any questions

2:30pm - Close

Wednesday 2^nd October 12-1pm

Chris, the Innovation Lead at local digital agency Receptional, discussed how to innovate for client business and within digital communications.

He drew on recent clients examples and shared ideas for students to take forward in their own work.

Download the session slides [PDF]

Watch the event recording (UoB login required)

Read a write-up about the event by Mo Ullah, BSc Marketing student [PDF]

Contact: giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk

• The realities of running a marketing agency
• The shifting business model for B2B and B2C
• The challenges, opportunities and measures for success
• What the future holds and the realities of AI
• Embracing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and sustainability

Watch the event recording (UoB login required)

Wednesday 10 April

Find out more about this year's trip to Receptional

Considering a future career in Digital Marketing? This now legendary trip was a great success when we visited last year - see a review of last year's field trip

You will spend the day at Receptional in Bedford (from 9am -3.30pm including a lunch provided) to see what working in the industry is really like.

Places are limited to 12 students on a strictly first come first severed basis. We're excited to welcome new faces this year. So priority will be given to those who haven't attended the event previously.

Book now via Eventbrite to secure your place

Any questions, please email giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk

Receptional are a multi award-winning team of over 50 creative and digital marketers that have been working with some of the UK’s best-known and challenger brands for over 20 years.

Last year they were named Employer of the Year for Luton & Bedfordshire at the SME Business Awards.

During the day you will get to spend time with each of our specialist teams gaining valuable insights into your future career. We will also be having some fun, setting tasks for you to flex your marketing skills. You can see that with this team, even having a biscuit can be a laugh.

We look forward to showing you what Digital Marketing has to offer.

The session will be online from 1-2pm. Friends from digital agency receptional Claire and Chris will lead this online session.

All are welcome to this session which will be part of the Digital Communications Strategy class schedule.

Download the session slides [PDF]

Watch the session recording

Any questions please email Giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk 

Katie Hart will open your eyes to new ways of thinking about your customers, your processes, your materials and, unashamedly, yourself.

This session will explore the role of neuroscience within digital marketing, and share insights into the difference it can make for your campaigns. When you know and understand the way your audience’s brain processes information, you can intentionally design content which will create more engagement and have greater impact.

This promises to be a revealing and thought-provoking session, which will share the latest insights from research in this field, enabling you to take them away and start to benefit from their implementation.

Register for the event

We look to demystify the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern marketing;

• how digital/marketing agencies are using AI
• some of the associated challenges and opportunities going forward.
• the transformative potential of AI.
• the ethical concerns and challenges in its adoption.
• Why 17% of marketing agencies have never used AI?

Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing, Giles Robertson will present UoB / receptional research from over a 100 digital agency leads.

View or download the report [PDF]

The session will include an interactive Q&A session.

Watch the session back (UoB login required)

Visit to Museum of Brands (London) with Gamification in Advertising & Marketing workshop, following on from last’s years successful trip Here's what we did:

Our trip to the museum of brands was useful, engaging, and fun!

"I learnt about the importance of being intrinsically engaged from experiencing gaming mechanics within an app. The key takeaway from this is that the user of the app will remain focused, actively collaborate, create ideas for your brand, and be emotionally invested from their positive experience of gaming. Gaming releases dopamine and dopamine means you will go back for more and more. This is the golden grail for marketing!

We used this information in our workshop presentation and created an app with a gaming function to promote awareness of local causes, which focus on providing new equipment to football clubs in local schools.

Our presentation in front of marketing professionals and workshop lead was a great experience. Although part of the trip was daunting at first, we enjoyed the experience and look forward to many more trips in the future."

- Mo Ullah, First year BSc Marketing student

Understand what we mean by 'Serious Games' and 'Gamification’, in and outside of Marketing. Explore how digital gamified marketing campaigns and ‘AdverGames’ collect consumer data, and how that data can be used for commercial gain.

Explore the ethics, the benefits and drawbacks of using game-based Marketing. How brands are using playful experiences to offer a lure back to the high street after COVID and engage consumers online

Each attendee will storyboard design their very own Marketing Game for a charitable cause, based on a project brief, in teams.

A great interactive session promised for all.

Wednesday 15 November - 1pm-2pm

Social media algorithms play a big role in shaping public discourse, presenting users with content they are likely to engage with. From a brand perspective, the impact of cancel culture has had significant implications for future actions and engagement with potential consumers. These social media pile-ons can curtail brand willingness to get involved in cause marketing.

Our guest speaker Maxine Hands will talk about the rise of cancel culture and its impact on free speech, how cancel culture is affecting brands and how brands can navigate it, the potential for misuse of cancel culture and how to avoid it and how brands can use cancel culture as a force for good.

Daniel Rowles | 25 October 2023 | 13:00
Hosted by CIM Marketing Club

In this highly practical session, award winning author and speaker Daniel Rowles, will guide you through the latest trends in digital marketing. You’ll leave with tools and techniques you can take away and use straight away, and every attendee will be provided with the latest Digital Marketing Toolkit, a guide to the best free digital marketing tools.

Wednesday 26 April 2023 1pm-2pm

In this pragmatic demonstration, global public speaker and published author George Honiball will give you practical advice on how to:

• Build a quality LinkedIn profile that gets noticed (for the right reasons) by recruiters and employers
• Grow your list of connections with suitable professionals (that are most likely to reciprocate and connect back)
• Join with like-minded professionals on forums that will help you learn further and provide opportunities to collaborate
• Engage with your growing list of connections professionally and appropriately

Speaker: George Honiball

George is a qualified Industrial and Organisational Psychologist with over 25 years of consulting and senior Line management experience. He has worked for two of the big 4 consulting firms and was an HR Director and Talent Lead for companies in the financial, insurance, technology, telecoms and retail sectors before joining Microsoft.

He has worked for and with companies in Europe, Africa, the Middle East as well as North America.

The webinar will last about an hour and is inclusive of a live Q&A session after the presentation.

Find out more on CIM.co.uk and sign up for the event

Wednesday 19th April 2023

Find out more about the trip to digital agency Receptional here and watch the slides [PDF]

Considering a future career in Digital Marketing? Then why not spend the day at Receptional to see what working in the industry is really like.

Places limited so book your place now by emailing: Giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk

Receptional are a multi award-winning team of over 50 creative and digital marketers that have been working with some of the UK’s best-known and challenger brands for over 20 years.

Last year they were named Employer of the Year for Luton & Bedfordshire at the SME Business Awards.

During the day you will get to spend time with each of our specialist teams gaining valuable insights into your future career. We will also be having some fun, setting tasks for you to flex your marketing skills. You can see that with this team, even having a biscuit can be a laugh.

We look forward to showing you what Digital Marketing has to offer.

The schedule is as follows:

9am leave University of Bedfordshire, Luton Square in UoB mini bus

10am arrival – Look around office / meet teams / Introduction presentation – Who are Receptional and what do we do

11am – 1pm – Create a Mini Pitch for a new client / product (topic TBC) – 2 hours to research, design and present to the management team to judge the winner. Prize for winning team

1pm – 1:30pm - Lunch

1:30pm – 2:30pm - Talk from one of the Teams or Another Tasks (TBC)

2:30pm – Q&A - What’s it like to work in Digital Marketing / Day in the Life

Close

3pm Return to Luton campus arriving at approximately 4pm.

Wednesday 29 March 2023 1pm-2pm

In this straightforward copywriting session, self-professed wordsmith and CIM Content Marketing Manager Stuart Thomas will take you through some copywriting tips and tricks that feed into almost every aspect of marketing. The session will cover the following topics:

• Why words matter
• Knowing the writing rules and when to break them
• Writing for everybody, everywhere, all at once
• Tools of the copywriting trade

By the end of the session you’ll know why every business has a copywriter or someone who does copywriting, how the landscape has changed when writing for business, and why sometimes in writing you need to imagine you’re a different person entirely.

Speaker: Stuart Thomas, Content Marketing Manager at CIM

Stuart has over 10 years experience writing for many different organisations including a National Governing Body, e-commerce companies, members of the Virgin Group and a garden centre. He’s written copy as a reviewer, sports journalist, travel writer, poet, Sales Manager, CEO and occasionally himself. He’s never been an English teacher, but he can spot a spelling mistake like the best of them.

The webinar will last about an hour and is inclusive of a live Q&A session after the presentation.

Find out more on CIM.co.uk and sign up for the event

Thursday 23 March 2023

Find out more about this year's trip to the Museum of Brands

Free visit to Museum of Brands (London) with workshop, Thursday 23 March '23

Places are limited – so please email giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk to secure your place on the trip to the Museum of Brands with workshop and lunch or follow the link to sign up with the Eventbrite link
Museum of Brands Tickets, Thu 23 Mar 2023 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

Take a tour of this iconic museum with a collection spanning 200 years using self-guided reference questions - you might spot the first Heinz Beans tin, the Six Million Dollar Man, the Chopper bike or an early 90s alcopop Hooch.

Highly relevant to the world of brands and purpose, you will then take part in a 'Sustainability in Packaging' workshop

Schedule for the trip

Departing by train 9.30am / arrive 10.30am

Refreshments / tour of Museum 11-12.30pm

Light lunch 12.30-1.30pm

'Sustainability in Packaging' workshop; 1.30-2.30pm

Depart 3pm / arrive back in Luton 4pm

Wednesday 1st March 2023 - 1pm-2pm

Join the British Film Institute (BFI) to learn why video is an effective tool for marketers and how to get started capturing and editing your own footage.

The BFI are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK's lead organisation for film and the moving image. We've developed a practical two-day course for CIM so marketers can learn how to shoot and edit professional video using their smartphone, tablet or DSLR.

Speakers: Sa-Ra Zwarteveen, Film Educator at BFI & Amy Bryant, Business Development & Campaigns Officer at BFI

Sa-Ra is an award-winning film educator and specialist in digital media, culture and education. She has worked at the cross section of education and digital media for organisations such as the Stedelijk Museum and EYE Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. Sa-Ra has extensive experience of providing digital marketing and filmmaking courses for professionals in the UK and internationally. She is dedicated to film education and visual literacy as a discipline which can empower and drive creative experience.

Amy is Business Development and Campaigns Officer at the BFI where she leads on marketing activity for BFI Enterprise's commercial projects. She has worked in marketing roles for film and TV producers and distributors, helping with the sales and promotion of titles around the world. Amy is passionate about widening the socio-economic background of those working and engaging with film.

The webinar will last about an hour and is inclusive of a live Q&A session after the presentations.

Download the presentation slides [PDF]

Wednesday 22 February 2023 - 1pm-2pm

Laura Polkinghorne (Receptional Content Manager)

Discover how content is key in digital marketing, for SEO, Paid Media and PR. We will explain about content strategy, editorial plans and the thoughts behind the content we create, as well as how to maintain high standards in content creation, adhering to style guides, brand guidelines, and target audiences.

Download the presentation slides [PDF]

Wednesday 8th February 2023 - 1:00pm

As more and more brands explore the world of metahumans and how to implement these into their marketing strategy, we look at the possibilities for tomorrow's marketing in the metaverse.

We will explore the evolving, and new technology solutions, and see how digital / metahumans can add value to your plans for marketing in the metaverse. Plus we'll discuss the use cases that make the metaverse compelling for 2023 and beyond.

Speakers: Virginia Bray, Co-Founder of Marketing Fusion and Ben Fryer, Co-Founder of Diverse Interactive.

The webinar will last about an hour and is inclusive of a live Q&A session after the presentation.

Please complete this form to register for the webinar

Find out more on CIM.co.uk

January 18 2023 1pm-2pm

Philip Turner (Receptional Technical SEO Executive)

Technical SEO is arguably one of the most important areas to master when creating or managing a website. It can provide a solid foundation for other types of SEO activity, and even then, it requires regular attention to ensure everything is working as it should be, and in-line with best practices. Participants can expect to walk away with an understanding of the importance of technical SEO, and how a solid technical foundation can get you on the right path to success. You’ll also be able to more confidently talk about and feel comfortable with the technical aspects of SEO.

Download the presentation slides [PDF]

Wednesday 7 December 2022 1pm - 2pm

A session for aspiring professional marketers and those curious about marketing that want to gain a greater understanding about what it takes to be successful and happy in the marketing profession. The speaker, Bogdan Marinescu, Managing Director at Digital Trails, will lead the session; - How being and feeling empowered can help you to bring yourself to work or university to be creative and develop new ideas; - How to look good online and why it is vital when applying for a job; - Developing confidence, personal resilience, and the ability to be agile across multiple brands, countries, teams, and industries. A must for all those in the job market.

Find out more at CIM.co.uk

Wednesday 23 November 2022 - All day

Are you ready to see the future of marketing? Register for free to attend this event on Wednesday 23 November at Excel London

Topics covered:

• How to Influence Your Customers Buying Decisions
• AI the Friend or Foe for Todays Marketer?
• Integrated Marketing Apps will help Your Business

And many more - speakers from Sprout Social, WhatsApp and many more.

First 4 marketing students to email Giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk get train travel paid for

Wednesday 16 November 1pm-2.00pm

There is no question, we have to think differently and start changing how we do business. 

Join James George as he talks us through why the circular economy is so important and explores not only the challenges, but more importantly the opportunities it unlocks from driving innovation and behavioural change to reducing waste and ultimately the impact to the planet.

Speaker: James George, Strategic Advisor at PYXERA Global

James has a professional journey that could be described at best as unusual, and in reality, more eclectic. Following the 12 years on the world stage in the Royal Navy, as a Mine Clearance Diving Officer (MCDO), he was then lucky enough to join the Ellen Macarthur Foundation; a global thought leader in circular economy. During his three and a half years there, he spent most of his time with the corporate community, discussing their aspirations and helping them to understand how they turn their circular economic journey into a reality.

As the world continues to grapple to create both impact and growth, he works with leading brands and anyone who will listen, on how they can start that journey.

He spends most of his time speaking to people and telling them stories. He tries to help organisations not only to find their “why”, be that economic, social, or environmental, but more importantly help them take the first steps to create systems that are both purposeful but also profitable.

The webinar will last about an hour and is inclusive of a live Q&A session after the presentation. This is the second CIM Marketing Club event planned for this academic year.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free - register here

Thursday 3 November 2022 1pm-2pm

Register for the event

Purpose-led marketing campaigns. We know them when we see them and we can all name brands that are leading the way in communicating their purpose to great business effect: it’s not just the product or service you offer, it’s your very essence as a brand and the foundation of every experience you give to your customers.

But what does it take to build a creative strategy that has purpose at its heart? How do you create a campaign that connects with your audience and gets your brand noticed? In this webinar Victoria Allison will share how to create marketing campaigns with purpose, sharing some examples of work from her own experience, and some of her favourite campaigns.

Speaker: Victoria Allison 

Victoria is the Creative Director for STV Creative, STV’s award-winning in-house creative agency. With experience working with local Scottish companies, large scale national brands and everything in between, Victoria’s focus is on delivering effective purpose-led marketing campaigns for STV’s clients. 

The webinar is kindly hosted by the CIM Scotland Group and lasts approximately 40-45 minutes inclusive of a Q&A session after the presentation.

November 2 2022 - 1pm - 2pm

Including a light lunch.

Luton Campus; JM03 J Pod

Speaker: Robin Smith (Creative Director, receptional)

With career spanning more than 35 years, he must have something interesting to talk about! Pull up a chair as it’s time to feast your eyes on a plethora of what he considers brilliant creative, and he’ll also throw in some proper rubbish, as it’s good to be contentious.

Register by emailing Giles.robertson@beds.ac.uk

Wednesday 26 October 1pm-2.00pm

In this highly practical session, award-winning author and speaker Daniel Rowles, will guide you through the latest trends in digital marketing. The session will cover topics such as: 

• Metaverse and Web3.0 – what you really need to know
• Latest changes in Google and search
• Social media latest tools and trends
• The updated Digital Marketing Toolkit download

You’ll leave with tools and techniques you can take away and use straight away, and every attendee will have the opportunity to download the latest Digital Marketing Toolkit, a guide to the best free digital marketing tools.

Speaker: Daniel Rowles

Daniel is a Programme Director for Imperial College Business School, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, CEO of TargetInternet.com and founding director of the Digital Leadership Programme.

He is also the voice of the Digital Marketing Podcast, a worldwide top-ten business podcast, and an award-winning author for publisher Kogan Page (Mobile Marketing, Digital Branding, Building Digital Culture, Podcast Marketing Strategy) whose books have been translated into 12 languages. 

Daniel has helped organisations of all types to use digital effectively, working with a wide range of businesses, from start-ups through to global clients like the BBC, Sony, Google, Tesco, Vodafone, Mercedes, Barclays and many more. 

The webinar will last about an hour and is inclusive of a live Q&A session after the presentation. 

The event is organised by the CIM and is free - register here

Thursday 20 October 2022 - 1pm - 2pm

Should marketers be more aware of the risks posed by big tech to their customers, clients and brands? International human rights lawyer Susie Alegre will explore:

• What is the right to freedom of thought?
• What does it mean for online advertising and marketing?
• Where is the line between influence and manipulation?

Download the session slides [PDF]

Tuesday 11 October 2022

Using insight and research to drive behaviour change.

See more CIM events 

Wednesday 5 October 1pm-2.00pm

We'll put your questions to Ladipo (Ladi) Fagbola, Digital Advertising Manager at MINSTERfb, as we step into the world of leading, creating and implementing an advertising strategy on Amazon's retail platform.

Hear about using Amazon sponsored advertising (PPC) and demand side platform (display) for some of UK's best loved consumer packaged goods brands. Discover the link between marketing and advertising, and what skills and behaviours a team of successful advertising executives need – including why having resilience and analytic capabilities is so important, and how you can develop them.

This session is for aspiring professional marketers and those curious about marketing that want to gain a greater understanding about what it takes to be successful and happy in the industry.

Speaker: Ladipo (Ladi) Fagbola, Digital Advertising Manager at MINSTERfb

The event is organised by the CIM and is free - register here

Monday July 4 2022 - 1:00PM

As marketers we are considered the creative force within an organisation – tasked with providing inspiration and ‘cutting edge’ experiences to the way we attract and engage our target audience. Staying ahead and standing out from the crowd are an ever-shifting goal. With the metaverse knocking, how can B2B and B2C marketing harness the digital innovation this technology is offering? Typically the domain of large enterprise organisations with large budgets - lifelike, fully customisable metahumans are now accessible for every business – and they offer the chance to radically ‘humanise’ the experience you build for your customers and prospects alike.

Join this webinar to discover:

• Virtual influencers – how consumer brands are creating virtual ambassadors
• Scaling up personalisation – language, gender, culture – you choose, all at the touch of a button
• Customer service - humanising the chat bot experience
• Marketing experience videos – hyper real engagement, specific to your company’s brand personality

Speakers: Virginia Bray, Co-Founder of Marketing Fusion and Roy Kimani, Creative Director at CUBE.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free - register here

Wednesday 11 May 1:00pm-2:00pm

Extinction Rebellion Marketing Club event on 11 May; founding activists Will Skeaping joins Giles Robertson to discuss XR’s impact and the future of marketing and climate.

Event open to anyone, no registration required.

Wednesday 23 March 2022 6:30pm

The exponential rate of change and disruption in the world mean that the traditional organisation-structure-led approach is no longer fit for purpose. A combination of alignment, establishing a sense of shared values with all stakeholders and agility is the key to sustained success.

This session explains the new paradigm for organisations, provides a tried and tested, detailed methodology and brings the theory to life with a range of case studies.

Speakers

• Alan Williams, Director of ServiceBrand Global, coaches progressive leaders of service sector organisations, internationally and in the UK, to deliver values-driven service for sustained performance. He is a published author and speaker whose projects have delivered measurable business results across a balanced scorecard and been recognised with industry awards.
• Sam Williams, Business Consultant at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, works across the change management life cycle to deliver people-and technology-led business change. He enjoys engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to understand the unique nuances within organisations that influence their readiness for, or resistance to change.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free.

Wednesday 23 February 2022 6:30pm

The world is at a tipping point – climate change, plastic pollution, bush fires, disappearing forests, a global pandemic and explosive conversations about diversity and inclusion. Now, more than ever, it is important for all types of brands to have authentic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives that are not a publicity spin or greenwashing. Marketers and business leaders have a significant role to play when it comes to promoting and driving sustainability; and need to be part of the solution.

In an age of the rising conscious consumer and increasing demands on businesses towards more transparency, it is now vital for brands to communicate their responsible and sustainable practices, to follow through on the promises they make.

Research shows that CSR improves long-term business performance and that consumers prefer to patronise organisations with strong histories of social responsibility and are more likely to buy from companies with strong ethical values. Customers and employees are speaking with their values as well as their wallets!

In this webinar you’ll learn how to incorporate CSR values into a marketing strategy and brand. You will also understand the difference between CSR, PR and marketing. This will enable you to create strong, enduring brands, where the PR and marketing flows from the CSR values, which will benefit the brands that you are working for including your customers and investors.

Speaker: Sangeeta Waldron, Sangeeta is a multi award-winning Public Relations professional and recently named in Commetric’s top ‘15 of Women Influencers in PR & Communications’ and in the ‘Top 100 of the PR Influencer Index.’ She runs her own London based PR agency, Serendipity PR & Media.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free.

Wednesday 26 January 2022 6:30pm

Anthony Tasgal will deliver a paean to serendipity, insight and wit in a world obsessed with rationality, KPIs, metrics and ‘tick-boxing’.

He’ll cover 3 broad areas:

• Why so serious? The arithmocracy, the obsessive worship of data and facts and what behavioural economics shows us about the power of engaging emotions
• From haha to Aha: What can humour teach us about the identification and generation of insight
• What do M. Night Shyamalan’s films, Schrödinger’s cat and a goldfish tell us about insight? Not just what insight is, but how it feels

Speaker: Anthony Tasgal (known as Tas), is a trainer, author, speaker, brand and comms strategist and lecturer. He is a Course Director for The Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Market Research Society, the Institute of Internal Communication and the Civil Service College, and principal advisor for CIO Connect in Hong Kong. He is also a long-term Ad Agency planner and still freelances with several agencies and clients including the Royal Albert Hall to tell their story for their 150th anniversary in 2021.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free.

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Wednesday 17 November 6:30pm

Binge marketing is all about applying the techniques and tactics the creators of films and series use to tell their story and build their audiences. And that is exactly what marketers need: better stories and growing audiences.

The session will cover:

• How to translate your brand story into the scenario of a great television series where every piece of content is an episode of that same series
• Understand and work with the difference between a target group and an audience
• An introduction to the audience journey: What content is relevant to your audience at what point in its journey
• How you’ll be inspired by everything marketers can learn from the creators of films and series

Speaker: Carlijn Postma, lives and breathes content marketing. “Refreshing” and “practical” are commonly heard reactions to Carlijn’s approach to content marketing. She utilises the same principles that are used in Hollywood to help organisations build their audience. This phenomenon, binge marketing, is becoming increasingly popular.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free.

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Wednesday 20 October 1:00pm-2:00pm

A career in marketing can take many forms, each requiring a unique approach and set of skills to be successful. The approach and skills required evolve and shift as the social, political, financial, and technological landscape develops. This constant desire for change – whether by choice or to remain relevant – is exciting and challenging.

Gain the confidence required to land the role you really aspire to do or work for the organisation you admire. Understand the importance of making yourself the best brand you can be. Find out what skills and competencies will boost your employability to help you progress to the next stage in your career, whether that be as a graduate or moving from one job to the next.

The session will cover:

• My career in marketing by Pamella Barotti and what it’s like to work for Microsoft
• ‘How to’ guide to get into a marketing career, including attitude and behavioural traits to be successful
• A snapshot of marketing workforce skills and job function needs
• The latest Hays report on equality, diversity and inclusion
• MyCIM, the marketing challenge and professional mentors

Speakers

Pamela Barotti, Head of Customer Advocacy at Microsoft. Pamela is a strategic global marketing, communications and advocacy lead with 15+ years’ experience in technology and financial services.

Clare Kemsley, Managing Director UK&I at Hays Marketing. Clare has over 30 years professional recruitment experience. She works closely with organisations and Hays specialist consultant teams, to support recruitment strategies that effectively deliver great candidates and enhance an organisation.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free.

Download presentation slides

• Clare Kemsley [PDF]
• Pamella Barotti [PDF]

Thursday 14 October 1:00pm-2:00pm

Discover business storytelling techniques that allow you to make complex information more compelling, using proven methods from journalism, psychology and research on human behaviour; with one of these techniques proven to enhance your impact by 550%.

Speaker: Richard Newman, Founder and CEO of UK Body Talk and an award-winning expert in communication, storytelling and influence.

He is regularly featured on BBC London Radio and TV, discussing the communication styles of leaders. He has also been featured on SKY TV, in the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and Forbes Magazine.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free. 

Tuesday 12 October 6:30pm-7:30pm

In this highly practical session, award-winning author and speaker Daniel Rowles, will guide you through the latest trends in digital marketing. The session will cover topics like influencer marketing, latest trends in podcasting and video as well the latest developments in social media.

You’ll leave with tools and techniques you can take away and use straight away, and every attendee will be provided with the latest Digital Marketing Toolkit, a guide to the best free digital marketing tools.

The session will cover the following:

• Digital marketing in perspective
• Latest changes in Google and search
• The changing role of online content
• Social media latest tools and trends
• The Digital Marketing Toolkit download

Speaker: Daniel Rowles, Programme Director for Imperial College Business School, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, CEO of TargetInternet.com and founding director of the Digital Leadership Programme.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free.

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Thursday 30 September 1:00pm-2:00pm

There is so much data available in Google Analytics, it's hard to know where to start and what to focus on. This interactive session should help you feel more at home with the key metrics, and how to use them in conversations with clients or within a marketing team.

We'll look at real world data to understand:

• What content is the most popular?
• Which marketing channels drive the "stickiest" visitors?
• Where your website might be leaking traffic
• Bounce rate - is it really such a bad thing?
• Whatever happened to search keywords on Google - find out where you can still get this data
• What should I write about next, based on what people search for?

This session is suitable for anyone in a marketing role who wants to use Google Analytics data to help make better decisions about what to do next with a website and its content.

Speaker: Geoff Roy, Director of Leapfrog Internet Marketing. Geoff runs Leapfrog Internet Marketing, a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist based in Fleet, Hampshire. He works with clients to drive more online leads into their business from natural searches on Google.

The event is organised by the CIM and is free.

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Wednesday 14 July 1:00pm-2:00pm

Did you know that between 2.00pm and 3.00pm is the lowest energy point every day? - 2.55pm to be precise.

Energy matters for marketeers and for leaders in business; it is essential for our creativity, innovation and ultimately making things happen.

We live in a 24\7 world and the future isn’t slowing down. Being low in energy makes it harder to be resilient. If you want to be productive and make a real difference, you need energy. In other words, if you want your brain and body to perform at its best it needs to be fed the right kind of fuel.

Whilst you may already be aware of this, knowledge doesn’t always translate into daily action, for so many reasons.

This session taught how to make simple, effective changes to ensure that your food choices become part of your working day.

Speaker: Colette Heneghan MSc, BSc. Peak Performance, Nutrition and Wellbeing.

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Wednesday 30 June 1:00pm-2:00pm

Lucy von Weber, Head of Marketing at Visit Wales, ran through the changing nature of marcomms approaches over the last 12 months and used examples to show how flexibility and adaptation, linked to an emotional connection with potential visitors, has been at the heart of Visit Wales’ work, while staying true to the Cymru Wales brand.

The session included references to:

• Market intelligence
• Brand values
• Scenario planning
• Stakeholder engagement
• Content choices and delivery channels

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Thursday 17 June 1.00pm-2.00pm

Tony Chambers, Co-Owner and Director of Strategy at two branding and design agencies based in Bedford, in conversation with Giles Robertson, Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing.

Eat With Your Eyes is a creative agency specialising in the Hospitality, Food and Drink sectors. One Design Agency is an integrated services creative agency which works across market sectors.

With over 21 years’ experience of running agencies, Tony is well placed to answer your questions and touch on the most important areas of agency life, covering many of the following:

• Process of delivering a campaign from brief to going live
• Developing creative
• Engaging with clients through account management and creative team
• Client pitches and presentations for new clients
• Types of skills and people involved on client and agency side
• Types of people that ‘fit’ in agency roles
• Skills and knowledge needed
• Making the case for investment in campaigns
• Tips of getting ahead in agency and communications roles

Monday 14 June 1:00pm-2:00pm

Thursday 10 June 1:00pm-2:00pm

Thursday 3 June 1:00pm-2:00pm

The last year has required almost all businesses to pivot their plans, in turn demanding marketing teams to switch-up their strategies, often with an increased focus on people. Relationship marketing is often prioritised in B2B environments with exhibitions, conferences, networking and personal visits forming key activities of business development.

In this session, we explored how defence equipment provider Pearson Engineering, a business with reach across the globe, has re-created a focus on people without being able to localise physically and the lessons they’ll take into an increasingly virtual world.

Speaker: Nicola Irving, Head of Strategic Marketing & Communications at Pearson Engineering.

Thursday 13 May 1.00pm-2.00pm

James Brooks in conversation with Giles Robertson, Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing.

James Brooks describes himself as a foodie adventurer, and rightly so, as he has helped dozens of brands with his team of experts fizzing with energy jump out on social media.

In “What’s New and Hot in Social Media” we were led by questions from participants. We touched on an array of interesting areas including some of the following:

• Changes with Google Chrome – what a post third-party cookie world looks like for brands?
• What Apple and Facebook fallout means for the future of marketing?
• Maximising LinkedIn;
• How platforms work best for brands; what posts and activity?
• What trends we should be aware of for building brands and understanding - an eye for good developments but also to be able to filter out the hot air;
• Rise of Social Audio; Clubhouse vs Twitter Spaces.

Wednesday 5 May 12.30pm-2.00pm

Wednesday 21 April 6.30pm-7.30pm

This webinar focused on evolving your brand story and differentiating your value at work. It shared useful tools to help attendees move ahead with confidence at their workplace.

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Download additional reading resources here [PDF]

Thursday 18 March 6.30pm-7.30pm

In this session we looked at how to translate data into insight, how to ensure that this insight is actionable and how we can utilise insight in our marketing strategies.

The speaker Abigail Dixon is the founder and director of award-winning strategy and capability consultancy Labyrinth Marketing. She is also podcast host and author of 'The Whole Marketer' (published in April 2021). She has over 20 years’ experience in developing and implementing long-term strategic plans for many household brands across multiple markets and sectors.

Download presentation slides here [PDF]

Thursday 25 February 6.30pm-7.30pm

Based on the Brand Arrow®, a planning tool covered in Bruce M Mckinnon's award-winning book 'What's Your Point?', the session covered the four of the core building blocks of any brand strategy:

• Vision - defining where the brand wants to head to and the barriers and drivers to reaching it
• Positioning - describing what is at the heart of the brand, what makes it unique in the market
• Proposition - capturing that positioning in a way that engages firstly your team and secondly your customers
• Values - defining the character of the brand to act as a benchmark for both the team and the brand's customers

Bruce also explored the tangible deliverables a brand strategy can provide including:

• Elevator pitch - a sentence that defines the problem that all its customers are facing, and a sentence then defines how the brand will solve that problem
• Key messaging - the 5 most powerful messages that ensure the brand is using consistent and correct copy across all its communications channels
• Brand name - using the brand strategy as a tool to first ensure the brand name reflects its direction and if required the development of a new or evolved brand name

Tuesday 16 February 1.00pm-1.45pm

In this webinar, strategic marketing consultants Jade Tambini and Georgina Lewindon, together with data and analytics consultant Sameer Rahman, answered some of the pertinent questions at the forefront of marketing professionals’ minds.

Drawing on their versatile combined experience, they provided practical advice for how to position your marketing strategy over the next few months to enable businesses to recover and grow.

This session provided guidance to address the following questions:

• How do we build on our brand to help it stand out?
• How can we improve our employer brand?
• What should we do about rebranding or launching a new brand?
• How can we understand our customers’ changing behaviour and thoughts?
• How can we define realistic objectives for post Covid-19?
• What should we be spending on marketing right now?
• How do we pivot our business and proposition in line with these trends?
• How can we look at the market, consumer and internal data to define our business for the future?
• Which data we should be looking at and where is it available?

Thursday 11 February 1.00pm-1.45pm

Charity and social marketers, behaviour change practitioners and social policy campaigners do good, well that’s their aim. But the ethical arguments can be nuanced and the ‘ends justifies the means’ argument cannot be applied in all circumstances.

This session explored the following:

• Which tactics should we be worried about
• Which techniques might be considered unethical and which cognitive biases are they tapping into
• Examples from the non-profit sector, calling out the sludgers
• How to sense check your influencing strategy and which frameworks can help
• Ways we can influence and persuade with integrity
• Going forward – how can we support one another without judgement and in our clients and supporters’ best interests

Speaker - Liz Barnes, Vice Chair of the CIM Charity and Social Marketing Group, Behavioural Scientist and Marketer.

Download additional reading resources here [PDF]

Thursday 26 November 6:30pm

In this highly practical online session, award-winning author and speaker Daniel Rowles guided us through the latest trends in digital marketing. The session covered topics like influencer marketing, latest trends in podcasting and video as well the latest developments in social media. We left with tools, techniques and the latest ‘digital marketing toolkit [PDF]’ - a guide to the best free digital marketing tools which covers:-

• Digital marketing in perspective
• Latest changes in Google and search
• The changing role of online content
• Social media latest tools and trends
• The digital marketing toolkit download

Daniel is the voice of the Digital Marketing Podcast, a worldwide top-ten business podcast, and an award-winning author for publisher Kogan Page (Mobile Marketing, Digital Branding, Building Digital Culture, Podcast Marketing Strategy) whose books have been translated into 12 languages.

Download additional reading resources here [PDF]

On 5 November 2019 we welcomed an award-winning marketer from Certsure LLP to take us through the journey of their innovative B2B campaign which resulted in a 21% increase in market share, a 104% increase in revenue and an ROI of 19:1.

The campaign also won numerous industry awards including:

• Four awards at the Construction Marketing Awards in 2018
• Two Global awards at Eventex 
• The Best Customer Experience Strategy and the prestigious Chairs Award at the Chartered Institute of Marketing Excellence awards in 2019

On 9 May 2019 we had a session not with one, but with three speakers from Coast Digital: Digital Strategy Director Darren Bond, Senior Display Specialist Jamie Hayward and Paid Media Specialist Miguel Cedeno.

We looked at the digital creative and content - why it’s important, how it’s changing and what we need to be thinking about in the future.

The session covered creative types, formats, and shapes as well as how dynamic creative is becoming more and more accessible. We discovered how data can be used to personalise digital messages and how it can optimise them effectively.

Delegates were then set a challenge to write a campaign brief and create a campaign hook, utilising new ad formats, and exciting dynamic options.

In the session on 21 Nov 2018 we looked at the current role of ‘branding’ and the importance of developing a clear brand proposition that has a strong point of difference versus the competition. We have put this into practice by working in teams to draft a CIM brand proposition that makes it stand out from key competitors.

The session was led by Peter Young - a self-described brand obsessive who spent 16 years managing brands and training/supervising brand managers at Procter & Gamble and a further 12 years in Marketing and Sales Management for companies including IDV-Diageo, BP and Silentnight.

On 9 May 2018 we welcomed a multi-channel marketer Melissa Chevin, the founder of Globefish Consulting Limited and the Board Director of the British Promotional Merchandise Association, who took us through the strategy of personal branding.

The workshop helped to understand how to uncover, optimise and grow a personal brand, equipping with the tools one need to stand out.

On 6 December 2017 Natalie Morris, who has over 15 years’ experience working in a range of businesses from Fortune 500 international companies, professional service firms to medium sized marketing agencies, delivered a hands-on workshop looking at how one can use social media and content marketing to support the marketing funnel converting ice-cold prospects into customers.

During the session we looked at the social media platforms available to us, their relevance to different sectors and explored the different types of marketing content that we can use.

On 4 December 2017 The Marketing Club was officially presented to students, staff and guests!

We talked about the Faculty's vision of the student experience, the reasons for creating The Marketing Club, benefits for the students and community and alumni involvement.

Students were able to sign up there and then, and start the new journey with us!