Consumers

June 4, 2013 by Simon Mainwaring

At the end of 2010 I wrote about the ‘Coming Decade of Radical Transparency.’ My prediction for 2012 was the ‘Rise of Consumer Activism.’ We now find ourselves in mid-2013 and these two issues have combined, leaving brands facing a well-informed, media-savvy and mobilized audience intent on punishing behavior that does not serve the greater good. […]

April 19, 2013 by Simon Mainwaring

I’m a huge fan of the important work that the U.N. Foundation does and in the TEDx talk, Aaron Sherinian, VP for Public Relations, discusses 5 of the revolutions that he believes provide the context — and build the case — for a new approach to public engagement around social good and global progress. Aaron cites …

March 28, 2013 by Simon Mainwaring

Guest post by Prof. Steven Van Belleghem of InSites Consulting. The marketing organization of the future will be very different from the current structure and culture. The classic model, in which a marketer entrusts a single advertising agency with all communications, is outdated. Let’s examine why. Consumers will become more demanding in the future. Within a few …

March 22, 2013 by Simon Mainwaring

Howard Schultz has long been know for his strident leadership positions from calling for a CEO boycott of corporate campaign donations to his ‘Create Jobs for USA’ which invited customers to contribute $5 to help entrepreneurs kick start the national economy. This week he went one step further in his support of same sex marriage. In doing …

March 7, 2013 by Simon Mainwaring

I noticed the article by Rance Crain in Forbes this week in which he questioned whether the end of purpose driven ad is nigh because “none of it worked.” While Crain lays out the case “for” and “against” I would like to add some thoughts to the debate. First, there is an implicit presumption that …