"Effectiveness is key to brand growth, says McCann's Jordan McDowell"

Pick your priorities. As strategists we all know the list of things a brand could be doing is endless. Content calendars, refreshed assets, sharper propositions, internal comms, message frameworks… the “shoulds” keep piling up. But the truth is, you can’t do it all at once. And trying to will only dilute your impact. The real discipline lies in picking the right things: - Where’s the low-hanging fruit that builds momentum quickly? - Are the foundations right in order to create lasting value? - What can and should you delegate, so your team isn’t just busy but effective? Short-term gains matter, but only when they ladder up to the bigger picture. The brands that win are the ones that make clear, deliberate choices - choosing clarity and direction over reaction. It’s quite often as an ideas person I will get over excited with opportunities that a brand could leverage - (I know there’s some nodding heads out there from existing clients) but the real question is what do we need to prioritise first. It’s about doing the right things, in the right order, with the right people. What’s one priority you’ve chosen recently that’s made a real difference?

Something that really clicked during our Week 1 lecture on Critical Issues in Marketing — our professor, Miaolei Jia, highlighted an important point - as marketers, we shouldn’t just restrict ourselves to target consumers; internal marketing matters just as much. 🙌 It made me pause and think — the people inside an organisation are its strongest advocates. They represent the brand culture, values, and reputation far more deeply than any campaign can. No wonder platforms like Glassdoor and AmbitionBox play such an important role today. #thought #humanresource #management #marketing #culture

My 5 big takeaway's from yesterday's Festival of Marketing "Do we care enough to share it..." 👉 To connect with new audiences & build lasting loyalty, brands must focus on becoming a leader of culture 👉 To be culturally relevant you have to understand the 'why' behind the trends & how they connect to deeper human truths 👉 We want an emotional connection & to enjoy a brand in the moment. 👉 The goal is to create disruptive, meaningful moments that allow your audience to feel a sense of ownership over your brand 👉 Find where your brand naturally fits within a cultural space, identify a challenge, & develop a strategy to solve it with your brand embedded in a way that provides genuine value, not just extraction. Ultimately, cultural vibrancy & emotional connection are the keys to building a brand people don't just buy from, but belong to.

Culture moves faster than marketing teams. That’s why most brands look like they’re playing catch-up with their own audience. Modern creative direction is just cultural timing disguised as taste.

💡 Digital isn’t just about being everywhere — it’s about being intentional. Too many brands still chase every new platform, trend, or shiny tool, but the real question is: 👉 Does this move us closer to our audience in a meaningful way? A strong digital strategy isn’t about doing more. It’s about: 1️⃣ Knowing exactly who you want to reach. 2️⃣ Choosing the right channels where they already spend attention. 3️⃣ Crafting messages that resonate, not just interrupt. The brands winning today aren’t louder — they’re sharper. They focus, measure, and adapt. ✨ As strategists, our job isn’t to chase trends. It’s to turn complexity into clarity.

A Strong Brand Doesn’t Just Tell a Story—It Keeps a Promise By Amy Garcia Ford In today’s crowded marketplace, storytelling is everywhere. Brands craft narratives to capture attention, evoke emotion, and build connection. But the strongest brands go beyond storytelling—they deliver on a promise. A brand promise is the unspoken agreement between an organization and its audience. I first learned this concept early in my corporate marketing career, working with the 5 Star Service Guarantee at FirstStar Bank (now US Bank). It’s not just about what you say—it’s about what people expect you to consistently do. Whether it’s reliability, innovation, inclusivity, or transformation, the promise must be clear, authentic, and lived across every touchpoint. When FirstStar transitioned to US Bank, I had the opportunity to deepen my understanding of brand building. I quickly realized that brand doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built through intentional relationships, repetition, consistency, and strategic engagement. That means aligning internal communications, CRM workflows, messaging, and stakeholder buy-in around a unified brand narrative. Every channel must reinforce the promise. Every team must understand it. Every campaign must reflect it. And every employee must feel empowered to own it. Later, as a VP leading marketing and communications, I didn’t just oversee a rebrand—I led a repositioning. Through strategic messaging, cross-functional collaboration, and data-driven campaigns, we transformed perception and elevated brand favorability from 28% to 62%. We became the “First Choice.” And that shift didn’t happen by chance—it was the result of a comprehensive, intentional internal and external campaign that took an entire army to execute. When a brand keeps its promise, it earns loyalty. It becomes a trusted partner—not just a polished presence. And in a world where audiences are more discerning than ever, trust is the ultimate currency. So ask yourself: What promise is your brand making—and are you keeping it? #BrandStrategy #LeadershipVoice #VPReady #MarketingWithPurpose #StrategicCommunications #WomenWhoLead

“Strategy’s great rebrand is not about new jargon. It’s about reclaiming our role as the unreasonable ones.” The ones who see patterns others can’t. Who make creative leaps others won’t. Who bring optimism and good friction when everyone else brings efficiency. Because just as brand equity multiplies performance outcomes - great strategy multiplies the power of creativity, the impact of media, and the growth of brands. 🎧 Listen to Tomas Gonsorcik, Global Chief Strategy Officer at DDB, in conversation with WARC’s Ann Marie Kerwin, on how strategists can evolve their craft for a changing world:  https://lnkd.in/e8NtrzSc  ✍️ And dive deeper in his essay:  https://lnkd.in/enfm3862 “We can either let strategy be automated into irrelevance, or we can rebrand it as the growth engine clients can’t live without.” 

🚀 The difference between brands that grow fast and those that stay invisible isn’t luck, it’s strategy. In 2025, visibility isn’t about posting more, it’s about showing up smarter, with the right positioning, message, and presence. 💡 Ready to understand what’s actually driving growth this season? Let’s just say… this post might give you a hint. 👇

5 Things You Might Be Overlooking While Building Your Brand When you’re focused on logos, colors, and catchy taglines, it’s easy to miss the tiny factors that make a brand truly resonate—especially in broadcasting where audience attention is everything. Here are five elements I see many teams skip or underestimate: 1️⃣ Consistent Voice Across Every Channel Your on-air style might be warm and conversational, but is your email copy or social media just as inviting? Consistency builds trust. Not everything has to be a formal strict or uptight situation. 2️⃣ Listener (or Customer) Feedback Loops Surveys, call-ins, and online polls aren’t just for engagement—they reveal what your audience values before competitors notice. Always listen to your audience. Else your competitor would observe and steal them. 3️⃣ Employee Advocacy Your staff are your first brand ambassadors. Equip them with stories and talking points so they can naturally spread your message. Let them buy into your vision and brand’s goals 4️⃣ Community Presence Beyond Advertising Sponsoring local events or hosting free workshops keeps your brand visible without a sales pitch and makes listeners feel part of your journey. 5️⃣ Clear Internal Culture A strong brand isn’t just outward-facing. The way your team communicates, celebrates wins, and handles conflict shows up in every broadcast and partnership. Brand-building isn’t a one-time project; it’s a daily practice that lives in every conversation and decision. What hidden factor have you discovered while shaping your brand? Share your insight—it might be the sixth thing we’re all missing. #BrandBuilding #Broadcasting #MediaLeadership #RadioManagement #MarketingInsights

I’m not sure who needs to hear this but the more I look around these days the more I feel like it needs saying. Creatives aren’t wildcards, aren’t “Les Enfant Terribles” to the corporate structure. They are assets with a point of view that can and do elevate brands and messaging. They are the ones who create the things that brands need, a real voice, a real point of view. They have worked their entire careers helping brands and agencies find new innovative solutions to all sorts of problems. They are the real storytellers, the real assets to an organization. They aren’t spreadsheet people, they are people who dream and act on that dream. They are courageous and bold. In a world of homogenization and “best practices” does a brand need more of the same thinking or do they need a new voice, one with a real message, a real point of view, not the same recycled ideas but new ones that really move the needle and resonate with audiences. Different isn’t something that should be looked down on. Different is something that should be celebrated and sought after.