Contented Brothers

10/07/2023

In our weekly 'Reflections' chat, we take a deep dive into our triumphs and trials of the week. We then nominate a standout team member for a well-deserved pat on the back, and cap it off with an inspiring quote. This week, we stumbled upon a gem from the legendary John Wanamaker, a trailblazing merchant and political figure. His words struck a chord as we pondered the delicate dance between effective marketing and excessive spending. We realized the importance of treading carefully, making strategic investments in advertising without going overboard. It's all about finding ingenious ways to connect with our audience while keeping our financial boundaries intact. After all, innovation and fiscal responsibility can go hand in hand.

21/06/2022

We're hiring at the moment and this has made us think a lot about how much we want people in the office. We are all about flexible working and making work work for our employees. We need them in the office sometimes to organise events, but the rest of their time is open. This means we need to make online meetings really effective, and this article from Harvard Business Review shines a spotlight on virtual communication and how to do it well - from the point of view of deaf people. Everyone can learn from these 6 techniques to enhance communication.

https://buff.ly/2De9jdn

Virtual meetings are filled with challenges. It’s difficult to maintain continuity, connection, and coherence. We are prone to speak too little or too much, repeating things unnecessarily. Our attention wanders, and we tune out. Most of all, we’re losing nonverbal data that can make our conversa...

08/06/2022

Can marketing change the world? We think so.

Learn three ways marketers can help lead a sustainable transformation in the quest for net zero, plus a metric for gauging advertising’s ‘ecoffectiveness’.

15/03/2022

Change can come from anywhere, and even a small change can make a big difference. With all the uncertainty in the world at the moment, one thing we can do to feel better is to control something we can control.
Here is an article from Think With Google on how CMOs can drive sustainable decisions instead of being reactive to the aims of the business.

Hear from five marketing leaders on how the CMO can be an agent of positive change for driving eco-friendly marketing and championing sustainability.

14/02/2022

Our team is a huge part of why we love working at Contented Brothers, and you can't have a great team without a decent leader. Tom had the idea to have a team social where we all went shopping, and the brief was to buy something frivolous and fun. This was such a treat, the shopping trip was like a dream, the champagne flowed and decisions were made. Then unmade. Then made again.

This was Tom's choice: a lighter jacket for warmer climes, which he had to go back to the first shop to buy. The only question left is, is it salmon or beige?

20/12/2021

In a pleasing example of nominative determinism, also known as "aptronyms", Richard Leafe, the chief executive of the Lake District national park, has spoken about the increasing popularity of the area.
Leaf said the health benefits of being outside were becoming more widely known and talked about. “I think that hiking, walking and being outside … for younger people it has become quite fashionable and trendy again. We’ve seen a lot of that led by influencers on social media, whether that is on Instagram or TikTok.”

The change was important, he said. “We need people to love these places. If they don’t love them, they won’t support the ongoing efforts to conserve them."

16/12/2021

According to The Guardian, the average age of visitors to the Lake District is coming down, indicating that a younger audience is realising the delights of the National Parks

13/12/2021

This is heartening to hear, that being outside in nature is becoming a trend among younger and more diverse audiences. We like to think that we have contributed just a tiny bit with our campaign for National Parks UK.

People from younger and more diverse demographics are exploring area amid boom in nature trips

26/11/2021

Oh what a night! We are so proud to have collected a silver award in the International Content Marketing Awards 2021 for our campaign with Earthware. Let the celebrations commence 🎉

26/11/2021

Next level sales by
Next level editing by us

SAP Sales Cloud (http://sap.to/6057JihmV) and SAP CPQ (http://sap.to/6058Jihmn) significantly improved kakaoenterprise’s sales processes. SAP Named a Leader...

14/10/2021

Is there a better word than excited for when this happens?

If so, let us know!

29/09/2021

Everyone is talking about 'going green' and as part of our sustainability journey we are looking into what this really means. Empty claims are as useless as an empty fuel tank.

Is a clamp down on green claims good for business? Will it raise a new industry standard, or just mean more red tape for companies to bulldoze?

This week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) – a UK government regulatory body – and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced they were cracking down on environmental and sustainability claims. Marketers may think they are already compliant, but how can they ensure they are abid...

22/09/2021

Not many people like networking. It can be awkward, boring or even business-y.

This is counter-productive, so we decided to fix it. We do networking - but with wine.

We learn a bit, taste a bit, chat a bit, but most of all we build relationships.

This makes doing business easier, more creative, and more fun.

Join us next time!

09/09/2021

Job sharing and flexibility are key to a successful hiring and working process. For example, it was fortuitous for us when Charlotte was happy - and able - to accept our flexible working offer, nearly two years ago.

Things have changed a bit since then but here is an article on making it work:

https://buff.ly/2X0UNzL

08/06/2021

Following the announcement of the government's roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions, we have decided to postpone the festival and championships by a few days. Hopefully this will mean more people are able to travel for the event. This is still conditional on government guidelines enabling the event to take place.

Registration for the Gibsons British Jigsaw Championships is open from 1st March! Sign up here: https://britishjigsawchampions2021.eventbrite.co.uk

19/05/2021

Improved sales efficiency AND beer?
Yes please.
Watch the video to find out about using data to support your sales decisions and making sales fly. Even in these challenging times.

https://buff.ly/2Rn9b2s

The Secret to Growth in Challenging Times? Align Sales and Service: https://url.sap/hfxgs0 Learn more about SAP Sales Cloud: https://url.sap/dwchueLearn more...

13/05/2021

🕵️Follow viewers where they watch.
A TV ad is one-to-many, so the content needs to appeal across the board, but with YouTube you can create specific content to answer your audience's every query.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Drive sales by expanding reach.
Reaching your core audience is one thing, reaching a new audience is another. Video can cut through the noise and speak to the people you want to speak to, but only if they see it. Creating updated customer profiles means that you can try new markets and speak to more people.

🖥️Let data drive your creative.
Knowing what content moves your customers and how your audience wants to consume that content means that creativity can flourish within these new boundaries. Get personal, and make beautiful, helpful videos to be where your customers are.

Read more here: https://buff.ly/3nUiSRF

11/05/2021

3 video ad strategies from Google:
🕵️Follow viewers where they watch.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Drive sales by expanding reach.
🖥️Let data drive your creative.

Read more here:

Google’s Official Digital Marketing Publication. Discover how three brands transformed their video advertising strategy during the streaming boom.

27/04/2021

We have done a few different virtual events recently, both as hosts, facilitators and participants.

Everyone is a bit Zoomed out at the moment - but will this help?

Zoom will place participants in various scenarios - a boardroom, which we quite liked the look of, or an art gallery, which we didn't.

Where would you want to be placed?

Virtual meetings that are a bit more meeting-like

23/04/2021

The customer is always right. Right?
Or are they...? Find out here with Customer Experience Myths from SAP.
https://buff.ly/3dJSTJf

Shaping the Business Case for Customer Data Platforms: https://url.sap/svxyukLearn more about Customer Data Platform: https://url.sap/b8n2ns Everything you a...

20/04/2021

One of the biggest trends in recent years has been authenticity. How to do authentic when selling B2B is a conundrum, solved by putting people first.
Read: https://buff.ly/3uTuMNU
Listen: https://buff.ly/3ecNGsx

B2B relationships are inherently complex, with buying cycles that can stretch for months, with multiple decision-makers and influencers along the way. High-value deals—and company reputations—are often on the line. Yet B2B has always been, at its core, about people.

15/04/2021

A whole year ago (remember then?) there was an article in the Guardian about how being more inclusive will affect the future of National Parks.
Shout out to the aptronym (or is is nominative determinism?) which is the wonderfully-named Mr Leafe, Chief Executive of the Lake District National Park Authority.
https://buff.ly/3d9anhF
By the end of last year (remember then?), there was another article showcasing a few of the intrepid people opening up the beauties of nature to a more diverse audience.
https://buff.ly/36EcEOA
We worked with National Parks UK on a creative campaign to encourage everyone to use the parks, and to do it responsibly and sustainably. We are looking forward to working with them again in the near future.
https://buff.ly/39Hzh67

National park’s boss accused of using the issue of diversity to turn region into a ‘theme park’

13/04/2021

Sweet potato is both healthy and delicious, but we always just roast it at CB HQ. We worked with Tesco on some tasty new ways with sweet potato. What would you make?
https://buff.ly/3g1BRHV

08/04/2021

Diversity - can you afford not to think about it?

We loved working on an inclusive campaign for National Parks, as they are actively encouraging everyone to .

07/04/2021

The weather is getting better (well, sun and snow last weekend but there's no bad weather just bad clothing, am I right?) and the UK is starting to open up.

Why not take a trip to your local National Park and get connecting.

05/04/2021

At our last social, trying to get away from drinking quite so much all of the time, we decided to give everyone a set amount of money to spend on something *fun*.
Here's our Charlotte, Client Services Director, showing off her brand new lovely leather jacket.
We love.

01/04/2021

We loved working with Svetlana and SAP on this interview with the Master of the Perfect B2B Customer Experience, Bill Grimwood, of Hillyard Inc. They covered all things keeping up with customer requests and adding new features to online stores.

Check it out here:

What is more fun than decorating easter eggs? Watching our interview with Hillyard, Inc. on all things B2B commerce. Bill Grimwood, thank you so much ...

01/04/2021

Wine tasting game: Draw the wine label.
Wine labels have a long and varied history and there are some beautiful ones, some clever ones and some downright strange ones.
Our question, though, is 'Would you drink this wine?'

31/03/2021

"The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine" (Thucydides: 52-53). The earliest evidence of the cultivation of grapes and the supervised fermentation of their juices dates back to 6000 B.C. in the ancient Middle East.

23/03/2021

Doing some research for our wine tasting event this week, and came across this little gem.

Well, if it's good enough for Google ...

https://buff.ly/30U1iCp