Pretty soon there’ll be too many trees

As you probably know by now, before arriving on planet CIM I lived in the world of newspapers. I left 3 years ago at a time when both national and regional titles were suffering a devastating slump in advertising revenues and I don’t think things have changed much since.

In the latest attempt to protect profits the evening newspaper in my home town of Ipswich, which incidentally is now printed overnight in Norwich to save cost, has recently changed its name from the Evening Star to the Ipswich Star and no longer prints on a Saturday. At the same time the town’s weekly free newspaper has ceased publication.

I guess this is necessary if the media company wants to survive the latest economic storm but from a consumer perspective this all looks a bit desperate.

Of course it’s not just the state of the economy that is forcing many companies to retrench. The impact of digital on virtually everything is really challenging the norm – just ask Kodak, HMV and Waterstones (with or without an apostrophe) about it.

I guess you could say this is the inevitable result of progress, but at the risk of being called a Luddite, I’m pretty sad about the demise of newspapers. The great thing about reading a newspaper, magazine and indeed a book, is that it forces you to take time out. It’s difficult to multi-task while reading (being a man I find this difficult most of the time) and anyway we all need a bit of time to ourselves to relax with a coffee and a good read.

So take my advice, put down that tablet, smartphone and laptop and pick up a paper. Switch-off, disconnect and resist the temptation to check your emails or tweet about what you had for breakfast and read a book (a real one, not a Kindle).

Make it your New Year’s resolution to try it out. Apparently it takes 21 days for a change in behaviour to become a habit so if after 3 weeks you don’t enjoy the experience, go back to the screen.

The printed word needs your support like never before – without newspapers, magazines or books I think the world would be a sadder place. And we’d be overrun by too many trees.

Get ahead knowing what’s affecting you

I’m not a lawyer but… What’s new in marketing law? The latest paper from the Institute will launch in central London on 21 February 2012, from 08:30-10:15 at the CIPR, Russell Square, WC1B, and you’re invited to attend. Your speaker will be Mark Blayney Stuart, Head of Research, The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

What’s it all about?

New laws, regulations and guidance directly affecting marketers appear regularly on the statute books. However, there’s a concerning lack of knowledge of these laws amongst practising marketing professionals. The last set of the Institute’s Marketing Trends Survey results revealed that 87% of marketers surveyed admitted to poor or non-existent knowledge about the CAP and BCAP Codes, and similar numbers stated ignorance about other key Regulations and Acts.

It’s up to all of us as business professionals to ensure we are up to speed with developments in law. Having knowledge and understanding of law can help prevent the expensive and potentially disastrous effects of a high-profile case. Join the debate at #CIMmlaw.

What’s in it for me?

• Get the personal career advantage of having the appropriate knowledge
• Gain a brief and clear overview of laws and regulations
• Discover which laws and regulations affect you and your business
• Learn from best practice examples
• Earn one hour of CPD
• Receive a complimentary hard and PDF copy of the paper.

Fellows and Chartered Marketers attend free when phoning 01628 427340, or its £15 for all other members, and £25 for guests and students. Book today.

We know that London is a talented place. So it’s fantastic to see so many London entrants reaching the Finalist stage of the Institute’s national Marketing Excellence Awards.

We’d like to wish all the London Finalists good luck at the glittering Awards Ceremony, which takes place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London on 23 February.

Good luck London! This is the London Finalists’ Roll of Honour:

Industry categories

Automotive / Transport

• First Great Western
• Heathrow Commuter/ Heathrow Airport Ltd
• LIDA
• Wand Agency

Construction / Engineering / Manufacturing

• TMP Magnet
• Tangent Snowball

Financial services – Banking and Investment

• RBS
• Greenlight
• Saint@RKCR/Y&R

Financial services – Insurance and other services

• McCann London
• CII
• ICAEW
• Bacs Payment Schemes Ltd (Bacs)

FMCG / Retail

• G2 Joshu
• RKCR/Y&R
• FreshNetworks
• AMV BBDO
• McCann London
• Addiction Worldwide

Hotels / Leisure and Travel

• Dare
•  Gabrielle Shaw Communications

Marketing team of the year

• EC Harris LLP
• Thomson Reuters
• Aon Hewitt
• City & Guilds

Media / Publishing

• McCann London
• AMV BBDO
• Seven

Not for profit

• McCann Worldgroup
• CII
• Blood Pressure Association
• McCann Erickson
• Pancentric Digital
• AMREF UK
• Other Creative Limited

Pharmaceutical / Health service providers / Medical suppliers

• SapientNitro

Professional services

• Navigant
• EC Harris LLP
• Thomson Reuters
• Other Creative Limited
• British Land
• SitexOrbis Limited
• Aon Hewitt
• Allen & Overy
• Lexis Public Relations

Public sector – Education

• Waggener Edstrom
• King’s College London

SME

• Lady Geek
• CII
• Rice Retail Marketing Ltd
• The Cinnamon Club
• Other Creative Limited

Technology / Telecommunications

• Mind Candy Ltd
• McCann London
• Rackspace Ltd
• UM London
• Other Creative Limited

It’s going to be a fantastic night of celebration at the industry’s showcase of the year.

While most of the focus these days is on social media, small businesses should not overlook the role email marketing can play as part of an integrated digital marketing strategy. The Effective email marketing for SMEs event, held on Friday 24 February from 12:30 will cover the do’s and don’ts of email marketing and some of the more advanced features of the medium.

You’ll hear from Rechenda Smith, Head of Email Marketing, little green plane. Rechenda heads up the email marketing function at little green plane, the email marketing division of Itineris, a multi-award winning digital marketing agency based in Suffolk and central London.

Prices start from just £10 and the event is worth 1 hour of CPD. Find out more and book today.

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has begun a search for Volunteer Performers to participate in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of this summer’s Paralympic Games. Successful applicants will perform in front of a packed stadium and a worldwide broadcast audience.

Artistic Directors Jenny Sealey, Bradley Hemmings and Kim Gavin are looking for 5,000 enthusiastic and energetic volunteers to fill roles as dancers, actors, percussionists and general all-round performers.

If any London members are interested in auditioning for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you have until 13 February to register by completing the online application form.

Jenny Sealey said: ‘Anyone with a positive attitude, huge amounts of energy and a willingness to perform in front of a stadium audience and to millions of people around the world should get onto the London 2012 website now and sign up’.

Grand finale

Applicants must be able to participate in up to two auditions in February and March, up to three rehearsal sessions each week from June, and a number of all-day rehearsals in the three weeks leading up to each Ceremony. All of these rehearsals will take place in east London.

Find out more about the terms and conditions, and register quickly!

With a new report stating that one in five of the UK’s young adults is out of work, it’s fair to say that the job market is a difficult world for some. Because of this, brands need to pay close attention to this demographic, as research highlights that young consumers are responding to economic hardship in different ways.

Young people are showing diverse attitudes towards the economy, and brands aspiring to connect with 18-to 24-year-olds must now tailor their offer to 5 groups, according to an agency. 

The research surveyed 1,000 18 to 24-year olds, calling the group the ‘Con-Demmed Youth’, a clever play on words between the Conservative and Lib Dem government they exist under. The 5 groups are:

• Go Getters – 23% of the sample, classed as the most ambitious and socially aware people
• Cotton Wool Kids – financially protected young adults who make up 23% of this sample
• Passive Massive 22% of the sample, the laissez-faire segment
• Minimum Rage group – 17% fall into this segment, the most likely to be unhappy and lacking in ambition
• Shundergrads – the 15% who are very savvy and see little need for a university degree.

The Go Getters are perhaps where some brands should take note. Mostly female, this group are academically successful, socially aware and with high career goals. Although not particularly materialistic and happy to mix designer and high street brands, they’re likely to spend money on some premium brands and eating out.

On the other end of the scale, the Passive Massive group shows little discrimination and lacks opinions on brands, and has little interest in the state of the economy. Unsurprisingly this is where the highest level of unemployment sits, with 55% saying a career is not necessary for their happiness.

The report makes for interesting reading. Take a look at the five groups that make up the ‘Con-Demmed Youth’ study and their favoured brands. Which group affects your brand? Tweet us @LondonCIM and let us know.

Hey, we’re on the same side!

The latest discussion paper entitled “Marketing and sales fusion” from the Chartered Institute of Marketing seems to have put the cat among the pigeons if the coverage given to it by Marketing Week and the comments that followed are anything to go by. I’m not about to join the debate but it does bring back memories of a previous life. Before joining the CIM as Regional Director for Greater London three years ago I was the Director of Marketing at a regional media company. I was responsible for the development of a number of valuable print and online media brands, as well as newspaper sales and distribution.

The basic business model went something like this: marketing was responsible for developing offline and online audiences to enable the advertising sales department to sell press and banner ads.

The media business is closely linked to the economic cycle – when the good times roll it isn’t hard to make money but when the economy dips so does revenue. So when things started to get tough, and our ROS went south, inevitably “marketing” took a back seat to sales. Unfortunately, at the same time that I was trying to get the Board to look at a range of metrics related to the long-term health of our brands, including net promoter scores, the only thing the senior management team was interested in was this week’s newspaper sales and advertising revenue figures.

The pressure to deliver audience numbers, whatever it took, meant that compromises had to be made and the marketing focus shifted heavily towards short-term sales promotion, despite my protests that this could damage the brands in the longer-term.

I guess the point I am making is that whether sales and marketing are “friend or foe” not only depends on the culture of the organisation but also the KPIs set by the senior management team. There has to be a balance between long-range marketing objectives and short-term sales targets for there to be any hope of the two disciplines “fusing” together for the long-term benefit of the organisation.

The Women in Marketing events are always popular and regularly sell out. Women in Marketing 2012: Global Marketing will deliver three hours of top quality presentations from leading experts from the world of international marketing.

Chaired this year by former Head of Marketing at the BBC and CEO of Fallon London, Gail Gallie, the event promises to be lively and informative for everyone attending.

At this year’s event, you’ll hear from:

• Allyson Stewart Allen, Director, International Marketing Partners, – Marketing to America
• Henrietta De Souza, Head of  Consumer Insight, HSBC – Chinese consumers’ spending habits and economic growth
• Kamini Banga, Consultant and author of The 86% Solution – India and Greenfield Technology
• Kate Robertson, Chair of EuroRSCG and Co-founder of One Young World, – About One Young World

Find out more and book at www.wimconference.co.uk

Every year people make and often break New Year’s Resolutions. How about making your New Year’s Resolution really meaningful in 2012?

To become a CIM Chartered Marketer you’ll need to successfully complete two years of CPD, if you already hold either MCIM or FCIM membership grade you’ll be upgraded automatically on 1 July 2012.

If you’re not MCIM or FCIM yet, you can complete your qualifications and collect CPD points simultaneously.

You need to record 35 hours of CPD activity (per year) and submit a record card along with supporting evidence by the end of July 2012 to qualify. Your 35 hours can be achieved in a combination of ways including proof of attendance at short courses; language training, teaching or training others; attending conferences/exhibitions etc. You can even get 8 hours for reading the marketing press!

One of the most effective ways of achieving this is to sign up to one of the new CIM/CAM Digital Marketing qualifications. For example with the SSG two day course, plus homework and assignment (fees apply), the whole 35 hours is covered! For further details please call Caroline at SSG on 01784 463057 or email caroline@studentsupportgroup.co.uk or visit www.studentsupportgroup.co.uk

Resolve to record your CPD properly this year!

For those of you who struggle to record CPD on a regular basis, make a commitment now to start properly recording your CPD. Lots of you were probably given a calendar for Christmas by someone who didn’t know what to buy you. But that unwanted Christmas present can be very useful for managing your CPD. Often you learn lots but are too busy to write it up as CPD there and then; when you have some time for your CPD reflections you can’t remember what you learnt. Having a calendar to hand can be a useful tool to jot down notes so you don’t forget them when it comes to recording them at a later time.

Try to make your entries as reflective as possible

For example you could include: a description of events; experiences and processes; an indication of your feelings about these events; both positive and negative experiences; self-questioning about these experiences; analysis of your work and evaluation of your progress; suggestions for future practice; an honest appraisal of your experience; and links to your coursework and theories.

Getting started

For important dates and deadlines visit www.cim.co.uk/cpd/cpdandcm/cpdandcharteredmarketer.aspx

If you haven’t started recording CPD yet you may need to refer to some resources to help you get started:

• Get the CIM CPD booklet and CIM CPD record card by post or at www.cim.co.uk/cpd/cpdandcm/cpdandcharteredmarketer.aspx
• Call 01628 427273 or email charteredcpd@cim.co.uk

If you’re looking for a top event to attend this year, look no further. BOLD – How to be brave in business and win will take place on Thursday 2 February at the BPP Business School on St Mary’s Axe, just beside the Gherkin.

As one of the CIM Bookshop’s top sellers, Shaun Smith and Andy Milligan, the authors of BOLD, will reveal how winning brands:

• Have a significantly differentiated brand purpose and personality that they communicate relentlessly
• Deliver experiences that are genuinely remarkable
• Produce fans – customers and employees who genuinely love the brand
• Achieve sustainable success
• Have a reputation for challenging the rules

BOLD is the story of the brands that do win – and how they do it. They thrive because they have the courage to pursue purpose beyond profit, to challenge conventional thinking, to engage and entertain their audiences and create an almost cult-like following.

This event is a great start to the year. It’s worth 1.5 CPD hours, and prices start at just £22 for members and students. Book today.