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.

The job market is a cautious place for some at the moment. So when we asked London members for their opinions on their career options and goals for 2012, it was great to see there’s still plenty of optimism and motivation in our region.

Do you plan to study for a qualification in 2012?

41% of those who answered said yes they plan to study for a qualification in 2012

What are your career goals for 2012?

To be a real professional in Marketing and to reach the highest level.
Judeline Edmond, Creole Travel Services

Progress within the role I currently have (Marketing Manager) by taking on new projects.
Rebecca Hearn, Reed Exhibitions

1) Secure a new role (I currently have a temporary promotion while my Manager is on maternity leave) 2) Complete first year of my MSc (gaining the certificate in Digital Marketing Communications) 3) Submit my first CPD record card towards chartered marketer status  4) Start second year of my MSc.
Sarah Green, Promotions Manager

Hopefully do well in the qualification, and then perhaps move to a role within my company that has a higher level of marketing strategy, etc.
Francesca Poglia, White Hat Media

Continue as global head of marketing for the division I work for and European head of marketing for our business as a whole. Embed greater depth of metrics to further validate the business impact of our activities; cut out irrelevant / non-performing spend; continue to drive increased brand awareness in Europe; focus more on the US and Asia.
Anouschka Elliott, RBC Capital Markets

Where do you see yourself in the next six and twelve months?

Still successfully running my own business.
Deborah Rowe, Sheba Marketing Ltd

Busy training pre Olympics and then promoting training for Hospitality and Venues.
Linda Ransome, Green Parasol Trainer

In the next 6 months, I wish I would have increased my responsibilities and have passed 2 modules for the Diploma in Digital Marketing.  In the next 12 months, I wish I would have either moved to a new position with new challenges or eventually getting ready to start as an independent Consultant. In 2012, I am hoping to be able to attend more CIM and networking events which I hope will help me as a marketer.  
M A Joaille, ColArt

If there’s a change that you’re planning to make in 2012 that will raise your game as a marketer, please tell us

I started an MSc in 2011 so the main thing is continuing with that. I also intend to start attending CIM groups and events in London and use Linked In more effectively.   
Sarah Green, Promotions Manager

Continually keeping up-to-date with social media!    
Tim Martin, Marketing Growth

I intend to focus more in digital marketing.  
Maria Cenalmor, East London Volunteer

I’m always looking for ways to raise my game! As one of a few marketers (or maybe the only) who is also a Chartered Financial Analyst, focusing more on combining my two disciplines is going to be key in 2012 and beyond. Particularly in my industry.    
Anouschka Elliott, RBC Capital Markets

Can you feel the love?

I’ve been feeling a lot of love just lately – for some of the fantastic ‘social marketing’ being accomplished in both the public and private sectors.

Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR to its friends, has been the subject of two recent CIM conferences, the first put together by the Finance Market Interest Group was quickly followed by the Good Marketing Conference staged jointly by the Social Marketing Market Interest Group and the East of England Region. See, there’s even love between the volunteer teams of the Institute.

At both events it was clear that at a corporate level sustainability was a major focus for many companies and organisations.  Marks and Spencer, Unilever, RSA, Lloyds Bank and Speedy Hire were all promoting the benefits to society of a green approach to business – the other driver of course was profitability, as building energy saving efficiencies into the supply chain is an obvious win win.

One of the highlights of the Good Marketing Conference was a presentation by Depaul UK a London based charity working with young homeless people. Their brilliant iHobo App campaign, costing a mere £6,000, took a ground breaking and award winning approach to raising awareness and generating donor income,  particularly among young people.  By downloading the App you carry a homeless young person around on your phone for three days over which time you have to look after him to help him get off the street. If you ignore him his situation deteriorates quickly. At the end of the three days you are prompted to make a donation. If you’d like to know more take a look here.

Something else you might like to look at is Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan. Also at the Good Marketing Conference Matthew Neilson from Unilever shared their vision for a better world and to spread the word Unilever has now published a guide to the Five Levers for Change.

There’s also some great work on health and obesity. The Fit for Life campaign, for example, is still going strong despite the cuts to marketing budgets introduced by the coalition government. However, I couldn’t help thinking that there was something missing from all this good stuff. I believe youth unemployment is the root of many evils so couldn’t leading CSR advocates put some of their energy into creating new job opportunities for young people too? Just a thought.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to a meeting of the London region of the CIM, sharing the platform with Anthony Thomson, chairman of Metro Bank.

My theme for the evening was marketing’s readiness to lead change and develop powerful customer experiences. After 8 years as CMO of Hilton International, striving to transform that great brand’s customer experience on a global basis, I had a few ideas I was keen to share.

The challenge facing just about any business today is leading and managing change in order to improve competitive performance.  Managing change is a complex and costly field.  It’s fraught with pitfalls and success generally requires specialist knowledge and experience.

Yet despite this, how many businesses hire specialist managers or external support with a proven track record of delivering successful change programmes? In my experience very few, which is perhaps why so many change initiatives falter. The pattern of “launch it – neglect it – re-launch it” is a familiar one yet CEOs, COOs and CMOs continue to make the same mistakes.

When it comes to brand and customer experience, marketing should surely be the catalyst for major internal change…change that transforms what customers receive…change powerful enough to influence customer buying decisions. Marketing should be the glue that holds everything together, harnessing the energy and talent of all key functions to achieve the desired outcome.

The question is, are marketing departments and CMOs, sufficiently equipped and influential to lead the change that’s required….to secure the necessary investment…to persuade and unify senior colleagues and inspire people behind a shared vision?

A recent CIM survey suggests that in far too many cases the answer is NO, a conclusion reinforced by continuing debate about the lack of robust financial, operational and broad-based commercial skills that are essential for anyone wishing to influence business strategy and shape customer experience.

In my experience of leading and managing change across organisations like Hilton, Stakis Group and ScotRail and with clients at ABCG, the most common barriers to successful change continue to be:

• Failing to identify all costs and plan adequate investment  2-3 years ahead
• Failing  to anticipate & plan for the operational complexity of change and resources required
• Failure to deliver sustained programmes of engagement and communicate over time
• Failure to identify & remove the infrastructure that stifles change & rewards ‘old’ behaviour.

These prickly issues are at the heart of managing change and shaping competitive strategy.  In my view, these are issues with which CMOs and aspiring marketing leaders must be conversant if we’re to play the leadership role our chosen discipline demands.  So may I humbly suggest that it’s time to dig into the nuts & bolts of what really makes out businesses run, to build our experience and with it our credibility and demand to be heard at the most senior levels.  We owe it to our customers.

Mike Ashton’s website is http://www.abcg.co.uk/

Want to find out if you’ve got what it takes when the heat is on, the chips are down and you only have a matter of hours to pull off the pitch of your career?

If you’re serious about a career in marketing then you seriously need to take part in this unique opportunity.

Working in a team, developing a marketing strategy, handling budgets and presentation skills will all be required for you to enter The Pitch.

The Pitch heats will take place at three venues across England in November 2011 and the deadline for entries is 31 October 2011.

Find out more at www.cim.co.uk/thepitch or contact Rachel Murray.

Join 21 heavyweight email marketers including: Philips, Standard Life, Tripadvisor, KLM, Which?, The Carphone Warehouse, Confused.com, NSPCC, Links of London, The Times and many more on 15th November as they reveal how they are maximising their ROI by increasing their open rates with relevant, engaging and behaviour-targeted emails.

CIM members receive A £150 – £418 discount. Just quote ‘CIM’ under ID Code online.

View the Conference programme.
Download the conference brochure.

Whether you want to take a step towards a new career, increase your scope and experience or whether you want to understand the buzz words and know how to turn them into marketing strategies, the bottom line is you need to be informed about digital marketing and its tools. Gaining an understanding of what digital marketing is and how to handle successful digital media campaigns will bring recognition and rewards to you and your company, these short courses also provide Chartered Marketer CPD points. The Student Support Group (SSG) is an accredited study centre in your local area.

Download the factsheet to find out full details.

To find out more about the courses available and to find the study centres closest to you visit www.camfoundation.com/study_centres

Benefits of a digital qualification

The Diploma in Digital Marketing (DDM), Diploma in Mobile Marketing, Diploma in Digital Marketing and Diploma in Managing Digital Media (from the CAM Foundation, awarded by The Chartered Institute of Marketing), will give you specialist knowledge to understand and manage this area with confidence.

You and your employer will benefit from:

• In depth knowledge of all the key elements needed for planning and executing integrated campaigns
• Far greater breadth of knowledge and competence than work experience alone can ever provide
• Up to date, relevant knowledge of both the theory and reality of present and future digital marketing communication practice

Next available course – 1 October

Each course consists of three small units, and most CIM students will be exempted from at least one. Please contact caroline@studentsupportgroup.co.uk for further details, SSG’s next DDM course starts on 1 October 2011.

Prize Draw – £100 discount on Digital Essentails course

For studying members, The Student Support Group (SSG) offers tailored support services to help with all your studying needs. For London members this month, they’re offering you a chance to win a £100 discount off the SSG Digital Marketing Essentials course, which runs on 1 and 22 October in London.

Just answer a few questions, and we’ll enter you into the prize draw. Deadline for entries is 23 September 2011.

The LionHeart Challenge is a Nationwide Enterprise Programme, acclaimed by Sir Howard Davies MBE and Director of The London School of Economics & Political Science. And Phil Preston, GLR Regional Director; Bernie Emery, Central London Team Leader; and John Tooze, President of the Croydon and South London team were asked to be part of the Expert Help Panel at the regional finals last week.
The Challenge involves school students taking part in a practical business challenge, overseen by expert marketers and business coaches.  It aims to inspire soon-to-be school leavers to become tomorrow’s business people.

During the last few years the Challenge has been delivered to over 250,000 young people across every region of England. It was great for the Institute’s Greater London Region to be involved with this event, which was set at the prestigious Harrow School which Winston Churchill once attended.

It was fantastic to see the pupils motivated by their case study and the ideas they presented were well thought out. There are many budding business minds out there.

Last night I watched “Made in Dagenham”, the true story of the late sixties campaign by women at the Ford car plant in Dagenham for equal pay. It wasn’t until 1970 that the Equal Pay Act was passed by the UK Parliament – a fundamental right that we now all take for granted.

It was really a story about reward and recognition – it wasn’t just about the money, but about the company recognising that regardless of gender there should be equal pay for men and women doing the same job.

So reward should go hand and hand with recognition. To quote a line from Love and Marriage, the 1955 song made famous by Sinatra, “you can’t have one without the other” if you want a relationship to last.

This was certainly the message given by Giles Pavey from dunnhumby at the CIM Summer Marketing Conference in Chelmsford last month. Giles talked enthusiastically about the good old days when the owner of the corner shop knew all his customers personally and this desire for detailed customer insight is really the driving force behind the success of the Tesco Clubcard.

Giles opened his presentation with this quote from Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, “There are only two sources of competitive advantage: the ability to learn more about our customers faster than the competition and the ability to turn that learning into action faster than the competition”. Which is exactly what Tesco does – it collects vast quantities of transactional data on individual shoppers and uses the knowledge it gains to influence customer behaviour in real-time by issuing personalised “rewards” in the form of direct mail vouchers, point of sale incentives and online offers.

There’s a lot more to it than vouchers and price promotions though – if you want to know more you will find a copy of Giles’ presentation on the marketing conference micro-website. You’ll find several other conference presentations there too.

Even though you may not have the resources of Tesco or dunnhumby you can still apply the principles. Basically, if you can understand what motivates behaviour then you can design incentives or interventions to influence it.

Just don’t overdo the generic promotional offers though, as they will encourage promiscuity rather than build loyalty. It can also be expensive as this recent snippet from the CIM’s weekly Cutting Edge news bulletin highlighted:

Discounting during the recession has led to an estimated fall in UK profits of more than £20bn, according to a recent KPMG survey. It says that 49% of respondents have entered into pricing wars with competitors and many feel that they don’t have enough time to create a long-term pricing strategy.

So, perhaps it’s better to personalise your product offering or customer service; or maybe just say thank you every now and then.

We all like a bit of recognition. That’s true not only from a marketing perspective but also in the workplace and in life too. Blimey, I’ve gone all profound!

Right now, many of our London studying members will be waiting for their assignment and exam results, due at the end of August. So now may be the ideal time to take a short break and think about your study plans for the Autumn.

Download 8 free study podcasts

To make an interesting change from attending college or reading textbooks, listen to our free CIM student podcasts which are provided with supporting fact sheets. These are available to download from the GLR and SSG websites.

Podcast topics covered include:

1. Life as a Chartered Marketer with Mark Batchelor
2. How to get on in Marketing – Simon Basset, Head of EMR
3. How to stay motivated in your CIM studies – Polly Grant
4. CAM digital marketing qualifications
5. How to pass the CIM Professional Certificate
6. CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing
7. Study tips
8. Your CIM.

Library and resources

Or, if reading is more up your street, now’s a great time to broaden your marketing knowledge by focusing on your background reading and research, available from the Institute’s website.

5 key resources

1. Information and Library Service – a dedicated marketing collection making it an essential specialist source of information for books and online
2. Online journals, books and reports – members can log in to enjoy fast online access
3. Cutting Edge – the weekly digest of marketing news from across the sectors
4. Research papers – for the latest paper, Ambush marketing and the law, plus Shape the Agendas, policy papers and white papers which set out the latest thinking
5. Case studies – real life studies which show how marketing theory works in practice.

If you’d like some help with your personal study plan, or like to chat about any other aspect of CIM study, Student Support Group can help with free advice on their:

• Exam/assignment feedback service (ideal if you have failed and don’t know why?)
• CIM subject knowledge tests (free service)
• Syllabus refresher sessions (discuss hard to understand aspects)
• Assignment and case study briefings (expert advice on what to do and how to do it)
• Checking assignment drafts and exam four pagers (check you are up to CIM standard)
• Mock exam papers & feedback service, all designed to help you pass next time!

SSG can develop an individual study package to suit your study needs and budget. To find out more call Caroline on 01784 463057 or email caroline@studentsupportgroup.co.uk (see SSG website for details & fees).