Rebranding the Brands

Based on the premise that UK public trust in advertising is at an all-time low (25% this year compared to 48% in 1992), LoopMe’s panel at Advertising Week Europe wanted to explore the reasons why and discover how brands can win back public trust.

LoopMe’s GM International, Pete O’Mara Kane was joined by an expert panel which included Carl Carter, Head of Marketing Strategy & Effectiveness at IRI Worldwide, Amy Williams, Co-Founder & CEO at Good-Loop, Celine Saturnino, Chief Commercial Officer at Total Media and chaired by Chris Babayode, Managing Director EMEA at the Mobile Marketing Association UK. This is what they had to say:

Short-Term Focus

In a discussion about the issues marketers have faced in the last year, both Celine and Carl highlighted a shift from long-term strategy to short-term impact such as investing more time into developing ecommerce. FMCG was noted as an industry in a real state of change, with a multitude of data touchpoints but varying understanding of what will work for them, not to mention the issues they have faced in preparing for Brexit.

Lack of Trust

Amy asked the audience to think about why people ad block. Research shows that it’s down to control and choice which is a source of frustration for consumers. She encouraged brands to find more respectful ways of engaging with consumers – don’t follow people around the internet!

Be Authentic

One point which was reiterated by Carl and Celine was the importance of ensuring authenticity. Brands are moving to purpose-led marketing, but this needs to be realised through the entire company and supply chain otherwise they can be perceived as unauthentic. Patagonia and Lush were two examples of brands doing this well, with an honest and transparent business which is reflected in their advertising.

Establish Effectiveness

Pete asked brands to consider their measures of success, to move away from clicks and views and look at the impact their ads are having on their brand goals. Amy expanded on this, talking about the campaigns that LoopMe and Good-Loop have run utilising PurchaseLoop Brand that have measured and optimised to brand perception for ‘ethicalness’.

Close the Feedback Loop

There was a general agreement that brands aren’t using their first-party data enough to close the feedback loop. Pete encouraged brands to stop speaking to broad audiences and start speaking to people, because we don’t sit in broad buckets! The panel concluded by advising brands to focus on their long-term goals and ensure that these are reflected in the advertising and strategy.

Thanks again to our brilliant speakers for making this panel so interesting. See you next year Ad Week Europe!

If you want to find out more about LoopMe’s brand solutions, contact your local account manager or marketing@loopme.com