Sam discusses the value of brand-led marketing, why a recent McDonald’s campaign caught his attention, and which books he recommends to better understand what the future might look like.
You work closely with our new clients, so what’s the most common question that these brands are asking currently?
There are two questions that seem to be coming up a lot at the moment. First, companies really want to understand the value of brand-led marketing, as many feel they have shifted too far towards performance marketing to meet short-term goals. We are working with them to understand the long-term health of their business and how brand-led marketing can support this.
Second, marketers want to know how they can measure more accurately and more quickly the incrementality that results from the tactics they employ, particularly given data deprecation issues. SensorTM, our privacy-compliant, multichannel attribution solution, enables brands to get to those insights quickly at a very granular level.
What’s the best ad or campaign that you’ve seen recently and why?
I like campaigns that have a good strategy at their heart, so the McDonald’s UK #RaiseYourArches ad caught my attention. I think it’s great because it nails a moment – deciding what to have for lunch – that is so simple but one that everyone can relate to. I also like how well branded it is even though no products are shown or mentioned in the ad – that makes it even more powerful.
You’ve been at Gain Theory since you were a graduate. What has been the most important thing that you’ve learned during this time?
I’ve learnt so many things in my time here! Perhaps one of the most important is that you’ve got to look forward and keep learning and challenging yourself. You need to be honest and never think that you know it all. It’s probably the main reason why I enjoy working at Gain Theory. There are so many bright people here from diverse backgrounds who work with lots of brands from different sectors that face a wide range of challenges. We are challenged daily to look at or approach things in new ways.
What book would you recommend to our readers?
I like to read thought-provoking books about future trends and technology. Understanding what that the future might look like and what that means is something I find interesting. So, I have three recommendations:
- Good Data: An Optimist’s Guide To Our Digital Future by Sam Gilbert is great because it provides some brilliant arguments about the use of data for social benefit if we can create a more open and transparent data-sharing culture.
- Life After Google by George Gilder explains why Silicon Valley is suffering a nervous breakdown and what to expect as the post-Google age dawns.
- 21 Lessons For The 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari asks important questions, such as: What are today’s greatest challenges and choices? What should we pay attention to?
Contact Sam to discuss any of the issues in this Q&A.