blake cahill

Blake Cahill

About Blake Cahill

Blake Cahill is SVP Global Head of Digital Marketing & Media at Philips.

Why user-generated content can be a key differentiator for brand marketers

User generated content (UGC) isn’t a new concept, yet marketers around the world are only just starting to realize its potential in creating online buzz and engaging customers.

Predominantly spread through social media, UGC is any type of content created and shared by a brand’s audience. Whether through videos, tweets, Instagram stories or blogs – UGC spotlights a brand, product or service on a user’s own channel, rather than the company’s social presence. 

How Philips is experimenting with shoppable social media

With up to two billion active users it’s clear that platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp simply cannot be ignored when it comes to doing business in the 21st century.

With access to such a vast customer base it’s hardly surprising that businesses have gravitated to social media to cultivate their online persona. Increased brand awareness has been the result, but it’s less clear, perhaps, how this has translated into tangible benefits to businesses’ bottom lines.

How Philips has benefitted from authentic influencer marketing

Brands continued to associate with famous or authoritative individuals in 2017, with the Instagram influencer marketing industry alone being worth $1billion.

It’s perhaps unsurprising then that this way of advertising is set to retain its popularity amongst brands for years to come; especially considering 71% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase based on a social media reference from an influencer. 

messaging

Messaging platforms could even boost NPS – businesses should get on-board now

In 2015 Mark Zuckerberg moved the Facebook Messenger app out of the original Facebook app, taking the bet that billions would use Messenger for much more than just chatting with friends and sharing GIFs.

He believed that they would come to use the app as a means of interacting with businesses to raise questions about products they’d purchased or intended to purchase, for instance.

cx

The tech & CX challenge: Playing safe doesn’t cut it any more

Over the last 10 years, businesses have changed dramatically. Gone are the days when companies decided who they communicated to, when they communicated and where they communicated.

Customers now want to do things in whatever way is easiest for them, and with this type of expectation growing, businesses are no longer calling the shots when it comes to customer wants and needs.

2016: The good, the bad and the future of digital marketing

It’s not quite over yet, but 2016 has been busy. As I predicted last year, mobile has been a definite focus for almost every marketer and we’re slowly starting to see VR and wearable technology take off.

I’ve found it interesting to see how businesses have started to scope out new and creative ways to incorporate all of these technologies and opportunities into their marketing strategies. 

Instant messaging: An introduction to the future of communication

At Facebook’s F8 conference earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg said “(Instant messaging) is going to be the next big platform for helping you connect with all kinds of services in new ways”.

When you bear in mind this is a man who spent the best part of $22bn buying WhatsApp, you can be pretty sure he’s going to be right.

But where is instant messaging heading and what does this mean for marketers?

facebook-periscope

Who will win the live-streaming battle: Facebook Live or Periscope?

In the age of ephemeral content and channel proliferation, it’s no wonder some marketers feel like they are forever playing a game of catch-up.

Shiny new technologies regularly appear, hit critical mass, and inevitably get surpassed by better tools.

Take the recent rise of live-streaming for example – it is a popular medium transformed into an entirely new format.

Five digital-to-physical social campaigns that will inspire us in 2016

Using the power of social media to interact with the physical world is a relatively under-used concept, but there are a few brands that understand exactly how to do it well.

Consumers don’t perceive any difference between online and offline, so marketers need to mirror this attitude and design experiences that will be resonant ad relatable to their customers.

The China Digital Report

Five truths and misconceptions about social media in China

If you ever played a game of Chinese Whispers then you’ll know a message inevitably gets distorted as it travels. 

It’s supposed to teach us not to believe everything you hear, but when scaling digital in the Asian market it’s more important than ever not to let misconceptions hold sway.