Blog

about 1 hour ago The most joyful digital news stories from the last week

This is perhaps the most interesting and joyous weekly roundup yet.

Highlights include the Amish, Jamie Oliver, Amazon's impact on US labour and the dangers of Avril Lavigne. Let's get to it...

about 3 hours ago Is Uber's lawsuit against an agency a harbinger of greater brand-agency discord?

Thanks to all of the scandals and controversies that have hit online advertising in the past year, a growing number of companies are taking a closer look at their digital ad campaigns.

Some of them aren't liking what they're finding.

about 22 hours ago Eight unmissable talks at The Festival of Marketing 2017

The Festival of Marketing is just two weeks away and the excitement in the Econsultancy office is palpable.

Tickets are still available for the two-day marketing extravaganza – book today to enjoy a stellar lineup including Jo Malone, Mark Ritson, Byron Sharp, Stephen Fry and speakers from the world's biggest brands.

1 day ago The National Trust on its digital roadmap (and moving from Waterfall to Agile)

When the National Trust launched its new website at the end of 2015, the minimum viable product (MVP) attracted some criticism from users.

But go-live for the new site was only the beginning of the journey for the National Trust – since then, monthly releases have been pretty much standard.

1 day ago Five ways charities can use Instagram to drive awareness and engagement

When it comes to driving online donations, social media can be an effective medium for charities.

Facebook recently rolled out fundraising tools in the UK and across Europe that allow users to directly donate, as well as easily find and share the causes they care about.

2 days ago Restoration Hardware bid on 3,200 keywords, found 98% of its PPC sales came from just 22 brand terms

For years, many marketers have spent a lot of time and money trying to find the perfect keywords for their paid search campaigns.

In some cases, marketers are bidding on thousands of keywords. But could it be for naught?

2 days ago Marketers have more data than ever, so why aren’t they better at experimentation?

The philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend famously wrote that “the only principle that does not inhibit progress is: anything goes.”

2 days ago How Polish fashion retailer Reserved is targeting UK shoppers

Polish retailer Reserved has just arrived in London, opening its first-ever UK store in Oxford Street.

Touted as a cross between H&M and Primark, the retail brand already has over 450 stores across 20 countries. But will Reserved appeal to UK consumers? More to the point – will it satisfy their cravings for an increasingly digital and social shopping experience?

3 days ago Four ways marketers can increase conversions from social video

Brand videos now regularly feature in social media feeds, as marketers increasingly use the medium to engage consumers on Facebook and Instagram.

However, video can do more than increase general engagement on social platforms themselves. 

3 days ago How machine learning can set fashion ecommerce strategy & product assortment

Machine learning is having a big impact on fashion retail.

We recently caught up with senior data scientist Joe Berry at retail tech company Edited and asked him about trends in this area, as well as how the Edited product uses machine learning to help set retail strategy.

4 days ago How Warby Parker’s newsjacking campaign eclipsed the competition

Newsjacking, or agile marketing as it can also be known, is a tricky thing to get right.

While Oreo succeeded in 2013 – cleverly capitalising on the infamous Superbowl blackout – other brands that followed suit were called out for lazily jumping on the bandwagon. 

4 days ago 61% of retailers offer 'lean back' content. But can retail brands succeed with 'TV shows'?

The main opportunity for brands to reach consumers via TV used to be advertising. 

Now, thanks to the rise of digital streaming services, more and more brands are making TV-style content of their own.