Join Marc Binkley and Paul Dervan as they explore the National Lottery's brand strategy to build and grow their business through the use of distinctive brand assets.   Paul's BioPaul is currently the CMO of the National Lottery in Ireland and author of the business book Run with Foxes: Make Better Marketing Decisions. He was formerly the Head of Marketing Effectiveness at Alternatives and Sr. Director of global brand strategy for Indeed. Timestamps 2:36 – What are distinctive assets? 6:02 – Nike: A case study in building and sweating distinctive assets7:31 – How distinctive assets fit into key marketing metrics and ROI10:21 – Why Ireland’s National Lottery uses 6 distinctive assets 13:38 – Branding yes, but we still need to sell tickets 17:36 – The strength and speed of unique, flexible distinctive assets 23:40 – Why old distinctive assets might be a brand managers best friend 26:00 - Blending the individual distinctive assets into a cohesive brand ID system28:12 – The big insight that drove the choice for the waterslide  30:22 – Why constraints can be liberating for creative directors32:35 - how to link the brand memory structures to moments in the customer journey37:35 – How category entry points are useful for driving incremental revenue streams40:03 – Why category entry points are practical for identifying competitors42:56 – How to choose a new distinctive asset 46:44 – How distinctive assets work together to build memory48:35 – Why their brand tracking was so effective52:18 – The link between building brand equity and sales activationsLinksNational Lottery Waterslide Video10s Waterslide cutdown v110s waterslide cutdown v2Paul's "Obsession" post on LinkedInTelus - Hippopotamus Distinctive AssetPaul's book - Run with Foxes Paul on LinkedInJenni Romaniuk - Distinctive AssetsKaren Nelson-Field – Attention  Tim Ambler – Marketing Metrics 

Anstice aCast - Candid Conversations on Modern Marketing

Why Ireland's National Lottery is Obsessing about Being Distinctive with Paul Dervan

Are marketers addicted to advertising? Is there a better way to lead growth and innovation? Our host Marc Binkley explores questions like these and some potential solutions with the always engaging Chris Kneeland.  BioChris is the CEO of Cult Collective, one of North America's premiere engagement marketing firms.  He's also the Co-Founder of The Gathering, on of the best marketing conferences in North America and Co-Founder of Communo, a marketing talent outsourcing agency. Time Stamps 0:49 – Intro to Chris Kneeland4:38 – Why Chris believes advertisers are addicted to advertising9:32 – Discounting is only one lever for marketers to increase revenue and customer benefits15:09 – Why marketing has devolved to just advertisers 17:26 – What makes Southwest Airlines a unique brand21:25 – Why the sales funnel is a flawed mental model 26:20 – How we might get into a customer’s initial consideration set without advertising29:44 – The genius of Elon Musk’s approach to positioning Tesla32:51 – The inspiration for Cult Brands and The Gathering36:12 – Cult Brand Principle #1 – Culture39:40 - Cult Brand Principle #2 – Co-Creation45:20 - Cult Brand Principle #3 – Relatable 49:11 - Cult Brand Principle #4 – Creation of rites and rituals57:00 - Cult Brand Principle #5 – Congregate1:07:48 – How to find out more about Chris and CultLinksPricing Thermometerhttps://cultideas.com/white-papers https://cultideas.com/philosophy https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-kneeland-838b2921/ Communo McKinsey Consumer Decision JourneyTesla PlaidThe value of Elon Musk tweetNFL Superbowl viewershipHow Glossier turned itself into a billion-dollar beauty brand

Are marketers addicted to advertising? – with Chris Kneeland

BioDr. Mark Szabo joins our host Marc Binkley to discuss his book and research on executive decision making in complex conflicts.   Mark is VP Research & engagement at Anstice, a bespoke marketing agency based in Calgary, Alberta.  Mark got his PhD in executive decision making while researching solutions for stakeholder management in oil and gas pipeline projects.  Following his research, Mark published his solutions in a book titled Fight different – the power of focal thinking in systemic conflicts his fin  complex conflicts.  Mark is also a lawyer and has earned an MBA. Timestamps1:44 - Introducing Dr. Mark Szabo2:45 - How Mark got a Phd in executive decision making for complex conflicts5:14 - What is the difference between complex and complicated conflicts8:50 - Why simplifying complexity is the naturally wrong response12:02 - Why it matters to know the difference between complex conflicts and negotiations14:28 - An example of complex conflicts: Costal Gas Link pipeline17:05 - Why its important to focus thinking on people with power rather than people with influence20:26 - Why organizations need different soft skills to manage complex conflicts22:27 - Tools for complex conflicts: don't control the situation23:39 - Tools for complex conflicts: control your openness to change26:13 - Tools for complex conflicts: map the human landscape28:42 - Tools for complex conflicts: identify the moments that matter31:33 -  Tools for complex conflicts: add research34:00 - Tools for complex conflicts: align people by values34:44 - Tools for complex conflicts: separating power from influence37:25 - Tools for complex conflicts: scenario planning and probabilities40:08 - Tools for complex conflicts: vision and patience45:22 - What you can do to better manage complex conflicts today49:24 - Find out more about MarkLinks Mark on LinkedInMark's book: Fight Different - The Power of Focal ThinkingAnstice 

Solving Complex Conflicts with Dr. Mark Szabo

David Ian Gray is a seasoned retail consultant who shares his thoughts with Marc about 8 myths of retail marketing that need to be reconsidered. David is the Founder & Strategist at Dig360, a national retail advisory headquartered in Vancouver.  They are a consulting firm that helps retail executives transform and adapt to the changing retail landscape and customer behaviours.  He's recognized as am expert on retail and shopping trends and has taught at the London Business School and is a lecturer on marketing management at the BC institute of technology.  Timestamps 1:40 – Introduction to David Ian Gray and the 8 myths of retail marketing3:55 – Myth #1: Everything is customer driven5:40 – Why McDonalds digital kiosks and Shoppers Drug Mart self-checkout are not customer driven8:17 – Your business is customer driven – so which customer are you talking about? 11:08 – Black Friday offers don’t appeal to all customers12:30 - Myth #2: We’re data-driven decision makers19:45 - Myth #3: We need a Millennials strategy, they are totally unique24:53 - Myth #4: young shoppers don’t like stores30:55 – Myth #5: The death of retail and the battle for a true omni-channel experience32:32 – Myth #6: The Digitization of retail (and AI) is the answer37:23 – The adaptiveness of the retail industry39:02 - Myth #7 - Shoppers demand brands with a purpose (sustainability)43:50 – The habits and discipline brands need to build purposeful brands45:02 – Myth #8 – Now that COVID is waning, there will be a return to normal50:25 – A new opportunity for retail brands 51:40 – How to find out more about David Ian GrayLinksDavid on LinkedInDig360.caThe business of retail podcast 

Debunking the 8 myths of retail marketing with David Ian Gray

A compelling argument why human oversight and leadership is needed to manage the impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning on decision making and content consumption. BioTessa Sproule & Katie MacGuire joined our host Marc Binkley to share insights about their work in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.  As the co-founders of Vubble, a video recommendation platform, Katie and Tessa have built proprietary AI technology to “read” video and contextually tag it with descriptive metadata, analyze audiences of existing video content and then surface new video recommendations to people most likely to enjoy it based on the metadata. Timestamps1:37 – Introduction to Katie MacGuire and Tessa Sproule3:33- What Vubble does6:38 – How Katie and Tessa went from broadcasting to artificial intelligence11:00 – How recommendation engines change people’s consumption behaviour13:24 – An overview of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)14:29 – How Google uses people to train machines – ReCaptcha15:43 – Content and Collaborative Filtering: two subsets of machine learning18:13 – The pitfalls of AI predictions and where humans need to intervene21:05 - The opportunity for Vubble’s AI & ML platform29:16 – How KPIs influence interest graphs, rabbit holes and filter bubbles33:29 - Why we need humans to keep machine recommendations in check38:02 – How cultural influences can change AI recommendations42:15 -  Why content nutrition labels are needed to create informed citizens48:15 – The importance of auditing data sets 50:44 - The link between emotional content and video views 54:03 – A global project to govern AI tech and why human diversity can help1:02:44 – Why business leaders need to understand AI / ML to avoid bad decisions1:10:00 – How to find out more about Tessa and KatieLinksKatie on LinkedInTessa on LinkedInExample of a content nutrition labelCanadian Diversity of Content projectVubblepop.com

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with Tessa Sproule and Katie MacGuire

What makes B2B marketing effective? Find out why acquisition is more important than loyalty, why B2B creative should be more emotional, why financial metrics are critical and why brand awareness is a terrible measure of performance.  Please join our host Marc Binkley for this incredible interview with Peter Weinberg, one of the worlds most important voices in B2B marketing.BioPeter Weinberg is the Head of Development and co-founder of The B2B Institute at LinkedIn which is a think tank that partners with leading experts to research the future of B2B marketing.  Along with partners like global thought leaders Jenni Romaniuk, Les Binet, Peter Field, Mark Ritson and Rory Sutherland, they study the laws of growth in B2B and work with LinkedIn's largest clients to put these principles into practice.Timestamps 1:26 – Introduction to Peter Weinberg2:33 – What is the LinkedIn B2B Institute4:38 - A background on the world’s leading marketing effectiveness databases8:07 – What makes the IPA and Ehrenberg-Bass data so meaningful9:30 – The differences, and similarities between B2B and B2C marketing16:18 – Acquisition or loyalty? Answers to the most controversial debate in B2B marketing 18:44 – The one way to grow B2B (or B2C) brands - the double jeopardy law20:40 – The trouble with word of mouth23:56 – Wide reach v. going deep on niche audiences27:22 - How the length of purchase cycle effects B2B marketing30:27 - The place for Account Based Marketing (ABM) in the B2B landscape34:10 – The common sense approach to B2B growth36:00 – Why Share of Voice matters and why Click Thru Rate doesn’t37:40 – The financial metrics marketers need to track41:31 – The revenue opportunity of the 95:5 mental model44:10 - The benefit of realizing nobody cares about your brand45:31 - The 3 rules of effective creative in B2B marketing48:47 – Why brand awareness isn’t the best idea for marketers51:10 – Why all marketers need to track Category Entry Points instead of awareness52:48 – What’s next and how to connect with PeterOther LinksPeter on LinkedinB2B Marketing InstituteEhrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing ScienceIPA - Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Article: Measuring things that matterArticle: B2B marketers bet big on going longArticle: 3 Rules for more effective B2B MarketingBlockbuster Marketing for B2BB2B Playbook 

Effectiveness in B2B Marketing with Peter Weinberg

Are best practices really the best idea? Ron Tite joins Marc Binkley for a great conversation about how leaders unlock creativity by ignoring short-sighted metrics and lead growth by through a better way of thinking about corporate purpose. Background on RonNamed one of the top 10 Creative Canadians by Marketing Magazine.  He's the CEO and founder of the Brand Agency named Church & State with clients like Walmart, Doordash, Manulife.  Ron is Host & producer the hit podcast called “The Coup”, author of Think Do Say a book about creating momentum through organizational alignment and co-author of Everyone’s an Artist which explores the battle of attention through lessons from artists like musicians and painters.  Finally, Ron is also an in-demand keynote speaker on the topics of his books as well as how to lead creative disruption and brand storytelling. Timestamps1:17 – Introducing Ron Tite3:30 – The challenges facing brands and marketers5:57 – Why building trust and differentiation are different today than before9:26 – Why some metrics are myopic11:40 – Short termism, the failure of digital and why brands are becoming more old school 18:19 – The problem with the “next big thing”21:08 – The opportunity for more impact despite having less data24:54 – Why earning customer trust is important for brands27:06 – Why marketers are ignoring best practices and taking more creative risks30:50 – The meatball bath bomb: unlocking creativity through brand experiences35:10 – Why the order of Think > Do > Say matters37:05 – The role of purpose in marketing 38:46 – What marketers get wrong about their corporate purpose 44:14 – How leaders can align their people to corporate purpose AND inspire creativity47:07 – Find out more about RonOther LinksRonTite.comRon Tite on LinkedInChurch & StateThink. Do. Say. on AmazonMeatball Bath BombThe Coup PodcastBob Hoffman Ad Tech WeaselsThe downside of short-termism by Peter FieldGeorge Lois Story about launching Tommy HilfigerBrand purpose. The biggest lie the ad industry ever told? by Tom Roach

How to unlock corporate creativity and avoid the risk of best practices with Ron Tite

If you want to learn about how brands can use content to augment their marketing, connect with customers and expand their reach Kaaren Whitney-Vernon is one of the best in the world to learn from.Kaaren is keynote speaker with a passion for understanding where content and audiences are moving. As SVP of Shaftesbury XR she leads the Emmy award winning immersive and branded entertainment division.  Kaaren and her team create branded content stories and games in digital, virtual, augmented and mixed reality. She's also CEO/Founder of Shift2 – an agency that works with companies who want to reach millennials and drive profit by becoming executive producers of scripted, branded series Kaaren has worked with companies like P&G, L’Oreal, Coca-Cola, Walmart, RBC and Nokia. In an engagement with with Kotex, they produced the global hit digital series Carmilla that's gained over 100+ million views on YouTube which has spun into an entire entertainment brand unto itself.Kaaren is also judge for Experiential & Innovative Media of the Canadian Marketing Association and a member of the Forbes Agency Council. Timestamps: 0:37 – Intro to Kaaren Whitney-Vernon3:42 – What is branded content? 5:36 – What’s new with branded content?8:20 – Is branded content a replacement to traditional ad models? 10:58 – The RedBull content marketing commitment12:53 – How leaders can succeed with a branded content program15:30  - The importance of brand ID system in content marketing 17:30 – Where do you find funding for a branded content program19:57 – How to think about KPIs for branded content 22:59 – How storytelling can help brands connect with purpose27:05 – Don’t bet on viral, the importance of paid distribution for branded content30:20 – The incredible partnership opportunity for branded content 32:12 – The opportunity for on-demand content consumption33:55 – Aha moments: Audience First34:53 - Aha moments: Telling stories across media  37:32 - Aha moments: Immersive audience experiences42:52 - Aha moments: VR for strong emotional connections49:26 – Two steps for building a branded content program50:59 – The exciting opportunities in branded content LinksKaaren on LinkedInShaftesburyCarmillaThe D CutV Morgan is DeadMsLabelledUpstairs AmyBrand StorytellingHow Kotex became an Executive ProducerBranded content with KaarenBranded content is the futureQBs practicing with VR

Why branded content may be the next big thing in marketing with Kaaren Whitney-Vernon

Change and transformation, digital or otherwise, are not the same thing. Eddie Obeng outlines a powerful set of tools to help leaders persuade people to transform.

Leading and Persuading Change and Transformation with Dr. Eddie Obeng

James Hankins shares very thoughtful ways to re-examine a more effective model of the customer journey, how to predict revenue through Google Trends and suggests why we should reconsider digital ads budgets as store rent.

Hankins Hexagon, Share of Search and Digital Availability with James Hankins

Dan White the author of The Smart Marketing Book, highlights several of the most evidence-based concepts marketers need to build effective campaign strategy for big or small brands, budgeting, assess creative ideas, optimize ad frequency and balance between brand building and tactical activations.

Building Smart Marketing Campaigns with Dan White

If you've ever wondered how to deliver creative that solves business problems and drives growth; you'll want to have a listen to Beri Cheetham. Beri is an award-winning Chief Creative Officer (CCO) and acting Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) who joins our host Marc Binkley to share his incredible perspective on the CCO's role in a business, how creatives can support business strategy, and what makes The Big Idea work.

Unlocking the Keys to Creative Effectiveness With Beri Cheetham

The Experience Economy has been acknowledged as one of the 100 best business books of all time. Author Joe Pine joins our host Marc Binkley to share his 20-year perspective on the new insights and enduring ideas published in this book.

The Experience Economy Revisited with Joe Pine

Ever wonder what the best way is to use an influencer in your marketing mix? Mike Morrison, one of Canada's best influencers, sat down with Marc to share his thoughts on how to assess and include influencers in a brand's marketing mix.

Getting More Out Of Your Influencer Marketing with Mike Morrison

Brand consultant Graham Robertson shares his more than a few brilliant nuggets of wisdom, including two lessons every marketer should learn, how rational thinking kills big ideas, and why it takes 10 years to build an overnight success.

Why Brand Strategy is Everyones Job with Graham Robertson

Welcome to the A-Cast! Join us for candid discussions with industry leaders that lift the curtain on what it takes to achieve success, and what they wish every client knew or understood about modern Public Relations, Digital and Social Mastery, Content that Converts, Insights and Research, Customer Influence, Customer Experience (CX / UX), and more.