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Six Things You Won't Regret Doing in Your 30s

Six Things You Won't Regret Doing in Your 30s
1. Stop Telling Yourself What You "Should" Do One of the best parts of being an adult is having full autonomy over your life. While there are certainly things it's in your best interest to do--like regular doctor's appointments, financial planning, disaster insurance--it's important to remind yourself that you're doing them because you want to. Because you value responsibility. Because you've worked hard for what you have and it's a privilege to care for it. There will always be tasks you don't love, but they come with the territory of adulthood and approaching them as a get-to-do in stead of a should is critical for your mindset. When it comes to other people telling you what you should do--like how you should be married, should lose fifteen pounds, should learn to cook like your mom--that's where it's perfectly acceptable to draw a hard, permanent boundary. Your life's terms are defined by your wants and needs, so it's well within your rights to dismiss what allegedly well-meaning outsiders have to say about the direction you're taking. If anyone pulls the should card with you, the only thing you should do is walk away. 2. Put Yourself First In between jobs, family, passion projects, relationships, and chores, it can seem nearly impossible to make time for yourself. But you know what? You won't be good at any of those things if you aren't keeping yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. By taking care of yourself, you'll eliminate regrets--no lamenting over vacation time wasted somewhere you didn't want to go, no pining for a break you didn't take, no dreading going to work because of your backlog of assignments. Build self-care time into your routine daily, even if it means flexing your schedule 20 or 30 minutes in your favor. Advocate for your…
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Marketing industry’s new minister promises to listen to Brexit concerns

Marketing industry’s new minister promises to listen to Brexit concerns
Matt Hancock, the new minister for culture and the digital economy, used his first speech to an advertising audience to reassure the industry that he would listen to their concerns over Brexit and that he understands the important role it plays to the UK economy. Speaking at the Advertising Association’s summer reception, Hancock laid out how despite the fact that the vast majority of the audience had voted to remain in the EU, it is now “encumbent on all of us to work to make the best of it”. He highlighted three principles to making it work: first through getting the best possible deal with the EU; second through making the most of the UK’s relationships with the rest of the world; and third by winning an argument about the nature of Britain. “I want to hear from all of you on what matters most to you about our relationship with Europe so we can feed that into the renegotiations,” he said. “I want to see a Britain that is more successful, more prosperous but also that is tolerant, open and inclusive. I am convinced we can do this but we have to get out there and make the argument. We are the undisputed hub for advertising in Europe and maybe the world. I want to work with you to make sure that remains the case for generations to come.” Hancock also laid out his view on one of the key issues facing the industry – regulation. “The legal, truthful, honest and decent approach to advertising in the UK is incredibly important. Entrenching these principles through behaviour rather than through statutory means is very important to me.” Matt Hancock MP, minister for culture and the digital economy His words were broadly welcomed. Ian Twinn, ISBA’s director of public affairs, who…
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Secret Marketer: Ideas are the easy bit – it’s implementation that’s hard

Secret Marketer: Ideas are the easy bit – it’s implementation that’s hard
A lot of people believe having an idea is the hardest part of marketing. The fact is that the idea is probably the easiest part. The world is full of ideas, and most aren’t that good. For marketers, the difficulty is convincing the organisation why your idea is a great one and to do something about it. In the wider world, the toughest bit of any good idea is creating and finding the talent, time and money to evaluate and test the idea. A related fallacy I often hear from new digital and marketing tech vendors is a variation on the theme that they have no competitors, as if that is a good thing. It ignores one of the basic laws of persuasion – social proof. We want to see what others are doing before we make decisions. Having competitors legitimises any business. It’s more important to have a competitor that has customers paying real money for a related product. I used to work in a company that forced all potential customers to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The CEO believed that his idea was so unique, and such a one-off with no competitors, that you could only deal with us on a need-to-know basis. Having an NDA does not say you are credible, it says you’re delusional. It makes the implicit assumption that I am going to head out the door after the first meeting with you and create an identical product doing the same thing, and make millions. It brings to mind that other delusional optimist, Del Boy Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, with his immortal line “this time next year, we’ll be millionaires”. So it’s not the ideas. Indeed, I tell the teams I work with: “I don’t care about ideas.” It is a bit dramatic and…
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Creative direct mail boosts brand engagement among younger consumers

Creative direct mail boosts brand engagement among younger consumers
For many, the only addressed letters they receive are bank statements, so there is a huge opportunity for brands to reach, excite and engage this group through well-produced and creative mail. They may be living with mum and dad for cultural, practical or financial reasons, but they are assertive and independent thinkers with fewer responsibilities than other age groups. High quality printed materials turn heads According to The Life Stages of Mail research by Royal Mail’s MarketReach[1], the 16-34s who have finished their education but are living in the family home are more likely to open envelopes than the 55+ group. Almost half of those questioned agree that the quality of printing and material in a piece of mail tells them something about the organisation that sent it. Some 38% are more likely to look at mail that is printed on high-quality materials.These young consumers are referred to as ‘fledglings’ in the study which looks in depth at how people consume mail at different life stages. Fledglings welcome mail, trust it, find it memorable and can be emotionally attached to receiving something through the letter box in a way their parents might no longer be. Automotive brand Lookers uses direct mail to hold the hands of younger consumers who may be about to purchase a vehicle. Marketing manager Jane Saunders says mail is a powerful way to reach this life stage because they are often buying their first car after passing their driving test or having previously driven their parents’ vehicle. “We are sensitive to the fact that buying a car is an emotional and daunting process for most young people living with their parents,” she says. “They are keen to get on the road to gain more independence, but it’s usually their first ‘big’ purchase, so they need to…
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Sir Richard Branson on why marketers make good entrepreneurs and the need to take risks

Sir Richard Branson on why marketers make good entrepreneurs and the need to take risks
How do you ensure there is a consistent thread across Virgin businesses and how important is that when you have a house of brands? The Virgin brand thrives because of the people we employ. Our people are passionate about their roles but also committed to making sure each one of our many millions of customers has a first-rate experience. We have built a family of companies and all are given the freedom to be creative with the brand. Like all strong families at the centre are our people and our values which really keep Virgin, well, Virgin. Why is Virgin launching Virgin Red – why have you decided to bring together all the Virgin businesses for the first time? One of things I’m most proud of within the group is our history of rewarding our customers, especially those most loyal to us. It’s something we’ve done, and will continue to do across the Virgin companies. Virgin Red is something we’ve wanted to do for some time but it was important we got it right for our customers and in relation to our existing offers. Virgin Red is designed to bring together the whole Virgin family and rewards people for living a life more Virgin. READ MORE: Why Virgin is launching a loyalty app to unite all its UK businesses for the first time[1] What do you think makes someone ‘more Virgin’? Being more Virgin for some is about having fun, for some it’s about taking a risk – something I can relate to – and for others it’s about getting a completely unique, quality experience. Virgin has made a habit of shaking up markets we’ve entered – I think this app is just that and our members will love it. Do you think marketers can make good entrepreneurs? A good…
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Countdown kicks off for EU data regulation changes

Countdown kicks off for EU data regulation changes
On 25 May 2018 the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force. Assuming the UK votes to remain in Europe, it will replace the UK Data Protection Act and mean that for the first time Europe will have a harmonised data protection regime that impacts not only companies based in the EU but also those that want to do business here. The central tenet of the regulation tightens the requirements around when brands can use data. For example, brands will no longer be able to bundle data consent in with their terms of service or provide an opt-out box. Instead they will have to get specific and unambiguous consent. The consequences of being on the wrong side of the law are also getting stricter. Previously the most serious breaches of the UK Data Protection Act would get a maximum fine of £500,000. Now that has increased to €20m or 4% of global turnover. Jonathon Little, partner at law firm Jones Day, explains: “Data protection has not always been at the centre of brand’s thinking on legal issues. But this new regulation will apply automatically throughout Europe. “Plus, before there was a remote chance of direct action. Now, at least on paper, there is a very big stick. “This will pull data protection out of the shadows and up the corporate agenda.” Jonathan Little, partner, Jones Day The five key changes Personal data – A broader definition of what personal data covers could see IP addresses and cookies may included, although the ICO is yet to issue full guidance The definition of consent – A new definition of consent says it must be freely given, informed, specific and unambiguous Notification about security breaches – Companies must notify the ICO within 72 hours or without undue delay and report data…
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