July

How many breaks do you take each day? I was asked that at a recent eye exam and my answer was ‘Probably not enough and when I do, I tend to go on my phone… that doesn’t count does it?’ ‘No it doesn’t’ came the reply.?

There’s that meme, we spend all day looking at our medium screen/s, and all evening watching our bigger screen while simultaneously scrolling our little screen. I’m guilty of it, you probably are too.?

Taking a break from screens is good for your eyes, your mind, and your creativity. You can’t have new ideas when you’re constantly reading everyone else’s inner monologue online - that’s why the shower is the birthplace of many great ideas. ?

As a marketer, especially if you have social media in your remit, it can feel like you need to be always on, always contactable, and always up to date on everything. Truth is, you really don’t.?

So, whether it’s walking meetings, heading outside for a few minutes every time you make a drink (and you need to be hydrating regularly), or my new low-effort but surprisingly effective routine - every time my dog stretches, I do. I’m imploring us all to take more breaks, you know, sometimes you just need to go Touch Grass.?

Google’s cookie announcement?

After lots of delays, it turns out Google’s plan to get rid of third-party cookies is now completely over. Cookies are staying.

Originally, third-party cookies were set to be scrapped in February 2020, but delay after delay has left marketers feeling unsure, and if we’re honest, a bit stressed. Google is usually a reliable innovator and leader, but I can’t help feeling like the constant back-and-forth regarding cookies has wasted marketers’ time. And, it could just be me, but I’ll be more cautious when Google shares plans in the future.?

Rules and regulations change, that’s part of the job, but preparing for something that then never comes is frustrating. Many key players, such as Apple and Google, have their own privacy rules and technologies that impact marketers directly, so there’s a lot to stay up-to-date on. It’s hard to keep up with what we have now, let alone what’s coming next - especially if you’re a global brand.?

In the May edition of this newsletter, I discussed the lack of official governance around AI, and how the AI companies themselves are self-regulating and crying out for support from above to do so. Regulation of data is so important, but it feels a bit like the Wild West out there.?

We find ourselves in a world where consumerism is booming thanks to marketing that is super informed and personalized, yet personal data privacy is also paramount to consumers. It’s still not clear exactly how the two can work together.?

All marketers can do is give their customers choice, offer a truly tangible value exchange, and be super clear on how customer data is used. The rest is up to the regulators and we’ll just have to keep ourselves up to date.?

Going for green?

The Olympics has officially begun and with a truly global audience, brands are wheeling out their best ads to boost brand recognition and drive engagements. From makeup brand E.l.f.’s tongue-in-cheek ‘Hot girl walk’ skit to Uber’s tugging-on-the-heartstrings ‘show up’ campaign, brands are taking many different approaches to capturing viewers’ attention.?

The ad that has grabbed me the most is from the non-profit group, Christian Aid. The campaign shows side-by-side videos of athletes competing contrasting with stark footage of the effects of the climate crisis.?

The ad draws on the attention given to the host city of Paris, calling out that we’re currently failing to meet the target set by the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.?

Sports commentary narrates the ad, overall it’s clever, it’s on-theme, and it’s impactful. The Olympics is all about coming together to celebrate what humans are capable of and world leaders pay attention, so it feels like the perfect stage to be shouting out this issue. Let’s hope the message is heard.?

Are diamonds forever?

This month our CMO and certified Gemologist, Juliette Aiken, wrote a great piece for The Drum all about diamonds. Diamonds are famous within marketing as one of the biggest marketing case studies of all time.?

Clever marketing of diamonds has led to the gem becoming the symbol of love and eternity in many cultures worldwide. Even Japan, a culture which had many arranged marriages and therefore an engagement ring (diamond or not) wasn’t needed, fell for the marketing spin.?

Diamonds are revered for their hard-wearing properties, thereby becoming a symbol of a love that will stand the test of time, and their popularity has lasted too. To this day, three-quarters of proposals in the US include a diamond ring. Diamonds are the go-to engagement ring, and another clever ad campaign even influenced consumers to believe that men should be spending the equivalent of three month’s salary on the diamond ring they would propose with. It’s impressive marketing, but is it coming to an end??

Natural, mined gem prices have collapsed 5.9% this year alone and are expected to slump an additional 15% to 20% over the next year. Originally, the businessmen operating the diamond mines realized that they needed to make diamonds seem scarce to be of a high value. Diamonds have never been scarce, but marketers have been able to uphold this belief for decades, until now.?

Lab-grown diamonds have stormed onto the scene in recent years and by design, they totally undermine the idea of one-of-a-kind, unique diamonds, as they can now be man-made and therefore mass-produced. Lab-grown diamonds have the same chemical and physical properties as naturally mined diamonds and they’re so convincing that industry professionals cannot tell them apart with the naked eye.?

Onto the ethics of it all. It’s no secret that diamond mining is fraught with human rights and ecological issues. We know that ethical consumerism is on the rise, so is that also why mined diamonds are becoming less popular, and are lab-grown the answer?

Lab-grown diamonds have been marketed as a cleaner option, a clear-conscience choice. However, they require a huge amount of energy to create – a 2019 Trucost report found that, on average, greenhouse gas emissions are three times greater for lab-grown diamonds than their mined counterparts. So behind the clever marketing, it’s actually a case of deciding what’s more important to you, ethics or the environment.?

So is the hype around diamonds dying out? Is the strongest marketing campaign of all time finally coming to an end? Unlikely. It simply needs updating. Juliette recommends diamond sellers embrace the circular market, tapping into the resale and recycling of diamonds to get more life from every stone, no matter how it was formed.?

Until next month, now go stretch.?