Marketing Insights Digest: AI Empowers Mailchimp, Kellogg's Inclusive Hiring, Influencer Engagement, Coca-Cola's Resurgence, and Idris Elba's Agency

Mailchimp leverages AI to transform into an omnichannel marketing powerhouse

• Mailchimp, a popular email marketing platform, plans to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to expand its services and become a comprehensive marketing automation solution for small and medium-sized businesses.
• The company has released over 150 new and updated features, including SMS marketing, custom reporting and analytics, advanced segmentation, and more e-commerce automations, aiming to save time, accelerate e-commerce growth, and provide personalized support to marketers.
• The company is strengthening its partnerships with other marketing platforms like Facebook and Google to become a "source of truth" for customer growth, assisting businesses in making data-driven decisions about channel usage.
• Following its acquisition by Intuit in 2021, Mailchimp's capabilities have been enhanced, combining data and insights from QuickBooks and other partnerships to provide more impactful recommendations for users.

Mailchimp's expansion into AI-driven marketing solutions reflects the growing demand for professionals skilled in both marketing automation and artificial intelligence. This trend highlights the importance of acquiring talent with a combination of marketing knowledge and technical skills to meet the evolving needs of the industry.

Marketing Week reports that Kellogg drops the requirement for marketers to have degrees

• Kellogg is eliminating degree requirements for most areas of its business, including marketing, in an effort to be a more inclusive employer.
• Legal and engineering roles are the only exceptions to the new policy.
• Kellogg believes that a degree does not always correlate with an employee's abilities or achievements.
• The company hopes that by removing the degree requirement, more individuals from diverse backgrounds will consider working at Kellogg.
• Other marketing organisations, such as Diageo, have also been working on becoming more accessible by offering opportunities to non-degree holders.

Kellogg's decision to drop degree requirements for most areas of its business, including marketing, reflects a growing trend among companies to prioritise skills and abilities over formal education qualifications when hiring.

Forbes published an article on understanding the opted-in audience in influencer marketing

• Influencer marketing has become a significant marketing channel as more people consume creator content.
• The unique aspect of influencer marketing is that the audience has consciously chosen to engage and follow the influencer.
• Maintaining trust with the audience is crucial for the success of influencer campaigns.
• The approach to data in influencer marketing needs to be expanded beyond standardised formulas.
• Expanded data can help understand the audience, identify growth spurts and downturns, and evaluate an influencer's previous work.

When hiring for positions involving influencer marketing, a thorough analysis of an applicant's understanding of audience engagement and their ability to maintain trust with audiences can significantly contribute to the effectiveness and success of influencer campaigns.

Coca-Cola recovers top 10 global brand status

• Coca-Cola has returned to the top 10 most valuable global brands list after eight years, according to Kantar's BrandZ rankings.
• The brand's value increased by 8% in the last year, reaching $106.1 billion.
• Increased marketing spend and innovation have contributed to Coca-Cola's resurgence.
• The company invested in consumer-facing marketing to mitigate price increases and described "consumer-centric segmentation" as key to its success.
• Coca-Cola's ability to stay close to consumers and its partnerships for innovation, such as the collaboration with Jack Daniels on a Coca-Cola RTD product, have set it apart in the category.

Companies that prioritise a consumer-centric approach to marketing, like Coca-Cola, often experience significant growth and value appreciation, emphasising the importance of hiring professionals who excel at understanding and connecting with target audiences.

Actor and DJ Idris Elba is launching a marketing agency to help companies market their products to young people in an “authentic” way

• Actor Idris Elba is launching a marketing and content business in London.
• Elba will be one of the founders of the company, along with Marc Boyan of Miroma.
• The new venture, called Silly Face, aims to bring fun and diverse perspectives to companies' marketing strategies.
• Elba's high profile as an actor will help the business, and he emphasizes the importance of integrity and honest conversation in marketing.
• The agency may acquire other businesses and produce its own content, including short-form documentaries.

Hiring candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences can bring a sense of fun, authenticity, and integrity to your marketing strategies, ultimately attracting smart consumers who value representation and honesty.

As a partner-led search firm, specialising in Marketing, Product & Engineering, Data and Revops, we work with top executives to visionary creatives.

We take pride in connecting organisations with the finest professionals who can drive growth, spark innovation, and transform businesses.

Whether you are seeking top-tier executives, industry disruptors, or rising stars, we are ready to elevate your team to new heights of success.

Check out our Talent Spotlight and contact us today.