Welcome to the October's edition of The Brave Bulletin

Welcome to October's edition of the Brave Bulletin, your quick-read monthly roundup of the latest and greatest news, views and insights from across the Brave Bison Herd.?

With the nights drawing in and the air getting crisper, it’s clear that peak season is upon us. Did you hear we have a new performance playbook to help retailers smash the holiday season? Head to Brave New Insights to get your hands on a copy. But that’s not all, no. In this month’s edition you can expect:?

• Herd the News? Brave Bison commerce took over the 2024 eCommerce expo and bought you back only the top insights.?
• Hot off the Press: Exciting news as SocialChain welcome the wonderful Jacinta Faul as CEO.

...all of this and more await you below. Curious? Of course you are. So grab a pumpkin-spiced beverage of choice and dive in below.

Brave Bison Performance Strikes Again: Landing B2B and Retail nominations at The Drum Awards ??

Retail: New Balance

In a hyper-competitive market, we teamed up with our long-term client, New Balance to craft an audience-led, paid social strategy that truly outran the competition ahead of the London Marathon 2024. Using machine learning, creative flair, and a bold test-and-learn approach, we supercharged sales, achieving more than double the running category revenue compared to the last Marathon. Check out our award nominated campaign in The Drum .?

B2B: Markel

Delivering impressive year-on-year growth for Markel amidst shifting market demand and intensifying competition was no small feat. Through bold moves and a collaborative spirit, we overcame market challenges and achieved extraordinary growth, showcasing the very best of what Markel and Brave Bison can achieve together. Check out our award nominated campaign in The Drum .

Congratulations team, we couldn't achieve these results without our talented herd and wonderful partners. Fingers crossed. ??

Brave Bison Commerce took over the eCommerce Expo 2024 and bought you back 10 of the top takeaways... ??

In the fast-paced world of eCommerce, change is the only constant. New tech, consumer trends, and digital platforms are popping up every day, making it a challenge to keep up—let alone stay ahead. But with change comes opportunity, and that’s exactly what this year’s eCommerce Expo was all about.?

We gathered with some of the sharpest minds in the industry to talk shop about the latest innovations, from AI-powered shopping experiences to next-level personalisation and sustainable growth strategies. The expo was packed with fresh ideas and actionable insights designed to help businesses not just survive but thrive in today’s ever-changing digital landscape.?

Missed the event? No worries! We’ve rounded up the top insights to make sure you’re in the know on the hottest trends shaping the future of eCommerce. Dive into the key takeaways, here .

Brave Bison Media Network secures another lap with Le Mans????

We’re excited to announce that we've renewed our contract with Le Mans Endurance Management. This partnership will see us continue managing LMEM’s owned YouTube channels, including FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Le Mans Cup, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le Mans Series.?

Martin Ruffell, head of sport, commented, “We’ve seen an incredible rise and unprecedented excitement for endurance motorsport in the two years we’ve been working with LMEM – particularly with their hypercar series expanding to 19 entries across nine manufacturers for the 2024 season. It’s important to us that we carry on revving up fans of the sport, and giving them content that will keep them coming back.” Read more in Little Black Book . ??

Meet SocialChain's new CEO, Jacinta Faul ???

Jacinta has over a decade of experience including her former role as managing director at Gravity Road. She’s spearheaded global partnerships for Unilever and TikTok and taken major global brands to impressive heights, including Sky, Samsung, Renault and Unilever.

As our new CEO she’ll be responsible for building on our recent new business wins to support and scale our ambitious clients. Plus, she’ll be expanding our first-rate services to meet the growing demand for social-first strategy, influencer marketing, platform-native creative and holistic measurement. And of course she’ll be working closely with the Brave Bison leadership team to build dynamic digital solutions that help our clients capitalise on the complexity of the digital era.

We’re thrilled to have Jacinta on the team and can’t wait to see where this new chapter takes us. Get the full scoop exclusively covered by Campaign . If you're attending SocialMinds Live in Manchester next week, be sure to say hi to Jacinta. Not signed up yet? Join the waiting list, here . With the likes of Surreal, Greene King, LinkedIn, Reddit, John Lewis, TikTok, Monzo PLUS more, it's set to be out hottest event yet. ????

Chris Alderman, head of SEO and digital PR shares valuable insights on how Google's AI overviews are shaking up search results and how to adapt. It's time to rethink keywords, optimise snippets, and track performance more closely than ever. Watch the video, here .

Brenda Imeson, our performance strategy director explores how brands can create experiences with AI that truly resonate. From the early days of personalised marketing, relying on machine learning for basic audience segmentation, we’re now in an era of hyper-personalisation powered by AI and data analytics. Read more in Creativepool. ?

In our latest 'How to', Kendra Downton, our Programmatic Strategist, breaks down how to maximise the value of your display ads and drive meaningful interactions that boost your brand’s visibility. Swipe to discover.

Google’s cookie apocalypse U-turn has left performance marketing at a crossroads: do we embrace innovation or fall back into bad habits? In his latest article for Performance Marketing World, Andy? Platt, managing partner, Brave Bison Performance explores why now is the time for marketers to back up their words with action and take a more strategic approach.?

The creator economy isn’t going anywhere. But as #ad after #ad saturates our feeds, audiences are quickly tiring of the same old stuff. It’s no longer enough to use influencer marketing solely as a shortcut to “authenticity”. It won’t get cut-through – and it certainly won’t fly with savvy audiences who can see through a scripted ad better than ever. Our influencer director Tiah Slattery has the answers in Creativepool’s latest article for #MediaMonth.?

In his latest article for Creativepool our director of AI & creative, Matt Garbutt, breaks down the power of brand world models. With generative AI pushing the boundaries of creativity further than we ever thought possible, Matt illustrates why creating immersive brand experiences is more crucial than ever, here .

Don’t choose between B2B and B2C use cases for your website; embrace both. Carole Breetzke, business solutions director, Brave Bison Commerce, dives into the benefits of composable commerce and explains how it’s reshaping the way B2B2C businesses operate. Watch the video and grab your copy .

Going viral on social is often a boon for brands. But going viral for being involved in a dangerous food challenge is the last thing any brand wants or needs. The Grocer asked our group strategy director Ric Hayes to weigh in with his thoughts. Ultimately, argues Ric, there are both good and bad consequences to going viral...and your brand needs to be prepared for both. Get the scoop .

Our experts have curated 10 insider hacks to crack the ad platforms and supercharge your? retail growth strategy ?????

With advertising costs rising and consumers exploring more brands than ever, maximising your paid media channels—particularly paid search and paid social—is crucial for staying ahead. Our latest playbook is your go-to guide for actionable performance hacks to maximise paid media results during the busiest time of the year. Uncover the secrets .

SocialMinds x Canva: When local social works and when to implement it ????

In our latest SocialMinds episode Lachlan Stewart, Social Lead at Canva, lets us in on the challenges, investments and benefits that have come off the back of the brand’s all in approach to localised social over the last year – helping you learn the lessons that Canva has alongside them.?Tune in.

YOUR LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER: Our sellout SocialMinds LIVE event is returning to Manchester on the 16 October! ??

SocialMinds LIVE 2004-2044: Future Casting Social’s Next 20 will see us celebrate 20 years since the birth of social and get out our crystal balls for some predictions on what brands and marketers need to have on their radars for the future.

The lineup is incredible: we’re talking TikTok, LinkedIn, Greene King, Lick, John Lewis & Partners AND a very special first-of-its-kind workshop with Reddit.

The event is sold out but we're holding a few spots back for clients so get your registration in quick. Trust us, it’s not one to be missed. Sign up and join the waitlist now.