The&Partnership partnered with YouGov to establish young people’s attitudes to skills training and further education. Set against the Government’s ambition to be a ‘global tech superpower’, the research revealed concerning evidence that young people are being underprepared for the UK’s growing digital jobs market.

85% of young people surveyed in the UK feel they didn’t learn workplace skills for digital forward jobs

 such as computer office skills, knowledge of tech platforms, computer coding, financial skills, and employability skills, and wish they had a chance to learn it in school.

Almost half (45%) of young people are unaware of apprenticeship schemes

 that can train and arm them for digital jobs relevant today.

42% feel that they were not equipped with workplace and employability skills during formal education

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has pushed one-in-three to say they are unlikely to pursue higher education.

The&Partnership has developed The&Academy, a new apprenticeship scheme, to address the growing talent crunch within the creative, digital and media fields. Leveraging partnerships with some of the best in the digital realm including Meta, TikTok and Google, The&Academy is set to shape the next generation of talent by providing them with skills crucial for the first step on the career ladder. The first centre of excellence in media and creative is situated in The&Academy’s purpose-built campus in Digbeth, Birmingham.

, said: “Birmingham and the wider West Midlands is alive with creative and entrepreneurial talent. The&Academy is well placed to tap into this energy and provides the sort of 21st Century opportunity our young people need to thrive in the world of work, enjoy a great quality of life and have compelling reasons to stay in our wonderful region. I look forward to watching the progress of the apprentices in the months and years ahead.”

Johnny Hornby, Founder and Chairman of The&Partnership

 said: “Work is changing and we know digital skills will be needed in the vast majority of jobs in the future*. This recent research gives us a real look into the psyche of young people as they navigate their career paths during turbulent times. There’s some worrying evidence that they are being let down in digital skills and I’m pleased The&Academy in Birmingham can start to address that.

“Our focus is on building the next generation of talent, empowering young apprentices from all backgrounds with critical skills spanning tech, data and digital for both the creative industries and the economy at large. This programme is what the UK, its young people and its businesses need right now. Digital skills are more important than ever and it is vital that we all play our part in enabling the next generation to thrive and help to drive a sustainable, inclusive economic recovery in the UK.”

Preventing a lost generation – skills crisis brewing for UK’s digital future

Summer 2020 seems like such a long time ago. We live our day-to-day lives now almost without a thought about (you know what) and the indelible impact it made upon our lives. Out of the tragic death of George Floyd, spawned a global movement highlighting the injustice and atrocities that have afflicted people of colour.

That summer gave rise to a groundswell of optimism about the future in terms of the progression that the advertising industry was making towards being more inclusive. The 

 was a tacit admission that the industry needs to do more to make meaningful, and engender impactful, change.

So, the question we have to ask is where is that progress? And are we truly holding ourselves accountable?

Inevitably, anniversaries like the death of George Floyd or Black History Month allow for comment and introspection and then we seem to fall back to the status quo again. But we need to be constantly reminding ourselves of this fact. That energy and momentum that was in such abundance two years ago has dissipated to some extent.

Performative allyship is essentially the practice of words and actions that do more to promote an individual or organisation’s own self-gratification, than actually helping the causes they are intending to showcase.

Real inclusion requires being an active ally and being intentional in our actions when it comes to anti-racism and race equality.

There has certainly been progress in the last two years. I can’t list everything, but a few things do come to mind: BRIM (Black Representation in Marketing) from the Advertising Association has provided a framework for individuals and companies to identify how they can do better in supporting Black marketing professionals.



 was a deep dive into the UK’s Black and Asian and multi-ethnic consumer spending power, untapped potential and profitability. It is encouraging to see the report now gaining more traction.

Naren Patel and the work he has done with putting 

 (Media For All) on the radar of the industry and its people has certainly increased awareness of the challenges people of colour face on a day-to-day basis. As it grows in scale and numbers, this influence will only continue to rise.

Organisations such as Diversity Media Sales provide a platform to access under-represented groups. In their case, they work with a broad range of publishers, from minority-owned content publishers which offer content made for and about their communities to mainstream publishers working hard to be at the forefront of representation and inclusivity helping them grow their efforts with inclusivity and representation.

Their goal is to enable minority communities to see themselves better represented in the media, and for majority communities to better understand minority identities. Advertisers benefit through direct access to highly engaged audiences, enabling them to play their part in changing the landscape of inclusivity. We should champion, encourage and celebrate companies like this.

mSix&Partners, where I work, is doing positive intentional work in attracting diverse talent into the industry. We have recently set up the The&Academy, a new apprenticeship programme in Birmingham that will shape the next generation of digital specialists from under-represented groups. It brings new opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds, partnering with Google, Meta, Amazon and TikTok, to ensure apprentices learn from and work alongside the best media, digital, and creative specialists around.

Our internal DEI advisory board, The Collective, was established to tackle the collective blindness that fuels systemic bias within our agency, industry and lives. The Collective drives positive change through constructive dissent. This includes participation in our hiring panels, ensuring all future employees meet our criteria of inclusivity and tolerance.

Summing up, I would make an ask of you: let us be more intentional in our actions to ensure we are not being performative, but have permanent resolve with anti-racism and race equality. This is the only way to ensure we continue to drive lasting change in the industry.

This article first appeared on Campaign https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/performative-allyship-no-good-need-intentionality-drive-real-change/1803048?bulletin=campaign_media_bulletin&utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=eNews%20Bulletin&utm_source=20221025&utm_content=Campaign%20Media%20(202)::www_campaignlive_co_uk_ar_7&email_hash=

Performative allyship is no good, we need intentionality to drive real change

A recent study by Reach Solutions in the UK illustrates this point when looking at the likely impact of economic uncertainty on quality of life by income bracket; unsurprisingly, it is those in the 20-40K bracket who are experiencing a deeper level of emotional impact when you compare 2022 with 2020. Furthermore, while most people (61%) are optimistic they will still be able to afford the essentials over the coming year, more than a third (38%) of shoppers say they have already started to swap their tried and trusted brands for supermarket value ranges or cheaper alternatives.

A similar picture can be seen in the US, with Forrester data highlighting that only 35% of Gen Z consumers are confident about how to manage finances in an economic downturn, compared to 49% of Gen X.  Spending behaviour is already prioritised towards essentials, with discretionary spending on items such as leisure travel, cosmetics, and fitness memberships forecast to see the biggest decline

While this data might suggest some sectors are more at risk than others, the universal nature of this current economic crisis means that every sector in every market around the world will need to adapt their plans to meet the needs of a more financially squeezed consumer. Offering consumers ‘good value’ will play a key part in coming out on top in this period of flux, but it is by no means the only lever at brands’ disposal during this time.

Take the beauty market as an example.  The Lipstick effect has long been cited as the category’s leading economic indicator - the concept being that in times of a recession and other economic stresses, women will indulge in discretionary purchases that provide an emotional uplift without breaking the budget. Lipstick fits the brief perfectly, both by virtue of being a relatively affordable luxury, but also given the transformational impact that it can have on the wearer – as beauty entrepreneur Poppy King puts it “Give a woman the right lipstick and she can conquer the world.”

This makes complete sense when you consider the confidence that comes from feeling your best – but does this ‘feel-good factor’ begin and end with the beauty sector?  Can brands in other less glamorous sectors achieve the same connection to secure their place on consumers’ short-list? We believe they can, by adopting the same consumer-centric approach to their marketing.

The term "cohort" refers to specific experiences, events or other factors shared by a group of consumers. While they will often share a similar demographic profile, cohorts are the things that separate specific groups of people even within their demographic groupings. So where a demographic targeting approach for a foundation might purely look at women, in the 25-50 age bracket, a cohort based approach would consider what determines their attitudes and behaviour within the category.  There are many advantages to this approach – not only does it ensure a more inclusive targeting approach as we move beyond gender / age, it also allows us to understand them as people, what motivates their purchasing behaviour, and to use that insight to inform our strategic approach.

The rules of marketing have changed dramatically in the digital age that we now live in, with the consumer enjoying greater control over their purchasing power, which includes how they are marketed to.  Purchasing journeys are no longer as predictable & linear, with final sales conversion as likely to be prompted through a social video as a sales consultant in store.  Understanding the way people use channels and screens and platforms and apps alongside traditional channels is fundamental to brands’ success, not just in terms of reaching audiences, but engaging them on their terms.  We refer to this as Flow, building a communication pathway that meets people ‘where they are’, and learning and optimising the plan as audience flow grows and evolves.

Brands that highlight their values & purpose in their communications are far more likely to build stronger connections with consumers, particularly younger audiences, with 60% of 16- 24 year-olds claiming to notice ads more if they deal with important issues.   Adopting a values led approach is not without risk however, as people have very clear expectations about what they want from brands operating in this space.  A disingenuous brand, claiming to be something that it isn’t risks far more damage than any possible gain could warrant.  The dangers of green-washing are well known, in terms of undermining a brand’s image and eroding consumer trust – not to mention the adverse environmental impact and legal implications if a brand to have misled the public.

There is huge value in creating a community around your brand, and this is employed to great effect in the beauty sector.  Clearly there is a value exchange that brands must adhere to in exchange for consumers’ time and attention – but done well, the opportunity for members to discuss your content, share advice, and help each other make the most of your products goes way beyond their transactional value as customers -  it is the potential for them to become loyal customers, and advocate on the brand’s behalf that carries the most benefit in the long-term.  The world of social influence has its place within community building, but it should by no means be the only outlet available for consumers to feel good about their purchases.

As the effects of rising inflation alongside other economic pressures continue to erode consumer confidence, brands will need to give consumers ever more reasons to ensure their loyalty or encourage trial.  Adopting a consumer centric approach will ensure that brands reflect their consumers’ reality and that marketing campaigns are designed around consumers needs and interests.  It requires a prioritization of customers over any other factor, using a blend of intuition, common sense, overlaid with solid data about customer behaviour.  In short, it involves thinking about consumers as people not prospects – what’s not to feel good about that?

Helping consumers feel good in times of economic uncertainty

When we consider how sustainable a piece of communications is, the focus tends to be on message and creative execution. There is no dispute that advertising has the power to craft compelling stories that shape people’s actions and beliefs and a misleading, greenwashing message could promote unsustainable behaviours or result in more damage for a brand than good.

But what about the media that carries the message?

In recent years, the influence and impact of media as a vehicle has become more widely recognised. It’s why WPP have included media in their scope 3 net zero targets, committing to a net zero supply chain by 2030. This comes after finding that 

55% of the holding company’s total emissions 

are generated by the advertising placed on behalf of clients.

Media has a wider impact on society. It’s how we stay in touch with friends, it’s where we get our news, and it’s the backdrop to our commute and our Friday night takeaway.

A truly sustainable outlook can unlock media that drives deeper audience connections with greater authenticity. Here are some questions you can ask of yourself and your agency to begin this journey:

How do we consider the media supply chain to design media activations and experiences to be sustainable from the outset?

There are a number of areas where we can consciously limit waste. In production it could mean prioritising recycled materials and reuse of existing assets. We can design web and e-commerce experiences that are lower carbon and we can prioritise media that is power through renewable energy, such as in out of home for example.

How do we make our investment responsible?

We can vote with our investment and support and fund positive, accurate content from publishers who are credible and in service of a net zero society, while avoiding publishers who disseminate climate misinformation.

How can we invest in media that doesn’t just reduce impact, but has a positive impact?

As sustainable marketing rises up the agenda, new initiatives present opportunities to invest in media that carries a positive impact. For example we can now buy living out of home formats that benefit local biodiversity or other formats that provide Wi-Fi for local communities. In addition we are seeing media partners who promote sustainable and positive values emerge such as WeAre8, whereas our partnership with Motion Content Group is find new ways to fund positive, sustainable programming through their Positive Impact Funding.

There are also a lot of great tools and initiatives to support a shift towards sustainable media investment:

GroupM’s decarbonisation framework and carbon calculator 

is available to any agency who sets matching targets. It measures the impact of your media activity and can be used to stay accountable.−The IPA media owner showcase will help you complete an audit of the right media partners for your brand−Join industry initiatives such as Ad Net Zero in the UK are sources of information and influence to drive for industry-wide change−The 

manifesto is an excellent source to lay out your first steps.

It’s an exciting time for brands who want to be serious about the sustainability of their media, as we are still at the early stages of forming what this means for marketers. By taking the first step on your journey today, you are helping shape the industry’s tomorrow with truly positive impact.

Brands that are serious about sustainable marketing should consider the full media ecosystem

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, consumers are reining in spending, including online purchases. 

In 2021,Covid accelerated UK eCommerce penetration, which hit an all-time high of 20% of total retail sales. This year, the return to in-person shopping,combined with current macroeconomic headwinds, will result in a temporary 2% fall in penetration according to 

It’s within this environment, that many UK brands are seeking to offset commercial pressures from retail partners by growing their own D2C eCommerce sales. This is leading to a swell in competitive activity for a piece of a smaller pie, which means that now more than ever, an end-to-end customer experienceis needed to fully addressshopper’s needs for thatvital competitive advantage.

Startup native D2C brands such Glossier and Gymsharkare setting the bar high. They have demonstrated the power of delivering a more relevant experience to today’s shoppers vsestablished brands.The question is howagainst this backdrop, can brandsthat were not born digital,accelerate their ability to build compelling experiences with increased relevancy to win more inD2C?

Understand how your brand can be relevant

Invariably, salesthrough retail partners result in an incomplete view of your brand’s metrics and the consumer journey insights essential to driving your growth further. D2C eCommerce platforms by contrast provide more visibility and control over your brand’s destiny, and considerably more opportunity to understand and customise to your customer’s needs. 

Web analytics, media performance, customer feedback, reviews, and first-party customer data can unlock insight into how our audience shops the category, how their needs can be addressed, and which triggers correlate to which retail channels.

At mSix&Partners, we advocate for an integrated approach to gathering intelligence on D2C shoppers. Our eCommerce Maturity Indexallows us to identify thedata sources and diagnostic metrics that willuncover new customer insights. We then blend these data sources and metrics with these with audience planning and media performance inputs to build a rounded view of a customer journey that goes beyond media.

Crucially, success in D2C depends not only onhow a brand maintains relevance in media channels, but how that relevance extends through into the eCommerce experience, content and proposition.

Build a high-relevance customer experience

 is seeing CMOs taking ownership of on-platform Customer Experience (CX) -traditionally led by internal IT and support teams - in order to build a consistent brand experience across media and eCommerce.

Given the breadth of factors, options and dependencies involved, how does a brand begin to make their D2C platform CX more relevant?

Benchmarking the shopping experience for your brand versus competitors can highlight where to focus, where you already excel or where you can capitalise on gaps that will allow you to differentiate. 

Ensuring common customer questions are addressed in supporting content and campaigns can mitigatedrop-offswhile helping your brand stand out. For instance, authentic communication of sustainability and ethical positions will win among younger consumers who see this area 

as a dealbreaker to their final purchase decision

The more personalised you can be in content, offers and recommendations, the more successfully you will connect with consumers. Younger consumers in particular favour innovation and personalisation around the product proposition (think subscription boxes and flexible payment options). Failing to adapt could see even established brands lose out online to new native D2C competitors.

Within mSix & Partners, our experience with D2C clients is that end-to-end alignment of media, audience andon-platform experience is the key success factor in eCommerce. We approach thisviaan established process: Identify-Scorecard-Solve-Iterate, managed by a specialist CX team that is tightly integrated with media operations, content production and technology platforms.

There is no “set and forget” in eCommerce. Today’s hard-won relevance is tomorrow’s obsolescence. Ways of working need to enable an ongoing, iterative, and agile approach to maintain relevance and grow customer lifetime value. Investment in experience and content need to be fully integrated with media activity, and crucially, retain relevance as shopper needs evolve. 

In practice, this means dashboarding the right KPI’s, data and diagnostics so theyare easily accessible, interpretable and repeatable. How you define your goals willalso steer your outcomes; eCommerce goals could include customer lifetime value (CLV), acquisition, revenue and profit, and other ‘commercial’ factors like inventory holding, in addition to more established media performance and efficiency metrics.

To ensure our clients are ahead of shifts in relevance, we operate an agile testing methodology for eCommerce clients, reviewing and prioritising test programmes across CX, content and media activation under one umbrella.

Increase relevance to increase profitability

eCommerce profitability can be challenging

, especially in the context of consumers tightening their purse strings.

At mSix&Partners, we have seen that D2C profitability flows from an ongoing focus on relevance andend-to-end integration. Aligning the journey and the destination not only improves the customer’s shopping experience and brand perception, but delivers greater value on media investments, and ultimately drives sales and profitability.


Is your eCommerce D2C strategy relevant enough to thrive?

Darker evenings drawing in set the scene for broadcasters to unleash some of their biggest programmes of the year. And this autumn, while linear scheduling dominates the manner in which audiences view content, the trend for viewers to curate their own schedules is developing more rapidly than ever.

While ITV and C4 now frequently drop select series online and in full to satisfy binge viewers, Sky was the first of the big three to release shows this way and this approach continues to get more content in front of customers as fast as they can watch it.

Despite this viewing trend, the tried and tested method to release episodes periodically – once creating watercooler moments, now generating more social buzz and WhatsApp conversations – may be about to make a comeback.

As agency groups mull over the new commercial offering from Netflix, with linear and broadcast video on demand continuing to dominate daily video views for most audiences, the big streaming services have long set the agenda for programme deployment – setting viewer trends that commercial broadcasters soon follow.

ITV’s response to this was to start stripping a series across a week to drive linear viewing and to enamour bingeing viewers. And the impending November launch of ITVX, an evolution of online viewing platform ITV Hub, is set to launch more programmes exclusively online than we’ve ever seen from a broadcaster.

This is where we see key differences between free-to-air content and subscription VoD which may be about to deliver a U-turn in viewing trends.

Both Netflix and Amazon have realised that bingeing is, perhaps, no longer a good thing as it can cause subscription drop-off until the next big thing is released. Amazon is therefore playing it safe with its biggest investment to date, debuting 

 weekly – spreading its $60m per episode budget. 

Netflix, meanwhile, has trialled split season drops with the final series of 

, to keep viewers engaged and subscriptions sustained.

While Sky continues to play a major role on advertisers’ TV schedules, its advertising sales still represent a smaller part of its business, meaning there can be more of a tussle between delivering big linear audiences and convenience of viewing for viewers.

 – based on Boris Johnson’s tumultuous first months as Prime Minister – debuted last week both in full via Sky Box Sets and Now TV and is running on Sky Atlantic every Wednesday evening, satisfying both types of consumers. 

Even so, we continue to see more viewing of these box sets through catch-up, with remarkable figures showing how rapidly entire series are watched after they drop, often within a few days.

ITVX will take centre stage in ITV’s Palooza, ITV’s annual event on 15 November which is set to showcase new programming, commercial opportunities, and increasingly innovative technology.

Firmly demonstrating ITV’s belief that ITVX will majorly influence how its viewers behave, some of its biggest shows are set to release online this autumn, including 

 with two Emmy award-winners, Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce. 

 is pitched as a glossy, high stakes drama from the creator of 

. Meanwhile, ITV favourite David Tennant appears in 

, the story of Scotland Yard officers who worked for a decade to prove who was responsible for the infamous former KGB officer’s death.

Channel 4 release season five of dystopian and multi award-winning drama 

’s return delivering a lighter tone as Miriam Margolyes and Alan Cumming explore the US, including Las Vegas and Palm Springs.

 starring Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans and Regina Hall following the series’ debut on Amazon Prime last summer, thanks to its ongoing relationship with its creator Hulu, which also debuts Hulu Original 

Channel 4 has also made slight adaptations to its schedule around the World Cup, with 

 having started earlier this year, while delivering a “counter schedule” to all the football action with 

 ongoing and its strongest lifestyle shows also on air, including 

Last September, records were broken for linear TV advertising spend. This was part of a record year, with Thinkbox citing total spend of £5.46bn, which was up 11% on pre-pandemic 2019 and bigger than the previous high of £5.28bn back in 2016.

With a starker economic picture this autumn, it’s yet to be seen where advertising spend will bottom out, with brands continuing to make later decisions buoyed by more flexibility from TV sales houses.

However, with a decline in the UK subscription streaming market which led to 1.66 million subscriptions being cancelled by 488,000 households according to Kantar in Q2, the cost-of-living crisis will only accelerate that trend as viewers reassess their home entertainment costs.

Naturally, some of this viewing will flow back to linear TV and BVoD, the latter benefitting hugely from continued year on year growth – ITV alone is citing its biggest ever year on ITV Hub with 1 billion streams so far. And the launch of ITVX will capture some of this.

All4 continues to grow. And Sky’s October launch of Sky Stream, its first dish-less streaming box, will pick up a raft of new viewers new to its platform who will find themselves very much at home with SVoD-style programme guides and smart-stick ease of functionality including voice control, at a very competitive monthly price point.

We won’t know the final picture for autumn until later this year but, as ever, it’s a very exciting time for broadcaster content and advertisers.

James Weinberg is executive director, media and product, at mSix&Partners

This article first appeared here: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/binge-watching-better/1801250

Binge-watching is never better

The&Partnership and its media agency mSix&Partners have opened an apprenticeship scheme in Birmingham called The&Academy.

Developed in partnership with apprenticeship provider Multiverse, the training programme has worked with brands such as Google, Meta and TikTok to help 18- to 24-year-olds take their first step onto the industry ladder.

One of the aims of the scheme is to attract more talent from underrepresented groups who might not consider a career in advertising, media and marketing by “nurturing talent outside of London”.

“There is an abundance of talent to be found across the country, yet opportunities have not always been evenly spread out,” Jess Burley, executive chair at mSix&Partners, explained. “The opening of The & Academy is a milestone event in the West Midlands.

“It will play a key role in providing the skills, experience and confidence that talent need to succeed in the dynamic world of media and advertising.”

Burley added: “The programme is also a major step forward in addressing the demand for greater diversity and inclusion within the media and advertising industries.”

To mark the launch of the scheme, an event took place on 28 September at The & Academy’s purpose-built campus in Digbeth, Birmingham.

The apprentices were joined by some of The&Partnership’s senior leaders, including chief executive Sarah Golding and chairman and founder Johnny Hornby, as well as Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands.

Street spoke at the event about how beneficial these programmes can be for shaping the next generation of creative talent and forging opportunities in areas outside the capital.

Street said: “A key part of my mayoral mission is to equip local residents with the skills to succeed in the 21st-century economy and connect them to high-quality job opportunities – helping them to thrive in the world of work, enjoy an excellent quality of life and have compelling reasons to stay in our wonderful region.

“The&Academy helps to deliver on that very mission and that's why I'm glad to hear also that this particular programme helps those aspiring to enter the creative and media sector – an industry that is a real strong suit for us here in the West Midlands. I wish The&Academy all the best in the weeks, months and years ahead."

This article first appeared here: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/-partnership-msix-partners-launch-apprenticeship-scheme/1801004

The&Partnership and mSix&Partners launch apprenticeship scheme

NDA’s Digital Women series is talking to leaders from across our industry to understand the particular challenges, and opportunities faced by women. Next up is Victoria Bickle, UK Managing Director, mSix&Partners.

What is the biggest challenge to you as a woman in the digital industry and how are you overcoming it?

The need to break into a world traditionally dominated by men means we can sometimes become ‘women in men’s suits’. Adopting the traits of men to fit in and have conversations at the top table and resisting the natural characteristics of women such as ‘nurturing’ and ‘maternal’. Critical characteristics needed in the workplace today as we continue to support on a vast scale Mental Health.

 of women to fight against ongoing issues like the gender pay gap, inequality, and limited representation, these issues have played into a situation where there can be competition, suspicion, and even toxicity towards one another at times. This can result in the challenge being women themselves.

Don’t mistake that for me blaming women. The environment that has been created over time has pitted us against each other.

To overcome it, we have to become a real network of allies. Working together to show what is possible and support each other to achieve it. Adopt and embrace the characteristics that are 2nd nature to our genetics as empathetic leadership is essential in the workplace today.

Because there are still limited seats at the top table for us, and a perception (especially among junior women) that you must sacrifice a lot to get there, we can fall into the trap of an “every woman for themselves” mentality.

What is the biggest opportunity for women in your sector of the digital industry today?

The biggest challenge is also the biggest opportunity. It is about building real networks of women that can make real change inside the building. We’re lucky in the digital and creative industry to have organisations such as WACL and Bloom which are bringing together women to talk about, and set the agenda on, important topics like the pay gap, bullying, maternity policies, etc.

But not everyone has access to those organisations, and they’re not always geared toward solving issues on your doorstep. Industry networks are great but bringing change back into the building can be incredibly powerful.

Women want to be part of crafting a present and future workplace without hurdles that have held us back in the past. The opportunity is in creating communities where issues are broken down on a more specific, even company, level. The appetite is there and at mSix&Partners we actively set new programmes and initiatives in the workplace to make a tangible difference.

What three things could employer companies do to make the digital industry better for women?

A good starting point is tackling structure, perception, and mentality. By structure, I mean making sure there are initiatives in place that give women a voice and a chance to be heard. And making sure people are not seen as simply a number or part of a quota to fill at c-suite level, but as genuine talent that can bring something to the organization.

There can be a perception among younger staff that to get to the top you have to make sacrifices – from family to friends, and everything in between. Unfortunately, that was pretty accurate for a long time, but many women at the top today are achieving while still maintaining that work-life balance. Employers need to better showcase the route up the career ladder and champion women in the business in an authentic way.

Lastly, those at the top need to have the mentality of raising up the younger generation. I got statutory maternity leave and couldn’t afford to take more than that. But I’m going to fight for better terms for the current generation. The older generation did have to fight. Now it’s about supporting younger colleagues rather than being satisfied that some of us made it.

What support structures and organisations are most important and effective to you as a woman in the digital industry?

There are a lot of organisations that cultivate great conversations and media partners are bringing women together on a more ad-hoc basis, too. I think Bloom is particularly effective because it welcomes women from all levels of the industry. It has an inclusive and vibrant feel and is tackling real issues. I’ve actually tried not to be too involved in leading its direction from our agency point of view because I love the fact there are other female colleagues here doing just that from all levels and from all backgrounds.

Closer to home, I think we’re doing great things at mSix&Partners with access to things like WPP Unite and have been recognised as Best Employee Diversity Network recently. What I’m most excited about is the Gender Community we are launching across The&Partnership and mSix&Partners. It’s going to be a collective of women’s voices, lives, and experiences in the workplace.

We’re creating a community to allow us to do what Bloom and WACL are doing but in-agency to make a difference that can be felt within the building. Coming together to create a network for anyone who identifies as a woman.

What is the biggest misconception about women and by women in the digital industry?

That we make big sacrifices to get to the top. We absolutely did in previous generations and things are by no means perfect across the industry yet. The outside would look at my career and assume I’m never home (as I have a big commute) and I never switch off (as I’m responsive to when my team need me). It’s the opposite. My kids couldn’t be prouder and they don’t feel overlooked. They feel inspired to dream big and have successful careers. I work with supportive leaders and I have an incredible team and so together we understand the importance of the work life balance and give each other the time for what is really important.

Everyone makes some sacrifices regardless of gender. Hybrid working should be celebrated as being the foundation of eradicating any sacrifice. We’ve proven we can deliver anywhere and in any place. Presenteeism is a thing of the past and no longer do we have to miss important school events and life anniversaries in the working world today.

People’s everyday lives – and how it can encroach on work – have been normalised. I have regularly been seen on a Zoom preparing the evening supper or taking a meeting on a dog walk. We should champion that normalisation rather than play into the idea that, as a woman in the industry, you have to give up everything else and go head-to-head with anyone else, particularly another woman. There is room for all of us!

This article first appeared here: https://newdigitalage.co/agencies/digital-women-victoria-bickle-uk-md-msixpartners-the-older-generation-had-to-fight-now-its-about-supporting-younger-colleagues-not-being-satisfied-that-some-of-us-made-it/

“The older generation had to fight, now it’s about supporting younger colleagues”

Building on last week’s POV, this week we have another rummage under the bonnet of Prof. Byron Sharp’s theories and approaches to success in growing brands. As has been proven in the past, the Australian marketing sage has significant influence in how we market the brands we support and look after but ensuring we don’t just take what he says as gospel is absolutely crucial. 

Our last POV homed in on the importance of being where the people are, as an agency we have already structured how we plan around this thought; FLOW planning prioritises understanding the behaviours of the audiences we target ahead of the channels we deem to be most effective.

This piece aims to focus a little more on the question of attention, once we’ve understood where people are spending their time, how is it we want to make them take notice of what we have to say? The matter of attention is not something Sharp holds in particularly high regard, his latest talk suggested that anything beyond “fleeting attention is a waste of money”.

We’ll address this point first. There is some truth in saying we don’t always need someone’s full attention, or double-digit seconds worth of it, in order to achieve what we set out to do. That said, this doesn’t necessarily work in reverse order, whilst we may not 

Highly recognisable brands (typically synonymous with high investment power) can often get away with extremely low levels of attention. To give an example of this, Carlsberg have invested a lifetime of marketing effort into owning the word “Probably”, as such the word alone (in the correct font, though not exclusively) has the power to immediately generate brand recall and compound existing mental availability.

On the other end of the spectrum a brand that has lower levels of awareness/recognisability, and much tighter purse strings, isn’t likely to see the same kind of success from low levels of advertising attention. The lack of either a strong base of mental availability or the high budget levels required to begin to build one means the overall effectiveness of a campaign is likely to suffer if it goes largely unnoticed. Another symptom of the factors mentioned above is these brands tend to only get a handful of attempts in any given year to increase mental availability and subsequently their share of market. Small, low awareness brand ability to generate consistently high reach (at any level of attention) simply doesn’t match that of the large, volume driving brands that Sharp tends to comment on.

The below graph attempts to show how this is more about balance than a right or wrong answer scenario.

Challenges at either side of this graph can also be experienced by the same brand but across different products, EA games being a prime example of this. When releasing the latest iteration of the FIFA series, the recognition and following is so strong that even a slight flash of the logo and the according year is enough to spark pandemonium. The other side of this is in the launch of unknown titles, generating a big splash is important for these games that are starting at a base of zero. They need to generate attention and interest in order to build the same kind of following that larger titles benefit from, and therefore the luxury of being able to succeed on lower levels of advertising attention. Fundamentally this comes down to storytelling, in the case of FIFA there is a powerful existing story and therefore media’s task is to remind gamers of the product and reinforce the emotional connection it drives. The inverse of this is true for the lesser-known titles, there is no existing story and therefore media must begin to build one, communicating the product and creating new emotional connections among its audiences.

Whilst it may not be true we always need maximum attention, generally what’s considered to be optimal is an advertising experience that captures people’s interest and emotions. When we achieve this, we can blur the lines between promotion and entertainment, which is something the greatest advertising campaigns have in common. As another mSix strategist recently said in response to the idea that all advertising can be reduced to mental availability via distinctive assets and frequency, “if that were true then this wouldn’t be the best advert I’ve ever seen, and it 100% is”. For the record, it’s 10 minutes long; sometimes the magic outweighs the logic.

Following on from the importance of attention, or at least recognition of 

 it’s most important, we look at another truth; people do buy brands. Even in categories where one may argue that a strong brand isn’t as important as cost and function, cleaning products for example, we still see examples of strong brand character being a powerful driver of growth. Our very own Method is proof of this point, it’s by no means the brand with the greatest SOV or buying clout but it has something to say and generates a more emotive response from those that see or buy it as a result. By establishing a clear and relevant purpose, brands are able to arm themselves against competitors relying on reach and frequency alone. This becomes particularly true when purpose chimes with the zeitgeist of the moment, again we see this to be true in Method’s crusade against the poor environmental practices of its category.

To close, it’s important to note this isn’t a rebuttal of Sharp’s principles, instead it’s a reminder that we must leave room for magic in media plans and that sometimes a more emotive story needs telling. The combination of a strong brand and a media experience that captures the attention of those it’s trying to reach has a transformative power for smaller/challenger/faded brands.

When a fleeting glance might not be enough

Thanks to Ambitious About Autism, I have been working as a Marketing and New Business Intern at mSix&Partners since the 4th of July and in every way, my experience has been fantastic.

Starting with the recruitment process, I felt very accommodated; the first task I had to do was design and submit a campaign for World Mental Health Awareness Week which would determine whether I would be interviewed. Oftentimes autistic people may be very talented, creative, and driven, but struggle to come across as confident in interviews and so I really appreciated that I was being primarily judged by my work above anything else. Additionally, I also worked with Ambitious About Autism to create a candidate profile and discuss accommodations so mSix already had some important information about me before I arrived, which was reassuring since I struggle to ask for help sometimes. I was also given plenty of information on the building, desk booking, and useful contacts so I had plenty of time to prepare and familiarize myself with the environment.

So far, I have helped with many tasks such as putting together the Weekly Standup Presentation, creating “Get Smart” Packs, writing POV posts, and much more. Everyone I have worked with has been kind and clear about their expectations. The agency has also been very flexible when it comes to hybrid working, so I was able to work from home most days of the week, but you are still allowed to come into the office whenever you want. They have also allowed me to take time off whenever necessary.

Furthermore, I also had the chance to take part in some company activities such as a Park Tidy as part of the national campaign “Love Parks” Week. Getting to meet and spend time with other colleagues was a great experience and made me feel like I belonged in the company, and being able to spend time working together towards a good cause was fulfilling.

In my time working here, I have gained a greater insight into the industry and developed my professional skills. The experience has helped kick start my career and has made me feel I feel much more confident about finding work in the future. To conclude, I would like to thank everyone who I have worked with so far for supporting me, and to express my gratitude once again to mSix and Ambitious About Autism for providing me with this wonderful opportunity.

My experience with mSix&Partners through the  Ambitious About Autism Programme

My name is Fred, and I am a Paid Search Pioneer/ Digital Marketing Apprentice at mSix&Partners. It’s been a year since my journey began with mSix, and it feels like only yesterday when I first stepped inside the old London office at 7 Rathbone Street.

After spending one year at University, I decided that it wasn’t the route for me. I found myself leaning towards looking to work full-time whilst getting a qualification as I felt like this would suit me better. So, life at Uni came to an end and a couple of part-time jobs later, I decided to start looking at apprenticeships.

I came across Multiverse on the internet. Multiverse is a Professional Apprenticeship provider for young adults, giving them an alternative route to university, whilst being able to gain a qualification and work full-time concurrently. This seemed like a no brainer for me, and so I decided to sign up and start applying for various apprenticeships in the London area.

The apprenticeship that caught my eye was the Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship. Having studied Marketing at Uni, I felt like this could be the one that suited me best.

After a few months of applying to different companies that facilitate the apprenticeship scheme, I got an interview request come through from none other than mSix&Partners. The interview was successful and a few days later I got the job offer to work in the Paid Search Department during the apprenticeship. An offer I certainly could not refuse.

I settled in very quickly at mSix due to the natural warmth and kindness within the office. I was welcomed instantly and made friendships during the first few days that I still have today. From my immediate team to the wider company, everyone made me feel at home, which really helped settle the nerves- making my experience an enjoyable one from the get-go.

What also helped a great deal, were my fellow apprentices who joined at the same time as me. Having people in my position to go through this experience with me has been great, as we are always there to help each other when necessary and made sure we all got the best out of each other, both professionally and personally.

It is never a dull day at mSix due to the sheer number of socials and events they put on for their staff. From Sports Days in the summer, to a fancy Christmas party at some of the most pristine venues in London. From meeting Rio Ferdinand and listening to him talk about the new social media app he is ambassador for, to ITV bringing in live snakes and spiders as a part of the Executive Academy Day collab with I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, there’s always something going on at mSix to cater for every individual. I have also just been put in charge of organising a bowling social for the Paid Search department. This is great as it shows that everybody has a say in what types of fun we can have, from Directors to Apprentices, everyone’s voices can be heard.

Both Multiverse and mSix have been very accommodating in helping me work both on my apprenticeship as well as my work tasks. I started off by fitting the apprenticeship work around my daily work duties, but this wasn’t really working out for me as I was struggling to concentrate on one or the other. Therefore, I decided to work on my apprenticeship only on Fridays. This worked well as only 20% of my week is spent on focussing on completing apprenticeship tasks.

Finding the right balance is the key to everything you do, both in the office and in your personal life. Making sure that you structure the right amount of time in your day-to-day life will lead to you to become a more successful individual and will enable you to push yourself further in your own journey through life.

If you like the sound of an apprenticeship in the media industry and want an alternative route to university, then I seriously recommend getting yourself enrolled into one. I guarantee that you will pick up many skills that will be intrinsic in your first few years to full time employment, and the connections and friendships you build will only help you progress, both professionally and personally.

Or if you don’t feel like an apprenticeship will be suited to you, then there are many routes you can take to get your foot in the door at mSix or any marketing agency in general. The internet has an abundance of jobs waiting for you to apply for, and there’s no time like the present.

My advice for anyone starting an apprenticeship with mSix or any other company for that matter, would be to make sure that you are always communicating with your manager and apprenticeship coach to make sure that they are in the loop on what you are doing and any help you may require along the way. They are there to assist you in your journey, so make sure to be open and honest with them, as this will be the best way for you to complete the apprenticeship with as low stress as possible.

I struggled doing this at the start but then realised that it’s ok to not know how to do something, even if you think that it’s a task that can be easily completed. It’s better to ask for help than not and no one will look down at you. They will only be annoyed if you don’t ask for help and get the task completely wrong or don’t meet the deadlines that you have been set.

I would also recommend using all the material that the apprenticeship has to offer, with countless online talks, articles, and workshops, make sure you get the most out of them to soak up as much knowledge as possible. This will make your apprenticeship run a lot smoother and will also make you are more competent digital marketer in general as you can always pick up what you learn in your apprenticeship and apply it in your day-to-day work.

What the future holds for me at mSix&Partners

My future at mSix looks exciting to say the least. Later this month I will be giving a talk to a whole new cohort of apprentices joining The&Academy up in Birmingham. My fellow apprentice Zoe and I will be talking to the new recruits about the day in the life of an apprentice, sharing our experience so far and some tips for them to think about throughout their own journey.

The great thing about working at a company like mSix is that there are so many branches of work that you get in to within the organisation. I work in Paid Search, but there are loads of channels which I could try and see if it suits me better than my current role. If I was to decide later down the line that I wanted to change roles, then mSix would be very understanding and help facilitate the internal move, as employee satisfaction is paramount here, which is very easy to notice.

So, with many more Socials to come and hopefully another great Christmas party to go along with the upcoming World Cup, the rest of the year is shaping up very nicely. I couldn’t have asked for a better agency to work for during my apprenticeship and I am very grateful to be a member of this wonderful group of people that make up the very special mSix&Partners.

Life at mSix&Partners as an apprentice 

Google has announced Chrome will continue to permit third party cookies by default until late 2024. Many industry insiders have joked that this is a welcome reprieve, akin to Leonardo Di Caprio’s Jordan Belfort being cheered on in The Wolf of Wall Street for defiantly refusing to give up to law enforcement.

We’re thinking differently about the new timeline. While some adtech players celebrate the delay, we are well underway disentangling third party cookies from our digital strategies. We therefore see this as additional time to widen the gap between legacy techniques we are phasing out, and their more futureproof replacement technologies we have focused upon.

The industry - and in particular, the IAB - needs more time to agree on compliant, robust and efficient solutions. Google has indicated they need a year for advertisers to test their own cookieless ad solutions, which they have dubbed the Privacy Sandbox initiative. The fact that Google can’t bring an agreed solution to these advertisers until 2023 has forced their hand into delaying the phase out once again.

Over the long term, this work across the industry will help secure the future of supporting publishers’ journalism and creator content. Strong targeting and measurement funds content - by being able justify a premium to advertisers.

However, targeting efficiency isn’t as dependent on replacing cookies as some have inferred. Our confidence in moving beyond cookie-based tracking isn’t dependent on one solution, but rather a number of interrelated factors.

, many historic uses of third-party tracking data in the industry do not pass our data ethics guidelines, so we won’t mourn their loss. As a result, we are not spending our resources creating tracking-based audiences, where the data is sourced from consumers in unfair or inequitable ways.

Instead, we’ve gone back to first principles - building around how brands work, and the actual targeting/measurement needed to help brands grow.

, people have migrated away from heavily tracked/cookied environments. In other words, looking at where people spend their time and how that has evolved, year over year, we find that people have been spending more time within apps and platforms that do not readily utilise third-party tracking. The big gainers from this have been established walled garden platforms such as Amazon and Google, as well as newer but rapidly-established media outlets such as TikTok, voice/audio and connected TV.

, in this context, we find that third-party data is less valuable than what is possible by working with data they generate from their own relationships with their customers, known as first-party data.

Technology has moved apace to seize this opportunity. Anticipating the shift away from tracking based data is a variety of new and updated products that fulfil previous needs, and even serve brand new use cases for advertisers. The essential task of matching data between advertisers and publishers can be fulfilled by securely sharing email addresses via encryption or via a data clean room.

Email customer matching involves sharing encrypted email lists invisible to middlemen, while data clean rooms securely share the fact that a match exists, allowing measurement and targeting, without sharing the data itself at all.

Anonymous, aggregated customer behaviour can also be matched algorithmically, allowing us to find the target groups advertisers value without resorting to individual tracking.

Data uses spanning measurement, targeting and activation, is now not only possible without resorting to cookies — the new solutions are often even more performant than their tracking-based forebears.