THINK EQUAL is the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiative led by The Marketing Society. THINK EQUAL aims to drive diversity and inclusion across the marcomms industry in the MENA region. Through training, events, mentoring, policy changes, content and more. We aim to provide tangible activity that will make an impact and a difference now.Our regular THINK EQUAL podcast shines a light on an inspiring female leader who is dedicated to levelling the marcomms playing field. This month, THINK EQUAL Project Director, Leanne Foy met Reema Al Shammasi, Marketing Director at Mastercard.Learning to say no is as important as knowing when to say yes. While saying yes can open doors, overcommitting can lead to burnout and diminish the impact of your agreements. Many women struggle to say no due to fear of judgment or appearing uncommitted, but understanding the art of saying no is essential for maintaining balance and focus. In this thought-provoking episode, Reema shares why it is crucial to identify your priorities and confidently decline tasks or opportunities that don't align with them. Saying no not only protects your well-being but also enhances the value of your contributions when you do say yes. Highlights include:Why saying yes too often can lead to burnout and reduce the effectiveness of your commitments.How to identify what’s truly important to you and confidently say no to anything that doesn't align with your goals.The importance of building confidence: The ability to say no with confidence can prevent overcommitting and foster a healthier, more focused work-life balance.This episode is a must listen for anyone who has ever struggled with saying no! A note from THINK EQUAL We are stronger together, than we are alone. And that’s why we want the marcomms industry to come together to make a difference. Every single person who makes up our brilliant industry can make an impact. Want to get involved? We’d love to hear from you. Whether that’s through donating your time on our working committee or putting your hand up to run an event or training session, you may have some suggestions of speakers to add to our speaker library or have a venue you want to provide for free. Contact us at Thinkequal@marketingsociety.com

In the final episode of our ‘greening your marketing activity’ mini-series, we caught up with some of our original guests to the podcast, Ollie Deane and Guy Jones from The GoodNet, the ethical intelligence company, focusing on helping ethical brands and products grow. The Goodnet firmly believe that advertising can do good in the world and, we agree with and support their mission!Ollie and Guy shared their journey since last coming on the podcast a couple of years ago, sharing what is happening in the media space. They introduced us to GoodIQ, their intelligence tool which measures sustainability metrics. They share their advice on what brands, agencies and Marketers need to be considering when it comes to making ethical media choices which not only support their organisations sustainable agendas, but help their audiences lead better, more sustainable lives. Join us on this episode as we talk to Ollie and Guy about:Ethical media, sustainability and advertisingGoodIQ, their media planning and measurement tool Being more sustainable with your marketing spend and how to measure the resultsUpcoming regulations and how they are driving focus and conversations Whether ads are driving more awareness and sustainable behaviour in line with changing market needs?For more information about The Goodnet and GoodIQ - visit https://wearethegoodnet.com/And to connect with them on LinkedIn - Ollie Deane and Guy JonesA great final episode in our greening your marketing channels mini-series. We did cover a few more areas in our latest book too - so you can always pick up a copy for more practical solutions.________________________________________________________________________________You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together.Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

“When it comes to including sustainability in events - we’re finding the focus on sustainability is increasingly part of the client brief.”As we continue with our greening your marketing activity mini-series, we wanted to turn our attention to events. Events can be fun, they allow us to learn and connect, but they also come with a considerable footprint and impact, mainly from travel, food and that infamous swag. However, the events landscape is evolving and sustainability is an increasingly growing focal point. We met up with Matilda Riley, an expert in sustainable events. Matilda talks openly and frankly about all the different areas that events impact and how there are sustainable alternatives and choices for pretty much every element when it comes to planning and running an event. Matilda tells us that she now sees sustainability on the majority (approx. 90%) of all briefs coming in from clients, which is a big and positive step change. Sharing so many ideas, solutions and ways you can make your event not only more sustainable but, more creative, engaging and successful, you won’t want to miss out.Join us on this episode as we talk to Matilda about: What you need to consider when planning and running an eventHow sustainability is now included on the majority of briefsHow events are part of your scope 3 emissions so need to be part of your standardsHow to be proactive and not reactiveGetting creative and doing things differently in a way that brings new life to your events for your organisation and, your audience. For more information about ECO3 and From Now - visit https://from-now.com/And to connect with Matilde via LinkedIn - she’s here Another great episode… and still more to follow in this greening your marketing channels mini-series - so stay tuned. ________________________________________________________________________________You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together.Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

THINK EQUAL is the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiative led by The Marketing Society. THINK EQUAL aims to drive diversity and inclusion across the marcomms industry in the MENA region. Through training, events, mentoring, policy changes, content and more. We aim to provide tangible activity that will make an impact and a difference now. Our regular THINK EQUAL podcast shines a light on an inspiring female leader who is dedicated to levelling the marcomms playing field. This month, THINK EQUAL Project Director, Leanne Foy met Alina Waite, Strategy Lead for Zenith MENA. With over 19 years of global marcomms experience with brands such as Coca-Cola and Nike, Alina excels in brand and performance marketing and team development.  Leaders play a crucial role in shaping our career paths by fostering environments that emphasise the importance of recognising and celebrating individual achievements. Research by McKinsey and Company, and Harvard Business Review has shown that women are less likely to self-promote and feel less comfortable speaking about their achievements.  In this episode, Leanne and Alina discuss how hesitation to self-promote is exacerbated in collaborative environments and why leaders should cultivate a culture where personal achievements are regularly acknowledged, promoting collaboration over competition.  Alina explores how women can improve their confidence by talking about their achievements, highlighting how a "feelgood folder" is an effective tool to help evidence stacking accomplishments and boost self-esteem. Highlights include: Key tips for raising self-confidenceStrategies to discuss personal achievementsExtending professional mindsets to personal lifeThis episode is packed with practical tips for leaders in individuals to raise their self-confidence. We hope you enjoy it!A note from THINK EQUAL We are stronger together, than we are alone. And that’s why we want the marcomms industry to come together to make a difference. Every single person who makes up our brilliant industry can make an impact. Want to get involved? We’d love to hear from you. Whether that’s through donating your time on our working committee or putting your hand up to run an event or training session, you may have some suggestions of speakers to add to our speaker library or have a venue you want to provide for free. Contact us at Thinkequal@marketingsociety.com

The Buy Side is our regular series talking with brand side marketers about sport and sponsorship. This week’s guest is Mark Kirkham, the SVP & Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo, one of the biggest spenders in the sports industry, whose brands such as Aquafina, Pepsi, Gatorade and Lay’s are associated with a huge number of major events globally across a portfolio that includes official partnerships such as UEFA Champions League, the NFL, the Saudi Premier League, the LPGA, WNBA and EA FC or what used to be called the FIFA game franchise, but also a large number of tie ups with individual sports stars, musicians and other creators. With this type of spend, comes influence and power. How, where and with whom Pepsi spends its money is a signal to every sports rights holder to shape their commercial programmes to catch Mark Kirkham’s eye. What are the implications of this for sport and what does Pepsi want sport to be? The Buy Side is sponsored by KORE Software the global leader in engagement marketing solutions. More than 900 brands, venues, and sports organisations trust KORE’s tools and platforms as a source of truth to manage partnerships, assets and measure impact, with real-time insights. Through Sponsorship Management and Evaluation, Ticketing, Fan Engagement, Data Management and Analytics, KORE unites corporate sponsors, properties, and their fans with solutions that help enhance the fan experience, drive smarter decisions, and enable marketing and operations teams to spend time where it matters. Learn more at KORESoftware.com or follow them LinkedIn or Twitter.

Listen to our intimate Under The Spotlight event - The Sir Martin Sorrell Sundowner Session in Cannes recorded at an exclusive event around the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June 2024. Join us for an insightful conversation between The Marketing Society CEO, Sophie Devonshire, with one of the most influential titans in our industry, Sir Martin Sorrell.Renowned for his remarkable journey as a brave leader and visionary, we’ll get personal and unique insights into Sir Martin’s perspectives including his thoughts around the state of creativity today, the disruptions we need to plan for, what today's CMO needs to thrive (and survive), and how to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.And of course, what keeps him going...Thanks to Media.Monks for making this happen.Find out about the latest The Marketing Society events here and if you're not a member yet, what are you waiting for? Find out about how to join here.

“There's something like 7.5 million data centers around the world now, and most of them are still powered by coal and gas. One of the easiest things you can do is move your hosting.”Welcome back to the second part in our mini-series on ‘greening your marketing activities’ and this episode we explored smarter, greener websites with Sepas Seraj, Founder of Pixeled Eggs. With the amount of activity that takes place online today purpose-driven digital is a must, and it’s not difficult, in fact, it’s super efficient, usable and can dramatically improve your organisations’ performance - (giving it a ‘digital edge’ as Sepas refers to it) - whilst simultaneously supporting your sustainability agendas now and into the future.  There is a staggering amount of waste when it comes to websites and many of them are woefully inefficient, yet we can start to make changes immediately, improving performance and reducing negative impact. Sepas shares tools, resources and practical advice in abundance, we can’t recommend this episode enough.Join us on this episode as we talk to Sepas about:The impact of digitalUnderstanding the opportunities to optimise your websiteGreen hosting, videos, images, page weights and variable fontsWays you can make your website greener, more efficient and improve its performanceThe need for more conversations between design teams, developers, Marketers and sustainability teamsSustainability driving improved performance time and time again Best practice, tools and resourcesFor more information about Pixeled Eggs - visit https://www.pixeledeggs.com/And to connect with Sepas via LinkedIn - he’s here https://www.linkedin.com/in/sepasseraj/Another great episode… and still more to follow in this greening your marketing channels mini-series - so stay tuned. ________________________________________________________________________________You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together.Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

In this episode, the fourth in our series on entrepreneurial thinking, we’re exploring one of the six principles of entrepreneurial thinking in more detail- small details, not just big ideas and how one brand in particular brings this to life.  By small details we mean all the brand touchpoints, not just a big idea- it could be copy on pack, the way you respond to a customer complaint letter, a coupon.  All of these touchpoints are a way of bringing a brand to life.  Ruth was joined by Jacqueline Ellis-Jones, Marketing Director at Pip & Nut, a brand has grown to great heights by doing this really wellOur Host: Ruth FittockRuth has almost 20 years experience building brands- from start-up to scale up, launch to acquisition. She’s helped U.S brands (vitaminwater, popchips) launch and scale in the UK and grown brands from scratch here too (Simply Roasted Crisps).  Ruth has recently started a new consultancy- Tomorrow Brands, to help the purpose-driven global brands of tomorrow launch in the UK.Our Guest: Jacqueline Ellis-Jones, Marketing Director at Pip&NutExperienced Marketing Leader with a passion for building iconic brands over 20 years, She’s navigated the ever-evolving marketing landscape, helping brands from all walks of life stand out from the crowd. From household names in baby food like Ella's Kitchen to health-conscious startups like Pip & Nut, Jack has helped fuel their growth with innovative and data-driven strategies.  Her passion lies in uncovering a brand's core essence and translating it into marketing strategies that deliver on the fundamentals of price and placement alongside creating award winning products and campaigns that spark conversations, build genuine connections, and deliver measurable results.---Find out about the latest The Marketing Society events here and if you're not a member yet, what are you waiting for? Find out about how to join here.

Hosted out of the UAE, The Sustainability Squad was created to drive change around ESG. Our mission is to place The Marketing Society at the heart of the sustainability conversation.Episode 6 In episode 6 of the Marketing Society’s Sustainability Squad podcast series the hear from Abdul Rahim Osman (15 years of experience in business and marketing in the financial services industry) and Tricia Weener (Global CMO, Sustainability Leader and Coach) as they explore how marketers can drive positive change and plan for long-term sustainable growth.The purpose of the podcast is to educate and inspire the marcomms community to drive change around sustainability and ESG, build case studies of great work marketeers have done in the region around ESG and demonstrate real life problem solving and creativity to influence stakeholder groups around better ESG principles.The aim of the series is to empower the wider marcomms community to drive change in their organisations.The series produced by Podcast Now, will cover topics such as: Sustainability and ESG Literacy, Creativity and Storytelling, Behavioural Science and case studies from leading marketeers in the region.

Have you ever considered the carbon footprint of your email activity?  Welcome to the first in our ‘greening your marketing activity’ mini-series!  Did you know that your digital activity has a carbon footprint? Are you aware that there are better choices you can make which mean your marketing activity is greener and more sustainable, without compromising on performance and quality? Well, that’s what we’ll be exploring in the next few episodes.Every organisation will have to commit to decarbonisation targets, regardless of sector or size. When writing our latest book, research identified that behind R&D, marketing has the largest proportion of organisational budget. Therefore, Marketers need to consider their marketing carbon footprint if they are to align with and support their organisations’ sustainability agendas. We wanted to kick this mini-series off with the second most used online channel in the world (after instant messaging) - email. Why, because we send a LOT of emails, over 300 BILLION emails a day and, as well as needing to develop better and more efficient and responsible practices when it comes to our email marketing activity, there is also the practicalities of the carbon footprint to consider. So, we spoke to James Gill, Founder of EcoSend a platform that delivers, ‘Better email campaigns. Fewer emissions.’Join us on this episode as we talk to James about:The concept  of  digital  sustainability  and  how our online  activities  have  a  carbon  footprint.The importance of understanding your email activity and how you can improve it from both a performance and sustainability perspective.What goes on behind the email platforms you use.Improving your email behaviours and practices – professionally and personally.How to drive efficiencies.How EcoSend can make the platform switch as painless as possible.This episode is packed full of insights and practical information which will get your brains whirling, so dive in and get your notebooks ready.For more information about Ecosend - visit https://ecosend.io/And to connect with James via LinkedIn - he’s here https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesjgill/Another great episode… enjoy.________________________________________________________________________________You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together.Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

This month, THINK EQUAL Project Director, Leanne Foy met Lucy d’Abo, workplace culture expert, entrepreneur and public speaker.Together, Leanne and Lucy explore workplace culture, defining important questions, such as; what is workplace culture? Why is it important? And, how can business leaders cultivate a positive workplace culture?  In this episode, Lucy gives real examples from her past and current businesses sharing what it takes to build, manage and perform in the business world with culture at the core. Taking it one step further, this episode's key theme is unconscious bias and the impact it has on workplace culture. We deep dive into how unconscious bias manifests in organisations, how to spot it and why business leaders need to prioritise people, purpose and culture.  Highlights include: The connection between a positive workplace Culture business growthTangible actions business leaders can do to cultivate a great workplace culture Why unconscious bias could be holding your team back from reaching their true potentialThis episode is packed with insights and advice to take your organisational culture to the next level. We hope you enjoy it!A note from THINK EQUAL We are stronger together, than we are alone. And that’s why we want the marcomms industry to come together to make a difference. Every single person who makes up our brilliant industry can make an impact. Want to get involved? We’d love to hear from you. Whether that’s through donating your time on our working committee or putting your hand up to run an event or training session, you may have some suggestions of speakers to add to our speaker library, or have a venue you want to provide for free. Contact us at thinkequal@marketingsociety.com

Every other breath you take comes from the ocean …How much thought do you give to the products you use to clean your home? We recently took a metaphorical deep dive with Amanda Horn into her love of the ocean as part of World Ocean Day and Ocean Week (in Canada), and how important the ocean and water is to our lives. Following our chat with Amanda, we then we explored toxic free circularity with Paul Arellano Foulkes. In this episode, we continue the theme of caring for our oceans, speaking with Adam Parker over at OceanSaver, a brand on an incredible mission to “save Ocean life from the plastic pollution and harmful chemicals in 28 billion plastic cleaning products created every year.” OceanSaver make plastic-free, plant based cleaning products, and as customers, we can vouch for how good they are! Adam talks about the big picture, how the ocean itself is drowning from overfishing, plastic pollution and harmful chemicals. We discuss the need for solutions and products which do less / no harm and the need and role for us (Marketers), especially those working in the FMCG space, to think about the responsibilities we have and the stories we tell. Adam shares his experience, the approach they take at OceanSaver and the journey they are on to keep making ecofriendly cleaning products accessible, affordable and a no brainer choice for consumers. They also donate 1% of profit for ocean conversation!We love how innovative, creative and vibrant OceanSaver is, so be sure to tune in and, get them on your shopping list, you won’t be disappointed. Kind to wallet and the ocean - and very effective.Tune in to hear us talk with Adam about:How we need to reconnect people with the ocean and keep educating folks on how incredibly important it is to us How to make better product choices more accessibleWorking with the grain of human psychology and behaviourLetting people on auto pilot make more sustainable choicesShowing that sustainable choices are affordable and that people are looking for themThe critical role of retailersWhat Marketers can be doing to support the business case for changeFor more information about Oceansaver - visit https://www.ocean-saver.comView their latest, fun and informative ad - meet Gareth… and enjoy the sea shantyAnd to connect with Adam via LinkedIn - it’s here…Another great episode… enjoy.________________________________________________________________________________You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together.Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

Episode #129. Understanding grief is the topic of this episode, an area of personal understanding to support ourselves but also others in our care that may be experiencing grief. *Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion around bereavement and loss of a child. A complex and personal process, grief is the intense feeling of loss of someone or something which can manifest physically, mentally and emotionally.   Abby’s guest is Lucy Hudson, Managing Director of McCann Birmingham which is part of McCann Central, the UK’s largest marketing communications integrated agency. Lucy is a WACL Talent Award Winner, mentor and founding member of The Margot Collective, McCann World group’s first female-led consulting collective.  After losing her daughter Poppy to a brain tumour, Lucy is dedicated to talking and writing about the effects of grief, particularly in the workplace. In this episode, Lucy shares her definition of grief and how it becomes a part of you, the impact bereavement has in the workplace, companies making admin and return to work easier, ‘pre-grief’ and understanding all the elements of loss (finance, identity, career, your own health). Plus practical advice for employers to support colleagues.  Host: Abigail (Abby) Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedInGuest:  Lucy Hudson | LinkedInThe Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. For more info go to www.thewholemarketer.com

This month, THINK EQUAL Project Director,Leanne Foy met Laura Naylor, Dubai 92 radio host, MC and public speaker. What is it about public speaking that so many of us find so intimidating? Why do women feel less confident than their male counterparts when it comes to public speaking? If conference speaking, panel moderating or stage presenting fills you with butterflies, this episode is for you.  Laura shares how a shift in mindset could be the key to feeling powerful and positive on stage. Her tried and tested techniques have helped friends and peers embrace speaking opportunities.   In this episode, we explore how perfectionism and fear may be the reason why many women decline speaker opportunities, and why it’s these women we so desperately want on stage. With many corporate event stages lacking diversity, this is a call to female leaders to take to the stage and a call for businesses to support their female talent in this area.  Highlights include: How to develop a confident mindset when presentingThe traits of confident public speakersWhy self belief, authenticity and preparation are your public speaking superpowersLaura’s passion and energy are contagious.It's a wonderful listen, we hope you enjoy it! A note from THINK EQUAL We are stronger together, than we are alone. And that’s why we want the marcomms industry to come together to make a difference. Every single person who makes up our brilliant industry can make an impact. Want to get involved? We’d love to hear from you. Whether that’s through donating your time on our working committee, or putting your hand up to run an event or training session, you may have some suggestions of speakers to add to our speaker library, or have a venue you want to provide for free. Contact us at thinkequal@marketingsociety.com

Degrowth equals greater profits – and big disruptions are coming…In this episode we got to talk to the brilliant Paul Folkes Arellano about circularity, and not just circularity, but toxic free circularity. Paul shares his knowledge, insights and experience in a space which plays a significant role in sustainability, business and societal behaviours. Paul share with us how he got into the toxic free circularity space, and shares so many examples of organisations who are doing great things with circularity, and also how collaboration and partnerships are critical to building the business case and turning circularity into meaningful business solutions that can scale.We talked about the need for Marketers to get involved, to get to grips with and understand their product lifecycle assessments by spending time with their R&D teams, and as Paul says it, “sticking your hands in the compost”. A critical part that brings with it a wealth of stories.Paul also talks about degrowth and the fact that degrowth equals greater profits. Circularity drives efficiencies, greater loyalty, less waste and, there is also huge amounts of capital to be gained from waste. This episode left us feeling uplifted and full of motivation and confirmed, once again, why we are such big advocates for circularity.Join us on this episode as we talk to Paul about:The circular economy and toxic free circularity.The opportunities and the business case for circularity.Why Marketers should be spending time in R&D labs to truly understand their productsThe great work being done in circularity and why full product life cycle assessments are imperative for marketers to be part of.The need for more good stories to be shared.The future of sustainability and circularity and long-term planning.For more information about Paul’s work visit Circuthon Consulting.And follow his insights and great conversations via LinkedIn too.A great episode… enjoy.________________________________________________________________________________You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together.Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

Episode #128. The Burnout Miniseries ep5 – The last episode in our mini-series on burnout shares the story of an agency marketer who, following her experience of extreme burnout, uses the power of breathwork, meditation and wellbeing to help and prevent burnout in others. Abby’s guest is Briony Gunson, mindset coach, wellbeing trainer, meditation teacher and breathworker. Passionate about supporting people in managing stress, anxiety and burnout,  some of Briony’s corporate clients include NHS, EY, Santander, Lloyds bank, We Work and Freemasons. In this episode, Briony shares her definition and experience of burnout, listening to your mind and body system, processing trauma, safe spaces, slowing down feeling uncomfortable and power of breathing and techniques. Plus her advice for marketers of tomorrow. Host: Abigail (Abby) Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedInGuest: Briony Gunson | LinkedInThe Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. For more info go to www.thewholemarketer.com

This episode is the third in our series on entrepreneurial thinking, that can benefit any brand, whatever the size. In our first episode we looked at the benefits of entrepreneurial thinking and identified 6 principles that can benefit any brand. In this episode The Marketing Society member Ruth Fittock speaks to Head of Clubhouses at Virgin Atlantic, Rami El-Dahshan about one of those principles specifically- customer obsession. We dive into Virgin Atlantic's customer-centric approach and how they deliver personalized experiences in their luxurious lounges and on board their flights. Rami, our guest from Virgin Atlantic, shares how the leadership team, including the CEO, regularly works shifts in the lounges to gain a deep understanding of the customer experience.Discover how Virgin Atlantic empowers their staff to build meaningful relationships with customers and provide exceptional, tailored service without following a strict script. Learn about the company's investment in staff development and their unique culture that encourages employees to be themselves.We explore Virgin Atlantic's differentiation strategy, focusing on providing a luxurious experience with fresh, seasonal menus and an emphasis on the provenance of ingredients. Rami also discusses the airline's commitment to incorporating sustainable practices and providing customers with tangible examples of their brand values in action.Gain insights into Virgin Atlantic's highly loyal customer base and how they foster strong relationships by responding to feedback and engaging in dialogue. Finally, we discuss the company's approach to partnering with innovative, up-and-coming brands to stay ahead of trends and enhance their offerings.Whether you're in the airline industry, hospitality, or any customer-facing business, this episode is packed with valuable lessons on delivering exceptional personalized experiences, empowering staff, and building strong customer relationships. Tune in now and learn from Virgin Atlantic's customer-centric success story!Our Host: Ruth FittockRuth has almost 20 years experience building brands- from start-up to scale up, launch to acquisition. She’s helped U.S brands (vitaminwater, popchips) launch and scale in the UK and grown brands from scratch here too (Simply Roasted Crisps).  Ruth has recently started a new consultancy- Tomorrow Brands, to help the purpose-driven global brands of tomorrow launch in the UK.Our Guest: Rami El-Dahshan, Head of Clubhouses at Virgin AtlanticHead of Lounges at Virgin Atlantic for the last three years. Previously head of UK sales for Virgin and a variety of commercial roles at British Airways.---Find out about the latest The Marketing Society events here and if you're not a member yet, what are you waiting for? Find out about how to join here.

Episode #127. The Burnout Miniseries ep4 – We’re continuing our focus on burnout and how together, we can raise awareness to prevent it and support each other in our challenging yet rewarding marketing profession. Abby’s guest is Senior Reporter for Marketing Week, Molly Innes. Molly has been researching burnout for the past two years having written many articles about it and is passionate about marketers’ careers, ways of working and recruitment. In this episode, Molly shares how she began highlighting burnout, factors that her research identified can led to burnout, being ‘addicted’ to high performance and recognition, stories of unhealthy culture and burnout effecting women. Plus her advice for marketers of tomorrow. Host: Abigail (Abby) Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedInGuest:  Molly Innes | LinkedInThe Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. For more info go to www.thewholemarketer.com

The need to reconnect to water and rebrand the ‘Big Blue’…World Ocean Day falls on June 8th and for those who haven’t heard of this event, it’s about “catalyzing collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate”. The ocean’s role is one of the most important there is, and, water security is a real concern. But, to make such events successful in reaching global goals and targets around our oceans and water, we have to take notice, understand the challenges we face and importantly, be prepared to take action.We met with Amanda Horn, a brand marketer who fell in love with water and found a deep connection, which as she shares in this episode, changed so many areas of her life personally and, professionally when she turned her passion into a circular business looking to solve problems in the beauty industry, with water at the heart. Amanda is a strong advocate for protecting water, raising awareness of the challenges and opportunities and as she says, ‘rebranding big blue’.Water conservation – Ocean conservation – plastic solutions -  waste - water consumption – they are all connected and we have to take responsibility for them, and more importantly understand the challenges and how our behaviors and choices either speed up progress, or slow it down. When Amanda began her journey to build a responsible brand, she didn’t realise how epic it would be at every single stage. She shares her learnings from the resources needed, commercial understanding, packaging needs, materials sourcing, collaboration and co-creation and what happens at the end of life of her product to make it truly circular. Join us on this episode as we talk to Amanda about:The power of connecting with water and the parallels between humans and the ocean. The importance of ocean literacy in meeting the global goal of protecting 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.The need to protect water at all costs through increasing our knowledge and conversations around what it is the most important resource we have.The “10 Challenges of the Decade”.How Marketers can make connections through story and emotion as Amanda puts it – “Rebranding the big blue”.Evolving her passion into a circular business – and how understanding every stage of the product lifecycle is critical to not only the product but the story.And here’s a rallying call to action for you, our listener to get involved:World Ocean Day  https://worldoceanday.org/about/ in the lead up to World Ocean Day, explore and see what you can do. Amanda also shares her tips! World Ocean Week https://oceanweekcan.ca/ if you’re in Canada, then you have Ocean Week, which is a public celebration of the ocean from coast to coast.Wherever you are, even if you are nowhere near a body of water, it is connected to your life, so commit to understanding a bit more, raising your awareness and taking steps to be part of the solution.For more information about Amanda Horn and Ocean Literacy, click this link. Enjoy…

Episode #126. The Burnout Miniseries ep3 – The third episode in our burnout series, raising awareness to the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that prolonged stress in our profession that cause – and what we can do about it. This episode highlights burnout from a leadership perspective and the pressure to become other people’s version of a leader, not your authentic self. Sharing their first-hand experience is Abby’s guest, Rowan Morrison.  An experienced agency-side leader, Rowan is co-founder and co-MD of Rationale, a strategic marketing communications agency. Alongside her role she coaches women in innovation-led businesses. In this episode, Rowan shares her definition of burnout, her story of burnout accumulating over a year, target-driven stress, the effect of stress on her health, conflict in leadership expectations, boundaries and her processes to empower those in her agency to prevent burnout. Plus her advice for marketers of tomorrow. Host:  Abigail (Abby) Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedInGuest:  Rowan Morrison | LinkedInThis episode is sponsored by Tracksuit This episode is brought to you by Tracksuit, the beautiful, affordable, and always-on-brand tracking dashboard that helps marketers answer - is what we're doing working? Making brand tracking accessible and easy to understand, Tracksuit data gives you full visibility on your brand health metrics. Visit  www.gotracksuit.com to start your always-on brand tracking journey. The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. For more info go to www.thewholemarketer.com