Awards

University of Strathclyde

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has announced a team from the University of Strathclyde as winners of its student competition, The Pitch.

This is the third consecutive year that students from the university have triumphed at the competition.

Thomas Cooper and Adam Dickson formed their team, Cooper & Dickson, and beat 28 teams from across the UK to be crowned ‘Marketers of the Future’. Due to Covid-19, the team were told of their award win by video call.

Cooper and Dickson, who study BA Hons in Business, impressed the judges with their creative proposition, ‘A Lidl means a lot’ which not only neatly reflected Lidl’s plastic reduction objectives, but also provided a platform to deliver against Lidl’s wider CSR strategy.

They focused on helping Lidl’s core audience make little, realistic changes, using their strapline ‘A Lidl means a lot’ to encourage individual changes such as switching to green reusable bags, while also keeping customers informed with Lidl’s overarching sustainability commitments. This included a social media campaign exploring what a difference little changes can make to other people’s lives.

Their approach was said to be finely tuned to Lidl’s primary shoppers – 16- to 24-year-olds and over 55s – and, therefore, included a multi-channel focus on digital platforms, as well as more traditional techniques such as email marketing.

Now in its ninth year, The Pitch sees students from leading universities compete to respond to a live client brief in a bid to win £1,500 and the title of ‘Marketer of the Future’. It is designed specifically to help accelerate the career of students studying a marketing or business degree, by developing their presentation, communication and problem-solving skills.

This year, teams put forward ideas to show how leading retailer Lidl, can most effectively market its commitment to a 20% reduction of its own brand plastic packaging by 2022.

Claire Farrant, marketing director at Lidl, said: ”The competition this year was fierce and there was a high level of research, understanding of the brief and the Lidl business from all 10 finalists which was so good to see. The finalists Paradigm, Met a la mode and Cooper and Dickson all showed a well thought out strategy and a strong customer proposition.

“All three teams demonstrated clearly what the role of Lidl will be over the next three years and how our customers could get involved in our commitment to reduce plastic use by 2022. Cooper and Dickson however showed a true retail roll-out marketing plan, allowing trial, review and roll-out which is a typical framework that a retailer would adopt when launching a campaign like this. This showed real insight into our business and ways of working. Congratulations to all teams and to Cooper and Dickson for being The Pitch 2020 winners.”

Cooper said: “While we might not be able to celebrate in person, we are so pleased to have been awarded this year’s title. Both of us jumped at the chance to put into practice many of the theories and marketing techniques that we’ve been studying since starting university.”

Dickson added: “The Pitch has given us the chance to be recognised for our thinking by a panel of respected marketing professionals, and it’s given us the confidence boost we needed, as we start to apply for graduate jobs.”

Recruitment

eBay Advertising 

eBay Advertising has appointed Harmony Murphy as its head of UK advertising sales. Murphy joins from The Telegraph, where she was global head of digital & programmatic.

At eBay, Murphy will be responsible for managing and growing the company’s display advertising revenue from ebay.co.uk, collaborating with brand and agency partners to deliver innovative data-led media solutions, and demonstrating the value that eBay brings to brands. Murphy will head up the in-house media sales teams based in London and Manchester and report into Mike Klinkhammer, director of advertising sales EU.

Having joined The Telegraph in 2017, Murphy doubled international programmatic revenue over the course of two years, in part through upskilling the team. Previous to this, she worked at Groupon, IGP Media and Time Inc.

Outside of work, Murphy is a board member at Generation Success, a not for profit organisation that helps young, ambitious people from diverse backgrounds to realise their career aspirations through mentoring, coaching and access to industry experts and events.

Murphy said: “It’s incredibly exciting to be working with a digital- and customer-first company that’s responsible for pioneering programmatic solutions, enviable audiences and rich insights – as well as a really talented team. I really admire eBay’s ethos of going ‘beyond the sale’ of advertising inventory as well as its determination to break new ground, and I’m looking forward to building truly strategic, impactful and innovative partnerships with our clients.”

Klinkhammer added: “Murphy is a brilliant addition to our team here at eBay. Her experience, drive and passion for digital and innovation will be incredibly valuable for us as we look to cement eBay’s reputation as a leading and future-ready advertising partner.”

BrandContent

PR and content agency, BrandContent, is expanding its team with the appointment of James Cuff to the role of associate director and creative lead.

The appointment is the company’s third of 2020 and will enable the Cardiff-based agency to continue taking on new clients in new sectors and bolster its strategic planning helping clients adjust to the currently evolving economic landscape.

Cuff joins BrandContent as the agency expands its client roster to industries beyond Tech and Financial services and will support the agency’s growth into new sectors working with brands who have a positive impact on the world.

Joining from FTSE 100 listed Admiral where he was head of digital, Cuff also brings extensive earned, paid and journalism experience, having held roles at Confused.com, The Sunday Times and Reach Plc.

Cuff will be responsible for leading the creative direction of the agency as well as shaping and driving BrandContent’s digital offering.

Cuff said: “I’m excited to be joining BrandContent at a time when brands need to deliver the right communications to their customers more than ever before, across digital, content and PR.  Building and shaping brands through the current climate, Brexit and beyond will need creativity and strategic thinking, and I’m looking forward to leading the team through these interesting times to help new and existing clients.”

Sharon Flaherty, founder and CEO of BrandContent, said: “I’m really excited about what James will bring to the agency. He is fiercely creative, brings a challenger spirit and has a key strength in blending technology and communications.

“As an agency, we have an ambitious growth strategy for 2020 and beyond, regardless of the current economic challenges, including entering new markets and diversifying our offering. James will help us on this journey. Whilst the current economic climate is unprecedented, the one thing that is certain is the need for brands to have clear communications. With James’ expertise, BrandContent is better placed than ever to help advise and deliver on communications that help clients not just survive but grow.”

Data & Marketing Commission 

Amerdeep Somal has been named as the new chief commissioner of the Data & Marketing Commission (DMC) – the industry body that oversees and enforces the DMA Code.

Led by the chief commissioner, the DMC investigates and adjudicates on reported breaches of the DMA Code by members of the Data & Marketing Association (DMA). The team of commissioners work to ensure responsible marketing and ethical marketing practices are maintained.

Somal said: “I am honoured to be appointed as the new Chief Commissioner. Over the past 25 years, I have remained committed to serving organisations where independence, public interest and trust are placed front and centre of all practices.

“Responsible marketing, transparency and ethics are key drivers for building consumer trust in the data and marketing industry – the DMC will continue to promote and enforce these values across the DMA’s membership. I am privileged to lead the DMC into the next stage of its evolution.”

Somal brings 25 years’ senior executive and non-executive experience to the position, previously operating within a series of high-profile stakeholder roles across a variety of sectors.

Previous roles include founding commissioner and board member at the Independent Police Complaints Commission. She is presently independent assessor of the Financial Ombudsman Service. She will also continue to hold her positions as a judge at the Ministry of Justice UK, council member of the General Medical Council and Board Trustee at Refuge.

Somal’s appointment comes as George Kidd comes to the end of his term, after 12 years with the DMC – first as an independent member of the DMC Board and then selected as Chief Commissioner in 2010.

Stephen Maher, chair of the Data & Marketing Association Board, said: “I’d like to personally thank George for his leadership, expertise and commitment to the DMC throughout his long tenure. He has been a truly remarkable ambassador to our industry.

“I am also delighted to welcome Amerdeep as the new Chief Commissioner. Her wealth of experience and invaluable knowledge of regulatory and judiciary practices will help drive the DMC forward into a new era.”

Molzi

Amazon agency Molzi has hired Charlie Merrells as chief strategy officer. Previously the UK category leader for Beer, Wine and Spirits at Amazon, Merrells will be responsible for the company’s international expansion and growing its offerings for global brands. The hire supports Molzi’s commitment to find and  conquer Amazon growth opportunities for the world’s biggest brands.

Previously Merrells spearheaded one of the UK’s fastest growing categories, Beer, Wine and Spirits. Leading a team of vendor managers, he successfully partnered with global brands to navigate e-commerce’s most demanding challenges and accelerate growth for clients and Amazon alike. An Amazon veteran, prior to his role in BWS, Merrells was a senior manager in Beauty products.

The appointment comes at a pivotal time for the Beer, Wine and Spirits category as retailers face a unique set of challenges. Brands are seeking guidance on resource intensive logistical obstacles and the operational processes Amazon demand. These include discoverability, wine catalogue management, selling individual bottles opposed to cases, weighty shipping and beer’s low average selling price (ASP).

Merrells said: “There has never been a better time for brands to sell on Amazon. As the alcoholic drinks category matures on Amazon, there is huge potential and early-mover advantage for brands that act quickly. With the category’s unique challenges, Amazon can understandably seem intimidating but I’ve seen how difficult it can be to play catch-up on the platform. I’m striving to support brands willing to capitalise on the current opportunities by giving them the inside track on Amazon.

“Joining Molzi was an easy decision. I believe in everything the leadership team and the brand stands for: agility, transparency, effectiveness and celebrating shared success.”

Chris Mole, CEO at Molzi, said: “Charlie brings exceptional experience to our growing team. He fulfils the increasing demand from our clients for strategic counsel on how to capitalise on the surge in online shopping. Having someone of his calibre – and his sense of humour – is going to benefit clients and staff alike. Our global expansion is in safe hands.”

Molzi has grown rapidly in Europe over the last three years. The 60-person team currently manages more than £100m of annualised Amazon revenue.

Following Merrells from Amazon is Louise Evans who joins as senior business development manager. Evans spent three years at Amazon, most recently as a vendor manager specialising in EU and UK fashion. Her experience includes driving sales for a wide range of brands in the sector and completing a secondment in Brazil as a programme manager.

Mole added: “We’re delighted to add Louise to our team. She strengthens our capabilities in the fashion industry and adds even more insight into selling successfully on Amazon. The ecommerce potential for the sector is undeniable and her experience will support brands embracing Amazon.”

LADbible Group

LADbible Group, based in Machester, has hired Maya Orr from Lidl as head of marketing and communications.

Orr held a number of roles within the marketing, advertising and communications teams at the the supermarket chain and helped to launch its first consumer campaign, #LidlSurprises, in 2014. She also worked on crisis management during 2013’s horsemeat scandal.

At LADbible she will head up marketing and communications across the publisher’s portfolio, which includes LADbible, SPORTbible and female-focused Tyla.

She take over from Lizzie Barclay, who has joined eCommerce firm Square after 19 months with LADbible.

Orr will report to Chief Growth Officer Colin Gottlieb and be responsible for reputation management, marketing innovations as well as through-the-line campaigns for the group.

Orr said: “Throughout my career, I have been witness to a huge shift in audiences from traditional media to online platforms and social channels, and truly admire how LADbible Group has managed to create a deeply engaged relationship with its 140 million global followers.”

Gottlieb said: “Maya brings to LADbible Group not only her top-flight outstanding award-winning marketing and consumer communications experience, but she is also a charismatic leader, working in one of the most demanding sectors. We’re delighted to welcome her to the team.”

Pinterest

Milka Kramer is joining Pinterest as country manager for the UK and Ireland.

Kramer is a media and tech industry veteran with vast experience managing fast-growing sales teams and operations at the pan-European level. As country manager for the UK and Ireland, her responsibilities will include working closely with brands and agencies to scale Pinterest’s growing advertising business in these countries.

Kramer joins Pinterest from Microsoft where she spent the past 11 years, most recently as sales director on the UK Strategic Advertising Team. She led a team that is responsible for driving revenue and managing relationships with some of the biggest clients and agencies in the UK by helping them identify the latest trends in consumer behaviour and technology adoption and aligning marketing strategies accordingly.

Before that, she was responsible for revenue and marketplace performance in 12 markets in Western Europe. She was also the Bing Ads product evangelist and was driving awareness, perception and adoption of Bing Ads and Bing.com. Kramer will take the lead to advance Pinterest’s advertising business in the UK and Ireland.

Jon Kaplan, Chief Revenue Officer at Pinterest, said: “Milka’s experience in growing relationships and driving results with global clients and agencies makes her an ideal fit to help businesses in the UK and Ireland reach inspired shoppers on Pinterest. With her impressive range of knowledge and entrepreneur mindset, we’re excited to have Milka lead the team and scale the opportunities for advertisers in one of our most important markets.”

Kramer said: “Pinterest is a unique and valuable platform for businesses to connect with audiences who are asking for inspiration from trusted brands, now more than ever. I’ve been especially impressed by how ads fit into what people are already doing on Pinterest as they plan projects, discover ideas and browse before they take action on what to buy.  Ads on Pinterest stand out because they fit in, and I’m looking forward to joining the team to help even more businesses reach and engage with the inspired audience on Pinterest.”

Ogury

Ogury, the creator of the first advertising engine driven by user choice, has appointed Antoine Barbier as senior VP of product.

In this role Barbier will be responsible for scaling Ogury’s product team and leading the company’s product development globally.

Cedric Carbone, CTO, Ogury, said: “Antoine’s experience in building next level products and his background in mobile video advertising  will play a strategic role in continuing to expand Ogury’s Advertising Engine. It is critical now more than ever that we rely on innovation to solve some of the toughest problems of the adtech market, how can ad campaigns continue to be effective, while protecting user privacy and data.”

“We have big plans for 2020 and are excited to have a seasoned executive join our team to help Ogury in its growth.”

Barbier is originally from France where he began his career at a mobile advertising startup.  In 2009, he moved to San Francisco to further pursue his career in adtech, holding product and business development positions at Rhythm NewMedia, a mobile video advertising network, and TubeMogul, where he led the expansion and development of the company’s mobile products globally.

Most recently, Barbier held the role of director of product management at Adobe, leading a product team responsible for all advertising formats across devices, as well as reporting & insights products for the Adobe Advertising Cloud DSP. He is now returning to France to continue his career at Ogury, bringing more than 10 years of expertise in managing product strategy and operations from major technology companies.

Barbier said: “I’m excited to join Ogury and focus on the mobile advertising ecosystem, which I believe remains untapped in its potential. Mobile is the key to understanding consumer behavior; it shows advertisers how consumers learn, interact and eventually transact with a brand.

“My mission will be to continue building a product suite that sits at the heart of a new adtech ecosystem, trusted and appreciated by brands, publishers, and consumers alike. I am confident that with this supportive and energized culture, we are set to enable this new digital advertising approach, driven by consumer choice.”

PMW Communications

Sussex-based full-service marketing agency, PMW Communications, has strengthened its digital team since the beginning of 2020 with two new appointments.

Eloise Vass joined as an SEO manager, a part of the business that is growing exponentially. Vaas started her career as an SEO executive at a digital agency and will now be working with PMW’s clients to develop SEO and content strategies, improve search rankings, and drive website visitors.

Harvey Woods spent a week at PMW in November as part of a work placement. The company was extremely impressed and he is now a full-time member of the social media team. Having completed a geology degree, Harvey began his career in that industry, but changed his focus after enjoying the creativity that came with looking after the company’s social media platforms.

Woods said: “As well as creating engaging social media content, I’m working with PMW’s design team to develop some augmented reality filters for our Instagram clients, and it’s this focus on creativity that I’m enjoying the most; no idea is a bad idea.”

Eloise added: “I was drawn to the diverse range of sectors and clients that PMW works with, and as it’s a full-service agency, I’m enjoying working with people across the whole marketing spectrum. Everyone learns something from each other and I’m excited to be part of the team.”

Peter Sutton, MD at PMW Communications, said: “The digital side of our business continues to increase, and I’m delighted to welcome Eloise and Harvey to the growing team.”

Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes, a provider of advanced endpoint protection and remediation solutions, has hired Dariusz Paczuski as senior VP of marketing, to help scale the company’s consumer and enterprise businesses.

Paczuski joins Malwarebytes from Verizon Media where he served as vice president of consumer growth marketing, leading global brand, creative, product, and performance marketing for their $7.5B advertising, media, commerce, and subscription businesses – serving nearly 900 million people around the world.

Marcin Kleczynski, co-founder & CEO of Malwarebytes, said: “Malwarebytes is at an exciting stage where marketing will help us serve customers better, reach new customers, and fully realize our exponential growth potential.

“As our new senior vice president of marketing, Dariusz brings his experience and expertise from leading marketing organizations at scale to accelerate our next stage of growth.”

In his role at Verizon Media, Paczuski led marketing across their portfolio of notable global brands including Yahoo, Huffpost, Aol, TechCrunch, and Engadget. Prior to his tenure at Verizon Media, Paczuski held leadership positions at technology innovators such as Yahoo, Telenav, Microsoft, Tellme, Aol, and Netscape, developing a reputation for driving growth through brand, product, and performance marketing.

Paczuski said: “I was immediately drawn to Malwarebytes and its incredible potential, driven by a strong mission to give people and businesses peace of mind in a growing and evolving cyberthreat landscape.

“I’m excited to take this brand to the next level, serving our customers even better, transforming a ‘best kept secret’ to a household name, and amplifying our brand and business growth.”

Managing Partners Forum

Leor Franks, CMO at litigation funder Augusta, has been named as the new chair of the Managing Partners Forum’s Strategy & Marketing Group.

Franks has 20 years’ B2B communications and marketing expertise in professional services (legal, management consultancy & accounting); financial services (corporate finance & insurance); and technology services (legal software & data systems).

He has headed teams in marketing director roles across multinationals and start-ups, including at Deloitte, EY and FTI Consulting.

Invibes Advertising

Digital in-feed advertising specialist, Invibes Advertising, has appointed a new UK country director, Caroline Lidington, and UK partnership director, Joy Dean.

This brand new managerial team in the UK will look to continue the European expansion of this international digital advertising solutions company, which also announced its Q1 consolidated revenue of €1.7 million, totalling organic growth of +41%.

Caroline Lidington has more than 20 years of experience in digital and broadcast advertising. Before joining Invibes Advertising, she was sales director for Northern Europe for lastminute.com Group.

Previously, Caroline held management positions within global groups in the advertising industry including Hearst Magazines, Hachette Filipacchi Media, Bauer Media, Yahoo! and Universal McCann.

Joy Dean has developed more than 12 years of robust expertise in digital advertising acquired from specialists in mobile advertising including Widespace and Ogury, and experts in data driven marketing like Exponential, in which she alternately held two managerial positions; advertising and partnership manager.