Brand Strategy

Two numbers from the same quarter, moving in opposite directions. UK marketing budgets grew by a net 6.9% in Q2 2026, according to the IPA Bellwether. Almost a quarter of firms raised their spend. Over the same three months, the share of those firms expecting better financial prospects at their own business fell from +0.6% to -9.6%. So companies put more money into marketing while feeling worse about their own year. That is not as odd as it first sounds, and it matters more t

75% of UK consumers say the marketing they receive is irrelevant to them. That comes from Optimizely's Marketer's Survival Guide, published at the start of August, which surveyed 1,000 UK consumers alongside 100 UK marketers. Alongside that headline figure: 69% receive duplicate or generic messages, 61% feel overwhelmed by the volume, and 35% unsubscribe after a single poor experience. One caveat worth stating up front. Optimizely sells personalisation software, so read the d

Two numbers from the same survey, pulling in opposite directions. Simply Business asked 1,842 UK small business owners to name their three biggest barriers. Almost half, 48%, put an unpredictable economy on the list. A year ago that figure was 16%. Uncertain consumer demand came next on 41%, and high running costs after that on 35%. But the share expecting the economy to get worse over the next twelve months went down, from 50% to 43%. So owners are not more pessimistic than

If your brand feels invisible in a crowded market, the problem might not be your product. It could be your positioning. Brand positioning isn't about what you sell. It's about how your customers perceive you and why they choose you over everyone else. Get it right, and you build loyalty, justify premium pricing, and make marketing a whole lot easier. Get it wrong, and you're just another option in a sea of sameness. Here's how to fix it. What Brand Positioning Actually Means

Most SME founders I meet are doing something with their marketing. Posting on social media, sending the occasional email, maybe running some ads. But when I ask what's working, I usually get a shrug. Sound familiar? The problem is that you're busy creating content and ticking boxes, but without a clear strategy you're hoping something sticks. That's exhausting, expensive, and it rarely delivers the growth you need. After 25 years working with SMEs across toys, consumer brands

How to turn your blog into a client magnet without posting every day Nikki Jeffery writing a new blog Blogging isn't dead. Random posting is. If you've ever published a blog and thought, "is anyone even reading this?", you're not alone. Many small businesses blog with the best intentions but without a plan. And without a plan, a blog is hard work for little reward. The good news is that you don't need to post every day to make blogging work. You need a simple, focused strateg