If Love Island was ever a guilty pleasure, this year, they dropped the guilty. But how much of the show’s success is owed to social media? In our second instalment of Social Minds, ITV business development director, Jason Spencer, reveals how Love Island managed to become the summer’s hottest TV show. Covering everything from brand partnerships to savvy social media use and winning the coveted attention of a 16-24 demographic, this conversation challenges the myth that tech is the enemy of traditional television. 

When marketing a club night where the venue, the DJ and the drinks deals are all the same, how does one ensure their night out is the place to be? In Episode 003 of Social Minds, we speak to the managing director of student events company Voodoo Events and host of the Modern Wisdom podcast, Chris Williamson. In this, we gain a candid account of social equity, selling the student night out and how championing students’ emboldened sense of self is in an events marketer’s best interest – if they hope to survive in this unforgiving industry.

Calls have been made for urgent action to tackle influencer fraud – before trust is lost forever. But short of being put off, brands continue to blindly pump billions into influencer marketing. Social Chain head of influencer talent, Tom Peters, claims brands still aren’t asking the right questions on credibility or challenging ROI. And without adequate action from the platforms, it’s up to agencies to educate brands on how to improve the integrity, transparency and measurement of influencer marketing.

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK; nevertheless, a metaphorical handbrake exists whenever the ‘S’ word is mentioned. This week on Social Minds, we sit down with Simon Gunning, the CEO of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), who is taking a sledgehammer to the taboo of male suicide with a hard-hitting approach to advertising. We discuss the new face of corporate social responsibility (CSR), poisonous masculine stereotypes and the role data-led technology can have in saving lives.

When it comes to automated tools, as an industry we’re confused. Are chatbots artificial intelligence, a customer service tool, the death of email marketing or all of the above? Syd Lawrence, CEO of The Bot Platform and our guest for Episode 006 of Social Minds, laments the term chatbot; after all, who wants to chat to a bot? Instead he explains why marketers are in dire need of managing their tech expectations, and shows us the real magic that can happen when bot technology is put in the right hands.

Facebook’s algorithm is crippling content which fails to inspire ‘meaningful engagement’ – but who dictates what meaningful means? As Social Chain strategy director, Mike Blake-Crawford, points out: the perceived value of content differs between people. And as content restrictions continue to contradict Facebook’s latest objective, agencies’ role to provide unbiased guidance has never been more crucial. In Episode 007 of Social Minds, we translate Facebook’s actions and agenda to reveal how brands, publishers and creators can survive in such uncertain times.

Social Chain Group CEO, Steven Bartlett, has a responsibility to brands, employees and investors to predict the ever-changing landscape of social media. But how do you predict the unpredictable? In Episode 008 of Social Minds, Steve gives us a candid insight into how he navigates constant shifts, the state of social media – following a scandalous year – and the importance of finding optimism in innovation.

For sports fans in 2018, a logo on a shirt simply isn’t enough. Sponsorship deals are part and parcel of the beautiful game, but Social Chain head of sport, Rich Johnson, warns that brands are failing to resonate with a modern crowd. As a new generation of sports fans comes of age, it is imperative that marketers meet heightened expectations, navigate endless accessibility and translate the integrity of sport through authentic advertising. In Episode 009 of Social Minds, Rich reveals how.

To the average consumer, augmented reality means little more than face filters – for now. But ask a futurist such as Kat Callow, our guest for Episode 010 of Social Minds, and you’ll see how this revolutionary tech is set to shape the future of shopping – causing ramifications for bricks and mortar, e-tailers and influencers. Snap Inc. has shacked up with Amazon and, whilst Facebook opens beta for Instagram Camera Effects under Spark AR, Google Lens looks to move from maps to media buys. As huge changes are on the horizon for 2019, brands and marketers must move fast to trial AR tech ahead of its mass adoption.

As marketers, we’re obsessed with making people feel. But why should anyone have feelings about a brand? Social Chain’s own Oliver Yonchev believes that ‘the mindset marketer’ will be everything in 2019. And as age and profile labels become redundant, a greater focus will be placed on emotion. In Episode 011 of Social Minds, Oliver reveals his learnings on the youth brain and explains why understanding the mindset of a generation must come first, before earning the right to sell to it.

Born from a saturation of social media scandals, the age of digital transparency is upon us. Episode 012 of Social Minds hears Matt Wilson, senior media relations officer for the Advertising Standards Authority, explain that while regulators don’t seek to censor the colourful, risqué and edgy world of advertising, their duty to prevent harm and offence will not waver. Having lived through the advent of social media and the dawn of influencer marketing in his 14 years at the ASA, Matt has some important distinctions to make and advice to impart, as calls for social media regulation grow bolder.

Solving social media can sometimes feel like everyone is in on the secret but you. But for Media Chain head of innovation, George MacGill, growth hacking is not only about having the answers but asking the right questions. Whether it’s cracking YouTube discoverability, Facebook’s hidden crypto conspiracy or the new app dominating Chinese social media, in Episode 013 of Social Minds, George proves that once you know where to look, there’s no shift you can’t decode.

The AI apocalypse is a recurring theme in tabloid newspapers, but journalists have bigger concerns than bots cloning the newsroom. Copywriters are less optimistic, however, and their fears haven’t been quashed by the arrival of Phrasee – a tool that uses AI to produce millions of email subjects and social media captions in seconds. In episode 14 of Social Minds, Parry Malm, Phrasee’s CEO and co-founder, calls BS on claims that AI will kill copywriting and explains why he wants to liberate wordsmiths, not replace them.

96% of video is consumed on mobile, so brands and marketers should understand the importance of mastering vertical video. In reality, many remain stubborn in their execution – either hacking, botching or ignoring the pivot to 9:16 entirely. In episode 015 of Social Minds, we’re joined by head and founder of Sporf, Nick Speakman, who has brought dynamic vertical content to the screens of 15 million people – diversified for purpose and platform. His advice to his industry peers? Prioritise vertical now, or fall behind for good.

You might think that kids all want to be YouTubers or Instagrammers when they grow up. But among adolescents, the desire to be an ‘influencer’ is on the decline. In episode 016 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Bexy and Krupali of culture-based agency, Amplify, to discuss the disconnect between youth’s craving to be influential and their rejection of ‘the influencer’. As marketers seeking to engage and influence a youth market, we first have to ask what influence really means to them.

Social media professionals typically suffer from a lack of understanding and respect from the outside world – but there’s one position which struggles to gain recognition within the walls of the industry. In episode 017, we’re joined by Elizabeth Knights-Ward, marketing director and champion of the social media manager. In this, we address why such a challenging position is regarded as entry-level – and why it’s time for that to change.

Is storytelling a realistic goal on social media, or just another of marketers’ favourite buzzwords? In episode 018 of Social Minds, we sit down with Alex Ayin, commercial director at Media Chain, to find out exactly how brands can overcome platform limitations to drive a powerful narrative home – in 15 seconds or less.

Experiential marketing is broken. That is the opinion of Lee Benecke, head of digital engagement and our guest for episode 019 of Social Minds. In this episode, Lee gives a sobering account of the state of online/offline activations and blames brand naivety for the thoughtless addition of social media to OOH campaigns. With screen time increasing and marketers constantly competing, we ask: have social media marketers stopped living in the real world?

From the death of the News Feed to social-first CRM and a departure from social networking, December has seen an influx of marketers making their predictions for 2019. In our final episode of 2018, Social Chain strategy director, Mike Blake-Crawford, makes his return to Social Minds in order to pave the way for brands in 2019. In this, we cover his top 5 predictions, including WhatsApp’s advent as a business tool and what Instagram’s leadership under Adam Mosseri will bring in the new year.

In our first episode of 2019, Theo and Eve sit down for a special edition of Social Minds: Breaking Social. In this, we debrief from the biggest social media stories to break so far this year—including Mark Zuckerberg’s challenge to host public debates, the hypocrisy of Instagram’s spam ad scandal, Twitter’s promising public beta and, of course, THAT Gillette advert. To make sure you’re prepared for every change 2019 has in store for social media, download FWD: Cut The Bullsh*t Volume 2 here: insights.socialchain.com/fwd-2019

Content marketing is still relatively new, so why are our processes stuck in the past? Externally, we strive for speed and innovation but, internally, the industry’s way of working remains slow and bloated. In episode 022 of Social Minds, CEO of Planable, Xenia Muntean, shares her three core principles to effectively scale content marketing, create a shared language with your clients and, ultimately, save valuable time so that creatives can do what they do best—create. Ready to bring your organisation into the 21st century?

Disruption is on the way, and Silicon Valley’s tech giants have an appetite for it. In episode 023 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Anya Du Sauzay, head of digital marketing at Sony Music Entertainment / Syco Music, to find out how social media has altered the way new artists are discovered and marketed. In this, we explore how important social media, brand partnerships and algorithmic Spotify playlists are to today’s rising stars—and vice versa. It’s clear that social has changed music forever, but is it a threat to the industry or a new opportunity?

Social media is not just a young person’s game. It is increasingly important that C-level executives have a full understanding of the value which social media can provide. But how does a social media manager sell a big idea to a big cheese? In episode 024 of Social Minds, we’re joined by senior strategist at WeStrategise, Rob Alderman, to find out what makes the perfect pitch—and how those skills can create actionable solutions to an industry-wide dilemma. 

For episode 025 of Social Minds, Theo and Eve sat down for another edition of Breaking Social, this time covering the hottest social media stories to break in February. We dissect YouTube’s latest brand safety debate along with its new community legislation; the launch of LinkedIn LIVE and what this means for the up-and-coming social network; and Facebook’s ongoing struggle between offering transparency and security and what this means in the face of government regulation following a scathing report.

$500 billion was spent on digital advertising in 2018 alone. Now imagine if that money could be funnelled into life-changing causes. That’s the vision of our guest for episode 026 of Social Minds, Amy Williams—founder of ad tech platform, Good-Loop, which aims to make digital advertising ethical again by donating half of its revenue to charity. In this, we speak to her about the future of cause marketing, the epidemic of young ad-blockers and social media’s crucial role in fixing both.

The brain requires idle time to develop, but our constantly connected world seldom allows for boredom. Attention is now currency; aggressive marketing tactics and intensive social media use has earned the industry a reputation for its contribution to mental health issues. But our guest for episode 027 of Social Minds, Dr Fjola Helgadottir, has research which proves otherwise. What’s more, her online CBT programme demonstrates how digital media can actually be used to cure the very illnesses it can contribute to.

Mistrust in advertising is the result of a lie. That lie tells consumers they are the audience of advertising when, in reality, they are the product. Now, a solution has emerged which aims to solve the attention crisis by literally giving value back to the user. In episode 028 of Social Minds, Sam Jones, founder of Gener8 Ads, reveals his industry-shaking plan to educate consumers, reclaim ad space and pay users in cash for their attention.

40% of millennials choose their next holiday spot based on its Instagrammability, but how much does social media influence global travel trends? In episode 029 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Maria McKenzie, social communications manager at Lonely Planet, to discuss influencers, overtourism and how Instagram became a booming tourism industry in its own right. In this, Maria reveals the travel trends shaping 2019 and where marketers should look to find them.

For episode 030 of Social Minds, Theo and Eve cover the biggest social media stories to break in March. On our list is Instagram’s new Checkout button, including what it means for social commerce and e-tail websites; Article 13, the EU’s controversial copyright law amendment and so-called meme ban; and the future of linear TV following Apple TV+ and the news that online subscriptions have overtaken cable for the first time. Finally, we answer your questions about the world of social media marketing.

We’re undergoing a substantial shift in the way agencies operate; large network agencies have learned to share the market with specialist and challenger agencies. But how do we differentiate from one another when there’s an agency for everything? In episode 031 of Social Minds, Oliver Global COO Leo Harrison joins us to discuss differentiation, sustainability benefits for consumers and brands and the future of the agency model in our new adland.

product teams. The government has also decided it’s time to regulate social media platforms. But are either the right ones for the job and if not, then who? For episode 032 of Social Minds, we spoke with Useful Social founder Dan Price about the price of data, the ramifications of regulatory legislation and what happens when both are placed in the wrong hands.

Facebook and publishers are locked in a power struggle; neither want to concede ownership of their communities, but both need the other to survive. In episode 033 of Social Minds, we speak to On The Tools co-founder and CEO Lee Wilcox, to discover the value exchange that can happen when the two work together. In this, Lee explains how niche communities are combatting the symptoms of content overload. These groups also play a crucial role in deciding and influencing trends, and On The Tools are using that to make real change in the construction industry. Finally, we reveal the fate of UGC as social video moves further towards long-form.

Young people are watching less TV—that cannot be argued. So where does this leave traditional broadcasters? In episode 034 of Social Minds, we’re joined by James Cross and Tim Jones, creative directors at BBC Creative, for a candid discussion about the future of linear television. In the face of Netflix, Hulu and YouTube, organisations like the BBC have been forced to play catch up. Now, we get an insight into their survival strategy. For James and Tim, the answer is a reimagined approach to creativity.

As we enter a new era of social media, Facebook’s annual F8 conference laid out the blueprints for a privacy-first approach. Across messaging, commerce and meaningful interactions, Facebook made clear exactly how user behaviour is changing and where its focus—and ours—should be. In episode 035 of Social Minds, we break down each major update announced at F8, what they mean for Facebook and the opportunities they present for brands and marketers.

Being present in culture is a dream for any brand, but earning real capital takes more than sponsorship—brands must be sincere to succeed. In episode 036 of Social Minds we’re joined by Theo and Robin, directors at Warm Street, to discuss how brands can participate in subculture movements through music. In this, we reveal the steps brands need to take to make an impact from grassroots level to mass marketing campaigns.

Earlier this year we collaborated with Buffer on its annual State of Social report, which enables marketers to form an informed strategy through social-first data. In episode 037 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Buffer’s editorial director, Ash Read, to unearth the learnings which have come to light since then, discuss how to strike the balance between research and creative instinct, and reveal when to use data to outsmart the platforms’ ever-changing landscape.

Every new business wants to create the ideal working environment. Challenger bank, Monzo, is no different. In episode 038 of Social Minds, Social Chain COO Dom McGregor is joined by Monzo COO, Tom Foster-Carter. In this, we discuss how core values, an intuition for what young people want and determination to do things differently is the only way to create a successful business in a time where the average lifespan of a company is just 15 years.

rejected niche appeal and advertises its products purely on social over traditional means—to enormous success. So how does a brand go from start-up to household name without all of the above? In episode 039 of Social Minds, we’re joined by founder and chief marketing officer of Huel, Julian Hearn. In this, Julian reveals how one-to-one communication with customers, an intuitive paid social strategy and the knowledge that no success is permanent has the likes of Forbes, The Telegraph and The Guardian calling Huel “the food of the future”.

Has Instagram left itself vulnerable to vertical-first competitors? In episode 040 of Social Minds: Breaking Social, Theo and Eve are back to translate the biggest social media stories to break in May. We discuss Facebook’s latest algorithm update and its effect on publishers, and share the first-look reaction from our own Pages; Twitter’s update which places emphasis on direct messages, as a wider shift towards private sharing continues; Snapchat’s recent licensing deals, which put music front and centre of the platform; and what brands should make of IGTV now after Instagram wobbles, surrendering to creators and sacrificing the USP of its long-form experiment.

In all forms of marketing, misunderstanding your target audience means missing the mark. But why are so many brands failing to resonate with their audience on social media when the tools available to them are so sophisticated? In episode 041 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Social Chain UK managing director Katy Leeson, to discuss how social-first data capabilities are revolutionising our understanding of modern consumers and what lessons can be transferred from traditional media targeting. Intuitive targeting means knowing that customers’ offline actions don’t always marry with their online thoughts, or that effective youth marketing means not falling for the stereotypes associated with millennials and Gen Z. In this, Katy reveals how brands can succeed by understanding who is talking about your brand, where they’re talking and what those conversations really say about you.

Social has irreversibly changed the way news is broken; publishers now rely on user-generated content for on-the-ground video and photo reporting. But what does that mean for the health of information and the content we consume? In episode 042 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Jon Cornwell, co-founder and CEO of Newsflare—a company which licenses viral and breaking news videos to media and news organisations globally. In this, we discuss Facebook’s treatment of publishers, the democratisation of editorial video as well as what the future has in store for different video formats such as LIVE and long-form episodic content. We also cover the EU’s new directive, Articles 13 and 11, also known as the meme ban and link tax respectively, and what these new laws will mean for aggregators of social-first video content.

People respond to people, not logos. That’s not news, but LinkedIn’s focus on personal video posts has provoked a personal branding revolution. In episode 043 of Social Minds, personal brand consultant Ashley Jones discusses the impact of personal branding for businesses. Ashley, who was instrumental in raising Steven Bartlett’s profile at the beginning of Social Chain, also shares the crucial difference between personal branding and influencer marketing. Finally, we discuss how raising the profile of leaders and employees—at every level—can win pitches before you even enter the room.

What do LinkedIn, Libra and Instagram Stories all have in common? Each one has made recent changes which take us a step further towards a social media landscape that is primarily designed for peer-to-peer interactions—whether that’s through messaging, payments or regular posts. In episode 044 of Social Minds, Theo and Eve discuss the meaning behind June’s biggest social media stories, including LinkedIn’s algorithm change, Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra and Instagram Stories’ new Chat Sticker. This episode also sees the return of our monthly Q&A segment as we answer your submitted questions.

2019 is the year of the podcast; high value and low competition means the opportunity for first-mover advantage is hot right now. But how does one avoid being just another voice with nothing to say? In episode 045 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Social Chain audio executive Charlie Perry. Charlie played a crucial role in getting PrettyLittleThing’s podcast, PLT: Behind Closed Doors, to number one in the top podcast charts in just 24 hours. In this episode, she reveals how to rank in the top charts, why downloads are a weak metric and why discoverability is key. We also discuss the importance of audio quality, effective promotion and the lucrative qualities unique to podcast listeners. Finally we explain where brands fit into the mix—and why branded podcasts are proving to be a life line for those seeking diversification, intimate consumer relationships and a home for long-form, value-rich content.

Food and drink should be an easy sell; it’s a necessity for every age and demographic. So why is the industry still falling behind in its comms and marketing? In episode 046 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Mark McCulloch, brand and marketing executive at Supersonic Inc and host of the Supersonic Food Marketing Podcast. In this, Mark reveals why food and drink marketing needs to move beyond knee-jerk promotion and how brands can do that while using social to make their budgets stretch. We also discuss the brands who are succeeding at innovation and relevance, and break down their recipe for success.

People respond to people. That’s not a new lesson, far from it, but it has forced brands to change how they talk to their consumers on social. Andréa Jones, a strategist and founder of her own social media consultancy firm, Onlinedrea, regularly tells businesses to show off their personality or risk going unnoticed. She joins us via Skype for episode 047 of Social Minds, which discusses the opportunities for valuable dialogue between brands and people, and the role copywriters, AI and chatbots play. Finally, we forecast the future of email marketing and increasingly integrated marketing strategies across social and non-social platforms.

In episode 048 of Social Minds: Breaking Social, Theo and Eve translate the biggest social media stories to break in July 2019. Snapchat took its naysayers by surprise with impressive second-quarter results and its first major ad campaign; Twitter’s Me On Twitter user-generated ads hint at a noticeable and cost-effective marketing opportunity; and Facebook’s FTC’s fine was the largest in its history. We also discuss the Facebook widgets falling foul of GDPR and the release of Netflix’s Cambridge Analytica exposé, The Great Hack – two setbacks which come at a crucial time for Facebook. Finally we are thrilled to share the details of Social Chain Data’s official launch—a new dedicated service giving brands access to 80 million super fans, consumer trends and unprecedented marketing insights.

In our fast-paced, tech-driven world, marketers have just three seconds to be remembered. Our guest for episode 049 of Social Minds, Nicholas Young, thinks that is stifling creativity in advertising. Nick puts it down to an epidemic of fear among creatives who would rather play it safe than anger Twitter trolls and is remedying this by educating the next generation of advertisers as a senior lecturer in creative advertising at Leeds Arts University, after over 12 years serving as creative director for several major agencies. The first lesson he teaches his students? Take risks to execute fearless ideas. In this episode, Nick reveals the trends he’s seeing in tomorrow’s creatives, the truth behind brand loyalty, how to fix ageism in the industry and the many ways social media has changed everything.

Students are a key demographic for all B2C brands. But this generation of freshers is different from their predecessors; the internet was up and running before they learned how to speak. That means their formative years were spent on Facebook, and they’ve spent the last decade being targeted by Instagram ads. In episode 050 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Social Chain social media director Roxanne Parker. Freshers Week is just around the corner but, formerly of UNiDAYS and the National Union of Students, Roxanne stresses the importance of student marketing all year round. In this episode, she reveals how social-first data can aid understanding current student behaviour, which events in the student calendar to note and how to think outside the Facebook bubble to reach more students. We also discuss the crucial difference between practical and aspirational student marketing and how to find where your brand fits into the mix.

Understanding the inner workings of social media is crucial to creating a successful strategy. At the end of last year, Social Chain strategy director Mike Blake-Crawford came on the podcast to predict what 2019 would have in store for social. Now, half way through the year, we check back in with Mike to see which of his predictions have come to pass and what new trends have presented themselves. In this episode, we cover the ‘demetrification’ of social as Instagram moves to hide likes, noting what the impact will be. We also discuss the rise in chatbots and ‘chatvertising’ amid a shift towards private messaging. Finally, Mike reveals Facebook’s motive behind encouraging long-form videos, how YouTube and Facebook have reversed their stance on video length, and what our data says about the ongoing long-form versus short-form debate.

90% of people are watchers and 9% are engagers, which leaves 1% of content creators who can demonstrate influence over audiences, social media platforms and brands. So why does it feel like the bubble could burst at any moment? Neal Schaffer is a Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer and business consultant with a tremendous amount of influence. And while he doesn’t fit into the traditional lifestyle blogger blueprint, his advice to brands and defence of influencers who have fallen on the wrong side of the mistrust debate is relevant to everyone. In Episode 052 of Social Minds, we question why people still listen to influencers over brands and touch on the one organic social strategy that still rivals paid media.

You know times have changed when a high-end heritage brand like Gucci starts posting memes. But fashion brands’ innovative uses of social media are setting a precedent for the rest. In episode 053 of Social Minds, Amy Miller, senior account manager in fashion at Social Chain, presents the ethical conversations are impacting the fashion industry, what drives teenagers to wear luxury labels and why the high street is far from dead. Social is in vogue, and no sector is proving that more than fashion; from luxury to fast fashion, clothing brands and retailers are busy weaving the fabric of online experience. But as others are left to watch and learn, we discuss the tactics available for every brand to try. Plus, we delve into the emerging opportunities in new media.

Would you pay £330 for Snap’s latest Spectacles? We’re debating Snapchat’s parent company and its bold push into augmented reality and much more from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in our latest edition of Breaking Social. This month, that includes several key platform updates and a crash course in how to take care with controversy. Expect to hear why advertisers should care that there are now 1.5 million more over 60s than teens on Facebook, why influencers are using Instagram to promote their tweets, and why everyone is talking about NARS and Adidas. Plus we provide a first look at Instagram’s new messaging app, Threads, and invite you to join our brand new Facebook Group for Social Minds.

1.3 billion people in the world live with disability. Just 0.6% of adverts represent them. In episode 055 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Marianne Waite. Marianne is director at Omnicom’s The Valuable 500 – the global movement putting disability on the business leadership agenda, whose Diversish campaign took home a Cannes Lions award earlier this year. Disability is seen as a charity or government issue, but Marianne stresses that it is brands and corporations that have the scale, power and money to make real change. In this episode, we expose the fear, bias and ignorance that is taking place across our industry and preventing the fair and accurate representation of a large group with equal spending power.

What do you think of when you hear the word data? Big data, little data, data scandal, personal data, market data, opinion data… Forget what you’ve read in the headlines; Social Chain’s own head of data and insights, McVal Osborne, joins us on episode 056 of Social Minds to iron out the facts. In this episode we discuss when our concerns are justified – and when they aren’t – what the different types of data mean and which are the most useful to brands and marketers. Finish this episode understanding how to manage your personal information and how to employ ethics when using data to target your audience.

Getting people’s attention is one thing. Actually converting them is another. In episode 057 of Social Minds, Teresa Heath-Wareing, TEDx speaker and one of the UK’s leading experts on social media marketing, puts an end to the use of ‘value exchange’ as a buzzword. Instead, she reveals how marketers can put it into practice. We discuss UK marketers’ confidence issues, the meaning of lead magnets and the importance of give and take. Teresa also explains the necessary boundaries between brands and businesses who expect too much, and those who aren’t asking enough. This episode is packed full of actionable insight and demonstrates perfectly the reasons why we should stop trying to get everyone’s attention and just focus on the people who we know will buy into a brand.

When brands are free to control their own online narrative through social media, is the traditional press release still relevant or has it become an obsolete relic of the past? In episode 058 of Social Minds, we’re joined by PR publicist, producer and and co-founder of The Influential Women podcast, Nicki Bannerman, to debate the role that public relations plays in 2019. We discuss how PR has moved from print to online, whether or not being published by trade and national press still holds weight and how brands and marketers can sync their earned media with PR activations to get the most exposure. We also cover people’s attitudes towards PR stunts among contrast between a demand for experiences yet a disdain for fabricated or forced publicity.

Vast changes have been made to the social landscape over the last month. In this week’s episode of Social Minds: Breaking Social, Theo and Eve dissect the latest updates you need to know about, including Stories ads’ new chatbot function, Instagram Shopping’s new Product Launch tags, Snapchat’s extended three-minute ad spots and LinkedIn’s new targeting mechanism. We also take a first look at Facebook Dating as it launches in the US, and translate the leaked audio of Facebook’s internal Q&A which revealed its takedown strategy for TikTok and contingency plan if Senator Elizabeth Warren succeeds in breaking up the Facebook ecosystem. Finally we walk you through Twitch’s brand refresh, Reddit’s new video formats and Libra’s latest blow, as PayPal, VISA and MasterCard all reconsider their input.

eBay, Mastercard, VISA and Paypal are four of the world’s most powerful companies. Along with Stripe, a Californian financial software company, they are also the first early backers to leave Facebook’s Libra project. But is Facebook’s plan to launch a cryptocurrency doomed or will it push through regulation to help create the world’s biggest bank? In episode 060 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Social Chain’s instant messaging lead, Dilen Pattni, and Josh Riddett, the CEO of Easy Crypto Hunter. Both have a comprehensive knowledge of blockchain technology and a deeper interest than most in what Mark Zuckerberg is up to. They discuss blockchain, bitcoin and why not every international government is averse to Facebook’s plans, even if the G7 are.

New parents are often warned against posting pictures of their children online, due to the dark web hosting a network of child abusers. But while that is a very real concern, it is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reasons why parents should think twice before hitting Post. In episode 61 of Social Minds, we welcome back Kat Callow who has recently returned from a consulting role in Silicon Valley. Children become self-aware at age 5. By that point, there are already about 5,400 images of them online – and that’s just in the UK. In the last few years, millennial parents have popularised ’sharenting’ while some children are influencers in their own right. But Kat emphasises the permanence of hosting images on Facebook or Google’s servers, and how they’re used to study behaviour for commercial gain. As we start to see the first legal cases of digital emancipation emerge, transgender rights, ownership of identity and mental health are all feature heavily in this growing debate between parents and platforms.

America is a market so large that its 50 states may as well be 50 countries. So what can UK businesses do to ensure they make a transatlantic impact? In this episode of Social Minds we catch up with managing director of Social Chain USA, Oliver Yonchev, who is currently growing our office in New York. We discuss the hurdles that UK companies need to overcome when tackling the US, what to consider for differences in size, tone and culture, and the nuances in innovation, creativity and competition. Madison Avenue gave the American advertising landscape the gift of maturity, but Ollie insists that the UK remains adland’s hub for experimentation. In this episode, he reveals the strategies that each market should borrow from one another and how brands crossing the pond can employ the best of both.

In June 2006 Yahoo tried to buy Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg ignored advice to reject the offer. That September, Facebook launched News Feed, once again against strong advice. Now, Zuckerberg has been conditioned to believe he knows best. In episode 063 of Social Minds, The Guardian’s UK tech editor, Alex Hern, joins us to discuss Facebook’s growing power and the repercussions of that. Alex says that, while Zuckerberg is skilled at making the right decision for Facebook’s business model, those decisions are rarely best for everybody else. In this episode, we learn the heavy responsibility of a tech reporter today. Plus we get the insider account of Snapchat’s dossier, the dark life of content moderators and the crucial role of the whistleblower.

Facebook’s end goal has always been to eliminate its competition, whether that’s through acquisition or a ‘clone and destroy’ strategy. Except it’s not working. In fact, recently other tech firms have been showing Facebook how’s it’s done. In our first LIVE episode of Social Minds, Theo and Eve discuss social’s latest headlines and get candid about the state of Facebook. While Facebook says it can’t fact-check political ads — but absolutely can ban popular emojis used in a sexual context — Twitter has banned political ads altogether, Snapchat Discover is giving publishers the ad revenue that Facebook won’t provide, and TikTok hasn’t even flinched at Facebook’s clone efforts. Instead, it’s expanding further still by introducing its own advertising platform. In this, we reveal the new features coming to Twitter in 2020, the surprising year-on-year growth of Snapchat Discover, TikTok’s agency pitch deck and Facebook’s real motive for introducing the world to the new but not that improved FACEBOOK.

Who here is guilty of overthinking a creative idea? A stroke of inspiration can easily be diluted by meeting after meeting, chef after chef. One man who has made a business out of avoiding that trap is Nick Entwistle, founder of One Minute Briefs – an online community with over 20K followers. Like its name, One Minute Briefs asks its fans to draft adverts in one minute, with prizes for the best each week. Some have even been realised as fully-fledged campaigns. In this episode, we find out from Nick why instinctive ideas are the best, how to develop these ideas without losing their genius, and when to balance speed and quality. We’re also asking our listeners to try their hand at a One Minute Brief, selling the medium of podcasting. To take part, tweet your submissions to @OneMinuteBriefs and @TheSocialChain. Good luck!

As the UK prepares for another General Election, we spoke to PhD researcher Tristan Hotham, who has spent the last four years collecting over a decade’s worth of data on political parties’ use of social advertising. His findings prove that irreversible damage has been done. Now, as Twitter bans all political advertising and Facebook is under immense pressure to do the same, a new problem presents itself: how can challenger parties and smaller political groups be seen and heard? 80% of Trump’s tweets become news headlines. As we know, organic reach is reserved for the posts which create the most intense emotions. In politics, that’s often the most divisive and controversial messages. In this episode of Social Minds, we learn how banning political ads—or allowing them to run amok—has and will continue to upset Western democracy.

Creative professionals come with an ego attached. That’s usually their downfall. In episode 067 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Joe Glover, founder of The Marketing Meetup. In this episode, he explains why empathy is the trait to be proud of and a skill that everyone can develop. Joe says empathy doesn’t just mean being nice. Empathy is the ability to become the person you’re trying to reach. To take on their problems in order to provide their solutions. But it’s not not being nice. In this episode, find out why humanity is the best strategy for long-term business success.

Facebook is a hostile environment for pages right now. Organic reach continues to decline, Facebook is pushing three-minute videos and capping the reach of memes, despite their popularity. In episode 068 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Social Chain co-founder and director of social and creative at Social Chain Media. In this, she reveals what Facebook is asking of publishers and brands, what changes are being made in the backend of their algorithm and just how far its dictatorship goes. We also discuss the definition of growth hacking in 2020 and why TikTok and Twitter present huge opportunity for those struggling under Facebook’s weight.

Many would argue the standard of advertising and creativity is now the best it’s been for ages. But how much better could it be if the industry opened its doors to the millions that are held back from creative careers by their class or background? In episode 69 of Social Minds, Craig Oldham, who chairs D&AD North, gives a frank take on the lack of representation in top creative roles. We also discuss the classism that still exists in the industry and whether or not the world’s most awarded works give a true reflection of society. Craig also calls for an end to outdated hierarchies at idea-level, arguing that a creative director doesn’t always have better ideas than a junior.

And just like that, 2019 is over. We entered the year bursting with questions about influencer fraud, meaningful engagement and political ad meddling. Though that last one is yet to be resolved, 2020 presents new questions about private payments, brand safety and digital wellbeing – among other things. In our final episode of the year, Theo and Eve break the latest news from each of our favourite platforms, critique this year’s Christmas ads and present our predictions for the coming year. Plus, we answer your burning questions. That’s a wrap for 2019. See you in the new year!

For our first episode of 2020, we’re joined by Mark Asquith – aka ‘that British podcast guy’. Mark’s years of experience as founder of Rebel Base Media give him unrivalled authority to advise on podcast ideation, production, growth and distribution. Forget the myths you’ve heard about chart-climbing. Find out if your brand suits a slick show or a chilled chat. Plus learn the importance of retention rates, varied content streams, repurposing and bonus content. This episode is a must-listen for brands, influencers and individuals who want to grow or launch a successful podcast.

Big brands are forgetting what their founders set out to do; when you’ve been in the business for decades, you can lose touch with your roots. This week, we speak to Social Chain’s new creative director, Tim Donald. He reveals the challenge facing brands to simultaneously adapt and to rediscover their purpose. And brand purpose to Tim doesn’t mean cause marketing – not every purposeful piece of content has to reflect an environmental mission. It’s also not about product pushing. In this episode, Tim explains what brands need to do to reconnect with themselves, and their audience.

They know every search, every purchase, every click. Facebook, Google and Amazon are data-mining companies. More than ever, people understand how their data affects the advertising they see online. Still there is a huge discrepancy between what we knowingly give away and what uses its put to by third-parties. In episode 076 of Social Minds, we’re joined by Omar Latif, founder of AI tech firm We Are Assif and ex-developer at Google. In this, he reveals what big tech and third-parties do with our data, what the pixelocalypse and demise of cookies will mean, and why deep fakes have more sinister repercussions than impersonation.

Social science says organic reach is near impossible. But PR specialists have always known how to spread a story far and wide for virtually no cost. It comes down to the TRUTH. Transparency is key, but in this case TRUTH is also an acronym for the five steps that our guest this week, MD of Fanclub PR Adrian Ma, swears by. In this episode we discuss how PR can create shareablity for social campaigns, the power of a well-timed stunt and how to navigate a press nightmare. We also reveal how to increase sales using PR tactics and the ways in which PR and social have had to evolve to accommodate each other.

Madness requires methods. We’re all adjusting to this new normal. Whether you’re working from home, passing the time or having to pivot an entire business model, Chris Williamson has some life-changing hacks to share. Chris is the director of Voodoo Events – an industry that has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But he’s also the host of Modern Wisdom, whose Life Hacks series has been making people more productive since 2018. He’s also no stranger to working from home. In this episode, Chris shares the methods he’s found most useful to increase productivity. He talks us through how to build habits that you can use now to cope, and when reintegrating into work. Expect to hear some surprising truths about posture, metabolism and mindset, as well as some of the creative ways independent businesses are keeping their livelihoods afloat. This guide for the confined is a slightly different episode than you’re used to, but we really hope it helps you cope in this strange climate. Look after yourselves – Eve, Theo and Ollie.

Read the room. COVID-19 has changed everything over the last month and advertising is definitely no exception. We spoke to the global tech editor of Campaign Magazine, Omar Oakes, to find out how the industry is responding, how consumer sentiment has changed and what brands’ place is in all of this – if they have one at all. Omar has been celebrating and critiquing brands in Campaign Magazine for over 5 years and he had seen it all – until now. In this episode we spoke about why it’s not the time for wartime spirit, why the internet is angry at McDonald’s and how Campaign is adapting to a shift in readers’ attitudes – including by canning its iconic Turkey of the Week segment.

COVID-19 has split advertisers and creative professionals into those halting spend and output entirely and those using this rare moment of global togetherness to create something that resonates. In this episode we’re joined by TBWA\MCR’s copywriter Olivia Downing, also named in The Drum’s 50 under 30 outstanding women in creativity and digital. We discuss what makes a powerful piece of work amid a pandemic, why fear is still our greatest enemy and why Olivia thinks isolation is having a profound effect on our creativity.

People look to brands when they feel like governments are failing, when they want something to change and when they need to believe that corporations with money are more than that. In this episode we’re joined by a formidable creative director duo in John Kyriakou and Jon Slater, aka The Jo(h)ns. In this, they reveal why now more than ever, brands have to reassure and support their customers, both in action and creative work. Expect to hear why all your audience data is now useless, what people will think of brands when this is all over and how brands can turn the tide on trust.

If you’re a brand that wants to speak to Gen Z and you’re not on Snapchat, what are you doing? We have Snapchat to thank for the mass adoption of augmented reality. It’s the reason everyone is currently sat at home trying on ‘guess the gibberish’ and ‘which Disney character am I?’ filters. Here to tell us why AR lenses are the phenomenon they are is Snap Inc’s global director of creative strategy, Will Scougal. Before Snap, Will was head of brand strategy at Twitter. In this episode, we reveal what brands can achieve with immersive ad experiences, why Snap is determined to democratise AR and why inclusivity has been key to the platform’s success. Snap Inc has been named the most innovative company of 2020 by FastCompany and now with the DIY Lens Web Builder, a promised $750,000 to AR influencers this year and optimistic revenue and user growth in Q1, it seems this is no lucky streak for Snapchat but years of consistent innovation and a strong USP finally paying off. This episode gives you an inside look at the creative strategy of Snapchat – now the go-to platform for direct-response advertising and Social Minds’ favourite comeback kid.

Non government organisations like WWF are used to driving action on and off social, while balancing sensitive messaging with limited budgets. Now the majority of brands find themselves in that very position. So what can brands learn from NGOs during a global pandemic? This week we’re joined remotely by Alice More O’Ferrall and Holly Kay, acting head of global digital and social account manager at WWF respectively. WWF needs no introduction; it was established in the 60s and is the world’s leading independent conservation organisation. In this, we discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the WWF’s messaging around climate change and animal welfare, as well as key activations such as #EarthHour. Plus, we learn a crucial lesson in how to not be tone deaf, and hear how to spend a limited budget wisely when it comes to comms and marketing.

Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker understands YouTube better than most. The majority of his career has been spent covering the vast and sometimes chaotic development of its influence and its influencers. In this episode of Social Minds, Chris joins us to share his insight into the world of the streaming powerhouse, its creators and their superfans. In this, we discuss whether or not YouTubers can claim privacy, the crossover of YouTube and TV and the nuances of new ‘celebrity’. Plus he reveals the mistake every single influencer today is making that puts their privacy – and sometimes their lives – at risk. Brands, agencies, YouTubers: this conversation explains the YouTube career in detail, exposing the complex motives that drive fans to become so much more than a subscriber.

As more and more users join social media, the challenge of reaching those most relevant to your brand gets harder, dialling up the demand for ad space. Knowing this, platforms have to continually find new ways of helping paid social managers and advertisers reach users on their apps. So which of social’s main players should you invest more time in? This week we’re joined by Katrina Cimetta, a paid social media manager for Domino’s at the time of recording, to discuss everything from incrementality testing to the race for more creative solutions in paid social. In this episode, Kat, who’s now working at Great Ormond Street Hospital, discusses the lessons to be learnt from each platform and the future for TikTok as it ramps up its appeal to paid marketers. And finally, with so much uncertainty, is now the time to ramp up your paid social activity or take a step back?

Marketing and advertising is saturated with rules for best practice. Swedish plant-based milk brand Oatly has rejected them all. The brand frequently mocks the idea of advertising within its ads, it prints negative feedback on its packaging and once took to Instagram to poke fun at its own CEO. In this episode of Social Minds, we’re joined by Oatly’s creative director Michael Lee, to find out the process behind every self-deprecating billboard or tweet. The impressive part? Oatly has successfully scaled with just three copywriters, no CMO and no TOV guidelines across global markets. In this, Michael explains the importance of TOV and language, why having a marketing director hurts progress, and how a brand can be 100% serious about its cause, without taking itself seriously at all. This episode is a lesson in unapologetic fun, meaningful action and doing things differently.

A lot of industries have been damaged or made irrelevant by the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns across the world. Podcasting isn’t one of them. Despite a lack of commuting, there has been a significant shift in the creation and consumption of podcasts, in everything from wellness to true crime. In this episode, we’re joined by David Hill, account manager at Acast and previously of Spotify, to lean how people’s behaviour with podcasts has changed in the last three months, which behaviours are here to stay and which will revert back to normal one day in the hopefully not-too-distant future. Acast’s primary data on podcast listeners across all demographics is a crucial resource for creators and brands, which includes insight on sponsored reads versus branded shows and the time of day that people tune in.

In a time where consumers have been confined to their homes and social contact has been limited; influence has been pulling to the forefront of our increasingly virtual reality. Where other channels have been on the back foot, unable to activate amongst social distancing, influence has found itself in a unique position. In this episode of Social Minds, we’re joined by head of influence at Ogilvy, Rahul Titus, to find out how brands and agencies can future proof the influencer marketing landscape when it is needed more than ever, and new platforms like TikTok are changing how we interact with and discover talent. Challenges such as brand safety, engagement fraud and consumer mistrust still plague influencer marketing, and Rahul says it’s up to us to address these issues as influencers will become ever more important to their brand partners. In this, expect to hear why the ASA is crucial, the opportunities for influencers now and the measures brands can put in place to ensure real ROI from their influencer campaigns.

Warning, themes of a sensitive nature (suicide, self-harm, eating disorders): Social platforms face enormous pressure to improve their policies on suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. But pointing the finger at Facebook might be the most dangerous move of all. In the same week that the UK government sparked outrage among people recovering from an eating disorder, we spoke to one of Facebook’s advisory board members, Dr Ysabel Gerrard, whose job it is to make sure Facebook isn’t also adding to a problem that pre-dates its existence. In this episode she reveals exactly how policies are implemented at Facebook Inc and what matters to the company right now. We also discuss the other social platforms posing an equally problematic risk. Importantly, Ysabel reveals the issue with governments and press using Facebook as a scapegoat for mental health, and how everyone from parents to fashion brands has a role to play. Ysabel specialises in the psychology of eating disorders and tells us that anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness. Its online communities are among the most impenetrable and private. And that is presenting researchers and platform moderators with an unprecedented ethical and logistical dilemma: should we be trying to moderate recovery?

For the last 15 years, YouTube has shaped culture, but culture equally shapes YouTube. Because the platform’s Trending tab is curated based on what’s popular, it’s a true reflection of society and culture by country – and therefore an invaluable resource for brands. This week we’re joined by YouTube’s culture and trends lead, Roya Zeitoune, whose job it is to track these trends. In this episode she reveals what is popular right now, how brands can use that information in their strategy and what you can learn about your audience with these insights. We also discuss how YouTube content reflects how our needs have changed since the pandemic on a truly global scale. Plus we cover the impact of YouTube on culture, broadcasting, celebrity and discoverability. This episode is a must-listen for brands and marketers that want to crack YouTube, understand the function of its many content formats and understand its nuanced relationship with your customers.

When TikTok first stepped on the scene, cynics called it a passing fad. It’s only been two years since Musical.ly merged into TikTok and the platform has fast become the gold standard for content creation. In this episode, we’re joined by TikTok’s managing director of global business solutions, Inam Mahmood, and Abi Clarke, a stand-up comedian who has shot to fame on the platform over lockdown. Between the two of them, they provide a comprehensive look at TikTok for brands and creators. We discuss how TikTok’s algorithm works, how to find creators to partner with and the tangible impact of UGC. From breakdowns of the best TikTok campaigns to the power of the platform’s comment section, we find out everything you need to know to make your mark on the hottest platform of the year.

As one of the most prestigious advertising magazines in the world, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking Adweek’s writers only care for a specific type of ad. But just as creativity has moved on from eye-wateringly expensive masterpieces and ten-minute short films, so too has Adweek’s definition of what makes a memorable campaign. In this episode, we’re joined by Adweek’s creative and innovation editor, David Griner, who reveals he and other industry insiders would rather see great ideas executed swiftly and in a way that’s culturally-relevant than flawless ideas that come late. That’s welcome news for anyone working in social, where speed and reactivity often trump indulgent artistry. So is it possible to penetrate Adweek’s pages with a well-timed tweet or TikTok trend? From creative effectiveness to award show politics, tune in to hear what the top writers in advertising are looking for from brands today.

Times are tough. And, as such, in the past few months, brands have taken their duty to communicate purpose seriously – too seriously. This week we’re joined by Dom Boyd, managing director of market research company Kantar and previously of adam&eveDDB. Dom says there’s a concerning trend in creative advertising: we’ve lost our sense of humour. Kantar has crunched the numbers and found that funny ads are becoming harder to find. While we are in a pandemic, Dom believes that people don’t need intermittent reminders that life can suck – ad breaks are annoying enough. So why have brands cowered away from comedy, how can advertisers reverse the trend and what are the differences in tone between traditional and digital? We discussed all of this and more, revealing Kantar’s own data on the matter and Theo and Eve’s advice for brands who want to use social to inject some comic relief back into their creative.

Gaming’s popularity is experiencing an unstoppable evolution, a large part of which is the involvement of the music industry. Fortnite’s recent live in-game gig with Travis Scott saw over 12 million players tune in while brands like Burberry and Louis Vuitton are already utilising the creative opportunities that this collision of worlds has created, designing digital fashion lines and sponsoring virtual musicians. In this episode, we’re joined by Toa Dunn, the head of Riot Music Group, which is owned by Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends. In this, Toa teaches content creators how to craft emotional narratives through music, how in-game concerts and esports matches present massive opportunities for brands and how major artists are using video games as a means to connect with new audiences.

Reddit was once a relatively niche forum website. Today it sits alongside behemoths like Facebook and Instagram, and even overtakes Twitter and Pinterest in daily active users. With its growth has come increased opportunities for brands and advertisers, which we hear all about in this episode from Harold Klaje, Reddit’s VP and president of global advertising, previously of Pinterest and Google. In this, we discuss the unique qualities of Reddit’s audience that can’t be reached elsewhere, the importance of using Reddit to trend-spot for brands and the rewards available from its many ad product offerings. Harold also reveals what motivated the company to open its first HQ in London recently and the truth about brand safety concerns on the platform, including how they’ve tackled it since 2017.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement and the events of 2020 have shone more light on the issue of inequality within business. So how can companies make sweeping changes from entry-level to C-suite and how do we all promote inclusion and representation without box-ticking or indirect discrimination? This week we learn from Scott Morrison, a mentor, founder of The Boom, and advertising alumnus for names such as Diesel, Levi Strauss & co and Saatchi and Saatchi. Plus we’re joined by Arooj Aftab, the Diversity Campaigns Executive at Brand Advance, winner of the Asian media awards in 2019 and the creator of the #DoneWithDiversity campaign. In this, we learn why diversity is the wrong word to use, why hiring different nationalities doesn’t solve anything and how this generation is hustling to benefit the next.

Ask anyone in the industry which brands do humour on social well and chances are KFC will be mentioned; the brand has gained notoriety for its witty jokes and quick comebacks on Twitter. Its recent Rate My Plate Twitter activation even made it to the big screen through an acclaimed TV spot which saw social inspire OOH – something most brands wouldn’t even consider. In this episode, KFC UK & Ireland’s social media executive reveals the secret spices, sadly not in the chicken, but of the brand’s social strategy. We talked about the changes they’ve had to make post-pandemic, the merits of leading with your social media manager’s personality and what brands miss out on when they consider themselves to be above cracking the odd joke.

Social-first creative and online experiences make sense for consumer-facing brands, where product complexity and purchase consideration are generally low. Can the same be said for business customers? In this episode, we spoke to Jason Maldonado, director of social media at Survey Monkey, and previously the head of social media marketing at MailChimp. We discuss why B2B brands should compare themselves to aspirational B2C brands, how to balance strategic-led thinking with the speed of social, and how marketers can use deep data and insights to tell stories, both during the pitching process and in the end campaign.

And just like that, Social Minds has wrapped for 2020. But before we part, we wanted to look back on our highlights from what has been a year of incredible guests and insightful conversations. In this episode, Theo and Eve share their favourite moments from the podcast this year, sharing times when our guests took us by surprise and taught us all something new and the trends that have stood out the most in hindsight. Catch up on moments you might have missed, relive your favourite episodes and listen out for our top tips for 2021. Thank you all for your continued support of the show and we’ll see you in the new year.

Talent or training? Specialised or broad skills? Experience or attitude? Your social team are the front line of your brand. Knowing which roles to fill, what culture to employ and how to lead by example are therefore crucial to any modern brand’s success. In this episode, we’re joined by Amazon Prime Video’s head of social media and editorial content, Carlo Karim Frem, to find out how Amazon Prime Video’s leading social team was created. In this, we reveal why company values aren’t just words on a wall, the red (and green) flags to look out for when interviewing talent and what skills you need to nurture to build the dream social team from scratch.

It’s no secret that regulated industries and major companies take longer to adopt new tech. But how can social work within the walls of regulation and still do its job? In this episode, we’re joined by Ben Lancaster-Nogueira, managing consultant at Deloitte Digital. Ben advises brands in the banking industry and so is no stranger to opening minds to social. In this episode, we discuss the possibilities available to risk-averse companies with ample red tape to navigate, the repercussions of slow adaptation, and why challenger brands in the same sectors can often move faster. Plus we talk about the best social channels for regulated industries, how to manage risk and crises, and how social commerce is shaking up the industry.

People are primed to purchase on Pinterest. 98% of Pinners report trying new things they find on the platform. So why aren’t more brands taking it seriously? In this episode, we’re joined by Yulia Aleksandrova, global social media manager at MADE.com and Jackie Klimes, retail partnerships manager at Pinterest – previously of LinkedIn. Pinterest is an instrumental element of MADE.com’s marketing and their activity is the perfect case study of how powerful Pinterest can be, both organically and for paid campaigns. In this episode, we find out the differences in visual search versus social media strategies, how Pinterest caters for both long-consideration and impulse buys, and the content types that provide brands with the highest ROI on the platform.

Often the most engaging social-first experiences are those that feel exclusive to the audience. But when you’re a global brand with millions of fans around the world, how do you balance that exclusivity with mass appeal? In this episode, we’re joined by Kyle Elliot, senior global social media manager at Adidas. Having worked behind-the-scenes on global campaigns and activations like Tango Squad FC and Adidas’s Rent-A-Pred hotline, Kyle analyses the importance of exclusivity for global brands on social and why major sports brands can’t always conform to consumer expectations. In a nod to the next wave of audio platforms, we also touch on how platform disrupters like Clubhouse and Discord are changing the game.

BrewDog is known for its outrageous stunts and reactivity. But where most brands would respond to a social or cultural trend with a quip on Twitter, BrewDog lets it inspire new products, which then fuels PR, sales and more online conversation. In this episode of Social Minds, we’re joined by BrewDog’s head of social media Josh Benge, previously of KFC UK&IRE, to discuss the merits of the brewery’s unique approach to product and social. We also talk about when stunts go wrong and how to deal with backlash, how to talk about brand purpose without appearing self-congratulatory, and what BrewDog is doing to forward climate change activism.

Esports has erupted into the mainstream as a central form of entertainment in recent years. The role of social media channels has helped to push it from a subset of sports culture to an industry in its own right – expected to generate $1194.8 million in 2021. So how can brands capitalise on the rise of esports to reach a new audience? In this episode, we’re joined by Luke Donovan-King, director of digital marketing and product at Guild Esports. We discuss the characteristics and behaviour of esports fans that make them such desirable consumers, the opportunities that streamers present for a new wave of influencer marketing, and what brands can learn from Guild Esports’ unprecedented approach to creator collaborations.

Social and digital word of mouth has changed the way entertainment brands approach show promotion. One brand you can’t ignore in this space is Netflix, whose documentaries and original shows take on a life of their own online – just look at what happened with Tiger King. In this episode, we’re joined by the global creative marketing manager at Netflix, Alexa Diaz. We discuss her approach to huge talent-driven campaigns, the merit of underrated platforms like Tumblr, and how to manage viral conversation about one of your features. Plus Alexa reveals the process behind promoting a major Netflix documentary event like Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana or Ariana Grande’s Excuse Me, I Love You, and highlights the sheer power of fandom culture on social.

Online communities are more prevalent today than ever before – and that has only accelerated since the pandemic. Few companies are better placed to speak on this shift than Reddit, which joins us for a second time in this episode. This time, we’re speaking to Jack Koch, who is Reddit’s global head of marketing sciences. Throughout this conversation, Jack reveals their learnings from Reddit’s partnership with GlobalWebIndex to explore community-first social media, why today’s consumers are more interested in we-centric messaging than me-centric messaging, and the tangible factors brands can use to predict what their target audience will look for next. Plus we hear about Reddit’s plans for growth in 2021 after the platform reached the highest peak of traffic in its history this February.

There’s a lot of conflicting advice about business as usual content, or real-time marketing. Its value is widely questioned but many brands find a need for it nevertheless. In this episode, we’re joined by Twitch’s director of social media (EMEA) to discuss the merits of being always-on. Whether it’s scheduling content in advance or reacting to current trends, Twitch has crafted a strategy that works, which Monica shares with us in this discussion. In this, we talk about how to stay inspired, where to allocate your resource for best results, and how to use what you already have. Plus we find out more about Twitch streams and the platform’s creator community for brands.

Even the world’s most powerful brand finds value in social. For LEGO, it means appealing to all ages through innovative content and pulling off UGC on an epic scale. In this episode, we’re joined by the LEGO Group’s digital creative director for the Americas, James Gregson. He talks to us all about creativity, adapting to constant change, and always staying true to your brand. In this, find out why testing and learning is crucial when you’re a globally recognised brand, how to decide which trends are worth your time, and how not to get swept up in platform fads. This episode is a crash course in creating inclusive content that never fails to resonate with people from all walks of life.

The general perception of the Army is that being a government organisation, it’s traditional. That’s why this conversation with the British Army was so surprising and so valuable. In this episode, we’re chatting to Alex Schillemore, the British Army’s head of digital and content. We’re also joined by Sarah Hiorns, the social media content manager for Capita, which handles recruitment for the British Army. In this, we discuss the crucial role that social plays for the Army, the Navy and the RAF, how the Army uses live streams to attract new recruits, and why even members of the Foreign Office benefit from building a personal brand on Twitter. Plus we discuss the many ways social is helping the Army to change perceptions and how Alex and Sarah have been able to turn a centuries-old organisation onto the power of new digital media.

The most common argument against branded podcasts is difficulty measuring ROI and their impact on sales. Why, then, did BMW decide to create a branded podcast that was entirely fictional, never mentioning their products or services once? And how did that transpire into an Adweek award for the best branded podcast of 2020?

In this episode, we’re joined by BMW’s digital audio and voice strategy expert, Cora Güntert and creative director Benjamin Bruno. We discuss the making of BMW’s fictional podcast, HYPNOPOLIS, as well as the brand’s second, more traditional podcast, Changing Lanes. We find out the value that BMW gains from audio, the future of sound-based storytelling, and why audio is so popular among modern audiences.

Deliveroo isn’t limited by age demographic, so how does its social team create content and campaigns that appeal to everyone, from a mother of three to a student?

In this episode, we’re joined by Sophie Headlam, the global head of brand marketing at Deliveroo. In this, she reveals how to reach mass audiences at a local level, which platforms and features are best used for location-based marketing, and how to craft messaging that alienates no one. Plus we discuss the role of influencer marketing in convenience and how selling food has evolved over the last few years.

How do you define culture in 2021? It’s a question many brands ask and one which fashion brands always seems to have the answer to. One such brand is Zalando, and this week we’re joined by its global head of social media, PR and influencers, Natalie Wills.

She reveals how Zalando spots cultural trends, how to best leverage cultural partnerships and the ever-evolving role that influencers play in staying relevant on social. We also discuss how brands can navigate cultural movements like sustainability, body positivity and representation. Plus we dig into the effect social has had on brands’ cultural relevance.

Every major social platform has been improving their creator offering over the last 12 months. The difference now is that creators know their worth, have agency over which brands they choose to work with, and are an asset no brand or platform can afford to lose. In this episode we’re joined by Meridith Rojas, the global head of entertainment and creator marketing at Logitech.

We discuss why brands should invest in and develop talent, when to collaborate before a star’s rise to fame, and how to vet talent for your campaigns. We also cover the factors driving the creator boom and the expectations on brands now creators are the ones calling the shots.

Every brand understands the importance of storytelling, and of presenting a clear message and narrative. But the majority of brands believe that copywriters exist only to add or edit the words, which is a task many attempt to do without the aid of a professional.

In this episode, we’re joined by Andrew Boulton, copywriter, senior lecturer at the University of Lincoln, and author of Copywriting Is and Adele Writes An Ad. We discuss why misunderstanding or underrating copywriting is equal to torpedoing your own content, what the ideal stage is to bring a copywriter onto a project, and exactly what a talented writer can do for your brand’s success if utilised correctly.

TikTok’s advertising model has evolved enormously over the last year alone. No longer just a place to kickstart a dance challenge, TikTok Ads offer brands an affordable way to reach millions – and the app has an important role to play in the absence of third-party cookies.

In this episode, Social Chain’s media planning director Roxanne Parker reveals the key to creating a smart paid strategy on TikTok. We cover the benefits over using TikTok over other platforms, comparing its campaign manager, what a paid TikTok campaign is likely to cost you, and where creators come into play.

Marketers like to lean on industry jargon, but this only complicates the message for your audience and your team. For TikTok, eradicating jargon around the office is just one way improving internal comms has bolstered its external content. 

In this episode, we’re joined by TikTok’s global head of social media marketing, Daniel Bulteel, previously of Adidas and WPP. We discuss how TikTok’s marketing team has to be the best on the platform, how to trade traditional objectives for a principle-based output, and the danger of creating a strategic playbook. 

No brand is a stranger to verbal abuse on social media, but few know how deep the problem is rooted in human behaviour and which platform features exacerbate certain elements of those actions. Our guest this week is Claire Hardaker, forensic and corpus linguist and senior lecturer in linguistics and english language at Lancaster University. In this episode, she explains the psychological factors that drive verbal abuse, how to tell trolling apart from genuine criticism, and where big tech’s response is satisfactory, or not. Plus we discuss our best possible solutions for dealing with it – and, spoiler alert, it isn’t providing government I.D.

SPORF shows sport through the eyes of the fans, and like all fandoms the sports sector is constantly changing. To fill us in on everything the modern sports fan wants from brands, content, and sports coverage on social, we’re joined by Greg Rowell, head of SPORF – Social Chain’s owned sports brand. In this, we learn how sports coverage now merges social media with traditional, and how sports-focused brands should speak to fans. We also discuss the importance of brands producing branded entertainment rather than content.

In 2021 Pinterest Predicts got 8/10 predictions correct, from the rise of the mighty​​ jalapeño pepper jam to film nights in home cinemas. This year we’re kicking off 2022 with a brand new set of predictions, as we’re joined by Pinterest’s director of marketing for Europe, Louise Richardson. From the rise of Black-owned businesses to the return of subcultures, expect to learn the sectors growing on Pinterest, what search reveals about modern consumer mindsets, and how any brand can use these 2022 trends, aesthetics and consumer data in their content and campaigns. 

NFTs. It’s the term on every marketer’s lips, but are they an asset to brands or the next passing fad? In this episode we’re joined by Zoe Scaman, co-founder of MCX and has worked on several top-tier brand NFT executions. In this, she explains what NFTs actually are (not JPEGs), when brands should and shouldn’t create one, and the many different ways to make use of these smart contracts. We also discuss how to navigate the metaverse, how to profit from NFTs’ secondary market, and what the internet will look like when creators can own their audiences and ideas.

Organic reach is dead. Heard that one before? One business that has the numbers to prove the opposite is Thursday – a new dating app whose LinkedIn and PR-centric launch got the whole of London talking (and dating). In this episode, we’re joined by its co-founder and COO, Matthew McNeill Love, to find out how you can still win big with organic in 2022. Learn the role of the anti-personal brand, when performance marketing and OOH are best deployed, and what makes an epic PR stunt, plus much more.

Since 2006, effectiveness in creative advertising has been on a steady decline. While the industry at large speculates as to why, this week’s guest, Orlando Wood, in partnership with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), has completed two works of extensive research on the subject: Lemon, and Look Out. In this episode, Orlando reveals the visual trends causing audiences to detach, the styles and formats brands should adopt to remedy it, and all the data to back it up.

Product reviews are 12x more trusted than product descriptions and sales copy. But lots of brands fear, undervalue or don’t actively invest in reviews. Trustpilot is on a mission to change that, all while improving their own brand trust on social. In this episode, we’re joined by its global head of social media and community, Leah Silverlock, to find out why it’s so important that businesses priorities reviews. We cover managing expectations, listening to different customer perspectives, and making the most of a bad reputation. 

Sports brands have to prepare for every possible outcome in live football. One that does it better than most is PUMA, whose personalised reactive assets have stepped up the standard on social from stock imagery to bespoke illustrations that its athletes love to share. In this episode we’re joined by Abigail Rogers, PUMA’s team head of global creative content, to find out why PUMA talks more about key moments in sport than it does about its products. Expect to hear what’s sitting in the brand’s content graveyard, how to plan for reactive content, and how PUMA’s response differs between new player sign-ups, club sponsorships, and major tournaments. 

Weetabix is a staple household brand with 1000 employees and prompted awareness of 97% – and it’s one of the brands for which traditional TV advertising remains highly lucrative. So what is it doing on social? In this episode, we’re joined by Weetabix head of marketing Gareth Turner, to talk about the brand’s social objectives and successes. We cover the optimum channel mix for a campaign, Weetabix’s approach to social TOV and reactivity, and how the heritage brand is embracing new channels to adapt for modern audiences.

Sprout Social’s annual Index is popular in the States, but for the first time new data this year explores the state of social for British and Irish brands – and there’s plenty of opportunity to gauge from it. To talk us through the report, we’re joined by Cat Anderson, Sprout Social’s head of marketing for EMEA. In this, we learn which platform most consumers are on but marketers aren’t, why the pandemic has led to social teams restructuring, and why British and Irish consumers want to see more distinctive assets and less societal issues from brands on social.

Gen Z’s favourite messaging app isn’t just that anymore. Since Snap Inc. pivoted into a camera company, the Snapchat platform has become a destination for brands to make the kind of creative they can’t elsewhere. In this episode, we’re joined by Snap Inc’s director of emerging for EMEA, Samuel Bevan. In this, he explains how Snapchat is improving its organic products and ad tools to meet brand and shoppers’ evolving needs. Expect to learn the best combination of its ad suite for retailers, how its AR tech is solving business problems like returns, and how to reach people up to 34yo when they’re being their true self online.

Meta’s goal on social is to engage international markets and monitor adoption of its many products across the globe. That hasn’t changed since Facebook’s rebrand to Meta, but it has brought plenty more products to inform and inspire its users – both business and personal. In this episode, we’re joined by Meta’s social media and creators lead, previously Facebook’s international social media marketing lead. She reveals what really happened at headquarters when the company decided to rebrand, what it means about the future of our digital lives, and how brands can prepare for the next five years of advertising with them. We also discuss which of its products are performing best globally, and how to adapt your strategy for different markets.

We call social the ever-changing landscape for a reason, but with that, our roles must change too. In this episode, we’re joined by Social Chain vet and current senior creative Jake Thompson, to discuss how creatives and strategists have had to evolve and what those roles must mean within modern agencies today. Expect to learn how to put together a watertight brief, how to let creative strategy inform everything from seasonal campaigns to BAU, and how you can examine your processes and keep your team motivated.

How many brands have said ‘we want to sound like Innocent?’ For Innocent Drinks, while others’ replication tactics are flattering, they have a tone of voice and personality to preserve. In this episode we’re joined by its social media manager, Marcus Dean, to hear about the three content pillars, rigorous writer training, and ethos’ that keep Innocent one step ahead of its brand fanbase. We find out how to make your visual assets look like how your tone of voice sounds, how Twitter jokes translates to in-store purchases for Innocent, and whether or not that smoothie was actually blue. 

LinkedIn is a favourite for personal brands and B2B lead generation, but the value doesn’t end there. In this episode we’re joined by senior content marketing consultant at LinkedIn, John Williamson, to find out what marketers might be missing in 2022. We discuss why personal profiles outperform Company Pages, which ad products and features are often overlooked, and where the opportunities lie outside of traditional corporate content.

Ryanair wants to be the most talked about brand on social – and it’s well on its way. Its distinctive irreverence on social has recently been backed up by a solid social media strategy, courtesy of this week’s guest, Michael Corcoran – the airline’s head of social media. In this episode we find out how the brand earned 111m organic impressions in a month through low-fi TikTok memes and reactive Twitter gags, how it keeps the integrity of its snarky TOV when dealing with angry customers, and how far a brand can push it before the backlash gets too big.

Social media no longer competes with traditional for budget. As digital natives take on agency and in-house leadership positions, it doesn’t have to. To tell us how this has changed social sales strategies, Social Chain UK’s managing director Pete Metcalfe joins us – six months into his role at Social Chain. Expect to learn how to navigate working with clients’ other agencies, whether social will soon influence TV and OOH, and what competitive pitches look like now brands have no choice but to defer to specialists.

Brand Twitter has subscribed to one way of doing things for the last few years, following brandter trends and popular text meme formats. Now Twitter is politely asking us to stop. Here to walk us through its #RealTalk report among other learnings is Sophie Trinder, head of the company’s UK brand strategy team Twitter Next. She warns of drowning in the sea of same and, instead of following the platform’s supposed rules, has tips for brands on their tone, topics and community to ensure your brand stand outs by being uniquely itself. Expect to learn best practice for the bio, how the humble follow feature made a standout campaign execution, and what data says people really want to hear from brands (it’s not a RIP tribute to Her Late Majesty the Queen).

WeAre8 is a new sustainable social platform that promises to curtail hate. It also wants to offer ‘green’ advertising solutions, reward users for watching ads, and empower creators who share positive content. But do we need another platform? Here to tell us what made brands like Heineken, Nike, BT, and lots more, partner with the new platform, is Sue Fennessy, founder and CEO. Expect to learn how it’s defining hate speech vs free speech, how their ad model differentiates itself, and what a platform looks like when it’s not designed to keep you there.

Tone of voice documents and brand guidelines are the business staple that most brands don’t have. And if they do, it’s probably not as thorough or as thoughtful as it needs to be. Today’s guest, copy chief and brand and TOV consultant Vikki Ross, has written for or created brand books Nando’s, Harvey Nichols, Sky, Sony, ITV, and more. In this episode, she shows us how copywriting goes beyond captions for the brands that really get it, and how words can be your best friend when building your brand – which is what advertising is all about. Expect to learn Vikki’s copywriting principles and how to apply them, why you have to get granular when crafting a persona for your brand, and how to make words count, make words work, and make words dance.

The banking sector is full of red tape – more so than for smoothie brands, anyway. Yet one bank is challenging more than just the traditional product and service in its category; Monzo’s social channels are a breath of fresh air for any marketer hoping to have fun in a corporate industry, and for consumers hoping to see a human side to their bank. In this episode, we’re joined by Monzo social media manager, Richard Cook, to learn what the barriers to entry are for banking with a “new” bank, and how Monzo’s social media strategy helps break them down. We cover turning tracking into shareable content, the power of making your brand name a verb, and how to avoid tonal whiplash.

Pinterest Predicts 2023 is officially out, and after three consecutive years of an 80% success rate, it’s guaranteed to be the best weapon advertisers can take into the pitch room with them next year. To tell us about the trends we can expect to see, what they say about culture and society, and how advertisers can use them in campaigns and content, we’re joined by Pinterest’s director of marketing for Europe, Louise Richardson. Expect to learn why Gen Z and millennials are avoiding ‘tech neck’ and taking up origami, how Gen X are gamifying their finances throughout the cost of living crisis, and how Boomers are going from conserving water in the garden to planning parties for their older parents.

Herd behaviour and social proof simply don’t apply to one bigger-than-you-think group, who’re less affected by what other people think and more likely to follow their own rules: the neurodivergent. Whether that means autistic, ADHD, or simply self-identified on the spectrum, they’re each consuming media, tech, and advertising differently to the majority. That’s impacting our work’s effectiveness.

In this episode we’re joined by Rory Sutherland, to discuss how catering for the neurodivergent, the disabled, and the elderly means catering for everybody, and what can happen for a brand when you do. We also talk about the most effective media, methods and means for doing this – plus lots more on our behaviour and relationship with tech.

Working with influencers – or as they’re increasingly being called – creators, isn’t what it used to be. Today it’s more of a default than an add-on, and for some brands it’s at risk of wasting their ad spend. For a focused approach to influencer strategy, we’re speaking to Shannon Jennings – head of social and influencers for The Very Group. With a huge roster of retailers in its portfolio, Shannon explains how to treat one-off and long-term talent campaigns, the pivot from traditional gifting when sustainability is front of mind, and whether or not interest in influencers will wain with the current economic state, and some marketing activity in danger of being viewed as a luxury.

Can you automate creativity? Although we might say no right now, tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Hootsuite’s new AI, OwlyWriter, are pushing the boundaries of what social media managers and creatives can lean on artificial intelligence for. This week we’re joined by Billy Jones, global brand lead at Hootsuite. Billy’s many years of experience in agencies have made him empathetic to the fast paced lifestyle that can leave you drawing blanks. In this, he explains how creatives can use AI to their full potential, why the robots won’t take your job (but people who can use them just might) and how to avoid contributing to the sea of same with lazy AI use.

TikTok is the fastest-growing source of news for adults. But can journalists re-engage younger viewers with traditional media through modern channels? Legacy outlet The Washington Post was among the first to embrace TikTok with open arms, and now the rest are following suit. In this episode we sit down with the person behind the TikToks from ‘We are a newspaper’ @washingtonpost – Carmella Boykin. We talk about how to translate the news into ‘TikTok speak’ without losing the information’s integrity, what to do when the comments section takes on a life of its own, and the line between UGC that gives mass reach to untold voices, and the need for professional reporting and photo-journalism.

Should’ve gone to Specsavers. The proposition is well-known, but most only associate it with witty (and brilliant) ads. Today’s guest Lisa Hale – Specsavers’ head of consumer PR, brand activation & social media – says they’re laser-focused on evolving that line to show younger audiences the more meaningful reasons Specsavers is the superior choice. In this episode we discuss the problems with how brands are currently sold media by social platforms, whether it’s a myth or not that Gen Z prefers humour to humility, and what happened when the brand gave free eye tests to the worst football team in Britain.