Blog

Thoughts on everything that matters right now in marketing, communications, and insights.

Category: PR

How design principles could have saved the Oscars Posted on May 10, 2023 by Simon Dunn

Here at Mustard Towers, we talk a lot about fame. Maybe we are blinded by stardust, but we think there are important lessons to learn from Hollywood about how we go about communicating effectively. And we apply those lessons – good and bad - when it comes to communicating insights. When we think about bad communication, surely nothing gets worse than the cringe-inducing 2017 Oscars disaster when LaLa Land was inadvertently announced as the Best Picture winner, instead of Moonlight.

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How to win a client’s heart Posted on by Braden MacDonald

Insights from Diageo, Under Armour, DeBeers and The Economist on choosing their insight partners. There isn’t an app for clients to swipe to find their perfect insight partner. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get noticed. At IIEX Amsterdam, Colonel Mustard Lucy Davison led a dynamic panel discussion about how end clients find and engage with new insight partners. Panellists, including Efrain Rosario, Head of Global Futures and Shopper Planning at Diageo, Diana Mitkov, Senior Management of Demand Insights

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Attracting and amplifying women’s leadership in market research Posted on March 2, 2023 by Braden MacDonald

Here at Mustard, as a women founded and led business, we foster an environment of diversity. The work of Women in Research and the MRS’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion reports have been vital elements in promoting and advocating for women in insights. As profession continues to evolve, there has been a growing push towards recognising the value of diversity in all areas of business. But we have far to go. MrWeb’s new ‘Raidar’ ranking published earlier 2023, showed that in

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Lucy Davison becomes two-time Insight250 winner Posted on October 5, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

A huge congratulations are in order for our Colonel Mustard, Lucy Davison, as she becomes a two-time honouree of the Insight250 award at this year’s ESOMAR congress. Lucy was recognised for her achievements over the last year, which includes presenting to the QRCA on building fame, her expert channel on GreenBook, presenting at IIEX in Austin, and her fireside chat with Bic at this year’s Quirk's Media event in New York. It’s been a year full of achievements for Lucy

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The very long and the really short of it Posted on August 10, 2022 by Iosetta Santini

In the world of insights and research, marketing (if done at all) is frequently focused on short-term, tactical, lead generation. Agencies and suppliers come to us because they want more leads and see marketing as a support for sales and new business. In a digital environment, this seems to be an easy win. Create content to drive traffic and give you leads for your website, encourage clicks, capture data, measure, and target – and Bob’s your uncle. The problem is

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Trends, teasers and triumphs: A recap of IIEX Europe Posted on July 13, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

Greenbook's IIEX events explore the intersection of technology and insights. Is there a better place to host IIEX Europe than Amsterdam? It's a trendy hotspot for many individuals and communities, and MRX is no different. So, you can imagine how excited I was as a (slight) newcomer to the industry to hop onto the Eurostar, arrive and take in the eternal beauty of centuries-old canals, before attending the two-day wonder of 'one of the most cutting-edge consumer insights events in

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What can insights learn from Hollywood? Posted on June 9, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

When it comes to communicating insights, most people still rely on that dull event, the debrief. All our efforts are squeezed into one hour of bar chart hell. When we should be scintillating and exciting, we are studious and exhaustive. What can we do to change this? Where better to look for inspiration than Hollywood?! The glitz, the glamour, the lights, the camera, the action. The FAME. Here are my thoughts on what we can learn from Hollywood to ensure

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Five things we learned at the Festival of Marketing Posted on April 27, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

A round-up of our newest recruit’s thoughts on this year’s Festival of Marketing event. It was an exciting prospect to attend the Festival of Marketing for the first time! With a background in communications and having studied marketing, I’d heard a lot about the Festival of Marketing and how well-respected and cherished it is in the industry, but never had the opportunity to go – until now – even if it was just virtually. The Festival of Marketing boasts content

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GRIT Report: How to be famous Posted on March 31, 2022 by Lucy Davison

The challenge to stand out is as important in MRX as it is for washing powder or breakfast cereal. But yet again, in this GRIT Report, we see that researchers don’t make good marketers. The point of positioning is knowing what you do – and what you don’t do. In past reports, we have seen inconsistency from respondents within supply-side companies as to what their company does. And in this report again, “the employees of many supplier companies aren’t really

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MRS Impact 2022: A round-up Posted on March 29, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

Thoughts on the Market Research Society's Impact 2022 event by our newest Mustard recruit. After joining the world of MRX only a few months ago, I was excited to attend my first professional event and learn more about the people, trends and the contribution of data and insights. Learning is a treasure that follows its owner everywhere, so as someone with a communications background, I was eager to get to grips with the industry to see what I can apply

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