Debbie Williamson

365 days of connecting brands with their customers IRL with Spacefor, while growing DEPARTMENT LTD 22% YOY. It's been a busy year with plenty of wins, challenges, lessons and observations. Some key insights and 'truths' from this journey: - Focus & energy are more important than time - Plan effectively and create routines - Delegate more - Say no - Make unconventional decisions - Include people on a journey 'Need to explore further' - an outtake from my weekly highlights back in May 2021 - is how it all began.

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Who's your fave British business that is thrillingly profitable AND so adorable you could weep?? Today there's a feature in The Telegraph (link in the comments) about Jellycat, maker of the softest, cutest #toys. Customers in an expanding range of markets love Jellycat so much, they are buying their favourite toys twice: one to cuddle, one to preserve in pristine condition, for fear of spoiling their fur (more on this below). Here's the #money part. "Jellycat’s latest accounts filed at Companies House show that revenues rose 37 per cent to £200 million in the 12 months to 31 December. Pre-tax profits increased 24 per cent to £67 million." Apart from being a model of soaring success, look at all that tax they are paying. Many congratulations to Arnaud Meysselle on your fabulous leadership. Here's the #socialmedia part. Jellycat joined Instagram only 2 years ago. Its Insta content is now pulling at the heartstrings of 1.2m followers. There's a link to their Instagram in the comments too. Here's the #cuddly part. "... super-soft fur. [Jellycat toys] are engineered to be almost addictively touchable. [...] The high-density, low-denier fibres are incredibly fine, even finer than a human hair." Science bit by Tom Lovelace. Here's the #cute part. The #semiotics of Jellycat is layers deep. Imaginative #design goes places that cuddly toys have never gone before, rendering all kinds of food, plants, sports equipment, a campfire, a cassette tape, a huge diamond ring and even a roll of toilet paper in the softest plush. Everything has little dots for eyes and a tiny, shy smile (there's that blank-faced beauty that I wrote about here on LinkedIn a few weeks ago). Here's the #scarcity part. Jellycat constantly refreshes its range with innovative new toys and at the same time they are constantly retiring old favourites. This drives up FOMO and craving among consumers to sometimes insane heights. Picture: SOME of the items that live on my desk. Clockwise from upper left: A green macaron that's also a bunny; a religieuse, which is a French patisserie item that is like a small profiterole sitting atop a larger one; a pink bunny; two pastries, a dome framboise and a lemon tart. My desk also features a different raspberry tart, a millefeuille pastry, a coffee bean, a clementine and a gold star with tiny gold boots. And what's more, I turned up to the #mrsawards with a quite large, furry sun attached to my handbag. Which is perfectly adult and on-trend because they were doing it at London Fashion Week. Atting a few people. Royce Yakuppur Yahya, let's go shopping. Louise Twycross-Lewis, squee!!! Ben Younie, Sarah Burkett, sharing my kidulting credentials here. Shazia Ali, this is what all the fuss is about. Elizabeth Lawes, thank you for the lovely birthday present. Denny Marcus thank you too for the birthday present and for not complaining when I keep coming home with random stuff. Happy holidays! If you're shopping, buy now, it sells fast.

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Many thanks to Creative Boom for recommending my book - the Creative's Guide to Starting a Business - in your really good article about helping creatives master work-life balance https://lnkd.in/eMAYqrCx

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Wondering where to get started with an FMCG or CPG marketing strategy? Download our FREE template > https://lnkd.in/eehax2MC #fmcgmarketing #cpg #consumerbrand #marketingstrategy

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In today's digital landscape, crafting a compelling B2B buyer's journey is no longer optional – it's fundamental for success. Social media empowers suppliers to guide their customers seamlessly from initial awareness to post-purchase fulfilment, fostering trust and loyalty at every touchpoint. Delve into the key stages of the B2B buyer's journey, exploring how Jewel Ads can optimise each step. We'll cover methods for generating brand awareness through targeted promotion, fostering engagement through interactive content and social listening, and, ultimately, guiding buyers towards informed purchasing decisions. By harnessing the power of Jewel Ads, suppliers can craft a buyer's journey that fosters trust, increases engagement, and ultimately drives growth. So, are you ready to unlock the potential?

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CPMs down 4% today 🤔 Now that the Election is over, the cost of delivering your ads to your potential customers might have just got 4% cheaper… This is data from tens of thousands of Triple Whale integrated Shopify stores, your CPMs might look a little different What does this mean for our brands? … Not a whole lot! It’s just interesting Day to day changes in CPM of 4% are actually totally normal, and a lot of the time we actually prefer to pay more for delivery, clicks from Facebook & Instagram users that are more likely to buy. You could get really cheap ad delivery (and clicks) if you only served your ads in India, but unfortunately your sales would take a hit. This is a little reminder that while efficiency is important, the goal is growth (Not CPM, CPC, CPA or ROAS)

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🎙️ Webinar Alert! 🎙️ Organic | Certified B Corp UK is hosting an exciting webinar this Thursday at 11am (UK time). Organic's very own Tim Burley will be delving into the changing search landscape and what it means for e-commerce brands in the coming year and Michelle Gunn - Head of Digital Trading & UX at schuh will be discussing how as a brand they are investing in AI technologies to enhance the overall product search & discovery experience. Register now and join us live Thursday! 🖥️✨ Link in the comments ⬇️ #Webinar #Ecommerce #SearchTrends #UX #UserExperience #SEO #Innovation

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💡 Thinking of starting a Food & Drink or #FMCG brand? Check out out 5 Questions To Ask, to set you up for success > https://lnkd.in/eUk37Uxc #startup #fmcg #fmcgmarketing

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Ocado Retail announced Ocado Ads this week, as it moves into the retail media network. Being fully online, this provides brands with access to quality and scaled first-party audiences, sure to challenge some of the larger walled gardens! With all these retail media networks popping up, what is the real benefit to brands? Product innovation - without requiring expensive shelf space, you can quickly get new products in front of different audiences and test the response rate, using real insight to iterate and adapt! With the rise in retail media networks, it is going to be interesting to see how the advertising space changes. Will Google, Amazon, and Meta be so dominant? But one thing we know for sure is every brand should be investing in their first-party data, as they could be the next Ocado Ads! #retail #retailmedianetworks #foodanddrink #fmcg #firstpartydata read more on The Grocer https://lnkd.in/eR654jBP

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AWeber have just hiked their prices by approx 50–150%. Substantial price increases over the past couple of years across the industry are just another hit to small businesses. The EmailOctopus team have broken down the details in the latest blog post https://lnkd.in/eiM98-zn EO's mission is more important than ever, checkout how much you can save with EmailOctopus - https://lnkd.in/eA23DmcZ #EmailMarketing #SmallBusiness

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Startups - Don't waste your money on creative agencies.. Yet! That might sound like a nonsensical quote from someone who has worked for some of the UK's best creative agencies including the brilliant Without, who have created incredible identities and brands for the likes of Wahaca, Third Space and Marcus Wareing Restaurants. But 'Without' Creative Director Roly Grant would probably be the first to agree that an agency design project needs proper investment to make it work the first time around, or you'll likely be doing it all over again in a year or two. It's not just about creating a "logo" it's looking at the bigger picture of your identity - your story, positioning, naming, packaging, website - every creative touch point on the customer journey that will resonate with the right consumers for your brand. That takes proper expertise and proper investment. So if you're starting out without an agency sized budget, or in the case of WilderBee Hot Honey, no budget at all. and, like me, you are far from a designer. Where do you start? Here's how we've done it, so far: ✍ Brand naming and identity: I came up with the company name 'WilderKitchen' and Hot Honey brand name 'WilderBee' with the sourcing of our ingredients in mind - our ethical honey and sustainably sourced chillies. Getting wild with flavour while protecting and preserving the wild around us. It may change in the future but it works, for now. 🖍 Branding: Here's where you designers will chuckle: Now I had the brand name, I embarked on hours of plugging it into the font website 'DaFont' until I found one that felt right 😅 . This was 2017 and we have the same brand today. I couldn't even tell you what the font is now. 🥫 Packaging: As someone who doesn't know his arse from his Adobe Creative Cloud, this one took hours of YouTube tutorials on one screen and Adobe on the other - finally coming up with the packaging that you see today. It's by no means perfect but it works. In a pitch with Co-op, - Rebecca Oliver-Mooney even commented on how good it was and asked which agency created it! Needless to say I dined out on that one for a while. 🖥 Website: Hello Squarespace! What's that? You can create me a template and I can just drop in images, logos, my brand colour palette along with e-commerce capabilities? Take my £20 a month, thank you! 🤳 Ongoing creative assets/social content: Usually created in the bath, where I do my best creative work for some odd reason - Me, my iPhone and apps including Videoleap, Bazaart, Picsart, Canva and AI through Midjourney. So far, for us it's been bootstrapping all the way, but it's got us onto the shelves of Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Whole Foods Market, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and the menu's of Byron, Honest Burgers Ltd, Yard Sale Pizza and so many more. Not a humble brag, but it goes to show that you can get there on a shoestring. WilderBee Hot Honey has a LONG way to go creatively, and when our budget allows? Then hello Without!

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Good luck to all retailers this week - whether you've already launched your Black Friday campaigns, are about to roll them out, or are skipping the whole thing! NB the accompanying image is a stock one I found using the search term 'sales frenzy'. Not wholly relevant but better than nothing. #blackfriday #ecommerce #shopify

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We’ve seen at Pepper first-hand how powerful the Shopify + Meta integration can be for driving sales. Working with Sailors Jail—an alternative art gallery in the heart of Falmouth, Cornwall, selling limited-edition artwork—we used this approach to connect their Shopify store with Meta platforms, achieving a ROAS of over 20x on some paintings. What’s exciting is that e-commerce isn’t just for lower-value items. Sailors Jail shows that you can sell premium, high-value products like artwork by removing barriers and streamlining the customer journey. From leveraging Instagram’s catalogue and e-commerce features to offering direct checkout experiences, we helped them showcase their stunning pieces to the right audience—and make purchasing effortless. If you’re selling unique or high-ticket items, this integration could be a game-changer for you too. Let’s chat about how we can make it work for your brand. #Ecommerce #Shopify

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My responsibilities are changing a bit at work, and my new focus has been on getting people to the website to buy products ultimately. Our team had some great ideas to get the help we needed in our targeting and overall digital marketing, which has made a world of difference. Our Black Friday sale has been blowing up this past week, and only a few small changes made a big difference. This video is the creative I put together for one of our ads, but our marketing experts have been targeting it so well. #DigitalMarketingStrategy #CreativeOutdoorMarketing #OutdoorAdventures #DigitalCampaigns #InnovativeMarketingStrategy #OutdoorSportsMarketing

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Say goodbye to the limitations of a third-party marketplace. With your own e-commerce website, enjoy endless customisation options that truly represent your brand. 🌟 Build your future with us! Visit 🌐 imageconcepts.co.uk or 📞 call us at 01423 900590 to learn more. #imageconcepts #webservices #graphicdesign #websitedesign #ecommercewebsites #marketing #logodesign #advertisingdesign #marketingmaterials #digitalconsultancy #professional #rightimpression #qualityprinting

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Every brand has a story to tell. Let us bring yours to life through captivating advertising design. From eye-catching visuals to compelling messaging, we'll help you create lasting impressions that resonate with your audience. Visit 🌐 imageconcepts.co.uk or 📞 call us at 01423 900590 to learn more. #imageconcepts #webservices #graphicdesign #websitedesign #ecommercewebsites #marketing #logodesign #advertisingdesign #marketingmaterials #digitalconsultancy #professional #rightimpression #qualityprinting

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Creating a compelling brand goes far beyond aesthetics – it is about capturing the essence of your business and conveying it to your target audience. In our second blog this month, we look at how we delve deep into your business and tailor a brand identity that truly represents your organisation. Take a read here... https://bit.ly/3wm9O0D #brandingspecialists #marketingexperts #brandingmarketing

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Do we ever really know what we want our business to be? Or if we do, how long before it changes? This conversation formed part of a larger session with my business coach last month. It was a realisation that even after 7 years running Flux, my vision for what it should be is constantly changing. And so it should. Because people’s demands are changing. We speak to clients all the time who are hesitant to change lanes because it feels like failure. It feels like they couldn’t stay the course. But it’s important to reframe that mindset and move with the demands of your target client and also… The demands of your personal life. For me, Flux has evolved as my children have grown, meaning I have tweaked the various services to allow me to manage my time better. Same values. Same client outcomes. Different packaging. You will undoubtedly have a vision for your business and what you ultimately want to achieve. If you would like to partner with someone who can help you navigate the inevitable changes along the way, however… Choose someone who has done it before, and continues to do it today. What do you want your business to be?

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