Simpson ’s Post

It’s the little things

'Never eat alone.' I learned this early in my consulting career. We were always supposed to build relationships with clients - learn more about their business, build trust, and sell more work. This practice made me very comfortable eating and chatting with new acquaintances. Even after leaving consulting, I continued this practice, even setting a goal at Expedia to have lunch with three new people a week. Why lunch? I believe that eating together builds a different connection. It's informal. More personal than business. The conversation can stray outside work. We can relax. This ad is a good reminder to sit next to a stranger. You may meet someone interesting. You may alleviate their loneliness even for a brief moment. As 2023 comes to a close and we look forward to the next year, consider a new year goal to eat with someone new (or reconnect with an old friend) at least weekly. https://lnkd.in/gtC67bAj

Sound

Sunday was St Patrick’s day. A global day of celebration of Irish culture which feels like it’s getting bigger each and every year in its scale. So what better day to jump in, join the fun and see if you can get people to reappraise what they drink … and whether there might be more than Guinness to enjoy. That’s what Kahlua did. And people loved it.  🎉 The atmosphere/ambience, infectious enthusiasm, jolly 🎻 The music (contributing to the above) 🤣 Funny - the story, the facial expressions, the Tucan, the twist 😯 Surprise/curve ball - the moment of him turning round with a cocktail, the play on Guinness 🍸 The twist on tradition and acceptance - celebrating non conformity, affectionate It also gives them a powerful positive association or space to be part of the big event. Being a part of St Patrick’s day.  This all meant that the ad was seen as incredibly well loved, resonant, highly distinctive and really did make people who wouldn’t have considered Kahlua pre seeing the ad actually want to try it. Only 3% considered the brand before being exposed to the ad in the middle of programming surrounded by other ads …. And after, 22% would consider it. Now to the elephant in the room.  Not everyone realised or remembered it was a Kahlua ad. We show the ad as part of an ‘ad break’ with other ads in the middle of programming then ask what brands people remember being advertised.  The number mentioning Kahlua is less than we’d often see.  BUT - there is an additional 10% who talked about espresso martini (which benefits Kahlua). Inevitably …. There are also 7% who remember Guinness.  Now we could see that as a really bad thing … or we could weigh up a few things: - It’s a smaller brand.  They have a lot to gain by being part of St Patrick’s day, being another drink to consider, being humorous, being an accepted drink.  - The way it positions Kahlua cleverly as an alternative.  An attractive one.  A fun one. An accepted one is very clever. - Is Guinness really a competitor? Or given the number who do get the brand, is attaching the love so many feel for Guinness powerful? - Could Kahlua habit stack on Guinness as James Clear would say?  When you’ve had enough Guinness you move seamlessly to Kahlua or an espresso martini I say well done to Kahlua, Pernod Ricard and Wieden Kennedy Sign up to the newsletter for insights into an interesting ad each week. https://lnkd.in/e-VVDCSC https://lnkd.in/ema3AbMW #consumerinsights #kahlua #advertising #marketing #effectiveadvertising #stpatricksday

🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸 Wishing our American friends, panelists, clients, and colleagues a wonderful holiday celebration filled with laughter, barbecue, fireworks, and some R&R with family or friends! ✨ 🎇 🌟 #FourthOfJuly #FamilyTime #Celebrate #IndependenceDay #Barbeque #USA #IndependenceDay #4thOfJuly #OpinionsLinkResearch #OpinionsLink #PaidStudies #paidmarketresearch #paidresearch

COLLEAGUES AT WORK WITH A MANAGER ARE NEVER YOUR FAMILY. Many managers claim that the work team is one big friendly family where everyone supports each other. Unfortunately, the workplace will never become a family, although they have many nuances in common. At work, a person acts largely in order to achieve personal goals, one of which is financial benefit - salary. The purpose of the family is something else. At the same time, there are also situations where a family is created primarily for the purpose of financial gain, but this is an exception. The family holds together in both good and bad times, which unfortunately cannot always be said about the workplace. In bad times, people get fired, and that's not family. At the same time, they both have one important thing in common - care and a sense of security. People are happier and more committed when they are cared for and feel safe. Small phrases are enough for the manager to assure the employee of his support and create a sense of security in the employee. How often do you as a manager use these phrases? How do you create a safe working environment for your employees and show your care? See also: https://lnkd.in/dkxNU88P #leadwolf #effectiveleadership #workenvironment #trust #commitment

Well, it’s no secret that organizations are doubling down on events, including smaller, intimate, and exclusive experiences like an executive dinner. 🍽️ While the playbook may becoming increasingly popular, check out the stunning work by the ClickUp team to deliver a beautiful event and also create interesting content that drives engagement. 💡 What do you think; Are smaller intimate events an important element of a modern go-to-market strategy? Let us know in the comments. #events #eventprofs

So true, you harvest what you seed. Whether people namely like it or not, any conflict continues until there is truce, regardless of the amount of atrocities committed by both parties. First after such truce is reached, the real peace building can start. There are only two scenarios to sustainably end a conflict: -1- a “final solution” or total defeat of one of the two parties, leaving no-one behind to reignite the conflict in decades from now (God beware us!) -2- truce and working on the root-causes in order to grow sustainable understanding for each other and establish convergence. If this is established, the wrong leaders lose their divergent control. Against all odds there sometimes are examples of such inspiring convergence to be followed! See: https://lnkd.in/dsUG9m85 & www.pax.ngo