It seems that barely a week goes by without a story in the press exposing some shady marketing practice or fakery, from “influencers” being exposed for having fake followers, to social media heavyweights claiming that all web analytics data is fake. In this issue our writers take a close look at what’s happening and in the Rockstar penthouse we’ve dropped a track from a classic album, the Foo Fighters’ “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace”. Welcome to “The Pretender” Issue.
Keep you in the dark You know they all pretend Keep you in the dark And so it all began
What’s real in this issue is the insight from our Rockstar marketing leaders. I go backstage with Ahmed Hasan, Global Head of Customer Engagement Marketing at Spark44, the agency that looks after the marketing for one of my favorite brands – Jaguar LandRover. Six of our Rockstar marketers gather in the Green Room to discuss authenticity in marketing and, in this month’s Tale from the Tour Bus, disruptor Hugh Thomas, co-founder of challenger brand Ugly Drinks, takes us on board to tell us about marketing the ‘ugly truth’, and the challenges of taking things Stateside.
Our resident Rockstar Ted Rubin returns for some straight talking (absolutely nothing fake there), marketing consultant, journalist and editor Morag Cuddeford-Jones offers us a guide to avoiding the creepiness of personalization, and Casey Petersen talks fake followers.
There we have it. A pack
of lies or a packed issue? You decide.
Deepfake videos are on the rise, resurrecting dead icons. But before you start planning your next no-longer-with-us ambassador, these three campaigns will make you think twice about looking beyond the grave. …
Ian Truscott sits down with Ahmed Hasan,Global Head of Customer Engagement Marketing at Spark44 to talk Blink-182, the advantages of failing fast, and why now is a great time for lean thinking marketers. …
Keeping a close eye on your follower numbers? Getting a little too upset when those numbers dip? Casey Petersen, Photofy’s Vice President of Marketing, explains why you’ve got it all wrong. …
Unlike its musical counterpart of pop, where the lip-synch reigns supreme, rock has never rested on the laurels of authenticity. Not like social media. Gareth May unpacks the weird world of fake #sponcon. …
Marketing consultant, journalist and editor Morag Cuddeford-Jones on how to avoid being both creepy and stalkerish, and to instead use invisible personalization to smash your loftiest customer experience goals. …
We sit down with six of our Rockstar marketers and ask how we can keep it real and appeal to the cynical, empowered consumer that craves authenticity. …
In our second ride on the tour bus, FMCG disruptor Hugh Thomas, co-founder of challenger brand Ugly Drinks, tells us about marketing the ‘ugly truth’, and the challenges of taking things Stateside. …
Influencers are the latest group to buy fake followers in order to boost their appeal. But while a large follower count may look good, as Dave Waller discovers, this isn’t just a numbers game …
The days of brands being detached, abstract and ultimately faceless entities are long gone. Stephen Kelly explores how you can inject a little humanity into proceedings – authentically. …
Maybe not a Rockstar CMO, just the founding editor of Rockstar CMO. Ian is a techie turned veteran B2B marketer, a former product marketer, CTO, CMO and industry analyst. Today, If content is king or queen, Ian is here to serve, whether it’s content marketing, strategy, or tech, he’s into it.