Faith Thinking

The authorisation of advertising material in the public domain is something that needs more discussion. For most ad campaigns the industry sets high standards in terms of producing communication material that meets community expectations in terms of honesty and accuracy. Recently we produced a series of ads where we used actors to make a humorous […]

In the latest of his ‘A Bit of Everything’ series meeting retail industry leaders, David Trussler caught up with CEO of Clark Rubber Anthony Grice. The exchange provides some context and background to the direction of the retail group and their on-going success in building a  new and dynamic retail culture.

David Trussler sat down recently with David Preston the Head of Franchise Brands at Sigma Healthcare.  His insights into the industry and pharmacy were interesting and thought provoking.

The writer’s strike in the US highlights some of the challenges that traditional TV is facing as the constant struggle for eyeballs continues.  NBC, Disney, Paramount, and Warner Bros have all relied on television channels for profit growth.  Now with streaming, poor box office receipts from new releases and the potential impact of AI television […]

Recently I have been working with a client who has inherited an old database of names on their internal CRM.  A quick review by our digital team suggested that a lot of the names just did not stack up with over 50,000 records on the system.  We decided that a data cleanse was sadly overdue.  […]

One of the interesting things about working in agency land across a broad section of clients both large and small is that you see a microcosm of Australian business that few politicians or media commentators observe.  After the summer break I was hopeful that the marketplace would return to a more predictable pattern with pent […]

You might forgive me for having a whinge on this occasion, but the factors impacting building and DIY marketing in the next twelve months will make life very difficult for many of Australia’s largest retail players.  With timber shortages already increasing the cost of building homes it’s little wonder that inflation is going to become […]

One of the concerning issues within society over the last few months has been the number of surveys that have identified that Australians are generally more unhappy than a decade ago, and have lost trust in both their political leaders, institutions, and the media.  As an advertising practitioner for most of my career, truth in […]

For many of us, the last 24 months have been a rollercoaster, a game changer, a kick in the pants that has permanently altered the way we work and the way we play. For us here at Faith, we’ve been incredibly luck to roll with the punches and come out the other side in one […]

It was a real game changing moment when the world wide web became accessible in 1993. A whole new inter-connected world opened up in a manner that we had never experienced before. The social as well as business implications were eagerly promoted but naively recognised in terms of potential. As we approach the adoption of […]

  When I first studied marketing, ‘Buyer Behaviour’ was a subject that focused on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the importance of quantitative and qualitative research. In the simple ecosystem where I was educated, ‘Path to Purchase’ was a relatively straightforward model highlighted by its reliance on mass marketing techniques and a simple selection of […]

After nearly two years of restrictive movement most Australians are looking forward to reconnecting with their families and loved ones at Christmas.  Despite the new variance and an acceptance that living with COVID is the new reality, most of us are in a reflective mood as we consider the changes to our society that have […]

Now that re-opening is a reality it is interesting to contrast the way many marketers are looking to the future. James Wright a founding partner of Melbourne based ‘Sayers’ in a recent Financial Review article identified that proven research shows that companies that invest in their brand through a downturn will recover faster than those […]

Most of the people I speak to are finding Lockdown 5.0 more difficult than any of the others we have endured.  The virus has mutated into a new strain and will no doubt, in time, mutate again.  I don’t say this to be negative but simply to call it as it is.  In the UK […]

One of the interesting things about advertising when you have been around as long as I have is that there is not a lot that is really new.  Things that you have, learnt or heard seem to come back as contemporary trends with amazing regularity.     I was reminded this week reading about Andrew Little’s recent […]

It’s been interesting to review the stats and see how quickly the economy across Australia has recovered after lockdown.  The momentum of the recovery has surprised economists and the government.  Consumers have been happy to spend and the level of optimism in the economy is generally higher than anticipated.  Job keeper funding has seen some […]

It really caught my attention when Nike cut some of its retail partners as part of its focus on expanding its Direct To Consumer (DTC) strategy. While not a new strategic development for Nike, their DTC strategy contributed an 83% growth in e-commerce, helping offset the recent sharp reduction in foot traffic. To put that […]

One of the interesting developments we have seen in recent months is a growing enquiry about how to increase conversions on the website.  Many companies have seen their traffic spike and looked to understand how they can translate that interest in their brand or service to a sale.  Certainly, paid search strategies, social media retargeting, […]

In recent times most of us have been anchored to our computer screens, trying to reach out to our customers and endeavouring to connect in a meaningful way.  Established work patterns and relationships have been fractured as we attend countless video meetings on zoom and teams.  For those of us in service businesses it’s been […]

Increasingly commentators in recent weeks have turned their attention to their crystal balls as they try and interpret new trends and behaviours.  A growing sense of nostalgia and a return to normality is readily noted in any study of consumer behaviour.  Activism is alive and well, with younger members of the community seemingly angrier than […]

  As we slowly start to awaken after our enforced hibernation it is interesting to look at some of the significant changes that have occurred in the way our behaviour has changed.   Recent Bank of America research reveals that in the US online sales have increased from 16% of retail sales to 27% of retail sales […]

  It’s no surprise to see businesses trying to change the way they do business during the coronavirus crisis, and one of the easiest ways for them to do this is to pivot to online activity. We’re seeing the need for a lot of designing and development of web applications for businesses across Melbourne and […]

Given the current coronavirus crisis, there’s a distinct rise in the need for learning management system development not just for schools and education facilities but even for professional organisations as well. As a digital advertising agency, Faith has experience in designing, developing and implementing learning management systems (LMS) for organisations across Melbourne and Australia. But, […]

Not unlike many businesses our clients have had a lot to cope with since Christmas.  External factors such as bushfires, coronavirus, declining consumer confidence, low interest rates, a volatile stock market and the continued disruption to existing business models are all contributing to one of the most challenging quarters in my advertising career.  As we […]

The closing off of 2019 is a time for reflection as we ponder our launch into another decade. Most media outlets are consumed by fear and negativity, whether it be over the economy, bushfires or climate change. Forgetting where you sit on the political spectrum one cannot be disappointed by the predominance of ‘bad news’ […]

Recently I attended a breakfast hosted by the Outdoor Media Association entitled ‘Look Up’. The key speaker was Dr Fiona Kerr. Dr Kerr gave a thought-provoking address on the importance of human connection as a fundamental human need. Whilst there was a strong focus on its importance to advertising, I was struck by some major […]

The seasonally adjusted May retail figures show retail sales up 0.1% following a fall of the same number in April and 0.3% growth in March. Whilst the election result appears to have had a positive impact on consumer confidence the two reductions in interest rates show how fragile the economy is. Retail sales are effectively […]

The social and political landscape of our country has changed significantly. Regardless of individual political views Australian culture as we have known it is undergoing major transformation. Countless royal commissions, including Child Sexual Abuse in the Church, Misconduct in the Banking sector and now the Aged care inquiry are all having a major influence on […]

“We systematically overestimate the change that will occur in two years, while under estimating the change that will come in the next ten years.” Bill Gates During a recent clean up, I found a brochure we produced for an agency breakfast seminar we put on in late 2000. We were presenting in conjunction with Google […]

We all know the Amazon story and how the e-commerce giant is continually redefining the customer experience. However, there’s another developing giant in this space that is just as impressive, albeit on a smaller scale. With a market capitalisation of about $56 billion, JD.COM is about a tenth of Amazon’s size. Headquartered in Beijing and […]

Social and digital trends from last year predicted an increase in the usage of messenger and chat apps. In 2017, Facebook messenger was not only the most downloaded app in Australia but it also had the most active users per month (Digital in 2018 report by We are Social). According to Facebook (Facebook Insights) more […]

Basically, anything you need to do online can be done through WeChat,” says Dr. Andy Chun, a leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert and Associate Professor at City University of Hong Kong. “WeChat is much more ingrained into the average Chinese citizen’s daily life than Alibaba or Baidu. Amazon and Google do not have anything comparable.

Basically, anything you need to do online can be done through WeChat,” says Dr. Andy Chun, a leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert and Associate Professor at City University of Hong Kong. “WeChat is much more ingrained into the average Chinese citizen’s daily life than Alibaba or Baidu. Amazon and Google do not have anything comparable.

Why is so much reported information never corroborated with facts? So many political opinions and analyses are big on rhetoric and puffery, but often lacking factual base. Is this lazy reporting or does it represent the rise of the ‘modern elitists’ who push issues and are not prepared to look at facts to support an argument, or a point of view?

With the budget review period in full swing boards need to carefully consider the strategy behind their brand portfolio and consider whether it is generating the value it should. For many organisations there is a temptation to not engage with their marketing strategy sufficiently, particularly with the time and effort required to manage financial risk and governance issues. Internal management often sees board influence in this area as unnecessary, but in a changing marketing environment it has never been more vital.

Most Marketing Managers are faced with the daunting prospect of appointing a new advertising agency at some point. Often it is thrust upon them, or someone just decides it’s time, the creatives are out of touch, the account service people don’t listen or the work is either late or not of the required standard.  For someone […]

Social Media Platforms are constantly evolving and changing the rules to make sure that users are mostly seeing relevant content and brands advertise smarter. In 2017 the rules might change again, but these are some of the trends we predict might be worth investing in this year.

2016 was a year of big changes in SEM. Google removed right hand side ads and introduced Expanded Text Ads and for many clients it was the year that mobile overtook desktop traffic. Looking forward into 2017 we have identified 3 Key Trends that will affect Paid Search Marketing.