I was interested to read on a blog by Mark Easton (the BBC’s Home Editor) about a new book called ‘Nudge’ which suggests a more subtle psychological approach to changing behaviour. The book is based on the premise that instead of radical new moves or hard-hitting communications, a simple ‘nudge’ here and there is more likely to do the trick. For example, if people are advised when their energy consumption goes above the average for their street, they are more likely to act out of a sense of community. This dovetails nicely into our findings from our recent community research – people are more conscious than ever of their peers, and are happier to norm to their behaviour than to be told what to do by the government or big corporates. A very interesting insight for the future of marketing...

At a recent DMA North seminar on a multi-sensory approach to direct marketing, Gráinne Newborough demonstrated the importance of engaging all the senses. Using touch, smell or taste helps to engage people in a much more emotional way than simply using copy and images. She peppered her presentation with examples from the likes of Daz who use door to door sampling complete with citrus smells, the Royal Mail who mailed agencies with a letter carved into a block of chocolate. The image above demonstrates that even with jumbled copy the mind works easily to interpret what is meant.

David was recently delighted to be nominated by Simon Hall, Chairman of the IDM to become a Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing. The Society of Fellows is a group of senior marketing practitioners with more than 10 years industry experience, and David was honoured to be invited to join. The IDM is looking for ‘fresh minds and new enthusiasm’ – exactly why David was identified. As a member of the DMA Council, David is no stranger to acting as a spokesperson for our profession and is very much looking forward to the challenge of helping to keep the IDM at the forefront of our rapidly changing sector.

Amanda McDonald

Our current campaign for a local FE College is designed to encourage employers to get on board with the new Diplomas. The Diplomas educate young people to develop their skills in a particular sector (not a specific job) and become work-ready rather than job-ready. Our work includes a Direct Mail pack for parents and influencers, posters and radio. The outcomes are to get students onto the courses by demonstrating that local employers are keen to employ Diploma graduates. We’re looking forward to being part of this new era for education and training.

A recent report from Forrester paints an interesting picture of the future of communications agencies. The Connected Agency is emerging with the specific aim of getting under the skin of its audiences to the point of membership, and only when it has attained the trust of a community can it introduce brands to them. There's more on this on our recently launched website yescommmunitymarketing.co.uk