Who is Apple Kidding with Lil Finder Guy?

Big tech is showing the world its 'warmth' problem

The (Real) Challenge with the Diamond Organisation

Should we really be predicting the diamond is here to stay?

What the death of the gold-watch career tells us about marketing effectiveness

How careers and marketing effectiveness move together

The Great AI Build

Firms may be building in-house, faster, but what happens afterwards?

This article was written by AI

When is a "made by a machine" label tricky?

Imagine if your baker couldn’t name different types of flour

Why a progressive, fast paced discipline is stuck in middle ages

The missing ingredient in the UK’s new food waste scheme

England is heading in the right direction with food waste but policy makers need to look harder at the scheme

The Locked Chocolate Aisle: How Incentives, Risk, and AI Are Reshaping Retail Behaviour

Chocolate bars in lockboxes sound like a quirky news story. In reality, they reveal how incentives, risk management, and AI‑driven surveillance collide on the supermarket shelf – and why marketers, not just loss‑prevention teams, should care.

What’s your IQ? Your MartechIQ

Why the 15,000-app explosion has made traditional marketing audits obsolete.

The "Friend Finding" Feature No One Asked For: OpenAI’s Pivot to Surveillance Capitalism

How the February 2026 privacy update transforms ChatGPT from a tool into a tracking ecosystem.

Rethinking Internationalisation: A Strategic Framework for Higher Education Leadership

Global higher education stands at a critical juncture. Shifting geopolitical realities, funding challenges, and increasing competition for global talent are reshaping the landscape in which universities operate.

The 6 Stages of Marketing Evolution (And Why Most Businesses Are Stuck in the Past)

From Henry Ford to TikTok, marketing has moved from simple production to psychological prediction. Explore 6 eras through cases like Haier and Nokia to understand why the 'Hard Sell' has had its day.

artificial intelligence

The End of the Honeymoon: OpenAI Just Dropped the Ad Bomb

The "Clean Web" is dead. As OpenAI pivots to ads, we analyse the shift through Doctorow’s "Enshittification" theory and the rise of Paid Answer Optimisation. Plus: The Friday Briefing on Balenciaga’s ugly luxury, the TikTok deal, and Apple’s Gemini pivot.

marketing-education

Dissertation Topic #1: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – The "Death of SEO"

To study the future of AI, you must look to the past of psychology. This blueprint for an empirical dissertation on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) shows how to anchor modern tech in established theory and design a rigorous experiment for a distinction grade.

Dissertation Support

The Anatomy of a Dissertation: A Chapter-by-Chapter Blueprint

Many students fail because they view a dissertation as five separate essays stapled together. A Distinction student views it as one single argument, sliced into five chapters.

marketing-education

5 Marketing Dissertation Topics for 2026 (That Your Supervisor May Actually Approve)

Most dissertation proposals are rejected because they lack scope, not potential. Discover five distinction-grade Marketing dissertation topics for 2026 that hit the 'Golden Triad' of Currency, Criticality, and Focus—from the rise of AI Agents to the psychology of 'De-Influencing'.

Dissertation Support

The "Hidden Curriculum": 4 Rules Every UK Marketing Dissertation Follows (That They Don't Always Tell You)

I looked at Dissertation handbooks from 22 Universities to workout what a dissertation really means. Here is the blueprint.

Marketing Strategy

The "Lanzhou Spike": Why Your Analytics Are Lying to You (And What It Means for Strategy)

A sudden traffic spike from Lanzhou, China, isn't a viral hit, it's a data integrity problem. We explore how this AI bot wave is distorting your GA4 metrics, creating "conversion rate illusions," and the strategic steps you must take to filter the noise.

behavioural-science

Let’s (Not) Get Physical: Why Adding Physical Versions to Digital Products Can Undermine Their Value

New research by Rob Angell shows that adding physical versions to unique digital assets can reduce their value. This article explores the cross-format dilution effect and its implications for digital marketing strategy.

SME

Digitalisation for SMEs: Doing More with Less

How can small businesses embrace digital tools without big budgets? This article explores how SMEs can adopt tech creatively using entrepreneurial marketing logic—blending effectuation, bricolage, and lean testing to drive growth on their terms.

ai-marketing

The Rise of AI-Generated Models in Fashion

AI-generated models like Lil Miquela and Shudu are redefining fashion marketing. Discover how brands like H&M are embracing digital twins, the benefits they offer, and the ethical questions they raise about authenticity and diversity.

Higher Education

Outrunning the Bear: Surviving (and Thriving) in the New Higher Education Landscape

There’s an old survival adage: “You don’t need to outrun the bear—just the person next to you.” Right now, that saying rings more true than ever. With funding crises looming, international student flows uncertain, and institutional costs rising, the metaphorical bear is real—and hungry. For universities,

behavioural-science

Beyond Economics: Why Trump’s Return Demands a Rethink of Marketing Models and Teaching

As Trump returns to power and tariffs rise, core marketing models rooted in stability face new challenges. This article explores how political disruption is reshaping both marketing strategy and how the subject is taught in business schools worldwide.

martech

Execution is Everything: Aligning Digital Strategy with Customer Communication

Choosing the right digital marketing strategy is only half the battle. The next challenge is execution —how businesses communicate their message, engage customers, and allocate resources effectively.