Most brands like the idea of building a brand community, but few know how to build one that feels real, and one that runs itself. What made PureSport different – and why hundreds of people turned up to run around Battersea Park in matching socks – is that the brand understood something most marketers miss: “The people are the community, not the brand. You just provide the place.” We had the pleasure of chatting to James Dollah, Head of Brand at Puresport, who gave us his hard

Grind started serving specialty coffee back in 2011. If you’re an OG, you’ll know that they were a small cafe Shoreditch Grind, way before they launched their iconic pink branding and coffee trucks in and around London. Now they’ve opened 14 different locations in London; their coffee beans, cans and pods are in most major UK grocers; and they’ve gone from local flyposting to collabing with the likes of Hello Kitty and American rock band Green Day. Our members had the privil

Most marketers say they’re consumer-centric. Far fewer operate as if a real human being is sitting in the meeting with them. This is the biggest lesson Debbie Epstein, Marketing Director at THIS!, hammered home during our UpTalk event. Below are the most powerful insights Debbie shared, with the real brand examples to show you how the brands Debbie has worked at (THIS!, Bounce, Ella’s Kitchen…) have put it all into practice. 1. You don’t “already know your customer” When Debb

Maddy Tomalin Reeves is an Up Club member and has worked with some seriously sexy FMCG brands (Nandos, Pret, Hippeas, Ugly Drinks, Cheesies, Nice). In her 6 years of experience she’s learnt a thing or two about how to transform brand creative into commercial growth. Her advice? Don’t think of creativity as a straight and narrow path with obstacles (budget, resource, time) to overcome. Instead, think of creativity like this 👇 The reality is there are many roads you can take t

If you’ve ever felt like your career zigzags more than it climbs, you’re in good company. Gastón Tourn, Chief Growth Officer at Oddbox (ex-CMO at Bumble, Emma Mattress, and more), didn’t plan to end up in marketing at all. “I studied communication because I was fascinated by language, and how we create meaning through symbols,” he said. “I almost looked down on marketing at university, to be honest. The formulaic approach felt like dumbing down complex human behaviour – the

When a social strategist who’s led content for The North Face and Starbucks says your social media playbook is outdated, it’s well worth taking note. In our latest Up Talk session, Maren Hamilton unpacked the biggest mistakes brands are still making in this space, and what to do instead.

If you’ve walked through London in the middle of summer, you may have seen people walking around bright yellow totes that look like...

It started in 2019. Covid hit, wallets shifted online and razor brand Estrid launched into the perfect storm. But timing alone doesn’t...

This is part of a series on 3 essential lessons on brand , courtesy of our recent talk with Yoto’s Head of Brand, Huntley Gorden. If you...