30 January 2025: Delegate Survey Results
January’s event was a blast. Our guest curator Zoe Scaman inspired the room full of some of the UK’s most senior marketers, and our panellists shared their expert knowledge and all in one of the UK’s most iconic venues. The anecdotal feedback we have had on our House of Lords event has been super-positive – […]
10 Marketing Time-Wasters – And How To Fix Them
Operations specialist Oliver Ramirez identifies 10 time trip-wires all marketing leaders need to avoid… Marketing teams constantly battle against a lack of time. Campaign deadlines loom, content calendars overflow, and inefficiencies quietly drain productivity. The best teams are not just creative; they operate with precision. Here are ten of the biggest time wasters in marketing and the process improvements that will help your team regain control. 1. Last-Minute Requests Why it’s a problem: Constantly shifting priorities disrupt workflows and drain focus. Fix: Introduce a structured request intake system with clear timelines and prioritisation rules. Evaluate new requests using a simple impact versus effort framework. Ask yourself: Is there a process in place to manage unexpected tasks without disrupting planned work? 2. Inefficient Email Communication Why it’s a problem: Critical details get lost in long email threads, slowing decisions and causing confusion. Fix: Consolidate communication depending on the platform. Establish clear guidelines on when to email versus when to use instant messaging or comments on shared documents. Ask yourself: How much time is wasted searching for lost information? 3. Unclear Roles and Responsibilities Why it’s a problem: When tasks lack clear ownership, they get delayed or duplicated. Fix: Assign a single accountable person for every key process. Define decision-making structures so team members know who approves what, reducing unnecessary back-and-forth. Ask yourself: Does every workflow have a designated owner (per step)? 4. Unproductive Meetings Why it’s a problem: Meetings consume valuable time without always leading to decisions or actions. Fix: Require a clear agenda for every meeting. Shift updates to written formats using project management tools. Keep discussions structured, time-boxed, and outcome-focused. Ask yourself: Are you fully leveraging your project management tools? 5. Manual, Repetitive Work Why it’s a problem: Too much time is spent on tasks that could be automated. Fix: Identify repetitive processes such as reporting, email sequences, and asset approvals. Leverage automation tools to streamline workflows and free up time for strategic work. Ask yourself: What percentage of daily tasks could be automated? 6. A Complex and Disjointed Tech Stack Why it’s a problem: Using too many disconnected tools creates inefficiencies and unnecessary manual work. Fix: Conduct a technology audit. Remove redundant platforms and ensure seamless integrations across systems to improve efficiency. Ask yourself: Does your tech stack simplify work or add complexity? […]
You Can’t Force The Tide
Following Zoe Scaman’s thought-provoking Little Grey Cells breakfast briefing on ‘The New Frontier of Fandom,’ in January 2025, Chris Healey shares his key takeouts from the session and suggests how brand should approach the phenomenon of fandom with your marketing team. Customer-Centricity: The Key to Riding the Right Waves It isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about […]
10 Ways To Optimise Marketing Logistics
Does it feel like like your team’s wheels are spinning but not making contact with the ground? Are campaigns and initiatives taking longer than they should to assemble? It’s time to streamline those processes and unlock the true potential of your marketing powerhouse. Optimising your processes is not just about working harder; it’s about working […]
Your Marketing Team: Fine-tuned
Chris Healey explains how through his Mx (Marketing Excellence) 3 session course, there is no teaching. Chris facilitates sessions that get marketing teams to do the thinking, framed by industry best practice and MBA-level marketing theory. In his second blog post on this topic, he highlights 2 key results that his workshop participants typically experience. […]
Making The Most Of The Marketing Leader Community Built For You
Little Grey Cells Club founder Tim Healey unpacks how the goal of this community of senior marketers on both sides of the Atlantic is to serve our members and ensure that marketing remains an inspirational and rewarding discipline – and how you can get more involved. Little Grey Cells Club is a community of the […]
3 Ways To Improve Your Marketing Teams In 2025
It sometimes surprises my clients that I don’t teach in my my Marketing Excellence (Mx) programme. I make the assumption that your marketing team are very talented – that’s why you, as a senior marketer, hired them. But when was the last time that you indulged your marketing team in a series of structured group […]
Future-proofing Your Content Management
“When you have a question – the brand you consult should have the answer with ‘one click’. Better customer experience is the ultimate goal for every brand. If you have the best customer experience in your market, you will win.” SÖREN STAMER, CEO, COREMEDIA Sören Stamer, CEO CoreMedia, walks LCG Founder Tim Healey through the […]
The Martech Evolution
‘The Old Is Dying And The New Cannot Be Born’ – Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci used this phrase about a century ago in his work ‘Prison Notebooks’ to reflect upon societal and political instability and transformation, where existing structures and ideas were losing their validity, but new ones had not yet emerged to replace them. This could very well define the state […]
10 Escapist Reads to Recharge Your Mind:
Tired of the grind? Need a break from the boardroom? Dive into these 10 captivating reads that promise pure pleasure and no marketing or business tips. Business, strategy, marketing and self-improvement books are ten-a-penny – and I speak as someone who wrote one. After years of reading a modest library’s worth of business and “how […]