Latest News
Putting, pen to paper
At CMA we live, breathe and dream about content marketing by day and by night. So it is that we regularly clear the air by posting informative, engaging and sometimes downright strange news articles.
The elusive blue badge: What’s the deal with Twitter verification in 2020?
Reverse engineer, Jane Manchun Wong, is well-known for finding new features on Twitter. On this occasion she stumbled across a new “request verification” feature in the “personal information” section of settings and started doing some digging.
Is this the end for physical media?
Do you still spin a DVD or just press the ‘Netflix’ button on your TV remote? Do you still buy CDs or listen to all your tunes through ‘Spotify’? Is physical media really becoming an endangered species? Let’s see…
Does the NHS Test and Trace app invade your privacy?
The road to delivering the NHS Test and Trace app has not been a smooth one. It probably hasn’t been any rockier than the journey any piece of software takes through development; but most teams of developers aren’t working under such public scrutiny. Now...
Can procrastinating actually make you more creative?
Would you consider yourself a procrastinator? If you’re reading this to avoid completing a task, it’s likely that you are. But, is procrastination really such a bad thing, or, can it actually lead to more creativity?
Freelancers: are you charging what you’re actually worth?
So, you’re a freelancer. You’re doing a job you enjoy, and for some reason people seem to think that wanting to get paid for the work you do makes you just plain greedy. Here’s our advice on how to get paid what you’re actually worth.
Innocent Drinks rebrand: How can something so wrong be so right?
You don’t have to wade far into the shallow end of the internet to encounter a rebrand that went wrong. Innocent learned from all the catastrophic rebrands that have gone and didn’t fall into any of the same traps. You see, Innocent has experience.
Vertical cinema is on the up
Oscar-winning director, Damien Chazelle, recently released his short film Vertical Cinema, shot on an iPhone, which was held vertically. After a century of horizontal movies, has Hollywood been caught laying down on the job? Is the future vertical?
Social Media Competitions: A Best Practice Guide
How can you get your brand noticed on social media? Well, it just so happens that we have the answer… social media competitions. In this guide, we explain how to execute competitions to increase engagement, gain more followers and boost brand awareness.
Internet memes of the ‘90s: thanks for the meme-ories
Like Raiders of the Lost Meme, we’ve managed to unearth forgotten treasures from the earliest days of the internet; a time before social media and even broadband was a thing. Join us in taking a look at five of those virtual artefacts from the ‘90s.
Facebook’s 2020 algorithm update: What it means for you
It’s hard keeping track of all of Facebook algorithm changes, especially when you’re running a business or agency. So we have done the hard work for you and put together a roundup of everything you need to know about the latest set of changes.
Radio Adverts: Why they can work for your business
Have you considered using radio adverts to promote your business and build brand awareness? Not only do they offer a great return on investment but they also allow you to target listeners in a very unique way and encourage consumer action.
‘That’ Leeds United rebrand and what marketers can learn from it
With Leeds United looking set for a long-awaited return to the Premier League, we thought we’d take a look back at their controversial rebrand to celebrate their centenary year and what marketers and designers can learn from it.
It’s time to take your business onto the digital high street
The impact of Covid-19 has been profound. It has left every business with a choice. Hunker down and wait for things to go back to the way they were or, accept that social distancing is our new reality and digitise your business a much as possible.
How to create the perfect background for your next video call
Video meetings – you’ve probably had more of them in the past few weeks than you have in the past few years. They’re great for keeping in touch and they’re an insight into the lives of your co-workers. So, how do you create the perfect background?
Sci-fi movie gadgets that came true
Science fiction is always trying to predict the future and, particularly, the sci-fi gadgets that we’ll all be using. Sometimes these guesses are wide of the mark, but there have been a few occasions when sci-fi got it right.
Shakespeare: Much ado about content marketing
What if you could ask William Shakespeare for his thoughts on content marketing? We jumped into the CMA Time Travelling Tesla, fired-up the flux capacitor, and hurtled back 400 years to get The Bard’s thoughts on the power of good content marketing.
Everybody Dance Now: 8 Musically Inspired Viral Videos
The popularity of karaoke bars and platforms like TikTok proves that people love performing their favourite songs in front of an audience. An entire generation of people love to make pop videos and share them on social media.
The Hundred – Marketing Gimmick or Genius?
When you think of cricket, you don’t think of marketing. But maybe you should. We take a look at The Hundred competition and what it means for the wider game. Is it a marketing gimmick or a stroke of genius? And, what can we as marketers learn?
Star Wars Mandalorian: the Rise of the Game Engine
Unreal’s revolutionary new virtual environment technology offers unprecedented flexibility to film-makers. The actors can see what the camera sees, which is what the viewer at home will see. There’ll be no more need to fix it in post.
The 5 Best Social Media Campaigns Ever
Social media marketing campaigns are, by their very nature, organic life forms which are born, thrive, then die – often in a matter of hours – while other campaigns can evolve over many years. We have herded-together the five best specimens.
5 ways to increase your social media followers in 2020
So, your business has decided to embrace social media. Naturally, we approve! You’ve set up all your social media platforms, added nice cover photos, created a few posts… but who is following you? Is anyone?
When gamers go to war
Do you feel that video games are good training for the military? The American military is taking inspiration from Hollywood movie The Last Starfighter, by using gamers to help fight future wars. What could possibly go wrong?
International Women’s Day 2020: should you even care?
Like Christmas, International Women’s Day comes around once a year. Like me, you may not have heard about it until a few years ago and wonder what it’s all about. It must just be an excuse for yet another ‘commemorative’ day, right?
5 reasons why your business should be on social media
Businesses of all sizes are turning to social media marketing to raise brand awareness, promote their products and engage with their audiences. But is yours? Here’s 5 reasons why your business should embrace social media marketing.
5 epic content marketing fails to avoid
Failure to understand the power of content marketing is a common problem. Creating good content marketing isn’t easy. So, let’s get to grips with a fistful of fails in the hope that you can avoid the pitfalls that fuel the fires of failure.
What the hell is TikTok?
Why are TikTok videos so popular? Unless you have been living in a cave, you will have likely heard of the social media platform, TikTok. But do you know what it is? If not, the moment has come to find out. Here’s our timely intro to TikTok.
Top 5 films about writer’s block
It’s 5.00am. You’ve been sitting here for precisely three weeks, two days, one hour and 56 seconds. The deadline for the movie script is looming. Yet the screen remains blank. The blinking cursor is taunting you. You’ve hit the writer’s block.
What movie taglines can teach your business about branding
You need branding taglines for your marketing. Whether you call them a tagline, a strapline, a blurb or a catchphrase – a snappy, snazzy, memorable phrase needs to be a key part of your brand. And, no-one is better at this than movie marketers.
Touchdown! The 5 Greatest Superbowl TV Ads
This year, the Superbowl will, once again, be broadcast live on BBC One. Of course, those brave souls staying up ’til 4am to watch the game on the beeb will be missing the best part of the night: the Superbowl adverts.
Conor McGregor: Mixed Marketing Arts (MMA)
Whether you’re a fan or not doesn’t matter. For many, McGregor’s antics outside the Octagon leave a lot to be desired. But, as a marketer, it’s hard not to be impressed. Particularly with how McGregor continues to adapt his brand. And rebuild it.
The 21 Best Films of the 21st Century
As we enter the 3rd decade of the 21st century, it’s time to ask the important question: what is the best film of the 21st century? There will be some surprises, some disappointments and some ‘I’ve-never-even-seen-that’ moments.
The Memes That Defined a Decade
Lots happened in the 2010s. The first iPad arrived, the world was supposed to end several times, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar and Pokemon Go got gamers outside for a whole summer. But the 2010s will be remembered as the decade of the meme.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Or The Rise Of Fan Service?
Rather like The Force, this review has two sides. The Light Side has no major spoilers, we don’t serve their kind in here! But, as for the Dark Side of the review; you will never find a more wretched hive of spoilers and villainy. You must be cautious.
Top 10 John Lewis Christmas ads
John Lewis produces the most eagerly-awaited Christmas adverts. They own the yuletide ad breaks! But, after ten years at the top of the (Christmas) tree, which of their legendary ads is best?
10 Best Television Adverts of the 80s
There was a time before Netflix; before YouTube; before internet advertising. That time was the 1980s. There was no skipping past adverts. That’s why catchy jingles were hummed around the office, taglines bubbled around the water cooler.
Social media marketing: the guide to getting staff involved
Love it or hate it, it’s hard to avoid when it comes to marketing your business. With more social media profiles out there than fish in the sea, it can be hard to make a splash. But the ocean is big, and you need to swim in. Why?
Quentin Tarantino – (Con) Artist?
Does Quentin Tarantino steal all his best ideas and present them as something new and original? And, if so, does that make him a con-man, or an artist? Let’s take a deep dive to find out. Okay, ramblers, let’s get rambling.
12 movies about business you must watch
“Everything I know about business, I learned at the movies,” said nobody, ever. But the movies are full of great stories, about motivated individuals overcoming the odds to triumph – in business or in life. There’s a lot of inspiration to be taken from that! Let’s look at some movies which hail business people as conquering heroes.
Marketing Glastonbury – How do they get away with it?
Glastonbury Festival. It doesn’t guarantee good weather. It doesn’t guarantee you’ll like any of the acts. It doesn’t even guarantee you a place to lay your weary head. And yet we love it! How come?
Content Marketing like a Champ
Content Marketing is the way businesses like yours can take the power of the internet and use it to deliver a knockout punch to the competition. You want your business to punch above its weight? Course you do. Eye o’ th’ tiger!